The Sad Things
What is wrong with these people? Why do they need to argue on little matters that have no impact on the development of the country? Or our safety for that matter? They are so occupied with attacking their counterparts that most of the time they ignore common people, like us, that they should be working for.
By Fuad Hafis
I wonder what’s wrong with Malaysian politics nowadays. Politicians from both sides, especially from Pakatan Rakyat, claim and argue on pretty much petty things such as 1Malaysia and One Israel, the 1Malaysia logo on billboard ads in Selangor, APCO, the racism issue between Utusan and Guan Eng, and most recently PAS Selising’s Drs Saipul Bahrin Mohamad who challenged UMNO to show evidence that he was caught for adultery on a train.
What is wrong with these people? Why do they need to argue on little matters that have no impact on the development of the country? Or our safety for that matter? They are so occupied with attacking their counterparts that most of the time they ignore common people, like us, that they should be working for.
Instead of arguing on the 1Malaysia concept, wherever it came from, let’s focus on say the transportation issue. Our bus drivers suck really bad. 61 bus passengers died since October. The funny thing is, only AFTER the recent incident in Cameron Highlands did the authorities decide that they will set up an independent investigation body to find out the reason.
Shouldn’t it have been done way back in October, at least? As if there is a special quota they need to reach before deciding on this matter. In fact, there’s a joke that the percentage of deaths relating to buses are 1000% higher than that of an airplane. Also, when we talk about transportation, it always reminds me of the taxis. You know the ones with the sticker on the rear doors that says “no haggling” BUT the drivers will invariably never accept passengers unless the passengers agree to a fare mentioned by the drivers. Awful lot, indeed. And JPJ never took action about that, let alone strict enforcement. And the politicians don’t even bother about it. Not to mention the always-late-on-arrival KTM commuter service, which I bet Airasia has a better reputation.
Instead of arguing about creating an Islamic state, they should work together with the government on something that contributes to a better economy, such as helping to maintain affordable food prices. Most Malaysians earn less than RM1500. I should add further that the government or the opposition should take this opportunity to work with MTUC to propose the implementation of a minimum wage policy. But they don’t. They’d prefer to talk about the next by-election.
Speaking of elections, while university and college students are not allowed to participate in politics regardless of their age, 11 years old can get married in Malaysia. Is this a joke? Come on. Does it make sense that the little girl, who has not even taken UPSR yet, is given the right to enter into an agreement that will change her life completely, while university and college students with brains that are supposed to create a better future can’t take part in politics! As for child marriages, what’s the purpose of labeling movies with 18SX or 18PL, then? Aren’t we supposed to protect kids from pedophiles? Can’t our politicians make some policies for this? As for the students, aren’t we supposed to prepare them for leading us in the future? And if so, why not let them start early? No wonder these students are not interested in politics, it is because politics didn’t care about them.
Instead of igniting and reigniting the issue of racism, they should focus instead on making sure we Malaysians can get to sleep at night, soundly, without worry of waking up tomorrow for another day. On Dec 22nd, a fresh mart owner was shot dead in his car by a motorcycle pillion rider in Jalan USJ 1/1, Subang Jaya. Another in Kuantan on the 23rd December, a contractor was found dead with slash wounds on his neck at his house in Lorong Sekilau, while in Ipoh, a sundry shop owner was killed after he was stabbed in the chest in a tussle with robber. These happen every other day. So why can’t the politicians focus on reducing crime instead? Prove to us that they are as useful as we thought (yes, thought, as we no longer think they can). Oh we can still rely on the police! Oh wait, don’t! They’ll shoot us!
I’ve just graduated, and frankly, I’m not interested in our local politics scene. Tell me why I should, because when I wake up in the morning, it’s always the same. Because maybe the saying is true: Politicians and diapers have one thing in common – they need to be changed regularly … and for the same reason, at that.
