What’s there to appreciate?

Let’s be clear about one thing, the job of the government-of-the-day is to try to hold on to power. And the job of the opposition is to whack the government and try to grab power. And the job of anarchists is to oppose whichever happens to be the government-of-the-day to keep them on their toes and not allow them to become complacent and arrogant and take us for granted. That is what I do. That is my job. That is the nature of the beast.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Najib: Opposition parties poisoning people's minds

(Bernama) - Opposition political parties are teaching people bad things, even matters contrary to religion, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Evidently, he said, the three bad things were that debts do not have to be settled, good deeds can be forgotten and promises need not be fulfilled.

"Many promises were made (by the opposition parties) during the last general election but (after coming to power in several states) they did not fulfill them," he said at the presentation of Aidilfitri clothing to 45 non-governmental organisations and 52 boat motors to fishermen in his Pekan parliamentary constituency.

Najib said the Barisan Nasional government, on the other hand, not only fulfilled its promises but also provided the people with aid which was not earlier promised.

He also said that Islam required all debts to be settled, and added that when people died, their outstanding debts had to be settled by their next-of-kin.

The prime minister was apparently referring to those associated with the opposition's proposal to write off the loans provided by the National Higher Education Corporation Fund (PTPTN).

Najib said the opposition was also poisoning the minds of the people by suggesting that they did not have to appreciate what the government was doing for them.

"They tell people it is not necessary to remember good deeds, associated with aid for the people.”

"I do not know of any country providing the people with mosquito nets, dentures and spectacles. When the government resurfaces a road, tarring is done up to the steps of houses," he said.

Najib said what the country has achieved so far would not have been garnered without having national leaders with integrity and vision.

"Without integrity and vision, implementing any plan would result in a nightmare for the people," he said.

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Watch what you say during Ramadan, politicians told

(The Star) - Politicians should refrain from making personal attacks against their opponents during the fasting month, says Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) director-general Datuk Nik Mustapha Nik Hassan.

He said as Muslims, they should not indulge in character assassination when they make speeches at theirceramah, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

“Why argue over petty things? If someone has an issue with Government policy, they should have a proper debate where both parties can present their case and let the people decide,” he said during a talk on the fasting month at Menara Star here yesterday.

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Najib Tun Razak appears to have forgotten one very fundamental thing. Firstly, why should the people appreciate or be grateful for what the government does for them? It is the job of the government to build roads, tar the roads that need resurfacing, supply water and electricity, build schools and hospitals, keep the people safe from crime, etc.

The people pay income tax, import duty, sales tax, service tax, entertainment tax, property gain tax, road tax, toll, and whatnot. The almost 800 Wakil Rakyat are paid salaries and allowances/perks, as are the Cabinet Ministers, Menteris Besar/Chief Ministers, EXCO Members, more than one million civil servants, etc. Nobody is working for free. And no one is getting free service. They are paying for this service.

We pay road tax to drive on the roads. We pay toll to drive on the expressways. We pay for the water and electricity supply. We pay when we use the phone or internet. We pay heavy taxes when we buy petrol or cigarettes, or beer and liquor if we drink. The tax is not low. It is very high. And Malaysians have to pay for all this.

Secondly, those in government should be grateful to the people, Malaysians who voted them into office and are paying for the services they are getting. Without our votes they would not be in office. Without our money they would not be able to run the country and develop Malaysia.

What Najib should do instead is give a big ‘thank you’ to Malaysians who voted for Barisan Nasional and all Malaysians who pay taxes, even those who voted for the opposition, who also pay tax. Without us, the opposition supporters cum taxpayers included, you can never do what you are doing. In fact, you would not even be in charge of running the country.

Thirdly, the opposition is not poisoning the minds of Malaysians. It is the job of the opposition to try to bring the government down. It is what they do. It is the nature of the beast. All over the world, for thousands of years, those who opposed the government strived to bring down the government. So, to achieve this, the opposition needs to whack the government. It is their job. If not, how to bring down the government?

Najib talks about Islam, as did Ikim’s director-general, Datuk Nik Mustapha Nik Hassan. Okay, so let’s talk about Islam, which, according to the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, is the religion of the Federation.

Did not Prophet Muhammad oppose the government? And was not the Prophet forced into exile because he opposed the government? Hence, if we want to follow the example or Sunnah of the Prophet, as Muslims are told they must do, then should we not also oppose the government? This was what the Prophet did. So should we not follow the example of the Prophet and do the same thing?

This is the trouble with politicians and religious leaders/scholars. They take one small part of religion and harp on it. They also quote religion out of context. Did not Moses oppose the government? Did not Jesus oppose the government? Did not all the Prophets of Islam oppose the government? Which Prophet collaborated with the government? They all opposed the government.

So what is wrong with opposing the government? It is a ‘godly’ thing to do. The government needs to be opposed, the federal government as well as the state governments, even if they are Pakatan Rakyat governments. As an anarchist, it is my job to oppose governments, never mind whether they are Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat governments. And I also oppose the Rulers, although I do not propagate the abolishing of the Monarchy and for Malaysia to be turned into a republic.

Governments that do not face opposition become corrupt governments. All governments are corrupt. No governments are honest. So the only way to keep governments honest is to oppose them. Even then we can’t keep them honest in spite of all that opposition.

I remember, back in 2007, I was asked what I would do if the opposition manages to kick out Barisan Nasional and take over the federal government. Would I join the government? I replied that I would never join the government. I would always support the opposition because no government must be allowed an opposition-free situation. Hence, if Barisan Nasional were to be kicked out, that would mean Barisan Nasional would now become the opposition. Hence also, that would probably mean I would be supporting Barisan Nasional to ensure that there is always opposition to the government.

Let’s be clear about one thing, the job of the government-of-the-day is to try to hold on to power. And the job of the opposition is to whack the government and try to grab power. And the job of anarchists is to oppose whichever happens to be the government-of-the-day to keep them on their toes and not allow them to become complacent and arrogant and take us for granted. That is what I do. That is my job. That is the nature of the beast.

Hence I will support the opposition to whack the government. And I will also support the whacking of the opposition when they do wrong. And that is because today’s government may become tomorrow’s opposition and today’s opposition may become tomorrow’s government. And thousands of years of history have proven that changes of government very seldom bring real changes to the country. In fact, sometimes, the change is for the worse rather than the better.

So Barisan Nasional can whack Pakatan Rakyat to their heart’s delight. And Pakatan Rakyat can whack Barisan Nasional to their heart’s delight as well. My job is to whack both and regard both as opposite sides of the same coin because that is what they really are. And history never lies.