Looking at all the happenings around us, one can't help but think about the direction Malaysia is taking.
In the recent election, the government lost 5 states mainly to 3 reasons. Namely,
a) corrupt politicians in the ruling party
b) arrogance displayed by the ruling party towards other Malaysians of different race
c) racial policies practiced favouring one particular race
It seems the surviving party leaders are still in limbo and not aware of why they lost so badly. The recent rebate offered by the government to offset the steep price hike in petrol does not really help the poor people who are the ones in real need. They do not own cars so they can't get any rebates! The rich man with many cars will be getting more money. And further more, why allow Pos Malaysia (a public listed company) to distribute the rebate for which they will charge a fee. Should it not have been the work of the Department of Vehicles? They work for the government so there will be no fee involved. To see who benefits, one needs to find out who has a major share in Pos Malaysia and I won't be surprised if you should find some politicians in that list.
To make matters worse, the PM doesn't even have control over his party members. The other day one of them (a woman) threw a racial slur in the state assembly! The gall of that woman. The PM has yet to say something. They always talk about racial harmony and sensitivity towards others. If someone says something about Islam or the rights of the Bumiputra, that is being insensitive. Other people also have feelings.
Right now I have this image of Malaysia being placed on an iceberg and set to drift towards the equator. Based on the political scenario at the moment, that's the feeling right now.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
A Changing Malaysia
After ruling this country for 50 years, the ruling coalition found themselves with a government without a two-thirds majority! How could this have happened? Dare we dream that the leadership is actually taking stock to learn from all this? I am not so sure.
I am sceptical because most of the previous Ministers were not of quality material. They came into power playing the race and religious platforms. They have been doing this for so long they don’t know anything else or even care about anything else besides making money for themselves. When the people went to the streets in protest, they didn’t get the hint. It is certainly not our culture to protest or even to strike! In all my 36 years in government service, I remember only once when the union called us to picket in K.L. Of course we took leave to stand by the roadside carrying our placards. We were demanding for better pay then.
The demonstrators in K.L. last year were demanding for a decent livelihood. They were asking the government to look into their welfare. It was about jobs, education, freedom to worship, places to worship, rising cost of fuel, food etc... They were not terrorists as they were made out to be by some politicians who were in power then. If the leadership had been smart, they would have studied the situation and assigned the right persons to provide solutions to the problem rather than lock up the protesters using the Internal Security Act. The election results might have been different. The coalition might not have lost 5 states! That’s just my opinion.
I guess it was not just the demonstrations alone that caused the change. There was too much corruption. Our No. 1 enemy is not “Drugs”. It is CORRUPTION! The whole nation can go bankrupt if it is left unchecked. We will end up carrying sack loads of our money just to buy a packet of ‘nasi lemak’, while the corrupt politicians and their cronies are enjoying their ill gotten gains in some Polynesian island!
I think the change came at the right time. My only hope is that the government will learn from the change and do what it is supposed to do – take care of the people. The dust has finally settled and the opposition that has claimed the 5 states are now in the limelight. Lets hope they will do a better job. We do not need a moral police. We only want good governance. Is that too much to ask?
I am sceptical because most of the previous Ministers were not of quality material. They came into power playing the race and religious platforms. They have been doing this for so long they don’t know anything else or even care about anything else besides making money for themselves. When the people went to the streets in protest, they didn’t get the hint. It is certainly not our culture to protest or even to strike! In all my 36 years in government service, I remember only once when the union called us to picket in K.L. Of course we took leave to stand by the roadside carrying our placards. We were demanding for better pay then.
The demonstrators in K.L. last year were demanding for a decent livelihood. They were asking the government to look into their welfare. It was about jobs, education, freedom to worship, places to worship, rising cost of fuel, food etc... They were not terrorists as they were made out to be by some politicians who were in power then. If the leadership had been smart, they would have studied the situation and assigned the right persons to provide solutions to the problem rather than lock up the protesters using the Internal Security Act. The election results might have been different. The coalition might not have lost 5 states! That’s just my opinion.
