Shortsightedness of politicians
The new round of vicious political duel has just begun and this time, it is anticipated to be a whole lot more intense than the previous rounds.
Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily
Former PM Tun Mahathir and Pakatan Harapan has drawn up the battle plan by first setting up the so-called “Save Malaysia” alliance to topple Najib, signing of the Citizens’ Declaration followed by the call by former minister in the PM’s department Zaid Ibrahim for a closed door Citizen Delegates Assembly on March 27 that is widely expected to be discussing strategies and boosting of morale.
Next we will have street protests. Pakatan Harapan will organize a massive rally to abolish GST and save Malaysia on April 2 before holding similar rallies across the nation.
According to Wan Azizah, leaders such as Tun Mahathir, former Umno deputy Muhyiddin Yassin and former Kedah MB Mukhriz will explain why Najib should be brought down from office.
There are several reasons why Mahathir and Pakatan need to act very fast. First of all, the Sarawak state election is just around the corner and if the alliance fails to raise the anti-establishment sentiment soon, BN should be able to sail past the election in breeze given the skepticism of East Malaysians and the popularity of CM Adenan. A Sarawak BN victory could be seen as a feather in Najib’s cap.
Secondly, Umno branch assemblies will be held from March 18 through May 1. Mahathir has issued an open letter to call for Umno division members to table two motions, namely a vote of no confidence against Najib and not to defer the party elections originally scheduled for later this year, but he has not much confidence the Coalition of Branch Chiefs Malaysia (GKCM) would be able to breakthrough the siege by the party’s central leadership. As such, he has no choice but to make use of Pakatan to convince the Umno grassroots.
Without the slightest doubt Najib in firmly in control of the supreme council and divisions, and as such Mahathir can only tackle from the more grassroots branch level. Muhyiddin and Mukhriz have already leapt into action by engaging the grassroots. If their effort fails to produce the desired effect, Najib’s position is poised to receive a further boost.
Thirdly, the Ramadan fasting month will begin in early June and all Muslims in the country are expected to halt their political maneuvers in order not to trigger public backlash. The “Save Malaysia” alliance must act really fast.
Umno is not going to sit down and watch the opposition onslaught. They are bound to hit back.
Umno’s MP for Tasik Glugor Shabudin Yahaya, for instance, has picked on Penang CM Lim Guang Eng’s acquisition of an undervalued bungalow during the March 17 Dewan Rakyat sitting instead of waiting until the Sarawak elections or the next general elections, showing that Umno indeed needs to hits back to neutralize the onslaught.
As a matter of fact, anyone involved in corruption has to be put under investigating no matter which party he or she is from. What worries us is the double standards in handling corruption more to hit at the political rivals than to tackle the vice itself.
For the sake of their own political gains, our politicians have been aggressively attacking their opponents and condoning the indecent behaviors of their own comrades. This has not only confounded the the concept of morality but also hurt public confidence.
Duels among political parties in this country have gained in momentum in recent years while national progress and democracy are taking the back seat, dealing a severe blow on the fragile national economy as well as judiciary system and rule of law, thanks to weighted political considerations at the expense of moral principles and rules in dealing with things.
We cannot afford to allow such political fights to go on as the country’s state of economy is not as good as the authorities would want us to believe. Our economy is beginning to lose its steam. According to the 2016 Knight Frank’s wealth report, Malaysia is losing its super rich at the world’s second faster rate with one in four contemplating emigration.
Many people capable of leaving would want to do so if the country’s political situation remains this turbulent. The divestment of BAT should serve as a warning bell for our deteriorating investment climate.
The country’s overall reputation is also seeing a slide. In a latest report, the Time magazine put Malaysia in the list of five most scandal-hit countries. Why a ministerial secretary could easily swindle the entire country into accepting up to RM100 million in economic losses?
While political fights can divert the public’s attention from more pertinent issues, they can also derail our politicians’ focus to revitalize the national economy such that they won’t have time to think about people in the street struggling under tremendous economic pressure.
The breadth of our politicians’ scope of vision will determine the prospects of this country. What is it to talk about a grand design or Wawasan if all that they see is so restricted?
