Buah Umno: Buah Pala

ARCHIVES 2009

By admin-s On Sep 16, 2009

By G. Krishnan

The tragedy of tale of Kampung Buah Pala is – as it should be – a reminder to us all of the utter failure of the Umno/BN regime to live up to its commitments to the people. Fighting poverty has presumably been one of the pillars of the Umno rhetoric for decades. But instead they have indulged in toxic communalism and almost irreparably damaged the social harmony of the country.

As much as the current state government in Penang is understandably having to resolve a messy dilemma manufactured under the watch of the previous BN regime, and as much as I sympathise with the predicament that DAP-led state government has been put into by the previous BN regime, surely every reasonable Malaysian ought to appreciate the tragedy that has unfolded for these residents of Kg. Buah Pala.

And as my Auntie Maalini has rightly reminded me, perhaps it is worth remembering that there are far too many poor Malaysians – and to be quite candid about it, especially non-Malays – who know that they are not the ones who are typically prone to getting the attention of the government and receiving aid when they are in dire straits.

I’m sure there must been some deep apprehension among the residents that once displaced, they might well become part of the pool of discarded poor, non-privileged Malaysians who have never been the beneficiaries of special BN programmes that would afford them special housing loans, allowances, or low-cost housing. These residents must surely fear that unless they put up a fight, like countless other underprivileged Malaysians whose rights under the BN regime apparently don’t seem consequential, they too will fall through the cracks and become part of the statistic of poor Malaysians deemed unworthy of help.

And the proof is in the pudding. How often have we seen the pathetic MIC falling over itself trying to grab publicity about helping some destitute family or another once their plight is exposed? How often do me hear so high-and-mighty BN minister blabbering about the welfare of the poor? But alas, within days, as soon as the television cameras move on, all is forgotten. These afflicted poor – living in desperation – are left stranded and without options. Without real options because the BN regime finds them unworthy to be provided with low-cost housing or some such programme.

But fate has also conspired against the DAP, such that it has found its hands tied by the legal bind and mess that the previous BN regime put in place regarding Buah Pala. Hence, the demolition of Buah Pala, which the DAP has been forced to oversee, might cost it some popularity points, but we’ll only be fooling ourselves even more if we once again complacently fail to see through the flawed and failed BN rhetoric about dealing with poverty across the board in this country.