Greed, lust is the political capital now

 

From Tariq Ismail Mustafa

It has been 48 years since the late Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman left us. His legacy for us was an independent nation headed towards a bright future, centred on a constitutional monarchy democracy that was strong and respected by all.

If he could see the current state of the country he helped build, he would be disappointed and angry to witness this nation whose universal values have been torn asunder by the greed and voracious appetites of power-hungry politicians.

Who would have thought that the generation that he entrusted to continue the struggles of our forefathers to defend the fate of the people and the country is now the Brutus to his Caesar.

It is an abomination that the state of current politics is such that the prime minister leads a band of politicians whose loyalties can be horse-traded to provide political sanctuary for him and the Perikatan Nasional.

Where in the past the welfare of the country formed a common political objective that bonded the political parties, the situation is quite the opposite now. It is the personal political benefits that is the priority. Now, greed and lust is the political capital to the point it treads upon the Federal Constitution, the King and the country.

Given these political shenanigans and “pimping”, how do the people fare? The fact is that the standard of living in this country is declining, even more so during this health emergency.

If in the past, the percentage of B40/M40 was being addressed, the last 17 months have not yielded them any protection. In fact, a large percentage of M40s have now been reduced to B40.

One in four graduates is now unemployed. Education for our children, from kindergarten to university, is at a standstill and thus stunted.

In short, most of the progress made through the struggles of the late Ismail to emancipate the people from similar problems, has now been almost wiped out.

Unfortunately, there is no easy fix. The struggle to liberate the people requires the utmost sincerity and decades of perseverance. What more the struggle to uplift the Malays.

But when Malay politicians are infighting for power and wealth, it is almost impossible to return to the original struggle.

As long as envy and backstabbing is part of the Malay politics that is willing to run brothers down, political whoring will continue to run rampant. So long as Malay politics today ignores the true values of Islam and the promise enshrined in the constitution, the Malays will continue to be in limbo and repressed by political shenanigans.

By right, the Malays, with a strong faith in the Almighty, would also abide strictly with the promises made in the constitution. The constitution is our protection. In fact, it is an amulet of protection for all Malaysians who adhere to the tenets of the country, regardless of race or religion.

However, when leaders fail to abide by the constitution and treat state administrative institutions as their personal political puppets, it is also the people who will ultimately suffer because of this endless political greed.

The administration of a government should be a primary responsibility as a result of social democracy and not political democracy. The social and economic well-being of the people should be the key indicators of a successful government, especially in times of disaster.

The royal institution is also a check-and-balance mechanism (and a protection for the people) to ensure this element of social democracy. Because of that, the challenge to the decisions of the royal institution is seen as a sign of the destruction of government leadership.

Fortunately, Malaysians are strong-minded. They do not know the meaning of defeat. They do not know the meaning of exhaustion. They help and support each other to ensure each other’s well-being.

It is this strength that will ensure that the country’s economy survives even if the administrators throw a multitude of obstacles in the public’s way. It is this identity that will continue to uphold the system of democracy in this country no matter how insistently the country’s constitution is challenged.

These political thugs should be grateful to be standing on the shoulders of the King, the people and past political warriors during the current social and economic disaster. Otherwise, they would have long ago drowned, washed out by the tidal wave. - FMT

Tariq Ismail Mustafa is head of the international affairs bureau of Pejuang.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.