Reformasi: Its ideals remain a dream

By now it should be plain to all those of us for whom Reformasi is not a dirty word that the tiger cannot lose its stripes. In other words, the old order still prevails and the Reformasi ideals - of a government which is accountable and open; of a Parliament whose members are responsible, dedicated and truly representative of the nation; and of a legal system which is impartial and free from political influence - still remain a pipe dream. As far as the exercise of political power is concerned, there has been no change at all.

Take the media, for example. The coverage of the news by TV, the radio and the Press remains as selective as ever. TV and Radio still carry on with their brainwashing, reporting the opinions of ministers as statements of fact, identifying patriotism with the ruling party, and toeing the party line as the hallmark of democracy. The Press remains as sycophantic as ever to the people in power; it gives detailed coverage of mundane happenings around the country but provides the barest attention to matters of real import such as the epic trial of a former deputy prime minister. Opposition publications have been crippled. This magazine has been plagued with problems, Harakah has had its issues slashed by 75 per cent, and Detik has disappeared altogether. The Internet is open to everybody and the powers-to-be have declared that it shall remain so. But only 5 per cent of Malaysians surf the Internet.

Then what about transparency? Police reports, backed by documentary evidence, have been lodged about the alleged corruption of leading Cabinet ministers but no action has yet been taken. There is the mysterious Hicom merger, which involves the shunting around of a lot of shares within a magic circle, and the still greater mystery which passeth all understanding of the alleged kickbacks in a certain Telecom contract.

Malaysian justice still grinds on in its wondrous way leaving many foreign and quite a number of our own lawyers dumbfounded, but it is no longer highlighted as it was before because that could cause us to get too excited. Better to forget it. In fact, one would hardly know that it was grinding away at all without scrutinising the papers with the greatest care.

All this is since the great general election of 1999. As far as we who want change are concerned, there has been no change at all. Well, hardly any, because we must not forget those 680,000 electors who were not able to exercise their right to vote in the last election but who will be able to do so the next time because the Elections Commission has now succeeded in completing the registration exercise. Let’s hope that the Commission will have time to register the next batch of those eligible to vote in time for the year 2004.

There are some other marginal differences as well. There is less tension in the air because most of us have grown a little wary of politics. Moreover, the economy appears to be mending, so that at least some people will be getting rich again. The media is blander and less abrasive. BN politicians have picked up a few Reformasi terms such as ‘transparency’, ‘accountability’ and ‘serving the people’, etc. which they bandy about quite freely. And there are signs that even in the higher echelons of the senior party in the ruling coalition there are those who beg to differ from those at the very top.

But one thing that has not changed is the prime minister’s world view and the lessons he would like us all to learn from it. Globalisation is dangerous and must be resisted – which is rather like the Danish King who ordered the tide to turn back at his command. The King was merely trying to teach his flattering courtiers a lesson, but our prime minister is serious. Yet globalisation is a technological process which, like the Industrial Revolution, is unstoppable. All that we can do is to learn how to handle it to our advantage.

He still warns us about the dangerous world we live in and of the dangerous foreigners who are out to get us. We must all unite to prevent that from happening, but he also keeps on inviting foreigners into our country to show off their Formula One racing machines and to provide expensive advice on how to manage our financial affairs – remember those Jewish consultants?

He continues to demand our gratitude and scolds the Malays for not showing it by voting against him – yet if it were not for them, he would never have got where he is today in the first place.

Of course, he is the father of national unity and solidarity? Party must come before the individual? And the two top individuals who run the party must not be challenged?

So really, there haven’t been any basic changes at all over the past few months, have there? So where do we stand? Will we have to wait for another five years before we get another chance? Will we be able to keep to our commitment for change and remain true to our values for so long? Have we in fact had our last chance for reform and a better Malaysia?

Or is it the other way round? They say – it is hard to get confirmation of such things – that the prime minister has been very busy interviewing people of late, people like the heads of UMNO divisions whose support he desperately needs to have so that he can keep his job. But one of two recalcitrants – some fairly high up in the hierarchy – have expressed opposing views. Could this lead to a split in UMNO and the collapse of the present regime? A charming thought, perhaps, but do not count on it. As everyone knows, the prime minister is a past master in the art of persuading people to see where their higher interests lie, and no doubt his interviews have worked wonders. No, we cannot expect too much from UMNO.

The answer lies with us, the believers in the need for change. Although the cards remain stacked against us, we must not lose our faith. We have many things going for us. There are, in the first place, many more of us than there used to be before, say, Anwar’s arrest. And as far as it is possible to judge, most of us have not had second thoughts and changed our minds about what is right and fair and what is not in the present scheme of things. We have a stronger Opposition in Parliament and although the media’s selective coverage does not give us much of a chance to know how it is getting on, one thing is clear - that the Barisan Alternatif is a real alternative which is working.

Technology - IT - about which the prime minister himself is very enthusiastic is also surely on our side – that is, on the side of openness and enlightenment and better mutual understanding. And above all, we have youth on our side – young professionals who belong to a far less cynical and much more positive world and who have a much more tolerant outlook than perhaps people of the older generation. And beyond them is the up and coming new generation of students who have their own hopes and ideals, and who want the right to be heard.

So if today, the prospects for change seem a little gloomy, we still have the hope of seeing something better. Indeed, it is more likely that the boot is on the other foot - that it is the forces of reaction which are now facing their last chance to survive. But this can be only at our expense and if we let them through our own indifference or despondency.