A solemn declaration by citizen Nades

I, R NADESWARAN [I/C NO: 510421-10-****], ordinary resident in Petaling Jaya in the state of Selangor, hereby solemnly and sincerely affirm and say as follows:

I will support the current prime minister (hereafter referred to as PM) and his party – the Barisan Nasional (hereafter referred to as BN) – and urge and encourage right-thinking Malaysians to do the same in the 14th General Election which is due. This is subject to the PM and the BN making concerted efforts to fulfil the following conditions, which in turn will bring about a better and more prosperous Malaysia:

1) The PM, his ministers and the government must stop treating Malaysians as fools by making all kinds of statements which more often than not, appear like a page from Grimm’s Fairy Tales. The continued blabbering of untruths and half-truths will further erode whatever is left of the people’s confidence in the system;

2) The PM and his cabinet must use meritocracy as the basis for all their dealings including recruitment, admissions and promotions. This will ensure efficient and hardworking civil servants are suitably rewarded for their efforts. This will also encourage more talented people to join the government service. Furthermore, we will put an end to the brain drain whereby we have seen hundreds of professionals migrating or seeking jobs overseas;

3) The PM must declare the source of the RM2.6 billion in his personal bank accounts to live up the people’s expectations of a clean, transparent and accountable leader of the country. Explanations that the money was a donation from an Arab prince has to be substantiated with documents. On the contrary, documents have emerged from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that large sums of money had been remitted to said personal accounts from an account of British Virgin Islands company Tanore Finance;

4) The PM must confirm or deny that his wife is in possession of/or was the recipient of diamond necklaces and other jewellery worth more than RM120 million. The PM should also confirm or deny he paid RM9.5 million to his solicitor and another RM2 million to a senior armed forces official through his personal account. By maintaining staid silence, Malaysians have to believe what has been reported in the social media;

5) Being honest on these issues will put an end to all kinds of speculation and Malaysians having to rely on social media, which sometimes has the notoriety for publishing fake news or has been over-generous with misinformation.

6) The PM, in his capacity as the head honcho of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) must compel its officers to make public all documents related to the loans taken by the company and the purposes for which they were used. Further, those identified in the auditor-general's report and other documents should be prosecuted under the laws of the land;

7) The PM should introduce a new policy requiring himself, members of his cabinet, all heads of government departments and heads of government-linked companies to declare and make public their assets;

8) The PM should amend the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act to include a clause that makes it a criminal offence for all Malaysians (including myself) to have assets or lead a lifestyle not proportionate to their declared income;

9) The PM should set up a “Register of Interests” in Parliament where all MPs are required to declare any donation, payment or any forms of remuneration, wages or commissions and any other form of hospitality they enjoy as honourable members of the House. In short, all materialistic income other than their official allowances) where money or money’s worth is obtained, should be registered with Parliament. In this way, the public can know if they are speaking or acting for vested interests;

10) The PM must act against his party members who are involved in activities which cause tension and sow fear among ordinary Malaysians;

11) The PM and the government should stop lunatics and extremists with blinkered ideologies from imposing their bird-brained values and edicts on fellow Malaysians. Their continued actions and words, if not stopped immediately, will destroy the basic fabric of our multiracial country. Our founding fathers promoted pluralism and a secular society – not those envisioned by these radicals;

12) The PM must ensure that all government contracts are awarded through open tenders and the process of selection be made openly and transparently. This will ensure projects are completed on time and without cost over-runs;

13) While right-thinking Malaysians have no issues with affirmative policies, the government and the PM must take steps to ensure that these policies benefit the needy and those with low incomes and not cronies, party members and their families or friends and acquaintances or golfing buddies;

14) The PM and government should re-introduce local council elections to ensure that councillors are accountable to the people. A third tier of the government will certainly reinforce democratic principles;

15) While recognising Islam as the religion of the country, the PM must ensure or introduce legislation to protect citizens of other faiths to practise their religion without harassment and aggravation;

16) The PM and the government should amend the Official Secrets Act (OSA) by restricting its purview to matters of security only and promulgate a “Freedom of Information Act” to make information on government affairs more accessible to the people;

17) The PM and the government must ensure the free flow of information by encouraging the media to point out shortcomings in the system and offer constructive criticism so that corrective measures can be taken. The media are the eyes and ears of the people. They are the government’s best friends – not arch enemies as at present. The media is being hounded, publications being suspended and websites being blocked, causing Malaysians to rely on social media. The government must understand that the people can only make educated decisions or hold impartial views if they are fed with accurate and unadulterated information;

18) The PM and the government must withdraw the goods and services tax (GST) on anything related to food, education, transport and health. This will ease the burden on the lower income group who have been subjected to a harsh increase in prices because of the imposition of GST;

19) The PM must stop his ministers from blabbering untruths and saying idiotic things, thereby causing embarrassment to himself and the government. While propaganda can be expected, the level of stupidity and the volume of moronic statements do little to enhance the standing of the government;

20) The PM and the government should pay heed to the views of the Rulers’ Council and take appropriate action in line with their pronouncements. In at least two cases, they have been ignored, causing anxiety among the citizens;

This list is not exhaustive. The PM and the BN must realise that the days of dishing out goodies and speaking of development no longer hold water with the electorate. It was the PM himself, who not too long ago, said that the days of “the government knows best are over.” How true! Only an honest, dedicated and devoted team comprising men and women of integrity can lead the country out of the mess it is in.

Note: While BN leaders are merrily making payasam and patting each other’s back and an MP is dishing out 6,000 sarees, please spare a thought for Shonia Nair. Her father, a former serviceman, having already spent RM400,000 on her first and second-year dental studies has turned to Facebook to raise funds so that she fulfils her dream of becoming a dentist. By the way, there’s no quota system at the prestigious King’s College in London. She got admission on merit.

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R NADESWARAN shares his thoughts on what is needed to resurrect confidence in the government and the many institutions whose standards have dropped drastically. These remarks are in line with the prime minister’s premise that there is freedom of expression and citizens can express their views. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail,com.- Mkini