An Open Letter to Pakatan and DAP
Karamjit Gill
First and foremost, I would like to applaud your brave and bold action calling for the Citizens’ Declaration for a better Malaysia. The future of Malaysia is definitely bleak unless something drastic is done.
Unfortunately, despite gargantuan efforts, the amount of people who have signed the Citizens’ Declaration online is shameful. As of this moment while I am writing this article, about 47,497 people have pledged their support to the Citizens’ Declaration on change.org. Comparatively, about 49,633 people signed the declaration by Malaysian Organization of Vape Entity (MOVE) petitioning the Ministry of Health to lift the ban on the vaping industry.
Judging by the numbers, there seem to be more people in Malaysia wanting to legalise vaping than “saving” Malaysia. The vape supporters have probably not even spent 1/10th the amount the Opposition have spent convincing people to sign their declaration. Let’s not go so far. I, myself, have refused to sign the Citizens’ Declaration for the simple reason that Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad is part of this petition.
I listened carefully to all speakers in the recent event in Shah Alam on Sunday and couldn’t help but scoff at the level of hypocrisy displayed. Mahathir spoke about oppressiveness under the current regime. He spoke about how the judiciary is being influenced by the legislative. He spoke about suppression of freedom of speech. He cracked jokes on numerous issues. While those in attendance laughed and clapped, nobody had the audacity to ask the simple question of: “Why is there such oppressiveness in the country today? Why isn’t the judiciary an independent body?”
The answer is pretty simple. The same man who is passing the statement is the reason the country is rotten today. You scream ‘Save Malaysia’ but it only looks like ‘Save Mahathir’ in the eyes of the neutral. You may display a smokescreen that Mahathir is repenting and wants a change, but there is no sign of remorse at all in Mahathir’s words. Mahathir is only interested in removing the current prime minister. He has said it time and time again. He went as far as saying that upon removal of Prime Minister Najib, the next in line has to be from the party with majority in the Dewan Rakyat, and it does not have to be the current deputy Prime Minister. He still insists, indirectly, that Barisan Nasional leads the country. After his son gets the sack from UMNO, I can assure you that his tune will change again. Mahathir is only about his son and nothing else.
The majority of Malaysians have had enough with knee-jerk reactions. You cannot convince us by saying, “Let’s remove Najib first, and then see what happens.” Let me tell you what will happen once Najib is removed. Mahathir will shamelessly go back to UMNO with the Perkasa bigot and his spineless son, and will continue fighting till his son becomes the Prime Minister. All the Opposition can do is make noise and strike. Knowing the evil ways of Mahathir, Ops Lalang Part 2 will commence and anyone who opposes will sit in jail. Then the Opposition will join Najib, forgive him, and replay this whole soap opera again?
If you really want a change, I propose the following:
1) An independent royal commission to investigate Mahathir and his family over the 22 years he ruined the country. If there is any evidence of malpractice, Mahathir should face the law of the land.
2) An independent royal commission to investigate the sitting prime minister and 1MDB.
3) The judiciary should be completely independent and does not answer to the legislative at all.
4) The anti-corruption agency should also be an independent body that does not report to the Prime Minister.
5) All politicians have to declare their assets on an annual basis from any side of political divide
6) There should be unbiased and free media reporting in accordance to proper journalism ethics.
There should be no forgiving or forgetting the past because the past sets the precedence for today and tomorrow. For a start, the above six pointers will definitely show the people that you are serious in calling for a change. Currently, most of us only see Mahathir attempting to save his skin. He wants to show the world that he still commands who becomes the prime minister. He wants his crooked bridge back. He only wants to rebuild his battered ego.
If you want the support of Malaysians, boot Mahathir out of the Citizens’ Declaration and witness yourself how many more people would join you in calling for a change. Till then, all your efforts will be futile. The choice is yours. If you really want to make a change, revamp the entire system and change completely. We have had enough of this silly trial and error policy.
