WHILE debating the notion on food security, price stabilisation and others at the Penang state assembly, DAP chairman and the state assemblyperson for Air Putih Lim Guan Eng advanced the notion of zombieism to understand national politics.
He argued that our ministers are behaving like “reanimated zombies” without any sense of direction in discharging their duties.
While the country is faced with multiple crises of food shortage, inflation, rise in fuel prices, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob is doing things that are totally incongruent to the expectations of the people.
Ismail Sabri has chosen the most inappropriate time to promote Malay as the national and international language, appointing disgraced politicians to diplomatic and advisory posts and other incomprehensible things that are hard to imagine.
Zombieism depicts a scenario whereby politicians and leaders are engaged in the most incongruous things that are quite detached from measures necessary to rescue the country from a serious of self-inflicted wounds of entrapments.
The term “zombie” comes from the Haitian experience where dead persons are brought to life by supernatural ways or magic.
The use of the term “zombie” as a metaphor is to indicate the sorry state of affairs of the country especially under the present incapable leadership of Ismail Sabri.
Whether the general election is around the corner is not as important as ensuring food on the table for the masses, placing curbs on the rise of fuel prices, controlling inflation and most importantly strengthening the currency.
But unfortunately, Government’s priorities have gone haywire with less than mundanity setting in.
It serves no purpose to lodge police reports to be followed by police investigations on those who are warning the government not to travel down the same disastrous road as Sri Lanka.
The media is replete with information about what happening to Sri Lanka that relied on ethnic nationalism and religion as a development path.
Malaysia has the time and maybe the good sense to learn from the Sri Lankan experience.
On another front, there is some serious talk about building more highways to ostensibly reduce the snarls of nasty traffic on the road.
It has been proven time and again that more highways are not an answer to the traffic woes as they will merely beget more vehicles on the road.
Needless to say, if these highways are built, they will be built by giving concessions to private companies that politicians might have an interest in.
Highways by private companies would mean the further imposition of toll that would have to borne by the public.
Presently, when incompetent leaders are running the government, there no is direction nor purpose.
Zombieism reflects a scenario where politicians are doing things at their free will independent of the mess the country is in.
The question foremost in the minds of everyone is whether we can prevent this drift of the country made possible by leaders who are directionless.
Is it possible to prevent the drift of the Government or do we have to learn the hard way like Sri Lanka?
And finally, what does it take the Government to get out of the rut of zombieism? – June 1, 2022
Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is the state assemblyperson for Perai. He is also deputy chief minister II of Penang.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
