A taste of their own medicine

Muhyiddin and other Umno dissenters must know that their suffering is nothing compared to the misery the rakyat have endured for four decades

COMMENT

By Mariam Mokhtar

Former DPM Muhyiddin Yassin is concerned about the “strange things happening in Umno” which he says reveals an erosion of “responsibility, justice, and trust among certain leaders.”

We would like to tell him, former PM Mahathir Mohamad and other Umno dissenters, “Now, you know what the rakyat have suffered over these past four decades.”

While we support the efforts within Umno to make Najib Abdul Razak accountable for his actions, we must not forget that the Internal Security Act was used to persecute people who had legitimate grouses against the government. Many lecturers, politicians and artists were silenced in their prime. Many more critics fled overseas to escape imprisonment. And today we are shackled by the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the Sedition Act, Sosma and other laws.

For decades, the lack of a credible opposition and the use of indoctrination crippled democracy and created a nation ruled by fear. Many of us are still afraid to speak out, especially when we see people who were once powerful, like Mahathir and Muhyiddin, ignored or sacked and their characters assassinated.

The rakyat need the help of the Umno rebels, the G25, human rights activists, and NGOs like Bersih to help restore democracy and true governance to Malaysia. Will those in power understand that power cannot last forever? Will they think of the welfare of the nation instead of their party’s interests or their individual interests?

Mahathir and Muhyiddin have acted out of loyalty only to Umno Baru. They may have mistakenly imagined that they were acting for the good of the nation. Mahathir still maintains that Najib must be removed, but that BN should remain in power. He refuses to accept that Umno Baru is a major part of the problem.

People in Umno Baru are blind to many of the problems created by the party. If Najib were to be removed, these same people would continue to call the shots. They are unable to distinguish between what’s right and wrong and what’s just and unjust.

During Mahathir’s rule, Umno Baru used race, religion and the royal houses to divide the people. We have seen the rise of cronyism and nepotism. We have observed that accountability and taking responsibility do not feature in Umno Baru’s processes. We have seen the breakdown of independent public institutions like the judiciary, the civil service and the police. We are alarmed by the increase in moral policing, the unstoppable rise of religious bodies and the attack on individual liberties.

In East Malaysia, Sabah is practically overrun by immigrants. The demographics of the nation were destroyed by Project IC, and despite their natural wealth, both Sabah and Sarawak are treated like pariah states when they should be on par with peninsular Malaysia.

Hamidah Osman was unfairly sacked by the Umno Supreme Council, and it was right for Muhyiddin to come to her defence when he said, “I would like to remind them (the leaders) that Umno is not a party belonging to any individual. It is a party for all Malays. Do not hurt the Malays with actions that are untrustworthy and irresponsible.”

But then, unfair dismissals, lack of understanding and compassion, injustice and treachery have been endured by the rakyat for many years. Unfortunately, Umno Baru politicians treat Malaysia as a country belonging to their party.

Finally, isn’t it time for Muhyiddin to realise that race-based politics have been the undoing of Malaysia?

Mariam Mokhtar is an FMT columnist