In the most daring act to bribe the electorate of Kuala Terengganu (K.T.) to date, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak dished out 583 government contracts in a “lucky draw??? fashion to each and every Class F contractor present at the Wisma Darul Iman in Kuala Terengganu on Jan 10, 2009 -- the fifth day of the K. T. by-election campaign . These contracts (valued between RM30,000 to RM200,000 each), which were claimed to be for infrastructure works in the local township, were distributed (in random lottery draw!) by having the contractor to come on stage to click on the computer. And upon pressing the button, a contract would be awarded to the contractor, details of which – nature of works and contract price - would instantly appear in a big screen in the hall. Thus the contractor would walk home with his “prize??? (a contract with a pre-determined price), with no question asked on his track record or suitability for the works assigned.
Najib Razak, who launched these innovative awards, proudly claimed this as “a world record???, saying that “In this lucky draw, everyone wins. Every one gets a contract.??? He further added that if Barisan Nasional wins in the coming Kuala Terengganu by-election, there would be more and bigger such contracts, so that the Class F contractors (confined to Malays, for small contracts) would “continue to make money and the country’s economy would continue to grow???.
While Najib may be entitled to claim he has scored “the world’s first??? for having satisfied every one of the hundreds of contractors present, few can share his pride over such a bizarre method of dispensing government infrastructure projects.
For a start, contracts for infrastructure works are usually awarded gradually over a period of time, as and when the needs for such works arise, as determined and initiated by the engineers and the local authorities. These contracts are never awarded in a torrent of hundreds within a single day anywhere in the world. Granted that this may be part of the stimulus package announced earlier to counter current economic hardship, there is no possible justification to cram such a staggering number of projects at one go, especially when these are confined in a small township like Kuala Terengganu. Needless to say, massive wastages and redundancies will be the inevitable consequences.
Then, what about the track records and skill compatibility of the contractors with respect to the projects at hand? Without proper interview and scrutiny of the applicants, how can the government be certain that the projects are awarded to the right contractors?
Next, there is the question of price. Without tenders or negotiations, how can the government ensure fair pricing? In fact, over-generous pricing is expected, or else Najib would not have said: “I see everyone present here is jubilant and clapping his hands, every one has got a government contract, how can they be not grateful to the government and not strongly support Barisan Nasional???? (Sin Chew, Jan 11)
It is clear that this “lucky draw??? award of contracts is an irresponsible act of public squandering aimed at inducing voters to support BN. For this move, BN was promptly condemned by the National Institute of Electoral Integrity as abusing government machinery to dish out financial benefits during election campaign.
Deplorable as the act is, this is but one of an endless series of similar monetary inducement amounting to tens of millions of ringgit in the form of cash payments and allocations handed out by BN in the K.T. constituency since the run up to polling which will be held on Jan 17.
In fact, on the same day (Jan 10) as Najib handed out the “lucky draw???, he also handed out RM8 million to 20 religious schools, which are mainly located in Terengganu state.
Recognizing the minority 8,787 Chinese votes (11% of total) as pivotal in this election, the Chinese community has been bombarded almost daily with allocations and cash payments totaling no less than RM12 million, such as:
* RM3.3 million for construction of a new community hall. * RM2.8 million for furbishing a completed hall in a Chinese school. * RM3 million for 10 Chinese schools * RM2.7 million cash distribution to 9,000 Chinese residents for the coming Chinese New year (this annual payment was brought forward to reap the goodwill of Chinese electorate for the coming poll). * Miscellaneous payments to temples, guilds and other communal bodies.
All these financial bonanzas, handed out within the few days since nominations on Jan 5, are clearly intended to induce voters to vote in favour of the BN candidate, and therefore constitute “bribery??? as defined in paragraph 10 of the Election Offences Act 1954, for which the culprits are punishable as prescribed in paragraph 11 of the same Act. Regrettably, the Election Commission under the new chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof, who vowed to ensure clean and fair elections, has remained silent over these BN offences. Neither has the newly formed Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), which prides itself as a replica of the famed Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) of Hong Kong, appears to have been stirred from its slumber by such glaring corrupt practices.
Such monetary assault on the electorate, combined with the daily brainwashing by BN’s propaganda machines, also known as the mainstream media (local newspapers and TV channels), has once again made a complete mockery of our election as a cornerstone of a democratic system of government.
