Malaysians are going to choose their peoples' representatives ( wakil rakyat ) to Parliament and the state legislative assemblies on March 8 and, sadly, they will not be able to choose those persons standing under the Barisan Nasional ticket. To get a true wakil rakyat , Malaysians’ only option is to choose the other candidates on the ballot paper.

It has been shown time and time again that persons standing under the BN and its component parties do not have the freedom or ability to be the peoples' representatives – they can only be representatives of the prime minister and the ‘leaders’ of the Barisan Nasional. Now, these ‘leaders’ may not even include leaders of component parties. I believe that Khairy Jamaluddin (the current prime minister's son-in-law) is one of these ‘leaders,’ but I doubt whether people like even Umno Youth chief Hishamuddin Hussein Onn or PPP President M Kayveas.

Once elected, BN representatives are expected to become loyal and unquestioning supporters of the ‘leaders’ of the Barisan Nasional. They have to agree with and support even things that they honestly and personally may believe to be utter nonsense. They cannot take an opposing or differing view. They cannot even support or agree with a point that is raised by the opposition. They have no freedom of thought, opinion and expression. In fact, I would say that the majority of the BN members of Parliament and state assemblypersons are victims of human rights violations visited upon them by the system and its current ‘leaders’.

Occasionally, we hear of some BN members who have broken rank and we have all seen what happened to them. As examples, we have persons like Shahrir Abdul Samad (the then chairperson of the Back Benchers’ CluB); the two Penang MCA state assembly members, Tan Cheng Liang (Jawi) and Lim Boo Chang (Dato Keramat); S Paranjothy (Gerakan's Youth vice-chief) and K Devamany (Cameron Highlands’ MP). It is sad that some of these people have subsequently backtracked, retracting their statements and/or apologising.

Knowing that BN wakil rakyats are not able to raise their own views and the views of the people they are supposed to represent in Parliament and the state legislative assemblies, one wonders if there is some other ‘secret’ closed-door forum for Barisan MPs and Aduns (state legislative representatives) to express their views and the concerns of their constituents. But there is no such forum.

The Barisan Nasional is not a democracy. And it is not interested in the views of its members - it is only interested in the views of its ‘leaders’. It was shocking to recently learn that even heads of BN component parties are in the same boat as other ordinary members of Parliament and state legislative assembly members.

The words of PPP President M Kayveas : ‘You never include us in any negotiations about seat allocations’, make it crystal clear the amount of consultation and democracy that exists within the Barisan Nasional.

The BN must first start practicing democracy within its coalition. Democracy does not just mean electing leaders from time to time. Democracy is being open to differing views, being consultative in nature and involving all in the making of decisions. So long as opposing views are met with water cannons, tear gas, arrests, the ISA, referrals to the disciplinary bodies (or the party whip) and being stripped of positions, the Barisan Nasional cannot lead a democratic nation.

As it stands today, Malaysians have no choice if they truly want to elect their own representatives to Parliament and the state legislative assemblies. They will have to choose a person not standing under the Barisan Nasional ticket.