A major reason for the fall of the John Howard government in Australia recently was he failed to read the signals from the electorate that they were not happy. This failure to read the signals led to a complete rout of his government by the opposition Labour Party.

Howard, in his utter confidence (and arrogance?), did not listen to the people because he thought he knew what was best for them. Perhaps, our political leaders should mull this case. It could be relevant in the context of our development.

The Barisan Nasional government has been the choice of the people for 50 years. And because of its domination of the political landscape, it will continue to hold sway for another 20 years or more. After that who knows! But such are the dynamics of politics in this constantly changing world, I say anything is possible.

That a large segment of the population today is unhappy with the government cannot be denied. We just have to look at the hundreds of letters to the letters columns of daily newspapers, contributed by Malaysians of all races. The Internet is deluged with similar disgruntlements, only more caustically expressed. Ordinary coffee shop chat these days inevitably veers to the politics of the day.

The issues are not just politics but on corruption, unemployment, Mat Rempits, gangsters, VCD sellers, drug addicts, lack of opportunity, government contracts, the NEP, an inefficient civil service, discrimination, the preponderance of immigrant labour, talent migration, traffic chaos and woes, unbridled development. The list runs on.

Is the government listening? Or is it like John Howard, smug in its complacency and arrogance?

To me, it seems there is a denial syndrome among our leaders. If one listens to the various responses and answers to the many issues of the day, the answers are always defensive and, often, on the haughty side.

The dynamics in today's world of business and politics are constantly shifting. As it stands, compared to the development of our neighbouring countries, the fact is our growth rate is not moving in tandem with theirs. For example, we are getting less foreign direct investments. Even a former laggard like Indonesia gets more. When we were once ahead of Thailand, they now have caught up with us. Our automotive industry started well ahead of Thailand’s. Today, Thailand is the largest manufacturer and exporter of cars in Southeast Asia.

From the two recent peaceful gatherings, a potent message was conveyed to our political masters. They cannot continue to maintain a denial syndrome that all’s well that seems well, at least to our leaders and the controlled media.

To have two major rallies within the past one month, surely something is amiss. We celebrated 50 years of independence, perhaps, the time is nigh to begin to do some soul searching and try to come to grips with the issues of the day.

It is time to listen to the people. Many of us plead to the powers that be to reappraise the current political and socio-economic affairs in our country. It is okay to acknowledge we have gone astray; we all do sometimes. But we ask for commitment to have more dialogue, to reach out to the people, especially the underprivileged and attempt to solve the myriad issues we face.