The Malaysian Insider

DEC 31 — Today is not just an ordinary end to a year. It happens to be the end to a decade — the Noughties.

I have been in search of words to describe the state of our nation during the first decade of the 21st century and felt compelled to borrow the title of Adam Schwarz’s acclaimed book on Indonesia in the 1990s.

Malaysia is a nation in waiting for a profound change, especially since the 1999 general election, when sufficient numbers of Malaysians voted for a corrupt-free government, a democratic political system, and a more equitable distribution of opportunities and resources.

SEPT 27 — Going by our newspapers, Malaysia seems to be on the path of polarisation, politically or otherwise. But a 10 per cent vote swing either way will finish Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat. It is the middle ground that matters.

A swing in BN’s favour will see PR reduced to 29 seats only, and if the tide is in PR’s favour the nascent coalition will come to power with 139 seats, the number of seats BN currently holds.

It goes without saying that every election is a different one involving new personalities, a different sentiment, and changing themes. Thus, results from the previous election can only serve as a reference. Yet it is still worthwhile to draw some lessons from it.

SEPT 3 — Exactly eleven years after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sacking as deputy prime minister sparked the reformasi movement; Malaysia is still in a limbo. But there is an increasingly strong sense that, against all odds, change for the better, is still possible.

The political tsunami on March 8, 2008, while unexpected, was the culmination of a series of substantial changes. It cannot be understood as something that happened overnight. More importantly, since its causes are profound, its effects cannot but prove lasting.

JULY 13 — The unexpectedly favourable approval rating for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is a timely reminder to those who labour hard to see the end of Barisan Nasional rule that public opinion, all the way to the next election, is neither static nor linear. With the resources available to the ruling coalition, it is not impossible that Najib would reverse the currently sliding fortunes of Umno and BN.

In the latest Merdeka Center polls, 65 per cent of Malaysians answered positively to the question “How strongly are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Najib Razak is performing his job as the Prime Minister?” Among Malays and Indians, the figure is even higher at 74 per cent while it was 48 per cent among Chinese.

APRIL 17 — Can the Prime Minister’s Department resolve the ever increasing public transportation woes in the country?

The Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board, formerly under the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry, is entrusted with issuing and withdrawing taxi licences. Yet the power to enforce regulations over taxi drivers comes under the Road Transport Department. And despite its enforcement powers, the RTD does not have the power to revoke taxi licences. The RTD comes under the purview of the Transport Ministry.

Now Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has decided to abolish the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry, which is well-known for its generosity in funding Bumiputera businessmen, and put the CVLB under the Prime Minister’s Department under a new entity called the National Transportation Board.