When I was in Form 6, we had this subject called General Paper, or Pengajian Am. There and then, we also learnt about the formation of the country we are born in, and have grown to love. The only distinction in STPM that I got was this paper.
For some reason, I loved the subject. And we all know that you will do well at something you love.
One of the main points we learnt was separation of power between the 3 branches.
In Malaysia, however, it is intricately linked and there is no clear jurisdiction between them.
The past week has seen the persecution of a Selangor state councillor for his involvement in a candelight vigil. He was arrested that night, but understandably, he took offense at being manhandled by the police. Now he is being arrested for something he allegedly did a year ago.
This is because he DARED to ask for the badge number of the policemen who roughed him up. The image of the Royal Police of Malaysia is in tatters, if not shredded to nothing already in the past 10 years. Corruption, criminal intimidation and other crimes have been linked with the police. It is an open secret, to say the least.
It also serves the current government that the councillor is from the Opposition.
The entire purpose of separation of power is to provide a system of check and balance. This is what we learnt in our textbooks.
The Judiciary is supposed to be the balancing act and neutral to either branch. Reformation of the judiciary is also SUPPOSED to happen. But it will not, at the rate things are going.
All in all, it boils down to private interests in this country. And with that, I provide you with a quote from a former US President.
The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism -- ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
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