Maria Chin Abdullah | Open Government Partnership for Malaysia?
The unprecedented response from the Hong Kong people to the Occupy Central movement has pushed the question of democratic reform to the forefront for the Chinese government, who seemingly is used to the Tiananmen-type response.
The more than 50,000 strong protesters who insisted on Hong Kong’s need for political reforms and democratic elections comes as a surprise as the country has always been viewed as an affluent place that prides itself on its civility and its freedom.
Thailand in 2013 saw more than 200,000 peaceful protesters demanding for the Thai government’s resignation and the need for democratic reforms to restore democracy and eliminate corruption in Thailand. And in Malaysia, we held two mega rallies to push for electoral reform. This has fired up the imagination of Malaysians to pressure the Najib Abdul Razak administration for democratic reforms.
What's happening in these countries reflects people’s deep disappointment with the system and therefore they now demand for transparency, accountability, clean and fair elections and better governments.
Read more here: http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/276273
