By Yin, Ward 5, Tanjong Rambutan
GE15 is around the corner. The RM40billion question is when? The best answer I can give is: “When Sabri thinks it suits him or when Zahid is able to force his hand. In short when UMNO decides.
Zahid Hamidi, Najib Razak and others waiting for their day in court would like GE15 before their fate is finally decided. Their thinking is, if we are found guilty after exhausting every legal loophole but our party wins big, at the very least we can expect is a pardon after a short holiday at his majesty’s pleasure.
Before we go down that road, consider this:
“From foe to ally” title of Free Malaysia Today’s video on Zaid in Najib’s corner. Zaid with his coat of many colours – from UMNO to PKR (2008 -10) to KITA {2010-12) to DAP (2017 – 20) and now defending Najib. What does Zaid stand for?
Lim Kit Siang from foe to bedfellow of Mahathir.
More than three decades Kit Siang led the fight for a Malaysian Malaysia. DAP vowed to investigate Mahathir when it gets into power. We all know what happened.. . Now Kit Siang allegedly says that he can work with Najib “for the good of the country”. Just as he did Mahathir- for the good of the country? He did it for the country – not for himself or his party; how altruistic!
Now Loke Siew Fook the secretary general of DAP says DAP can work with UMNO, “that anything is possible . . .” On what basis will DAP work with UMNO or any other party? What are the red lines which DAP will not cross. UMNO is a race based party which agenda is for Malay hegemony. It is against a Malaysian Malaysia of equal citizenship. DAP is for a multi-racial Bangsa Malaysia. One is opposite of the other. UMNO is racked with corruption; while DAP has made a virtue of being squeaky clean (although questions are now being asked). How do the two get together.
Is this a repeat of GE14 when DAP knowing full well that Mahathir is a robust advocate of racial policies still went to bed with him? Sacrificing its founding principles for a seat at the top table; and with little to show for it. Looks like we are heading for another marriage of convenience.
It’s all very well for Kit Siang to be magnanimous and forgiving; we all understand about shades of grey and human nature etc, but tell that to the those on the poverty line, to parents who cannot make ends meet even when they hold on to two jobs; that is if they have a job. Tell that to the non-Malays who were not given equal opportunities or who fled the country because of racial discrimination. Kit Siang can preach from his comfortable retirement on a generous MP pension while real people suffer because of Najib.
Kit Siang would forgive if Najib “condemns the 1MBD scandal and declare his stand against Malaysia becoming a kleptocracy”. No mention of Najib returning every cent of the money he stole? How many hospitals and clinics will the stolen money build? How many low-cost houses for the B40? How many roads to the interiors of Sarawak and Sabah, how many houses to have pipe water and electricity?
And all Kit Siang wants is for Najib to say he is sorry. With Mahathir and Najib on either side of him, he calls “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” but alas Jesus he is not.
You can say the same if Najib is granted a royal pardon. On what grounds should Najib be pardoned?
What kind of lesson are we passing on? To use Kit Siang’s reasoning then every crook who has embezzled the rakyat’s money should be forgiven.
Surely as the prime minister, more is expected of him. An example must be made of the ex-prime minister who stole from the people, if his final appeal fails. This is not a case of a poor man stealing a bag of rice to feed his family. Yet the poor man who stole a bag of rice will face the full brunt of the law with no one to intercede on his behalf.
I am afraid Kit Siang (and DAP) has lost the plot. First, he works with someone who plays race politics and whose principles are opposite of what DAP stands for. Now he allegedly says he can work with a convicted felon, arguing that people make mistakes.
On another matter . . .
Unless you have been in a cave all this time, you would have received a petition which has gone viral asking for many of the terms and conditions which MPs receive to be removed. For instance, pensions, even if they serve only one term. Ordinary Malaysians have to work 30 years to get a pension yet politicians give themselves a pension after four years or less.
What about the many perks they get – too many to enumerate, but let’s say even a rich country like Sweden does not give their members of parliament a fraction of what our MPs get. And Swedish MPs are hardworking and honest.
Not a squeak from any politician from any party on this issue. It’s like there is a cross-party conspiracy of silence. No MP from any party has criticised the extravagant terms and conditions they have given themselves. They have collectively decided to ignore the unhappiness of the rakyat on this matter.
Politics is a good job to have. And if you are crooked (which many are), you can be super rich.
My point is: Politicians have only self-interests and party interests.
Every candidate will tell you that he will be your servant and will carry out your wishes when he wants your vote. What happens when they are elected . . .?
LYNAS is a case in point. PH/DAP sold out big time!
UEC is another example of promising, but not delivering.
What happened to Bangsa Malaysia which was promised?
Does this mean then that in GE15 we have the same type of people standing for election? It looks that way, the “Malays Only” parties are still there and each calling for Malays to unite. Each chanting the tired old mantra of protecting race and religion. They never once, explained “protect” against who? Who is threatening the Malays and Islam?
