AS usual in Malaysian elections, the political parties are so busy horse trading, making alliances, and jostling for seats, they forget to communicate the only crucial thing that voters want to know, namely, what policies do they stand for and what distinguishes them from the other coalitions?
Past general elections have shown that contenders will only reveal their voluminous manifestos at the eleventh hour, just before election day (just in case they are filched by the other coalitions) at best designed to mesmerise the electorate.
Worst of all, in the last general election, GE14, we saw the winners showed utter disregard for their manifesto.
How can voters make an informed choice?
So, if manifestos are not worth the paper they are printed on nor promoted well in advance, it is especially important to educate first-time young voters and guide early postal voting on what basis can voters make an informed choice.
What could make a significant impact, as in other liberal democratic countries, is to ensure that the leaders of the various coalitions engage in televised debates on the burning issues of the day.
At least voters will be able to judge for themselves if these coalition leaders are sincere about what they say and pledge to do, and not expect the small print of their manifestos to be their fait accompli.
In these televised debates, political leaders should be made to state their stand on the big unresolved issues that are of concern to Malaysian voters. These include:
-> Legislate an Equality Act and ratify the International Convention on the Eradication of Racial Discrimination that they agreed to in GE14?
-> Will they bring back local government elections (suspended since 1965) soonest possible?
-> Repeal all laws that allow detention without trial (including Sosma, Pota and Poca), torture and the death penalty?
-> Implement the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission and other recommendations of the Royal Police Commission, 2005?
-> Make the Anti-Corruption Commission answerable to Parliament, not the government of the day, with powers to recommend prosecution for all corrupt offences?
-> Implement wealth and income redistribution by a higher marginal tax rate on high-income earners, an incremental Capital Gains Tax on property and financial assets, and progressive taxes on wealth and luxury goods of the T20?
-> Reclaim our public assets from privatisation, democratise our GLCs and nationalise our public utilities such as water and energy?
-> Level the playing field in enrolment into tertiary educational institutions and provide free tertiary education for the B40, a sliding scale means test for the M40 and full tuition fees for the T20?
-> Allow elected local councils to build mother tongue schools based on the need of the various ethnic communities in the locality and recognise the Unified Examination Certificate of the Independent Chinese Secondary Schools as they promised in GE14?
-> Allocate at least 6% of the GDP to healthcare and ensure a fair deal for doctors and hospital workers.
Institute a Housing Development Board, managed by elected local councils to implement low-cost public housing for rent or ownership by the B40?
-> Prioritise the public transport system, especially a modern rail network while regulating highway construction and car traffic in cities and town centres?
-> Set up a commission to plan the creation of a comprehensive social welfare system with unemployment benefits, child support, child-care facilities and pensions for senior citizens?
-> Have a Ministry for the Orang Asli, a commission for Orang Asli self-rule and autonomy in their customary lands and ensure all Orang Asli villages have adequate facilities and services including schools and clinics?
-> Encourage and promote the right of workers to unionise; progressive guaranteed living wage for all workers, including foreign workers?
-> Enact a Freedom of Information Act at federal and state levels?
-> A national broadcasting authority that is truly independent and accountable to parliament, not the -> -> -> Communications and Multimedia Ministry?
-> Gazette all forest and wildlife reserves and degazette those reserves that have been degazetted?
-> Protect the rights of farmers and fishermen and create a national food security policy based on food agriculture?
-> Promote renewable energy projects and impose strict energy and water conservation measures, including incentives for all forms of demand management?
-> Show specific long-term commitments to, among others, protect biodiversity and forest cover, radically reduce the impact of the climate crisis with strict limits on carbon emissions, single-use plastic and targeting zero waste?
-> Cut the defence budget to below 1% of GDP and apportion the corresponding higher budget for education, health, and social services?
Malaysians deserve nothing less than transparency on all these topics from those that would lead them into the future.
Please spare us the daily prattle about who is standing in which constituency, we are more interested in what they stand for and promise to deliver.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
