“Politicians are supposed to come and go, not come and stay.”
– Native American adage
POLITICIANS cavalierly escape the mandates of a shelf life and an expiry date that foodstuff must obey. They have cleverly erected a rare form of immunity beyond 65 years.
Listen to them talk. You know their minds are not in gear. Verbal diarrhoea is the norm. Nothing new or novel ever emanates from their closed minds and open mouths.
But every five years or so, they are recycled by Yang Amat Berhormat Rakyat. There is something peculiar about voting habits and patterns.
Is Parliament ready, willing and able to promulgate term limits so that they can contain and restrain themselves to one or two terms? Doubtful.
Maybe it is the Malaysian culture to look up to older politicians as oracles of wisdom and fountains of justice. That may define, describe and determine our voting culture.
Can the younger generation aspire to climb the ranks and ladders of opportunities to do something refreshingly different? Or will they have to toe the line?
One young politician had to face weak and probably trumped-up charges. His supportive family praying in the courthouse after the decision was delivered will always remain a poignant symbol of gratitude to a courageous judiciary.
Are politicians able to breathe life for the maximum good for the maximum number of people? Politicians generally hate utopian ideals.
None of our politicians are savvy about socioeconomic remedies. Instead of a trampoline mindset, their shelf life can only think of a safety net.
The old ways have no time for human capital now that inhuman capital (AI) has more than poked its nose into the tent. Human intellect is scrambling to remain relevant. ChatGPT has replaced critical thinking.
Another bunch of people who are way beyond their shelf lives are lacklustre lawyers who pay obeisance to parliamentary legislation while scoffing the Federal Constitution.
These sorry folks will never accept the fact that Parliament in Malaysia is subservient to the Federal Constitution because we practise constitutional supremacy.
And to add insult to injury, these misled lawyers believe the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA), is a constitutional monarch, and largely a ceremonial figure.
These mistaken lawyers are totally unaware that the power and authority of the YDPA stretches from Article 32 right up to Article 42, Article 150 and Article 182 of the Federal Constitution.
Many lawyers are unable to come to terms with the power and authority of the YDPA in Article 182(2) and 182(7) Federal Constitution. They probably believe 3-R includes royalty, the other two being race and religion.
Article 182(2) grants the YDPA power to sue and be sued. There exists a false narrative that the Special Court was created, designed and structured by the centurion to bring charges against the YDPA and the Rulers!
These so-called professionals are entrusted with the rule of law. Heaven forbid! They probably leave the real research to their newly employed CLP graduates where memory banks are redundant.
What will the history books say about this government outage where the supply of power has totally shut down. Instead, the peoples’ outrage is at an all-time high.
The fundamental liberties enumerated in Article 5 right up to Article 13 of the Federal Constitution speak volumes for their shelf life. They are enduringly perpetual. They never spoil.
What is enduringly not perpetual is the unenumerated rights of politicians. They must surely know that there is a manual for their conduct and well-being too – the moral compass, if it is well calibrated.
The fact that these politicians enjoy unenumerated rights is further compounded by them making it up as they go along their journey through the corridors of power.
Yang Amat Berhormat Rakyat must always have the final say. Politicians are public servants of the people. In a democracy, the power in people should never be diminished and punished.
English common law has reached its expiry date. Adat, Sharia, Native Courts and the Special Court (Article 182, Federal Constitution) have become relevant. We do not need colonial laws as we are no longer a British colony.
Malaysians must decide if they are reaching the boiling point or at breaking point. Politicians insult us every day. They think they own everything. They forget they owe everything.
Common sense and adat have no shelf life as it is firmly anchored in Malaysian culture as customs and traditions. Adat is the lifeline as it goes back a thousand years.
British common law is an umbilical cord which is no longer needful or necessary after the baby was born as an independent nation-state on August 31, 1957.
The shelf life of British common law despite the Civil Law Act 1956 (Revised 1972) (Act 67) says “expired”. We are a heterogeneous Malaysia where diversity defines national unity.
Government should stop pulling the pin on a hand grenade whenever the rights of the people, minority or otherwise, are under constant attack.
There is no counterpunch to an expired shelf life. Voluntary retirement by politicians will augur well for their legacy if they have left one. Politicians depend on artificial respiration.
Yang Amat Berhormat Rakyat must learn to not allow the politicians to turn the swamp into a ‘politocrat’ sewer. The stench of corruption is unbearable.
AI is rearing its electronic head to replace the fast-approaching shelf life of the civil service. Watch out!
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at chiefjudge@secamtektektribe.org.
