On the right track, I wish!

As I was looking at all those nostalgic photos uploaded on a former classmate’s Facebook album, it reminded me of the good old school days when we were all still naive and oblivion of hard fact in life out there.

Back then, what we knew was just to study and play hard and nothing else, to ensure a brighter future just as many parents would often tell their kids.

More than 10 years after, with many of my batch now contributing to the income tax, the naivety and oblivious self of ours during school days have grown into hard fact which at times is hard to chew.

In this country which is made up of multi ethnicity, the fact is that no single ethnic group can get the best of both worlds.

I still remember the dejected look of some of my former classmates who were unsuccessful in their local public universities application right after our Form Six despite scoring good results.

As expected, these classmates were so disappointed that they lost hope and direction in their own homeland with some of them leaving for greener pasture in neighbouring country.

Fast forward and today. In less than a month after assuming office as Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has won accolades from Malaysians for his bravery and far looking vision, I would say, to open up the economy i.e. lifting of 30% bumiputra equity in 27 sub sectors and the decision to raise foreign equity for investment banks and insurers to 70 per cent but retained a 30 per cent limit in local commercial banks in a mixed bag of incentives to boost the financial services industry.

Then the Cabinet decided that minors will remain in the common religion of their parents when they married, even if one parent later became a Muslim.

Not bad I must say, at least this is a good start for something better provided this so-called change can be sustained and further accelerated and not susceptible to political pressure.

Few days ago, a deputy minister reportedly caught some doctors reading newspaper and doing own stuff while patients making a beeline waiting for consultation in a public hospital.

This is not an uncommon sight I must say in public sector for anyone who has ever gone to any government departments for whatever purpose.

The mere four per cent Chinese representation in the civil service is something the new premier must address sooner than later to show his sincerity in the 1 Malaysia concept.

But let us not stereotype into Malays, Chinese or Indians for we are all Malaysians who have pledged unquestionable loyalty the King and the country.

What I wish to see is a civil service which comprises of qualified and dedicated staff only and not the ones seen by the said deputy minister who may be oblivion of the people’s predicament dealing with public sector.

Why doesn’t the government see the beauty in the array of colours in a rainbow and try to make civil service more versatile and of better quality which Malaysians have long yearned for?

It is most heartening when the Prime Minister said the civil service must give value added services to the taxpayers and that they should not be short changed.

Come this July when the local public institutions result is announced, do not be surprised to see top students being turned down by universities for some unexplained or X-file reasons.

While meritocracy has been the practice for the public universities intake, many of us still have doubt over its implementation due to the low intake of the so-called pendatang.

If Datuk Seri Najib can liberalise the civil service and public universities intake, I am sure he meant what he said by 1 Malaysia.

But if he doesn’t, then perhaps the politicians from the ruling coalition may just well be prepared for another political onslaught in the next general election, except that this time it may be disastrous or even fatal politically for the BN.

The time is still on the BN’s side to make the necessary amends to the many flawed systems in this country.

The time for brainstorming is long overdue and what is urgently needed at this point of time is for the government to walk the talk.

The PR led state governments I must acknowledge are doing just fine with its support level still remain intact judging from its winning streak in 4 out of five by-elections.

If the PR isn’t good as claimed, then it must be the BN which is so bad that people just want to teach them a lesson by simply voting for the opposition.

While what I hope for here is easier said than done, but if the politicians have the political will to bring this country forward, not backward, then I believe what Datuk Seri Najib is doing now is on the right track and a new beginning may have just begun.

I wish, yes I wish it may come true but if it doesn’t, life still goes on and we just have to treat it as yet another political theatrical.

Time for a new party- BEBAS or FREE?

