by Dr. Chen Man Hin
“NERO FIDDLED WHILE ROME BURNED” BEST DESCRIBES THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SCENARIO IN MALAYSIA.
Some political analysts were saying that pressure within the UMNO Supreme Council for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down would make him a lame duck prime minister as his reign would wane as his power wanes.
As a matter of fact, the Prime Minister showed signs of being a lame duck as early as during the second half of his previous term as prime minister
The signs of indecision and vacillation were already visible.
Promises of reforms to deal with corruption, increase of crime and judicial violations were easily forthcoming from the lips of the Prime Minister, but as easily forgotten and not implemented.
A clear example was the reaction to the advice of the independent commission on police mismanagement and conduct, which after much deliberation recommended the establishment of a special commission to supervise the police force. The cabinet pondered over the recommendation and as quickly shelved it.
The March 8th general election returned Barisan Nasional to power but with a reduced majority and loss of its two-third parliamentary majority, but it sent a clear signal to Abdullah that the people want a new order. The people wanted democracy, justice transparency and freedom of religion and they also sent a clear message to Abdullah of cross ethnic voting – where Malays voted for non-Malay candidates and non-Malay voters voted for Malay candidates.
Abdullah responded and promised reforms would be launched in accordance with the wishes of the people. Up till today the promises were again as empty as before.
UMNO and the Prime Minister have suffered a severe psychological hammering from which they have not recovered.
UMNO top leadership are in disarray and are not able to plan a new direction for the party. Unable to present a new policy and strategy for the party, the leaders went back to the old ways.
The Anti Corruption Act was ostensilby changed but the final authority of ACA remained in PM’s hands.
Instead of adopting a multiracial policy, it reverted back to its Malay agenda and its ‘ketuanan Melayu’ or Malay supremacy objective.
Instead of being more democratic, Abdullah has used the ISA against a law-abiding Member of Parliament, a blogger and a news reporter. Ahmad Ismail, the man who uttered seditious words was not detained, but the reporter who disseminated his words was. This is topsy-turvy justice.!
Crime is on the increase and the crimes are more brutal than in the past. No one is exempt, not even those who legislate laws like the wives of two ex-Penang state assemblymen and top police officers. The criminals have become more contemptuous of the police .
The blame for all this must rest on the shoulders of the Prime Minister and his cabinet for not implementing the recommendations of the royal police commission to prevent crime.
Unfortunately the uncontrolled exacerbation of crime has infected even those who are supposed to uphold the law.
The Sodomy 2 charge against Anwar Ibrahim is a case in point. Because Anwar dared to ‘change government’ with the aim of building a better Malaysia, Sodomy 2 was implemented with the blessing of the cabinet. other institutions like the courts and police are implicated in the grand conspiracy to destroy Anwar and his aim to take over the government through crossovers of Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament. The conspiracy is an open secret. The whole world is aware of this subjecting Malaysia as the laughing stock all over the world.
The economy is in the doldrums. The huge spending of the 9th Malaysia Plan and the 2009 budget did not move the economy forward. The unpopular high increase of pump oil prices was a big factor for slowing the economy and causing financial distress to the man in the street.
The political, economic and social well being. is at its lowest.
The blame sits squarely on a shocked and demoralised Barisan Nasional leadership
The remedy is to have a ‘government change’ as proposed by Pakatan Rakyat.