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27.03.2004
Chandra: Results would have been the same
Byline: Shahanaaz Habib
PETALING JAYA: Even with the reported irregularities and foul-ups in the just-concluded general election, the overall results at both state and parliamentary level “would not have been very different”, said senior political analyst Dr Chandra Muzaffar.
“There was undoubtedly a palpable mood in the country described as the Pak Lah phenomenon, that was generated by the emergence of this leader and a certain personality, that blended in beautifully with the Malaysian culture.
“That made a big difference,” he said at a forum on the General Election 2004: What’s Next organised by The Star and the Asian Centre for Media Studies here yesterday.
Dr Chandra, who is president of the International Movement for a Just World, said the claims that there could be something “fishy” about the massive voter turnouts in the polls were not justified and it was not something difficult to explain.
He said when there was intense competition between two sides, the turnouts would be huge as had happened in Penang in 1969 (when Gerakan, then an opposition party, won) and Kelantan in 1990 when PAS triumphed.
As for the dramatic swings in the east coast states, he said, this was in fact a characteristic of politics there.
He pointed out that in 1990, the PAS-Semangat 46 coalition managed to wipe out the Umno-Barisan in Kelantan and in 1999, Umno suffered a massive defeat in Terengganu when it lost the state to PAS.
Dr Chandra said the results of the polls was a verdict that was a fair reflection of what people feel and “it’s time to move on.”
He said now that the election was over, his wish list for the new Prime Minister included measures to improve ethnic relations in the country, reform education to create thinking Malaysians, embark on progressive Islam, restore integrity and professional ethics in institutions of governance and curb corruption.
On the institutions of governance, he said, these had declined over the years and that there was a tremendous need to restore the high professional status of institutions like the Election Commission, judiciary and police.
“That is the key to the success of any society in the world,” he said, adding that the recently established Commission set up to review police performance was a step in the right direction.
Noting that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had begun to address the challenge of curbing corruption, Dr Chandra added that:
“People want to see some of the big buaya (crocodiles) caught. He has begun to trap a couple of buaya but whether they are really big is something else. This is something the people are hoping for.”
Dr Chandra also said the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) should become truly independent and elected representatives should declare their assets in a public register to create a culture with values and integrity.
He also made a case for a free and independent media in the country.
“There is no better ally in the fight against corruption and abuse of power than a free media,” he said.
Dr Chandra said high on his wish list was also the wide gap between the poor and rich and that there should be serious intent to address the root causes of poverty.
He said he was glad the Government was talking about rural development again and concerned about generating domestic sources of growth.
Dr Chandra also hoped that the Prime Minister and his team would try to improve ethnic relations.
He said looking at how young Malays felt about justice and young non-Malays felt about inequality, the challenge would be to set up institutional mechanisms to address this matter to strengthen racial integration.
Calling on Abdullah to reform certain aspects of how Muslims here understand Islam, Dr Chandra said efforts should be made for a more progressive approach towards the religion.
“I would like him (Abdullah) to address issues pertaining to the curriculum, the training of religious teachers and the orientation on the role of the media in promoting the understanding of Islam.
“We have to move away from a mere theological understanding of the religion to a more profound understanding of its values and principles,” he said.
On PAS's poor showing in the elections, Dr Chandra said the party should do some soul searching.
Calling himself “a friend of PAS”, he said he hoped the party would reflect seriously on moving away from the hudud-oriented notion of an Islamic state.
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