“...there’s only you in my life, the only thing that’s right...”
Hmm, this could be the most belted out lyric by our politicians that they just can’t get away from having endless by-elections.
Why the heck of having so many elections when the general election is just over for a year ago?
When other nations are trying hard to find solutions to tackle the dwindling economy, it seems that our politicians are keeping themselves busy finding strategies to keep them in power.
Sigh, how I wish I could lash out at these politicians for wasting the taxpayers’ money when the fund could be channelled to help those who really need it more than for the holding of elections.
I was taken aback when national English daily, The Star published a front page story last Saturday on the whopping sum wasted on five by-elections.
Five by-elections costing RM33.4 million with RM31 million being expenses incurred by the police force while another RM2.4 million by the Election Commission.
We must be wondering why there is a need to spend so much money on the election and if we are talking about transparency and accountability, yeah transparency and accountability, it will be good if the two agencies list out its expenditures for the public to scrutinise.
We do not want our hard earned money to go to waste unnecessarily for sure.
I would not mind if the government disburses cash to all Malaysians to stimulate the economy, just like what is being done in Taiwan and Australia for this can really spin the economy as a whole rather than using the public coffer to hold elections which only benefits some crooks.
And now what? Penanti by election is in the waiting.
But Prime Minister and Umno President, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the BN may opt out from the by-election for the reason that it is a waste of public fund and that focus should be to revive the ailing economy.
Well said Najib I must acknowledge.
But critics may say BN is fearing defeat for another stretch after a 4-1 defeat to PR with BN only winning the rural heartland of Batang Ai a couple of weeks ago.
A friend of mine who is being cynical wrote on his Facebook on why there is a need for a walkover when it is the people who decide in the name of democracy.
And then former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is so fired up that BN should contest the Penanti by-election and he even offers to lead the BN team to take on his once protégé and PKR de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Malaysia For Free and Fair Elections or Mafrel said by-elections are the necessary evil and it is part of democracy that we cannot do away with.
Well, that is the price to pay if we want democracy to prevail that we just got to spend money just to ensure that the election process goes smoothly.
But my point here is how that money is being spent must be made known to the public as it is the taxpayers who pay for it, not BN, PR or EC.
We should not let the police or the EC to spend as they wish without being accountable to the people.
RM33.4 million is a whole lot of money which could be well spent on other things such as to eradicate poverty or to improve the healthcare services.
Do not simply say the amount is needed to spend on paying election workers, staff allowances, printing costs, transportation which includes helicopters and accommodation.
We deserve to know more how that money is spent to prevent some opportunists from making quick bucks out of it.
A lot of people, including me have grown tired of the endless by-elections as we have been fed with the same flavour of political mudslinging almost everyday.
A quantity surveyor said nowadays he would rather read business news rather than home news as it makes him sick every time he sees politicians ranting at each other.
So sick and frustrated with the way Malaysian politics is being played that this quantity surveyor said he would rather not cast his vote for either the BN or PR but Independent.
Hmmm, good point here I guess if we want to get both parties’ mouth shut.
Time for a new party, let’s just call it BEBAS or FREE, exclusive only for the non-partisan?

We are watching you, Najib!

So what is this One Malaysia concept that our new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is trying to promote?

While the concept is still very vague, many political analysts and academicians have already started to come out with their own interpretation.

If in the past, we had Bersih Cekap Amanah under Tun Dr Mahathir and Work With Me And Not For Me under Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, then I guess Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has no choice but to come out with his own to give Malaysians from all walks of lives a new sense of direction.

I guess many would be sceptical about this One Malaysia concept in this time of political upheaval against the Barisan Nasional (BN) for the critics would argue that it is the BN politicians who often fan the racial hatred in the hope of gaining some support.

But such approach by some BN politicians seems to be futile when Malaysians in this age of communication technology where information is readily available on the internet have long discarded the stereotyping mindset.

The four by-elections in Peninsular where BN lost to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has shown that Malaysians do not buy the idea racialism anymore and this definitely augurs well for our multi racial country.

There is only one country which we all belong to and not China or India but Malaysia which we have pledged our undivided loyalty.

We have seen how the PR which promotes Ketuanan Rakyat or people’s supremacy is being accepted widely by Malaysians who believe that this is the way to go if our country were to move forward in this century.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has called for the people to discard the silo mentality and urged Malaysians to stand together, think and act as one people under One Malaysia.

