An Unindependent Election Commission
The Malaysian Election Commission is, in theory, an independent body. It was set up to oversee and carry out the process of holding elections in Malaysia. It is responsible for several things, including maintaining the electoral roll and delineating constituencies.
The trouble with the EC, though, is that it's simply not independent of the government's wishes. It was set up to act as a neutral and impartial overseer of elections, but it has clearly become, at best, an ineffective institution forced to comply with the executive's wishes. At worst, it directly aids and abets electoral fraud.
The first chairman of the EC was fiercely independent of the executive. He fought tooth and nail for the EC to have its own way, and refused to submit to the requests of the Prime Minister. When the Tunku attempted to oust him or subdue him, he found loopholes in the law to remain independent.
After he retired, however, the executive made sure it never fell for the same mistake again. It has since appointed those with less independent streaks to the post, and therefore ensured that whatever the Prime Minister wants, the Prime Minister gets.
Just in case, however, the independence of the EC has been continually reduced and infringed upon since the early days of Malaysia. Originally, the EC's recommendations were laid before Parliament and subjected to an up or down vote, with little room for amendments.
Today, however, the Prime Minister can amend the report as much as he likes before it is even presented to the MPs. With the government's unimpeachable Parliamentary majority, the recommendations of the "Electoral Commission" (which are in reality the PM's recommendations) will easily sail through Parliament.
The topping on the cake is the maintenance of our antiquated electoral roll. The roll's maintenance is not automated much, and most of the EC's efforts actually go into purging the roll of dead and other ineligible voters rather than actually working on how to further improve our electoral process.
By forcing us to rely on this antiquated system, the government successfully ties the hands of the EC, and also makes electoral fraud substantially easier. "Phantom voters" are not uncommon, as many people can tell you.
Recently there have been calls from political scientists to review the electoral system in Malaysia, with a view to ending the first-past-the-post system, and also to restoring local government elections.
These calls however, are futile. They fall not on deaf ears, but on ears that could not do anything even if they could hear. The EC is utterly controlled and hemmed in by the government, and the government will never allow us to reform our electoral system.
If we want a fairer and more just election system, the key is an independent Election Commission. By cutting the EC free from the straitjacket it has had imposed on it by the government, we will be doing the voters of Malaysia, today and tomorrow, a great service.
(Infernal Ramblings is a Malaysian website focusing on current events and sociopolitical issues. Its articles run the gamut from economics to society to education.
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| Related comments from forum thread "BOYCOTT BOYCOTT BOYCOTT - The desperate cry of a no-win situ": | |
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freelunch2020
Member Posts: 17 IP Logged | Posted at 2:23:04 pm Jan 15, 2007
Hi John, Thanks so much for the invite to discuss this topic. Very well written article on the opposition's decision to 'boycott' the Batu Talam by-election. Again, it's a pleasure to be discussing such issues with a young but superbly talented man like you -- you have a bright future --> MIGRATE TO THE US or UK.  They give you a passport with full rights after 10 years. Anyway back to the topic, I agree with you that the opposition should have just come out and said that "they would prefer to concentrate their resources on the upcoming general elections" instead of riding the moral high horse of principles. From my observation in the past 20 years, the main obstacle that the opposition faces in a fair election lies NOT in the electoral process BUT in their lack of ACCESS to the mainstream media. Like you and many others have said, public opinion is largely formed by the mass media, especially in rural areas where the level of education and hence critical thinking is generally lacking. Hence, the government is able to hold on to the votes mainly because they are able to control public opinion. Generally, besides the gerrymandering over the years that have swayed the electoral process to BN's benefit, the electoral process is pretty fair -- just look at PAS in Kelantan and Terengganu. If it was really that dirty, dirty nonetheless, but clean enough for voters to elect their representative of choice. The opposition faces a gargantuan task with its lack of resources, intimidation from authorities, non-access to the mainstream media, and MOSTLY the almost complete ABSENCE of credible, passionate and effective leaders with a CLEAR MANIFESTO, like you mentioned. PAS seems unable to shake off it's image of an Islamic party still living in a medieval Middle East and hoping that a piety will solve all their material problems. But I do respect the party because it has integrity and its leaders appear to have stronger sense of public service -- something that those in BN can learn from. After Anwar's re-entry into full-time politics, PKR has improved in its vision with a strong focus on civil society, espousing all those values associated with it. But besides Anwar and Azmin Ali, I fail to see any other leader who would be able to take on the challenge of a general election. The party was thrashed in 2004 with many stories of incompetence and insufficient party workers to push their candidates' campaign. So, the problem with PKR lies with leadership and membership. My assessment of Tian Chua is that he is a good ACTIVIST but may not be as good a POLITICIAN. Politics, especially since you want to govern, is more than STAGING PROTESTS. These activities should be relegated to the younger student leaders. Especially in Malaysia, demonstrations are viewed as ineffective means of bringing change and a disruption to public life. Can you think of any policy changes that demonstrations have brought? What has the demonstrations on toll hikes and fuel hikes done? Even the mass turnout of over 10,000 people during the height of Anwar's reformasi campaign in 1998 FAILED to TOPPLE Dr M. This proves that the Malaysian way is not the 'demonstrasi way'. So, PKR needs to recruit more leaders across demographics and party workers, who are more aware of REAL POLITICS not social activism. Back to the move to boycott, I've mentioned on my blog, I feel this is POLITICALLY the best thing to do. Since they are going to lose based on past elections, they might as well capitalise on it by asking for improvements in the electoral process. On whether international media attention will cause any change, my view is a definite NO. Like you said, just look at Myanmar + Anwar. But now with the FTA negotiations, there may be a stronger impetus for the government to maintain its facade of democracy and civil society. In conclusion, it is my view that the move is good politically but fails to hold up on the grounds of an 'unfair and dirty' electoral process as the main hurdle to a fair election is the opposition's non-participation in the mainstream mass media. let me know. i could not find a topic so just started one. we should meet sometime, will u be going to the talk on wed night with Kadir Jasin et al on the NST-Utusan merger? Check Jeff Ooi. |
