Only politicians want election, the people do not

Seriously, who is interested in the Johor election? Only the politicians because they have a stake in it – this is what is known as “vested interest”.

Don’t be surprised too that some of the politicians could have played the ‘all in’ card in this Johor election, like the game of poker where you ’salang’ all your table money to buy the last card.

Then, add in the business associates (read cronies), those depending on the politicians for a living, plus the people of Johor (not all) and the royal family. That’s about all the people who are interested in the election.

The rest of us, you and I, hardly pay attention to the Johor polls. Why? Because we know there will be no end to these political squabbles and there will be more elections to come.

Let the Johor polls come and go. After this, they may force one in Kedah or Selangor. Then, there is the 15th general election (GE15) to come. There will be no end to elections.

So why bother with the Johor polls? Seriously, whoever wins and forms the government will not change my life. Let me state a fact - I also do not depend on the Johor government for a living, so what the heck do I care? Or do those in Sabah or Selangor or Penang care?

It is true that at this juncture, we are keener to keep ourselves updated on the war in Ukraine than the silly election and politics at home. Even the Covid-19 pandemic gets less and less attention from us.

Big concerns for small matters

In my cynical mood, I wrote to friends in chat groups that while Russian President Vladimir Putin has his finger on the nuclear button, we Malaysians are more concerned about who rules a little state at home.

That is how feeble and small Malaysians are today. What has gone wrong with us? When will we crawl out of that little rabbit hole, start doing some real work, and stop the endless politicking? When can we begin to earn back some respect and dignity from the international community?

Let us not think that we can hide our stupidity, weaknesses and faults from others. Many nations have their diplomatic missions in Kuala Lumpur and their envoys report to their leaders at home and advise them on how best to deal with Putrajaya or even to ignore our prime minister if warranted.

Oh yes, if we bother to listen to our contacts in the various embassies here, we will gather a lot of info and let me say this – there is very little respect for Malaysia and our top leaders.

Our standing at the international level is something to be ashamed of. But, are our so-called leaders aware or is it that they choose to pretend not to know?

Our prime minister and his cabinet colleagues can continue their official visits to other countries and return home thumping their chests and declare that they have made such a huge impact with their trips abroad.

Allow me to make this serious suggestion. To those ministers who cannot even speak proper English, please stop making fools of themselves and let others more credible and dignified handle the necessary tasks abroad.

If you cannot carry yourselves abroad, stay home and stop embarrassing the nation. We are already ‘an international embarrassment’ because of 1MDB.

Another thing. A little fat boy from Penang is the notorious ‘billion dollar whale’ whom we have not been able to bring to justice, even after four long years of search.

So, Mr PM, where is Low Taek Jho (Jho Low)? We haven’t heard anyone talking about the fugitive financier for a while.

People continue to suffer…

Malaysians have good reasons to be jaded with elections and politics. There are more pressing issues for those in power to handle but they are not doing it. They choose to continue their attacks against each other in order to gain power and this has been going on for too long.

The people continue to suffer and the economy is not improving. The people expect the ministers to work harder to revive the economy and alleviate the suffering and miseries of the people.

Two years ago, a minister pointed out that the jump in the poverty rate from 5.6 percent in 2019 to 8.4 percent in 2020 is a humbling reminder for the government to ensure that no one is left behind. But then, I wonder what he and his cabinet colleagues have done to improve the situation, after two years.

The pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges faced by poor and vulnerable Malaysian households. It is across the board, the rural as well as the urban areas.

To ensure Malaysia fulfils its growth potential in the next coming years, the World Bank said that it is a very critical and opportune time for the country to address pre-existing gaps as well as newly emerged challenges from the Covid-19 crisis.

In the short term, the focus should be on maintaining financial support for the poor and vulnerable, achieving greater inclusivity, including facilitating learning for all children.

Over the longer term, measures should aim to address the shortcomings in the social protection and education systems to make them more impactful in addressing poverty and inequality and more responsive to shocks.

At the same time, it will be necessary to manage the pandemic’s lasting impact on livelihoods, well-being, and human capital development.

Can we appeal to our so-called leaders to prioritise their efforts on such tasks rather than politicking and staging elections?

In the end, what difference does it make?

A lot has been said and done in the ongoing Johor election but you may have noticed that I’m not really paying attention to them. Folks, it’s the same rhetoric come every election.

I prefer that those already elected talk about what they could do or would do for the remainder of their term in office.

Forget about elections. Only the politicians are interested in elections. The people don’t.

You hear this from me. I don’t care who will be the next Johor menteri besar. Neither do I care who will be the next prime minister.

Because if the same players are still around in GE15 or GE16, do not expect anything to change, folks. - Mkini

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FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is a veteran Sarawak editor and heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS). He can be reached at sirsiah@gmail.com

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.