This general election should not have been allowed to happen. From reading news reports, we can see that many bad decisions and blunders are being made.
Third-rate candidates are being fielded. High-calibre ones have been dropped, because they do not fit in with the top table’s views. In other words, they are not “Yes men”.
The unpreparedness and hasty preparations being done by the rival coalitions are bad enough. The meteorological department has already predicted heavy rain and floods over the monsoon period. We may be lucky that come Nov 19, all is fine, and there are no issues with the weather.
Can we predict what it will be like on the day itself? What would be wrong with waiting until next year, when the government and opposition sides have not been rushed into making hasty choices of candidates and more empty promises.
However, one thing is certain. Older candidates are still trying to make their presence felt. It includes both the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan coalitions.
They should have retired a long time ago, but stubbornly refuse to hand over the reins to younger candidates. And all the while they say, “Give our youth a chance.” More empty words.
One such person is the Gua Musang stalwart, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who has been an elected representative in the area since 1969. He said that GE15 would be his last hurrah. If truth be known, Ku Li, as he is affectionately known, should have retired a long time ago.
In the past, Ku Li made numerous claims on separate occasions that he was dissatisfied with the Umno-Baru government.
He was asked to leave Umno-Baru and fight for change from the opposition benches, but his answer was always an emphatic “No!”. He said that he was more effective fighting for change from within Umno-Baru.
Despite his claims of reforming Umno-Baru, how has the party changed for the better? It has actually become worse.
On Nov 4, Ku Li said that the people, especially the Orang Asli, still required his services. Really?
What has he done to improve the lives of the Orang Asli in Gua Musang during his 12 terms as an MP? What change did he bring to their lives? Many are malnourished and suffer ill health.
In the Gunung Stong Selatan and Berangkat forest reserves of Kelantan, the deforestation is so bad that the Orang Asli are losing the ability to practise their culture and rituals, because of a lack of natural forest. The jungle has been replaced with plantations of rubber, which are grown for latex, and timber.
Some of the trees were medicinal in nature, providing natural treatments for the Orang Asli. They collected fruits for their own consumption, but some are sold for extra income.
Some jungle trees and herbs were critical for certain rites and ailments. Today, these natural plants can only be sourced several miles away, in some cases 55 miles away, as the Orang Asli struggle to find the necessary materials in their vicinity to conduct their rituals.
Fruit trees were also a magnet for the forest animals, like wild boar, and these animals provided the extra protein for the Orang Asli. With deforestation and chemical usage by the invading companies and timber barons, rivers turned muddy and became polluted. The Orang Asli population were unable to drink the water safely.
What did Ku Li do to stop the plantation owners who invaded the Orang Asli lands? Does he realise that the community have been robbed of their culture and way of life?
The Orang Asli’s normal supply of food from fruit trees have also been wiped out when plantation owners cleared the lands. The land is made slippery from mudslides, which prevents them from planting another subsistence crop, which is ubi kayu.
In the towns of Kelantan, the water coming out of the taps is like “teh tarik”. The roads are like mudslides. Bridges are easily washed away by raging rivers which overflow their banks after heavy rain.
Although Gua Musang is not affected, coastal erosion is a big problem, What defences has he suggested that the state government build?
The youth in Kelantan are involved in many antisocial activities. Drug and substance abuse is destroying many young lives. It is on the rise and 70% of the crimes recorded in the courts in Kelantan are drug related.
Drug dealing by young people is also high. Many claim that they do it to feed their families. What has Ku Li done to help halt this scourge?
These are some of the unresolved issues. Only a few have been mentioned here.
It is best that Ku Li retires and hands over the reins to a much younger and capable candidate. - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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