Who Hijacked Our Reform Agenda?
Khoo Kay Peng
The last several weeks have been the most depressing to the proponents of real reforms in the country. Genuine activists have been working very hard to fight for justice and fair play in so many areas e.g. minimum wage, against corruption, police brutality, custodial deaths, illegal conversion cases, rule of law, free and fair elections, press freedom, against racism, against draconian laws, etc.
Some of these activities were harshly treated by the authorities. Imagine Burma and imagine recent police actions against peaceful demonstrations and cake parties! In Malaysia, Aung San Suu Kyi might not have been allowed to speak to thousands of her supporters like she did last week when she was released in Burma. Is the ruling regime in Malaysia worse than the Burmese junta?
Apart from some big sounding and scary amount of money announced for several big ticket public projects, the ruling government has not offered the people any kind of solid policy or institutional reform.
Yet, some Malaysians and some leaders in the opposition movement have started to lose their focus and mission. The mess created by leaders in the opposition fighting over menial political positions and self interests are beginning to make us feel that this country is again slipping into the same hole which has buried our sense of justice and fairness for decades.
Opposition politicians have been riding on the reform platform to win over voters and triumph in elections. What we need from them now is to embrace the reform spirit and help to contribute to the forces which are trying to free this nation from its ills. They should not contribute to the ills because they had benefited from the reform forces in the 2008 GE.
It is unfortunate that these self-centric politicians had hijacked our reform agenda with the political mess and controversies they had created. Worse, blind supporters of these politicians are trying to brain wash us that we cannot achieve our reform agenda without them. These supporters should remind their idols that the reform agenda is beyond and above any personality or individual.
Whoever wins the party elections is not going to give Sharmala a fair trial, or Beng Hock his justice and retribution or PKFZ it’s money back.
We need leaders who are real activists whose mission is to free this society and nation from it’s ills, weaknesses and injustices. We do not need power suckers who are only concerned about their own legacy and ego.