With all the institutions tasked to uphold the rule of law either unwilling or incapable of fulfilling their constitutional roles, it is now left to the 80,000-strong electorate of Kuala Terengganu to act as guardians to uphold justice and democracy by disciplining the wayward ruling party by rejecting the BN candidate.
In this connection, it is heartening to take note of how the neighbouring Kelantan state has valiantly fought off similar corrupt assault by UMNO/BN for the past two decades. Under the corruption-free administration of PAS, the people of Kelantan, who are almost completely Malay Muslims, have proven themselves to be people of high moral fibre as they have successfully overcome the persistent coercion and temptation presented by the UMNO/BN federal government through abuse of federal authority and improper monetary inducement. No doubt, their devotion to Islam, which abhors corruption as a grave sin, must have been an important factor that contributes to their moral courage.
Will the Terengganu Muslim constituents, who form 88% of the K.T. electorate, prove to have the same moral strength as their Kelantan brothers by rejecting the decadent values of UMNO/BN?
And will the minority Chinese constituents gaze beyond the immediate monetary gains to vote for change – a change that would mean the rejection of a dysfunctional political power and one step closer to turning a new leaf for the nation?
Coming at a time of power transition following the political tsunami of the 8 Mar 2008 general elections, the outcome of this K.T. by-election will have significant impact on the future direction of country’s political development. It is therefore earnestly hoped that the people of K.T. will rise to the occasion to make the right choice for the nation.
In the light of recent grouses among certain Indian leaders against the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government for neglecting Indian interests, I am writing this open letter to share my thoughts.
Let us start with the HINDRAF movement. The reason why this movement has won so much sympathy among all races is because it has expounded a truth – that Indians have been marginalized.
So we shall establish the first principle in this discourse – Indians have been marginalized.
That, however, is the easy part. The real challenge is: how do we save the Indians from marginalization?
Do we strengthen MIC so that it has a bigger say in Barisan Nasional? I don’t think many like this idea, simply because it has not worked for fifty years.
Do we start a new Indian party just like Nallakaruppan did when he broke off from PKR just before the Ijok by-election in April 2007? I think we can all agree that Nalla and his party have got no where, so better forget about this idea. It is common sense anyway that proliferation of Indian parties can only weaken the Indian position.
Or do we continue the HINDRAF struggle? That, of course, is a serious question, for which careful thoughts must be given.
Let us start our deliberation by first asking this question: Has there been a government policy to deliberately marginalize the Indian community?
In all honesty, I do not think so, despite my years of fierce criticism of the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional government. For that matter, I do not think the government has targeted any racial group for marginalization – be they Chinese, Indians or the natives of Sabah and Sarawak .
Marginalisation of large sections of Malaysians is a result of bad policies implemented by a corrupt leadership. The New Economic Policy (NEP), which symbolizes UMNO’s racial agenda, actually started off on sound affirmative action principles to eradicate poverty and redress social and economic imbalance, but soon degenerated into a racist tool by UMNO to amass wealth for its leaders and cronies through political hegemony. Though the policy has largely uplifted the educational and economic status of Malays, UMNO’s corrupt and dictatorial rule on the back of its racist ideology has wrought devastating consequences – an authoritarian state torn by racial dissension where vast populations are impoverished through corruption, squandering and sheer incompetence.
As a result, all races have fallen victims to such misrule. Admittedly, Indians are among the most neglected, though ironically Malays constitute the biggest racial group in the impoverished category, while the natives of Sabah and Sarawak are stuck in a warped time zone of yesteryears with scant infrastructures and educational facilities to develop their economic potentials.
With this, we shall agree on the second principle of this discourse: Indians have not been singled out for marginalization, but rather, they are part of the wider Malaysian society (safe the Umnoputras) which has fallen victim to a corrupt elitist rule.
What is the solution to the Indian predicament then? Would it help by giving a few more government posts or contracts to Indians by a state government? While that will make a few Indians happy, it would not alleviate the prevailing poverty of Indians, who number almost two million. Besides, the role that a state government can play in altering the political course of the nation is limited, as its authority covers only land matters and local councils, and its financial resources negligible compared to that of the federal government (the revenue of the richest state government of Selangor amounts to hardly 1% of the federal government revenue).
Malaysia ’s problem is acute economic and political mismanagement, one consequence of which (among many) is manifested in the marginalization of Indians. So the Indian problem cannot be solved in isolation, without changing national policies, which in turn can only take place by changing the national leadership.
