Essence of mature democracy

THERE is an unusual election happening in Melaka. It is an election without any of the conventional features of campaigning. There are no organised house-to-house visits, small-group meetings or large-scale public gatherings. Walkabouts are prohibited.

Campaigning in public spaces is not allowed. However, candidates can put across their messages online. They can use both the print and electronic media to campaign to their heart’s content. WhatsApp, Twitter, and other such channels have all become popular means of communication.

The people have accepted restrictions imposed upon them because they are aware of the risks and dangers associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. No one, least of all the candidates, wants to see another surge of serious infections or contend with an alarming escalation of Covid-19 deaths. So everyone is prepared to put up with an election without the central elements of a democratic contest.

At the same time, however, people do not want what is happening in Melaka now to become the new “normal”. Full-scale campaigning should be allowed in the upcoming 15th General Election. The assumption is that we would have overcome the pandemic by the time the 15th General Election is called.

Malaysians should realise that active interaction between voters and candidates is essential for a maturing democracy. Voters and the public in general should subject the candidates to full scrutiny. If they are contesting again, the track record of candidates who had served previously should be examined thoroughly. Meanwhile, new candidates should have a clear idea of their roles in the Legislature.

While the scope for positive interaction between voters and candidates should be expanded, any negative interplay between them should be curbed immediately. An example would be money politics, which has been the bane of Malaysian politics for decades.

The public are not sure if, with all the restrictions imposed on campaigning, money politics has also gone on leave. From the stories emerging from Melaka, there is nothing to suggest that this scourge has been curtailed. In fact, its practitioners appear to have invented new ways to keep the vice alive.

We are told that money politics and other such wrongdoings are being monitored. Is that true? Is effective action being taken?

Let us not forget that it is the failure to take decisive action against corrupt practices in electoral politics and other areas of life that is partly responsible for the erosion of trust in political elites.

If money politics is still alive and kicking in the Melaka polls, it should not surprise us at all. After all, the ouster of the Melaka state government itself as a result of the withdrawal of support for the Barisan Nasional chief minister by four State Assembly members had raised an ethical question or two.

It is alleged that the ouster cannot be separated from the political ambitions of certain politicians within and without Melaka. This is why the real challenge before the people of Melaka and the rest of Malaysia is cleaning up politics of unsavoury practices and personalities. This is not an easy task.

DR CHANDRA MUZAFFAR , Kuala Lumpur