We either put up or shut up

What is more shocking: the fact that we believe politicians of whichever party and persuasion, when they make great speeches promising us the earth? OR the fact that when they are in power, their pledges vanish, like the early morning mist that soon clears up?

 

Actually, it is neither of the above.

 

It is the realisation that we, the electorate, easily forget that whatever was guaranteed in the heat of an election, has fallen by the wayside. Then stupidly, we proceed, to re-elect more of the same - politician, policies and party.

 

In the past, I have commented about the poor service and incompetence of private organisations, politicians and heads of public departments.

 

The challenges that these people face are enormous. The qualities they possess need to be wide and varied.

 

We are all are familiar with private companies. The manager of an organisation must perform. Similarly, a person elected into power, must serve the people. No, ifs or buts. Service, performance and accountability all come with the territory.

 

When we pay for goods and services, we offer our loyalty to that company, assuming all runs smoothly.

 

Likewise, the politician who makes good on his promise to serve the electorate is in a similar position. He or she is assured of our continual support, provided the performance is fulfilled.

 

I write based on what I see, feel, hear, smell and taste. It is Malaysia, as I know it.

 

I make no apologies for not giving solutions to whatever problems I experience. I am no politician, nor am I the CEO of any company. I do not presume to support any party or candidate.

 

Where service has been excellent and exemplary, credit has been given. It applies to both public and private sectors. But my praise is not for public scrutiny. It is private and will remain so.

It is important to note that a job that is completed within its remit, especially one that has been paid for in the form of taxes or fees paid up-front, should never be confused with exceptional or outstanding service. Getting something done is just completing one’s tasks at work; exceptional service means doing something over and beyond what is expected.

 

However, I do object to being taken for a fool when lies are spun, or half-truths are shoved down our throats, or an injustice has been perpetrated.

 

No one should be expected to accept these as verbatim. Politicians should not consider us simple minded or ignorant or that we are sycophants. Or maybe they are that naïve?

 

The atmosphere of confusion and paranoia in our society is partly due to our politicians. But someone else is to blame? Us, of course. You and I.

 

We elected them and gave them the platform to dictate and tell us how to lead our lives. We have been the bigger fools. So, we either put up, or shut up.

Disarray ahead

 

Are we so dense or merely forgiving? The revelations of wrongdoings are numerous.

 

When the ex-Selangor menteri besar went on a first class jolly to Disneyland, with family, close associates and maid, ostensibly on a technical visit, the ensuing Mickey Mouse investigation caused an uproar. Did Goofy lead this inquiry? The MACC’s performance, or lack thereof, in this and many other issues affected public confidence.

 

In Sarawak, peoples’ lives are wrecked because of dams and relocation. Girls who are raped are disbelieved. How do you engage with a community when you mistrust their motives? The people won’t just retreat into the interior, they will retreat into themselves. How do you also prove to the world your commitment to the Copenhagen treaty when you destroy your own jungles?

 

Closer to home, the brilliant daughter of a Chinese friend was denied entry into a local university. Needless to harp on why. The parents scraped and scrimped to send her overseas and she graduated, with honours and distinction, in chemical engineering. I doubt she will return. She has been awarded a scholarship, Down Under, to do her masters. It is not so much her parent’s loss that I grieve; ‘our’ loss is greater.

 

If marriage is nurtured, not quadrupled, then fewer women will be abandoned. Broken families, of destitute women and children, lead precarious lives. Not all women are treated equally, in polygamy.

Many become lone parents and in the east coast, several are infected with Aids/HIV. Who cares for the children when their mothers die?

 

Polygamy is an outdated concept and if it is the supposed cure for adultery or prostitution, should carry with it a health and economic risk, just like the warnings on cigarette boxes.

 

If we are not careful, this nation of ours will fall into further disarray, with disastrous consequences.

 

When lecturer Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah said that the majority race in Malaysia needs ‘protection’ to maintain its special rights, was he living in a parallel universe?

 

Is he in denial? Is his behaviour alluding to the ‘born-again’ syndrome? His desire to please and bend over backwards, to conform to the new identity, grates on my nerves. It reminds me of when my teacher ran her nails on the surface of the blackboard.  

 

This Muslim convert expressed disappointment at the excessive amount of Christmas decorations in our shopping malls.

"Christians make up 9 percent of the population", he moaned.

 

Excuse me? He sounds a real misery guts.

 

He should try minding a dozen nieces and nephews and their friends during these school holidays. Few will be excited by an afternoon of  agama . On the other hand, the promise of a treat by Santa will make even the most stubborn, recalcitrant child practice the piano or tidy the room, with the rest silenced into submission.

 

Nor will I forego my invitations to Christmas parties or carol singing. I was brought up on a diet of Father Christmas and presents.

So were several of my non-Christian friends, both Malays and non-Malay Muslims, who, when small, attended the same Christmas parties, revelled and chased a very rotund and tanned Malaysian Father Christmas sporting copious amounts of cotton wool for a beard. Does that make me a worse Muslim than one who preaches hate and vitriol?

 

It is ironic that this man spews such dissent during the Christmas period of goodwill and peace on earth. But I think he is a prime example of a good public relations stunt gone wrong. His pressure-cooker ideologies on race and religion are not conducive to a united, modern and progressive Malaysia.

 

Globalisation has made the world smaller but not, it seems, in the universe occupied by Tee and the politicians who think like him.

 

Are they blind? We can only move forward if we engage with each other. They seem to withdraw and distance themselves: that will only destroy our country from within.

 

Let's include one New Year resolution with the commitment to choose the best man, or woman, for the job of steering our country out of stormy waters.

 

Happy 2010.