I have tried to follow the current US presidential elections closely as a way of learning about the nature of their democratic politics. I am especially interested to learn how a mature democracy prepares and identifies an appropriate candidate for the 50th US presidency.
Of course, we are long way from becoming a republic but I really believe it is never too late to talk about how we can change our selection process of corrupt prime ministers as leaders of either coalition, which has a majority in Parliament. It should never be an automatic appointment any more based on the obvious case of crooked and poor governance of the nation-state demonstrated so far.
I must say, after 58 years as an independent nation, while we have had evidence of both good and poor leadership, what we have lacked from every prime minister is a good model of the full accountability of any undisputed leader of our multi-ethnic nation-state. We lack a prime minister who is truly for all Malaysians; since the Tunku, and maybe for a while with Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
In my view, except for Tunku Abdul Rahman and Abdul Razak Hussein who were sincere and true nationalists of the older post-independence agenda (without commenting on Hussein Onn because he was a reluctant PM); in my view, most of the others have produced both good and bad; but often with little or zero accountability to all their real supporters, as the rakyat of Malaysia (RM)! This RM is the real value of any good democracy; the true and real currency served.
Our leadership model is shabby
Look at our past prime ministers; how did they really become leaders of our nation-state? In every case, the leader of the Malay Party (Umno as the sole Malay party in federal governance) which always won on a multi-ethnic ‘espoused agenda’, but which has always remained the largest party in the ruling coalition. But such a size gap is not based on participative democracy but more of a malleable gerrymandered reality.
The head of the so-called biggest representative party then becomes the prime minister. But, to start with, it was allocated more seats then others for the general election, and that too based on an unequal proportion of seats. It is a self-defeating system and abuses real and true participative democracy, premised upon the ethnic card and membership. Pakatan Alternative, too, is premised upon the same wrong premises.
Nevertheless, while the current BN claims to have run this country well, I have to disagree; after we witnessed the first three prime ministers. But, where are we today, as a people and a nation-state? We win global corruption contests and are currently also winning on rapes and theft upon our lives and resources premised upon rule by law system of justice. And then, we are confused and perplexed. Why so? Can we, the people, not change all this? Are we not RM?
Theft and rape is today rationalised
Please visit any town or city council today in any of the 145 Malaysian local authorities and undertake a self-awareness educational study.
You will find, as I did, except for Putrajaya which was designed and crafted to be a green location (it was billed as a ‘symbiosis between Man, Nature, and God’), all of the other current green spaces and lungs or places in any town or city council were planned, designed, and developed by the British under their system of administration.
On our part, we have mostly stolen and raped green spaces and places, all in the name of ‘development’. That is the living history of local governance in Malaysia today. I dare the minister to refute this.
Is the rape or theft of approved and planned but existing green lungs part and parcel of ‘justified rape and theft for development’? Or, is it really not the failure of operational leadership of today at the level of local councils, and the obvious greed of big business interests who have links to the federal and state governments?
For example, the mayor of George Town was a British official. Would he ever have considered raping and stealing the green lungs of Penang? Who then were the local council authorities who planned, designed, and developed all the parks or lake gardens all over Malaysia? Were they not all foreigners and British at that?
Those spaces were all labelled Botanical Gardens; why is this culture and practice not continued any more? It is not any more our culture or philosophy of life to establish and keep our green lungs?
Town and Country Planning rules
All planning of spaces and places all over Malaysia is guided and controlled by the Town and Country Planning rules and guidelines. But, sadly, most of the mayors/local council chairpersons appear not to be concerned or bothered by those planning guidelines. I have therefore sourced the preamble to the Act which reads:
LAWS OF MALAYSIA, Act 172
TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1976
An Act for the proper control and regulation of town and country planning in peninsular Malaysia, and for purposes connected therewith, or ancillary thereto.
WHEREAS it is expedient for the purpose of ensuring uniformity of law and policy to make a law for the proper control and regulation of town and country planning in peninsular Malaysia: AND WHEREAS it is also expedient that provisions be made to confer executive authority on the Federation over certain matters in relation to the control and regulation of town and country planning: NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to Clause (1) of Article 74, Clause (4) of Article 76 and Clause (2) of Article 80 of the Constitution,
BE IT ENACTED by the Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong with the advice and consent of the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
The above is what is called the ‘prayer’ to the Act 172 of the Parliament of Malaysia. It defines the objective of the Act of Parliament and outlines the “philosophy for the proper planning and regulation of town and country planning in the Bill before it is converted into law”.
True leadership for the world of today
My simple reason to propose that Trump will fail to get to become US president is because I really and truly believe that the US, as a nation-state, cannot behave any more like an Ugly American (please refer to my last column on the subject) ; the world has a clear view of what and how the US can and should behave today; including, from governments of Japan or Russia, or China.
The EU also has strong but differing views about the older world model of power and authority, but has now moved to away towards a world of information and knowledge; driven and spurred by the Information Revolution, and soon to be defined by their stand on refugee issues.
Leadership today is all about courage and never about power. Courage to do what is good, true, and right. Only such people can and will emerge to lead the change process requisite to deal with this braver new world.
My prediction is Trump will fail to make it. Americans are not stupid; or, at least I think so. The new world of today cannot be a simple extrapolation of the past trends, into the future, but our change of today, on the ground, is a very discontinuous one; effectively redirected by social media technology and messaging. But also tended towards deconstruction of traditional forms and structures.
Trump lacks the personal character and credibility to assume the role of a major leader in the modern world. Even if he wins the Republican nomination; my guess is that the American people have the wisdom and grassroots knowledge to kick him out; ultimately. Then he would have learned his biggest lesson of his life; that money alone cannot buy everything; especially the right to political leadership.
Most business-types only know and do have only a smaller and narrower agenda; which is by definition manageable and within their full control, but the very nature of politics is that everyone out there has an interest in who you are and who they think you will be; and it is not about just your business colleagues and business partners.
