THE OPPOSITION

By Dr Mahathir Mohamad

1. In a democracy there should be Opposition whose job is to oppose the Government. In the more mature democracies the Opposition may at times support the Government or take a bipartisan stand. But mostly, and certainly in new democracies, the Opposition simply opposes.

2. The objective of the Opposition is to bring down the Government and to take over. They are not really interested in issues or the wrong things the Government is doing. These issues are good only for blackening the governing party so as to bring it down..

3. It is a mistake for the Government to accede to or meet the demands of the Opposition. Acceding to their demand will not result in their supporting the Government. They will make sure their supporters too will not switch their support to the Government.

4. They will either belittle the Government’s decision or they will come up with new issues.

5. This was what happened to the Government’s decision to drop the ISA. The Opposition never said thank you or praise the liberalism of the Government. Certainly they would not support the Government because it had met their demand. The attack against the Government continued. And the result was the performance of the Goverment party becoming worse than when the ISA was in the statute books.

6. On the Government side compliance with the Opposition stand angers its supporters. They would regard the Government as weak and withdraw their support.

7. In the case of the ISA the law enforcers too felt they have been betrayed. The crime rate grows and the security people gets the blame.

8. The people will also feel betrayed and angry with the rise of crime rates

9. The Government has gained nothing and has lost a lot due from trying to please the Opposition. Has the Government learnt the lesson?

10. Apparently the Government is still bent on pleasing the Opposition rather than Government supporters. There is now a move to accede to the Opposition demands for meritocracy. Three laws are to replace the Sedition Act which will have the effect of ending the affirmation Action of the New Economic Policy.

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HARMONI DAN KESAMARATAAN

Oleh Dr Mahathir Mohamad

1. Kerajaan Malaysia akan membentang tiga rang undang-undang (Bill) bagi mengganti Akta Hasutan 1948, demikian janji Perdana Menteri. Akta Hasutan dianggap tidak sesuai dengan keadaan zaman dan dasar keterbukaan Malaysia.

2. Apakah rang undang-undang yang akan dijadikan pengganti kepada Akta Hasutan? Dibawah diperturunkan nama-nama akta berkenaan:-
1) National Harmony Bill
2) National Unity Bill
3) National Unity and Integration Commission Bill

3. National Unity Bill dan National Harmony Bill bertujuan menghapuskan dasar pemilihan berasas kepada agama, bangsa, keturunan, tempat lahir, jantina atau ketidakupayaan dan lain-lain yang berkenaan.

4. Malaysia adalah negara berbilang kaum dan bangsa.

5. Di Malaysia kita kekalkan bangsa asal kita, bahasa dan budaya kita, sekolah kita, bahkan universiti kita. Susulan dari itu kita tinggal di tempat-tempat berasingan, amalan cara hidup dan kegiatan kita juga berbeza dan berasingan. Dalam bidang perniagaan masing-masing mempunyai network sendiri berasas kepada kaum/bangsa, bahasa dan budaya. Sistem “guild” atau kesatuan jenis perniagaan tertutup kepada orang lain.

6. Pencapaian masing-masing kaum/bangsa juga berbeza dengan kaum Cina mendahului kaum India dan Melayu dan kaum India sedikit sebanyak mendahului kaum Melayu.

7. Keadaan terpisahnya kaum/bangsa dan pencapaian kaum/bangsa yang tidak sama tidak membolehkan penyatuan dan harmoni di kalangan mereka dengan mudah. Kerana kaum/bangsa tidak boleh dihapuskan percubaan dibuat melalui DEB untuk mengurangkan jarak pemisahan antara mereka dalam bidang ekonomi.

8. Dasar Ekonomi Baru dibentuk bertujuan untuk mengurangkan jarak perpisahan antara kaum ini. Untuk ini perlu ada diskriminasi untuk satu kaum yang ketinggalan mengejar kaum lain. Apabila National Harmony Bill dilulus maka DEB tidak boleh dilaksanakan lagi. Ini bermakna negara akan amal meritokrasi – iaitu mereka yang mempunyai merit atau kebolehan tertinggi akan dapat segala-galanya. Biasiswa, tempat dalam universiti Kerajaan, kontrak, peluang kerja dan bermacam lagi akan diperolehi berasas merit. Di luar Kerajaan segala-galanya sudah pun didapati oleh mereka yang memiliki merit.

