Whatever great things arise in the end, justice will not be served because the fixation with race has a way of intervening that corrupts everything including goals and institutions, says K Haridas.
What are we all witnessing around us? There is greater racial polarisation. Despite all the talk of transformation there are many who are concerned about the future of education in our country.
There are perceptions about degree mills with so many public and private institutions of higher learning. This perception is gained from the quality of graduate students who come into the market place.
Many talk about the increase in crime rate and an increasing sense of insecurity that is whispered all round. The polemics surrounding ethnic issues as well as issues of religion also draw us apart. Whether it is the ‘cowhead tragedy’ in Shah Alam or the ‘Allah’ issue and the use of the word the fact remains that these have pulled our society apart.
- Sign up for Aliran's free daily email updates or weekly newsletters or both
- Make a one-off donation to Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara, CIMB a/c 8004240948
- Make a pledge or schedule an auto donation to Aliran every month or every quarter
- Become an Aliran member
The symptoms are many and if transformation is all about dealing with these symptoms, then it is like treating the alcoholic without dealing with the underlying cause of his addiction. This requires more than the cooler – the drying out period. It is not only a question of giving up alcohol but filling this vacuum with a meaningful alternative. Without taking on something, the probability of recurrence will remain high.
Similarly, the most challenging question facing many Malaysians is whether a change is government at the centre will lead to a fundamental change. For this to take place it calls for a response more than just applying band aid and dealing with the symptoms. The reality is that the BN coalition does not have this capacity and we have had four decades of BN rule to attest to this fact. Yes, they have addressed the symptoms but the same issues come back to haunt them again and again.
Be assured as day turns to night that, without a fundamental change in approach, we are going to have more and more of what we have experienced over the last forty years. We can continue to call this ‘transformation’ and the many acronyms attached to it (to impress the public). While transformation guru Idris Jala has good intentions, the symptoms will continue to arise not because of lack of effort but because of the failure to address the root issue.
The root issue is race or ethnicity. Whatever great things arise in the end, justice will not be served because race has a way of intervening that corrupts everything including goals and institutions. When the leadership is ambivalent and has the capacity to incorporate within the 1Malaysia mindset the likes of ‘Perkasa’ and ‘Hindraf’, then you recognise a serious crisis of commitment to the cause. There is no clarity; hence this is yet another slogan for Malaysians to digest. How many more slogans do we have to accept before reality dawns?
If you are all things to everybody, then you really stand for nothing and it is because of this that such a leader falls for everything. His ultimate aim is to win whatever may be the means and whoever in his mind will draw him the votes. So his promises are as Lenin once said, “Pie-cakes made to be broken”.
So, as ordinary citizens, let us be reminded that if we keep silent or make the wrong choice we inadvertently allow tyrants to triumph. The fact remains that you cannot make good omelettes from bad eggs. Let us questions the basis and foundations on which both BN and PR stand and then make our choice.
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
