It is disappointing to hear, read about and witness the events that are going on in this country of late. Whenever general elections are near, the ‘gremlins’ seem to come out and create havoc, all for selfish reasons.

Why are there parties and individuals stirring up racial sentiments? Is it simply to rally a particular race so that they will unite under the current leadership and therefore vote them back into power? A true leader does not need such tactics, a leader (or political party) is elected back into power by virtue of its credibility and worthiness in the eyes of the public.

Acts such as bringing a country to the next level of economic and social development, reducing the crime rate and eradicating poverty are achievements that the people value and admire. This is as opposed to say, sending an astronaut into space which counts for nothing as the poor and marginalised in this country do not benefit from the act. It is a respectable feat, but by no means a great one.

On our crime rate, over the last six months, the houses in my residential area have been broken into by burglars using same modus operandi indicating that one gang is at work. How come there is no progress in catching them? It’s ridiculous that some households have to pay hundreds of ringgit in security fees for neighborhood protection or thousands of ringgit to install grills because crime has become so rampant.

Don’t we already pay taxes to the government? And if you car is stolen or car-jacked and you don’t have an advanced tracking system, it is likely you will never see it again, unless, of course, the authorities in a neighbouring country uncover a godown of stolen cars and return them.

What about our beautiful children? More of them are being kidnapped, raped and/or killed than ever reported before in the past. Why is this happening? Has there suddenly been an influx of child rapists and killers into this country? Or have the newspapers just been more efficient in reporting such cases?

I am sure that if the police were as efficient in fighting crime as they are in trying to block rallies and peaceful gatherings, I am certain the crime rate can be controlled, at least a little. Forgive me for being ignorant, but I believe that every time a child or woman is kidnapped, the police should man road blocks and conduct checks with as much thoroughness they did during the Bersih and Hindraf rallies. We can all rest a little easier then.

We are a great country, and whichever party or parties that are in control of our nation should not be distracted from the most basic of its obligations to the rakyat amongst them to provide for the poor regardless of race and to provide security against crime. These are not Middle Ages; our children should be able to play outside our homes without fear.