The present national leadership is too entrenched with its addiction to easy wealth through racist protectionism and corrupt institutions to effect any meaningful change to the status quo. And without the necessary reforms to restore confidence and improve competitiveness and productivity, there is no way we can extricate ourselves from the current economic malaise. This means all Malaysians – including Indians of course – will continue to suffer the economic hardships, more so in this turbulent time of unprecedented world financial and economic crisis.
With the nation plunging into deeper debts under current adverse economic conditions, and the incumbent power even more determined to pursue its racist policy in order to strengthen its traditional electoral support base, what hope is there for Indians to improve their livelihood while UMNO/BN continues to remain in power?
In contrast, Pakatan Rakyat’s agenda to reinstate democracy and good governance and restore egalitarianism under the Constitution whereby all citizens are guaranteed equal rights offers the best recipe to re-unite the races and turn the nation on the path of robust growth. That such an agenda has met with emphatic approval by the masses was demonstrated by the decisive swing of support accorded Pakatan in the 8th March 2008 elections.
Though Pakatan’s subsequent rule in the states has not brought dramatic and huge changes on a national scale during the past nine months, its imprint of corruption-free and pro-rakyat political leadership is unmistakably stamped on every Pakatan-controlled state. The impact of Pakatan’s rule on the national scene is necessarily limited and gradual, due respectively to the limited jurisdiction and resources of state governments as explained earlier and to a bureaucracy fossilized by decades of corrupt rule. However, as sure as the sun rises, the wind of change brought by Pakatan will stay and intensify and it will soon sweep through Sabah and Sarawak to bring the federal government under Pakatan rule.
Under the circumstances, the best bet for marginalized Indians, and in fact for all Malaysians, is to work for the speedy realization of a Pakatan federal government, which will bring healing and genuine nation-building to the country.
To answer the earlier question whether the HINDRAF movement should continue its struggles, the answer is of course yes. HINDRAF has made valuable contribution towards Pakatan’s success in the 8th March elections by wakening and bringing unity of purpose to the Indian community, there is no reason why they should not persevere until this country is free from the yoke of BN’s oppressive and corrupt rule.
In fact, many Malaysians had been moved by the courage and sacrifice displayed by HINDRAF, when thousands of supporters braved tear gas and water cannons to march from Batu Caves to Kuala Lumpur city center on that memorable day of 25th Nov 2007 to express solidarity for a common cause. We hope the same indomitable spirit will continue to shine on the Malaysian political scene to contribute towards the evolvement of a non-communal and meritocratic society, where every citizen will be given equal opportunity to develop his potentials to the fullest.
Anwar Ibrahim may have failed to assume the premiership on the very day of September 16, 2008 but he has certainly brought the nation to a cross-roads that may mark the most important turning point in the nation’s history. Within days from now, the nation may know its fate – whether it will be a future that is nothing more than the status quo of racial fragmentation and corrupt rule or a bold new frontier that promises national unity and vigorous growth.
The week ending September 20 is indeed a week of high political dramas. On one side, an aspiring prime minister-in-waiting is relentlessly seeking to take over power with his supposed parliamentary majority; on the other, the incumbent prime minister looks set to succumb to party pressure to relinquish his post to his deputy.
As UMNO’s political power continues to decline since the March general elections, Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties like MCA, MIC and Gerakan are caught in a secret dilemma – whether they should feel happy about this development. Happy, because a weakened UMNO would give these racial parties, which have long been subservient to UMNO, the first opportunity in decades to make an attempt to regain their status as a genuine partner in the coalition, thus giving them the hope of recouping some of the lost support in their respective communities. Not happy, because a lame duck UMNO may result in BN losing political power altogether to Pakatan Rakyat (PR), resulting in these component parties losing their governing status.
Expressed crudely, a strong UMNO is bad, because it will make the party more arrogant, thus further alienating the scant remaining minority support. However, a weak UMNO is also bad, because it will not provide the necessary pillar for its satellite racial parties to hang on to.
Therein lies a fundamental contradiction in the relationship between UMNO and its parasitic partners. This contradiction, among others, would doom BN to an eventual disintegration, due to the structural changes that have taken place in the political landscape as manifested in the March 8th elections. These changes are:
* Minority races no longer accept harsh racial discriminations, and they are convinced that their respective racial parties have failed to protect their constitutional rights, having been hopelessly subjugated to UMNO’s hegemony.
