“In 2021, a lot of things happened in Malaysia – a prolonged spike in Covid-19 cases that only gradually came down in October, an emergency that was declared on Jan 12, multiple lockdowns which caused unprecedented economic misery, and the fall of a prime minister in August,” said Liew Chin Tong.
“The year also ended with massive floods in the richest state Selangor, near the capital Kuala Lumpur, as well as in other flood-prone areas,” the Johor DAP chairman said in a statement today.
But one of the most unexpected developments was the end of the 61-year long “presidential premier” era. Current Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob is neither a president of a political party nor holds any other ministerial positions.
“From 1957 to the 2018 general election, Umno dominated the entire polity with its president, who was also the prime minister, sitting at the apex of power.”
“The increasingly sprawling prime ministerial structure lorded over the executive branch, legislature, judiciary, and even over state governments.”
The prime minister is no longer feared, Liew said. He cannot bully everyone to get his way, but must find a common ground with as many stakeholders as possible to get things done.
According to Liew, the prime minister’s loss of absolute power is not the only notable development that happened in 2021. Other key resets are the formation of a coalition of equals, bipartisanship, the importance of the states, as well as new voters and players.
“Nowadays, prime ministers survive on the support of their coalition partners as well as confidence and supply agreements with the opposition. Coalitions stay intact only if the parties can agree on common purposes and do not find themselves shortchanged in a coalition.”
“An important and difficult journey the Malaysian democracy must go through is either to defeat Umno again in a general election or for Umno to have a total change of mindset.”
However, bipartisanship in a highly partisan society is not an easy feat, Liew said.
“The MoU (between the opposition and the government) is now under attack from two fronts – Umno’s core leaders who want to push for a snap poll as well as hold Ismail to ransom, and from other opposition parties such as Warisan.”
Liew also felt after the Sabah, Melaka, and Sarawak elections, giving more powers to the states may help propel Malaysia’s economy forward and better manage the pandemic.
“States should be given a share of income tax collected in their territories. With this increased income, they should be tasked with managing and paying for health and education, like many other federations around the world.”
Another positive development was the implementation of Undi18 and the automatic registration of voters.
“Young voters are looking for a new type of leadership, and their inclusion is bound to shake things up. Already, the new party Muda led by former minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is getting a lot of traction from younger people who are disappointed with existing parties.”
Liew believes that unless there is a democratic backsliding in the future, these developments will bring hope for democratic practices in Malaysia.