Do you feel like kicking yourself?

 

So now Malaysians moan, groan, whine, bitch, complain and grumble about the 55 years of Umno rule and the 22 years of mismanagement and autocracy by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. But Malaysians know it need not have been 55 years of Umno rule and the 22 years of mismanagement and autocracy by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Who’s in charge of Malaysian democracy?

Yet, if Malaysians have been exercising their right to democracy, why and how have we been subject to a degenerating regime for the past 50-odd years? We speak of change, but our concept of change can only materialise at the ballot box. In other words, we can only change once every five years.

Our reaction to this degenerating regime would instinctively be the fact that our leaders are lacking in competence, and that it is their fault that we are in the position that we are in. But, tying this back in with the opening paragraph of this article ― is this really the case?

Is Malaysia degenerating because of what our leaders are doing to us? Or are we degenerating because of what we fail to do?

Michelle Ng, The Malaysian Insider (READ MORE HERE)

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That was an extract of what Michelle Ng wrote. Basically, Malaysians moan, groan, whine, bitch, complain and grumble about the 55 years of Umno rule and the 22 years of mismanagement and autocracy by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. As Michelle said, we always grumble about what the others do. However, could it not instead be because of what we did not do?

My analogy will be as follows. Someone gives you the winning numbers of a lottery. You pooh-pooh the whole thing and do not act on it. Then you find out that the numbers was really the winning numbers and you missed out on the RM25-million prize money.

You would certainly feel like kicking yourself. This was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make an obscene amount of money for very little effort and you did not act on it. That opportunity has now passed and it will never come again.

Of course, you will not admit that this is your fault. You will try to pin the blame on something else or someone else. Gambling is haram anyway. Who could have known that the numbers was for real? It is just not your fate to become a millionaire.

Basically, you need to console yourself that your lack of action is actually not your fault. It is not because of what you did not do. Other factors are to blame. If it had not rained that day then you could have gone out to buy the lottery. If the car had not broken down then you could have gone out to buy the lottery. If your mother-in-law had not dropped in for a visit then you could have gone out to buy the lottery. If not because of this. If not because of that.

So now Malaysians moan, groan, whine, bitch, complain and grumble about the 55 years of Umno rule and the 22 years of mismanagement and autocracy by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. But Malaysians know it need not have been 55 years of Umno rule and the 22 years of mismanagement and autocracy by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

This could have ended back in 1990. It could also have ended back in 1999. Then it would not have been 55 years of Umno rule and the 22 years of mismanagement and autocracy by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

But back in 1990 and/or 1999, Malaysians did not act. There are dozens of excuses why they did not act. And all those excuses concern what others did or did not do. They are not about what we did or did not do. We are not to blame. Others are to blame.

The Malays will blame the Chinese, the Indians and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak. If not because of the Chinese, the Indians and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, change would have come to Malaysia back in 1999, or even back in 1990. But the Chinese, the Indians and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak let the country down. They betrayed Malaysia.

And the Chinese, of course, will blame the Malays, the Indians and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak. If not because of the Malays, the Indians and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, change would have come to Malaysia back in 1999, or even back in 1990. But the Malays, the Indians and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak let the country down. They betrayed Malaysia.

And so on and do forth, the blame game goes around and around.

So, today, Malaysians moan, groan, whine, bitch, complain and grumble about the 55 years of Umno rule and the 22 years of mismanagement and autocracy by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. And they do so because they are angry and frustrated.

The Malays are angry with the Chinese, the Indians and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak. The Chinese are angry with the Malays, the Indians and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak. Everyone is angry with 'the other person'.

Actually, the truth is, everyone is angry about what they themselves did not do back in 1990 and/or 1999. They know they screwed up big time. They know it is their own fault. They know they missed the boat back in 1990 and/or 1999. They suspect that the opportunity may never come again. And this makes them feel very frustrated.

But how to say, “It is my fault”? How to admit, “I am to blame”? So the Malays blame with the Chinese, the Indians and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak; the Chinese blame the Malays, the Indians and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak; and so on and so forth.

The reality of the whole thing, however, is that Malaysians are a bunch of losers who cannot accept the adage that you deserve the government you voted for. And because Malaysians are a bunch or losers they will never win. Losers can never be winners.

So Umno will continue to rule. And Najib Tun Razak will remain the Prime Minister for at least another term. Even if he retires, another Unmo leader will take over as Prime Minister.

And to feel good about the situation and not feel frustrated about what is happening in the country, Malaysians will moan, groan, whine, bitch, complain and grumble about the 55 years of Umno rule and will look for someone else to blame about this.

Well, I suppose we can always release some of that frustration by screaming “ABU!” as if it is not our fault that Umno has been in power for 55 years.