DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng’s statement about Rishi Sunak as the UK prime minister was deliberately condemned by more than 2,000 netizens. This is a sign of an unmatured attitude among them.
I feel very displeased by these narrow-minded people on the screen, mostly keyboard warriors, and because their comments were politically motivated.
Malaysia is a developing country and many policies have been modified over the past 60 years to meet current needs. The most popular policy is the New Economic Policy (NEP), a special policy for the Malays who were left far behind in the economic growth of this country in the late 1970s.
Lim said that we must accept the fact of variations and we are desperately looking for an extraordinary person to take over the country’s leadership no matter who they are and what race they belong to.
This is a very crucial period for us and the entire world after the COVID-19 calamity. We have not had a stable Government for the past three years and we are far behind in economic growth when compared to others in the region.
The war between Ukraine and Russia also raises many economic issues around the globe, and, surely, Malaysia also expects a pinch along the line from this clash.
Remember, we need economists like Tony Pua and Rafizi Ramli to put Malaysia back on the right track, not race and religious fanatics.
Citizens of any country need leaders who can reorganise systems and execute them at the right time for the interest of all citizens, regardless of their skin colour and ethnicity.
I will give you the best example; when we are on a flight, we don’t see the pilot’s face; we sometimes only hear their voice. But the most important thing is that they can land us safely at our destination.
Disaster
We can’t send our son, daughter or even our friend to the pilot’s seat because they don’t know that mission. And if you do, then your decision can be a disaster for everyone on board.
Likewise in the same situation, we only need a perfect, experienced and honest person to drive our country’s economy and take care of all of us, not someone simply because they are of the same skin colour or ethnicity as the majority in this country.
We can see that in the most powerful country on this planet, like the US (Barack Obama), now in Britain (Sunak) and even Sonia Gandhi from Italy can be the top leader of India. Do you think that there is no racism over there? Yes, there were but they have been purged of that indecency long ago.
These giant countries want to see their economic development and expansion and they don’t care so much about their chef in the kitchen; they want the best food on the table.
It is time for all of us to put aside our thoughts of skin colour and ethnicity to elect our leaders in Parliament and Cabinet.
General elections are around the corner. We want people like Obama and Sunak who can improve our economy, development and impartiality to the country. Currently, we have our former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the most distinguished leader, who can save us in this crucial period.
Many undistinguishable leaders around us constantly talk about race, religion and skin colour, which cannot bring benefits to the country. They are only good at dividing and ruling us like in “colonial times”.
They don’t want us to be together; they always create disunity among us so they can be influential figures forever.
We can stop this sin immediately if we love our country through our voting rights. So, let’s come together to build a better and clean Government for the next generation. – Oct 31, 2022
Pappa Raidu Veraman is the founder and adviser of the Malaysian Indian Voice non-Governmental organisation (NGO). He is also the assistant organising secretary for DAP Selangor.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main photo credit: EPA