* People of all races have come to realize that the BN government has grossly mismanaged the country through corruption and inefficiency, and that UMNO has widely abused the affirmative New Economic Policy for corrupt self-enrichment of party leaders and their cronies.
* The majority of people of all races detests BN/UMNO’s racial politics and yearns for restoration of democracy and the rule of law, which have been steadily whittled away in the past few decades.
* The people have accepted Pakatan Rakyat as a viable alternative to incumbent BN, as evidenced by the 50% of votes cast in PR’s favour in the March election.
PARADIGM SHIFT
After being subjected to BN’s absolute dominance for five decades, the paradigm shift represented by the above changes is spectacular indeed, considering the fact that the country is still under repressive rule. This political awakening of the people would of course not have been possible if not for the rapid advent of the ICT revolution and the relentless campaigning by Pakatan Rakyat. And the beauty of this political process is that once the populace has become so enlightened, it is irreversible. As time goes on, this enlightenment can only increase, as shown in the recent Permatang Pauh by-election, when PKR increased its majority against overwhelming odds.
The results of the Permatang Paul by-election, as well as subsequent opinion polls, have shown that while PR’s support from all the three main races has increased, that from the Chinese and Indian electorate has grown even more spectacularly. This is an important signal to the minority racial parties in BN that their days are numbered, unless UMNO can make drastic changes to its policy of racial hegemony and corrupt governance through repressive rule. But there is not the slightest evidence that UMNO is moving in this direction, despite harsh admonition and even warning of defection by its racial partners. In this respect, the present crop of MCA and Gerakan leaders, who have been belting out chivalrous rhetoric with the promise to tame the unbridled UMNO in the run-up to their respective party elections, can only be described as indulging in mass deception – deceiving others while in a state of self-deception.
Indeed the contradiction in BN is not confined to that arising from UMNO’s big bully role, as a coalition of racial parties such as BN is inherently a flawed political structure. Such a structure is only politically acceptable as a temporary measure during the early stage of a newly independent nation which is made up of disparate races, when the notion of united nationhood has not taken root in the consciousness of the people. That is why the former Alliance Party - consisting of UMNO, MCA and MIC – which gained independence half a century ago for the then Malaya, was considered an appropriate political entity to lead the country into nationhood. However, as the country matured, such coalition of racial parties should long ago have evolved into multi-racial parties to pave the way for true national integration.
RACIAL COALITION UNACCEPTABLE
The reason why a coalition of racial parties cannot be accepted as a permanent solution is simple – it is confrontational in nature among its partners. As each racial party champions the interests of its racial group, conflicts are bound to arise all the time which necessitate constant negotiation and compromise. And it is inevitable that every racial party within the coalition would look at another racial party as an adversary in addition as a partner. Potential for friction increases in direct proportion to the degree of disparities among the races, whether in the social or economic field.
So long as such a governing political structure continues to exist, friction and conflicts among the races will remain an omnipresent feature of government, thus posing an unacceptable stumbling block to racial integration and nation-building.
And such stumbling block becomes even more insurmountable, if one racial party assumes hegemony and imposes discrimination against other racial groups. Indeed, in the case of Malaysia, this stumbling block has become monstrous, as the dominant partner is not only dictatorial but has also become thoroughly corrupted, perpetuating its rule through abusing the country’s depraved institutions under the shield of repressive legislations. The devastation of such rule on nation-building is horrendous – worsening racial polarization, deteriorating rule of law and intractable economic morass, which has caused widespread hardships to the people, despite the country in recent years enjoying unprecedented booming prices for primary commodities which are largely exported.
It is precisely due to public despair and disillusionment of such flawed political leadership of BN that Pakatan Rakyat’s clean politics of good governance and multi-racialism is welcome with relief as a breath of fresh air to bring new hope to the nation.
HERETICAL IDEOLOGIES
In fact, following the recent political tsunami swept in by PR, the nation has become increasingly aware that UMNO’s prolonged hegemony has successfully deceived the nation – until recently, that is - into embracing dubious myths as golden formulae for nation-building. Chief among these are the adoption of a coalition of racial component parties as permanent polity to rule the nation, and the conversion of extra-constitutional racial privileges evolved from the political agenda of the New Economic Policy as birth rights. These heretical ideologies have been the major root causes of the serious political and economic ailments that have plagued the nation.
There are good reasons why UMNO leaders have perpetuated these myths. They are to ensure that, through these racial divide and rule strategies, party leaders’ political power and personal wealth can be permanently safeguarded.
