The Parliament

Certain things need to be cherished and upheld as immutable and, yes, even sacred.

Even after 53 years of Merdeka, Malaysia is still a young country. We are still learning how to conduct ourselves as a parliamentary democracy. We are still growing and developing our multiracial and multireligious culture.

Iconoclastic subversion of constitutional institutions

Over the past two decades iconoclastic behaviour by previous leaders have led to a younger generation of political leaders who have no understanding, appreciation or respect of the importance of constitutional institutions.

In 1987, the Malaysian Judiciary was assaulted. The head of the Judiciary, then known as the Lord President, was unceremoniously sacked. This was followed by the sacking of three Judges of the apex Malaysian court, then known as the Supreme Court.

The Malaysian Judiciary has yet to recover from that shock. The quality of the Malaysian Judges has declined since 1987. Of course, we have some fine brains still in the Malaysian Bench. But the average judicial and legal intellect has dropped. That is a fact.

The Malaysian Civil Service has also been compromised during the same period. Intelligent civil servants of integrity have been supplanted by those who exhibit sycophantic behaviour; the colloquial term for them is kaki ampu.

Dilution of quality of political leaders

Within the rank and file of political parties strong characters have been actively marginalised and removed in place of more kaki ampu. Quantity, that is to say, the size of the membership prevailed over the quality of members.

This is a clear attempt at dilution. The Merdeka parties like UMNO, MCA and MIC are good examples. This is the trend and state of affairs that prominent bloggers like Sakmongkol has consistently railed against.

There is a clear inverse proportional effect between the size of a political party and the quality of its leadership and policy goals.

Patronage in the purest feudal sense has pervaded Barisan Nasional parties. This is a bad thing.

Over the past two decades, people who joined BN parties did so to gain economic advantage. They did not join for ideals. Now these people are in the majority. That is why it is impossible for BN component parties to institute reforms.

The importance of the Parliament Building

So, where does the Parliament fit into all of this, you may ask?

I hate to say this because it is not 100% accurate. But, in many ways the Parliament is well and truly the last bastion for Malaysia as nation.

Of course, a nation is a sum of its peoples. That is true.

But, peoples are an amorphous mass. It is shapeless and has no fixed direction.

The shape and direction is given by the Federal Constitution.

It is the Federal Constitution that legitimately creates the constitutional institutions such as the:

• Yang Di Pertuan Agung;

• Federation of eleven Peninsular States, Sabah and Sarawak;

• Conference of Rulers;

• Parliament (Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara);

• Prime Minister;

• Cabinet;

• Civil Service;

• Armed Forces;

• Police;

• Election Commission and so on.

Almost every one of the constitutional institutions enumerated above has been compromised over the past two decades, possibly with the sole exception of the Dewan Rakyat.

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The ONLY reason why the Dewan Rakyat has stood out immune against the subversion is because it is the ONLY institution that requires a renewal of mandate every 5 years or less.

And, the Parliament Building, is the home of the Dewan Rakyat.

To ordinary Malaysians the Parliament Building is the symbol of their right to send a message to the great power that is known as the Malaysian Government.

Take away the Parliament Building and, Malaysians will further lose our bearing.

I am not exaggerating.

Do not allow any attempt to move Parliament away from the Parliament Building. It is hallowed and sacred property.

In its hallways walk the ghosts and aura of the greatest Malaysians.

Please have some respect for them and for Malaysia's brief but meaningful history.