A Matter Of Faith
More than ever, we need to remind ourselves of the fundamentals. Our fundamentals.
I am a Malaysian. I want my country to be a country in which every citizen has his or her place and has the opportunity to live life in the fullness that each and every one of us deserves.
I want public education, public health, public transport and the public services to be world class and, to that end, I want to see every single sen in every single ringgit I pay in taxes to be used for what it is meant to be used for: creating a secure life for all of us. I want to have competent administrators with vision and I would like to be able to look at an official without having to wonder, even fleetingly, whether he or she is corrupt.
I do not want to wake up angry each morning at the state of Malaysia. Fed to the teeth on a diet of scandal for breakfast, arbitrariness for lunch and abuse of power for dinner, with a whole lot of political intrigue for snacks in between.
Those are my fundamentals. And I think they are also those of many other Malaysians. I would say all Malaysians but I do not think I can fairly include the politicians who lead us.
For them, fundamentals are things like politics, super corridors, mega- projects, race-politics, equity participation and, of course, incidental things like sodomy. These are heady obsessions that take up a lot of time and energy, as does having to tread treacherous political waters.
Which makes me wonder whether these politicians have the time to deal with the more mundane business of governance. Looking at the way things are, it would seem that they do not.
The Government seems to be in a perpetual holding pattern with no real decisions being made. It would seem doing as little as possible and preserving status quo is the best way to ensure political advancement. Ministers routinely fend off demands for results, improvements and reforms with the kind of political double-speak or compromise calculated to buy the time needed to make it someone else’s problem. The continuing decline in standards in schools and public services, the seemingly increasing corruption and crime, and the host of other very sad and painful realities that have become the norm despite the repeated and very loud pleas of civil society is proof enough of the phenomenon that we have come to know as ‘government’.
Everything, for all purposes and intents, is merely a means to a political end.
In fairness, the same could arguably be said, though to a lesser extent, of some of the politicians on the other side; flexing their new muscles, adjusting to the idea of influence and popularity and, of course, the thirst for even more power. It is significant that the opposition landscape has been so dominated by little other than September 16th this year.
All this inescapably points to one conclusion. The buck really does stop with us, the rakyat. The political process is skewed to a political end whose fundamentals are far removed from the realities of our lives. If no one is going to take charge as the situation requires, we have to. At the heart of the Bangsa Malaysia ideal is ownership; we own this country. It is the field we till, reaping what we sow
Which is why, as significant as the events of the weekend involving Anwar Ibrahim may be, we cannot allow them to distract us from the business of getting our lives back in order. There is much for us to do.
We should not be distracted from the fact that despite the promises of judicial reforms, nothing of lasting significance has been done. We are yet to see a bill for the proposed Judicial Appointments Commission or the reinstatement of the pre-1988 Article 121 that underscored judicial independence. It is not even evident whether cabinet supports the initiatives. For Zaid Ibrahim seeming to be a lone voice in the wilderness, one cannot help but think there are those who view these reforms as threatening.
And just as we have yet to see any developments on the recommendations of the Lingam Commission, there has been no further sign of traction on the proposed Anti-Corruption Commission initiative. Corruption is at the heart of the nation’s ills. The inability of the Government to implement an equitable and effective response strategy to manage the hardship caused by increased fuel prices is clear testament of the extent to which this nation has been undermined by corruption. Though an independent anti-corruption body is clearly of crucial importance to the revitalizing of this nation, we have heard precious little since the initial fanfare.
For these and other equally significant reasons, we must remain calm in the face of ongoing events, as destabilizing as they may be. We must keep our eye on the target; an inclusive, equitable and competitive Malaysia.
These are challenging times. Effecting and managing change was never going to be an easy process. Whether we see it through to its end is entirely in our hands. It is a matter that depends on our continued ability to believe in ourselves and in a Malaysia that belongs to all Malaysians.
It is a matter of faith.
I am a Malaysian. I want my country to be a country in which every citizen has his or her place and has the opportunity to live life in the fullness that each and every one of us deserves.
I want public education, public health, public transport and the public services to be world class and, to that end, I want to see every single sen in every single ringgit I pay in taxes to be used for what it is meant to be used for: creating a secure life for all of us. I want to have competent administrators with vision and I would like to be able to look at an official without having to wonder, even fleetingly, whether he or she is corrupt.
I do not want to wake up angry each morning at the state of Malaysia. Fed to the teeth on a diet of scandal for breakfast, arbitrariness for lunch and abuse of power for dinner, with a whole lot of political intrigue for snacks in between.
Those are my fundamentals. And I think they are also those of many other Malaysians. I would say all Malaysians but I do not think I can fairly include the politicians who lead us.
For them, fundamentals are things like politics, super corridors, mega- projects, race-politics, equity participation and, of course, incidental things like sodomy. These are heady obsessions that take up a lot of time and energy, as does having to tread treacherous political waters.
Which makes me wonder whether these politicians have the time to deal with the more mundane business of governance. Looking at the way things are, it would seem that they do not.
The Government seems to be in a perpetual holding pattern with no real decisions being made. It would seem doing as little as possible and preserving status quo is the best way to ensure political advancement. Ministers routinely fend off demands for results, improvements and reforms with the kind of political double-speak or compromise calculated to buy the time needed to make it someone else’s problem. The continuing decline in standards in schools and public services, the seemingly increasing corruption and crime, and the host of other very sad and painful realities that have become the norm despite the repeated and very loud pleas of civil society is proof enough of the phenomenon that we have come to know as ‘government’.
Everything, for all purposes and intents, is merely a means to a political end.
In fairness, the same could arguably be said, though to a lesser extent, of some of the politicians on the other side; flexing their new muscles, adjusting to the idea of influence and popularity and, of course, the thirst for even more power. It is significant that the opposition landscape has been so dominated by little other than September 16th this year.
All this inescapably points to one conclusion. The buck really does stop with us, the rakyat. The political process is skewed to a political end whose fundamentals are far removed from the realities of our lives. If no one is going to take charge as the situation requires, we have to. At the heart of the Bangsa Malaysia ideal is ownership; we own this country. It is the field we till, reaping what we sow
Which is why, as significant as the events of the weekend involving Anwar Ibrahim may be, we cannot allow them to distract us from the business of getting our lives back in order. There is much for us to do.
We should not be distracted from the fact that despite the promises of judicial reforms, nothing of lasting significance has been done. We are yet to see a bill for the proposed Judicial Appointments Commission or the reinstatement of the pre-1988 Article 121 that underscored judicial independence. It is not even evident whether cabinet supports the initiatives. For Zaid Ibrahim seeming to be a lone voice in the wilderness, one cannot help but think there are those who view these reforms as threatening.
And just as we have yet to see any developments on the recommendations of the Lingam Commission, there has been no further sign of traction on the proposed Anti-Corruption Commission initiative. Corruption is at the heart of the nation’s ills. The inability of the Government to implement an equitable and effective response strategy to manage the hardship caused by increased fuel prices is clear testament of the extent to which this nation has been undermined by corruption. Though an independent anti-corruption body is clearly of crucial importance to the revitalizing of this nation, we have heard precious little since the initial fanfare.
For these and other equally significant reasons, we must remain calm in the face of ongoing events, as destabilizing as they may be. We must keep our eye on the target; an inclusive, equitable and competitive Malaysia.
These are challenging times. Effecting and managing change was never going to be an easy process. Whether we see it through to its end is entirely in our hands. It is a matter that depends on our continued ability to believe in ourselves and in a Malaysia that belongs to all Malaysians.
It is a matter of faith.
(Malay Mail; 1st July 2008)
MIS
