Shortsightedness of politicians
Lim Sue Goan, Malay Mail Online
The new round of vicious political duels has just begun and this time it is anticipated to be a whole lot more intense than the previous rounds.
Former PM Tun Mahathir Mohamad and Pakatan Harapan have drawn up their battle plan by first setting up the so-called “Save Malaysia” alliance to topple Prime Ministrer Datuk Seri Najib Razak, signing of the Citizens’ Declaration followed by the call by former minister in the PM’s department Datuk Seri Zaid Ibrahim for a closed door Citizen Delegates Assembly on March 27 which 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 events nationwide.
According to Wan Azizah, leaders such as Tun Mahathir, Muhyiddin Yassin and Mukhriz will explain why Najib should be brought down from office.
There are several reasons why Mahathir and Pakatan need to act 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) will 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 is firmly in control of the Umno 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 must halt their political maneuvers in order not to trigger public wrath. The “Save Malaysia” alliance must therefore act really fast.
Umno is not going to sit down and do nothing. They are bound to hit back.
Umno’s MP for Tasik Glugor Shabudin Yahaya, for instance, has picked on Penang CM Lim Guan 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 act fast to neutralize the aggressive opposition onslaught.
As a matter of fact, anyone involved in corruption has to be put under probe no matter which party he or she is from. What worries us is the double standards in handling corruption more geared towards hitting at political rivals than to tackle the vice itself.
For the sake of their own political interests, our politicians have been aggressively attacking their opponents and condoning the indecent behaviors of their own comrades. This has not only blurred the the concept of morality but also jeopardize 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 country’s fragile 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 never 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 capable of leaving would choose 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 its 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 nation 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 in the form of Wawasan 2020 if all that they see is so restricted?
