by drrafick
June 11, 2011
1.I read with interest the statement by Zahid Hamidi on Malaysian Mirror where he refuted claims that former members of the Armed Forces (AF) are opposing the government. Apparently he made the comments in view of claims by some that many ex-servicemen opposed the government by expressing their views on the Internet. I am not sure whether me and Arshad Raji can be considered in the same category with other since we are ex-serviceman. I know many ex-servicemen do not blog but express their frustration with BN over my blog and at coffee shops.
2.Are we really frustrated with the government or with the politicians that governs the machinery? Personally on occasion I am frustrated with both. I am fed up with the hypocrite politicians. I am sick and tired with politicians that divide the nation. I am fed up with the politicians who make decisions that bring misery to the people. I am fed up with this “legal robbers” that drain the nation’s wealth and who makes lousy decisions that burden the people. The list about the politicians does not end there.
3.Am I fed up with the government machinery? To some I would like to say a resounding YES especially that the ones that I dealt with on a regular basis. For example certain department of MPAJ and the YDP earns my displeasure. It took me 2 years (and in the last 4 months weekly written complains) to get them to do regular maintenance a 9 tier man made slope (Lot 541) near my house.
4.Only after the aftermath of Ulu Langat landslide and assistance of my friends in the media (Star,TV3, Free Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini) that they actually begins to clean up the slope in the last few days. Why does it have to resort to this level to do something simple like cleaning drains and cutting grass? Why can’t I get a reply that says thank you for the information and the following are the steps we are going to take & when they want to do it and when it can be completed? IWK did it with ease without any issue. It is not difficult to communicate plainly but government agencies don’t want to do so. To some extent I can say the same about Ministry of Housing where I see plenty of lip service and no affirmative action when addressing abandon housing issues.
5.Between the government machinery and the politicians that govern, I must say that the politicians earned my greatest displeasure. Over the years our government machinery has degraded. Good people left and the leftovers are holding top positions and call the shots. The only reason why many of this leftover succeeded is because of their polishing skills and their network with politicians and very rarely because they have the productivity and management skills.
6.The politicians must understand why ex-serviceman like me opposed the government today when I did not even oppose them before (even when Mahathir sacked Anwar in 1998). If the minister thinks the numbers are small; I suggest that he think again. Hundreds of thousands of veterans lives in hardship with fixed pensions which are not adjusted to annual inflation rates. They are the victims of the nation plunderers and poor decision makers
#1 by Winston on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 6:36 am
Chuck the bad ones out and let the good ones in in the next GE!
#2 by Taxidriver on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 6:45 am
Only now you are complaining. But didn’t you vote for this same corrupt government while you were a soldier? Mahathir was plundering the country big time and at the same time closing one eye to the corrupt deeds of his cabinet members and BN leaders, yet you supported him. Many ex-civil servants like you, drrafick, open their eyes whence those eyes were closed during their years in service, WHY?
#3 by Bigjoe on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 9:04 am
The problem with Army pension is serious ones because in all the calculations it did not build in the kind of inflation we are now facing. Its already well know that the army pension is insufficient when the retiree runs into a problems or series of problems like illness, accidents, loss of property, and other major obligations like children education. Because of that, its simply insufficient and when inflation run so high.
If the former armed personnel did not have a big nest-egg, either from savings from a highly successful career, which few have, or from another income, most simply will likely run into problems and major vote problem for UMNO/BN
#4 by wanderer on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 9:37 am
Who voted this Evil Regime to be the administrators of the land for the last 53 years?…judging from the postal votes (mostly armed forces personnels) at best, only 20% went to the Opposition!
Why grudge now because your pensions have not increased?
We the electorate know who are the true believers…not self centered selfish individuals.
#5 by boh-liao on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 10:21 am
Whoa, finally members of AF woke up fr their nightmare which they tot was sweet dream
Members of AF n polis cast POSTAL VOTES which r always used 2 manipulate outcomes
If they r suffering now, serve them right 4 voting 4 MMK, UmnoB/BN blindly
They don’t even know they r living in a failed, incompetent, corrupt, racist state
drrafick can count his blessings he does not hv 2 use d causeway or 2nd link these days
Since d biometric fingerprint scanning system was introduced by M’sia on June 1, massive JAM replaces butter n incompetent low IQ M’sian officials, esp Hishap (or its it Mishap?), n officers hv been ‘Fu’ed nonstop by commuters
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_679017.html
#6 by raven77 on Sunday, 12 June 2011 - 11:34 pm
What was the Angkatan Tentera doing when UMNO was sodomizing the rakyat for 50 years….especially the last 10 years…..Ikut Arahan only….? All brawn and no brains….?
Our armed forces, for whom many a soldier dies or gets maimed for this nation of ours…..can use its influence to make the necessary changes especially if it sees the country is being sold out as in the overpriced submarines and in the killing of Altantunya, lost jet engines, etc….
We saw many a civilian making noise….but not a word from the armed forces…..
Surely there ought to be dignity, integrity and honour in the forces…tempered with justice to make certain the right thing is done….
Our soldiers started loosing their pensions the day they lost their principles…..
#7 by PoliticoKat on Monday, 13 June 2011 - 12:21 am
The cracks continue to spread.
But have no worries, even as we speak, our fat cats are moving hundreds of billions outside the country. So when they do lose power, their wealth will be safe, and they will control all major companies in the country.
Hidup UMNOputra!! May their vast mansion in the Gold Coast and Argentina be vast and the dirty Malaysian masses poor.