Between legalization of politics and politicization of law: politics, law and economic development in Malaysia

Mohamad, Marzuki (2004) Between legalization of politics and politicization of law: politics, law and economic development in Malaysia. Akademika, 65 (1). pp. 45-67. ISSN 0126-5008

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Abstract

Sepanjang dua puluh tahun negara dipimpin oleh Dato’ Sri (kini Tun) Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, undang-undang menduduki tempat utama dalam politik Malaysia. Penggunaan undang-undang yang menindas untuk menakutnakutkan dan menekan pihak lawan politik, penundukan badan kehakiman – sebagaimana didakwa oleh pengkritik – kepada menjadi hanya sebagai ‘inang’ kepada eksekutif politik, dan pelbagai pindaan perlembagaan yang seolah-olah memperbesarkan kedudukan eksekutif politik itu vis-à-vis bahagian-bahagian lain telah menimbulkan perasaan kurang senang terhadap kerajaan. Mainan (interplay) antara undang-undang dan politik di Malaysia, sekurang-kurangnya sehingga berakhirnya era kepimpinan Mahathir memperlihatkan, pada satu segi, pengurangan peranan badan kehakiman dalam mengawal perjalanan kerajaan, kedudukan eksekutif politik yang semakin kukuh, dan pengungkapan wacana politik anti-pluralist sehingga menjejaskan kebebasan politik dan hak asasi manusia. Pada segi yang lain, kebangkitan politik baru menghasilkan hubungan atau ikatan kumpulan-kumpulan sosial yang bersifat rentas-etnik dan rentas-bahagian, selain kemunculan developmentalism sebagai satu gerak kuasa pengesahan yang baru. Mainan antara undang-undang dan politik ini juga menyaksikan contestations yang berlaku antara wacana mengenai developmentalism – di bawah nama keadilan pembangunan – dan hak asasi telah melimpah ke dalam domain perundangan. Tuntutan supaya diadakan pembaharuan, kembalikan kebebasan badan kehakiman, hormat hak asasi manusia dan supaya adanya lebih banyak participatory democracy menunjukkan bukan sahaja sistem perundangan, tetapi keseluruhan sistem politik telah terbicara. Makalah ini cuba menerangkan keadaan yang membingungkan antara politik, undangundang dan pembangunan ekonomi di Malaysia yang terdapat di tengahtengah wacana yang berubah-ubah berkaitan dengan kesahan, iaitu antara wacana mengenai hak asasi pada satu pihak dan developmentalism pada pihak yang lain. Keadaan ini berlaku dalam arena undang-undang yang constrained tetapi tetap contested. Law has taken the center stage in Malaysian politics during the long twentytwo years of Dato’ Sri (now Tun) Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s premiership. The use of repressive laws to intimidate and crush political opponents, the regression of the judiciary – as critics charged – to a mere handmaiden of political executive, and the various constitutional amendments which seemingly aggrandized the political executive vis-à-vis other state sections invited much popular disaffection with the government. The interplay between law and politics in Malaysia, at least up to the end of Mahathir years witnessed, on the one hand, the decline of judiciary’s role to keep the government in check, stronger political executive, and articulation of anti-pluralist political discourse at the expense of individual freedom and fundamental human rights. On the other hand, the rise of new politics brought forth cross-ethnic and cross-sectional alliances of social groups challenging government’s political legitimacy, as well as the emergence of developmentalism as a new legitimating force. This interplay between law and politics also witnessed the contestations between the discourse of developmentalism – under the name of developmental justice – and that of human rights spilled over into the legal domain. The call for reform, restoration of the independence of judiciary, respect for human rights and greater participatory democracy seemed to indicate that not only the legal system, but also the whole political system has been under trial. This paper attempts to explain perplexing nexus between politics, law and economic development in Malaysia amidst swinging pendulum of legitimacy discourse, with human rights discourse on the one side and “developmentalism” on the other, taking place in constrained but contested legal arena.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Additional Information:	3256/47636
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Malaysia,politics, law, economic development
Subjects:	J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of Political Science
Depositing User:	Assoc Prof Datuk Dr Marzuki Mohamad
Date Deposited:	14 Mar 2016 14:07
Last Modified:	19 Jul 2016 07:46
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/47636

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