Malaysia’s Negative Perception And Crisis Of Confidence Cured By The Emergency

 

The Emergency allows the government to save lives and save livelihoods and prove to foreign investors that Muhyiddin Yassin is very much in control and the government is not on the verge of collapsing. Basically, Anwar and Pakatan are playing the perception game with cards they cannot win. And now Muhyiddin is telling them to go fook themselves, which is the way to go.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Over the years I have met people in the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Thailand, etc., who have a very negative perception of Malaysia. They tell me that non-Malays have no rights in Malaysia, Malaysia practices apartheid (in reference to the New Economic Policy or NEP), non-Muslims are forced to convert to Islam, and so much more incidences of denial of civil liberties and human rights.

For decades, non-Malays, opposition leaders, DAP people, etc., have been travelling to other countries to give talks to Malaysians living overseas — plus to foreigners — about how bad things are in Malaysia. In fact, there are one million Malaysians living overseas and the majority of them are anti-Umno, anti-Barisan Nasional, anti-PAS, and now, of course, anti-Perikatan Nasional.

Pakatan Harapan leaders have been travelling overseas for decades to paint a negative picture of Malaysia

For so long, Malaysia has suffered from a negative perception problem, which creates a crisis of confidence. Basically, the confidence level for any country is dictated by the perception. And DAP, the non-Malays, the opposition, and so on, have been working hard to destroy the confidence on Malaysia by spreading negative stories about the country.

These people know every country needs FDIs for its economy to grow, Malaysia included. So, if they can create this negative perception about Malaysia, foreign investors would steer clear of the country and the country’s economy would suffer.

READ MORE HERE: Why the Emergency is good for the economy

That may sound treasonous, but to be able to topple a government you first need to destroy the country’s economy. And this what DAP, the non-Malays and the opposition have been doing since the 1970s. They have been travelling overseas to talk to the one million Malaysians living overseas and to foreigners about the appalling state of affairs in Malaysia (apartheid, forced conversion to Islam, unstable government, etc.).

With the current Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, and the negative impact on the economy and on the livelihood on the rakyat, Malaysia needs foreign investments. But there is one thing that is stopping this from happening. And that one thing is the negative perception on the country.

2009 FDI inflows to the ASEAN 6 (in million US$): Malaysia is losing out to other ASEAN countries because of the negative perception on the country

Pakatan Harapan is coming out with statement after statement, and is doing all sorts of things, to give the impression that the government is on the verge of collapsing and that chaos and anarchy are ruling Malaysia. This is not true, of course. There is more chaos and anarchy in the United States than in Malaysia. Even in the UK your chances of getting shot by teenage gangs are higher than in Malaysia.

But the impression that has been created is that Malaysia is no different from Iran, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, etc. And this is because people like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, and many more, cannot keep their mouths shut. They are talking as if Muhyiddin Yassin is the reincarnation of Suharto and Marcos and is in his last few days in office.

What happens when (when, not if, says Pakatan Harapan) Muhyiddin is ousted and the Perikatan Nasional government is toppled? Well, then Malaysia would become like Beirut back in the old days of the civil war. In fact, that is what is going to happen, says Pakatan. Malaysia will suffer a civil war between the Malays and the non-Malays. And Sabah, Sarawak and Penang will finally be able to leave Malaysia and join up with Singapore to create a new nation where Islam will not be dominant.

READ MORE HERE: The “Lame Duck” PM is not so lame duck after all

Yes, this may sound far-fetched. But when you repeat lies long enough, and when many people keep repeating the lies, they eventually become the truth. And the story that Malaysia has a very weak and lame duck-Prime Minister, and that the government is on the verge of collapsing, is beginning to be seen as the word of God from the Holy Book.

That kind of perception is not good for the confidence level on Malaysia and it will frighten away foreigners from investing in Malaysia. And Malaysia needs foreign investments if the economy is going to recover after being ravaged by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. But with the declaration of the Emergency, the perception that the government is on the verge of collapsing will disappear.

The Emergency also gives the government a freehand to implement policies that not only helps combat the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic but also helps improve and strengthen the economy and which helps the rakyat facing hardship. The government needs not implement populist policies in trying to stay in office, but policies which will be positive for the economy (the opposite of what Pakatan Harapan does).

READ MORE HERE: The bottom line is: Muhyiddin won and they lost

The Emergency allows the government to implement realistic and pragmatic policies that are not mere window-dressing, but which bring actual and positive benefit to the country and the rakyat. Sometimes you need to be cruel to be kind. If you are scared of using the rod, you end up spoiling the child.

Pakatan Harapan’s way is to give every rakyat a fish instead of teaching the rakyat how to fish. With so little fish in the basket, how long can you keep doing this? Pakatan goes for short-term measures at the expense of the long term. Pakatan robs the future generation to feed the present generation.

The Emergency allows the government to save lives and save livelihoods and prove to foreign investors that Muhyiddin Yassin is very much in control and the government is not on the verge of collapsing. Basically, Anwar and Pakatan are playing the perception game with cards they cannot win. And now Muhyiddin is telling them to go fook themselves, which is the way to go.