The mark of a matured leadership

 

And unless Malaysian politicians are able to make statements that can prove to us that they know what Malaysians need, then it really does not matter whom you vote for. At the end of the day, whether women are or are not allowed to cut men’s hair, your life is not going to be any better other than you will not suffer the indignation of a Bad Hair Day.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

While our top political leaders in Malaysia -- from both sides of the political divide -- talk about whether Muslims should be allowed to leave Islam, whether the Prime Minister should be from PAS or PKR, whether women barbers should be allowed to cut men’s hair, and all those other issues that are not going to change our life one bit anyway, the top leaders in the UK are discussing issues more important to the British man-on-the-street.

Read the letter below, which I received from my party leader, Nick Clegg.

Yes, I know, I may be too idealistic and should not expect the same level of maturity from Malaysian leaders. Maybe I have been living in the UK too long (actually it has been only less than four years since March 2009) and have lost touch with what is happening in Malaysia. Maybe I am getting old and senile now that I am 62 years old.

Whatever it may be, there are certain things we need in life and we should make it known to the aspirants in the coming general election that these are what we are looking for.

No, this article is not about whom you should vote for. Voting is the right of every Malaysian who has come of age. So vote whosoever you want to vote for, be it Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional. Just make sure you do come out to vote. I suspect, however, only 50% or so of eligible voters will be voting in the coming general election. And more than half of these 50% are not even registered to vote.

Nevertheless, whether you do or do not vote and regardless of whom you vote for, Malaysians must be assured of three basic things -- a roof over our heads, a good education, and good healthcare.  

Of course, there are many other things we need as well. We need an assurance of our safety and security, a job so that we can put food on the table and clothes on our backs, and so on -- all basic needs for humankind and to ensure that we can not only live but also can enjoy a certain quality of life as well.

Is there corruption and abuse of power in the UK? Of course there is. Even as you read this more cases of abuse of power are being dug up all over the UK. When we talk about corruption and abuse of power, the UK and Malaysia are no different. We even have racism here in the UK, though not ‘institutionalised racism’ like in Malaysia.

The only difference between the UK and Malaysia is that in the UK the press is allowed to korek as deep as they want all these cases of corruption and abuse of power. And once they are exposed, all hell will break loose. In Malaysia…well, need I say more?

I don’t blame the politicians. I don’t blame those in power. I blame the voters who do not know what they should be asking for and what (not who) they should be voting for.

As what Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan of Bersih said last week. She is not concerned whether you vote for Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional. She is just concerned that the general elections are clean and fair.

I can also say the same thing as what Ambiga said. I am not concerned whether you vote for Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional. I am just concerned whether Malaysia can offer Malaysians a decent quality of life.

And unless Malaysian politicians are able to make statements that can prove to us that they know what Malaysians need, then it really does not matter whom you vote for. At the end of the day, whether women are or are not allowed to cut men’s hair, your life is not going to be any better other than you will not suffer the indignation of a Bad Hair Day.

*****************************************

Dear Petra,

I'm writing this as we come to the end of an incredibly hectic week in politics.

The negotiations over the budget in Europe, securing of a much needed ceasefire in Gaza, rising speculation about the upcoming Leveson report, and Ed Davey's important announcement of a landmark coalition deal on low carbon energy that will deliver billions of pounds of investment in clean technology and create thousands of jobs.

But in this letter I want to focus on an issue that wasn't so high on the radar screen, but matters enormously to me: housing. I gave a speech to the National House Building Council (the people who issue guarantees for new homes) on Thursday, which brought the numbers into focus for me and made me determined to step up our efforts.

As a country, we have built too few homes for far too long - and the economic and social consequences are massive. Prices out of reach of too many young families. Our economy vulnerable to boom and bust in the housing market. The housing benefit bill spiralling. Homelessness and overcrowding.

All these problems are solvable but only if we think big.

We've been talking about housing in the coalition for well over two years. At every budget and autumn statement we've brought forward new measures. We've reduced red tape and regulation for house builders. We've supported mortgage lending with products to help first time buyers. We're backing housing associations with £10 billion of treasury guarantees.

And yet it isn't enough. This year we will probably build just 110,000 homes. If that sounds like a lot to you let me put you straight: it's one of the worst years since the Second World War. When you realise that the population grew by about 270,000 households it's clear it's nowhere near enough.

No wonder prices are out of reach for so many families. The average first time buyer is now 35, and home ownership is falling for the first time in a generation.

The only way out of this crisis is to build our way out.

This week I announced funding of £225 million to kickstart development at eight sites, each with plans for over 5,000 new homes. But I want to think bigger - much bigger. We can't go on building a home here and a home there and hoping it's enough.

I want us to go back to some of Britain's proud heritage of urban development and build a new generation of "garden cities" - places that will grow, thrive and become part of the fabric of the nation.

Of course, development is always controversial. It's right to protect our precious rural landscape and not let England be concreted over. But the point I've been making in government (and there have been some lively debates) is that planning big new settlements is the best way to protect our countryside because the alternative is endless urban sprawl.

Instead of eating away at the green belt, we can build big and even designate new green belt around new towns and cities. I think that’s why even the Telegraph was supportive of the plans I outlined this week (READ HERE).

We could easily build new garden cities totalling a million new homes in the next ten years without building on any green belt, National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. And by doing it we could deliver homes people can afford in places they want to live.

We can't do this overnight. Scale and ambition take time. But I believe if we put aside partisan politics and think collectively about the housing needs of the next generation, we could set Britain on track for a major wave of new development, new jobs, and new hope.

Best wishes,

Nick Clegg