The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Posted: 30 Aug 2011 05:13 PM PDT 31 OGOS — Seorang sahabat memberitahu, dia bercakap dengan seorang pengusaha restoran tom yam berasal dari Pattani, Selatan Thailand. Pengusaha itu ditanyanya, adakah dia balik mengundi dalam Pilihan Raya Umum di Thailand baru-baru ini? Jawanbya, dia dan rakan-rakannya semua balik mengundi. Siapa yang mereka undi? Jawabnya, parti Thaksin. Mengapa? Mengikutnya dia dibayar kira-kira RM300 seorang untuk mengundi parti itu. Jika dalam satu keluarga atau isi rumah itu lima enam orang, bayangkan banyak mana satu keluarga itu dapat? Dalam pilihan raya sebelum Thaksin digulingkan pengundi-pengundi dari wilayah selatan negara itu tidak mengundi parti Thaksin disebabkan oleh kezalimannya terhadap penduduk Islam. Tetapi sekarang mereka mungkin sudah lupa kepada bencana Thaksin terhadap mereka dulu, justeru pengaruh duit yang ditawarkan parti klon Thaksin itu. Duit Thaksin yang didapatinya selama berkuasa dulu tidak habis selagipun dia hilang kuasa. Dengan belanja yang dicurahkannya, dia berbaloi kerana klonnya berkuasa selepas pilihan raya itu. Malaysia sekarang sudah berada di ambang pilihan raya dan demam itu sudah mulai dirasa terutama perayaan hari raya idil fitri. Perdana Menteri dan menteri bukan saja sudah turun padang, tetapi menteri-menteri itu telah diarahkan supaya turun padang. Menjang Aidilfitri, Perdana Menteri mengumumkan memberi bonus RM500 kepada semua kaki tangan kerajaan di bawah kerajaan Barisan Nasional termasuk kerajaan-kerajaan negeri hingga mendorong semua kerajaan negeri di bawah Pakatan Rakyat memberi bonus yang sama. Banyak pihak di kalangan rakyat mendapat limpahan kemurahan hati kerajaan. Pemandu teksi misalnya diumum Perdana Menteri diberi duit raya. Umno Bahagian bahawa mereka tidak peruntukan untuk memulakan gerakan pilihan raya, maka Timbalan Perdana Menteri dengan spontan menjanjikan peruntukan ratus ribu akan dicurahkan kepada setiap Bahagian Umno. Sebelumnya tidak pernah pemimpin Umno mengumumkan untuk memberi ratusan ribu kepada bahagian-bahagian Umno tetapi adalah rahsia umum bahawa duit memang sentiasa mencurah kepada mereka setiap kali pilihan raya. Tetapi kali ini Umno mengumum minta duit dan pemimpin Umno pula mengumumkan untuk memberi duit. Sekali pun kerajaan mengambil langkah menghapuskan setengah sabsidi dan tidak dapat mengawal kenaikan harga barang-barang keperluan, tapi kita takut dengan langkah kerajaan dan Umno mula menabur wang kepada orang ramai, hingga rasakan dapat melupakan rakyat tentang beban potongan sabsidi dan kenaikan harga barang itu. Dulu-dulu pun pemimpin kerajaan dan Umno sudah menabur wang setiap ada pilihan raya. Ia sudah dikira boros sekali pun Perdana Menteri dan menteri kewangan bukan orang yang sama. Semua berasa ngeri apabila Dr Mahathir Mohamad mula menjadikan tradisi Perdana Menteri juga menteri kewangan. Sekalipun Perdana Menteri yang berbeza dengan menteri kewangan tidak banyak dapat menghalang Perdana Menteri memerintahkan apa-apa kepada menteri kewangan, tetapi apabila Perdana Menteri dan menteri kewangan adalah orang yang sama, kuasa menggunakan duit pembendaharaan yang banyak sekatan lagi. Dr Mahathir dulu sudah dirasakan terlalu boros dan tidak teragak-agak untuk membelanjakan duit kerajaan, tetapi Perdana Menteri Najib Razak yang sama naik dengan isterinya adalah dirasakan lebih mewah dan boros dalam sejarah Malaysia setakat ini, dia adalah Perdana Menteri dan menteri kewangan dan isterinya menjadikan dirinya Wanita Pertama. Tiada siapa dapat menyekat Najib berbelanja dan isterinya pula lebih tidak dapat disekat. Gelagat Najib itu lajakan dari orang-orang sebelumnya. Dia belajar dari mereka terutama dalam musim pilihan raya. Dan dia juga mendapat semangat dari yang berlaku di sebelah sempadan Siam. Duit Thaksin dipercaya membawa pro Thaksin berkuasa, maka satu dari cara bagi Najib mengekalkan kuasa ialah membelanjakan apa yang ada dalam kantung kerajaan lebih galak dari Dr Mahathir. Tidakkah Sukarno juga mengeringkan kantung negaranya dulu. Bila kantung kering, orang pun mencetak duit. Tidak mungkinkah Malaysia akan menuju masa mencetak ringgit bila ringgit tidak mencukupi? * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. |