And the leaders of satellite racial parties in the coalition cannot escape responsibilities in these sordid affairs, as without their willing abetment to provide the façade of multi-racialism, UMNO’s hegemony could not have been so perpetuated.
At this time when the nation is facing unprecedented political and economic turmoil that may make or break the nation, it is the responsibility of every member of Parliament, in whose hands the fate of the nation has been entrusted, to ponder deeply what he must do that will most benefit the people. Should he allow the nation to drift as it is for another five years until the next election is due, or should he promptly act to contribute towards making a decisive break from the past so as to open a new chapter of hope for the nation now, without going through the hazards of a prolonged corrupt rule?
The Permatang Pauh by-election has rightly earned its reputation as Political Tsunami II. For it has not only confirmed that Political Tsunami I - General Elections on March 8, 2008 – is not accidental, but has also established beyond all doubts that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is a far superior political force than incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN) to move Malaysia from the present quagmire of economic malaise and political shambles.
Contrary to BN leaders’ cavalier reference to Permatang Pauh as “just another by-election???, it is in truth a battle royale between the two protagonists, resulting in a drubbing for BN that some rightly nickname as the Waterloo of BN – a decisive defeat reminiscent of the famous battle that marked the eclipse of France in the Anglo-French war for supremacy two centuries ago.
How can it be otherwise when both had pooled in all their resources for this epic showdown, in the course of which BN was completely outclassed and resoundingly clobbered?
Against Anwar Ibrahim’s clarion call for sweeping political reforms and advocacy of a reviving economic agenda, BN/UMNO could only answer with vile personal attacks and ugly incitement of racial hatred and fear.
PAKATAN RAKYAT OUTSHINES BN
And the mismatch in campaign strengths was painfully glaring. Starting from the nomination day when the size of BN supporters was completely dwarfed by that of PR, the latter put up a dazzling campaign marked by buoyant morale, strong discipline, seamless co-operation among the PR partners (PKR, PAS, DAP) and convincing conveyance of its pro-rakyat agenda. In contrast, BN’s campaign was mired by paucity of cogent ideology, disarrayed teamwork, low morale, and resorts to vile tactics.
The great contrast in support from the masses can easily be seen from the stunning and increased majority won by Anwar Ibrahim who garnered two thirds of votes cast, despite BN having waged its dirtiest campaign to date including the many abuses of public resources to gain votes, such as impromptu dispensation of millions of public funds and incessant dissemination of vicious propaganda through government-controlled media, besides manipulating the partisan Election Commission.
An analysis of the polling results shows that PKR had made substantial inroads (since election Mar 8) in the polls among all the three races – Malays, Chinese and Indians – in addition to grabbing a lion’s share of votes from young voters of all races. That young voters have deserted BN in flocks is a clear indication of their detestation of BN’s antiquated politics and augurs a sunset scenario for this overstayed political power, keeping in mind that almost one third of qualified voters – most of them young - are yet unregistered in the electoral roll. Imagine the impact these young voters will have on future elections when they are registered as voters in due course.
From this by-election, we see that the migration of electoral support of all races away from BN has continued unabated since the landmark election on Mar 8. This phenomenon is attributed in part to yet another flounder by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to honour his reform pledges post-election, and in part to UMNO’s unaltered course of racial hegemony which embarrasses other racial parties and further alienates the non-Malays. Under UMNO’s business as usual stance of governance, deterioration in all fronts continues – political, economic, social etc – as exhibited by the quickening pace of public scandals of endless corruption and abuse of power that further undermine public confidence and trust.
ECONOMY MISMANAGED
Global economic slow-down and escalating inflation have hit many countries. Malaysia suffers more than its fair share of hardship due to gross mismanagement by an incompetent leadership. As a major petroleum producer and exporter in this region – Malaysia produces 1.7 million barrels of oil equivalent per day - we should have ridden over these humps with relative ease compared to many other less fortunate countries which have no such oil fortunes. But instead, we are landed in a double whammer of hyper-inflation and stagnant growth, which have inflicted widespread economic hardships to the man-in-the-street and industries alike.
A case in point is the national Budget 2009 recently presented by Abdullah. Though there are some minor allocations to assist the needy here and there, these are far from adequate to overcome the sufferings of the general public caused by severe shrinking of our ringgit. The Budget tends to deal with surface symptoms but fails to address the root causes of our economic malaise. Shrewd political observers have rightly called it a populist budget aimed at giving life-support to a wobbly prime minister and his government desperately clinging on to power.
