Rummaging through the unread yesterday's The Star this morning, three news item related to the the current Parliament seating caught our attention - tabling of lowering the voting age bill, asset declaration motion, and draft bill for PCMC in final stages.
Despite claim it is infested by DAP inflitrators, The Star remain a BN-owned newspaper.
There was a cross deal in the market on Media Prima and it turned out UMNO sold their minority stake to Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar.
That is a confusing situation. Is he still with Tun Dr Mahathir as his NGO office at Yayasan Bokhari is still in operation and seldom used for press conference? Or he still maintain relation with UMNO?
Media Prima is controlled by a fund managed by Morgan Stanley. It is speculated the fund is Tun Daim's.
Lowering voting age
On the tabling of a bill to lower voting age to 18, there seemed to be agreement on both side of the political divide except for PAS.
The priority should be for registering some 4 million unregistered citizen over lowering the voting age.
That is quite legitimate.
UMNO's position is agreeable but Dato Ismail Sabri placed one condition which is for automatic rergistration too.
This bill cannot get passed without a two third majority. Government side will need the opposition to back this bill as it constitute a constitutional amendment.
Unlike the TH restructuring where was no briefing given to opposition, there is effort from government side to brief opposition.
According to The Star:
The country records about 500,000 births each year and lowering the voting age to 18 from the present 21 means that everyone who is 18,19 and 20 years old would be able to vote.
This means that up to 1.5 million more voters will be eligible to vote in GE15 if the proposed amendment is passed.
Malaysia’s population is currently 32.75 million and if the amendment is passed, it would also mean that more than 50% of the country’s citizens will be eligible to vote in the next general election.
It could mark the end of the dinasouraic gerontacrasy, but will it?
The government side as argued by Syed Saddiq, claimed Malaysia is one of the few countries in the world to still have minimun age of 19 and above. But what about GST?
Among the young, their view is still mix. Some of the youth interviewed by Star cited felt 18 year old lack of awareness, knowledge and inability to understand to make the right voting choice.
Impressionable
Analyst say it is too early to detect the effect, thus why make such a change without understanding its effect?
Believe it is understood and the 18 year old voters is seen to be easily swayed by rhetorical, unrealistic and emotional factors.
My personal experience is from seeing American 18 year old back in college 40 years ago during the Carter vs Reagan Presidential election.
Malaysian 18-year old generally have yet to reach their level of political maturity.
Politics, governance and citizenry are taught in US High School, but not in Malaysia. Our civic classes are too basic that they hardly understand anything about governing, public interest and current affairs.
Malaysian 18-year olds understanding are coloured by their teachers, peers and family than individual ability to make fair personal assessment.
Yes it is not fair and they have to be given a chance. And agree that it is a process to maturity. Consider it as s challenge.
However, that process not only applies to 18 year old but the adults and the GE14 proves it. Will government do anything about it?
Voting comes with a sense of responsibility. This is in no way saying 18 year old are not responsible. Are 18-year old today ready to assume responsibility?
On that matter, my late dad assume more responsibility in his early teens and mature fast due to circumstances than any present day adults.
Today, 18 year olds are still dependent on parents and not many had the experience of managing their life and finances.
One hardly find Malaydian teenagers saving money to get somrthing or for their tuition fees from summer job as the American teenagers do.
Even that, few of freshman dormitory mate voted for the American Communist Party just for the fun of it.
In his letter to The Star, Dhesegaan Bala Krishnan felt voters apathy will dampen any expectation.
Since Najib mentioned security on the asset delcaration issue, the same applies to politicians meeting and influencing the impressionable teenagers to talk politics.
Let Husin Lempoyang ecpress his concern.
Asset declaration
Dewan Rakyat passed a special motion to require all Members of Parliament make an asset declaration.
It was debated with basically all MPs together with the oppositions supported the bill but the opposition having their own reservation. The louder "aye" from the government side carried the motion.
PAS has their own unique reason on the manner the wording is made:
Dato Najib raised the issue of other incomes, already available government bodies to check for anything dubious and security threat for making such declaration. Those having possession of the declaration could be a source of threat.
There was issue raised on Minister not making their assset declaration as promised in PH manifesto. There are declaration made not believable.
DAP Jelutong MP, RSN Rayer has a large monthly income but unbelievably no asset.
The intention is to address corruption related to lawmakers is fair but in the land of adhoc Malaysia, many actions and law passed are not thought through that it is only a facade of effort for public consumption but hardly an effective measure.
A seasoned observer of politics shared an od story of an uneducated Menteri Besar. He hired an unschooled but cunning assistant. He went out state and set-up business ventures by having a royal with a lawyer/politician husband. Sorry ... they are famous people and names are to be withheld.
From there, they would bid or get offered projects from within the MB power. The proxy prospered and helped finance the politics of the MB. And he is not the only proxy of the MB.
By having the asset declaration, the astute political observer said, this sort of set-up will flourish when the new law is passed. Instead of having to end corruption, this short sighted policy will only proliferate into wider network of corrupt activities.
Is it really to eradicate political funding related corruption or meant to target a particular group, raised Dato Hishamuddin Hussein Onn?
Half measure
This is still half measure to cleanse the funding of politics. Why not do away with restrictions and remove the need for big budget campaign funding?
Reduce campaign funding by government providing access to faciliteis for gathering, impose fair media coverage by owner, and providing funding. No side will have undue advantage.
This blog has written of it many years ago.
Corruption by lawmakers are seen as only 41%. Local council, civil servants, yax collectors and police are more rampant.
The survey view of corrupt judges is 33% snd men of cloth at 31%. Still to high!
IPCMC
After the much brouhaha over the years and media set-up by SUHAKAN, the draft bill for IPCMC is in the final stages.
Not much is revealed except it will be different than the EAIC.
IGP, Dato Hamid Bador is agreeable to IPCMC and an interview of his last month incapsulate hsi positon to clean the police force of weeds.
The gambing syndicate in the country do not exist any more. There is but only 10% left. In one underground talk at the last Chinese New Year festivity, we were made to understand that one corrupt OCPD even offered and gave discount to local syndicate but was refused.
They have gone online and servers are all parked abroad. The gambling game has left the station...