Please review his Datukship

Maybe Malaysians are taking to the streets because going through the proper channels has not yielded results.

FMT LETTERS

By Saleh Mohammed

Marina Mahathir hit the nail on the head when she wrote, “When people are told daily that they cannot do so many things and yet they see that some people can freely do them, then resentments mount. How is it that some people can do what they want but I cannot?”

We have been told that the only way to change the ruling government in a democracy, is through the ballot box. Theoretically, this is the case but then a Federal Minister explained that the RM2.6b was from a “brotherly” nation in the Middle East. It was donated to ensure a win for a particular party in the previous general elections in 2013. It’s not difficult now to understand why Malaysians do not subscribe to the said theory anymore. How can they when money trumps the vote?

Interestingly, a couple of weeks later, the new Deputy Prime Minister confirmed that the donation was from a Middle Eastern donor but now it is said to have been given because the donor appreciated Malaysia for its seriousness in fighting terrorism. Oh by the way he also saw the documents.

Which is the correct version?

We have also been told that we must go through the proper channels to air our grouses. Well and good. But then a Deputy Prime Minister who asked for clarifications and answers on the 1MDB issue (s) was removed. That is just too much to stomach especially when he noted that he did use the proper channels but to no avail.

And there is more…

Social media is now branded as spreading lies and yet some quarters have been asked to take to social media to counter the so called lies. So how do we tell the lies from the truth in social media especially when we are denied access to specific sites that may give us a more holistic view or allow us to gather and evaluate information to help ferret out the truth from the lies?

Who do we turn to when investigating parties on the 1MDB issues have either been disbanded or crippled?

Where else can or should Malaysians go to, in order to air their grouses now?

A section of Malaysians think going to the streets would in a way achieve this objective. They decided that a day before our Merdeka Day, would be a good day to do that. Nowhere did they say it was going to be a violent affair.

Now out of nowhere a group calling themselves the anti-Bersih group (a coalition of Malay NGOs) has appeared. At their coming out party they create a spectacle – they smashed wood and roof tiles on their backs and heads. When asked about the reason for this violent demonstration given in front of the Sogo shopping complex on 25 August, the group said that it was part of their self-defence preparations for any problems that may emerge between them and the Bersih 4.0 group.

This anti Bersih 4.0 group is headed by a Datuk Jamal Md Yunos.

Not sure what is in their minds but to me an inferiority complex has set in. It is a shame. They are publicly demonstrating what people have perceived of the Malays all this while. Clearly, this has not crossed their minds. Tun Mahathir did his best to put it right but in this case I think he was not that successful.

They could have shown maturity by having a discussion on issues of concern with the organisers of Bersih 4.0. Didn’t the PM say that we should go through proper channels? Or if discussion was not their preferred way of resolving issues, they could have had their own street demonstration on another weekend. This would have shown how much support they have versus Bersih 4.0.

Is this negativity healthy? Is this the kind of national character trait that will help us achieve the developed nation status we so aspire? And why is the plan to start the march from Low Yat Plaza not raising any alarms?

We need positive people who are problem solvers and not people who want to create problems.

And as for the leader of this anti Bersih 4.0 group, hopefully the state that awarded him the Datukship would commence a review of whether or not to let him carry on using the title after such a display of recklessness.

By the way, just so that we have some perspective on the award of titles, it appears that for every person who received a knighthood in the United Kingdom in 2013, there were at least eight Datukship awards handed out in Malaysia.

Yet another accolade for Malaysia!

Saleh Mohamed is an FMT reader