Chandra tells Pak Lah to bestow Msians with greater democratic space

comments     Yusof Ghani     Published     Updated

The International Movement for a Just World (Just) president Dr Chandra Muzaffar hopes that the next prime minister will grant citizens greater democratic space which has been under strict control during Dr Mahathir Mohamad's 21-year stewardship.

The noted academician, who is also the former deputy president of Keadilan, said today that Malaysians should be bestowed with greater freedom to write, speak, think and assemble.

He also praised the premier for resigning and providing a smooth transition process for his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, to ascend the nation's political throne.

"After 21 years of Mahathir's leadership, there have been achievements and shortcomings, just like any other leadership," Chandra told a press conference at the Just headquarters in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

On the same note, he hoped the anointed successor would be able to move towards fostering greater unity among the different communities as well as ensuring more equitable distribution of wealth.

He also pointed out that it was important for Abdullah to continue Mahathir's effort to stem out money politics in Umno the largest party in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

Apart from becoming prime minister, Abdullah will also assume the Umno presidency next year.

On June 22, the premier shocked the nation when he announced his decision to resign. Three days later, the Umno supreme council said Mahathir will step down in October next year after chairing the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) meet in Kuala Lumpur.

Justice and merit

Meanwhile, Chandra said he hoped Abdullah will attempt to build a society based on two pillars, namely justice and recognition of excellence.

"I've always opposed the Internal Security Act (ISA), which is very unjust," he said.

Civil groups and the opposition have repeatedly condemned the use of the security law which allows detention without trial to stifle dissent.

On the other hand, to achieve the recognition of excellence, Chandra said the premier-in-waiting must continue with the implementation of the meritocracy system.

In view of this, he called on Abdullah to rectify various weaknesses in the Malaysian education system.

"The Malaysian education system must produce students with good values to become good citizens, and not merely stars with 10As or 13As," he stressed.

The government's announcement to implement a merit-based intake system for public universities met with strong criticism from various quarters who perceived it as a threat to the special privileges accorded to Malay Malaysians.

Chandra also expressed concern over the escalating cost of education and added that it should not belong to the privileged alone.

He also urged Abdullah to allow education to be democratised so that more Malaysians will have access to it.

Outside politics

Asked on his current involvement in politics, Chandra a close ally of Mahathir's nemesis, jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim described his participation as 'outside politics'.

The academician, who left Keadilan helmed by Anwar's wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, last year said he is now concentrating on work which is more global in nature.

According to Chandra, he follows political developments worldwide and does not confine himself to Malaysia alone.

Chandra, who lost the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat in his debut bid during the 1999 general election, saw his departure from Keadilan sparked a verbal battle.

He said he was "disillusioned" with the party leadership whom he claimed believed that "the end justifies the means." This in turn led Keadilan leaders to criticise him, saying he left because he did not get support from members.

However, when his decision to quit the party was questioned today, Chandra replied: "The reason I left the party is not because I no longer believe that politics can be used as a platform to promote justice, but to concentrate on my jobs.

"I understand that some people choose to join political parties to fight for justice. And they should, if they believe that they can contribute in such a way," he added.

Chandra explained that there is no country in this world which can achieve total justice, but what differentiates them from others, is the level of commitment they give to achieve it.



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