Uphill journey for reforms

I APOLOGISE profusely for failing to file my column two weeks ago. It was a very rare occurrence in my 16 years as a columnist, and it happened because I got hurt in a minor accident during a cycling event in Jempol.

Held in conjunction with the celebration of the 76th birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan, the cycling event was flagged off at the historical site between Sungai Serting and Sungai Jempol, which flow in opposite directions.

It was here that, for centuries, boats were dragged across the strip of land between the two rivers to enable quicker access to the interior and to cross the peninsula itself, making trade and administration possible.

The stops along the way, which I had visited during an earlier cycling excursion, comprised historical sites, small local businesses and government-owned initiatives.

Of particular interest were the ones showcasing a wedding of the Temuan community and a dam that supplied water to urban areas in Negri Sembilan.

These were wonderfully educational and stimulating pit stops to what would have been an arduous cycle up a hilly, albeit beautiful, terrain. Still, the gradients were enough to remind me that even the slightest incline would require significantly more energy to traverse.

Although one can see the slope appearing and can prepare for it by increasing the pace and changing gears, it still involves more effort.

There seem to be parallels here with the pace of institutional reforms in our country. There are times where we can see what’s coming up, and we can prepare for it.

But then it requires an even greater push at that particular time for the reform journey to continue. Worse, without that determined extra effort, just as with a wheeled object on a hill, it is possible to slide back down.

The Feb 6 press statement by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) pointed out: “The decision to reduce the sentence (on Datuk Seri Najib Razak) signals that abuse of power and misappropriation of public funds are easily tolerated.

”Ideas CEO Dr Tricia Yeoh stated that as the Federal Territories Minister and Attorney General are appointed by the Prime Minister as the Pardons Board’s members, the public may assume that the reprieve would have been considered with agreement from the current political leadership. Thus,

“the decision directly contradicts the Madani government’s commitment to tackling corruption, where the Prime Minister had ambitiously set a target for Malaysia to reach the top 25 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) by 2033.

The sentence reduction may, in fact, reverse the positive move Malaysia has most recently achieved in its latest ranking, having moved up four positions to 57th rank”.

Furthermore, the statement noted: “The decision has serious consequences for an administration that has publicly stated its intentions to implement institutional reforms. This will immediately erode public trust in the government’s ability to uphold its moral position on any matter related to good governance.”

“In addition, this will have a negative implication on the international business community’s perception.

“Among this government’s reform commitments have been separating the roles of Attorney General and Public Prosecutor, enacting the Government Procurement, Freedom of Information, and Political Financing Acts, and amending the Whistleblower Protection Act,” the statement added.

The statement from Ideas was very mild compared to the reactions of many people who were previously ardent supporters of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his political coalition, with some declaring that they will no longer support him – at the cost of any alternative that may result.

Everyone expects some level of compromise from politicians. But it is clear that for many, this issue concerning the pardon was too much to stomach.

Of course, in private conversations, members of the government have expressed their frustrations and tried to explain the immense pressures on them. Some have attempted to justify the decision as being the lesser of two (or more) evils. This too is a predictable situation.

And yet, it underscores the importance of civil society to remain strong in Malaysia and not be beholden to political pressure and personal loyalties.

It is the aim of think tanks that their ideas be translated into policy, and it is hoped that politicians adopt them (ideas) because they believe in them.

However, we must accept that sometimes, good policies occur because politicians are just trying to be electable or even offering a distraction.

Well, there are plenty of good policy proposals available for them to consider!

Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin is founding president of Ideas. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.