Why was the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, absent from the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) Christmas high-tea on Christmas Day on Sunday – as it was the Prime Minister’s absence from the CFM Christmas high-tea for three consecutive years in a row.
Najib had said that he did not want to be Prime Minister for only a particular section of the community, but a Prime Minister for all Malaysians.
Najib must be more assiduous to honour his pledge to be a Prime Minister for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion and region.
This is one of the issues which Najib should clarify, particularly at the last Cabinet meeting of the year tomorrow – for Malaysians would like to what was the more important function which prevented the Prime Minister from attending the CFM Christmas high-tea for three consecutive years in a row.
I had suggested that at the final meeting tomorrow, the Cabinet should conduct a retrospective and even introspective review as to why the Malaysian nation-building process had gone so horribly wrong in the past year, highlighted by the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal, Malaysia regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy”, the shame of being excluded from PISA 2015 because of cheating by the Education Ministry, and the plunge in economic confidence in Malaysia reflected by the unprecedented plunge in the value of the Malaysian ringgit.
Have the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the government leadership forsaken from the five Rukunegara principles of Belief in God; Loyalty to King and Country; Upholding the Constitution; Rule of Law and Good Behaviour and Morality to cause such a grave crisis of confidence in the nation’s history.
It would be the height of irony if the five principles of Rukunegara, with the five objectives to achieve a greater Malaysian unity; maintain a democratic way of life; create a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably shared; ensure a liberal approach to our rich and diverse cultural traditions; and build a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology are abandoned by Najib when these were the legacy of his father, Tun Razak, the nation’s second Prime Minister.
There is however another matter which Cabinet tomorrow should grapple with – the completely inexcusable fatal bus crash on Christmas Eve at KM137 of North-South Expressway near Kampung Jayo, Pagoh, killing 14 people and injuring 16 others.
The fatal Pagoh bus crash should killing 14 and injuring 16 should not have happened after the tragedy of fatal Genting bus crash in August 2013 which killed 37 lives.
What is the purpose of the Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, announcing that the Transport Ministry will take measures to prevent repeat accidents like the Johor bus crash in Pagoh, when he must assume ministerial responsibility for the Pagoh fatal crash as he had failed to be pro-active measures after the fatal bus crash in Genting Highlands on 21st August 2013 which had claimed 37 lives.
Clearly, the country has a very incompetent and irresponsible Transport Minister.
The Cabinet should act without ado on the proposal by the DAP Johor Chairman and MP for Kluang, Liew Chin Tong, who has called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Long Distance Bus Industry.
Chin Tong has also asked Liow to immediately announce to the public what his Ministry has done so far since the publication of the report of the Independent Advisory Panel to the Minister of Transport Malaysia Report (The Report) on Genting Highlands Bus Crash at KM 3.6 Genting Highlands-Kuala Lumpur Road on 21 August 2013.
The Report was submitted to the Minister of Transport on 28th January 2014 and was subsequently made public. Most of the 51 recommendations were supposed to be carried out within a two-year time frame.
But the two-year deadline had passed, nothing has been done, and there is another unnecessary and avoidable bus tragedy killing 14 and injuring 16.
Having an irresponsible and incompetent Minister is enough of a road transport disaster – let Malaysians not have equally irresponsible and incompetent Cabinet.
This is why the Cabinet should act without further ado on Chin Tong’s proposal for a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Long Distance Bus Industry.