Academic cautions against too much power in PM’s hands
KUALA LUMPUR: The prime minister should not hold all the power in Putrajaya and must be checked and balanced by others in the government, Universiti Malaya’s Azmi Sharom warned yesterday.
The law lecturer said Malaysia’s feudal nature has turned political leaders into god-like personas, pointing at the public’s sudden worship of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad after he was elected as the prime minister.
“After the election, people started worshipping prime minister Dr Mahathir, almost like he is a god, as if he can do no wrong,” Azmi said in the Bar Council forum titled “The Importance of a Strong Opposition for a Vibrant Democracy”.
“The prime minister is not something unique, he is merely an MP. He doesn’t get his mandate separately but it comes from the Parliament.
“It is vital to have a leader who is first among equals and not some deity sitting on top of a mountain issuing orders,” he added.
The associate professor also urged Putrajaya to be more transparent in its governance and practice freedom of information, to ensure such check-and-balance.
“We need a law on freedom of information so the Opposition and the people can all work better.
“We also have to rethink the Official Secrets Act, only then we can have less secrets and the government can be transparent,” he said at yesterday.
Azmi said he has high hopes that the Pakatan Harapan government would be successful in changing the political landscape in Malaysia.
“This is so that in the future, when the Opposition get their act together, we can see political arguments solely based on policies and ideas as opposed to the race and religion-related nonsense.”