Rafidah Aziz, Mahathir Mohamad, Muhammad Muhammad Taib, Lim Keng Yaik, Mohamed Rahmat aka Tok Mat, Musa Hitam, Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. They have many things in common. Their selfishness, greed, cowardice, and lack of foresight.

Today, these former cabinet ministers troop out, one by one, to warn us about the disintegration of race relations, the breakdown of social order and the economic mess. But you know what? This mess did not just happen overnight. It was not created by Najib Abdul Razak. It was created during their time, when all of them enjoyed the perks and power of being prime ministers, deputy minister, or ministers.

Why are they speaking out about the damage, now, when they have no power to change the situation? As ministers in the 80s and 90s, they had the power to influence things. So why did they keep quiet, when they knew that the affirmative action policies, and Ketuanan Melayu propaganda would cripple Malaysia in the future? They were around when the Biro Tata Negara (National Civics Bureau or BTN) was formed. They were aware of the brainwashing.

Shame on them because they contributed to the disintegration of Malaysia. They will never admit their culpability, nor will they apologise for their contribution to the breakdown of Malaysia.

We are tired of people who say that they were aware of injustices in the past, but kept quiet, because they had to think about their ‘periok nasi’. We, too, had ‘periok nasi’ to consider.

The ministers who have suddenly found their voices, once refused to listen to us. Why are they vocal now? Is it because their investments are not doing well, because foreign firms prefer to do business with our neighbours, because of the scandals hitting Malaysia?

Najib is merely continuing the political thuggery, which was promoted and promulgated during his father Abdul Razak Hussein’s time. Mahathir nurtured the growth of racism and used it to maximum advantage. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who succeeded him, was swamped by the enormity of the task of putting things right. Najib is the PM who will hammer the final nail into the Malaysian coffin.

The irony is that two past PMs, and several former cabinet ministers have been powerless to stop Najib. Only the rakyat can save the nation.

Previous ministers warn us that we should think of ourselves as ‘Malaysian’. During the past four decades, the rakyat had warned them about the dangers of promoting only one race. Their response was to imprison the critics of the government.

Critics were imprisoned during Mahathir's time, and that trend continues today. Others fled overseas, living in self-imposed exile. Today, the Malays are leaving, not because they are critical of the government, but because they have become economic migrants.

No give and take

There is no denying that the Umno Baru Malays have become arrogant. They have no adat (custom), sopan santun (decorum) or knowledge of living in a multicultural, modern Malaysia. They are openly hostile and abusive. There is no give and take. They do not believe in the rule of law.

Arrogance is a characteristic of Umno Baru Malays. The former ministers once had an arrogance about them, which meant that they were not prepared to listen to the rakyat's views. Today, we suffer the damage that these ministers, Malay, and non-Malay, have heaped upon us.

At the end of 2014, a group of former high-ranking civil servants decided to go public and denounce the religious extremists who were damaging the nation. Although their intervention is a few decades late, it is nevertheless welcome. It is better to be late than never.

It is a shame that out of the thousands of civil servants, former diplomats and academics that Malaysia has produced, only around 50 have summoned the courage to challenge the racism and religious intolerance, which decades of governmental abuse has generated.

So what is stopping the other hundreds and thousands of civil servants from joining the G25? Is it their pension? Now that they have retired, are they protecting their second periok nasi? Does their plum salary, as a consultant to the government, a government-linked company (GLC), or private company preclude them from condemning the ultra Umno Baru Malays and religious extremists?

What will it take for these people to come out from hiding and denounce the ultra racist Umno Baru Malays? Are they silent because they saw what happened to one former DPM, Anwar Ibrahim, who dared to speak out, and was then jailed, in a politically motivated move?

With a few days to go before Malaysia day, the nation faces its greatest threat of a break up. Former ministers have plucked up the courage to speak out and condemn the red-shirts. Will the remaining former civil servants come out and bolster the ranks of the G25 and help save the nation?

Any former civil servants who are not prepared to help save the nation should search their consciences and see if they can live with their treachery.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO).