I have read a couple of articles of late which touches on again, the morality of forming a government based on defecting MPs. It would seem that the way most argue, using democracy and the rakyat choice, these MPs, in no uncertain terms, defect as it betrays the interests of the electorate.
So, I wonder, why do we elect MPs to the Parliament in the first place?
Unlike in US and the Philippines, we don't directly elect the head of the executive i.e. the President/Prime Minister where they are free to appoint anyone to be secretaries/ministers. He/she need not get the confidence of the majority and only if he/she has grave misconducts, he/she stands to be impeached (remember Bill Clinton almost got it?). Here, we can see that the Executive branch are clearly separated from the Legislative branch.
But in this country, where the lines are blurred, we don't have this. So our MPs don't just sit in Dewan Rakyat to pass laws. They too have the power to decide who should be our PM.
Is it fair to the Rakyat that we don't have a choice to directly elect our Prime Minister who can form the government based on our direct votes and need not fear interference from the Dewan Rakyat?
Some would argue that by electing the MPs, it is a proxy of who we will vote. Well, we will never know. If we dare to experiment, there may be many permutations. Imagine if Anwar competes against Abdullah, who will win the PM seat? Will BN still lose its' 2/3 majority during March 8 election?
But the fact remains that since we are deprived of the ability to directly elect our Senators and PM, with all powers concentrated in Dewan Rakyat (don't forget te issue of gerrymandering), how then can we ask for change when we can clearly see where this country is heading under the present weak leadership? I for one voted for BN in 2004 because of the promise of change. It is now 4 years since then and I don't see any real change under BN-led government.
Anyway, I wonder, if you join a company and your noticed that the company is doing illegal stuff, what would you do? The ethics I learn in school requires that I stand up for the greater good eventhough it may result in adverse impact to my employment with that company. Similarly, if MPs have the good conscience to see where the country is heading under the present leadership, by defection for the greater good, is it such a morally wrong move?
P.S. Whether it is 916 or 920, it doesn't matter. But a day wasted is a day gone. So, if you ask me, I would prefer 916...:)
So, I wonder, why do we elect MPs to the Parliament in the first place?
Unlike in US and the Philippines, we don't directly elect the head of the executive i.e. the President/Prime Minister where they are free to appoint anyone to be secretaries/ministers. He/she need not get the confidence of the majority and only if he/she has grave misconducts, he/she stands to be impeached (remember Bill Clinton almost got it?). Here, we can see that the Executive branch are clearly separated from the Legislative branch.
But in this country, where the lines are blurred, we don't have this. So our MPs don't just sit in Dewan Rakyat to pass laws. They too have the power to decide who should be our PM.
Is it fair to the Rakyat that we don't have a choice to directly elect our Prime Minister who can form the government based on our direct votes and need not fear interference from the Dewan Rakyat?
Some would argue that by electing the MPs, it is a proxy of who we will vote. Well, we will never know. If we dare to experiment, there may be many permutations. Imagine if Anwar competes against Abdullah, who will win the PM seat? Will BN still lose its' 2/3 majority during March 8 election?
But the fact remains that since we are deprived of the ability to directly elect our Senators and PM, with all powers concentrated in Dewan Rakyat (don't forget te issue of gerrymandering), how then can we ask for change when we can clearly see where this country is heading under the present weak leadership? I for one voted for BN in 2004 because of the promise of change. It is now 4 years since then and I don't see any real change under BN-led government.
Anyway, I wonder, if you join a company and your noticed that the company is doing illegal stuff, what would you do? The ethics I learn in school requires that I stand up for the greater good eventhough it may result in adverse impact to my employment with that company. Similarly, if MPs have the good conscience to see where the country is heading under the present leadership, by defection for the greater good, is it such a morally wrong move?
P.S. Whether it is 916 or 920, it doesn't matter. But a day wasted is a day gone. So, if you ask me, I would prefer 916...:)
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