Let’s hope and pray that Sabahans will teach the corrupt a lesson that will not be forgotten, P Ramakrishnan writes.
Gone are the days when well-meaning people entered politics to serve and look after the wellbeing of the people. Now you enter politics to empower and enrich yourself.
And how do you enrich yourself? You loot the coffers of the nation and deny the money from going to the people to ease their burden.
Tunku Abdul Rahman sold his property – 14 shop lots in Penang – to finance Umno. Remember the reluctant politician Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, the millionaire socialist Lim Kean Siew, the fighter for the poor Ahmad Boestamam, the fearless Seenivasagam brothers SP and DR, the indomitable Mr Opposition Dr Tan Chee Khoon, the idealistic Fan Yew Teng, the indefatigable Lim Kit Siang and many more who viewed politics as a noble calling to serve.
They devoted their entire lives to fighting and struggling for the betterment of the country and its people. In the case of Tun Dr Ismail – the best prime minister we never had, based on his performance and his broad political outlook – he soldiered on despite his inclement health, ignoring even family advice.
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These were the people who soldiered on, always believing in the country and its people, and kept faith with both the country and its people.
Gone are those days of struggle when honest men stood up for principles and ideals. Those were the days when people mattered. Those were the days when you could count on politicians to live up to their ideals.
Compare them to the present-day selfish politicians who only look after themselves. Their welfare is the only goal. Grab as much as you can while the sun shines. Power is all that matters.
All these many months, what have we witnessed? It’s all about out-manoeuvring their political opponents, enticing greedy, selfish, depraved politicians, ready to be bought – forgetting their electoral pledges and dumping the manifesto that spelt out their promise to the electorate.
These crooked politicians have never spent their personal wealth to assist the poor but don’t think twice about forking out tens of millions to win over support and topple the duly elected democratic government. It is all about power and wealth.
Look at the huge cabinet that Muhyiddin Yassin has created, rewarding all his supporters with ministerial posts and appointing them as chairpersons of government-linked companies which pay them mind-boggling salaries, along with generous perks and allowances! Support is no longer based on common ideals and principles. It is solely based on the wealth that can be generated with all these positions.
Just before the Sabah State Assembly was dissolved, rumour had it that the political frogs in Sabah were allegedly offered RM27m, and that was allegedly upped by another RM5m to RM32m if one was a minister or assistant minister in the state government.
It is learnt that up to 13 frogs may have jumped ship allegedly for this ill-gotten wealth. Can you imagine what would be the total sum offered to these scums to betray the trust emplaced by the voters to look after their interests? The total may come to nearly RM400m!
The person who bankrolled this sum must be filthy rich and to him or her, it must be a worthwhile investment as it could be easily recouped once they are back in power. Can you imagine the scope of corruption? It seems it is no sweat to swindle the state to enrich themselves! It seems so easy.
But this malady is not confined to Sabah only – it is widespread throughout Malaysia. That is the reason the benefits are not able to trickle down to the deserving.
Malaysians must not tolerate this malaise. We must make sure that all these self-serving, corrupt politicians are defeated at GE15 to ensure morality returns to politics. These crooks and rogues must be punished and brought to book following the change of government. We must help to recover every sen that has been stolen in order to benefit the people and the country.
Let the way forward start with Sabah. Let Sabah lead the way to wipe out corruption. This achievement will be an inspiration for Malaysia to wipe out the corrupt politicians.
We hope and pray that Sabahans will teach the corrupt a lesson that will not be forgotten, and hopefully their achievement will serve us as an example to kick out the greedy, corrupt politicians when elections are called.
From now onwards, it should be as was said, “People should not be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.”
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
Sabah for Sabahans. Remember this & make sure leaping Frogs are destroyed first before they rape,rob & destroy your Green Lung.
That is why Malaysian politicians behave like feudal-style warlords battling each other behind a facade of Westminster-style democratic institutions and especially voters who are literally on another “planet” from us look up to them as “tribal chieftains” and vote for them and this is something which urban, educated, English-literate, often overseas educated people like us on sites like this find perplexing, perturbing and frustrating.
When Malaya was colonised, the various states were more or less absolute monarchies and Malaya gained independence we adopted a Westminster system of parliamentary democracy, without having had gone through struggles to win the democratic vote, firstly for all male citizens and later for all women citizens (such as the Suffragettes) so whilst we have Westminster-style democratic institutions and processes, a culture of democracy is embedded in us, and this is true of many other Asian and other countries. In essence the majority of us are dyed in the wool democrats, like Asians with hair dyed blonde.
