Regimes of Southeast Asia starting to feel the winds of the Arab Spring

Bibhu Prasad Routray

Al Arabiya, 8 July 2011

http://english.alarabiya.net/views/2011/07/08/156707.html


Many have rued the marginal impact of the revolutions sweeping across the Arab world in Southeast Asia, many of which are run by authoritarian intents. The reason could be the sheer distance from the real epicentre of the ongoing revolutions, which have not crossed the oceans, in the real sense of the term. But the ruling regimes in Southeast Asia have begun to feel the trepidations. And it may not be long before the influence of people’s power forces them to mend their ways.

One can not really have an in-principle opposition towards a group of political parties campaigning for clean and fair elections. But if its Malaysia and you are on the side of the Government headed by Prime Minister Najib Razak, you will have nothing to do with the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections or Bersih (literally meaning Clean in Bahasa Malay). It is a conglomeration of 60 Malaysian opposition political parties and NGOs with the stated aim of reforming the electoral process in Malaysia.

Bersih wants electoral changes, such as lengthening campaign periods to at least 21 days, from the 10 days rule presently. Incidentally, in the 1950s and the 60s, the political parties almost had two months to carry their messages to the voters. Bersih wants using indelible ink on fingers to prevent people from voting more than once. It is not really clear how any government can oppose such demands, unless it wants to secure victory by other means.

But the government has its own reasons. It is reportedly “examining” the possibility of extending the campaign period and also says that it plans to use biometric fingerprinting instead of indelible ink. In a country with 28 million people, where many of the citizens do not have a common national identity card, the plan to use biometric fingerprinting is highly ambitious, bordering on improbability.

Najib’s government has always clamped down hard on the opposition. On 1 July Bersih was banned by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) accusing it of rather ridiculous charge of “moving actively, creating unease among the people”. Two weeks prior to the rally, multiple raids were conducted to pick up about 100 protesters and opposition Members of Parliament (MPs). These raids have drawn criticisms from Human Rights groups, who accuse the government of trying to trample of the democratic voices of the opposition.

A rally planned by Bersih on 9 July in the Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur has been ordered out of the capital. To ensure order, the government is implementing a shutdown of the capital city ensuring that no modes of transport will enter or leave the city on that day. Leaders of the planned protests have been barred form entering Kuala Lumpur.

For Bersih, the event is symbolic and it must be held in the historical Merdeka Stadium, which had been erected for the declaration of Malaysia’s independence on 31 August 1957. Opposition expects more than 300,000 people to attend the event. The government had to water canon about 40,000 protesters attending a similar rally in 2007.

Considering the fact that elections are still a good two years away, the showdown will have only marginal memory on the voters when they chose the candidates. But in a politically polarised Malaysia, no body appears to have a wee bit of patience. The opposition wants a free space to operate and the government wants to trample it down. By all means, 9 July is all set to be a landmark day for the future of democracy in Malaysia.