PP3739/12/2004 ISSN 0127 - 5127 / RM3.00 / 2004:Vol.24No.2 Aliran Monthly : Vol.24(2) Page 1 COVER STORY A Transition And Two Elections Between the general election and the UMNO election, Abdullah has two choices by Khoo Boo Teik y now, it is apparent that BB Prime Minister BBB Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has assumed power very differently from Dr Mahathir Mohamad. In 1981, Mahathir entered the Prime Minister’s office with a ‘slamming of doors’ followed quickly by major policy changes. Abdullah has quietly slid into power, as if everyone needed a pause after the breathlessness of the Mahathir era. The contrast is suggestive. With Abdullah, the style is the sub- Abdullah to begin with govern- It was also time to balance the stance. And it’s an unobstrusive ance issues. budget and show fiscal prudence. style, as if the very fact of the Previous budget deficits were too Mahathir-Abdullah transition Foreign direct and portfolio in- widely associated with Malaysia was already its drama. vestment increasingly demand Inc.’s ‘mega projects’, bailouts, ‘good governance’ and ‘best prac- rescues. To be ‘his own man’, Abdullah tices’ that Malaysia, being chroni- had to ‘de-Mahathirize’ the politi- cally dependent on foreign capi- Of course, one shouldn’t miss cal system, the administrative tal, can no longer ignore. Disad- some of the the politics of the post- framework and the policy regime. vantaged by the changes in in- ponement: Abdullah had to avoid He has done so discreetly, offer- vestment flows and directions, diplomatic and trade fallouts with ing a reassurance of more conti- Abdullah’s government, unlike India and China with a possibly nuity than change, and of subtle Mahathir personally, can’t dis- adverse impact on Indian and change rather than an overhaul. miss ‘governance’ as a foreign ob- Chinese voters in the next election. scenity. Good Governance ‘Good governance’ translates Abdullah’s most important ‘gov- popularly into ‘anti-corruption’. If there’s been any drama at all, ernance’ move was to postpone it’s been supplied by high-profile the billion ringgit double track First came the exposés: the award media coverage of measures railway project controversially of thousands of taxi permits to an aimed at improving ‘governance’. awarded to MMC-Gamuda individual; suspected collusion of There were compelling reasons for shortly before Mahathir retired. Customs officers in the import of Aliran Monthly : Vol.24(2) Page 2 EDITOR'S NOTE This special issue on the 11th general election was pre- pared in a rush so that it could reach you before polling CONTENTS day. Until the last minute, our contributors were send- ing in articles related to the election. Although the out- come of the election might seem a foregone conclusion, COVER STORY we felt there was a real need to raise awareness of the ••• A Transition And Two Elections 222 real meaning of democracy and free and fair elections. FEATURES But unlike the mainstream media, which is only inter- ested in talking about the chances of a particular candi- ••• Power Politics, Anwar And date or party winning in a particular area or state, we The Uses Of Market Justice 777 look at the elections in the light of the longer-term strug- ••• Dark Secrets Of The Private Sector 111111 gle for democracy. ••• Has Malaysia Eradicated Poverty 141414 ••• Freedom Rules If Fear Is Dead 161616 In our cover story, Khoo Boo Teik discusses Abdullah ••• The Media Circus Comes To Town 191919 Badawi’s initiatives in the context of two elections: the general election and the UMNO party election in the ••• A Thinking Voter's Checklist 222222 middle of the year. Although Abdullah’s position looks ••• Election Commission Not secure, the same cannot be said of his deputies. Free And Fair 303030 ••• Unjust Disqualifications 313131 John Hilley looks at the larger forces at play behind the ••• Please Grant Lim Guan Eng Anwar saga. In particular, he anaylses power politics A Royal Pardon 323232 and “market justice”, which he says contributed to Anwar’s downfall. ••• Election Media Monitors Initiative 33 ••• Vote For Democracy 404040 Anil Netto highlights the need for the current anti-cor- ruption drive to encompass the private sector too. Libau OTHERSOTHERSOTHERS Rentap, meanwhile, looks at the fabulously wealthy first ••• How About Auditing Bigger Fish? 131313 family of Sarawak: the house of Sarawak chief minister ••• Say No To PORR 272727 Taib Mahmud and wonders if the authorities will initiate an audit of the family’s assets. ••• What Is A Caretaker Government? 