Are we getting the changes we voted for?

We ushered in the new government with much pomp. Now I understand changing the government may be much easier than making the new government work.

I can see reactionary forces gradually taking centre stage. The ideals of Pakatan Harapan are either being sidelined or misinterpreted.

We think we are being democratic and tolerant by allowing racists and bigots to instigate and rant all day without considering the adverse consequences of such antics.

We think we are respecting diversity and personal opinions when we do nothing to politicians and political parties openly asking for government contracts and projects.

We have a politician advocating “winning by hook or by crook” and we think it is alright. The irony is this person is now entrusted to revamp our electoral system. Are we for real?

We have Cabinet ministers making statements on the succession plan for the prime minister, probably out of their own insecurity rather than for the stability and effectiveness of the PH government.

Why not urge Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim to work together instead of trying to pit them against each other?

Seriously, I think it is neither the place nor the occasion for any minister to make any comment when the prime minister himself has said he will relinquish the post to Anwar, probably within two years.

Any other comment probably implies bad faith and a personal agenda.

We respect the smokers’ right to protest and to take legal action against the government, but we are hesitant to right the wrong over the many protracted cases and issues inherited from the previous government, which include repressive laws, unsolved cases and unresolved grievances.

Every day we talk about insurmountable problems — scandals, debts, wastage, poor governance, etc, but have we even begun to harvest some of the low-hanging fruit?

Not only have we not solved the problems in the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN), we are even trying to create new ones.

The tolls are as expensive as petrol on a per kilometre basis in Malaysia. Yet, all we can do is to freeze the increase but with compensation from the national coffers paid to concessionaires.

We blamed the previous government for “bribing” and for feeding the vote bank, but do we not see the same antics being used now?

Every day, it is special payments here, special subsidies there. Hello, please don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Everybody must work and everybody must earn a living.

Previously, when the government did something wrong, there were many vocal critics. Now, we don’t even have vocal critics around anymore. All are too busy trying to join the bandwagon.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.