What if Pakatan had won?!

We call ourselves a Muslim nation that does not condone racism but it is starting to become a racial nightmare as the minority continue to be harassed and condemned for disloyalty.

COMMENT

GE13 is over, and with it the dashed hopes of the Malaysian majority to see a new and glorious dawn. 52% of Malaysians were so looking forward to embrace a new and caring government that would listen to the people. And boy, were they disappointed?!

Yes, Malaysia missed the chance to realise a new democracy that would see the dismantling of apartheid policies. Meritocracy would have taken its rightful place and Malaysians would become colour blind and unite with a new sense of patriotism.

Mental blocks would disintegrate and the races would gradually draw closer to each other despite warnings of liberalism and pluralism and everyone would have a new sense of belonging.

There would be bright, cheerful faces everywhere as Malaysians wait with baited breath as the new government announces new and exciting reforms to alleviate the people’s plight. Everyday would seem like an adventure as Pakatan Rakyat repairs the rot with surgical precision.

Corruption would grind to a halt. Racism and racial supremacy would be stemmed in the bud. The nation would see a new set of potential leaders promoted based on merit in the civil service while students with excellent grades would automatically secure scholarships or gain entry into our public universities.

Crony corporations would be rooted out and healthy competition would contribute to a lower cost of living. There would be new found freedom as Malaysians compete with each other on a level playing field.

The nation would start to heal as the wealth generated from prudent investments are re-channelled to the people.

Cheaper fuel, utilities and car prices would have been an added bonus and GST would not see the light of day. AES would be shelved indefinitely and Malaysians would breath a sigh of relief as their spending power expands.

Nope! May 5th has come and gone and despite a majority voice, it still remains an impossible dream and back to the same grind.

The night of May 5

Millions of Malaysians were glued to the TV set following updates as the counting of votes begun.

Anwar Ibrahim promptly announced at 7pm that Pakatan Rakyat had won the popular vote and the election, based on reports trickling in that PR was leading with comfortable margins on the majority of seats.

There was a sudden delay in the updates and disbelief followed soon after as BN was returned with a convincing majority.

Somehow BN managed to pull through albeit a lesser mandate and immediately blamed it on a disloyal Chinese tsunami and “Melayu tamak.” Was it the Indian votes that saved the day?

Almost six weeks have gone by but there seems to be little cause for celebration as the country seems to be continuously engulfed in communal strife and street protests that seem to grow louder by the day.

The BN government seems lethargic in administering the country allowing racial hatred to continue unabated.

We call ourselves a Muslim nation that does not condone racism but it is starting to become a racial nightmare as the minority continue to be harassed and condemned for disloyalty.

Racism is at its peak with a rabid Utusan Malaysia spouting daily doses of petty racial rhetoric in an effort to divide the nation.

A group of Islamic NGO’s has called for a boycott of Chinese products and increasing the bumiputera quota, while Cuepacs is the latest in joining the cue to boycott AirAsia.

Stifling dissent

Suddenly, student leaders are arrested and charged for sedition. Political activists and opposition leaders were arrested, detained, released and rearrested again. Rally organizers too were not immune.

Opposition publications have been seized from newsstands for permit violations. All this stern action is supposed to preserve the peace and harmony of this country and to prevent civil strife.

Some BN leaders are calling for pro-opposition supporters in the Civil Service to be replaced. There are calls to investigate teachers and civil servants who use their Facebook accounts to slander the government.

Stagnation has taken over and the nation seems to be careening on a downhill course.

The powers-to-be are adamant to see that Malaysians remain divided. BN continues to allow political leeches that were packed off in the last elections including frogs that never contested to continue hogging the headlines spewing vile and poisonous rhetoric.

Even some of them are destined for Senator-ships in the near future.

It is a matter of time before we face the reality that our nation is about to go bankrupt. Then it will be the blame game where BN lays the blame on PR, that without a two thirds mandate, critical development cannot be achieved.

There are reports that we have beaten China and has become the world champion for illicit fund outflows per capita, is really not very reassuring.

No one sincerely believes corruption would be capped in the next five years. GST is like a black cloud looming on the nation that will eventually tax and burden poor Malaysians further.

AES is set to make its debut some day when public anger has cooled, in an effort to save more lives; so they say.

Deaths in custody are becoming the norm. Certain Malaysians like MP Nurul Izzah Anwar are banned from traversing our own nation’s state borders. What if some of us are also banned from states like Johor or Pahang?

Fighting back?

And boy, are Malaysians disappointed? Judging from the humongous crowds of black in the Black 505 rallies being held nationwide, Malaysians are not about to let it rest or resign themselves to another five years of misrule.

Many are still banking on change and the spirit of Ubah still burns bright in their minds. Many have decided to rally for change in the belief that GE13 has been stolen.

Black has replaced yellow to be the favourite colour. But not for long as opposition leaders are planning another series of rallies and a “mother of all rallies” is in the cards with a ‘million strong crowd.’

Of course BN is fretting and very worried. The opposition is fighting back and keeping them on their toes without any relief in sight. We won’t be surprised if there is another Ops Lalang II to keep the opposition in check.

And for many of us, the most we can do is to keep our fingers crossed and see what the future holds in store for us.

Whether good or bad, it cannot get any worse; or can it? However, Malaysians have resigned themselves to the sad fact that Malaysia missed the chance of a better tomorrow.

We were so close yet so far! What if Pakatan had won?!

Tour consultant, sports pilot and naturalist Iskandar Dzulkarnain has been writing a few years now. He is a FMT columnist.