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Bangkok Post - democracy mockery By web aNtu 7/12/1999 9:00 am Tue

Subject: Bangkok Post Dec4 A mockery of democracy The BN's victory is not a moral one (This editorial appeared on 4 Dec 1999 in the Bangkok Post newspaper) The win by 73-year-old Mahathir Mohamad's coalition Barisan Nasional in Monday's Malaysian elections is a remarkable feat. Although the ruling coalition dropped 20 seats and there was a big swing for the strict Islamic opposition Parti Islam se Malaysia, for most outsiders the result would seem to show Malaysians giving a resounding endorsement for their leader Dr Mahathir. What is disappointing is that this disparaging, anti-Western leader mocks the use of the word democracy when referring to his country's general elections. His poll on Monday was close to exactly the opposite of what democracy is all about, yet the aged leader had the audacity to trumpet to the world his coalition's "democratic" re-election as the governing power. The Bangkok-based Asian Network for Free Elections, which is led by the esteemed Gen Saiyud Kerdphol, had a multi-national team of electoral experts in Malaysia to peruse the election process. Its conclusion was that the election was "anything but free and fair". Under the Malaysian constitution, all those eligible to vote are entitled to do so. But more than 680,000 young eligible voters were denied their constitutional right to vote because they had not had their names placed on the electoral roll by the electoral commission. It is a fact that young people had turned out in great numbers to support disgraced ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, and human nature shows that young people tend to be more rebellious. Dr Mahathir has never lost a chance to expound to the world his country's ability in the field of technology, but somehow, the election commission was unable to update its electoral roll to include young voters coming-of-age for nine months leading up to the vote. Illegal immigrants, long the bane of Malaysian society, suddenly found themselves able to gain temporary ID cards after years of fruitless attempts. But the ID cards came with a catch -- the recipients, believed to number hundreds of thousands, had to vote for Barisan Nasional. It is interesting that while the young eligible voters were unable to get on the electoral rolls, the illegal aliens who'd just received their Malaysian ID cards were. This election also showed more clearly than ever before the extent to which Dr Mahathir has taken control of the Malaysian media. His coalition's propaganda dominated the news headlines during the nine-day campaign. More than 1,000 full-page pro-Barisan Nasional advertisements appeared in the local media. The opposition reported that most of their advertisements were not accepted for publication but the few that were, were heavily edited. It virtually became impossible for the opposition to refute the outlandish and, at times ridiculous, claims by the ruling coalition while the opposition had to take solace in the Internet to put forward their facts on widespread corruption and malpractice by the government. Worried that the Chinese would leave the Barisan Nasional in force, much of the campaign was targetted at scaring them into believing instability would follow if the opposition coalition gained power. Using a strategy of continual bombardment of blatant lies and scare-mongering, the Chinese did take notice and they finally supported the ruling coalition. The world's superpowers are quick to voice their disapproval of the Burmese junta or of the Pakistan coup generals for being undemocratic. They respond by putting in place economic sanctions in an effort to force the return of democracy. Admittedly in Malaysia, on the surface the majority of the populace have supported and voted for the ruling coalition. But the totalitarianism practised by Dr Mahathir in Malaysia is oppressive and dictatorial and his perverse use of the word democracy should attract not plaudits, but sanctions.