9. Memanglah ini amat adil. Tetapi besar kemungkinan kaum yang miskin, yang kerananya tidak berpeluang atau tidak memiliki persekitaran untuk belajar, pergi ke sekolah swasta yang baik dengan yuran tinggi, tidak cukup makan, kurang sihat, terlantar di rumah sekejap-sekejap, kaum ini tidak dapat memenuhi syarat, tidak memiliki merit untuk mendapat apa-apa. Mungkin mereka tidak pun dipanggil untuk ditemuduga.

10. Kerana keadilan sistem merit yang miskin (bumi) akan terus miskin dan yang kaya akan lebih kaya.

11. Di Eropah di zaman industri, yang kaya memiliki semua perusahaan dan yang miskin bekerja sebagai kuli. Tidak ada peluang sama sekali bagi kuli yang miskin menjadi kaya, kerana tidak ada pelajaran dan tidak ada modal, tidak memiliki merit.

12. Ini bukan kerana diskriminasi. Kuli sebenarnya tidak ada merit, justeru itu mereka tetap tinggal sebagai kuli. Yang kaya memperolehi merit maka mereka tetap kaya dan menjadi lebih kaya.

13. Akhirnya kuli mengadakan kesatuan sekerja, mengadakan mogok dan bermacam tindakan perusahaan, Kedudukan mereka menjadi lebih baik dan mereka berpeluang untuk mengejar ilmu dan kecekapan, kekayaan dan kejayaan. Wah! Rupa-rupanya mereka ada kebolehan, mereka yang tidak ada merit dahulu, apabila berpeluang jelas mereka ada merit dan mampu menjadi pengusaha dan majikan.

14. Kalau tidak kerana kuasa kesatuan sekerja dan mogok, potensi dan merit yang ada pada kuli tidak akan menjadi nyata.

15. Jika kita ambil iktibar, maka jelaslah yang kurang merit pun jika diberi peluang akan memiliki merit dan berjaya. Jika kita hapuskan diskriminasi yang memihak kepada yang tidak ada merit dan terus utamakan yang sudah ada merit maka tidak adalah yang kurang merit yang akan berjaya.

16. Memusnahkan diskriminasi berasas kaum atau bangsa akan menjadikan kita semua sama – sama sebagai warganegara. Tetapi ia akan kekalkan ketidaksamaan dan ketidakadilan yang sedia ada.

17. Baru-baru ini ada tokoh yang mendakwa keadaan di Malaysia amat buruk kerana amalan kronisma dan pilihkasih iaitu diskriminasi yang memihak kepada satu pihak. Oleh itu ia tidak ingin berniaga di sini. Apakah dia dilahir cukup kaya untuk pergi berniaga di negara yang tidak ada kronisma atau apakah dianya mengumpul modal yang banyak dari Negara ini dahulu sebelum dapat pergi ke luar negara untuk menikmati meperintahan tanpa diskriminasi. Kita tahu Negara ini yang begitu buruklah yang memberi peluang kepadanya mengumpul modal yang banyak untuk ke Negara lain. Jika dia dapat peluang, salahkah jika orang lain juga diberi peluang di negara yang kurang baik ini supaya dapat sedikit nikmat dari yang banyak yang sudah dinikmati oleh tokoh ini?

18. Peluang ini bagi kaum/bangsa yang ketinggalan tidak mungkin datang melainkan ada diskriminasi berasas kaum. Cadangan untuk rang undang-undang yang akan dibentangkan oleh Perdana Menteri bukan akan menghasilkan persamaan (equality) atau keadilan. Ia akan mengekalkan ketidaksamaan dan ketidakadilan yang terdapat sekarang.

19. Sesungguhnya rang undang-undang ini akan hapuskan saki-baki dari usaha mengimbangkan ekonomi antara kaum.

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THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION 2

By Dr Mahathir Mohamad

1. The Federal Constitution is the basic law of the country. It was drafted by a panel of judges from the Commonwealth countries. Before accepting it the multi-racial leaders of the country made some amendments including to protect the position of the indigenous people whose poverty and relative backwardness were acknowledged by the multi-racial leaders who felt that those needed to be addressed.

