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May 13, 2014

by Mariam Mokhtar@http://www.malaysiakini.com

Malaysias flirtation with democracy died 45 years ago, in the racial riots of May 13, 1969, in which Malaysians attacked Malaysians in acts of savagery. Today, we live in a state which, on the surface, seems to be a functioning, normal democratic society, but if one were to scratch beneath the surface, one would wonder if democracy was just a figment of the imagination.

We all despise and mistrust politicians, from both sides of the political divide. Detractors will insist that we are a democratic nation. That is one myth which must be immediately quashed. It does not mean that we live in a democracy just because we visit the polling stations every five years.

The electoral system is corrupt, indelible ink washes off, boundaries are skewed to benefit the ruling party, ballot boxes are switched during blackouts, thugs intimidate voters and money and citizenship is given to illegal immigrants, in exchange for voting rights. These are not the hallmarks of a democracy.

Politics in Malaysia is just a game for the ruling elite. They swop roles and tinker with administration and funding. The main thing is to keep the party in power. Personal interests outweigh the national interest. Our freedom is curbed, along with our freedom of thought.

It is a grave concern, when the rakyat increasingly accepts corruption, murder and thuggery, as part of the normal government machinery.Today, apart from it being a religion, Islam is also used as an implement for political suppression, a divisive tool, a diversionary tactic and a ploy to destroy the opposition.

Few Malaysians will have heard of the book, Malaysia, Death of a Democracy by John Slimming, a journalist who lived and worked in Malaysia from 1951 to 1967. Slimmings book gives an unbiased and graphic account of the riots, the reasons they happened and the aftermath. The book was banned in Malaysia, but having obtained a copy of the book, I know that Slimmings conclusions are just as applicable now, as they were, in 1969.

In June 1969 photocopies of Fred Emerys articles from The Times were smuggled in from Singapore and sold for RM20. People who were caught with these photostats, about the riots, were imprisoned for up to two years.

In the section of the book about One-Party Rule and Ultra-nationalists, Slimming said, The present UMNO leaders cannot risk offending the Malays for fear of widening the rift within their own party. He observed that, As long as the opposition is suppressed, there can be no long-term solution to the countrys difficulties.

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