Lahad Datu debacle: Umno faces the WRATH OF THE WORLD

The Lahad Datu situation raises many questions and leaves some more unanswered. Each day passes with more surprises, confusion and allegations while lives are massacred on both sides.

Meanwhile, what appears most evident is that the BN political party is fighting two battles.

One, it is taking various courses of action in the face of surmounting criticisms, allegations and suspicious curiosity coming in from three vantages. The Philippines, the Malaysian opposition parties, and the Malaysian citizens are expressing surprises, disagreement and criticisms on every action and in-action coming in from the BN leadership as well as the country’s defense leaders.

The other battle that BN appears to be either embroiled in (or engaged in) – depending on which side of the fence you sit in, is that seeming strategic attempt to weaken the Malaysian opposition block.

Remember to be a govt of the people

In the long run we may all be doing a dangerous injustice to nation and King and perhaps in all likelihood to our neighboring friends as well.

Foremost, the government of the day needs to position itself as a government for and of the people, dedicated to safeguarding national sovereignty and not cloud itself with political party flavors or blinkered patronage in the process.

The Lahad Datu situation is not a turf-war to fight out political party priorities. It is an affront on a nation’s independence. and that must be clear in the mind of the prime minister of Malaysia.

It must also be the top most priority of all those commissioned to lead in the safeguarding of the nation’s defense.

The Lahad Datu debacle should not be exploited, taken advantage of or even screened as a political opportunity to helm the BN or push the PR into a corner.

The prime minister has that honorable and formidable duty to marshal both sides of the divide in defense of citizens and King. Anything less renders democracy dead and parliament a whitewash.

The universal truth is, profiteering from or entrenching political feuds in the face of an external affront on the sovereignty and liberty of a nation and its citizens, respectively, is tantamount to treason of the highest order.

Immediate review by Parliament needed

Further, as the world awakens and strives in the interest of humanity and its universal legitimacy for freedom and right to democratic life, the BN political party that has been given the vote to govern this far must exercise prudence, moderation, and most importantly a collaborative spirit through cooperation and non-discriminatory resolve in tackling a foreign intrusion.

It calls for respect and receptivity to prevalent public opinion and the wisdom of aligned world leaders and global organizations.

Unfortunately, the way the press has been rough-shod; the way the International conventions have been sidelined; the retardation of timely information flow; the speed of estranging relations with leaders of the opposition side; dividing citizens using political lineage and sentiments; not responding to public concerns in a consistent and believable manner – all of these and many more instances of action and in-action coming from the powers that be is not helping us Malaysians, our friendly neighbors and even the international community to find enough reasons to praise the government of the day unanimously.

The many news reports and statements coming in from various international and regional quarters appears to differ in tangencies from what is being churned by the Malaysian government controlled media mill.

In this age of the internet and the world wide web, where societies are networked and where inter-dependency and collaboration are the standards, Malaysian citizens who still can think on their feet and have their faculties un-tempered by blinkered or tunneled vision may find the developments surrounding the Lahad Datu incident most suffocating and unpalatable.

It calls for immediate review and appraisal within the august house of Parliament if democracy, sovereignty, truth and decency are still alive and kicking in the country. Only then can we learn valuable lessons from this seemingly ‘surprise’ intrusion; only then can we, without fear or favor, plug all misdeeds and ensure that national pride and citizens’ security is returned to a respectable level.

Wrath of the world

Can we rise to the challenges or are we going to sink further in the swamp of greed, deceit, short-sighted agendas and eventually be labeled as incapable by our neighbors and the world at large?

Or are we going to label all those who out of concern for nation and king and democracy raise eyebrows and throw grilling questions on the Lahad Datu incident as being ungrateful, unpatriotic, opposition-agentries, and anti-government elements?

Reason and right must prevail in order that the nation bags accolades from the world over. Raw emotions fueled by self-interest or mere party allegiances will only earn the wrath of the world.

Let us not be blinded by the short-term quest of general elections, but rise victoriously in collaboration for the long haul of being a truly democratic, reasonable and courageous nation that is fair and compassionate.

MAILBAG