JD Lovrenciear

The U-turn by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir on the 1MDB debacle opens up more cans of wriggling questions.

According to published reports citing the travel and world geography website worldatlas.com , Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Klang and Johor Baru are among the 10 most dangerous places in Asia.

The appeal for royal intervention made by the head of the Catholic faith, His Grace Reverend Bishop Bernard Paul of the Malacca-Johor diocese, brings to light some serious soul-searching and fundamental questions.

It clearly shows all the time that the Najib Abdul Razak administration is getting nervous over its own shadow. That perhaps explains the often rolled out reason, i.e. ‘security threat’ for every action taken against the public and or press people.

Any first-time visitor to Malaysia will be left speechless as he/she gets overwhelmed by sights of the towering skyscrapers, majestic palatial dwellings and infrastructures.

This photo (taken today, March 4, 2016) shows a row of foreign citizens sleeping at a shop frontage along Malaysia’s famous Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur (Chinatown).

The country is on a historic countdown. For the moment, March 27 is increasingly hoped as the moment of truth. Will Malaysians succeed in taking the country forward is yet to be seen.

Those from the sanctified hallways of government have admonished Malaysians for their unwillingness to take on the ‘dirty, dangerous and difficult’ (3D) jobs that now await another 1.5 million migrant workers who will be arriving from Bangladesh.

From the United Kingdom to Switzerland, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States of America to France we are reading of reports of mounting investigations on Malaysia’s much touted economic and financial maverick, the now infamous 1MDB and its related fund transfers that have changed labels in Malaysia from being called a ‘donation’ to an ‘investment’ and a seeming ‘loan’ that was returned.

Who does not know the political nightmares plaguing Malaysia all these years from the very day day that former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had sacked and subsequently jailed Anwar Ibrahim - his then deputy?

The prime minister of Malaysia has pointed out in his very recent address at his first monthly meeting of his department in Putrajaya that “factors outside our control” are giving Malaysians really hard times this year.

The photo published today speaks a thousand words. Indeed it blossoms hope and clarity in the hearts of millions of Malaysians who have for quite a while been bombarded with the politicking of religion so much so that suspicion and hatred seemed to be rearing its ugly venomous spike every now and then.

The red shirt breakout in Kuala Lumpur has also spilled all kinds of racism-charged and seemingly ‘Islamic’ colour to add to the justifications for an Umno-Malay battle with police and citizens, to win back their dignity.

Malaysia is wounded and bleeding. If only Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak can give us the simple truths and cut out all the cryptic promises and piecemeal attempts to buy time, this nation would have been healed and be well on its way to great recovery. And today, Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor need not be screaming that some people are trying to oust them like what happened to Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad is said to be touching down today Sept 9 at the Subang airport and there are open invitations crowding the net for citizens to gather and welcome him from his overseas jetting.

The ugly BN mantra of race card is rearing its head all over again as netizens argue whether Malays came in equal numbers or Chinese outnumbered Malays to the Bersih 4 rally.

Indeed the lyrics of late Michael Jackson’s song ‘Heal the world’ is most apt as Malaysians all across the country and in many destinations across the world prepare to stand and walk tall for a better Malaysia.

As the countdown down to a purported and unprecedented mass gathering of Bersih 4 peaceful protest ticks, the current political masters and their puppets need to know quickly what Malaysians do want and do not want. Lashing out threats of arrests or throwing all kinds of objections and spanners in the works to thwart the exodus of citizens on the eve of Merdeka celebrations is not a smart strategy.

What else Malaysians will be fed with in the days and months to come is any sane person’s wild guess. At the rate the Malaysian politicians are churning out all kinds of inflammatory and high-speculation statements, one wonders on which planet Malaysia really is.

One of the greater things about Malaysians is that we believe in prayers. The number of places of worship and prayer places that crowd the Malaysian landscape is indeed most reassuring and in many ways attests to our strong believe in prayer. At least in this troubled world and times, we witness here in this country humanity’s rooted faith in God.

Singapore just celebrated its golden jubilee anniversary of independence. The storyboard was one that was carefully structured to inspire, embolden and motivate the population to prepare to cross the next 50 years of history in proven form and success.