Weak, corrupt and untrustworthy - three words that mar 54th Merdeka

Although I do not agree with much of the Perak Mufti’s past statements, I am inclined to support some of his latest comments that the Malay split is caused by a weak government, corruption and lack of trust.

Racism is showing its ugly face everywhere. Not only are the Malays racist, but the Chinese too and so are the Indians. Whether the government realizes it or not, it has depicted Malays by virtue of their bumiputra status as having more privileges than the others. Obviously, the non-Malays are not happy and won’t think twice to voice their disapproval any more. They have the perception that Malays are lazy, preferring an easy carefree life without breaking a sweat. Depending on government crutches instead of working hard for a living. Overly religious and without a sense of humour. What could be so wrong?

Ong Tee Keat’s statement on Wikileaks that the MCA cannot say that Chinese are marginalized in this country is another example of the type of propaganda the government has insisted on spreading. To the BN, the people are stupid and cannot think for themselves. Hence, the Chinese were never marginalized, and neither were the Indians. In fact, there was no marginalization of the minorities at all. The bulk of the wealth simply went to a select few in UMNO at the expense of everybody else. And this included the Malays of the nation. Everyone was marginalized! So this is why Tee Keat was wrong. Practically everyone, not just the Chinese, are marginalized in Malaysia.

The charade continues

So on the game by the ruling elite goes. The Chinese think bumiputras have it easy as first-class citizens, while Malays perceive non-Malays as taking away their special rights. Malays also have to be wary of non-Muslims as the government through its network of Muftis or clerics have been teaching them that to associate with non-Muslims will affect their ‘aqidah’ (faith).

This whole divide-and-rule charade went on unnoticed until Malaysians realised that it wasn’t just UMNO that had taken them for a ride. MCA and MIC too were the main culprits for the grand Malaysian divide. Yes, BN was united, they were all brothers-in-arms, comrades to a Tee, and nothing could divide their special bond cemented by a lust for power and the material life. Indeed, for them to survive, the people must remain divided.

This perception went on until the Malays got tired of waiting and shifted their support to PAS and PKR. The Chinese too gave up on the MCA and turned to the DAP, while the Indians started to embrace Hindraf.

So today, BN really has got a problem on their hands. Their efforts to disunite Malaysians are failing and they will not get to rule for very long if Malaysians become more united. That’s why it was so important to emphasize on Malay unity instead.

That is also why Bersih should not be allowed to evolve further. It may only be about a free and fair election, but the 50,000 Bersih marchers consisted of all races. Religion does not come into play. The camaraderie during the march is nothing short of miraculous, when skin colour, religious beliefs and cultural divides are ignored as they joined hands to point out their demands, while dodging the heavy teargas smokescreens and chemical-laced water canons.

Exciting unity

If Malaysians ever find out that it is exciting to unite, and what a thrill it is to share, there will be no turning back. There will be no more enmity, spite, jealousy or sin in being able to embrace each other as equal citizens of this country.

Pakatan Rakyat seems to share these same ideals, and a great many are beginning to realise the ‘false perception’ concocted by the BN to fool the nation. BN too is not dense. They do not feel confident enough this time, and they are taking steps to address the situation.

But instead of trying to win back the electorate support through political tact, they have decided to attack the credibility of political leaders such as Anwar Ibrahim (PKR) Lim Guan Eng(DAP) and Mat Sabu(PAS). Seriously, could we expect the BN to come up with something more innovative?

Anwar, Lim and Sabu are three of the most respected leaders in the Opposition and the biggest stumbling blocks to the ambitions of the BN. Destroying their characters may move Malaysians to reconsider BN, or so their advisers and strategists believe.

Weak, corrupt and untrustworthy

So it is that on the 54th birthday of Independence from the British rule that the Malays are still disunited and largely because of three factors that Harussani mentioned - for whatever reasons that he suddenly decided to do so.

Firstly, the government is weak. It is still unable to gain the full trust of the Malays after all these years, and therefore needs to continue to curry favour from them.

Secondly, the government is corrupt. Cases that involve small amounts such as the Teoh Beng Hock case, the MB Khalid Ibrahim case on cows and car maintenance repairs, and the latest Mat Sabu case on hospital bills, all make front page news. Yet, the billions of ringgit that have gone missing are marked No Further Action and most complaints never ever make it to court.

Thirdly, the ‘lack of trust’ for the BN, and this will again be put to test when the next General Election comes along.

Politically Malaysians are more or less equally divided. As of 2008, 48 per cent of the electorate thinks that the Barisan Nasional government sucks! But still 52% believes in the ruling coalition, so everything is not all that bad for BN - yet.

Whoever wins the next election depends entirely on the sentiments of the electorate, and if Malaysians think that BN is the better coalition, who are we to criticize? But come the 55th year of Independence, we can only hope that Malaysians are a happier lot than they now are. Without a united vision, what sort of nationhood is there to seek, much less cheer about.

- Malaysia Chronicle