282828 ••• Election Offences 292929 Jeyakumar Devaraj focuses on poverty in Malaysia, ••• Subscription Form 383838 which he argues is worse than what the rosy statistics ••• Urgent Appeal 393939 suggest. In our back cover story, Aliran calls on Malaysian voters to look beyond the elections to the larger struggle for democracy, justice and freedom. That said, make sure you turn out to vote on polling day Published by and vote for Democracy! Aliran Kesedaran Negara (ALIRAN) 103, Medan Penaga, 11600 Jelutong, ALIRANALIRANALIRAN is a Reform Movement dedicated to Penang, Malaysia. Justice, Freedom & Solidarity and listed on the Tel : (04) 658 5251 Fax : (04) 658 5197 roster of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Founded in 1977, Aliran welcomes Homepage : http://www.aliran.com all Malaysians above 21 to be members. Contact the Hon. Secretary or visit our webpage. Printed by Percetakan Tujuh Lapan Enam Sdn. Bhd. No. 16, Lengkangan Brunei, 55100 Pudu, Kuala Lumpur. Aliran Monthly : Vol.24(2) Page 3 luxury cars without payment of corruption drive lends a gloss of duties, arrest of the head of a Ma- freshness to a leader whose regime lacca state government corpora- is otherwise ‘old’ and ‘inherited’. tion for suspected bribery, removal of a bankrupt from a Malacca dis- Abdullah must consolidate his trict council. Then came charges own position while two elections against Eric Chia and Kasitah loom – the general election and the Gaddam. UMNO election. Maybe that’s why an anti-corruption drive, Low-level targets were followed which reaches the highest po- by prominent figures. Suddenly, litico-corporate levels, if it’s com- it seemed like the public was be- ing at all, hasn’t come yet. ing prepared for a concerted anti- corruption drive that was 11th General Election underway. Barring a last-minute shock, Popularity Of Barisan Nasional will obtain a ‘Anti-Corruption’ ‘two-thirds majority’ win in the rected to keep the voters in ‘feel 11th General Election. The election good’ mode! All over the country, As yet, there’s no cause for celebra- result will lie between the BN’s roads are being re-surfaced that tion but good reason to raise ques- 1995 landslide victory and don’t need it or should have been tions. UMNO’s 1999 dismal display. resurfaced some time ago. Soon There won’t be a repeat of the schools and communities and in- What has the anti-corruption major shocks of 1999 – UMNO’s dividuals will receive grants and drive produced beyond sound in- loss of 22 seats, the defeats of sen- awards and assistance. This tentions and good public rela- ior UMNO figures, and PAS’s win weekend (28 February/1 March), tions? Has any corruption case of a state government. the police plan to hold mock ‘ri- been decided in court? Has the ots’ in Penang – of all places! – in government really overhauled its Plainly, if the BN couldn’t do security exercises which, we are tender system to make it transpar- worse than what happened in assured, have nothing to do with ent? Are federal or state projects 1999, it can’t do worse now than the election. no longer awarded to politically in 1999. connected companies? No such advantages of the poli- Economic conditions are not as tics of ‘feelgood’ and of ‘fear’ ac- In short, will Abdullah push his exciting as media hype about a crue to the opposition. While cam- campaign all the way to clean up ‘red hot recovery’ and a ‘runaway paigning, the opposition will find the high-level politico-corporate KLSE’ would have us believe, but facilities closed to them, media networks of money politics, cor- we’re not plagued by the uncer- blackouts and grossly unfair ruption and ‘bad governance’? tainties of 1998-99. New seats treatment. were added and constituencies If he tries, the heavyweights of realigned across the country ex- But DAP and PAS broke the those networks will treat his ‘gov- cept in Kelantan and Trengganu. Barisan Alternatif’s historic unity. ernance reform’ as a threat. They After Mahathir’s departure, Since then, DAP has not shown will see it as an Abdullah agenda Abdullah’s government avoided fresh ideas for reversing its suc- of curbing potential rivals and es- controversy and provocation. cessive defeats by MCA and tablishing his own alliances. Gerakan. PAS’s strategic mistake Indeed, some things that help the of staking its advance on its so- ‘Anti-corruption’ is not just popu- BN are never changed. called ‘Islamic State’ alienates po- lar. It indirectly responds to tential allies who remember PAS Reformasi’s attacks on corruption, All through the long festive sea- for defending a ‘democratic state’ cronyism and nepotism. An anti- son, the BN machinery was di- in 1999. Aliran Monthly : Vol.24(2) Page 4 In Sabah, PBS rejoined the BN, UMNO’s internal weaknesses and the opposition was erased. In may be decisive. There is solid Sarawak, there’s no opposition to oppositionist sentiment in benefit from the deregistration of Trengganu partly because of the SNAP and PBDS. Whether there shabby Federal treatment of the will be a backlash against the BN state over petroleum revenues and will be known by election time.