Pokok Demokrasi stands tall as institutions lose lustre

The majestic Democracy Tree that has now entered the annals of Ipoh folklore Photos by Jong (click to expand)

The raintree stands tall providing shade as the Perak State Assembly convenes an emergency sitting in the open air amidst the people.

All around, as Penang-based lawyer-writer Tan Ban Cheng observes, the traditional institutions of governance and democracy have not exactly distinguished themselves among the public.

Tense moments outside the state government building this morning (Click to expand)

In the public domain, serious questions and concerns are being expressed of certain sections of the civil service, the judiciary and the police in the light of recent events.

But among the people, the yearning for genuine grassroots democracy and real justice is still alive in their hearts. To ensure that our democracy is not fragile, we have to ensure that its roots are healthy and deep like those of the ‘pokok demokrasi’.

And the best way of doing that is to introduce local democracy (elections) at all levels right down to the kampongs and new villages – even in the open-air under the angsana trees. Once people get a taste of real democracy, it won’t be easy for it to be taken away.