LETTER | Let me list down what I have heard so far from the Cameron Highlands by-election campaign trails.

• The tussle was over the racial origin of the candidates – are they Malay, Orang Asli, Indian or others?
• Did ministers go to Cameron Highlands using their official vehicles?
• Did candidates make use of government machinery to campaign?
• Were the voters threatened or promised with rewards in anyway?
• When money was dished out, was this a reimbursement of expenses or a bribery?
• There is no right or wrong. If a party was caught distributing RM20.00 to voters, we only need to know how much the other party was giving.

This is how pathetic we have become. I am both disappointed and disheartened; it is as if our politics has gone backward and become more trivial and insignificant.

Let’s face it, caring for Orang Asli community in this country is a policy issue. Hence, an Orang Asli candidate would not make a difference. Neither would a Malay or an Indian candidate do much for them unless the government of the day has set its mind on it.

If we have cared for Orang Asli all these years, I don’t think they would ever need to queue up for RM20 petrol reimbursement allowance, or bribe, whatever we choose to call it.

I think politicians from sides of the aisle should be ashamed if so many among our rural voters are still desperate for minor handouts. It shows they are poor, destitute and ignorant. It shows development has not really reached them despite all the talks.

On debate over the use of ministers’ official cars to go to Cameron Highlands, my comment is why are we so pretentious? Are we not missing the forest for the trees? Official cars are chicken feed privileges given to ministers. If ministers choose to be corrupt, there are one-hundred-and-one ways available to them.

Look, official cars are a “sunk cost” of the government. Sometimes focusing too much on the no brainer is just unproductive. It diverts our attention from the real corruption and transparency issues confronting the country.

In a way, Cameron Highlands is unique. If we really care for this place and its people, let’s focus on the right issues.

What about a master development plan for the highlands with concrete steps and timeframe for implementation?

Surely many substantive issues – land tenure and ownership, roads and transportation, hillside development, farming and pesticide use, environment degradation, water catchment areas, livelihood of Orang Asli and their settlements and eco-friendly tourism – need our urgent and cogent attention.

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