A People's Government

 

We want a government which can cater to the basic needs of its citizens. It is not too much to ask. We need a government which does not centralize all the power at Federal level – and politicise everything the rakyat needs.

Don Luke 

Screamed one article, “Detain me, drag me to court! I will still repeat my statement that (DAP adviser) Lim Kit Siang is a racist and he is indeed a racist”, alleged former PM Dr. Mahathir Mohamed (MM). We all know who is racist and who practises racism with impunity – with exemption from punishment or loss or escape from fines.

Indeed politics in Malaysia has become so racist because the ruling government has allowed it to deteriorate to this level. 1Malaysia slogan is merely to win votes. They are meaningless, meatless – bones of contention of the rakyat with a government which ruled the country for far too long already, a government which changes the Federal Constitution, interfere with the Judiciary arm of the government, privatised all services to cronies and could not give a DAMN to what the rakyat thinks.

With each component party purportedly representing their own ethnic’s interests since 1957, we have been unable to get out of this vicious grip of race and religion in almost every aspect of life in Malaysia. The concept of 1Malaysia or Malaysia for Malaysians is just rhetoric - the art of discourse which aims to improve the perception of the general public but has failed miserably in the attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate us as we continue to be labelled as “pendatang”. No one came out in defence of us “pendatangs” while the real “pendatangs” receive NRIC without much of an effort.

UMNO purportedly represents the Malays but the majority are poor or earning subsistence income despite the NEP to help them. Since its inception in 1972, only the inner circle within UMNO has amassed wealth due to their relationship and connections. If the Malays continue to vote BN, hoping UMNO will lift them from their doldrums and attain respectable status in their own country, they will be in for another 55 years or more of suffering and poverty.

For the Indians, MIC has short-changed them because the party represented only the interest of one man, who is now recycled as an ambassador to another country. He is not the only recycled ex-MP from the BN government. There are other retired MPs who hold positions of power and are paid enormous sums of money to thank them for their loyalty to the BN government for the past 20-30 years. The Indians, mainly from South India, came as rubber estate workers. They are still struggling to receive their NRIC which is their rightful birth-right. These are not small in numbers. Illiterate, they have no means to obtain recourse to their predicament. Without a proper NRIC they have no access to education and medical facilities. Being uneducated, they take up lowly-paid jobs or turn to crime.

Meanwhile, there is no action against the perpetrators of Project IC who not only received “haram” income but sold the nation. We all know the names of the biggest master-mind behind this horrible act of treason. Treason is punishable by death or long term imprisonment. Here, in Malaysia, such people continue to live freely and spout seeds of racism. Until to-date because the ruling elite is so powerful, no one has dared to take action against them. There is no police action because they will claim that the Royal Commission on Project IC is still in progress. We all know the police are very selective in their investigation and warrants of arrests. Remember Ahmad Sarbani, Kugan and Teoh Beng Hock. Recently, the spouse of PI Bala opined that the circumstances leading to the demise of her husband is suspicious. These are sad cases buried by people with the money and power to silent those who should be conducting investigations and bringing the culprits to justice. This reminds us of the military regime in Argentina in the 1980s where babies of leftist parents were given away to families who are rightist in their thinking. Their mothers are just thrown into the “river of death”. Using explosive methods may not be so convenient.

We have all long suspected who are the master-mind behind May 13 incident. Now an ex-UMNO strongman Mohd Tamrin Abdul Ghafar has become an unexpected ally in Pakatan Rakyat’s bid to counter the claim that DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang was behind the May 13 riots in 1969. For some time now, the educators and historians who have a role in our history books, have re-written our Malaysian history. Students now do not read about World History but the progress and process of Islamization in Malaysia – nothing seriously wrong with that but just a way bit lop-sided. We have been told that the exploits of Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat in the history of Melaka has been down-played or totally removed. Compare this with how the Japanese wanted to re-write their history books. Of course, the children of the rich and well-connected Malays (read as mostly the well-connected politically) have sent their children overseas to study. They even receive public scholarships while the ill-gotten wealth is spent on golf and designer hand-bags, shoes and clothes, and expensive imported cars (no Proton for them).

For the Chinese, they have always been pragmatic. They have supported BN in the past but MM has conveniently forgotten this. Now, as in the past, he is forever quarrelsome. He quarrelled with almost every leader (Singapore, Australia, UK, USA). We have forgiven the Japanese for their atrocities in Asia during WWII but we could not forgive a lone Chinese-man who signed the peace treaty to end the communists’ confrontation with the then Malaya. He died a stateless man even though the peace treaty allowed him to return home to die. Can one lonely old man disturb the peace and stability of our country? Talking of demise, we strongly believe that MCA (someone labelled it money collection agency and recently it was Malaysian Charismatic Association) will be history after GE13. MCA is the meek partner in the BN coalition. MCA has not even dared to contest in Chinese-majority constituency like Gelang Patah. This has shown UMNO that MCA can be dispensed with in the BN coalition. Pakatan on the other hand allows intelligent discourse which some quarters labelled as “unable to work together”. We are aware of the internal bickering within UMNO and BN – just that the party whip disallows public display of their bickering.

