Let me start with this observation. Until the advent of Abdullah Badawi UMNO/BN always had the solid support of the Malay population. In those days when we went out to campaign or did our media things we could be quite assured that 60% to 70% of Malay support was always there. For 22 years, Dr M never lost the 2/3 majority, not even in 1999.
Then came Badawi, Najib etc and UMNO got kicked out in 2018. The MALAY voters did not see their fate and future being with UMNO anymore.
Dr M returned in 2018. There was great hope and expectation that Dr M would correct the mistakes of the past. But that hope almost immediately turned to sorrow. Dr M failed. Then something new happened - Dr M got kicked out after just 22 months in power.
The political landscape had changed. These are the Malays of the 21st century. These are not the Malays of 1946 or 1964 or even of 1994. The MALAY voters did not see their fate and future being with Dr M anymore. When they saw that Dr M was still selling tickets to the Jurassic Park the Malays dumped him
The same with TSMY. I would have strongly advised him (actually I did and still do) to drop that 'Abah' moniker. 'Abah' is the most kampongy name anyone could ever think up. Abah is common as a kedai runcit name in the kampong.
Again in just over a year Abah had to exit the scene. The MALAY voters did not see their fate and future being with an Abah either. This is 21st century Malaysia. This is not a 21st century kampong.
Ismail Sabri was no better. He could not speak English. To cover up for his inadequacy he simply banned English. He thought that was a good idea. This time in 2022 the Malay voters almost totally killed UMNO/BN. The MALAY voters certainly did not see their fate and future being with an Ismail Sabri type character either. Yang memalukan negara tak tahu cakap BI pun.
Then now we have the Madani fellow. In the beginning some people had high hopes. Just like for Dr M 2.0. But now barely FOUR months into the new regime he is also flopping around. The MALAY voters certainly do not see their fate and future being with Madani either. And the latest spate of 'investigate that fellow, tangkap this fellow, I am going to sue you' has only made him even more unpopular.
The Chinese seem to support him because the DAP has been given Cabinet positions but more importantly the DAP has plenty of behind the scenes pull not just in Cabinet and Parliament but in SEVEN out of 13 States now ruled by the PH.
Wikipedia - PH is currently the largest coalition in the Dewan Rakyat with 82 seats. At the state level, it is the ruling coalition in 7 of the 13 states in the country, Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Pahang, Melaka and Sabah. It also holds two-thirds majorities in the state legislative assemblies of Penang and Selangor, while it rules Perak, Pahang and Melaka in coalition governments with Barisan Nasional (BN) and Sabah with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
So the Chinese are happy. Which is not a bad thing because what is good for the Chinese is indeed good for the country.
But for others it may not be the same. Now we hear that even the MIC has discussed opting out of the PH. Non-Indians listen carefully. The MIC has a majority of Indian Tamils. The PH has a substantial number of other Indians like the Telugu and Malayali folks as well as Ceylon Tamils who are influential in the party. These are all birds of slightly different plumage. And all this has a bearing on the Indian vote.
The PH has lost much pull on the voters, especially the Malays. The MALAY voters do not see their fate and future being with Madani either.
Nowadays no single Malay based political party can be assured of blind Malay support. It is no more like before. There are no more fixed depoits. If you meet FIVE Malay voters today you cannot know who they will vote for. Maybe all five of them will vote for five different Malay based parties.
WHY IS THIS SO?
The people had super high hopes for Dr M 2.0 then they became totally disappointed in just 22 months. Why?
The people had some hopes for TSMY, Ismail Sabri then they became totally disappointed. Why?
Some people had high hopes for Madani then they became totally disappointed in just three months. Why?
The answer lies in the following news item (plus other similar news)
- Madani govt cannot unilaterally cancel contract to import rice
- needs to consider social obligations which B..nas agreed
include managing country’s rice buffer stock
purchase padi at a minimum price
managing padi price subsidy payments
allocate funds for supply of machinery, padi mechanisation
develop large-scale padi farms
develop padi seed buffer stock
padi cultivation disaster fund aid
RM1.85b involves farmers
RM1.37b for industries / consumers
shares 30% net profit with farmers this year
- several parties questioned extension of B..nas’ concession
- Madani govt stressed it was necessary
My Comments:
The minister certainly does not know what he is saying. We are an independent country with a sovereign government headed by an Agong. In 1957 we secured independence from the British empire.
This was the same British Empire which forced us to sign the Pangkor Treaty etc with clauses like 'as long as there are stars and the moon in the sky' (selagi ada bulan dan bintang di langit).
