The reason Pakatan Harapan cannot deliver its New Malaysia promise

Yes, Pakatan Harapan has lied to us. They told us that Malaysians now live in the New Malaysia. They say the New Malaysia is different and far better than the old Malaysia. They say in the New Malaysia we have more democracy, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of choice, and much more.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The problem with most Malaysians is they do not listen. If they do then they will know the creature named Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The Mahathir of 2019 is still the same Mahathir of 1969. There has been no change to the man who was 44 to the man is now 94.

Hence when DAP and Pakatan Harapan told us that the Mahathir of today is no longer the same Mahathir of before that was a lie. Mahathir goes by the adage “dulu, kini dan selama-lamanya”. What Mahathir believed then and what Mahathir believes now has not changed.

But then not everything that Mahathir believed in (or said and did) were wrong. And we must remember that not everything that Mahathir says is what he believes. Mahathir is a politician so sometimes he says something not because he believes in it but because it is politically prudent or expedient to say it.

Take the issue of freedom of speech. Mahathir said Malaysia is not a full democracy but a guided democracy. The government needs to guide the citizens on how to think and on what they can and cannot say and do. And this is because Malaysia is a multi-cultural society (multi-racial and multi-religious).

Even the western countries do not allow absolute democracy and freedom of speech, said Mahathir. And that is true. Try to criticise the Jews, Israel or the Zionists and they will go for you. But you can say anything you like about Islam, the Muslims or the Middle East countries and they will call if freedom of speech.

So, double standards exist everywhere, even in the most liberal and democratic country in the world. Hence why should Malaysia be any different?

Pakatan Harapan cannot deliver its promise of a New Malaysia unless religion is put aside

Pakatan Harapan promised the voters a New Malaysia where democracy, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of choice, etc., will be respected and allowed.

Is that true? Is Pakatan Harapan delivering that promise? Can Pakatan Harapan deliver that promise?

No, Pakatan Harapan cannot deliver that promise just like they cannot deliver so many other promises which they made to the voters before GE14. The promise of a New Malaysia is just one more broken promise in a string of many broken promises. There is no New Malaysia. There is just the same old Malaysia of the last 62 years.

How can Pakatan Harapan deliver its promise of a New Malaysia? How can Pakatan Harapan deliver its promise of democracy, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of choice, and so on? It is an impossible promise and a promise that should not have been made in the first place (just like the promise of toll-free highways, the petrol price being reduced to RM1.50, etc.).

In religion (all the Abrahamic faiths) there is such a thing called apostasy, blasphemy, heresy, and so on. You cannot have democracy, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of choice, and at the same time you have religion. Once you have religion then you no longer have democracy, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of choice, etc.

You might say that applies to only Jews, Christians and Muslims. That is not so. Hindus do not have freedom to slaughter cows and/or eat beef. But then that is a violation of their civil liberties and freedom of choice. Hindus might argue that they have made a choice to not eat beef. But that is not a choice. That is a prohibition.

It is either Islam or democracy, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and freedom of choice

Apostasy, blasphemy and heresy are serious crimes in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In the old days you get put to death for these crimes in Europe and you still do in some parts of the Muslim world. For example, up to 140 years ago they were still burning witches in America. And in countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, and so on, people are still executed for apostasy, blasphemy and heresy.

Take the Shia issue as another example. In the New Malaysia, the government is still acting against those “deviants”. Why? Does the New Malaysia not practice democracy, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of choice, and so on?

Why can’t Muslims leave Islam? Why can’t Muslims go to church? Why can’t Christians preach Christianity to Muslims? Why can’t non-Muslims criticise Prophet Muhammad, Islam or the Qur’an (like in “civilised” countries such as France)? Why can’t Malays become Shias?

Yes, Pakatan Harapan has lied to us. They told us that Malaysians now live in the New Malaysia. They say the New Malaysia is different and far better than the old Malaysia. They say in the New Malaysia we have more democracy, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of choice, and much more.

That is not true. What we have now is no different and no more than what we had before. Nothing has changed. Everything is still the same. Malaysia Baru atau Malaysia Lama tidak ada beza. In fact, when Najib Tun Razak was Prime Minister, Malaysia was a bit more liberal than it is now.