For most Malaysians in general, we want peace, stability and growth. We want whole truths not a government which hides behind OSA. Petronas is a national treasure but all its revenue and operations are under OSA and the purview of one man – the PM. This is ridiculous. Malaysians do not enjoy the benefits of an oil-producing country.

At RM1.80 per litre, we are actually not any better off than say Singapore. In Singapore it is also S$1.80. We pay RM1.80 but our graduates earn RM1,800.00 (not any better than the RM1,500.00 starting salary in 1985 – and when a single storey house cost only RM28,00.00) while fresh graduates in Singapore now earn S$2,800.00 or more. It will mean that it took a graduate 2 years to pay off the 100% loan for the house. Now that same house is not less than RM420,000.00. This translates to 19 years of wages. Interestingly in a local TV station today, the commentator said that it is very expensive to purchase houses in Singapore. As a BN-friendly station, she left out a number of interesting facts which negate her opinion. Even a S$380,000.00 property in Singapore would be paid within 11 years. Their CPF scheme is used to pay the monthly bank instalments.

In terms of Purchasing Power Parity, our Ringgit does not go very far overseas.

Remember that the Singaporeans earn a higher income than Malaysians. Dollar-for-dollar comparison, we are worse off. That irritating red dot at the end of our Peninsular, some would say. But the BN government could not even develop Selangor into a place comparable with Singapore after 50 years in power. Do we have quality of life here in Selangor? Is there an integrated public transport system here in the Klang Valley? Do we have public parks and green lungs for its citizens? Can we walk safely in public without looking behind our shoulders?

We all struggle each day to get through the horrendous traffic to work – and back. This is because of one man’s vision to sell Proton to Malaysians. Our Proton cars are not any cheaper even though they are manufactured locally. Just compare the prices of our cars with our salaries and those in UK, USA and Australia. For that vision, the BN government purposely did not plan for a network of public transport such as LRT, MRT, mono-rails whether above ground or under-ground. The expanding network of roads to cater to an increasing population of privately owned cars came with a cost - high tolls which are collected up to 60 years. There is no transparency in the award of contracts. Malaysians end up paying much of their low income for high cost of commuting.

In Singapore, the network is almost island-wide and integrated so that commuters can hop from train to bus and vice versa without getting into the traffic or the rain (or hot tropical sun) and sometimes, the additional fare for an onward journey can be as little as S$0.06! http://www.smrt.com.sg/Trains/NetworkMap.aspx. Do we need to say how much it will cost to get from Klang/Kajang to the other side of the city?

Today, essential goods and services are very expensive in Malaysia. We want a government which can cater to the basic needs of its citizens. It is not too much to ask. We need a government which does not centralize all the power at Federal level – and politicise everything the rakyat needs. We do not need a government which threatens with the race card or religion or unrest if an alternative political coalition wins. A two-party system in democracy will have its checks and balance – not absolute power to do what it likes without accountability and transparency and competency.

• Water authority at federal level – and now the politicising of water to the detriment of the people of Selangor and businesses (otherwise consumers pay exorbitant rates as compared to Selangor which dis-allowed the automatic increase in rates – and Penang Water Works which has been doing a wonderful job of affordable potable water – lowest in the country).

• IWK – we pay quit rent and assessment for collection of rubbish and sewage. We do not understand why this basic need of the rakyat is outsourced at a cost to the ordinary man on the street.

• Transport authority at federal level – and now Penang cannot even plan its own public transport network without green light from the federal government. Commuters suffer from lack of public transport, or congested roads because the rakyat has no options to get from one point to another. When the rakyat is stressed up, health deteriorates and everyone suffers – including government coffers. Related GLC and bodies such as SPAD, Puspakom and JPJ are known to be utterly corrupted.

• Police force at federal level (no argument about this) – but poor enforcement and public relations are lacking. We also do not understand basic rights of assembly is met with water and tear gas while terrorists from a nearby country are met with negotiations and patience. Basic security issues for the rakyat are not even addressed. We are forever stressed whether at home (robbers come right to our door-steps, or burglars) or out in the public (snatch thieves) and shoot-to-kill crime (serious crime). We really cannot comprehend the number of ATMs which have been broken in. This has not happened before. We pay precious earnings for basic security and the government have not been able to “tepati janji”.

• Local Councils election – State governments are wrongly blamed for ineffective and inefficient services such as roads (full of potholes), clogged drains (leading to flash floods), poor rubbish collection, town planning (not enough parks and recreation facilities). So we have MPs whose job is to inspect “longkang” when they should be responsible for greater things and wider picture.

Finally when we see failed projects (PKZ & National Feedlot), projects whose costs ballooned (KLIA2) and completed projects which collapsed (stadiums and public highways), we, the rakyat has to bear these costs.

After 55 years we still see poverty in Malaysia. If not for the prospect of an alternative government, we would not have seen BR1M and all the give-aways and goodies, rightly or wrongly. Now is the time for an alternative government for competency, accountability and transparency. Now is the time for a better Malaysia for the rakyat. As the Australians say, they change government every 5 to 10 years so that there is no skeleton in the cupboard. If there has been no 2008 political tsunami, we would not have found out the PKZ and the National Feedlot fiasco, or the ex-MB who could afford a mansion, or a MP who built a mansion on land meant for low cost housing. Fence-sitters, do we need to say more?