Mahathir in a bid to reinvent himself has come up with a “new concept on Malay and Islamic agenda”. He has organised a “solat hajat” and “doa selamat” prayer ceremony. “This is a Muslim Malay group. The move is necessary if we want to save our country, our nation, our religion” he said (Malay Mail, Aug 3, 2022). According to the report many organisations have bought into Mahathir’s initiative viz. National Indian Muslim Association (IMAM), Parti Bumiputra Perkasa Malaysia (PUTRA), PartiBarisan Jemaah Islamiah Se Malaysia (Berjasa) and of course Pejuang.
“Save our country, our nation, our religion”? Whose country? Does not Malaysia belong to ALL MALAYSIANS – NOT JUST MALAYS AND MUSLIMS?
So here we go again, if Mahathir cannot divide us one way, he will find another. (It’s so sad DAP failed to see this in GE14 and it looks like it wants to repeat the same thing with Najib).
All the other “Malay” parties will be following Mahathir’s lead. To be sure they will find ways to show that they can “defend race and religion” better than Mahathir. It’s a one-upmanship to hell.
How will the multi-racial parties respond? How will PH deal with this twin threat of race and religion hegemony? Specifically, how will Anwar handle this call for Malay unity? Will he abandon the Bangsa Malaysia agenda and be more UMNO than UMNO? Or will he stick with the agenda of rebuilding the nation to benefit all Malaysians. How will DAP react? Their senior statesman Kit Siang and secretary general Loke have already indicated their willingness to sleep with the devil. Will Amanah out Islamise PAS?
Instead of the hoary chestnut of race and religion, it would be better if PH does not get sucked into this zero-sum game. I suggest PH fight the election on good honest governance and accountability. How to tackle the corruption that is sucking the life blood out of our country. Inflation, food security, better infrastructure, eradicating poverty, better education, better health provisions, how best to unite the country. Social and economic issues the rakyat understand.
Fight on the economy. How to control inflation which has hit everybody but especially the poor. Fight on how to bring prices down. On creating jobs. These are bread and butter issues which resonate with most people.
We have so many issues facing the public but all our politicians are interested in is scoring points; sound bites make up for sound policies.
It bears repeating that politicians have only self-interests – giving themselves perks or (for the corrupt) enriching themselves. They are only interested in the next election, medium term vision has no place in their calculations when empty slogans, appeals to race and religion and short term quick fixes will deliver votes.
GE15 is ultimately about what Malaysia will be.
Can we get back to the multi-racial, multi-cultural, secular nation founded in 1957? Then we were a nation which was prosperous and progressive. Our education standard was the best in the region. We were the envy of many emerging countries. We were a united nation.
OR
Will it be a country divided by race and religion. Where corruption is endemic and our universities produce graduates that industry reject. Will our living standard be quickly overtaken by more progressive and enlightened countries which were once way behind us.
The East Malaysian Equation
Will East Malaysia save us from our worst excesses? They hold the ace cards because without them no single party in West Malaysia can rule.
The short answer unfortunately is “NO”.
Sarawak will keep very much to itself and not get involved in West Malaysian politics. They are safe from the mullahs and talibans. Religious and racial extremists are not allowed to enter Sarawak. They have enough autonomy to stave off the Malayisation and Islamisation that is going on in West Malaysia.
If they continue on their present trajectory they will overtake West Malaysia in per capita income. Sarawak is already the envy of many West Malaysians who want to migrate there.
To an extent Sabah is the same as Sarawak.
Between corrupt and extremist parties and those whose leaders have no firm principles – sleeping with anyone “for the good of the country”, we are between a rock and a hard place.
It’s another Hobson’s choice in GE15I am afraid . . .Except . . .
MAJU/Gerak Independent is pushing the idea of candidates without party affiliations. Candidates of principles and conscience who will put the rakyat first and not blindly follow party dictate where there is no room for acting according to one’s conscience. For instance, Fuziah binti Salleh (PKR Kuantan) and Wong Tack (DAP Bentong) opposed LYNAS but they could do nothing against their party’s dictates.
(DAP has made it clear they will sack any member who will not toe the party line).
MAJU’s reasoning is that if we get sufficient numbers of good people into parliament we can influence our country’s future as ‘king-makers’.
GE15 looks like it will be a very fractious election and no party will win an outright majority. In such a scenario MAJU’s logic make sense.
It is madness to keep doing the same thing every election and expect different results. For sixty years we have been scammed by UMNO-BN, then we put in people who we thought would make a difference. Their incompetence, spinelessness and self-interests lost them government which brings us to the present.
It is worth giving MAJU/GI a try.
To vote on the logic of “lesser of two evils” is to repeat our miserable history.
If UMNO win, the crooks will have a field day. If any of the racial/religious extremist parties win – habis Malaysia as we know it.
If PH win, the question is whether they have the spine and conviction to carry out what is necessary to rebuild this country. They had their chance and failed us.
MAJU/GI can help keep PH on the straight and narrow.
I will nail my colours to the mast as it were.
If there is a MAJU/GI candidate in your constituency, give him or her your vote, I will! If there is none then the lesser of the two evils would be one of the multi-racial parties.
Let us save our country from the racist and religious extremists, the kleptocrats and imbeciles.
The future of our country is in our hands.
(The views expressed are those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rebuilding Malaysia.)
By Yin, Letters from Ward 5, Tanjong Rambutan
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