The heading of one blog today, “BN’s Credibility to Rule Disappearing by the day!”, reflects the feelings of increasing number of Malaysians that although the Barisan Nasional had survived the political tsunami in the March general election, it has not learnt any lesson at all. The post-general election claim by the Prime Minister that he has finally heard the voice of the people is not true at all.
This is best reflected by the first 100 days after the March 8 general election, where at the state level, the five state governments under the Pakatan Rakyat becomes more stronger and more consolidated while in contrast, at the national level, the second Abdullah premiership seems to be tottering from Day One, under siege in Umno and Barisan Nasional internally as well as externally.
Although the March 8 general election suffered a historic defeat in losing its hitherto unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority, it still enjoys a strong 58-seat majority with its 140 MPs against 82 from Pakatan Rakyat.
In other democracies, a ruling coalition with a 58-seat majority in Parliament would be as safe and fit as a fiddle. Why is this not the case in Malaysia?
This highlights the abnormality of the Malaysian democratic process, the importance of the political tsunami of March 8 general election to start the long and hard process to make Malaysia a normal democratic country with the end of two-thirds parliamentary majority for the ruling coalition and the dismantling of the arsenal of draconian and undemocratic laws, unaccountable and corrupt governance and the creation of a united and forward-looking Bangsa Malaysia by returning to Malaysians their fundamental democratic rights and freedoms as enshrined in the Merdeka Constitution of 1957.
(Opening speech in the Ninth Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review debate five minutes before lunch-break in Parliament)