GE13 a high-stakes game

COMMENT The coming general election will be significant not only because of the intensity of the battle between two competing political coalitions, but because of the key issues at stake as well.

BN is saying that by electing them, Malaysia will be a developed country by 2020. That seven years from now, our standards of living, income and physical development will be on par with developed countries. Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak provided us with a slew of economic figures as evidence that we are on the right track. We are in the van of progress.

If there is a change of government, his brother Nazir Razak said, that goal becomes more illusive with investors becoming nervous and, quite possibly, deciding to pull out.

The opposition is saying that targets like a developed status by 2020 is quite meaningless, especially if the government is only interested in hearing and projecting good news. Who in their right minds would believe that the inflation as of December 2012 is at 1.1 percent? Obviously, conjuring up figures to ‘make’ it seem as though we are progressing does not inspire confidence.

To date, the opposition does not have to do much on this score. Malaysians all over the country cannot believe their eyes when they read the mainstream papers and the reports on the transformation programme. The figures do not correlate to life on the streets, not even in Jalan Telawi in Bangsar.

Pakatan Rakyat is pushing forward a more comprehensive programme putting social welfare - instead of purely material development - as key objectives in their Buku Jingga. It wants to seriously look at income inequality, bring corruption under control, expand the social safety net and increase productivity by increased efficiency.

The last three points they had proven as possible in states like Penang and to a lesser extent, Selangor. The Penang state government has taken the Penang Paradigm programme nationwide - further defining their "values-based approach" by including issues such as livability, environmental sustainability and economic resilience into the state's blueprint.

On the whole, both coalitions claim to want the best for Malaysians and we should be able to make an informed decision come the next general election. So why is this a high-stakes gamble for Malaysia? There are three main reasons why every vote will have great significance on the upcoming election day.

‘The angel we don’t know’

We can either continue voting for ethnic-based nationalism in the form of BN or we can take a risk with the “angel we don’t know” in the form of an evolving coalition where two of its three main partners are non-sectarian. BN has tried its best to paint the picture that there is really no difference between itself and Pakatan.

All are ethnic-based coalitions. But there is one crucial difference: DAP, PKR and PAS are not race-based parties. They have enough flexibility constitutionally to move towards closer integration on a non-ethnic basis.

If Malaysians are interested in a future where the colour of one’s skin matters less than one’s ability - a day that is going to be very far off or may never even come close within our lifetimes - then vote Pakatan. But with BN, owing to the constitutions of Umno, MCA and MIC, a non-ethnic based Malaysia will never happen. Then there is also BN’s convention with Umno in playing a central role and no political platform will do itself out of business.

Secondly, never before has the future of Malaysia as a nation been so questioned as today. Most recently, we had incursions in Sabah on the basis that Malaysia is an ‘illegal construct’. This issue has also been linked to the on-going royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on the ‘Project IC’.

Throughout the country, we have also seen a marked rise in outright disrespect and disregard for minorities. The government has done nothing to bring the likes of Perkasa under control. At the same time, almost everyone is turning a blind eye to the plight of the Indian poor.

Which coalition is showing political leadership in the management and maintenance of ethnic harmony? If BN wins narrowly, will 1Malaysia survive from Najib leaving the stage? Does anyone even remember what Islam Hadhari was, and how far has the policies of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi lasted? If the opposition makes great in-roads, does it mean that Malaysians reject 1Malaysia?

On this score, Pakatan remains rather weak. Its blueprint and the promotion of a welfare-oriented state is not very clear on how it will manage a multi-ethnic state. In the state governments that they manage, they have inherited - rather than created - a new mould of social relations. There is not much inter-cultural activities in Malaysia, but perhaps there might be under Pakatan.

So in this case, we may have to take a gamble, and BN is telling us “better the devil you know”.

Lastly, there are institutional reforms that both coalitions feel are absolutely necessary to progress and develop. BN is promoting a policy based upon gradualism. No need to break the mould, all it needs is some fine-tuning. Pakatan thinks otherwise, and wants to revamp the administrative system. It is willing, like in Penang, to lose some votes to achieve it.

But institutional reforms are difficult because it is so sensitive. There is little doubt that such reforms should not only target the civil service, but must also include the private sector. In short, it must be a complete change in the way we do things.

Change must go to the bone

It is not just new buildings, new paperwork and new processes; it must go to the bone. It must be new attitudes, a culture of personal responsibility and a new level of accountability. This is what is meant if a new paradigm is going to be achieved. Penang, it seems, wants to lead the way, but will it be allowed to?

Those of us voting in the next general election must think very hard about the past, present and future. See how the decisions we made in the past contributed to the present situation; how our good intentions have led to a situation where the country’s inflation rate no longer reflects reality. We then must turn our eyes to the future. If we want a different kind of future, and we believe that our votes will make a change, then go out not only to vote, but approach five friends and get them to vote as well.

It is time to stand up and be counted. Put your name to the letters you write and the comments you make. Show our rulers what real transformation means!

Part I: Why BN is in trouble ahead of GE13

Next: Hindraf and Malaysia’s crisis of conscience

NEIL KHOR completed his PhD at Cambridge University and now writes occasionally on matters that he thinks require better historical treatment. He is quietly optimistic about Malaysia's future. This article kicks off a series exploring key issues as GE13 approaches.