What in a nutshell is the reason why there must be a change of government in Putrajaya in the next 14th General Election?
Has Malaysia fulfilled our Merdeka Dream 1957 and Malaysia Dream 1963 to be a shining example to the world of an united, successful, harmonious, democratic, progressive and prosperous plural society of diverse races, religions, languages and cultures?
We have not, as we are wracked by growing extremism, intolerance and bigotry resulting in the worst racial and religious polarization in the nation’s history, with more and more Malaysians, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, questioning the violations of the bedrock principles of the Malaysian constitution and nation-building.
What is worse, we have become a global kleptocracy – and this is the first time in the 14 general elections in 60 years of the nation’s history that electorate is being presented starkly with the choice: “Sayangi Malaysia, Hapuskan kleptokrasi”.
As I said in Parliament before I was suspended for six months in October 2015 for wanting to get to the bottom of the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal, a kleptocracy is a government of three Ps – Pencuri, Perompak and Penyamun.
I do not believe that there is any community, race, religion of culture in the world who want their leaders to come from the 3Ps, but for the past few years, the Prime Minister and his government had done nothing to clear or cleanse Malaysia of the infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, presented his “mother of all budgets” last Friday, and believe that it would be the recipe not only for the UMNO/BN coalition to win big in the forthcoming general election, but for UMNO/BN to win back two-thirds parliamentary majority lost in the last two general elections in 2008 and 2013.
The voters will decide whether they are going to allow the “goodies” of the 2018 Budget to stomach the infamy and ignominy of Malaysia as a global kleptocracy.
The UMNO/BN leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers are attacking the Pakatan Harapan claiming that a Pakatan Harapan can only be worse than the UMNO/BN coalition government.
The UMNO/BN leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers cannot be more wrong, as the Penang and Selangor State Governments which was won by the Pakatan opposition with a greater mandate in the 2013 general election bore clear testimony.
A Pakatran Harapan Government in Putrajaya will prove in five years that it is better than UMNO/BN government for all Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans or Orang Asli or the voters can re-elect a UMNO/BN government in 15th General Election whether in 2022 or 2023.
(Speech at the DAP Ulu Selangor “Sayangi Malaysia, Hapuskan Kleptocrasi” dinner held in Rasa on Sunday, 29th October 2017 at 9 pm)