YOURSAY | ‘But there is no alternative. We can’t lay back and do nothing.’

Nazir and 54 others seek royal backing for 'national reset'

MS: A veritable Gordian knot of socio-economic and political problems which have their roots in a toxic "master race-master religion" ideology will continue to slowly disable and kill the nation because the poison has leached into anything and everything considered Malaysian.

The latest ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ budget which unashamedly discriminates against the minorities offers the best evidence as to how blatant (and normalised) it has become - the tabling of which is not known to have raised as much as a muted whimper from the signatories of this proposal.

For all we know, they may well have (privately) felt some unease but given their status, they opted not to raise any dust by voicing anything that could come across as disapproval. If that were so, it would simply reconfirm their political acumen, their survival instincts and their ability to gloss over injustice and wrongdoing even when it happens right before their eyes.

But now that they have agreed to assemble, ostensibly to right the wrongs they witnessed, worked with, enabled and immensely profited from - ordinary Malaysians are supposed to heave a collective sigh of relief... Finally!

But personalities aside, something else is also troubling. The two euphemisms they have used in this proposal - "social contract" and "affirmative action" - are euphemisms which have been bandied about by bigoted politicians and their functionaries to justify and rationalise the imposition of unjust rules and laws which in turn have pushed the country into the hole it is in now.

By referring to those notions the way they did, are they in fact legitimising them and putting it out that no "reset" will in fact question them? I don't know... but it does appear to be so.

So, no. A "national reset" is not possible because the ‘ketuanan’ elephant prancing about the corridors in Putrajaya will remain unmentionable while those attempting to do so simply have not earned the reputation to do what is right even if it hurts them.

Vijay47: Looking first at the half-empty glass, one would fear that history dictates that Better Malaysia Assembly is destined to be another exercise in futility with the certainty of failure.

Our roads are littered with such efforts to stem our national plunge into devastation. Some may also be discouraged that the movement appears to be led by Nazir Razak, himself tainted by his financial frolics with his elder brother Najib Abdul Razak. But in his defence, could Abel refuse Cain?

Yet the half-full glass comes with a glint of hope. Many of the personalities involved have long fought for a better Malaysia – the Jhansi Rani of Ambiga Sreenevasan, that fearless patriot Mohd Arshad Mohd Arji, the title-less son Tawfik Tun Dr Ismail, and the cutting-edged Tong Kooi Ong.

We must also be heartened by the presence of Abim’s Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz and a repentant Wong Chun Wai.

There is no alternative. Lay back and do nothing? Let the shameless parasites of Umno, PAS, Bersatu and their thieving relatives continue looting Khazanah while drawing us into the inferno of racial and religious strife? We have no choice but to continue the fight; history also dictates that one day, Sauron’s castle must crumble.

As an aside, I wonder whether the letter sent to His Majesty reproduced here is indeed in its original form. If so, we can look forward to some entertaining moments – Rais Yatim, assisted of course by Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla and the heroes of Gapena, would soon be frothing at the mouth that Better Malaysia Assembly was insolent in daring to send royalty an appeal written principally in English.

Quigonbond: The underlying assumption of this approach is that for reforms to take place, every key institutional stakeholder must agree.

There is, in a sense, political reality in this approach because (1) the two-coalition system means there's almost a deadlock like in the US; (2) the collective electorate are too conditioned to be able to make the correct voting decision to help the nation; and (3) constitutionally ceremonial role of the rulers needs to be upsized as a result.

The only question is whether reform can actually take place in what is essentially a three-party discussion, where the hereditary status quo and political status quo can essentially gang up against the reformists.

This group of upstanding private individuals is looking at the good of these groups as if they are aware of the ills of the nation and want to do something about it, but the latter is not all that clear. It's not just short-term political objectives and playing to the gallery.

The reason why they are playing to racial/religious gallery is because of command and control over wealth. Reform means giving those opportunities up to real competition.

I'm therefore doubtful this will change anything. There are only two ways things can really change.

First, the majority waking up and appreciating the importance of hard work, merits, and sacrifice over race or religion (and even reducing economic and social class gaps within same race/religious groups); and second, the nation facing an immediate existential threat where people have no choice but to work together and getting the best people into positions where the nation can best be served.

Right now, we are like a frog being slow-cooked in a pot of water. The end is coming but the urgency is not yet there to put on an emergency cap.

Pakatan Harapan should wake up from its stupor, feel the fire in its belly again, and step up on emphasising this national crisis.

Bruclax: Several Malaysiakini comments indicate a lack of belief, faith, and hope. One even terming this move a ‘mission impossible’.

Well, truth be told we cannot fault them for reaching this conclusion. There have been several attempts in various forms to improve the manner by which our country is administered and there is little show of success.

We really do not have much choice but one thing is certain and that is if nothing is done to deal with our current state of affairs, Malaysia will be in the pits beyond recovery in no time. This is why I support the efforts by this group of eminent persons.

I doubt any action to improve our country can be construed as a move against Parliament or democracy. Just one look at our august house will show we are going downhill. 

The focus in Parliament appears to be elected representatives looking after their rice bowl and in some cases, preserving their ill-gotten gains. 

Look at the issues raised: some are so trivial one wonders is it because they do not have the mental capacity to argue and reach decisions that are fundamental to the country? This lot needs help and badly.

While the plea to our king covers many critical areas, I would have thought that corruption should have been identified clearly as an area that requires intensive care. 

Reforms dealing with corruption and the corrupt are wanting. It is ludicrous to see our members of Parliament charged with corruption and those convicted running free in this country. Is this the lesson for our young?

The laws must be amended so that MPs and members of the state legislative assemblies must be suspended until their cases are dealt with to their final conclusion. The current state of affairs is totally unacceptable.

Tembikai: So many commissions and committees have taken place; some in the list were in these setups. Just go back and review their reports and move ahead. As someone has mentioned, there was already a report by the Council of Eminent Persons. The report was a compilation of what the rakyat really want. Just go back to that report.

Some in the list were top ex-civil servants. Have they no shame? When they were in power, they kept as quiet as a mouse so as not to jeopardise their promotion and perks. They allowed the rot to continue. 

Now after retirement, with a big fat pension, they want to show they are concerned? Better they keep their mouth shut and keep a low profile so that some of us who suffered in their hands will not curse them!

Kingfisher1974: My best wishes to Better Malaysia Assembly. For the future of our children and grandchildren, I pray you will succeed. You must.

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