Down to the present day — the luminous image of democracy has often served as a pretext for the most undemocratic actions.
– Randal Marlin, Canadian philosophy professor
2020 is a year when several unprecedented incidents took place in our country.
Covid-19 was unavoidable, call it “an act of God” if you will, but others were the work of unscrupulous politicians.
The political upheavals took its toll on the nation and people. The majority of Malaysians cringed in disbelief as they were unexpected and unprecedented and should never have happened.
We are in the final lap of 2020 — two more months to go. To put it up straight, the past 10 months have been “hell on earth” for Malaysians. To many, every single day has been agonising.
If I were to ask any of you to raise your hand if you have not been affected by the turmoil of 2020, I guess I would see none.
People, this is as real as it gets. Every single Malaysian is under great stress. Even the billionaires and millionaires will surely say they are also suffering. Why? Because their manna train has come to a halt.
To the filthy rich, particularly those who do not have to lift a finger to attain their wealth, greed knows no bounds.
To the dirt poor, they must be wondering why they were ever born. We shouldn’t be surprised to hear of more suicide cases. This is sad and tragic.
The first thing that should never have taken place this year is the infamous Sheraton putsch in February. It was the most treacherous coup in Malaysian history.
We all know what happened, so I’ll spare the details.
What I wish to stress again, as I’ve done so many times, is that an unelected government is untenable.
The dictionary tells us that “untenable” means “not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection”.
This is exactly what the current PN government is — it is indefensible, no matter how we look at it.
This is a government formed following scheming and plotting by self-serving politicians. It is a back-door movement, not an elected government.
In a democracy, the people elect a government to run the nation. In the Sheraton putsch, politicians forced themselves on the people. We know what “rape” is, don’t we?
In the six decades of our nation’s history, the Alliance followed by Barisan Nasional ruled. Some might not agree or oppose their policies and their leaders were not perfect. But they were democratically elected by the majority. That was never in doubt.
I don’t think a back-door government will last. It should not. I would even say that it is the duty and responsibility of the people to ensure that it does not, that is if we still want the system of parliamentary democracy. Or do we prefer a dictatorship or military rule?
Already, there are signs that the administration of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is shaking. That is no surprise.
For starters, how can a government with a wafer-thin majority of two or three seats be stable? Then, we saw a bloated cabinet filled with jokers plus the “special treatment” they were accorded. Remember the one who got away scot-free after flouting the pandemic SOPs.
Coupled with a very unhappy and disillusioned populace, I foresee that the demise of the PN government is close at hand.
Two incidents alone this month pointed to the instability of the government and the rather negative vibes politicians kept sending out at a ferocious pace.
One, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim continued with his efforts to take over the government as prime minister. Following his audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Oct 13, Anwar’s attempt could have been futile by now with changes in political allegiances that make them as unpredictable as the weather.
Secondly, we have the “emergency” proposal by the Muhyiddin’s cabinet, purportedly to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
The prime minister’s proposal was shot down by the King and the Council of Rulers. This was unprecedented. For the first time, a prime minister’s advice was rejected outright by the King.
Not surprisingly, the debate on the matter rages on among constitutional experts.
The latest speculation carried by a news portal that Muhyiddin was contemplating resigning as prime minister is perhaps the only positive development of the past eight months.
The legitimacy of his government has always been questioned because an unelected government is untenable.
This is the crux of the matter.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is the author of ‘Hijack in Malaysia: The Fall of Pakatan Harapan’ which was recently launched. The book retails at RM40 (Sarawak) and RM42 (West Malaysia). For autographed copies, contact him at sirsiah@gmail.com