I guess it was not just the demonstrations alone that caused the change. There was too much corruption. Our No. 1 enemy is not “Drugs”. It is CORRUPTION! The whole nation can go bankrupt if it is left unchecked. We will end up carrying sack loads of our money just to buy a packet of ‘nasi lemak’, while the corrupt politicians and their cronies are enjoying their ill gotten gains in some Polynesian island!
I think the change came at the right time. My only hope is that the government will learn from the change and do what it is supposed to do – take care of the people. The dust has finally settled and the opposition that has claimed the 5 states are now in the limelight. Lets hope they will do a better job. We do not need a moral police. We only want good governance. Is that too much to ask?
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Election - Time For Change In Malaysia
Today is election day for Malaysians. There has been a lot of talk about exercising the individual’s right to vote in order to change the government for the better. Theoretically it is good advice but in practical terms, this won’t work in this country.
Our politics is still based on race and religion. The more racial you are the more votes you will get from your community. The religious nuts are having a field time glorifying their brand of politics based on their religious order. ‘The only way is our way’ is their slogan and their religious rules are good for everybody.
So you see, it really boils down to the general education of the masses if we really want a good government run by honest people who will consider Malaysia is for Malaysians. It sounds like a dreamer’s view point but I don’t see any dramatic change if the current government loses some seats.
The little ‘Napoleons’ or ‘mullahs’ are still in their places of power within the government machinery. For them their post is considered an inheritance as most of them came in through the ‘back door’ as a result of the government’s policy of helping the Bumiputeras using the NEP. The politicians may be changed but these government servants who don’t seem to know that they are ‘servants’ are still embedded in their various posts and they are the ones who introduce policies that divide the population, especially those in the Education Ministry as this involves our young people. The special treatment and privileges given to the students because they belong to a particular race divides the children at an early age and by the time they get into the university, there is little or no integration between the races.
I blame this situation totally on the Education Ministry and the previous PM who started all this nonsense. Until today he is still not repentant and dares to mention in the papers how can an Indian Malaysian be equal to a Malay Malaysian! He started the rot and we are at the receiving end now with racists politicians and meatheads who think they are our leaders in Parliament.
By tomorrow we will know the outcome of the elections and what is in store for all Malaysians. I still think change will only come when the Malays wake up and realize they don’t need the NEP anymore and accept all Malaysians as their equals under the Malaysian flag. Until such time, we can only wait and hope.
Our politics is still based on race and religion. The more racial you are the more votes you will get from your community. The religious nuts are having a field time glorifying their brand of politics based on their religious order. ‘The only way is our way’ is their slogan and their religious rules are good for everybody.
So you see, it really boils down to the general education of the masses if we really want a good government run by honest people who will consider Malaysia is for Malaysians. It sounds like a dreamer’s view point but I don’t see any dramatic change if the current government loses some seats.
The little ‘Napoleons’ or ‘mullahs’ are still in their places of power within the government machinery. For them their post is considered an inheritance as most of them came in through the ‘back door’ as a result of the government’s policy of helping the Bumiputeras using the NEP. The politicians may be changed but these government servants who don’t seem to know that they are ‘servants’ are still embedded in their various posts and they are the ones who introduce policies that divide the population, especially those in the Education Ministry as this involves our young people. The special treatment and privileges given to the students because they belong to a particular race divides the children at an early age and by the time they get into the university, there is little or no integration between the races.
I blame this situation totally on the Education Ministry and the previous PM who started all this nonsense. Until today he is still not repentant and dares to mention in the papers how can an Indian Malaysian be equal to a Malay Malaysian! He started the rot and we are at the receiving end now with racists politicians and meatheads who think they are our leaders in Parliament.
By tomorrow we will know the outcome of the elections and what is in store for all Malaysians. I still think change will only come when the Malays wake up and realize they don’t need the NEP anymore and accept all Malaysians as their equals under the Malaysian flag. Until such time, we can only wait and hope.
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