Corruption, repression and the economy- The Malaysian Insider
February 20, 2011 — The prime minister recently warned against an Egypt-style uprising in Malaysia. Is he just being paranoid or is there any reason for him to be so worried?
By all accounts, the major reasons for public anger and discontent in the Middle East have to do with repressive and corrupt governments unable to cope with deepening economic woes such as inflation and unemployment.
So do all these factors exist in Malaysia and how do we compare with, say, Egypt? Transparency International in its 2010 corruption perception index ranks Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore at number one in the world with the lowest corruption perception, Egypt at 91 and Malaysia at 56.
In terms of freedom of the press, Freedom House in a survey of 150 countries ranks Finland at number one in the world, Egypt at 91 and Malaysia at 102. In terms of democratic freedoms and civil liberties,
Freedom House ranks Egypt as “not free” and Malaysia as “partly free.”
In economic terms, according to Wikipedia, Egypt has 13 per cent annual inflation, 20 per cent unemployment and 14 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. Comparable numbers for Malaysia are 0.4 per cent, 5 per cent and 3.5 per cent.
Therefore in essence while we are not a role model for the world on all these indicators, we are nowhere as corrupt, repressed and poor as the Egyptians.
That is not to say that the prime minister has no reason to be worried. In politics, perception is reality. There have been a number of allegations of corruption and cronyism in high places, the mainstream media is losing credibility by being used to disseminate more propaganda than news, repressive laws such as the ISA and PPPA are very much in use and ordinary people are seeing their incomes stagnate as the cost of living soars. It is little consolation to know that we are better off than some other countries when we are not feeling good about ourselves.
Add to this mix institutionalised race-based systems and increasingly fiery racist rhetoric from all sides of the political, social and religious divide, and there is a pretty potent mixture for public anger.
But that anger is not united in establishing a single person or political coalition to be held responsible. Perceptions about the performance of both BN and PR are mixed. The report cards of both have achievements and failures. Electorally, there seems to be an emerging rural-urban divide too with the former seen as a bastion for the ruling party and the latter gravitating towards the opposition.
But by and large for as long as we are divided as to who is to blame and as long as the electoral process itself is seen as relatively free and fair, the chances of a popular uprising are slim. The Prime Minister can relax.
But meeting the changing aspirations of the people in terms of equitable economic development, human rights, and personal freedoms remains a key challenge for the government to ensure an uninterrupted return to power.
There remain key litmus tests for the government to soothe popular discontent. Decisions on the future of race-based or needs-based affirmative action, on a more stringent crackdown on official corruption via the MACC, on the introduction of Internet censorship and licences, on attracting FDI by moving towards a more transparent merit-based system will all have a significant impact on shaping public perceptions and opinion.
Patience is a key Malaysian virtue and is far from being exhausted, but it has its limits.
By all accounts, the major reasons for public anger and discontent in the Middle East have to do with repressive and corrupt governments unable to cope with deepening economic woes such as inflation and unemployment.
So do all these factors exist in Malaysia and how do we compare with, say, Egypt? Transparency International in its 2010 corruption perception index ranks Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore at number one in the world with the lowest corruption perception, Egypt at 91 and Malaysia at 56.
In terms of freedom of the press, Freedom House in a survey of 150 countries ranks Finland at number one in the world, Egypt at 91 and Malaysia at 102. In terms of democratic freedoms and civil liberties,
Freedom House ranks Egypt as “not free” and Malaysia as “partly free.”
In economic terms, according to Wikipedia, Egypt has 13 per cent annual inflation, 20 per cent unemployment and 14 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. Comparable numbers for Malaysia are 0.4 per cent, 5 per cent and 3.5 per cent.
Therefore in essence while we are not a role model for the world on all these indicators, we are nowhere as corrupt, repressed and poor as the Egyptians.
That is not to say that the prime minister has no reason to be worried. In politics, perception is reality. There have been a number of allegations of corruption and cronyism in high places, the mainstream media is losing credibility by being used to disseminate more propaganda than news, repressive laws such as the ISA and PPPA are very much in use and ordinary people are seeing their incomes stagnate as the cost of living soars. It is little consolation to know that we are better off than some other countries when we are not feeling good about ourselves.
Add to this mix institutionalised race-based systems and increasingly fiery racist rhetoric from all sides of the political, social and religious divide, and there is a pretty potent mixture for public anger.
But that anger is not united in establishing a single person or political coalition to be held responsible. Perceptions about the performance of both BN and PR are mixed. The report cards of both have achievements and failures. Electorally, there seems to be an emerging rural-urban divide too with the former seen as a bastion for the ruling party and the latter gravitating towards the opposition.
But by and large for as long as we are divided as to who is to blame and as long as the electoral process itself is seen as relatively free and fair, the chances of a popular uprising are slim. The Prime Minister can relax.
But meeting the changing aspirations of the people in terms of equitable economic development, human rights, and personal freedoms remains a key challenge for the government to ensure an uninterrupted return to power.
There remain key litmus tests for the government to soothe popular discontent. Decisions on the future of race-based or needs-based affirmative action, on a more stringent crackdown on official corruption via the MACC, on the introduction of Internet censorship and licences, on attracting FDI by moving towards a more transparent merit-based system will all have a significant impact on shaping public perceptions and opinion.
Patience is a key Malaysian virtue and is far from being exhausted, but it has its limits.
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