Rakyat tired of selfish, self-serving leaders - Salleh Said Keruak
Former Sabah chief minister Salleh Said Keruak has warned his fellow politicians that they have become increasingly unpopular among a public that sees them as selfish, self-serving and constantly embroiled in schemes.
"There is a time for politics, and there is a time to serve.
"It has not gone unnoticed by the rakyat that Malaysian politicians play politics 24-7 and 365 days a year. And the rakyat, those on the ground, are tired of the focus of the politicians on politicking and not on serving the rakyat," Salleh said in a blog post this morning.
Former Sabah chief minister Salleh Said Keruak has warned his fellow politicians that they have become increasingly unpopular among a public that sees them as selfish, self-serving and constantly embroiled in schemes.
"There is a time for politics, and there is a time to serve.
"It has not gone unnoticed by the rakyat that Malaysian politicians play politics 24-7 and 365 days a year. And the rakyat, those on the ground, are tired of the focus of the politicians on politicking and not on serving the rakyat," Salleh said in a blog post this morning.
Salleh served as the Sabah chief minister from 1994 to 1996, after the elected government of Joseph Kitingan was toppled through defections.
He also attempted to join PKR following Pakatan Harapan's victory in the 2018 elections only to return to Umno just in time to contest and win the Usukan seat in last month's State Assembly elections.
Nonetheless, Salleh is sounding the alarm to his fellow politicians, saying that they no longer enjoy a good perception among the people.
"A good politician is one who has his fingers on the pulse of the nation, one who listens to the voice of the rakyat.
"Politicians and activists love chanting the slogan ‘the people are the boss’. But very soon after coming into power, they tend to forget who is the boss.
"As the civil servants are fond of saying, politicians come and go, the rakyat will be here forever," he said.
Salleh added that politicians need to realise that they are beginning to become unpopular with the very lethargic rakyat that is fed up with the never-ending turmoil.
Sabah now worst hit in Covid-19 pandemic
Sabah is currently the worst-hit state in Malaysia in terms of Covid-19 figures, with 44 deaths in the last 11 days and 702 new cases reported yesterday.
The opinion that the surge in cases is linked to Sabah's election campaign has helped fuel resentment towards political leaders.
Furthermore, there is more horse-trading in play after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim met with the Agong to indicate he had enough support to topple the government of Muhyiddin Yassin.
This was then followed by Umno announcing that it wished to reconsider its position in Myhyiddin's administration.
"The 'new normal' for Malaysia not only involves social distancing and self-isolation. It also determines how politics is played," added Salleh.
He also reminded his fellow politicians that the days of dominance by one side are over and he called on parties and politicians to find common ground on which to work together.
"Once an election is over, we need to get down to the business of running the country.
"The days of a two-thirds majority, or even a simple majority in Parliament, by a single political party are over. Even with coalitions, the four or five parties scrape through with an almost hung Parliament and razor-thin majority.
"Monopolies and hegemonies no longer exist. Today it is about power-sharing. Winners and losers need to sit down to explore what is best for the country. And for this to happen, concessions and compromises need to be explored and considered," Salleh added.
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