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On the way to Doha thanks to the local Squad
Liberal democracy, a system based on election of representatives, is in crisis wherever it is implemented, in the South and in the North of the world.
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Muslim women listen to Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's speech during an event in Bandar Seri Begawan on April 3, 2019. (AFP)
F
ew might have noticed it but there is not only one “squad”, the group of progressive legislators in the US Capitol. Southeast Asia and more specifically Brunei has one too.
I am talking about a group of young nominated legislators, three women and one man, who are relentlessly pushing or better nudging, given the political system in the sultanate, for some changes there.
YB Hafimi, YB Siti Rozaimeriyanty, YB Khairunnisa Hj Ash’ari and YB Iswandy, the man in the group, do represent a new generation and also a new hope that one day Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah will relinquish some of his powers to spearhead a wave of reforms.
Obviously the “Brunei Squad” plays by the local rules and their positions and declarations are always sensible and respectful enough not to hurt anyone, hoping that their propositions might be able to spark some changes of thought in the palace.
I am not even using the word “democracy” though, at the end of the day and with details to be worked out locally, it is what Brunei should aspire to.
As we all know, liberal democracy, a system based on election of representatives, is in crisis wherever it is implemented, in the South and in the North of the world, from Kathmandu to Washington.
Let us, therefore, set aside the issue of a quick fix through elections. We could start with a genuine deliberative system where citizens have a stronger say even informally.
