COMMENT | Make GE15 the Waterloo for corrupt politicians

COMMENT | It's now or never for Malaysians to save their country from the downward spiral that has retarded the nation's development for far too long.

GE15 has to be the Waterloo for the corrupt politicians who should be sent to jail for abusing their power and committing crimes against the rakyat all those years.

It was the Pakatan Harapan administration that allowed the hand of justice to seize one key leader, charge him in court and dispatched him to prison.

Najib Abdul Razak's conviction is undeniable proof that these perverted politicians are thieves masquerading as politicians. What more smoking-gun proof do people want?

How much longer must the nation suffer because their government harbours criminals and leaders who defraud the people? GE15 is when deceived people come to their senses and vote out the corrupt politicians, the political perverts who have spoilt their nation.

The inevitable change in the nation's governance will happen sooner or later when those who vote for criminals realise their folly. But far better for it to occur sooner than later before more damage is done, when the government's cupboard is bare, before more Malaysians have to work abroad illegally, and before the nation is economically crippled.

As a foretaste of the impending doom - it has become difficult for Malaysians to visit Australia, a popular tourist destination for Malaysians. A visa application except for those in the older age group now takes months to obtain. Applicants including well-known Malaysian business personalities have to undergo the Australian bureaucratic gauntlet. Will Malaysians be seen as the new global pariahs where more foreign countries treat them as potential overstayers?

Already, many Malaysians are fleeing abroad to work illegally in larger numbers. The country has gone backwards while the corrupt politicians get richer. The time is now to cure the sickness.

Then there is the problem of bad governance itself. How long will Malaysians have to live with corrupt and incompetent politicians who know nothing about national development and think governance is for self-enrichment and mega projects are for receiving kickbacks? And these despots abuse the government's power to selectively persecute and prosecute their critics for reporting the truth.

Divide-and-fool policy

Most Malaysians I have met have a sob story to tell of their moanful experience living in a nation hijacked. They lament the wasted years of bad governance.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad recently reportedly said he will “make Malaysia great again”. It must be the joke of the century told by a near centenarian who has much to answer for the country's rotten state. The Malays have many capable leaders stifled and sidelined by bad leadership. Whoever derided the Malays and their capabilities is an unfair and nasty person.

Psychologists tell us our brains are wired to believe in lies and that's why many habitually fall for the lies and fake promises of snake oil leaders. Beware the 'Ides of March', beware the traitors, beware promise-breakers.

The results of GE15 will hopefully put an abrupt end to the delusion and deception of the country's perversion. The proverbial Malay vote that has been the fixed deposit of past governments is fast disappearing. More and more Malays are waking up from the induced political coma of a political organisation that has exploited race and religion for its greedy and selfish benefit.

Sadly, however, this divide-and-fool policy, a leftover of colonial times, has enriched the political leaders of all races and deprived the different ethnic masses of the economic and social benefits they might have enjoyed.

One can't be more foolish than those in Sabah and Sarawak whose leaders sold them out and deprived them of their rights and oil revenues by agreeing to amend the Constitution, thus perverting the Malaysia Agreement.

Their rural folks lack basic modern amenities and essential services. But one notable leader is filthy wealthy. What kind of leader is he who revels in luxury while his people suffer untold hardships? It is time Sabahans and Sarawakians come to their senses and vote out the corrupt.

Looking at the manifestos on offer by the contesting coalitions; it is self-evident that voting in a Pakatan Harapan government will benefit Sabahans and Sarawakians more. They have the best manifesto. And Harapan offers more talented representatives than their bankrupt-of-talents, treacherous and clueless rivals.

The class divide between the Malays has reached obscene heights. Some are rich beyond imagination. Many of them are the cronies, beneficiaries of largesse, and thieves who owe their wealth to corrupt politicians in government. Who benefits from the race and religion mantra? Not ordinary, struggling folks.

Other perverts in power are the political leaders themselves who have got the lion's share of the nation's wealth in defrauding government-funded mega projects. Kickbacks is the popular method of corruption. And let's not overlook the rape of the rainforests that created the infamous billionaire politicians of Sabah and Sarawak. The root causes are many and only a solid, no-nonsense and anti-perversion team can clean up the government.

And which fool of a voter wants to put the dishonest back in power to steal more from the rakyat and clean out the public coffers?

Slay the race monster

In 1998, Anwar Ibrahim started the peaceful Reformasi revolution. It was the genesis of a political paradigm shift toward reforms that must culminate in his election as country leader.

Besides Harapan, the other coalitions are disconnected from the national interests of the rakyat. This disconnect disturbingly relates to race and religion. They have perverted the truth, failed to defend those of their race who opposed corrupt leaders, and distorted religion and abused it to slander others of the same religion.

The perverts of race and religion are reasons why Malaysia is hamstrung in so many ways. It is time to stop their shenanigans and let Anwar and his evidently talented team lead the way. Malaysia has to see the rise of equitable and clean governance. A new government must do away with racial and religious segregation and the neo-apartheid policies that spawn bastardisation and corruption.

Where needed most has to be the bedrock of the government's affirmation policy. A royal commission of inquiry to recover the country's stolen wealth will benefit the rakyat. An amnesty may be granted to those who willingly return ill-gotten gains or face the brunt of prosecution.

The biggest challenge however when Anwar takes office is to slay the race monster, the race demon that has tormented the nation. When all the races live, work and do business together, then true nationhood rises from the dust of discrimination.

The world has yet to see what Malaysia Boleh can really achieve. An Anwar renaissance strengthened by an inclusive cabinet of young and older, honest, enthusiastic, and talented finely-honed team will put Malaysia on the global map, away from the political perverts that only brought shame to the nation.

It is time for change; time for the challenge. The nation cries for deliverance. A vote for change is a vote for your country. A vote for Anwar, the man of the hour, is a vote for yourself.

STEVE OH believes the world has yet to see what Malaysia can achieve when it is managed by the right people with the right policies.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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