COMMENT | GE15: Battle between extremism and flawed democracy

“The fascist utopia, like that of the communists, was false, and generated immense suffering. But there were those who dreamed it sincerely.”

- Norman Davies, “Europe: A History”

COMMENT | Well yes, all democracies are flawed but that is not the point. All over the world, there are people living in flawed democracies that are far better than those withering away under theocratic rule.

GE15 will determine if we remain a flawed democracy or if we are truly on the path to theocratic statehood.

P Gunasegaram got it right when he wrote, “There are too many imponderables at play right now“, but what is vitally important right now is to remember that the religious extremists in this country are in a far better position, because of the squabbling in the Malay political establishment.

A section of the electorate thinks that PAS is a joke, even though the party has not only made headway through corrupt strategies to acquire power in certain states but also, more importantly, was enabled by mainstream Malay parties to do this.

Everyone talks about the youth vote going to the progressive forces in this country, but in recent elections, they have proven unreliable or going towards parties like Bersatu and by extension Perikatan Nasional (PN), rather than being the manna from heaven for Harapan.

Everyone talks about the youth vote going to the...