Wake up, vote Pakatan

It is time for the rakyat to give Pakatan at least three terms in governing. After all, BN has been given the mandate to govern for over half a century.

An absent-minded professor was late for his lecture. He jumped into a cab and shouted, “Hurry! At top speed!” As the cab sped along, he realised that he hadn’t told the driver where to go, so he shouted, “Do you know where I want to go?” “No, sir,” said the cabbie “but I’m driving as fast as I can.”

The above anecdote was quoted from page 177 of the book “One Minute Nonsense” written by the late Father Anthony de Mello, a Catholic Jesuit priest from India and it exemplifies perfectly the sorry state the Barisan Nasional federal government is in – on autopilot mode. Nonetheless, many of the citizens of Malaysia can also be said to be in an equal state of stupor.

Much has been said, much has been written, much has happened since the previous general election in March 2008 till now and yet there are still many Malaysians in a stupor with regards to the politics and economics of this nation. Even some of those who have access to the internet have difficulty in changing their mindset. There is a Chinese proverb which says: ‘It is easier to move mountains than to change a person’s character.” How true this is!

And it is those citizens and voters who are still asleep who will bring disaster to the nation as they continue to vote in the rogue regime which continues to plunder the wealth of the nation. There are many Malaysians who think that BN can do no wrong and the opposition can do no right. Is this the result of political apathy? Or the comfort zone syndrome – “as long as I can earn a living, I don’t care what else is happening in the country?” At the end of the day, the rogue regime will continue to win in the polls but this time if they do win, the results will bring nothing but calamity to the rakyat

So far according to ground reports obtained from friends of this columnist, there is no clear indication yet whether events such as BN’s Perak power-grab or the Bersih rally in July last year will be enough to stir the imagination of the majority of the voters and shake them out of their stupor in order for them to vote in the opposition.

What BN has failed to solve

That is the reason why Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is cunningly delaying the polls. He is hoping that the rakyat will forget about the Bersih rally, the Perak-grab, Teoh Beng Hock’s death plus other failures of the BN government.

Be that as it may, here is a list of a few of the problems that the incumbent government has failed to solve:

1. Widening income/wealth gap – The recent fracas during the distribution of the RM500 cash aid at the PPR Flats in Taman Beringin in Jinjang Utara on Feb 17 showed that there are many poor people in Malaysia from all the races as the widening income/wealth gap has spiralled out of control;

2. Unemployment among Malaysians – Mega projects plus thousands of jobs for Malaysians are being announced by BN leaders and yet all we see is the influx of more and more foreign workers.

3. Poverty – Among the three major races, the Indians are having the most difficulties according to their population ratio. This fact was given to this columnist by Pakatan Rakyat’s Indian MPs. There are also poor urban Malays sleeping along the walkway facing the riverbank near the KL Central Market area. As for the Chinese, those who are not well-educated for one reason or other have scrimped and saved enough to go overseas to work illegally. Statistics are not available but from snatches of conversation in Chinese coffeeshops, this columnist heard that they are doing well and have sent money to their folks back home in Malaysia.

As for the Sabahans and Sarawakians, the people live in abject poverty in the interiors. There are no proper tar roads and their mode of transport is either by one’s own feet or by boat. There are no modern sanitation systems nor piped water.

4. EPF dividend – The 6% dividend is no big deal. During the 1980s to early 1990s the dividend rate was 8% or more but after the Asian Financial Crisis which hit our shores in July 1997, it was downhill all the way. Looks like Malaysia has never really recovered from the Asian Financial Crisis. Of course the Fixed Deposit interest rate in the banks are miserable, being only at 3.25%.

5. Salary stagnation – The increase of 2.6% in the salary scale since 1998 seems to reaffirm the fact that Malaysia has lost its competitive edge.

All the above attest to the fact that the BN government has failed to alleviate the problems of the rakyat. There are pockets of assistance here and there but nothing really solid. The RM500 cash aid also came about due to the presence of a strong opposition. This shows that a strong opposition will only work out to the rakyat’s benefit because BN must work hard to get the people’s vote.

Still, all these piecemeal measures by BN will not save the nation from the brink of disaster. It is time for the rakyat to wake up to give Pakatan at least three terms in governing. After all, BN has been given the mandate to govern for over half a century.

If the rakyat are still asleep, the whole nation of Malaysia will be like the taxi driver in the above story who is driving as fast as he can but without knowing his destination! What a catastrophe.

Selena Tay is a FMT columnist.