Malaysia is now on 'auto-pilot'

During the era of World War II, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill had to administer the country and at the same time co-ordinate the British War Effort against Nazi Germany.

Everyday, he would go to the War Operations Room in the basement of No. 10 Downing Street to get updates on the latest situation and to plan what needs to be done. He was considered one of the world's greatest statesmen.

The victory of the British Royal Air Force in 1940 in The Battle of Britain prompted Churchill to utter the memorable line, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few". He was referring to the vastly outnumbered British pilots, who had bravely defended the skies of their country against the invasion of the German Luftwaffe

Citizens of Malaysia may be able to say the same thing if a similarly under-resourced Pakatan Rakyat succeeds in wresting control of the federal government in the 13th General Election.

But sad to say in Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Prime Minister Najib Razak's government, confusion reigns and no one would think of quoting Churchill. Instead, the oft-asked questions is, '"Is anyone running the government? Is Malaysia on autopilot?

Anyone running the Malaysian government?

This is because the Najib Administration cannot be said to be really running a government. To run a government is of course not a walk in the park. Policies have to be formulated which must be beneficial to all, especially the marginalised members of society.

First and foremost is the welfare of the citizens which must be looked into especially in terms of easing their financial burden. But so far, sad to say, no such signs are coming from the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak, especially now when the nation is going through a bad patch over a call for free and fair elections.

All Malaysians have heard over the past few days from their PM is that Malaysia is a role model for African nations to emulate. Yet, even as he spouts this and preens himself as a leader to the Third World, Malay rights rabble-rouser Ibrahim Ali is making a mockery of him.

Right now, on Malaysian soil where leaders of many key African nations are attending a summit, Ibrahim is trying to create chaos by making racist lunges at the ethnic Chinese. Why? Because he opposes the free-and-fair elections Bersih rally.

Despite the ongoing row over this rally, there is absolute silence from Najib and his administration. The lack of action from the Home Ministry in regards to Ibrahim Ali's seditious remarks is an indicator that the Prime Minister is willing to let the country run on its own.

There is also no statement coming from him in regards to the electoral reforms demanded by the Bersih 2.0 group of NGOs championing the cause for free and fair elections. By now, he should have issued a statement saying that he will instruct the Election Commission to look into the issues raised by Bersih. But all we have is zilch, zip, nada - a big zero.

Underperformer and a major crash landing

It is strange that the Key Performance Index (KPI) Minister, Gerakan's Koh Tsu Koon, has not put his foot down and told his boss to wake up. Najib has obviously turned in a 'Fail' grade on the Bersih rally and to quell public concern that their voting rights will be respected.

The time has also come for the Prime Minister to wake up to the daily realities on the ground and to take immediate steps to defuse the racial tensions incited by Ibrahim Ali.

Public transport woes are also high on the radar with the recent awarding of a questionable LRT tender in the Klang Valley. Many of the bus systems of the Rapid KL company do not livie up to the name. The buses are frequently unpunctual and sometimes trips are cancelled causing office workers to be late for work. As for the KTM-commuter train, special mention must be made of the Rawang-Sungai Gadut line which is usually late and jam-packed during peak hours and on weekends, causing difficulty for passengers to get in or out.

Neither is the economy doing well. Many are concerned the sky-rocketing property prices have formed an asset bubble which is due to explode at any time. Malaysia's Foreign Direct Investment last year amounted to only USD7 billion as stated in the Word Investment Report, far behind Singapore and just pipping Thailand, which was besieged by airport strikes and political strife. It shows that warts and all, investors see Thailand as the more stable nation compared to Malaysia.

Then, the independence of the national institutions may be getting worse. The Bersih rally has again reinforced public perception the police and the Home Ministry are unfair in their dealings. Civil society leaders question why the Home ministry deliberately makes the rally illegal by withholding the police permit, while the police quickly warn of "preventive arrests". Civil rights in Malaysia, always weak, have worsened.

It is time the Najib Administration stops behaving like the proverbial ostrich, with its head buried in the ground, and takes heed of the current situation. It has been accused of stoking these tensions and it should do some soul-searching on whether its plans have been in the best interests of the people.

At the end of the day, Najib must stop this irresponsible behavior. If he decides his interests are paramount, he can continue to leave Malaysia on autopilot, but there will be a very hard and unavoidable crash-landing soon with detrimental effects for everyone in the country, especially him.

- Malaysia Chronicle