Mariam Mokhtar
June 1, 2013
Many
couples go through a seven year itch; a “rough patch” in their marriage, caused
by boredom, when some spouses desire the freedom of being single again.
In
Malaysia, one can recognise the least productive and incapable BN politician by
his “Five-Year Hitch”; the time frame needed to implement the tasks they
promised to complete if they were to win GE-13.
Interestingly,
these politicians have chosen an interval of five years, which is when the
GE-14 would be called. The rakyat can see through the politicians’ tricks and
yet, the Election Commission (EC) has denied claims that the electoral system
would mean BN would rule in perpetuity. These
politicians have not shown evidence that they are capable of carrying out their
tasks, but they are already canvassing for re-election in five years time, in
GE-14.
Despite
the promises they made when campaigning for GE-13, they have already come up
with excuses. They have learnt from their mentor, the leader of Umno-Baru,
Najib Tun Razak, that words speak louder than actions and the best phrase is
“You help me, I help you.” This
year has yet to see the usual Malaysian election phenomenon, when turncoat
politicians – “frogs” cross over to the ‘other’ side. They will probably make
their moves soon.
Men
who have lied to the rakyat, now have very senior roles in the Cabinet. Some of
these men were not elected by the rakyat but secured a place in the Cabinet
through deceit. Others who were once guilty of money politics, now draw a
salary which is paid for by the taxpayer. Both
these sorts of men, have one thing in common; they are in charge of policies
which will affect the rakyat.
The
first to make his debut performance, barely two weeks after GE-13, was
Hindraf’s P Waythamoorthy, a deputy minister in the Prime minister’s Department
(PMD). After
his hunger strike, which he used to embarrass and weaken the opposition,
Waythamoorthy announced that he would need five years to resolve the issue of
stateless Indians. He made it clear that Hindraf had a mechanism to solve the
problem and yet declined to give details. Does a plan even exist?
Is
Waythamoorthy’s time to be spent resolving only the issue of the stateless
Indian? In the five years that Waythamoorthy claims he will need to resolve the
problem of the 300,000 stateless Indian, a few hundred thousand people from
Bangladesh, the Philippines, Pakistan, Myanmar or Indonesia will have become
fully fledged Malaysian citizens, without any problems.
Does
Waythamoorthy realise that many Orang Asli, Penan and other indigenous peoples
of Sabah and Sarawak are also stateless? These people cannot afford the long
and expensive journey to town to register the births of their children. These
people are also denied education, health and other benefits.
Illegitimate
children of Muslim parents are also disenfranchised and might as well be
considered stateless. They cannot attend school, or have a passport or enjoy
the benefits all children should be entitled to. Waythamoorthy
should remove his blinkers and champion all needy people, regardless of their
ethnic origin.
Patriotism and pride
The
magic ‘five years’ of inactivity was mentioned again, the following week. This
time, the International Trade and Industry (Miti) Minister Mustapa Mohamed
announced that the government would reduce car prices by 20 – 30 per cent, in
five years.
He
said that the consequences of reducing excise duty and car prices would have a
detrimental effect on jobs and that many businesses would have to shut. He
warned Malaysians of the increased traffic on roads and the need to build more
roads with tolls.
What
he was trying to say was that Umno-Baru has no intention of helping the rakyat
now or ever. What is more important is to continue propping up crony businesses
and their lifestyles. The taxpayer’s money is used to bail-out and prop-up the
failing Proton.
The
hardest hit are the poor, who need a vehicle to move around. Cars are not
cheap, petrol prices are rising and there is no efficient public transportation
system. Most of the income of the poorer families is spent servicing debts.
The
decline in probity of Najib’s Cabinet gained momentum when Paul Low, the
minister in the PMD said that it was not necessary to form an Independent
Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). He claimed that the
Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) could be used to lodge
complaints against police.
He
appears to have dismissed the views made the previous week by the former Chief
Justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad, who had questioned the capability of EAIC to
handle complaints related to enforcement officers and the misconduct of
government agencies.
The
decline of our political class started when Dr Mahathir Mohamad was accepted
back into the Umno fold, in the 70s by Abdul Razak Hussein, the second prime
minister.
Mahathir
changed the face of Malaysian politics. Older Malaysians recall the time when
Mahathir was the Education Minister. He exerted greater control over the
universities, he promoted the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) or National Civics
Training Bureau series of training modules to further divide the nation. He
claimed they instilled patriotism and pride.
Forty
years ago, Mahathir curbed political activity, in campuses. To this day,
students may not be involved in politics. If they fail to toe the line, they
will suffer severe recriminations and the denial of assistance in education.
Today, student activist Adam Adli Abdul Halim is trying to reverse Mahathir’s
evil legacy.
Stolen votes
Mahathir
accelerated the moral decay of our political class and forced a drop in values
in the rakyat. He is guilty of making Malaysians think that the only way to
riches, is to get into politics, rather than to value hard work and be
responsible. The
nation had a chance to restore its self-respect and reinstate the integrity of
its government. They voted for the opposition coalition in GE-13, but their
votes were stolen.
Mahathir
created a class of politicians who lack integrity and breeding. They have no respect
for public service and they do not know the meaning of honour. Mahathir’s
legacy lives on in Najib. If we want to restore our authority and make this
nation great again, GE-14 is not the answer.
Umno-Baru
is preparing to cheat again in GE-14, they will never relinquish power,
willingly. The solution is to get rid of Umno-Baru now, while the rakyat still
has the momentum for change.
Mariam
Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.
