Restoring trust through a fair polls
campaign posters. The ostensibly independent commission’s argument is that the Pakatan is not a registered coalition and therefore Mahathir has no locus standi as its chairman. In the 1999 general election, there was an opposition coalition called the Barisan Alternatif which was also not registered whose de facto leader was Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. A picture of him with a black eye was widely distributed throughout the country especially by two of the coalition partners, Parti Keadilan Nasional and PAS. It was the opposition’s main campaign poster. There was no attempt to ban it by the Election Commission or anyone else. Why? Is it because the ruling Barisan Nasional at that time was led by a different leader?
Over the next few weeks, many other aspects of the electoral process, from the campaign itself to actual balloting, may give rise to dissent and controversy among the electoral actors. The Election Commission and other institutions such as the police will have to navigate these issues with a high degree of fairness and integrity. They must prove through deeds that their ultimate commitment is to the ethical principles that guide the work of the Election Commission or the police. They do not serve the personal interests of the man at the helm or of the outfit that he leads.
Even as it is, one of the primary tasks of the Election Commission is to ensure that with the dissolution of the Malaysian Parliament and all the state assemblies (with the exception of Sarawak), the prime minister, ministers and deputy ministers; and the mentris besar/ chief ministers and executive councillors appreciate the very important fact that their status has changed. They now function as caretaker officials who cannot formulate public policies or initiate new projects. They should not use amenities once available to them in their official roles such as the official car for campaign purposes. It should be observed that since the early sixties very few of our ministers or executive councillors have adhered to their caretaker roles during the election season. Will the Election Commission make a serious attempt this time to coax them to uphold certain standards?
Indeed, it is because many a public official has failed to live up to the values and principles inherent in his or her portfolio, that trust in those who wield power and authority at various levels of society has declined. This decline in trust is one of the main reasons why there is mass disillusionment with the powers that be. How it will impact upon the ruling elite and the Barisan Nasional as a whole is one of the fundamental questions in this general election.
Conducting the 14th general election with maximum fairness and integrity would go a long way to restore that trust.
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