Four ideas, three young men, two misconceptions and one significant word: Libertarianism. Malaysian Today speaks to two of the three directors of Malaysia Think Tank, an organization that strives to reach out to policy makers through advocacy of libertarianism and the right to individual liberty.

By Pauline Wong

Imagine, if you will, an education system in which your parents need not worry about the costs of higher education and you do not have to settle for the cheapest, if not necessarily the best. Suppose also that overseas education was an available option regardless of income level. And what if you could have your pick of imported cars and not settle for a local car simply because it is the only one you can afford?

And more importantly, imagine a free Malaysia where rule of law, a free market and individual liberty propels us forward to the 2020 we once envisioned - with first-world infrastructure and first-world mentality.

From the car you drive to the college you choose, these are things that should be part of that fundamental right to choice, and for three young men, this availability of choice is the core to the one thing they are extremely passionate about: libertarianism and it's four main ideas.

Tunku 'Abidin Tuanku Muhriz, 27, Wan Saiful Wan Jan, 34, and Wan Mohd Firdaus, 26, are the directors and founders of Malaysia Think Tank (MTT), an organization that seeks to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom through advocacy and intensive research and they have been building the organization from ground up since 2006.  It now has international partners and a regional project - www.AkademiMerdeka.org - which articulates their vision across the region.

The Malaysia Think Tank and the Ideas of Libertarianism

As the Director, Tunku 'Abidin spent 11 years abroad, studying politics, sociology, history and public policy and actively involving himself in various 'think tanks' in the United Kingdom, its House of Commons and the World Bank in Washington DC. He witnessed furious debates about the gradual decline of the principles of liberty in the UK and elsewhere, which made him realize that in Malaysia, people were too happy to leave everything to the government to take care of things.

"I became attracted to these ideas, and as I studied and worked in politics and public policy, I was drawn to the notion of decentralizing power to the individual as much as possible," he explains. "I began to see that the government should not tell us (the people) what to do, and least of all, take our money and use it to tell us what to do. In Western political philosophy this is known as libertarianism or classical liberalism but it does not matter what label you use: many of the same ideas and practices have been applied across many civilizations throughout history including Islamic Caliphates, Britain and America and what is now Malaysia, too."

Together with Wan Saiful and Wan Firdaus, who were both also in the UK at the same time, Tunku 'Abidin formed MTT with the aim of injecting fresh ideas into the policy debate and to build an organization that defends the very principles of democracy.

"The role of think tank is to throw ideas to the public and influence the policy debate among the people," says Wan Saiful. "Think tanks do that through research programmes, events, meetings, and publications."

"There are four main ideas - individual liberty, free markets, the rule of law, limited government - which we seek to embed into policymaking."

These policies can apply in any sector, whether it be education, healthcare or business and economic sectors. 

Take the debate between private and public education as an example, Wan Saiful proposes.

"So many people say that private education is expensive, but I want to challenge that idea," says Wan Saiful. "In the poorest of communities, the sekolah pondok are educating the children at little to no cost to the students. This is actually a form of private education. We can learn from this model and explore how it can be applied to education in our country generally."

"Elite private education is expensive is due to monopolies and the lack of a truly competitive education market. For me, the ideal situation is when the government is the commissioner of services, and not the provider of services," he said. "If we liberalise the education market and allow providers to compete with each other, I believe prices will go down."

This is in tandem with their ideas of a free market - and this idea extends to even something as basic as purchasing your first car.

"Cars in Malaysia are ridiculously expensive because of the mechanism that is put forth for the protection of our own Proton brand," says Wan Saiful. "Why not open it to the market so that the people can buy the cars they actually want at a cheaper price?"

As free markets flourish, two other pillars should also be upheld and discussed, regardless of whether it is 'touchy' or 'sensitive' - specifically, individual liberty and limiting the power of government.

 "The problem is that we as a people have become accustomed to government intervention.  Across so many sectors, when there is a problem, the first question is 'what should the government do to fix this?' or 'the government should do so and so'. In turn, we expect the government to provide is with this, or provide us with that - when we could be saying 'hold on: what can the community do, and how can we get the private sector - through open tenders and transparent competition - to help?'" elaborates Tunku 'Abidin.