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johnleemk
Infernally Rambling Thoughtless Mind Head Administrator Posts: 949 IP Logged | Posted at 2:17:38 am Jan 16, 2007
They give you a passport with full rights after 10 years.Haha, I'll think about it...I'd like to keep my Malaysian citizenship for the time being, though. Hence, the government is able to hold on to the votes mainly because they are able to control public opinion.Yes, exactly. If the opposition wants to win, they must change public opinion. Even under a completely fair electoral system, BN would still be in power today, albeit with a lower majority. I'd say the real unfair laws are those clamping down on free speech, and the chilling effect that goes with them. I have seen people, making a blog post slightly critical of government policy for the first time in their lives, wondering if they'll get in trouble with the special branch. Without a free press, the government has a field day in manipulating public opinion. It will be difficult, however, to change these laws at any rate, especially because there is - in some limited sense - a real justification for them. (Ostensibly "sensitive issues".) What we need is real grassroots support for the opposition. Only that will sweep them into power. Since the government has cut off conventional avenues of expression, the opposition has to rely on the strength of its message, platform and candidates, and word of mouth (word of mouth naturally includes alternative media such as blogs). PAS seems unable to shake off it's image of an Islamic party still living in a medieval Middle East and hoping that a piety will solve all their material problems. But I do respect the party because it has integrity and its leaders appear to have stronger sense of public service -- something that those in BN can learn from.Yes, that is the only reason I am not utterly disgusted with PAS - at least their leaders seem to stand for something. The only problem is the utter incompetency of many of their leaders, and the utter unviability of their platform. After Anwar's re-entry into full-time politics, PKR has improved in its vision with a strong focus on civil society, espousing all those values associated with it. But besides Anwar and Azmin Ali, I fail to see any other leader who would be able to take on the challenge of a general election. The party was thrashed in 2004 with many stories of incompetence and insufficient party workers to push their candidates' campaign. So, the problem with PKR lies with leadership and membership.100% agreement there. I am always wondering why these political parties find it so difficult to locate competent leaders. True visionaries, yes, might be hard to find. But competent people, Malay or otherwise, are not hard to find at all. Indeed, there is probably a surplus for the taking since UMNO/MCA/MIC have been promoting incompetent corrupt ba*****s all these years. It is sad that the opposition continually fails to capitalise on bright potential leaders. My assessment of Tian Chua is that he is a good ACTIVIST but may not be as good a POLITICIAN. Politics, especially since you want to govern, is more than STAGING PROTESTS. These activities should be relegated to the younger student leaders. Especially in Malaysia, demonstrations are viewed as ineffective means of bringing change and a disruption to public life. Can you think of any policy changes that demonstrations have brought? What has the demonstrations on toll hikes and fuel hikes done? Even the mass turnout of over 10,000 people during the height of Anwar's reformasi campaign in 1998 FAILED to TOPPLE Dr M. This proves that the Malaysian way is not the 'demonstrasi way'.Haha, indeed. I have noticed that at most recent demonstrations, the PKR flag is the most prominent. While it is good that they are involving themselves in grassroots-level activities, if these cannot translate into greater support for the party or its policies, they must find other ways of gaining ground. Back to the move to boycott, I've mentioned on my blog, I feel this is POLITICALLY the best thing to do. Since they are going to lose based on past elections, they might as well capitalise on it by asking for improvements in the electoral process.Hehe, my sentiments are similar. At the same time, though, if their true motive is tactically-based, I think it's a bit disingenuous to call it a "boycott".  But now with the FTA negotiations, there may be a stronger impetus for the government to maintain its facade of democracy and civil society.I'm skeptical about this. Singapore is a bastion of free trade, and they didn't have a single opposition MP till the mid-1980s, and the government frequently wins elections on nomination day. There were all those scandals about their mistreatment of opposition candidates in the last GE (with lawsuits, etc. flying about) and with their small contained "free speech zones" at a recent summit, but none of these have dampened investor interest or made foreign governments skeptical of Singapore. If BN can maintain Malaysia's facade as a well-governed country, foreigners generally won't care how messed up our politics are. In conclusion, it is my view that the move is good politically but fails to hold up on the grounds of an 'unfair and dirty' electoral process as the main hurdle to a fair election is the opposition's non-participation in the mainstream mass media.IMO, it is very impractical to enter the mainstream mass media because of the vast amount of capital required to run a newspaper (not to mention the government would probably delay the process of granting a licence forever), and at any rate a non-independent newspaper might not be very credible. (Though obviously that hasn't daunted the party-owned newspapers such as The Star or the NST.) It's practically impossible to gain space in any mainstream newspaper because it's either BN-owned or fearful of losing its licence (the chilling effect, as I said). And let's not even talk about radio or TV... let me know. i could not find a topic so just started one. we should meet sometime, will u be going to the talk on wed night with Kadir Jasin et al on the NST-Utusan merger? Check Jeff Ooi.Sure, anyone can start a new topic - that's how forums thrive, because unlike conventional blogs, anyone can start a new discussion topic. I don't think I can attend, since I don't have any transport. Maybe desi should organise another bloggers' meet one of these days... |