2. Subsequently the constitution was amended several times to make provisions for current situations which arose.

3. There were two amendments worthy of mention. The need for the Agong to sign all laws before they become legal seems to negate the right of the people to make laws through their elected parliament. Normally the Agong acts on the advice of the Prime Minister. In the United Kingdom their sovereign dutifully acts on the advice of the Prime Minister. But there was fear that in Malaysia the Agong may not. The amendments provided that if the Agong refuses to sign into law it should be sent back to Parliament and if Parliament passed it with or without amendments it will become law even if the Agong does not sign it after two months.

4. The second amendment created a special court to hear charges against a ruler. This was made necessary after a ruler assaulted a citizen.

5. But the principal provisions in the Constitution state that Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy.

6. A constitutional monarch has no executive power. This means that he may not be involved in the administration of the country. This was considered necessary because in the past the Malay states were ruled by rulers with absolute power and the people were forbidden from being involved in politics. The result was that tracts of land were given to foreign countries, concessions given to foreign businesses, and finally independence was surrendered to the British under treaties lasting for as long as there is the sun and the moon.

7. When war ended and the British returned, the position of the Malay rulers was precarious. In India all the Rajas and Maharajas had lost their thrones. In Indonesia the Sultans and sundry rulers had been deposed, if not killed. It was with this background that the British proposed to amalgamate the Malay states and the Straits Settlements into a Malayan Union to be ruled as a colony. The Sultans would only be heads of Malay customs and religion.

8. Harold MacMichael reminded the Sultans that recognition by the British depended upon their signing agreements ceding their states to the British. Should they refuse the British would recognise another royal who would sign. And there were many waiting to sign. Accordingly all signed.

9. The Malays were legalistic. Since the rulers signed they had to be maintained to refute their signatures. And they did and the status quo ante was restored.

10. It was because the rulers could be so easily persuaded to make wrong decisions that the executive authority was transferred to the elected Government. The Government and its leaders and Parliament were expected to be firm in defending the Constitution and the interest of the people and country. The Prime Minister in particular must be firm and not be swayed by customary adats or deference to the rulers. The rulers are to be paid handsome pensions and may not be involved in business. This was considered necessary because officers tend to defer to the wishes of rulers and would find difficulty in rejecting business propositions by them. There was also the belief that unscrupulous businessmen would make use of the Sultans to get an advantage over others and to bypass rules and policies.

11. The Federal Constitution is a good constitution. There were some breaches but the constitution has served Malaysia well.

12. Unlike Thailand we have no laws against insulting the King. To a certain extent the ISA was a deterrent. Now there is no more ISA. Already there is a tendency to criticise and insult the rulers. The constitution is being ignored.

13. People might go further as they know no action can be taken against them.

14. If they are encouraged by other instances of the constitution being ignored or bypassed, they might become even more blatant. It might lead to racial clashes or it might lead to demands for the constitution to be amended.

15. It is dangerous, therefore, for anyone, including royalty to disregard the limitations imposed by the constitution.

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THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION

By Dr Mahathir Mohamad

1. The Malaysian Constitution provides for a Constitutional Monarchy and a Parliamentary democracy. Of late there has been a tendency to ignore the constitution and to effectively change it by other means.

2. The Constitution can be changed but there are procedures for doing this. Nobody can change it on his own. States cannot change it nor can rulers without the approval of the Federal Parliament and the Federal Government.

3. If the Constitution is ignored by anyone, others will follow suit. The Constitution is the basic law of the country. When a precedent is established, it will become a base for other changes.

4. There is already a feeling of disrespect for the royals. This may lead to other forms of disrespect. Although by and large the Malays are for the institution of the monarch, when their ability to defend is eroded, they might forego their adat.

5. It is seen that some quarters are making use of royalty to overcome national policies and objectives. These people must stop especially when they are foreigners.

6. I will write more about this but as the Johor State Council is about to change certain rules, I deem it necessary that these attempts to effectively change the Constitution be realised by the citizens of this country.

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20140604 Peranan Tun M dalam penubuhan UIAM

20140604 Tun M I am the brother of Nik Aziz