We, the lily pads for political frogs

Frogs are amphibious. They live on land and in water. They have four legs, front and back. However, in Malaysia, we are plagued with a new species of frogs with two legs that live on land.

These frogs had their origins in Sabah, where l grew up. From Usno to Parti Berjaya, to PBS to Barisan Nasional and to Warisan. From the 1960s to the present time, they have been hopping from one political party to another claiming that they are doing this for the better good of the people and political stability.

These political frogs end up being amply rewarded for their “ultimate sacrifice”. Sabah was often the brunt of jokes from people and politicians from the peninsula because of this.

Now the shoe is on the other foot and politicians in the peninsula have also adopted this frog culture.

Most, if not all, have been rewarded for their “ultimate sacrifice” in contributing towards the formation of governments the people did not want — from the federal government to the state governments of Johor, Perak, Melaka and Kedah. It might not end there.

Many are unhappy. NGOs and activists will tell ordinary folk to stand up and be counted. Don’t be a pushover. Fight for your rights and let your voice be heard loud and clear because “you can make a difference”. Really?

What has changed since the Bersih rallies and all other efforts by the NGOs that came together to see the fall of the BN government at GE14?

Undeniably, the victory was something to savour while a new era beckoned. But where are we now? Back to the BN government — or half of it, at least — and its leaders who were rejected by the people on the night of May 18, 2018.

What is new other than a change of name from BN to PN? Yes, of course, you now have PAS and some dubious people in government dictating terms to the rest of us, planning and scheming without the slightest care. What did we get from the efforts of these NGOs and activists? Same old. Same old.

About the only people who probably got it right were the “Undi Rosak” campaigners who called on Malaysians to boycott GE14. But they were insulted and mocked by many for their brave call. Today, we can see they were not very far from the truth.

Like it or not, the people have been let down by the very people they trusted. At best, we have become nothing more than stepping stones for opportunists — or, in this case, lily pads for political frogs — to achieve their aims and ambitions.

Greed and lust for power have superseded all else. For as long as there are people who have no integrity, honesty, sincerity and compassion, remote control is the weapon of choice for these unscrupulous politicians. We may as well have been born as robots. Robots are easy to manipulate with a remote in your hand.

But GE15 is inevitable. And batteries in remotes do run out.

Clement Stanley is an FMT reader.