He also called for Malaysians to break away from operating in the ethnic prism as we have done over so many years and to respect each other and go beyond tolerance and build the trust among each other and also between the various ethnic groups.

I would love to see Datuk Seri Najib to make good what he has promoted to his Cabinet but the whole Malaysians.

The very first thing he has to do is get his priority right and not to coin bombastic slogan for people, including me have grown tired listening to rhetoric.

One Malaysia concept must make sure that it includes all Malaysians in any policy making and its implementation and that no single race should be sidelined.

In the current economic downturn, no single race is spared from hardship and Datuk Seri Najib must make sure every Malaysian is guaranteed of his or her three meals.

While the government ought to uphold the Federal Constitution which guarantees the special rights of the Malays, it also has to ensure that other races are treated equally if not better.

When it comes to serving the people, there should not be a racial boundary for any politicians who only serve a particular race will definitely fail in his duty as an elected representative.

As I had my morning breakfast at a popular coffee shop at Tabuan Laru on Wednesday, I was so delighted to see few state assemblymen from PBB sitting together with their Chinese and Iban friends in their most cordial and relaxed manner.

That is the bonding among us, the Malaysians which I would love to see in this country which Datuk Seri Najib must ensure it continues and not being violated by some politicians who wish to seek political mileage.

I am most grateful when Datuk Seri Najib said poverty eradication should encompass all races and that the new Cabinet must be people oriented in order to gain the people’s trust.

Malaysians are looking at how all these could be translated into action and opportunity is now given until the next general election.

The key performance index as announced by him to keep an eye on the performance of the ministers is most welcomed but it must not only be done but must be seen to be done.

Always remember the four things you are stressing after assuming the top post in the country, Datuk Seri- integrity, ability, loyalty and commitment.

We are all watching you.

Sarawak still BN's fortress

So it’s 2-1. This is neither the result of any of the final lap of the on-going English Premier League games but the result of the three by-elections or tri-elections held on Tuesday.
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) retained the two seats- Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat and Bukit Selambau state seat it won in March 8 general election last year with increased majorities while Barisan Nasional (BN) retained the Batang Ai state seat by doubling the number of votes it garnered in 2006 state election.
An English national paper called these results a status quo but what could we expect from it? Is this just as simple as a status quo or could it ring an alarm bell on the BN side that PR is holding ground in the Peninsular at least.
The results show one thing- that the wind of change akin to great typhoon is blowing hard over in Peninsular but it has yet to reach the shore in Sarawak which is still having a breeze of cool air.
While some may want to see a 3-0 result in favour of the PR but the fact is that Sarawak is still the BN’s fortress hard for the opposition to penetrate.
In March 8 general election last year, the state BN, led by Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud won all the seats except Bandar Kuching, thus giving BN which lost its two third majority in the Parliament the much needed numbers to form the federal government.
With the state election due in two years time from now, and with the boisterous PR zooming in on Sarawak as its next target after capturing five states in Peninsular last year, the Batang Ai result could well put a damper on PR’s hope to seize Sarawak from the might of state BN.
The seat had been seen as a launching pad for PR to gain inroads into the state but the increased majority garnered by BN’s Malcom Mussen Lamoh over PR’s Jawah Gerang may have some sort affected the confidence of the opposition to put up a good fight in the coming state election.
While the by-election in Batang Ai could not be a yardstick to show the support for state BN like what the BN politicians across the South China Sea said the result in the two Bukits should not be seen as a referendum for the Perak political stalemate and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s popularity, it is still anyone’s guess how the state BN will fare in the state election.
Toppling BN would be a Herculean task judging from the voting trend among the rural electorates as shown in Batang Ai.
A political observer said it right that rural folks do not really care about brainy issues such as the violation of rule of law or separation of powers or human rights as what these folks know is that as long as there is the so-called development fund or instant noodle projects coming to their way, they are all for the ruling coalition.
But the same cannot be said about the urban electorates who are more educated and well exposed as they do not simply rely only on mainstream media which is very much seen as mouthpiece of the government.
With the availability of new media, these electorates would double check the facts on internet news portal or blogs and thus making it more difficult to convince them.
This entails that BN coalition parties, especially SUPP will have to face the wrath of these urban electorates whom are largely Chinese for any shortcomings.
Going by the normal practice, SUPP is expected to contest in 19 state seats with majority of it being Chinese dominant while PBB will contest in more than half of the 71 state seats and SPDP and PRS sharing the remaining seats.
Political observers are not optimistic that BN will fare any better in urban seats which the SUPP was dealt with a serious blow in 2006 state election when it lost eight out of 19 seats it contested.
To them, the party which is still led by leaders, most of whom are already in their 60’s and still cling on to power not wanting to let go, does not appeal to younger voters who do not share the aspiration of these leaders who are still playing to the tunes of the 1960’s politics.
The coming state election may see the urban electorates taking the lead to effect the change in the state political landscape while the rural voting trend may still remain a status quo, thus benefitting the BN which is expected to remain politically untouchable and thus rule the state for the next five years.

