Mahathir Is Spoiling the Future
International Herald Tribune
January 18, 2000
Philip Bowring

The arrest of four leading Malaysian political figures and a printer on sedition and official secrets charges may not be altogether surprising in a country where opposition has long involved some degree of personal risk.

What is politically significant about last week's charges is their timing — several months after the commission of the alleged offenses, six weeks after elections which returned the coalition led by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) to power, and within hours of the departure of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad on an extended overseas trip.

Whatever the eventual outcome of the cases, the charges will have an impact on the evolution of Malaysian politics in the post-Mahathir era, whenever that is.

They will also influence the attitudes of grassroots UMNO members toward their leadership. Party elections are due in May, and already there has been some discontent at a proposal to avoid any contest for the positions of Mr. Mahathir and his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

It is still unlikely that Mr. Mahathir will be challenged. But the arrests could further alienate Malays from UMNO, underlining the recent election verdict that the coalition is becoming ever more reliant on non-Malay support.

Three prominent Malays have been arrested — Marina Yusoff and Ezam Mohamad Nor, respectively vice president and youth wing leader of Keadilan, the party formed by the wife of imprisoned former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and Zulkifli Sulong, editor of Harakah, a successful newspaper and party organ of Parti Islam, the second largest Malay party.

Another person arrested, Karpal Singh, is an Indian and a senior member of the primarily Chinese opposition Democratic Action Party. But he is also Mr. Anwar's chief defense lawyer, and the charges relate to words spoken in court about the former deputy leader.

The only Chinese involved in the crackdown is Harakah's printer. The action against him is likely to make all printers cautious about material critical of the government.

The arrests show that election success has not softened Mr. Mahathir. His deputy and presumed successor, Mr. Badawi, is left to face the barrage of criticism. It may enable him to show that he can be as tough as his leader. But it could undermine his support among Malays who hope that his mild-mannered, gentler style would make him a viable successor, able to reunify the Malays.

The government contends that due process is being followed. These arrests are not like some in the past when the blunt instrument of the Internal Security Act, which allows detention without trial, was used to lock up political opponents. Even if found guilty, it is quite likely that the present five will be fined, not jailed.

But critics suggest that use of laws other than the security act brings the judicial system closer to politics and thus to concerns about its independence — a subject of controversy ever since 1988, when Mr. Mahathir removed the chief justice and other judges who had made decisions unpopular with the executive.

Malaysians of all stripes resent U.S. government pronouncements on national affairs. Nonetheless, there are plenty who would agree with the State Department's description of the arrests as "a transparent and cynical attempt to intimidate government opponents."

In the short term, the arrests are unlikely to be more than a topic of discussion in a country rapidly emerging from the Asian crisis and recovering self-confidence. The Kuala Lumpur stock market is up 20 percent this year already.

In the longer run, however, they are a reminder that Malaysia has yet to prepare a succession which will satisfy its needs for pluralism, good governance and ethnic harmony. Its leadership has yet to realize that times have changed.

Beneath the return of prosperity, demands for greater openness and more mature politics, fostered by the recession and the Anwar case, are very much alive. The arrests will probably give new impetus to Malaysia's opposition parties, and to a younger generation within UMNO.

Copyright © 2006 the International Herald Tribune