While the budget lacks policy direction based on a macro view of the economy, there is ample evidence of reckless spending galore. A glaring example is the alarming ballooning of operating expenditure in recent years. This allocation has doubled to RM154.2 billion during the four years of Abdullah’s premiership, and tripled since 2000. It really boggles the mind to imagine how on earth these expenses – wages, rental, maintenance, office supplies etc – could have expanded so swiftly. Part of the answer could perhaps be found in the Auditor-General’s annual reports which are unfailingly strewn with recurring cases of massive leakages that are caused by negligence, abuse of power and outright corruption.
Rapidly increasing operating expenditure (which is largely unproductive) in tandem with a correspondingly dwindling development expenditure – which has shrunk to one quarter of total budget by 2009 – is undoubtedly a negative development that has contributed to our sluggish growth.
It is really painful to note that, despite our fabulous oil wealth and booming prices in recent years – the contributions from which now account for a whopping 40% of our total revenue – Malaysia should have struggled through 12 consecutive years of heavy budget-deficit spending with lack-luster economic growth to boot. What reasons could we give for such phenomenon if not for the steering by a corrupt and inept political leadership that squandered away our wealth and threw away golden opportunity to build a solid base for our economy?
Prudent spending can of course improve our fiscal health; however, fundamental solutions to overcome our economic hardship can only be found through a hefty uplift to the income level of our people through an energetic revitalization of the economy. But such revitalization cannot be achieved without restoring investors’ confidence, liberalizing the economy by removing race-based and crony-driven protectionist policies, and upgrading education and public service by restoring meritocracy. All these measures should take place hand in hand with sweeping political reforms to restore confidence and competence to all the institutions of state – judiciary, police, attorney general’s chambers, ACA, election commission etc.
Only through such full-scale and simultaneous attacks on the ills that bedevil our entire political and economic fronts could we hope to nurse our nation to the healthy path of solid nation-building and strong economic growth.
PR MUST TAKE OVER NOW
There is not the slightest chance that the incumbent government of Barisan Nasional is capable of embarking on such a reform venture. This is the reason why Pakatan Rakyat under the leadership of Anwar Ibrahim must endeavour to take over the reign of government without delay.
We can’t wait for another four to five years when the next general election is due. This is because the unwieldy BN coalition with its antiquated political philosophy and policy has long passed its validity period, and it is now in the final stage of disintegration with intensifying intra-party and inter-party in-fighting. At the rate these squabblings are proliferating now, in no time the satellite racial parties, which have already been hollowed out at the grassroots, will depart from BN, leaving UMNO to stand alone. And UMNO, already corrupted to the core, is plagued by an intractable leadership problem. No.l leader is unacceptable to the grassroots, and the anointed successor No.2 leader is too scandalized to fit into the shoes, and other potential contenders are barred due to the feudal autocracy in the party, thanks to the devious ingenuity of former autocrat Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Needless to say, the nation is now cruising on a rudderless journey, with its dire consequences on the economy.
Allowing nature to take its own course under these circumstances would be to invite irreparable damage to the nation’s political, economic and social fabric.
Another even more compelling reason why Anwar Ibrahim must succeed to win over sufficient Barisan Nasional members of parliament to cross over to form a new government now is that UMNO will not sit idly by for long while watching its empire crumble. The longer the delay in the take-over of power, the higher the risk of the political partnership of Pakatan Rakyat being sabotaged by a desperado dying power. Having seen how readily and ruthlessly UMNO has cast the repressive net over its political rivals in the past in order to preserve its hegemony, it is almost a certainty that PR will not be allowed to sail through smoothly to the next general election. And the hope of millions for a better tomorrow may then be dashed.
As for those who take the moral high ground to condemn the impending cross-over of MPs as betrayal of democratic principles, my simple answer is that Malaysia is not a democracy in the first place. If we were one, PR would have won the Mar 8 election, and there would not have been the necessity to engineer the present cross-over.
To skeptics who maintain that Malaysia is a democracy, may I ask them this question: Which democratic government in the world could steam-roll an ostentatiously pseudo sodomy case over a personage like Anwar Ibrahim and yet survive the wrath of public opinion? Do keep in mind that the corrupt system that put Anwar in jail for six years on similar pseudo charges a decade ago is still intact today.
January 12, 2009
