Umno president Najib Abdul Razak first warned Malaysians against the ‘Arab Spring’ at his party’s Hari Raya open house in September.
“Look at the countries in north Africa and the Middle East. We can learn from them that change is not always good,” he said then.
He repeated his warning yesterday at the People’s Progressive Party annual convention, warning against change or ‘Ubah’ as propagated by Pakatan Rakyat.
“If we change, are we sure we’re getting something better? (The people involved in Arab Spring) are not enjoying the ‘spring weather’. They’re still in the winter of discontent,” Najib said.
By attempting to rally Malaysians against the change seen in the Middle East, isn’t Najib (right)associating himself with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s corrupt and authoritarian 30-year rule?
Isn’t Najib saying that, no matter how corrupt, how authoritarian and how abusive the government, it is better to stick to Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s “devil that you know” than to bring about change which is deemed “uncertain”?
What is different about change in Malaysia is the fact that it will be conducted through the ballot box to rid the country of a corrupt regime which has ruled for the past 55 years, unlike the Arab Spring which came about through violent protests.
What is perhaps the critical difference between impending change in Malaysia, which is so feared by BN, and that of the Middle East is the fact that Pakatan Rakyat has proven itself to be competent, accountable and transparent in its administration of the states it won in the 2008 general election.
The recent land-grab expose by DAP’s Sekinchan assemblyperson Ng Swee Lim is a case in point. BN component parties were alienated land by the Selangor BN government during its tenure from 2000 to 2008, but its leaders have shown absolutely no remorse for corrupt practice.
Selangor Umno information head Abdul Shukor Idrus, who is also the Kuang assemblyperson, had even asked “what’s wrong with giving the land to Umno (as a reward for its) contributions in fighting for independence and developing this country?”
Selangor MCA secretary and Kuala Kubu Baru representative Wong Koon Mun agreed with this, claiming there is nothing wrong with alienating land to MCA, by comparing the party to “temples and schools” which are given land on the cheap.
He insinuated that the land-grab is justified by the party’s efforts to register Chinese Malaysians in getting citizenship and for “fighting for their rights”.
Najib himself has chosen to remain silent on the scandal and refused to chastise his leaders for their “untransformed” feudal and corrupt mentality.
Panic-stricken threat
In contrast, the Pakatan administration has made it a point not to alienate any land whether to component parties or its state assembly representatives.
In fact, the Penang government has made it an explicit point to bar leaders from applying for land, in order to prevent the abuses seen during BN administration of the state.
The transparent and accountable administration of Pakatan-held states has resulted in repeated surpluses in Penang and Selangor. Penang achieved a record budget surplus of RM138 million in 2011, after successive surpluses since 2008.
Similarly, the auditor-general has confirmed a surplus of RM180.5 million in 2011, a 45 percent increase from RM124.2 million in 2010. The Selangor government’s financial reserves have similarly increased from a mere RM400 million in 2008 to a whopping RM2.4 billion today.
Hence, the threat of a violent “winter of discontent” is nothing but an empty threat from an increasingly panicky prime minister and BN.
The threat, repeated umpteen times by Umno leaders and its delegates at their general assembly, appears to be their only weapon left in frightening voters into submission and to prevent the corrupt BN federal government from being toppled in the upcoming general election.
“Look at the countries in north Africa and the Middle East. We can learn from them that change is not always good,” he said then.
He repeated his warning yesterday at the People’s Progressive Party annual convention, warning against change or ‘Ubah’ as propagated by Pakatan Rakyat.
“If we change, are we sure we’re getting something better? (The people involved in Arab Spring) are not enjoying the ‘spring weather’. They’re still in the winter of discontent,” Najib said.
By attempting to rally Malaysians against the change seen in the Middle East, isn’t Najib (right)associating himself with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s corrupt and authoritarian 30-year rule?Isn’t Najib saying that, no matter how corrupt, how authoritarian and how abusive the government, it is better to stick to Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s “devil that you know” than to bring about change which is deemed “uncertain”?
What is different about change in Malaysia is the fact that it will be conducted through the ballot box to rid the country of a corrupt regime which has ruled for the past 55 years, unlike the Arab Spring which came about through violent protests.
What is perhaps the critical difference between impending change in Malaysia, which is so feared by BN, and that of the Middle East is the fact that Pakatan Rakyat has proven itself to be competent, accountable and transparent in its administration of the states it won in the 2008 general election.
The recent land-grab expose by DAP’s Sekinchan assemblyperson Ng Swee Lim is a case in point. BN component parties were alienated land by the Selangor BN government during its tenure from 2000 to 2008, but its leaders have shown absolutely no remorse for corrupt practice.
Selangor Umno information head Abdul Shukor Idrus, who is also the Kuang assemblyperson, had even asked “what’s wrong with giving the land to Umno (as a reward for its) contributions in fighting for independence and developing this country?”
Selangor MCA secretary and Kuala Kubu Baru representative Wong Koon Mun agreed with this, claiming there is nothing wrong with alienating land to MCA, by comparing the party to “temples and schools” which are given land on the cheap.
He insinuated that the land-grab is justified by the party’s efforts to register Chinese Malaysians in getting citizenship and for “fighting for their rights”.
Najib himself has chosen to remain silent on the scandal and refused to chastise his leaders for their “untransformed” feudal and corrupt mentality.
Panic-stricken threat
In contrast, the Pakatan administration has made it a point not to alienate any land whether to component parties or its state assembly representatives.
In fact, the Penang government has made it an explicit point to bar leaders from applying for land, in order to prevent the abuses seen during BN administration of the state.
The transparent and accountable administration of Pakatan-held states has resulted in repeated surpluses in Penang and Selangor. Penang achieved a record budget surplus of RM138 million in 2011, after successive surpluses since 2008.Similarly, the auditor-general has confirmed a surplus of RM180.5 million in 2011, a 45 percent increase from RM124.2 million in 2010. The Selangor government’s financial reserves have similarly increased from a mere RM400 million in 2008 to a whopping RM2.4 billion today.
Hence, the threat of a violent “winter of discontent” is nothing but an empty threat from an increasingly panicky prime minister and BN.
The threat, repeated umpteen times by Umno leaders and its delegates at their general assembly, appears to be their only weapon left in frightening voters into submission and to prevent the corrupt BN federal government from being toppled in the upcoming general election.
TONY PUA is DAP’s member of parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara.
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