| Posted: 30 Aug 2011 05:06 PM PDT AUG 31 — Dear Malaysia, Today, you witness your 64th year of independence. In 16 days, you will celebrate the actual birthday of your name, which was coined in the year 1963. I may not have been there, my parents may not have been there as well, but you will be here as long as the world is still around. You will be as sweet as you have always been, housing the bitterness of your children living within you. What will you observe today, dear Malaysia? Most importantly, I do hope you'll still be called Malaysia, which will mean that Sabah and Sarawak are still part of you. In fact, I hope every son and daughter of Semenanjung Malaysia would have realised that these states deserve more, if not as much as what Semenanjung has achieved all this while. I grew up, knowing these two states only as holiday destinations I had to get to by plane. Lessons in textbooks were adequate only to teach me that they'd merged with "Tanah Melayu" later, but this was not enough to bridge the distance created by the South China Sea. I am sure I was not the only one who was as ignorant. It is time we viewed our fellow countrymen in Borneo as equals. Sabah and Sarawak are valuable components. Race relations? God I hope you've stood strong, dear Malaysia. How I've envisioned that today, people will not even bother with whether someone is Malay or Malaysian first. I have no problems with someone professing that he is a Malaysian and not of any specific race. But as our country was built from the integration of many races, letting go of different cultural identities would be a big waste. Money, or in this case, the economy, is the root of all evil. In my opinion, it is because of this problem that we Malaysians are so polarised and racially-sensitive. I am hoping that by today, affirmative action will no longer be around (even though that is quite far-fetched) but I hope at least the abuse of it would have long stopped, and that we are one step nearer needs-based policies. Oh and yes, Perkasa. Another thing — to hope for its abolishment is unrealistic. As long as there is a demand, there will be a supply. Still I personally hope that by today, considerate intellectual Malays will mean Perkasa is less a pressure group and instead has moved on to start educating and motivating the Malays to work hard for something; not to just subscribe to the laidback thinking that everything will be "delivered" to them from Putrajaya. Most of the time, the solutions can be found from within. And to other unity-loving Malaysians, let us move on from just speaking about racial unity and start to do something about it. I've been called a racist Malay, but please, spend two months of your summer away from your home and family, serving Malaysian children of races other than yours, then we can talk. Moving on to your political masters, dear Malaysia, I hope that by today, most of the dinosaurs would be cruising around the world rather than dictating our policies. I have no problems with experienced leaders who want the best for their countries, including for the youths; yet most are too distanced from the ground (other Malaysians) and prioritise personal and family gains. It is time for younger leaders to step up and lead the change. But recently, I have noticed some sad truths. My generation is very idealistic (in a positive way), which is great. We hate corruption, dirty politics, the trampling of rights and rules and despise many more of the things our elders did. But as the wager gets bigger, we selfishly do all the things we despise. This wager includes job placements, positions in society as well as money, which, in my opinion, translates to wealth and power in the bigger system. We justify dirty politics by saying it is for the bigger cause. We backstab our friends with whom we share great ideas, for personal gain. Worse, we promote incapable friends instead of an acquaintance who deserves the position. I swear I have not made these things up. How, Malaysia? How can my generation, myself included, bring our idealism into the system, instead of the other way round? How can we prevent ourselves from doing the exact same things that we despise? I got the chance to listen to this respected young leader who said that the best thing young people can do is to first enhance ourselves individually, before we even think of changing the system. Maybe that is the way to move forward, to equip ourselves with as much as we can, so that we can be what we want without participating in dirty politics. Maybe we should start motivating our friends to equip themselves, so that if we have to nominate him or her, it'd be because he or she really is great, instead of resorting to the friendship sentiment. Sounds clichéd, but that is the best I have for now. Dear Malaysia, many changes will happen for you while you cry through the rains and shake through quakes. Thank you for being strong for all of us. May your sons and daughters soon find comfort in each other, in their journey to make you the best among the rest. Happy 64th Independence Day, Malaysia, from exactly 10 years back. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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