Establish citizens’ assemblies to hold politicians accountable

Republished from New Straits Times, Apr 9, 2022,
with the author’s permission. Read the original here.

By Yong Soo Heong

EVER SINCE Malaysia experienced a short-lived political renaissance in May 2018 only to be thwarted by the so-called Sheraton Move by self-serving politicians of every shade in February 2020, our country has been gripped by constant politicking.

The dismal reality from such manoeuvres has been that we’ve not been reaping the benefits of modernity while some of our neighbours who used to lag behind have overtaken us. We’ve been largely held back by narrow-minded policies that befuddle the mind of every right-thinking Malaysian.

And, no thanks to the Covid-19 virus that hit us since early 2020 and is still stifling our society in one way or the other.

Yes, the Ukraine crisis may have lifted crude oil and crude palm oil revenues sky high, but we're still a long way off from being that Asian Tiger we’re supposed to be. And, all that because many in the echelons of power seem to think that they know what's best for the country.

We now hear politicians pressing for the 15th GE to be held soon, the reasons being it's opportune to do so due to recent events in Melaka and Johor; any lingering delay may not be advantageous to some key players; time is ripe to court the naivety of voters who just turned 18; political opponents are in disarray and new alliances could be forged.

But, many in the political gamesmanship seem to be brimming with confidence on how to bring that winning formula for themselves and their hangers-on. I’m not so sure what they've in mind in terms of wealth-creation for the people because I've not heard much about this except that they want to return to power.

And, in the last two years, one of the key words that’s been bandied about was bantuan or aid, as if the country is enveloped by poor and hapless people. Nothing much about how to get citizens to earn better incomes, move up the economic ladder or businesses to take giant leaps forward.

Therefore, we often find ourselves in a dilemma.

Who do we vote for? Who could be trusted? Which politicians will not abandon their righteous cause? These are tough questions to answer.

What do we do to prevent ourselves from being “scammed” by sweet-talking politicians who come dressed in their all-white attire (perhaps to reflect purity in their souls and persona) or travel in some battered and spartan vehicle to show solidarity for the M40s and B40s?

Do remember that a winning ticket for a politician is a passport to a life-time of financial sustenance as they get pensions even serving for just one term!

And, we don’t even know what our lives are going to be in the next five years and beyond! So, guard that vote jealously and choose only those who can work for us!

I’ve been thinking about how to make those victorious politicians accountable for their actions or inaction (those whom we rarely see after they’ve won). We ought to institutionalise a proper feedback channel like a citizens' assembly to air our thoughts to lawmakers.

The deliberative democracy model that's being practised in the Ostbelgien German-speaking region of eastern Belgium is worth adopting so that we won't be fooled once every five years.

Also known as sortition, it’s an ancient practice of randomly selecting citizens to participate in legislative citizen assemblies to voice out their thoughts and suggestions.

Under this form of deliberative democracy, deliberation will be central to decision-making as it adopts elements of consensus decision-making and majority rule for problem-solving. These assemblies can provide the necessary checks and balances on politicians.

Naysayers may say why adopt a Western idea or it  won't work in Malaysia without proper funding or administrative support. Funding? That’s the least of our problems. It’s the will to make things work that's key. Financing could come from the Election Commission, Parliament or State Assemblies.

These assemblies could meet a few times annually and select people from all strata to avoid a potential middle class or upper class domination syndrome. The idea is to have a truly representative and deliberative democracy. It’s also about moving Malaysia forward.

• Datuk Yong Soo Heong is a former chief executive officer and editor-in-chief of Bernama. Read more about him here.