Commentary - It’s the way of democracy, within limits

The events surrounding the alternating identity of Perak’s Mentri Besar seem troubling, but the legal procedures are what our courts and Constitutions provide for.

Still, all partisanship aside, having to hold a state assembly in extended limbo can in no way be salutary.

Fleeting moments of triumph alternating with flashes of despondency for both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat may be grist to the news headline mill, but it is not how public service should perform or appear.

We only hope that the sum total of actions taken will seem more positive than negative.

Several colourful metaphors may apply, none of them complimentary: political ping-pong, pendulum, yo-yo, carousel, roller coaster, musical chairs.

This lawful but not-so-merry-go-round also risks a sense of the circus spectacle and a whiff of the stables about it.

After the High Court ruled on May 11 that Pakatan’s Datuk Seri Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin was the rightful Mentri Besar, Barisan appealed against the decision and a stay of its execution, only for Pakatan to counter-appeal against it. After BN won its appeal on Friday and reclaimed legitimacy, PR is appealing against that.

As a public watches in anything but indifference, any party to emerge unscathed from this episode is the judiciary. But any increased public interest in the workings of the bench scarcely makes up for the repeatedly frustrating swings in sentiment.

Involvement of the courts and the deliberations of the judges, in all their learned interpretations of law, hardly compensate for how both sides have been haggling over their perceived turf.

Apart from everything else, the de facto suspension of Perak’s governance cannot be good for the business of administration or the administration of business.

Yet when all is said and done, perhaps this is also how demo­cracy is supposed to be, given the contest of wills and interests. It is certainly less unsavoury than some interpretations of democracy elsewhere that have seen blood on the streets.

Nonetheless, comparing our lot with even less fortunate events is small consolation. All our elected representatives must do better and be seen to be achieving that, or else more than just a mentri besar’s post could be at stake.

- THE STAR