But what is the alternative?
Correction “….a culture of democracy is NOT embedded in us…”
@ Gursharan Singh, @A M Ali,
What you have said implies the downside of mass popular democracy.
Why Socrates Hated Democracy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLJBzhcSWTk
Why Democracy Doesn’t Work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Er1cuQCt-o
Now, who can really help to educate the rakyat, and even criticize them for their deficiency? Don’t expect the politicians to do it, they just want the votes. So they will only criticise the opposing side, not the voters, which will be fatal in the current political culture. (2/2)
“The people get the government they deserve.”
Thus far, not many quarters – especially not the politicians themselves, for obvious reasons – have criticised the abysmal performance of the rakyat in the nation’s political existence.
The quality of political leaders and politicians that we have is a reflection of the quality of the rakyat because the former derives from the latter. As rakyat we failed to produce enough good leaders. And even if there are a few gems from amongst the election candidates, many of us chose the fakes. (1/2)
Is it not an international culture where politics needs little or no qualifications or expertise but sufficient number of voters [who can be infuenced by various means] to get elected and be in a position of power [and then remian in power via various means including having other elected reps to ‘frog’ over for support by various means/consdirations/promisses of share in ‘profits’ via appointment t postion of power] of which then provides opportunities to ‘legally’ plunder public funds for self greed enrichment?
FOR SOME – CULTURE OF PAGAR MAKAN PADI MAY REIGN SUPREME
Voters may fail to realize and elect some repeatedly who may see own self serving interest and be re-elected and some remain for life together with families and friends!!!!
True. Why torture oneself going through 20 years of education, when to get a well paid job with great perqs and privileges,one does not even need a “Failed Preschool” degree to apply to the constituents for a job as Member of Parliament, State Assembly-man/woman/person, Prime Minister or President through the “national or state interview”, and if hired, there will be ample “business” opportunities on the side to make even much more money.
As for the “frog” culture, remember Anwar Ibrahim’s claim after the March 2008 “national interview” that 30 “frogs” would hop over to the then Pakatan Rakyat by 16 Sept 2008? Well not one hopped or we all would be celebrating the victory of a Pakatan Rakyat backdoor government.
On the other hand, when internal contradictions within the Pakatan Harapan and its PKR component leads to a split, which hands government over to Perikatan Nasional we scream “backdoor government”.
I suppose it depends upon which backdoor government comes to power – ours or theirs.
At this stage, I pay little attention to domestic Malaysian politics and mostly read Malaysian media for updates on COVID-19.
If war breaks out in Asia, the Middle East, between India and China or between the west and Russia, Malaysia’s frog-in-the-well or under-the-coconut-shell politics will be an insignificant preschool punch-up in comparison.
In the bigger picture in regards of the state of Malaysian politics and politicians today, the old Chinese saying that the first generation builds, the second maintains and the third squanders hold true for Malaysian politicians
The first generation faced and knows the hardship, the second sees the hardship and sacrifices of the first, whilst the third knowing only comfort and ease squanders.
This can be seen in the rise and fall of empires and looking around the world today and we can see similar scenarios worldwide, whether in the developed west or in many third world countries.
This party hopping culture won’t end until there is a law whereby if a sitting MP or ADUN switches party mid-term, his or her seat falls vacant, a by-election is called and the former MP or ADUN will have to re-contest in the by-election if he or she wants to regain his or her seat under the ticket of his or her new party.
Such a law would be fair on the voters by handing back the power to them to choose who and which party they want to represent them in parliament or the state assembly, and it will make MPs and ADUNs think twice about switching parties and deter rival parties from enticing them to do so.
Otherwise, I’m pretty sure there will be more party hopping after the upcoming Sabah state elections and after GE15.
Politicians in Malaysia have a dirty connotation – they are in it to enrich themselves and their families at the expense of the rakyat.
I have no love lost for Mahathir but I believe future historians will trace this malaise to him after his 22 years of terror!!
Yes, the rakyat of Sabah is uniquely poise to lead the rest of the rakyat forward.
If those frogs that had tried to topple Shafie’s government were rejected soundly in the coming state elections, those frogs in the backdoor government will know their day of reckoning will be coming soon in GE15.
I feel we must also salute the TYT of Sabah – he has shown he is a man of honour and integrity by standing on the side of what is right and proper!!