
Our beloved nation’s general election appears imminent. There is news in the grapevine that it could all happen sooner than we imagined or even bargained for.
Patriot is very concerned and, like all good citizens, cares for the future good of our beloved nation. The many and ever-growing ills that afflict the country are common knowledge.
Suffice to say, corruption has been so deeply rooted among us that there is no way the same old politicians and their political machinations can ever redeem us.
Authoritarianism has been creeping so much so that people today live in fear of being hauled up for political incorrectness. Even being a whistleblower seems like a nightmare these days.
Nepotism and cronyism have become widespread and fill the hallways of government, civil service and even the politically aligned business landscape in the country.
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Patriot has legitimate reasons to believe that our nation is badly in need of resurrection. We need to be freed from the heavily weaponised racism and religious bigotry that have deeply divided us, and maimed and crippled our progress as a one nation of citizens.
The coming general election must therefore be the final call and last opportunity to reset the nation and return the Federal Constitution and the constitutional monarchy system to its past glory in relation to the political, economic, social and environmental paradigms that build and strengthen nationhood to get it back on the right path.
If patriotism is still relevant to nation-building here, then every citizen must take on that responsibility to make Malaysia a beacon in the region and return the ‘Asian tiger’ that once was and let it thrive in a climate of abhorrence for corruption.
Since our political masters appear to have been very disappointing and have failed us from many vantage points, as patriotic citizens we must take on this responsibility to reset our nation on a firmer footing with united determination as our building blocks for a greater and better Malaysia.
At the general election campaign season, we must therefore reject all politicians who have been charged with corruption or who are fighting tooth and nail to save their skins in the court of law.
Political parties that continue to believe they can bribe, coerce, intimidate or bulldoze their way to victory must be rejected mercilessly and our whistles must be blown loud. Hence, party members should not continue to be blinded by party mania while remaining ignorant of or indifferent to the plundering, wastage and the corrupt practices of “what’s in it for me”.
Patriot therefore calls upon all civil society leaders and institutions of good governance, including professional bodies and religious congregational leaders to rise and respond to this national service that can collectively save our people, its rulers and the country’s future.
The coming general election is a critical station and milestone that will define the future of every law-abiding citizen in the challenging times ahead of us. Every one of us is and will be affected because of politics. Hence, to state that “we are apolitical” is a disgraceful bluff in the face of this all-defining general election.
Patriot also demands that every politician wanting to emerge champions at the polls must reveal their wealth amassed with transparent and publicly acceptable accountability. The days of hoodwinking citizens are over.
As former servicemen and women, we at Patriot are cognisant of what makes a nation a failed state. In this regard, Patriot issues a clarion call and ultimatum.
All Malaysians must come together with a resolute will to abandon the dangerous paths of old and help reset the future of Malaysia at the general election.
We have had enough of talk. We have had enough of promises. We have had more than enough evidence of failures and mismanagement in the country. If we do not plug all these undemocratic, unjust and thieving practices at the goalpost of the coming general election, we are doomed for a long time to come.
Patriot strongly believes that the countdown must begin now to reject all corrupt politicians, civil servants, institutions and private enterprises.
Retired Brigadier General Dato’ Mohamed Arshad Raji is president of the National Patriots Association (Patriot)
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme