New Year 2017

Guilty shame no more

As we come the close of 2016, it may be relevant for us to reflect on the events of the year and their implications on our lives so as to make us better prepared for the coming year.

At the beginning of this year I wrote about the gloom that had engulfed our nation due to the “Cash is King” phenomenon that has taken control of our country. I expressed great disappointment that corruption has become rampant and blatant in our country especially at the highest level. This was illustrated by the 1MDB scandal that had shaken the very core of our economic and democratic system of governance. I ended by asking whether there was still hope for cure.

As we step foot into 2017, the problems of the 1MDB is yet to be solved. In fact it had become more complex and entrenched with no end in sight. It had led to another phenomenon where shame has become alien to our culture. Despite being guilty of wrong doing there is no feeling of shame by the wrong doer. In fact today the corrupt with right connections walks with their heads high despite being proven, whereas those who speak out against the wrong doers are being punished. 

In any society shame is a deterrent to wrong doing but today sadly that shame is slowly fading, being replaced with arrogance and blatant abuse of power to hide all wrong doings. What has gone wrong with our culture that we held in high esteem? Why have people become shameless despite been proven guilty?

Major corruption and abuse of power appears to be invisible and continue into the New Year. Our hopes are fading as even rights groups outside seem to slowly give up hope. To make matters worse many of our friends and relatives have given up and are leaving for greener pastures elsewhere. Will emigrating solve our problems?

We must realize that only we and we alone can stop the rot that is destroying our beloved nation which we toiled to build. The silent majority must wake up and stand to be countered not run away in defeat. Our fate depends on the silent majority and we just hope and pray they wake up to make the right choice come the 14GE.

Meanwhile the opposition must put aside their ego and differences to unite behind a capable leader who is committed to fight for the good of all regardless of race and creed. Time is running out and more they delay the lesser the chance of succeeding as the ‘enemy’ is strong, rich and powerful whose might we cannot match.

Happy New Year  

Mahatma Gandhi's 147th birthday

On this 147th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi,his following words may give us some hope for coming out of the gloom engulfing our beloved nation.

Today there is despair as we watch helplessly bad winning over good everywhere.The righteous seem to have lost their voice as their rights and freedom are blatantly denied and abused.

Will sanity ever prevail and the good overcome bad in the near future?Will peace and harmony ever return?The Mahatma's words will at the least give us a little hope and comfort that the evil of tyrany may be not invincible after all.

The historic Anwar-Mahathir handshake

Death spell for Umno-BN?

The unimaginable has occurred which goes to show that in life, especially in politics, there are no real friends or enemies.

I refer to the historic meeting between Tun Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim. The irony is that despite Anwar sending out conciliatory messages before, it was Mahathir who had to swallow his pride   to go to meet his once trusted deputy who later became his arch-enemy.

What does this meeting mean in today’s chaotic Malaysia under PM Najib Razak? Both men deny that they had made peace and became friends again but are in agreement to fight Najib’s NSC Act which Anwar has filed in court. Both are veteran politicians who know what they are talking about and their words were calculated so as not to reveal too much of what is in their minds.

The question in everyone’s mind is whether this reunion of the two men after 18 years will stop Umno and Najib from what they are doing. Will this be enough to bring down Najib and save the country from further destruction? Will it be able to take to topple Umno-BN in the coming general elections? Every right thinking Malaysian is hoping this reunion will bring about the political change necessary to start the rebuilding our tattered and torn nation.

Whether the reunion of Mahathir and Anwar will bear any results waits to be seen but it is a move in the right direction to unite the Malays against Najib and Umno. The much awaited handshake may have come a little too late but nevertheless it is better than never as it comes at time of great despair. 

Mahathir on his part must realise that he has to admit his mistakes and the injustice behind Anwar’s “Black eye”. He must admit his dictatorial style of 22 years had contributed to the abuses by his successor and the present Umno leadership. His apology to the people is long overdue and that will only unite the people especially the Malays to rally behind him and Anwar to change the fate of the nation.

Mahathir has shown his magnanimity to meet and support Anwar for the sake of the country and I am sure he will see the wisdom to humble himself to protect the people against further abuses and destruction by his very own successors in Umno.

We hope and pray this historic handshake will unite all parties opposed to Umno-BN   so that together they can offer a formidable challenge and form the next government after the 14GE.

Merdeka 59 - A reflection

Being the change we want to see

As our nation’s 59^th Merdeka looms so does a dark cloud of gloom over our country. We had 59 years of independence but are we really better off than when we took over from the British?

On that historic day of 31 August 1957, the shouts of Merdeka by our beloved Tunku Abdul Rahman filled the air with joy and hope for all Malaysians. The Tunku and his team laid the foundation for a united multiracial and progressive Malaysia, a land where our forefathers pledged would be their motherland that they helped to build with their sweat and blood.

Fifty nine years have passed but today the situation is far from what it was then. There is no more joy but only disappointment. There is no more hope but only despair. No more cheer but only gloom. This is the feeling of the vast majority of ordinary Malaysians.

Malaysians in general are struggling to cope with the failing economy, the rampant corruption, blatant abuse of power, lawlessness and racism. The institutions that were established to safeguard the wellbeing and security of the people are politicised and failing in their noble roles as the guardian of the people. The increasing Islamisation is threatening to take the country to religious extremism in a country with 40% non-Muslim population.

The ideals of our founding fathers are totally ignored and the country is heading in a direction totally opposite to that envisaged by them. Today the very democratic principles on which our nation was founded is severely threatened.

A number of causes have contributed to the present unfavourable situation but all these are the result of a long-ruling all-powerful single political party, Umno-BN. The latest and ongoing 1MDB saga has not only caused financial havoc within the country but also blatant breach of every law in order to protect those responsible for the fiasco. This has resulted in degraded our once highly respected nation to a state of ridicule and insult by the free world. Yes it has made us lose all the respect we had in the world not very long ago.

As concerned and anxious citizens we want solutions to the woes facing us. Umno-BN is the only party that can fix it but it is now not capable and has no will to do so as the power in firmly in the hands of a few elite leaders who will not hesitate to break any laws to remain in power. The Opposition is in disarray and divided with the only leader capable to unite and mobilise the masses sits in prison. Our hopes for change are dismissing by the day. Where do we go from here?

The following incident today threw some light to the solutions to these problems we are facing in our country today. It was a simple lesson from a simple ordinary citizen, a bubur kacang seller.

When I went to buy bubur kachang from my regular hawker stall. The owner of the stall, a middle aged gentleman, asked me to come back again the next day which happened to be the country’s 59^th Merdeka Day. On enquiring why he why he asked me to come back the next day, he replied proudly that being Merdeka Day he will be giving out bubur kacang free to all his customers. He said it was his practice to do that every year on Merdeka Day and has been doing that for many years now. It was his way of celebrating the historic and auspicious day, sharing the little he had with fellow citizens. This man’s attitude has put many of us including our leaders to shame. If only we have more people him, greed and corruption will never be an issue in our society and country.

Today we are all unhappy with the political and socioeconomic situation in the country. We complain about corruption, abuse of power and racism but fail to realise that we too are guilty of them in our own ways. We all want change for the better but do not know how to bring about it. We want others to bring that change not realising that no one else will do it. It is we and we alone can do it. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world”. We must be the change we want to see in the world around us. This is what my hawker friend is doing. In his little ways within his means he is bringing change to the world around him. If only each of us do that I am sure we can breed better leaders so the country will be a better place for all.

Selamat Hari Merdeka