This article outlines the Democratic Action Party’s trajectory through Malaysia’s shifting political landscape.
Politics
Beyond the challenges of physically moving its capital, Indonesia must also address the lack of regulations and support by civil servants. This will prevent the need for moving its capital in the future.
In March 2020, Muhyiddin Yassin led a rebellion against the government that toppled a long-standing ruling alliance tainted with corruption. His 17-months rule will be remembered for its failures to attend to people’s Covid-19-related grievances and suspension of democracy.
The pace of Islamisation in Malaysia has undoubtedly increase in the past decade. Spiritual Hijrah by the masses towards greater piety is of course commendable – until it is used by celebrities, entrepreneurs, and politicians for their personal gain.
Islamic populism is currently a go-to strategy for Malay-based political parties vying for support form the same pool of electorates. This has been detrimental to the rights and liberties of non-Muslims in Malaysia with the possibility of extremism.
For the 2024 Elections, certain political parties are given concessions to bypass factual verification to contest. These concessions, via Decision 55/2020, will likely hamper efforts to simplify the political system in Indonesia.
The Indonesian government’s plan to revise the existing UU ITE raises concerns from opposition and watchdogs speculating that the government is finding new means to criminalize freedom of speech.
The issue of money-politics in Indonesia’s regional elections is a worrying sign that rent-seeking interest still plagues its representational system. When social tensions are rising, representation might become a key issue to stability in the future.
The recent Emergency declaration in Malaysia is touted as an extraordinary measure during extraordinary times, though many question if it was necessary to manage a pandemic that seemed to be under control just six months ago.
This is an exclusive statement by FPI lawyer, Aziz Yanuar, sought after its disbandment. The following statement was translated verbatim into English from Bahasa Indonesia.