Politics in Malaysia is getting rather dramatic these days. With the latest Anwar sodomy allegation, it is bordering on absurdity. I can only draw on some conclusions.
(1) Politics has overshadowed the key issues confronting the public - the economy, rising oil and energy prices, eradicating corruption, judicial reforms etc etc.
(2) Anwar Ibrahim and the whole Pakatan Rakyat machinery seem to be in a mad rush to take control of the federal government.
Dr Mahathir Mohamd has seriously damaged the credibility of the police, the attorney-general and the judiciary by using these institutions to bulldoze a conviction of Anwar in 1998 over the flimsiest of evidence.
This is a chance for the police to repair its damaged reputation. If swift investigations show that there is no basis in the police report against Anwar, this must be promptly announced and action taken against the accuser for making a false report.
If there are sufficient grounds to charge Anwar, he must be given bail as rape and sodomy are bailable offenses.
Will the police and the AG rise to the occasion? Or will they, by their actions, fuel public belief of a conspiracy? We have to wait and see. Why the rush? Can't we wait till the next election?
Actions speak louder than words and if the PR states prove themselves to be as transparent, non-corrupt and efficient as they claim to be, then the public would not hesitate to vote them into the Parliment, no?
(3) I cannot decide whom should be trusted anymore. As a general rule, when events get too dramatic, the truth must be getting further muddled, twisted or drowned.
Politics has a very talented way of twisting the truth, hence the word 'rhetoric' is usually associated with politicians.
(4) It is always easy to criticise and bad apples in a basket somehow gets easier to recognise.
Agreed, the present government could do better, but have they actually done that badly? Look at the freedom accorded to us, the reforms about to be in place. Compare the Abdullah government with the Mahathir government and tell me it is not getting better.
Can the PR government actually do better on its own? Oddities like cancelling summonses - in essence giving lawbreakers a break at the expense of law-abiding citizens - doesn't seem just to me.
They have the Malaysian Agenda and then they have internal squabbles in Perak, oddities as mentioned etc etc.
I am not complaining really but actually very happy to see all these upheaval because that’s what happens when the country's system gets overhauled and in the end it will be better.
But I cannot help but to be tired of all the drama and non-productive developments.
In the end, there are so much drama and so many actors (well more like commentators) who think they know better (ie get easily taken in by all the rhetoric from both sides) and are therefore not afraid to pass judgement in a huff and make their judgement known to all so much so that it is getting awfully cloudy out there.
I appeal for some quiet and for getting down to work and letting the work speak for itself.
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