2Malaysias vs. 1Malaysia

ARCHIVES 2009

By admin-s On Jun 19, 2009

Malaysian Political debacles are continued to creep in with no time frame for sure. Some have already been eventful and some less so. But let be reminded, of lately major happenings are only in Peninsula, which aren’t shared by majority of Malaysians living in Sabah and Sarawak.

By Kadayan Journal

Simply, because many don’t know in great deal what happenings over and across South China Sea, from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur is more than thousand miles separates the two main lands Malaysia.

Another reason people here are less interested to know because matters of this kind don’t affect their life directly. Ordinary people on the streets particularly in towns are far more concerned about managing their daily income and expenditure. Worried about the price of goods that steadily increases while income doesn’t. Our one ringgit worth of currency today is equivalent to only 10 sen fifty years ago. Ikan basung cost 30 sen per kilo at Kota Kinabalu wet market in 1970s, now it cost 5 ringgits about 17 times higher within 37 years.

This sombre economic outlook may not yet shared by those employed by the government or government agencies alike, after all this group of people are guaranteed receiving the same amount of salaries every end of the month, but not in the case of self-employed, for e.g., barbers, taxi drivers, rubber tapers, fish mongers, hotel owners, car repairers, and service sectors alike.

Many ordinary people that I talked to in towns are worried about losing jobs or business simply collapse, now even their children’s tuition classes slashed dramatically, some forgone altogether in order to minimise expenses.

With the continued political impasse and economic uncertainties, we shouldn’t be surprised if economic disaster takes affect sooner than later. This is where I think our leaders should be spending their time looking for solution instead of preoccupied with grabbing power from one another.

This greedy mentality by the present leaders has actually agitated many ordinary citizens even more. Some already decided to repay those responsible when time comes, in other words, they will decide in the next General Election who to be voted in. But of course that doesn’t necessarily remedy the economic situation, what I’m saying is people are getting angry.

For instance, how many Sabahans and Sarawakians would care to think and be sentimental about when BN government hijacked the Speaker of the Perak Assembly? Even if they were a few following the event closely, I think by the next trip of their YBs to see them, give some explanations and some goodies for armaiti in the case of interior of Sabah, things should run normal again.

Others like, peaceful demonstrations in the country’s capital, debates and media announcements would never really touch the hearts of the rural people.