— Tota
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 19, 2012
JULY 19 — In English history there is King Æthelred The Unready. He earned this nickname because he was never ready for anything good or wise. Bolehland displays many similar characteristics to qualify to be called “Malaysia The Unready”.
The Umno-dominated BN government has shown a stubborn refusal to make Malaysia a truly democratic state where the rule of law, civil rights and liberties, equality and justice are respected and practised. The Umno-dominated BN government’s mantra is that Malaysia is not ready for so many things that are basic in all truly democratic and progressive countries.
Malaysia The Unready is not ready to:
● make Malaysia a truly democratic, secular state as enshrined in the Constitution.
● make Parliament democratically functional with an elected Speaker.
● have an elected Senate.
● elect office-bearers from kampung to Parliament level as is done in Indonesia.
● hold local council elections to create a participatory democracy.
● introduce proportional representation.
● share power and resources between the federal and state governments
● hold free and fair elections without electoral fraud and shameless gerrymandering.
● establish a true meritocracy.
● make every Malaysian equal in every way.
● establish rule of law and not rule by law.
● abolish all repressive and oppressive laws like the newly minted laws denying the right to assemble and march in protest, the Sedition Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, and the Universities and University Colleges Act.
● restore human rights, individual rights and liberties like freedom of speech, the right to dissent and the right to assemble.
● lower the voting age to 18.
● register automatically those eligible to vote.
● appoint an Ombudsman.
● make the civil service, the judiciary, the MACC, the Election Commission, the police, and the Registrar of Societies truly independent and free from executive control and manipulation.
● abolish the post of Attorney-General and have an independent Public Prosecutor like the US or an independent Director of Prosecution as in the UK.
● abolish all ethnicity-religion based policies.
● abolish the NEP and replace it with needs-based policies.
● appoint a Law Reform Commission to modernise archaic laws like the ones with ouster clauses which deny justice to litigants against ministers whose decisions are presently not subject to judicial review.
● sign all UN Conventions.
● legislate a Race Relations Act.
● legislate a Freedom of Information Act.
● establish an Interfaith Commission.
● accord all religions equal importance and respect.
● appoint a fair number of non-Malays as governors (in Penang, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak).
● overhaul completely the education system which is an absolute disaster now.
● increase ethnic minority representation among VCs, Deputy VCs and deans in public universities.
● institute fair ethnic representation in the police, army, navy and air force.
● establish an independent print and electronic media to enable all voices and views to be heard.
● establish a public register for government servants and politicians to declare their income and assets.
● wipe out corruption by punishing the “big fish”.
● establish genuine gender equality.
● respect the people’s choice and will — no more “Peraks”!
● promote Ketuanan Rakyat — not Ketuanan Melayu.
● promote Agenda Rakyat — not Agenda Melayu, which makes 1 Malaysia a big farce, hoax and a gimmick.
With so many lacks, who was the goon who said that Malaysia is the world’s best democracy? — aliran.com