In two days’ time, Malaysians will be celebrating the 60th Merdeka anniversary, which should be an occasion for jubilation and joy, especially with the country’s success with its largest haul of gold medals at the ongoing SEA Games.
But this will be most inappropriate for Malaysia, as the country has fallen on bad times.
The 60th Merdeka anniversary should be an occasion for all Malaysians to ponder deep and hard why Malaysia has lost its way – with the Malaysian Dream and Vision 2020 never been so distant in recent decades.
In the last two years, Malaysia shot to international infamy when we were regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy!
I do not believe that the founding fathers of the nation, like Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman and his deputy, Tun Razak, had ever expected Malaysia to fall so low as to be regarded worldwide as a global kleptocarcy.
Even Perak Sultan Nazrin has agreed that sixty years after Merdeka, corruption has become one of Malaysia’s major ills. Nazrin said that if Tun Razak were alive today, he would be disappointed to see four scenarios happening in the nation – one of which is the rampant corruption in the country.
This is what Sultan Nazrin said at the launch of the book ‘Fulfilling A Legacy – Tun Razak Foundation’ by Shahreen Kamaluddin in Kuala Lumpur earlier today:
“Tun Abdul Razak’s heart would be crushed in following the exposure after exposure, arrest after arrest because of widespread corruption involving top officials and educated individuals which have tainted the country’s good name.”
In the extraordinary and unprecedented Merdeka video “Citizen” where the MCA President and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai took on a double acting role, corruption was also listed as one of the catastrophes which had caused Malaysians to lose hope in Malaysia and in the Malaysian Dream.
Very right. Malaysians must never lose hope in Malaysia or the Malaysian Dream to be a world-class nation of achievement and excellence in every field of human endeavour.
But first, we must dare to grapple with the top problems in the country – like corruption, which must be eradicated with a zero tolerance for corruption from the very top downwards with the Prime Minister setting the example of integrity, and not just an anti-corruption agency flattering itself on its anti-corruption arrests of ikan bilis and medium fishes, leaving sharks completely alone and immune!
[Media Conference Statement (2) after a walk-about at Taman Mutiara Rini, Gelang Patah on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 at 7 pm]