Could it be worse?

 

‘It could be worse’. We hear this often from political pundits.

Commonly bandied about is the sentiment ‘our present government is the best alternative, given the circumstances’. ‘Do you want the green wave to take over?’ ‘Can you imagine if so-and-so were to be PM?’

This kind of mindset is sad. It is telling ourselves that we can’t do any better.

It tends to force us to readily accept any unsatisfactory condition. Before long, we will be lulled into accepting almost anything. A dangerous outcome would be that we stop trying to be better. It would feel so comfortable to just lay back and sink into the cushy beanbag of the status quo.

‘Don’t criticise, don’t rock the boat or it could be worse,’ politicians in the incumbent government tell us.

Well, the bogeyman comes in all shapes and forms.

I prefer to think along the lines of “it could be better.”

Sure, we are given a situation of a hung Parliament that has resulted in a compromise that is called the unity government. But a unity government does not mean it has to be a weak government.

It does not mean we have to accept bad decisions such as puzzling DNAAs that let indicted politicians go free.

It does not mean we have to accept mediocrity in our leaders. It does not mean we have to accept their inertia in implementing needed reforms.

It does not mean that they can indoctrinate our children with political programmes stealthily inserted into our schools. Nor does it mean that they can slot religious curricula into secular schools.

And it certainly does not mean that we cannot criticise Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in whom we have harboured hope for so long. After years in the political wilderness, now that his ship has docked, we, who have been waving flags dockside, are entitled to expect our hopes to be met.

Hope is a picky thing. It does not reside in the pessimistic “it could be worse” mindset. It is swirling around in that half-full glass. It chooses to stick to winners. It is fuel for that ‘something better’. It is the enemy of the rotten status quo and the friend of change.

I hope Anwar realises that the window for change will not be open for too long.

Hope is fragile. Once he has given us hope, do not let us down.

Anwar must realise that as PM, he owes a fiduciary duty to Malaysians. He cannot do as he pleases according to his personal beliefs and political preferences. The decision on sanctioning shipping and trade along political ideology must take into consideration whether it will harm our economy.

Anwar must stop stonewalling on reformist promises. Just saying he is going to fix the economy is not enough. He has to show plans, targets and results.

For example, the anaemic Ringgit. Some would say that at RM4.60 to the US Dollar, it could be worse. Well, it could also be better.

While there are many factors that affect the exchange rate of the Ringgit, a simplistic view is that buying-and-selling is one of them. If there are seven million foreign workers in Malaysia, and if each one sends home an average of RM750 per month, that would be an outflow of RM5.25 billion each month. The foreigners constantly and daily sell Ringgit and buy Rupiah, Taka, Kyat, Peso, USD, Rupee etc.

Beyond having an effect on the Ringgit, foreign workers, undocumented migrant workers are a heavy strain on our economy. Many do not pay taxes and live in the grey economy. They exact a demand on our healthcare services, challenge our security services, deprive Malaysians of jobs and depress wages for our people. They cause the creation of an ecosystem that encourages human trafficking and corruption among those in authority.

This ecosystem has been in existence for far too long. Anwar’s government must do something about it soon. Let the human resources ministry regulate the numbers of foreign workers required in the country. They must do this according to a strict, transparent and honest procedure. Employers must justify the number of foreign workers they need. They must project the numbers and the duration the workers are needed. They must justify why they cannot find Malaysians to do the job. They must also not pay the foreigners lower salaries than the Malaysians for the same job function (to dissuade the arbitrage of cheap labour). Part of the procedure would require that they take care of the workers according to labour law and human rights – adequate housing, healthcare, etc.

The home ministry works in tandem with processing work permits and other immigration processes. They must ensure our borders are secure. They must be totally honest in carrying out their duties.

The migrant workers issue is just one of many that our unity government must fix urgently. Education, healthcare, equal rights, repeal of draconian laws, legal reforms such as the separation of the conflicting prosecutorial and advisory functions of the Attorney-General, ending endemic corruption – these are just a few of them.

Above all, Anwar must value competence in those who will help him achieve solutions to these problems. There are about 1.6 million civil servants in Malaysia – more than enough to do the work. But who will be showing them the way? Do our ministers and deputy ministers have the right skills and competencies?

Are we losing talent to other countries faster than we are replacing them? The Malaysian diaspora seems to be growing ever larger.

Going into 2024, much still needs to be done for Malaysia. With the reshuffled Cabinet, hopefully, we are transitioning away from the defeatist ‘it could be worse’ mindset. We surely can do better. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.