[GUEST] MUDA, #DakwaZahid and institutional reform: progressive approach or political ploy?

On 4 September, Malaysians all overbore witnessed the downfall of reformasi when the deputy prime minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, was granted a Dismissal Not Amounting to Acquittal (DNAA) regarding his 47 charges of corruption in the Yayasan Akalbudi case.

(Source: Bernama)

Some were shocked, and some claimed that they saw it coming, but everyone was caught by surprise as this move raised many questions regarding the integrity of the government, the decentralisation of power and the possibility of government interference regarding this case. As the saying goes, “Justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done”, the prime minister, PMX (Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim) has been caught in the crossfire too.

Comments online were polarised, ranging from PH (Pakatan Harapan) and BN (Barisan Nasional) supporters saying that this is a necessary and lesser evil compared to PN (Perikatan Nasional), and PN supporters saying that this is an obstruction of justice and should not be allowed. Some even say that this is the first step, and sooner or later, Bossku (Dato Seri Najib Razak) will be granted a royal pardon and walk out of the Kajang Prison as a free man once again.

Amidst the chaos, a relatively new political party bravely stood up and took a firm stance against this issue. The Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA), with only one MP (member of Parliament) and one ADUN (State Legislative Assembly Member), has launched a campaign named #DakwaZahid with three demands:

1. Urging the AGC (Attorney General’s Chambers) to provide an explanation in Parliament about the decision for the DNAA on the deputy prime minister, especially when the High Court had decided that there was a “prima facie” case,

2. Demand to separate the Attorney General’s Chambers’ executive powers with the Public Prosecutor immediately,

3. Urging the Public Prosecutor to charge Zahid again immediately,

Soon after, MUDA’s President, also Muar MP SS (YB Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman), announced that MUDA retracted their support to the government, and joined the opposition bloc as a “Third Force” that will monitor the government and provide checks and balances to the parliament.

Since then, MUDA has been under the barrel, getting mixed responses from the general public and their own supporters. Those in favour of MUDA’s action claimed that MUDA is strong with their principal and praised them for it, and those opposing said that SS and his party are a bunch of hypocrites, claiming that MUDA only won in Muar out of the capacity and platform of Pakatan Harapan. Though facing such criticism, some even urged SS to resign his position as an MP and have a by-election for the people of Muar to choose between MUDA and PH.

In a recent interview with SS, he said that when MUDA was part of the formation of the unity government, he told himself and his party members that there were lines that they should not cross, which included dropping Zahid’s charges. “I strongly believe that dropping Zahid’s case is politically motivated. The request came from the AGC itself, an institution directly reporting to the Prime Minister’s Office - the Prime Minister.”.

Vice President of MUDA, Zaidel Baharuddin, claims that the issue is not regarding Zahid Hamidi himself, but the conflict of interest. When Zahid being the deputy prime minister and the head of a key coalition that formed the MADANI government, the Attorney General who is appointed by the Prime Minister and someone who reports to the Prime Minister, definitely there’s an issue of conflict of interest. “By right, if you say that you are separate from the AG chambers, the AG should not need to brief the Prime Minister on ongoing cases right? So that’s the issue here,” claimed Zaidel.

He also mentioned that the same problem occurred during his involvement in Barisan Nasional during Najib Tun Abdul Razak’s administration. “When you look at 1MDB, how the Prime Minister removed the Attorney General and also a few other key posts, including the MACC, that was investigating the 1MDB fiasco, the case was suddenly not an issue when Najib replaced Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Gani Patail as the attorney general with Apandi Ali as his replacement. The conflict of interest is very apparent in both of these cases,” he explained.

“So the idea is that I'm not accusing the Prime Minister of intervening per se. But the system itself does not lend credence towards this,” Zaidel continued matter-of-factly. He also opined that the two offices of the attorney general and the public prosecutor must be kept separate, only then it would be more transparent.

In response to the question of why PH has strayed away from reformasi, Zaidel believed that the Pakatan Harapan leaders have forgotten why they are in power. “They have forgotten why the rakyat (people) chose them over Barisan Nasional or Perikatan Nasional,” he said.

Although there are a few leaders who still have a conscience, he thinks they do not dare to speak up because they have to respect the party’s decision, which, in turn, is bad for democracy as one should not just blindly obey when one’s superiors have done something wrong. “People did not vote for Pakatan Harapan to drop Zahid’s charges. If he is truly innocent, the AGC should let him continue his fight in court and prove his innocence.”, he continued.

In response to critics arguing that #DakwaZahid campaign is just a ploy and politically motivated, YB Syed Saddiq responded that MUDA has been consistent in this issue even before they were part of the Unity Government. “You can check.”, he said responding to the question. He also said, “I am not a hypocrite - dulu cakap lain, sekarang cakap lain” in response to the politically motivated campaign rumours.

On the same question, Zaidel does not deny that the campaign is politically motivated. “Well, it is politically motivated, and it's okay if it's politically motivated, everything is political in this country anyway.” He stated that the problem is that the institution has been compromised politically as well because it involves politicians. “They say the same thing about Bersih. They say the same thing about all of the other things. The issue is not what it is motivated by. The issue is that the problem itself, the case itself, there's a clear, apparent problem in regards to check and balance, that we don't see much difference between separation of power because the prosecution is linked to the executive branch.” He went on to mention that the issue is not about which political party is for it or against it, but the issue is that there is a problem and it needs to be addressed.

When asked the question of where will MUDA stand if the government decides to charge Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, YB Syed Saddiq strongly stated that MUDA will voice out when they see something is wrong acting as the third force. “We are not anyone’s lapdog.”, he said. Even if the demand from #DakwaZahid has been met, MUDA will still remain a third force in the opposition. “If we become part of the government, people might view us as betrayers because we consistently voice our concerns and criticise government decisions.”

Zaidel also added that MUDA will be an effective opposition for the next five years. He claimed that being an effective opposition is not to oppose everything, but to vote for bills that are good for the people. “Let's say by chance, this government decides to introduce good progressive laws, like the separation of powers between the Attorney General and the public prosecutor, we will vote for it”. He said that in other words, MUDA will be the check and balance and an effective opposition. “As we believe that as an outsider, we can respond better and become the voice of the people in a much more effective way.”

Accountability is the foundation of democracy. With proper checks and balances, Malaysia can only remain a true and pure democratic country. If we don’t hold our leaders accountable, how will Malaysia end up in 20 years? When one has absolute power, we will end up in a one-voice society. You don’t get to choose who will be the voice, neither do I. As YB Syed Saddiq said, “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely”. But we can improve the current state by taking the right actions, and that first step is to undo the dropping of YAB Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s case. “to improve is to change, and to be perfect is to change often.” - Winston Churchill.

This guest feature article is contributed by Teoh Yu Qi, a Year 1 Bachelor of Mass Communication (Honours) (Digital Media Production) student from the Media Writing module at the School of Media and Communication, Taylor’s University. The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own personal opinions and should not be misconstrued as the position of the school and university.