"And we've got to a stage where the government tells us who we are and determines policies on the basis of these definitions.  I don't think that's what (the country's first Prime Minister) Tunku Abdul Rahman had in mind when he proclaimed our nation as one founded on liberty and justice."

In the same vein, Wan Saiful believes that the solutions should be within ourselves.

"The government should be doing what we (the people) tell them to do, not the other way round. What happens now is once we elect someone, we stop questioning them. The people must be the boss. We elect these reps, they must be held to account.

"In addition to that, we must feel empowered enough to speak up, and if they limit our choice, then we must challenge that," he stresses."Let's talk about having proper choice, not about whom and what we are being labeled as, simply by virtue of race and religion."

For Wan Saiful believes in choice. "We must be free to choose and free to explore all our potentials - regardless of race, religion or status."

But don't get them wrong - the greatest misconception when it comes to the very idea of a reform or of freedom is that each and every reformist must be a rebel, must be anti-government, and must want to bring down the system. It isn't so at all.

"There are those who think that we need to abolish our institutions and start afresh.  But I believe that we can reform ourselves within the framework of our Federal and State Constitutions.  Certainly, we support the institutions created by those documents," explains Tunku 'Abidin. "We're not anarchists or hippies who want to abolish the institutions of the state."

When asked about the danger in liberty in being abused, or used to spread chaos, Tunku 'Abidin says that proper defamation and national security laws are perfectly compatible within a country that espouses liberty and justice. 

"For example, while we would support the amendment or repeal of the ISA - the period of detention without trial under the Home Minister's discretion is still too long - we would also strongly support an anti-terror law which would enable the detention of genuine threats to our nation.  We can do this by adding checks and balances such as judicial reviews, for example."

"There is this notion in Malaysia, that when you talk about reform that you must be breaking new ground, or you are an anti-establishment rebel.  It's not true: I'm a conservative in fact," explains Tunku 'Abidin. "You can find these ideas in our own history and narratives of freedom."

Take for example, how our history books tell us that Melaka grew and became the epicenter of trade in this region due to its free trade policies, or how early Malay Rulers entered into agreements with their people that placed limits on their powers.

 "Also in ancient Islamic civilizations, the government actually provided few services directly, save for security and law and order. Services were mostly delivered through private bodies called wakaf which provided roads, schools, healthcare and the aid of charitable non-government bodies," explains Wan Saiful.

Youth: Listen Up!

 "Our founding fathers would be rolling in their graves if they saw what sort of nonsense some of our politicians argue - or rather, scream - about today," he says frankly. "We have a unique opportunity now, when a two-party system looks set to emerge in our country, to inject these ideas into the debates and ultimately into the manifestoes."

"If we don't seize this opportunity, we'll continue down the depressing sinkhole of racial and religious bigotry and bewilderingly stupid debates."

 "There must be an alternative which is closer to the vision of Tunku Abdul Rahman when he proclaimed our country as one founded on liberty and justice, and we posit that the ideas we espouse provides that alternative."

However, they do not believe this is a change that can come about drastically, or overnight. That is why beginning from next year onwards, they will be re-launching MTT with a new name but the same principles.

"For the last three years, we have focused on laying groundwork for the organization and building out network. We haven't really 'sold' our name aggressively. We have organized various workshops like the Akademi Merdeka (a weekend workshop for an 'immersion' into ideas of freedom) and have our website at WauBebas.org. Beginning from January 2010, we will be striving harder for in-house research, advocacy and for change," says Wan Saiful. "So what we're going to start doing is start by getting the word out, and empowering the people."

Tunku 'Abidin also adds that localizing decision-making is part of their agenda to empower people. 

"Why can't young people who actually live in the area help to design the parks and schools in their neighbourhoods?  These are the sorts of decision-making pwers that we want to transfer from government and give to communities."

 "If Malaysians can lead the lives they want to lead without fear of incarceration or condemnation, and fellow Malaysians understand and appreciate others' rights and freedoms, then we will have achieved 1Malaysia."