An important reason governments are established is to protect free enterprise. This is in order that those engaged in business activity may be protected from evil-doers and also from one another. Good laws and capable administration allow disputes to be resolved in a fair and non-violent manner. The public places trust in government leaders to maintain fairness, and not take improper interest in the competing factions which vie for the consumer's eye.

The same is true for political factions which compete for public support. The government acts much as a benevolent mother to ensure that political parties act decently toward each other. The legal system must be impartial, acting independently to allow the contenders equal access to communications media and facilities for face-to-face information exchange forums to present fair analysis and critique. They must be allowed the opportunity to describe in detail any offer for improved leadership.

Once in power a political party must not dismantle this mechanism. None are allowed to kill mother. A party which prevents further fair elections in effect does this, and by so doing violates the doctrine of fair play that democratic government demands. This is the primary abuse of communist governments to date.

They immediately dismantle the multi-party apparatus and install the party (themselves) as sole owners of all public (and private) property, installing party functionaries as dictators disallowing further contest. For this reason it is often said that a communist party need only win one election.

Once in power, communist parties hold elections, but they are sham elections. The party chooses the candidates, there is no opposition, and the elections are rigged so that only the appearance of a democratic process transpires. The leaders then crow from the rooftops of their mandate from the people. But all human rights disappear.

When democratic processes wither from disuse, corruption inevitably undermines the equal opportunity of opposing parties. Dissent is discouraged by unfair use of the police power of the party-in-power. Once the police and judiciary are corraled there is no avenue for redress of wrongs. The people have lost their right to choose new leaders and exercise continuous due diligence over the affairs of state. Mother has been killed.

In Malaysia there is significant participation at all levels of business by the party-in-power, in partnership with those willing to buy favour. Participation by competing businessmen is conditioned on political loyalty and promise of a block of shares. Over a period of years public money has been used to stimulate the economy. This activity was guided by trusted Umno-BN ministers. The allegation today is that they have betrayed the public trust by siphoning significant portions for themselves. Naturally they do not wish to be held to account.

This incursion of government into the arena of private enterprise was done in the name of the people, using the public treasury and the natural resources of the country. Today it is a significant sum, and the commingling of public, political and personal assets is so confounded that none can accurately disentangle it. Any who attempt to do so immediately come into conflict with the personal interests of the Umno-BN politicians in power.

Today the national police are being used by these ministers to protect personal gains purportedly made in the public interest. The leaders of the Umno-BN political party-in-power feel sufficiently threatened that opposition party leaders are being taken from the streets by plainclothes police body-snatchers acting without warrant under orders of the party-in-power. The intent is to avoid accountability by whisking away all who challenge.

This is an unfair use of the police force, and the public anger at this betrayal of public trust by the Umno-BN leadership is tangible. Political unrest mounts, and attempts to forestall future demonstrations will only exacerbate the discord. There is now a demand that the Umno-BN party be condemned as an enemy of the people. They react by training more riot police, buying more water cannons, building more prisons.

The arrests have just begun, so the government says. These threats are a favorite form of intimidation, and are successful when used on those who fear incarceration. In the past this threat has been sufficient to curtail and control political dissent. Thus the public purse is being used to keep the lid on the pot, but such measures only create a pressure cooker in which the tension mounts to dangerous levels.

Malaysians are by nature a gentle and patient people, not prone to anger. There is, however, an English word that has been borrowed from the Malay language. To run amok refers to the appearance of unpredictable anger and violence that erupts without warning. This is the response that the government fears.

Last Summer the police presided over a strange matter which created strong public suspicion that unusual events were being concocted for political reasons. The daily stories just didn't match up. Nothing made sense. The subsequent trial of those arrested does not describe the media reports of events given out by the two official spokesmen at the time.

Most, taken by surprise, did not keep daily clippings of that drama. Now, happily there is another chance. The daily press conferences of yesteryear are repeated by the same Jabba-the-Hutt character who appears before us today. We have the same story of conspiracy and intrigue, complete with military weapons and surreptitious activity directed against his bosses, the leaders of the party-in-power.

The flying Pajeros and mysterious self-digging holes have yet to appear. There are no sacrificial goats to lend credibility. But the story is certain to improve. So here is another chance to save the clippings. There is pathos. There is comedy. There is tragedy. There is history.

They will make you laugh. They will make you cry. They will make you angry. They will make you sad. As fictional literature, who could want more. And they are portable. You can take them to the polls with you.

Keep the clippings for yourself; for your friends. Keep them for your children. These are your times, incredible as they are. In the future none will believe you. But here you are. Keep the clippings. Cut and paste at will.

back to list of articles