Our country has reached a juncture where we the citizens need to decide, make a stand and take action before it is too late. It’s time for us to stand up for our country, if not we risk losing it to a corrupt regime that is putting in place a system that will ensure they stay in power forever.

The 1MDB scandal is cancerous to our economy and public institutions. Our nation’s economy is plummeting and the ringgit has tumbled 23 percent in the last 12 months to a 17-year low. It has eroded the confidence of both Malaysians and international community. This and other political uncertainties have unquestionably contributed to the drastic depreciation of the ringgit against major currencies - now dropped below the rate of RM4 to US$1.

The burden of our political and economic crises is felt by most Malaysians, especially the vulnerable and marginalised groups whom we serve; the poor in the rural areas and even the middle income group in Sarawak.

However the very government institutions which are supposed to protect their rights and interest of the people have instead turn into tools used to deceive and intimidate the citizens into submission.

Look at the number of ‘stupid’ comments by our elected leaders holding important offices trying to justify the scandal. They are not just undermining the rakyat’s intelligence but worse, they are showing to the world their incompetency in leading the country and putting Malaysia on the world map for all the wrong reasons.

Parti Rakyat Sarawak president James Masing’s ignorance of Bersih 4’s demands, as well as unwarranted comments of Bersih 4’s spokesperson Karen Sheperd, is another reason why Sarawakian by the thousands joined Bersih 4. We are tired of leaders who have ignored our pleas for help but instead resorted to making racially discriminatory statements just to divide us. Can we still allow such ignorant leaders to be in power?

We urge Masing to take responsibility for his statement and to make a formal apology to Sheperd.

Corruption is rampant in the state and our democratic rights are eroding more and more. The question Masing and other BN leaders should be asking is how with 53 percent of the popular vote, yet the opposition only still managed to win 40 percent of parliamentary seats ?

And the recent delineation exercise in Sarawak will further widen the gap and reduce the value of the people’s vote, especially in the urban areas. If so where is democracy? Has the Election Commission (EC) now become a tool to ensure BN will continue to be put in power?

On Aug 29, for the first time in our nation history, we saw some 300,000 patriotic Malaysian come out and join Bersih 4and support its demands. There are people who even put the figure as high as 500,000.

For me personally, never in our nation’s history ever since Merdeka have we seen Malaysians singing Negaraku with such zeal and passion. This is something the government of the day should be proud of instead of cracking down on those joining rally and labelling them as unpatriotic. After all, aren’t Bersih’s demands the core foundation in building a strong country?

Pivotal moment

Perhaps of all these, one of the more pivotal moments was when former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad turned up and showed his support to fellow Malaysians. About 17 years ago, Dr Mahathir was the strongest critic of street demonstrations, however that day he identified with the struggles of the people and recognised this as an avenue of democratic action in the bid to save the country from destruction caused by corruption

Bersih’s demands are simple. Bersih demands clean and fair elections, returning the very democratic rights back to the people, and the right to choose the government that they desire. The recent delineation, among others, has reduced our very democratic rights to choose the leaders we want to lead the country. And because of that we must make a stand, and make a stand NOW.

Bersih 4's overnight rally can be the beginning of a national healing process to recover from the multitude of political fiascos, bad governance and the nation-building crisis. This is the time for our Sarawakian voice to be heard. People came by the hundreds from all over Sarawak just to stand together and have their voices heard.

Only a transparent government and a strong parliamentary democratic system can save the national’s economy. It is also essential to empower us with equal rights to choose the right people to be in power for the betterment of this country. If we hold back and not allow our voices to be heard, then nothing will ever change.

JULIAN TAN KOK PING is Member of Parliament for Stampin in Kuching, Sarawak.