New M'sia still looks like old version, says academic
Source：malaysiakini.com/news/474647
Kow Gah Chie | Published: 2 May 2019, 10:36 pm | Modified: 2 May 2019, 10:36 pm
The purported “new Malaysia” still looks very much like the Malaysia of old, with authoritarianism being very much visible, according to political scientist William Case ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Pakatan Harapan administration.
"I am not so optimistic, I am afraid. To me, the new Malaysia looks rather like the old Malaysia," he said.
"Maybe it is not as new as we hope. Anyway, I am the outsider," he told a forum in Kuala Lumpur today.
“New Malaysia” had become a catchphrase to describe the Harapan-led government after it won the 14th general election, in anticipation of its efforts to transform the country.
"But today, the government is behaving very much like an autocratic government that been replaced," Case said.
He pointed to the use of the Sedition Act 1948 to investigate a forum regarding the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court last weekend.
He pointed out this was a worrying trend and Harapan government was suppose to abolish the Sedition Act as pledged in its election manifesto.
He also said Harapan ministers had been seen making various promises during the by-elections, which had nevertheless not been enough for them to win the polls.
Like its Asean neighbours, Malaysia is still a hybrid regime even after the electoral turnover, according to Case, who is the the head of the school of politics, history and international relations at Nottingham University’s Malaysian campus.
Hybrid regimes refer to governments which combine democratic traits, such as frequent and direct elections, with autocratic ones such as political repression.
A hybrid regime has a strong footing in a plural society and marginalises whichever community it intends to, he said.
By inheriting a hybrid regime, a new government is able to backtrack on promises and strategise using old ways, noted Case, adding that he offered the perspective of a Western observer.
The academic was speaking today at a forum titled "GE14 and the Year Since: Analyses and Perspectives", which was organised by the International Islamic University Malaysia.
学者威廉卡瑟（William Case）:
新马来西亚与旧的相似，
其独裁专制乃显而易见
当今大马发表于 2019年5月2日晚上8点56分 更新于同日晚上9点01分
希盟即将执政届满一周年，但政治学者威廉卡瑟认为，所谓的新马来西亚其实与旧马来西亚无异，因为威权体制仍然显而易见。
“我没有这么乐观，我有所担忧。对我来说，新马来西亚看起来就像旧的马来西亚。”
“马来西亚并没有我们想象中的新。无论如何，我是局外人。”
威廉卡瑟今天在国际伊斯兰大学（IIUM）出席“后第14届大选”论坛时指出，现任政府的作风与前朝的威权政府很相似。
威廉卡瑟（William Case）也是诺丁汉大学政治学院及国际关系主任。
新政府援引煽动法调查赛胡先
他举例，上周六公正党领袖赛胡先阿里（Syed Husin Ali）在《罗马规约》论坛演讲后，就遭到警方援引《1948年煽动法令》调查。
他说明，这趋势令人担忧，希盟原本应该如竞选宣言般废除煽动法令。
他续称，希盟部长也在多场补选中作出各式各样承诺，而在一些场合中这些承诺都不足以赢得补选。
新政府还是回到前朝政府旧路
他认为，像东盟其他国家一样，马来西亚即使经历政权轮替，但还是混合式政权。
凯瑟说，混合政权在多元社会中有强大的基础，并能够任意排挤其不满的群体。
他指出，是以西方观察员的角度看待马来西亚政治，并指新政府带有混合政权的特质，也会往回头路走，回到前朝政府的旧路。#
0 comments:
Post a Comment