The Selangor crisis: our leaders need to UBAH

Removing a Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister or Menteri Besar (MB) using internal party processes, political charges and pressure to resign via party machinery is MAHATHIRISM.

Dirty files, forced resignations and trial by media is the way of the past.

Impeachment of public office for whatever reason must be done objectively with due process in an open legal forum and with full transparency with the interest of public at heart.

The Menteri Besar is not merely another party employee and even if he is, such an employee deserves due process.

Even when Bill Clinton was slapped with a public impeachment for an immoral act, it was carried out via proper democratic processes despite the trial by media.

This is what CHANGE or UBAH means.

The question of selecting a candidate as MB as per convention remains without a doubt an internal party decision, or that of a coalition, but it must be exercised in adherence to principles of democracy, justice and rights due to the public nature of the office and a person’s rights and integrity.

The parties should look beyond mere technicalities and rise to the occasion with governing procedures and methods inclusive of the “rakyat” and adhere to it. It is a matter of justice and democratic best practices.

CHANGE or UBAH is not just a change of brand with the same formula, its a fundamental change from an old bad system to new progressive one.

We must demonstrate the concept of CHANGE or UBAH especially in the toughest of times and situations.

It is 2014 and the rakyat is intelligent and mature enough to deal with political challenges as we witnessed in the 2013 general elections.

Our leaders cannot sideline the people and treat them like puppets for short term political benefits or for personal reasons.

Refer Khalid to your own state governments’s Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) if he did anything wrong to warrant a removal and act on him with a motion and debate in the Dewan Undangan Negeri and the rakyat will applaud you.

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” ― Martin Luther King Jr

K Shan is a FMT reader.