Status quo or game changer in Johor?

 

Malaysia is a man-made catastrophe, with the plight of the Malaysian people having all the ingredients of a great Shakespearean tragedy.

There is the tragic hero, the waste, good versus evil, hamartia, revenge, the internal and external conflicts, the superstitious element, and the lack of poetic justice.

A teenage schoolgirl lodged a police report that her teacher joked about rape. Did her school, headteacher, teachers, or the ministers support her? No. Her peers and those in authority turned against her.

Have we already forgotten about MACC's Azam Baki? Are we not bothered about deaths in custody unless it concerns our loved ones?

What about all the unfinished business like Altantunya, Scorpene, the National Feedlot Corporation, the police and halal business cartels, and human trafficking?

With the trial held overseas, we learnt more about Jho Low's dirty deals in 1MDB than we did when our own authorities led their supposedly thorough investigation.

What's the point of putting the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) under the purview of the sultans? In future, criticising Jakim will be seen as an attack on royalty.

Our country used to be rich, but greedy leaders have maimed, and possibly killed the golden goose. We claim to be a god-fearing people, but some of us do things that go against the teaching of all religions.

Our leaders only care about the poor once every five years. Sacrifice is what other people do. Knowing the right people is all-important. Short term benefits are preferable to long term gains.

The opportunity for ordinary Malaysians to change their circumstances have been missed many times. It is not that they are not aware of what is wrong with the country. They know; but will they do anything about it? Yes, they will, but only when the nation hits rock bottom.

Who to vote for?

What does the Johor state election mean to you? For one person, it means freedom. For most other people, it is whether politics and democracy in Malaysia will be brought into further disrepute, or if the nation can be salvaged.

There are some people who should remain neutral in politics, but laughing and shaking hands with the convicted felon, Najib Abdul Razak, only reveals their true colours.

Muda and Pakatan Harapan are not perfect, but they have the potential to offer Malaysians more hope.

A vote for Harapan is also a sign that we are serious about sending Najib to jail.

A vote for BN will free Najib from jail. "Cash is king" and more empty promises will return.

A vote for Umno-Baru is to condone corruption, kleptocracy, and increased racism.

A vote for PAS means a return to the dark ages. How does one have a decent discussion with people who talk about the afterlife as a form of punishment and that disasters like flooding happened because God was punishing us?

PAS politicians, including their women MPs, justify violence on women and subject them to a stricter dress code as if clothing was all that mattered.

Forget about Bersatu, Pejuang, and other Umno-Baru party clones. They represent opportunists, traitors, and treachery.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad of Pejuang is still dreaming of a Malay only party. He refuses to leap into the 21st Century and would prefer to live in a divided past.

Eating with the devil

We have become too complacent, with many of us leading relatively comfortable lives. Over six decades of brainwashing has made us believe that only the party knows what's best for us.

Many Malaysians do not believe in rocking the boat. The majority of the middle class probably once "fed off the devil's hand". They may claim to be ashamed of their actions but have found it difficult to stop.

These are the civil servants who took orders from senior politicians to break the law or perform more mundane things like carrying suitcases stashed with money to foreign countries. They supped with the devil, and after that, shook hands with him.

They are aware of the downward slide of the country, but at the back of their minds is the risk of losing their pension, or of being exposed and shamed by society.

Why would they give up their special privileges which have sustained them, their children, and their families?

These are the people who think if they are unable to outdo their rivals, then their next best option is to cooperate and join forces with them and possibly gain an advantage.

In Sabah, Malacca, and Sarawak, we failed to tell our leaders enough is enough. So, will the Johor state election be the final nail in the Malaysian coffin? When we return to the bad old days of kleptocracy?

The corrupt will be all the more powerful. It will be payback time for them. All obstacles to resuming absolute power will be removed. The critics will be punished. The people will be cowed into further submission.

In the previous three state elections, we could have shown the political class, and the elite, that the lives of ordinary Malaysians do matter.

We had a chance to reject money politics, and refuse more of the same debilitating effects of racial and religious rhetoric, but the voters relented. The people of these states refused to teach their errant leaders a lesson.

Johor is on a knife-edge. Will the state be the game-changer that Malaysia desperately needs? Will Muda and young voters create an impact?

Whatever happens in Johor today will have wider implications for the rest of Malaysia. - Mkini

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MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter.

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