AS of tomorrow, four months would have passed since the opposition ended the Alliance-Bari s an Nasional domination of national politics – but so far, the country has been none the better for it.

Despite returning with a clear majority, the loss of five States (and its twothirds parliamentary majority) delivered such a blow to the Barisan that it appears unable to govern in an environment of increased opposition. Only the ministries of the cabinet’s two principal technocrats, Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad and Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, seem to be functioning normally: Both have responded individually to the food and fuel crises in the absence of the full-Cabinet package we would have expected, and broader policy appears to have been immobilised by an unfulfilled psychological need for unchallenged political authority. And yet, this authority is being challenged daily – first by internal division within Umno, and now by the increasingly ridiculous personal contest between the country’s top leadership and de facto PKR chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The high drama of murder, sodomy allegations, assassination threats, and the issuance and retraction of sworn statements – tantamount to fiddling in a burning Rome – has consumed public attention at the expense of fiscal policy, even though it is the latter that will determine future political stability. Should we stave off a recession by buoying domestic and foreign confidence via the economic voodoo of increased government spending of money it doesn’t really have, or should we rein in inflation by administering a cocktail of bitter pills that could decimate the credit-happy middle-class? Either of the two policies will have side-effects that require mitigation, and the government needs the strength of will it had in 1998 (when the country found itself in the similar predicament of a simultaneous political and economic crisis) to make clear our collective stand. But have we even formulated those policies? The knee-jerk reactions to the sudden increase in food and fuel prices have bought us some time, and questions must be asked if we are employing that time well. The answer is obviously no. The near-annihilation of peninsular BN component parties has left Umno as the sole leader of government opinion and almost exclusively responsible for national policy, but its leaders are clearly focussed on the coming contest for party positions. Factions are moving to strike new political fortunes, or perhaps to legitimise their current existence, by appealing to the complex and emotionally- charged debate on ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy). The opposition is faring no better: Despite some genuine efforts (notably by DAP and PAS) to establish a responsible parliamentary democracy, policy debate in the Pakatan Rakyat has been overwhelmed by Anwar’s personal desire to topple the government. The Barisan’s charge that PKR continues to exploit populist fantasies (for example, by promising cheaper fuel), goes unanswered in the absence of any clear shadow policy, while leaders such as N. Gobalakrishnan draw unnecessary attention to their lack of political experience. The scarcity of responsible leadership on both sides of the political divide is clearly frustrating a population that expected far more from the March 8 elections than what their representatives have so far managed to give, and the stock market registered its spectacular disapproval last week. This impasse clearly cannot be allowed to continue, and it is unlikely that anything will be resolved without a clear victory for one side or the other. Speculation of a National Operations Council, akin to that of 1969-1972 is rife – especially since the Prime Minister’s denial of a state of emergency late last week. Such a development will effectively end whatever political credibility our nation has established, and – since we lack the leadership of a universally acceptable politician – will paradoxically push us further to the brink of civil unrest. Politicians must accept responsibility for the circus national politics has become, but it is incumbent upon us, the citizens of Malaysia, to defeat any attempt – by any party – to subvert the rule of law in our country. • U-En Ng graduated in mediaeval languages and is a journalist. He is parliamentary sketchwriter for Malay Mail.

Source: Malay Mail – July 7, 2008