Where are my true politicians?

If there is one politician who can really earn my respect in the recent time, he must be the Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Datuk Shahrir Samad who is also the MP for Johor Bahru.

Datuk Shahrir had decided to relinquish his ministerial post after losing his bid for a seat in the powerful supreme council in the just concluded Umno General Assembly.

And previously, he also resigned as an MP under Umno ticket and stood as an Independent to seek the reelection from the electorates of which he again won the seat.

It is normally a convention that a politician who loses his or her position in the party may have to relinquish his or her Cabinet appointment, as he or she does not have the majority support in the party members.

But again, this convention may only apply in Peninsular Malaysia but not in Sarawak where this practice is still yet to take its shape.

Try to tell our politicians here to follow their brethrens across the sea and you may well end up being tongue lashed.

One may argue why a particular politician, who is also an elected representative has to do so as he is representing the rakyat and not only his party and thus put party politics above all in this case.

My whole point here is that a politician ought to uphold principle at the highest level and put aside personal interest regardless of whether such practice of submission to the party wish is healthy for political development or not.

The other way round perhaps would be for those politicians who lost in the general elections to relinquish party post and let the new blood to take over for rejuvenation process.

Whenever we chat over a cup of coffee on political topics, often than not we end up listening to men on the street condemning certain politicians for abusing their positions for self economic interest rather than fighting for the people.

Such has been the way people perceive some of our politicians and I must say to take another politician to emulate the like of Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King is an almost impossible dream to realise.

The sad thing is certain politicians instead of talking sense are so engrossed with fanning hatred rather than debating issues objectively.

Just flip through any newspapers during parliamentary or state assembly or ceramah sessions and we could end up being fed with reports of our politicians quarreling over what they may term as “sensible” but not to us.

Politics after all is about ideals where politicians are supposed to be passionate about their ideals and willing to sacrifice for the sake of realising their ideals for the betterment of the people.

While rhetoric may be part of the game, politicians must make sure that what they preach is exactly what they are upholding to.

People are watching closely and with the emergence of new media, politicians cannot get away from their gaffes or stupid stunts as it will for sure be shown on YouTube.

Being in the public office, politicians are bound by public scrutiny and whatever their conducts may be will be watched closely by the people who will then decide whether these politicians deserve to be where they are.

A lawyer whom I had lunch with before I continued writing this piece enlightened me that the Opposition candidates seemed to be more passionate with their political cause which won them the support of the people as shown in last year’s general election.

Certain political parties ought to quickly re-examine their approach in selecting candidates as the state election is approaching in 2011.

I would definitely loathe candidates who are put up by the party leaders just because they know how to rub shoulders with their bosses, with the people’s interest being secondary in their political cause.

The parties also ought to nominate only those with integrity and principle with high aspiration fighting only the best for the people.

We ought not to have politicians up there only to seek personal wealth and try to fool people with their rhetoric and with due respect, these politicians should be taught a hard lesson when the time comes.

While a lot of people have been pouring cold water on me for my ideals in seeing the emergence of true politicians of near perfect, I still have not lost my confidence that we will be seeing one emerging.