KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today explained that the corrupt political system in Malaysia cannot be broken by simply winning an election or putting a few corrupt officials behind bars.
In a keynote address for an event at Grand Dorsett Subang today, Anwar said that systemic change can only happen once certain underlying values — that is individualism, sectarianism, exploitation and deception — are replaced.
“These are the same values which subjected Malaysia to decades of preventative detention laws, abuses of human rights and rigged elections.
“I do not believe we can break that system by winning elections alone. We cannot break that system simply by capturing and imprisoning a few corrupt officials. We have learned that political manifestos and campaign promises alone are enough to overcome the resilience of that deeply corrupt system,” he said.
The Port Dickson MP said that it is now PH’s mission to prevent such a system from returning to Malaysia’s political scene and to introduce new ones that will guide Malaysia towards becoming a peaceful, multiracial democracy that is economically vibrant, caring and respectful of its people.
“For us to succeed in the endeavour we will have to adopt a new style of governing and administration able to cope with a period in our history where there is tremendous uncertainty, rapid change and unprecedented complexity,” he said.
Anwar added that there is an urgent need for Malaysia to embrace transparent and accountable governance, adding that there are simple ways to accomplish this, such as an expansion of press freedoms, granting parliamentary oversight to enforcement agencies, and further enhancing judicial impudence and ethics.
He also introduced a new framework called SCRIPT, which is short for “Sustainable, Caring and Compassionate, Respect, Innovation, Prosperity and Trust”, calling it an integrated holistic endeavour.
“We envision a Malaysia that is more SUSTAINABLE and where CARE and COMPASSION underpin the relationships and interactions between people and with the government. The country must advance through embracing knowledge and INNOVATION people must engage each other with RESPECT to promote the ideals of justice and mutual understanding.
“We must adopt a holistic understanding of PROSPERITY that addresses the issue of wealth and income and embraces with equal fervour the cultivation of values and ethics, the promotion of knowledge and the fostering of healthy communities. TRUST in the government and trust among the citizens is integral,” he said.
He added that the framework’s six components would not function in isolation and are interconnected and interdependent to enhance each other through feedback.
He said that the six components collectively would lay the foundations for a “thriving, dynamic, and inclusive society”, and would require collaboration across government ministries and agencies, and between the public and private sector.
“Malaysians have made their own tryst with democracy. For some, it started in 1957 at Merdeka. For others, it began in 1963 on Malaysia Day. Many embraced it in 1998 with Reformasi.
“But we have embraced it fully. And this thing we desire so much — a vibrant democracy and a better Malaysia — it pains us when it is taken away. We have no choice but to labour ahead with tenacity, courage and commitment that will bring it to fruition,” he ended.