But now this deputy minister is saying we cannot break free from a MONOPOLY contract that was given to some company?
'as long as there are stars and the moon in the sky ?? Is the company more powerful than the British empire?
And his information is wrong. The MONOPOLY concession was only recently extended: "extension of B..nas’ concession"
This means the concession had already ended. But the Madani gomen extended it. WHY?
Anyone can 'manage country’s rice buffer stock' if the consumers and taxpayers pay for the buffer stock. It is a monopoly - all their money comes from us.
Kedah farmers have had a long list of complaints about this "purchase padi at a minimum price". There are many people in Kedah who dont like this rice monopoly. That is why the PH is going to lose in Kedah.
and here : https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2022/05/954258/pesawah-tuntut-naik-harga-subsidi-padi
The deputy minister says the MONOPOLY company even : manages padi price subsidy payments!! So they manage the cash for the subsidy - taxpayers money. Banyak cantik.
Does the company present audited statements about how exactly they manage the cash for these subsidy payments? Can these audited statements be presented in Parliament?
So far there are no such things as "develop large-scale padi farms". Despite the passage of over 50 years for this MONOPOLY (since LPN in 1973) they have not developed a single large-scale padi farm.
- develop padi seed buffer stock ???
The padi farmers have long complained about insufficient or expensive padi seeds for planting.
Click here : https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/103546/berita/nasional/pesawah-kecewa-bekalan-benih-padi-lewat
PUTRAJAYA - Lebih 100,000 pesawah melahirkan rasa kecewa apabila terpaksa berhadapan dengan kelewatan dan eksploitasi harga benih padi yang tidak berkesudahan.
The complaints are quite endless. And yet the concession has been extended by the Madani gomen.
- B..nas also gives cash contribution RM60 million
- shares 30% net profit with farmers this year
Only RM60 million! Shares only 30% of net profit?
(Has that first RM10 million been paid in December 2022? Hello sleeping Malaysian press go and ask the Madani fellow. Dah bayar atau belum? Has the RM10 million been distributed? To whom? How? How much per person?)
Give me the monopoly and I will give cash contribution RM90 million and share 45% of the net profit.
But this is why all the gomen from Badawi, Najib, Dr M 2.0, Muhyiddin, Sabri, Madani have failed.
They dont care about the peoples' welfare. They care more for the welfare of the MONOPOLY companies, the big GLCs, the large corporate players with cables and connections.
For the pat 50 years the Malaysian consumer has been paying higher prices for rice because of the rice monopoly.
The people just keep paying and paying.
For how many more decades are we going to pay the tolls? 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? In Thailand their highways are equal or better - but no tolls. How come?
So does the voter decide based on the fact that he pays more for the rice monopoly, the AP monopoly, the higher car prices, the toll road monopoly, he pays more for imported labour (through higher prices at the kedai mamak)?
THE ANSWER IS NO!
The voter is not even aware of all these monopolies. The voter does not even know exactly how many monopolies there are in the country. (Oi hello, I almost forgot, apa sudah jadi MONOPOLI kartel daging?)
But what the voter knows is that in Malaysia rice is expensive. If you earn RM2000 per month, you can eat that cheap quality rice. Forget about long grain Thai rice, Viet Long rice. Forget about basmathi rice. Beggars cannot afford basmathi rice. Beggars in other countries maybe can.
What the 100,000 farmers (in the link above) know is that their life is difficult. They dont know too much about the MONOPOLY's social obligations but they know their life is difficult.
The other day there was a traffic jam at the Sg Besi toll, so Google Map told us to take an alternative route (to save 15 mins). That detour cost us RM11.00 extra toll because we went through like FOUR or FIVE intra-city tolls. That was insane.
So that is why the people do not vote for UMNO or Dr M 2.0 or TSMY or Sabri or Madani.
Because there is no change in the policies which can improve their lives.
The people do not see any improvement in their lives regardless it is UMNO, PN, PH, Madani or whoever.
When there is a change in government the people have high expectations. But when the new gomen does not do anything better the high expectations come crashing down.
That is why UMNO/BN got kicked out in 2018.That is why Dr M 2.0 lasted only 22 months.
That is why TSMY lasted only about a year.
Why Sabri got kicked out.
And now Madani will also get kicked out.
They do not change the useless policies inherited from ketuanan, inherited from Mahafiraun etc.
They dont abolish the monopolies that make life difficult.
They do not care for the long term welfare of the people.
The politicians have a death wish. They want to get kicked out.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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