Kota Kinabalu: Sabah’s evolving and dynamic democracy should be viewed as a strength and harnessed to strengthen the State’s institutions and development, rather than being seen as a weakness, said political scientist, Arnold Puyok.
Arnold, a senior lecturer in Politics and Government Studies at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas),He said Sabah’s democratic openness provided an important space for people from different professional backgrounds, political parties and social groups to contribute to discussions on the State’s future.
“We are an evolving democracy. Democracy in Sabah is very dynamic, but it’s just that we don’t tap into that. We don’t look at that as our strength, but instead we look at that democratic openness as a setback,” he said this during Daily Express’s Sabah Matters Podcast, recently.
Arnold said Sabahans should recognise the uniqueness of the State’s democratic environment as an asset and use it to strengthen institutions and expand the democratic space.
He said this required greater participation from people across different backgrounds, including younger generations, who are increasingly open and critical in expressing their views, particularly through social media.
“You see demonstrations, even though I may not agree with what they are demonstrating about. But my point is, let’s use our democratic space effectively, meaningfully, in order to develop a better Sabah,” Arnold said.
He said being idealistic should not be dismissed, particularly when it comes to envisioning Sabah’s future and identifying new ways to improve the State.
In the podcast, Arnold also discussed Sabah’s democratic development, civil society and the need for greater intellectual discourse. this touched on the role of NGOs and civil society movements in creating spaces for sustained discussion on Sabah’s future.
Arnold said these groups could work with universities, students and progressive-minded individuals and leaders to initiate intellectual discussions outside the constraints of government bureaucracy and established routines.
He pointed to the experience of Peninsular Malaysia from 1999 onwards, when civil society organisations and movements such as Bersih became increasingly vibrant and contributed to wider public discourse.
For Sabah, he said the third force comprising NGOs and civil society should play a more meaningful role in strengthening the State’s democratic space.
