Could state of politics sink any lower?

By Lim Sue Goan

Malaysian politics has taken a plunge to an unprecedented level of insanity.

For example, a political party has made a shameless intrusion into our schools.

In a recent event at a primary school in Putrajaya, students were made to sing the Umno song and wave the Umno flag as if they were celebrating an Umno festival.

Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid said the event was held to allow the students to have a better understanding of the country’s independence and the contributions of Umno, MCA and MIC in fighting for the country’s independence, adding that it was not a problem for students to sing the Umno song as it is the principal party that will lead the country towards the future.

The minister might have forgotten that the education ministry has specified that politics must be kept out of our schools, and that opposition leaders were previously barred from entering school premises. Why the double standards now?

If this is acceptable, does it mean that other ruling parties can also organize political events in schools in the future?

In the meantime, chief secretary to the government Ali Hamsa also okayed the remarks by Federal Territories Minister cum Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan at the above event to encourage teachers to join Umno.

I thought the government has a regulation that bars civil servants from joining politics in a bid to uphold executive independence and fairness? How would our senior government officials convince the public to abide by the laws if they themselves flagrantly ignore them?

Vicious political rivalry continues, but that is not an excuse for politics to gain access into our innocent school grounds, denying our students a peaceful and conducive environment to acquire knowledge and for our teachers to concentrate on what they are wholly supposed to do, that is, teaching.

Politics is all about fighting for dominance, but education is a long-term business to ensure the country’s continued progress. Tainting the sacred institutions of learning is putting the country’s future in a precarious position.

Another jaw-dropping absurdity was Red Shirts leader Jamal Md Yunos smashing beer bottles outside the Selangor state secretariat building in Shah Alam in a protest against beer festivals.

Why is this guy permitted to carry on creating trouble? He seems to enjoy doing such things despite police having taken action against him previously. Don’t we have any law to stop such customary lawlessness?

Rule of law is the basis of social stability, and when a person who openly defies our laws is made a national hero by some, that will mark the start of total chaos and anarchy.

These people think they are justified to cross the line because they are doing this in the name of justice in defence of their beliefs, without realising that they are outraging the principle of upholding the rule of law, sinking our society into endless confrontation.

Jamal must have thought he was doing the rightful thing by opposing the beer festival, while leading his gang to disrupt the operation of illegal gambling centres was a sacred mission to restore peace and order to the neighbourhood.

We will crush the established rule of law if people are allowed to take the law into their own hands.

Another thing that I can hardly understand is a statement from the MACC that the commission has no right to investigate or take action against anyone involved in money politics.

Money politics is in its essence corruption, as politicians attempt to buy power with money, and later benefit profusely from government projects by means of their public positions.

If we allow money politics to have its way just because we do not have any law to control political donations, the consequences could be very serious.

MACC should not only investigate the claim of RM1 billion bribe offered to Lim Kit Siang by PPBM chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamed, but must also probe the accusation that someone had offered RM5 million to get PPBM’s youth wing chief Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman out of his party.

Such dirty tricks will keep popping up as the next general election (GE14) draws nearer and nearer. Inaction on the part of MACC is a hint of approval for politicians to do anything they want without having to fear the consequences.

With all these absurdities around, little wonder that Malaysians’ faith in this country remains depressed and our currency remains anaemic despite the spirit-lifting economic numbers. Many people simply cannot see a promising future here.

Lim Sue Goan is deputy executive chief editor of Sin Chew Daily.