Blinded by the lust for power

Slander campaigns, mud-slinging and sex allegations have become the norm due to the ruling coalition's desperation to hold on to power.

COMMENT

Never before in history has Barisan Nasional stooped so low in trying to destroy its political rivals. By employing smear/slander campaigns, lies and mud-slinging tactics to the extreme, BN has now transformed Malaysia into the 1st sex-politics nation and of course the world’s laughing stock.

However, this is not a laughing matter for Malaysians as foreigners’ perception is that Malaysians must be a bunch of fools to continue voting in the same BN government time and time again. Back to the deadly and nefarious games of BN and a few instances come to mind.

They are:

1. Sodomy II

This is a repeat of the Sodomy I plot which was also masterminded by someone diabolical in BN to bring about the downfall of the then deputy prime minister and finance minister Anwar Ibrahim. Only such a vile plot can be spun in Malaysia with the trial being a farce and lacking in credibility, to say the least.

2. Perak power-grab

This is also another dastardly plot which tears apart the very fabric of democracy. Again, this only serves to highlight the power-lust of BN leaders who will resort to anything to gain power and stay in power.

3. Deaths of Teoh Beng Hock and Ahmad Sarbaini

Their deaths are a clear indicator that the rule of law has been thrown out of the window. The judiciary is totally inept when it comes to uncovering the truth.

4. IPP deals

This is the epitome of cronyism where the Independant Power Producers (IPPs) reap humongous profits at the expense of the citizens.

5. PKFZ, Bakun Dam, etc

The plunderers profit the most and this are none other than those in power. Again, their massive plundering will only serve to bleed the nation’s coffers dry.

6. “Christian PM”

This piece of “news” is a total falsehood propagated by a local Malay daily. No retraction nor apology whatsoever from them or even the home minister for making baseless and unfounded allegations. Absolutely deplorable state of affairs.

7. Mishandling the Bersih rally

The clampdown on the rally held on July 9 this year shows that the government does not bother to listen to the people. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s stadium lie with regard to offering a venue to the organisers shows that he is not above lying to the people just to polish his image.

8. Subsidy cuts and the inevitable GST

Its implementation in the very near future would definitely burden the poor and the low-income group. As of now, the government had not thought of really concrete ways to alleviate the burden of the poor except to say that GST benefits everyone especially the poor! Lies again.

9. Playing up the Hudud issue

This shows that even religion is not sancrosanct. BN would not let anything stand in its way in its lust for power and this has driven the leaders totally insane in their methods to gain power.

10. Targetting Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s son

Indeed this new devilry is sewer politics at its worst as this dirty tactic of attacking the opposition is absolutely deplorable. Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin’s Twitter remark of ”Mungkin dia robohkan Kampung Buah Pala sebab nak gantikan dengan Kampung Buah Dada” is the epitome of BN’s moral bankruptcy and is nothing but an insult and affront to all women.

11. Police, MACC, Election Commission (EC) and National Registration Department (NRD)

Suffice to say that their independence and impartiality is in doubt.

12. Auditor-General’s Report delayed

This report should be on the table of every MP the latest on the day of the presentation of the Federal Budget. For 2011, the Budget for 2012 was presented on Oct 7 but the Auditor-General’s Report was out only on Oct 24 (17 days late). What happened?

13. Strangling the Opposition MPs

Opposition MPs have been denied their rightful allocation of funds for their parliamentary constituency which amounts to RM1.5 million for each MP’s office. This nefarious deed is executed by none other than the Prime Minister’s Office. This plainly shows that the BN federal government does not respect the choice of the people who voted for the opposition.

Its all showy and style only

The above list is endless and it is certainly not wrong to say that the BN federal government is a government that has not even a tinge of credibility left as the facts and figures speak for themselves.

They have been trying to hide their misdeeds but it is difficult to do so in this era of instant technology.

Hence, their ruthless stranglehold on the mainstream media to dupe the rural masses will continue. When the citizens are ignorant of the faults and misdeeds of the incumbent government, they will continue to keep voting in the incumbent government and thus the vicious cycle continues.

Najib is in a desperate mode now as he wants to hold the 13th general election fast before the world economy takes a serious dip.

His government is quickly losing credibility by the day, no thanks to his own inept attitude and lack of steadfast action and weak political will to implement solid political reforms.

So far, everything has been advertisement and hearsay. Therefore, he has a need to spruce up his image including serving up a discrepancy regarding the cost of the 1Malaysia menu which although is a small matter will damage his image further.

With the global economy projected to take a nosedive next year, the prime minister must pull up his socks to implement effective cost-cutting measures in the running of an efficient government machinery as the Auditor-General’s Report has shown that wastage and leakages in government departments is the norm.

Corruption must be curbed and dirty politics must be put to a stop at all costs. Just announcing that this or that will be implemented to combat corruption or stem the leakages is not enough if there is no follow-through with concrete and effective action.

So far, the BN federal government is all talk and publicity only. Their launch and implementation are full of glamour and glitz but beyond the fanfare, there is no substance.

Granted that there have been moves to alleviate the burden of the poor and the low-income group such as book vouchers, one-off RM500 aid and discounted fares on the LRT but these are only piecemeal and nothing big to rejoice about.

The government is clueless when it comes to implementing solid moves, i.e. giving the figure of the minimum wage which the low-wage earners were eagerly waiting for during the Budget presentation on Oct 7.

But nothing was forthcoming. It is very obvious that this prime minister and the present BN government is all showy and style only. Beneath all the shine, there is nothing but ashes.

Still, the poor and the oppressed are struggling to make a living and they will continue to do so because they are voiceless.

Only those who are well-connected, the corrupt and the powerful will have their voices heard while the average Joe struggles to put food on the table and this situation will continue beyond the 13th general election if the people do not wise up and put a stop to this malaise once and all.

Of course this is only possible if the majority of the citizens wake up to the truth but Malaysians are known to be in a state of deep slumber.

Selena Tay believes in Pakatan Rakyat’s pledges for a good government. She is a FMT columnist.