I Weep for Malaysia !

My former colleague Capt. Abdul Aziz Abdullah, who is back after many years as a working expat in a neighbouring country, sent me this heartfelt comment on the state of the nation which I thought I'd publish in toto:

Who would have thought that we would be heaped into the present quagmire that we are truly ensconced with now? With no apparent clear direction as to where we are going, politically and economically, we are further threatened with having to bear the constant possibility of public mayhem causing great unease in our normal daily routine. One would have thought that after the 12^th. General Election (GE), a clear message would have been delivered to both, the victors and the vanquished, as to what was expected of them. The victors are deemed to have been provided a chance to prove that they are worth the trust accorded them and, hence, commence governing with fresh vitality and competence. The vanquished, on the other hand, were expected to take heed of the apprehensions of the rakyat on the way they were ruling previously, and, hence, do the necessary to identify the causes of their malady, discover ways to rectify these and prove that they are worth being given a second chance come the 13^th GE.

But, sadly, today, 4 months down the road, what do we see?

I perceive a country, once the pride of the region in terms of political stability and economic prosperity, now quite unsure of its future direction in both aspects. There is an absence of a distinct political leadership, something that is a must when a governing party that has been in power for 50 years lost is 2/3 majority in the Federal Parliament and 5 states to boot! In my mind, the day that “political tsunami” occurred on March 8, it behoves upon the top leadership of the Barisan Nasional (BN) to come out with greater vigour and prove their mettle as true “leaders” in every sense of the word – grab the message delivered by the rakyat, conduct a closed-door “no-holds-barred” post mortem to identify the causes of the mass rejection, identify the remedies, formulate solutions and, commence putting them into effect whilst maintaining its right to govern the Federation – as wished by the majority when 140 seats were given to the BN.

Instead, what do we notice?

Endless blame-throwing and in-fighting within the component parties, both intra and inter, trying to outdo each other in very public screaming of the onus that “You are unfit to govern because I am better than you. You are to assume total responsibility for our failure at the polls!”

Yet, when offered a Cabinet post by the same individual they vociferously claimed to have been the sole cause of the “disaster”, these same accusers were more than keen to accept them! What an anomaly!

Over on the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) side, one could expect that they would accept the mandate given them to govern the newly delivered 4 states competently and prove the decision of the voters to be a wise one and, hence, do their utmost to commence doing just that, i.e. to govern wisely.

Instead, even before displaying their political acumen of being THE government in these states, they choose to manoeuvre and manipulate the downfall of the party ruling the Federal government! Have they forgotten that, had the rakyat wished them to be taking over the Federal reins, then, such a mandate would have been delivered by the majority during the polls? The fact that it was not provides ample evidence that the PR is being “tested” in the 4 states before a final assessment is made on their suitability to actually govern the country. Alas, if only this message gets into the minds of PR stalwarts heading the 4 states, I am quite sure that they will spend more time in ensuring good governance of their respective charges rather than opt for wasting valuable resources and time in trying to unseat the Federal Government.

On the economic front, the spiraling rise in the global oil price is unstoppable. This has to be accepted. It will seriously affect Malaysia’s planned economic growth. This, too, has to be accepted.

So what do we do?

Simply dish out piecemeal solutions (some of which had to be retracted later due to it being not thought out properly beforehand) and pray for the best?

Ridiculous!

I say, let’s go on a war-footing to address and issue that affects each and every Malaysian! Just as in war-time, we should harness whatever expertise and acumen available in Malaysia and get all of them to confer and deliberate – coming out with the best options to face the crisis heads-on. In this regards, party-affiliation ought to be set aside – we need the very best, the most articulate, the pedigree of economic planners – to sit down and try come out with beneficial and well thought out “do-able” policies acceptable to Malaysians for the country’s continued prosperity.

Impossible?

Not so, in my books, for, when a “war-footing” is triggered, then all else becomes subordinate to the national interest. What good is there for BN and PR to be at loggerheads with each other when the country is crying for solutions to a very pertinent aspect of its survival – her economic well being!

Unfortunately, instead of addressing and finding amicable solutions to all the above, our power-wielders prefer to opt for a confrontational stance. Accusations and counter-accusations of criminal wrongdoings, with sordid details of misbehaviour by political adversaries still continue. Blatant abuse of instruments of governance meant for securing public order in time of national crisis is invoked to cause public inconvenience. Propriety in respecting the rule of law is thrown to the winds with ministers commenting on on-going investigations, whilst, in the same breath, claiming that they are not interfering in the process.

Prior to March 8, almost all power holders assumed that the Malaysian lay-public are ignoramuses who cannot differentiate between an untruth and a sworn statement; between fact and fiction; between news-propaganda and information-plausibility.

Gladly, Malaysians have passed that stage! We are now more well-informed, thanks to the advent of the Internet and its associated knowledge dissemination facilities. We are more judicious in making decisions that affect our own well being and that of our children and their children’s children. We care for the betterment of our beloved nation and resist the temptation to simply migrate and say farewell to the place where we were born!

It is for all these that I weep for my country. A nation that once stood tall amongst her peers in the region is now deemed to be the “laughing stock” of the world! Our leaders are castigated not only by the opposition, but, more vocally by their own “supporters”. In trying to pacify and placate these dissatisfied groups, the will to take charge and move the nation forward appears to have been put on the back burner!

I plead to all – please, please do the right thing! Pick up the reins and commence governing. Do not attempt to justify your weakness by pointing fingers at others; instead prove your mettle as a leader by actions compatible with such an acknowledgment. Lead and do not be swayed. Rest assured that should you do what is right; the rakyat will be with you. But, if you prefer to opt for what is “popular”, than the reverse will surely occur.

Enough of castigations and humiliation; enough of thumb-twiddling and procrastination.

Others are moving forward at a faster pace than us. We need to pick up the pieces and catch up with them.

I know we can do it – provided the innate will to do so is there!

I wish to stop weeping – is there such a possibility?