Najib’s Malaysia Day address outlining civil liberty and democratic reforms sent shock waves among political circles and is still reverberating in the minds of many people. He had announced that the Internal Security Act would be replaced by two new laws to safeguard peace and order, lifting the emergency proclamations and ending the Restricted Residence and Banishment Acts.
He also announced something close to the hearts of the media community – the Printing Presses and Publications Act would be amended. The annual licence renewal requirement for newspapers and publications would be replaced with a one-off permit. This is something which media groups have been petitioning for for decades and it was a biggie as far as the media was concerned.
Najib has made good on the commitment he made in his first speech as Prime Minister three years ago.
He has gone beyond rhetoric to real measures and shown that he is truly committed to the political transformation that he keeps talking about.
It is the boldest and most controversial step taken by him since he took over from Pak Lah, and the challenge is just about to begin. He will now have to steer the proposals through Parliament and convince skeptics that the reforms are for real.
The changes are not an uncalculated move. While he is responding to the call by civil society, it also has to do with his own political survival as well as that of his ruling coalition.
At the same time, it is one of those ideas whose time has come.
Politically speaking, it is a plus for Najib and the Barisan Nasional. These laws were meant for a different time and they are hard to defend in this modern era, especially among the younger generation whose lives are lived partially in cyberspace where everything is possible. He is bringing our society to more international standards.
He has put his powers of incumbency to good use. With this, he is telling his critics ‘I want reform and I am out to perform’. He is telling his political opponents that you merely make promises but I deliver.
Some have pointed out that it is a no-brainer to do away with such archaic and draconian laws but it takes political will to make that big step. It has also taken quite a bit of fire power out of his political opponents.
The ISA has been a big political thorn for the ruling coalition. It was not something which affected the everyday lives of people but it hung like a Sword of Damocles and it gave the Government a bad name.
The irony here is that it was Najib’s father Tun Razak Hussein, then the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, who had, on behalf of the Cabinet, asked to draft the ISA for post-independent Malaya.
Najib’s situation is the opposite to that of his father. He is no longer dealing with the poor and less educated but with an expanding middle-class and younger people who are not afraid to take their aspirations to the ballot box.
No one wants to live with injustice and unequal development. His administration recognises a certain disconnect with urban middle-class voters and he is attempting to bridge that gap. It is the sort of gradual change that should be welcomed. Gradualism is not as dramatic or sexy as a revolution but it carries more people with it.
It is possible that none of the Pakatan politicians saw it coming. Or rather, they did not want to see it. Abolition of the ISA has always been their baby, so to speak, a cause for them to champion and a promise they believed would help carry them to victory.
Klang MP Charles Santiago of the DAP had an article in a Pakatan-aligned news portal on Thursday predicting that Najib’s speech would be “nothing but hot air.”
The opposition are still scrambling to do damage control, struggling to show that they are not against the reforms without appearing to support the fact that it is coming from Najib.
Actually Pakatan politicians should take this issue to show Malaysians that there is a future for a professional two-coalition system in the country, that not everything that comes from one side has to be automatically opposed by the other side and that both sides can work together on common causes that are good for society. Finding common ground rather than finding fault is a big part of a two-party system.
KITA president Datuk Zaid Ibrahim was one of the few gentlemen on the other side to come out and admit that he had underestimated Najib’s political will and to congratulate him.
“Many people are going to look at him differently after this. It has put the other side on the offensive. It’ll give the PM traction among the fence-sitters,” said Kota Belud MP Datuk Rahman Dahlan.
Rahman is also one of the most tactical politicians on Twitter. He could see how Pakatan politicians were trying to claim credit for Najib’s decisions, to cast doubts on his sincerity and to even disparage what he has done. A PKR leader tweeted that Umno politicians are being two-faced in supporting Najib on this when they had previously endorsed the ISA.
Rahman tweeted back: “BN leaders who now support the ISA’s abolishment – u call hypocrites. Anwar the biggest turncoat ever – u call born again democrat! poodah!”
Meanwhile, all that “election is coming” talk will remain just talk as Najib’s administration will have to put more work into what he has announced before the ground can really move with him.
It is likely that Najib will use the Umno general assembly in December to explain the reforms in a way that the party can relate to. He had used the same platform very effectively last year to assure the Malays of their Constitutional rights and position.
The PM understands fully how much the world has changed. The global political landscape has been altered drastically and the lessons to learn are that if leaders cannot change, the people will change them. There is plenty to learn from the past, including some very recent history too.
The more conservative in Umno are still grappling with the changes, preferring to hold on to something which they are familiar and comfortable with. They are trying hard to understand where Najib is taking Malaysia to.
The younger ones, while looking apprehensively at the lack of changes in Umno, have tried hard to push, worried that the country’s ruling party could be losing its connection with the Twitter and Facebook generation.
And as expected, everyone is trying to claim credit for the changes. The Opposition, still reeling from the shock, has said these would not have happened without their pressure and protests.
Then there are the usual cynics.
I think the point is this: It does not matter who is right, but what is right. It does not matter who did it, so long as the right thing gets done. Malaysians cannot be partisan on issues that affect us all.
Najib deserves credit for having the courage to take the bold steps. His new democracy thrust is certain to continue.
The ISA will be repealed, no doubt about it. An Anti-Terrorism Act – specifically for terrorists and not for political opponents, as in Britain and the United States – is likely to take over.
The Police Act would be redefined and possibly the right to assemble, which could be made clearer by designating places, time and how gatherings should be done.
An independent media council to be run by editors will finally be formed after 54 years of independence, and repealing the law would certainly be on the agenda of journalists. After all, no one needs a permit to start a blog or an online news portal, so why impose a permit for print?
The reforms have left a feel-good feeling but the Prime Minister has to follow up with an equally impactful Budget speech. All these reforms are good but they won’t put food on our tables. Ordinary Malaysians are worried about the rising cost of living and middle income Malaysians are hit the most by monthly tax deductions.
Malaysians want to hear how the Government intends to help them face the economic uncertainties, the spiralling cost of food and how to be confident about the future.
Malaysians are not expecting their Government to adopt a populist approach of promising the sun and the moon, which will bankrupt the nation. They want the Government to be equally responsible in sharing the burden by cutting out excessive financial waste and leaks.
Najib’s challenge would be to balance the budget in the face of a slowing economy and at the same time appease the people ahead of a general election.
The Budget Speech is on Oct 7. Can Malaysians expect the Big Day to be soon after the PM has announced his economic plans for the country?