LETTER | Our beloved nation’s 15th general election appears imminent. There is news in the grapevine that it could all happen sooner than we imagined or even bargained for.

Patriot is very concerned and like all good citizens cares for the future good of our beloved nation. The many and ever-growing ills that afflict the country is common knowledge.

Suffice to say corruption has so deeply rooted among us that there is no way that the same old politicians and their political machinations can ever redeem themselves.

Authoritarianism has been creeping so much so that people today live in fear of being hauled up for being politically incorrect. Even being a whistleblower seems like a nightmare these days.

Nepotism and cronyism have become widespread and fill the hallways of government, civil service and even politically aligned business entities are part of the landscape in the country.

Patriot has legitimate reasons to believe that our nation is badly in need of resurrection. We need to be freed from the heavily weaponized racism and religious bigotry that has deeply divided us, maimed and crippled our progress as one nation of citizens.

Mutatis mutandis (once the necessary changes have been made), the 15th general election must therefore and has to be the final call and last opportunity to reset the nation and return the Federal Constitution and the constitutional monarchy system to its past glory vis-a-vis the political, economic, social and environmental paradigms that build and strengthen nationhood can get back on the right path.

Nation-building

If patriotism is still relevant to nation-building here, then every citizen must take on that responsibility to make Malaysia a beacon in the region and return the Asian Tiger that once was and let it thrive in a climate of abhorrence for corruption.

Since our political masters appear to have been very disappointing and have been failing us from many vantages, as patriotic citizens we must take on this responsibility to reset our nation on firmer footing with united determination as our building blocks for a greater and better Malaysia.

During the general election campaign season, we must therefore reject all politicians who have been charged with corruption or are fighting tooth and nail to save their skins in the court of law.

Political parties that continue to believe that they can bribe, coerce, intimidate or bulldoze their way to victory must be rejected mercilessly. Hence party members should not continue to be blinded by party mania while remaining ignorant of or indifferent to the plundering, wastages and corrupt practices of “What’s in there for me”.

Patriot, therefore, calls upon all civil society leaders and institutions of good governance, including professional bodies and religious congregational leaders to rise and respond to this national service that can collectively save our people, Rulers and the country’s future.

Challenging times

The 15th general election is a critical situation and a milestone that will define the future of every law-abiding citizen in the challenging times ahead of us.

Every one of us is and will be affected because of politics. Hence to state that “We are a-political” is a disgraceful bluff in the face of this all defining 15th general elections.

Patriot also demands that every politician wanting to emerge champions at the polls must reveal their wealth amassed with transparent and publicly acceptable accountability. The days are over for hoodwinking citizens.

As former servicemen and women, we at Patriot are cognizant of what makes a nation a failed state. In this regard, Patriot issues a clarion call and ultimatum.

All Malaysians must come together with a resolute will to abandon the dangerous paths of old, and help reset the future of Malaysia at the 15th general election.

We had enough of talks. We had enough of promises. We had more than enough evidence of failures and mismanagement in the country. If we do not plug all these undemocratic, unjust and thieving practices at the goal post of 15th general election, we are doomed for a long time to come.

Patriot strongly believes that the countdown must begin now to reject all corrupt politicians, civil servants, institutions and private enterprises.

MOHAMED ARSHAD RAJI is the president of Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan.

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