ORDINARY Malaysians have expressed their concerns over the latest – although really nothing new – developments in the country.
The failure of the Opposition to provide the checks-and-balances in the Dewan Rakyat is not only a concern today but they appear to be contented with only shallow debates.
As depicted by Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan’s latest attempt to create false impressions that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PMX) is corrupt, the lawmaker from Bersatu had to bite the bullet after he failed to substantiate his claims before March 10 after being challenged by the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki.
Although his parliamentary immunity saved him from being prosecuted, it does not do any good to his personal credibility as a senior member of the party that he belongs to.
The quality of debates brought about by Perikatan Nasional (PN) lawmakers is also far from being satisfactory. On what is otherwise a simple dish – something of a gastronomical delight among non-Muslims – the prolonged debate on bak kut teh has already driven people up the wall with their antics.
The unity government does not only have to solve the economic woes faced by the country but also to attract more foreign investors and to fence off noises from within and outside the parliament.
The shouting match previously exemplified by the likes of Kinabatangan lawmaker Datuk Seri Panglima Bung Moktar Radin is now predominantly overshadowed by lawmakers from PN.
While the Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul attempts to maintain decorum in the august house, what the ordinary rakyat see is a circus of primates.
Outside Parliament
There are also those such as controversial Muslim convert preachers Prof Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, Firdaus Wong Wai Hung and former Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s (UKM) professor of ethnic studies Prof Datuk Teo Kok Seong who are fanning the 2R (race and religious) sentiments.
It takes someone with Edward de Bono’s lateral thinking to see the fingerprints all over the places, especially when there was a sudden appearance of these ethnic Chinese actors to rile up the otherwise typical MYOB (mind-your-own-business) Chinese populace in the country.
The Chinese community must be vigilant, remain focused on their business and economic survival after being hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic instead of being pitched against the majority Malay community who are generally accomodative.
As proven from the generally more peaceful scenario around the country during the May 13 political clashes in 1969, majority of Malays are, in fact, moderates and amicable. Their economic well-being is so much better than in the past.
At the same time, Muslims must also reflect over the political development in the country. It is easy to analyse what is happening in the country by realising who is the one main target in practically every drama that unfolds.
Ever since he broke rank with twice former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1998, PMX has been accused of nearly everything that do not even make sense at all.
Anwar was accused of being a spy working for both capitalist America and pro-Communist Russia, and he was also a spy for Israel.
A video expose of his purported sexual encounter with a China girl turned out to be a fake after the then Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul (now Dewan Speaker) exposed how Thai make-up artists could easily turn someone into an Anwar look-alike.
When Anwar tried to help the Malay B40 community in few of the country’s poorest states, he was accused of being pro-Malays. When he gave allocations to other communities, the wind blew in a different direction attempting to pitch the Malays against the other races.
Hidden hands
By keeping one’s eyes opened and analysing the political development in the country, it is not difficult to see there are hidden hands involved.
A careful observation will show that there is a pattern behind all the actions and non-actions by even the authorities and questions must be asked: Who are the hidden hands behind all this?
Some have suggested deep state. Others such as this commentator (see video) have blamed it on the political factions within parties that support the unity government.
In a country where corruption has penetrated into nearly every stratum of society for the past six decades, any attempt to eradicate corruption will surely evoke retaliation from the corrupt, yet if Malaysia does not deal with this major problem, its wealth will continue to be plundered.
For this reason, the Madani government cannot expect the outcome to be different if it continues to do things business-as-usual. If there are hidden hands behind the drama we see, then there must be the paid actors to do the job of intimidating ordinary civilians. These “bullies” should not be tolerated.
Civil society has voiced out against the police’s failure to act upon vigilante groups in the past and present. It can only breed political intimidation – and most of the time – they fall back on the justification of having to defend either one’s race or religion to escape police action.
In the past, different groups aligned to certain political leaders were used to intimidate former BERSIH co-chair Ambiga Sreeneevasan and the Malaysiakini office but they were never arrested, emboldening others to do the same.
There is really no difference now except that it involves a different set of actors. The concern among the general populace is obvious as seen from the discussions on social media which can be summarised by the concerns raised by the Lawyers for Liberty (LFL).
If actions are not taken, politicians will always resort to the politics of hate instead of trying to prove their worth by making significant contributions to society and the country in order to climb their political ladders. – March 26, 2024
Main image credit: Pertubuhan Kebajikan Amal Sejagat Malaysia
