The problem of silence is at the heart of today’s political crisis. The rage of the public is over an honest Prime Minister who seems to be presiding over one of the most corrupt governments in recent history . In these dark days, people have desperately wanted to clutch on to an honest man. They Datuk Seri Najib Raza found one in selfless, ethical. So was Bhishma, yet he remained silent when Draupadi was being disrobed. When Draupadi insistently questioned the ‘dharma of the ruler’ , everyone remained silent . Then Vidura scornfully spat out at the immorality of silence: when a crime occurs , he said, half the punishment goes to the guilty; a quarter to his ally; and another quarter falls on the silent .
“The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty , understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness , greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and selfinterest , are the traits of success . And while men admire the quality of the first, they love the produce of the second .” In these famous lines, John Steinbeck goes to the root of our present crisis in public morality. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak could face an uphill battle in pursuing his duties in the year ahead. The long-simmering battle between Najib and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has erupted into a public spat that must have Najib looking over his shoulder given Mahathir’s role in ousting his predecessor, Abdullah Badawi.
So what is to be done? They say, ‘Never let a good crisis go to waste’, and this is the best advice for Datuk Seri Najib Razak
. Our Prime Minister’s silence in Ahmad Zahid Hamidi letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation
The best that this government can do is to call early elections and put an end to some of our misery. Let people decide if they want to take the path of long-term prosperity or the path of short-term populist giveaways. One can never be sure in a democracy about the next government but it is in the nature of the human heart to hope for a better tomorrow.
Tun Dr. Mahathir need to try and understand the nature of human desire in a patriarchic society where narcissism is an ever-present reality and men believe they are more attractive than they really are. Desire is instinctual energy deriving from primal biological urge Tun Dr. Mahathir has always been critical of so many things. It is his nature to speak his mind out and not worry about the repercussions. He has his own vision of things and a mission still not accomplishe “Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards,” says an epitaph from the philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard. It rightly belongs on the grave of this dying Mahathir-Daim destroyed the Malay political power one of the greatest lessons of history jn Malay politics Mahathir have failed to learn so far. And this is that the root cause of corruption lies in the excessive discretionary authority in the hands of politicians and officials., scams happen in the dark alleys of unreformed sectors such as land transactions, mining and government purchases. So, the answer to corruption may well lie in actions of Mahathir-Daim. Malay think they are free because of their proud democracy, but economically they are still unfree.
The efforts within Umno to remove Datuk Seri Najib Razak started almost immediately after he took power from Tun Abdullah Badawi. But the saboteurs cleverly hid their hands until the 13th general election or GE-13. Indeed, the bids to oust him were so numerous and large-scale that the anti-Najib factions in Umno were quite confident that he would be forced to quit his post.
Some people say the anti-Najib team loosely comprises of Tun Dr .Mahathir Mohamad, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, Tan Sri Muhyiddin, Dato’ Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and several others including some Umno leaders from Sabah. There are also other politicians, influential individuals, NGOs and bloggers who contributed to the efforts.
The threat by Datuk A. Kadir Jasin that by attacking Daim, Najib will be in trouble of course is valid, but Daim is not the one who is posing the real threat, it is Mahathir.
It is Mahathir who is the mastermind, while Daim is the “side-kick”. If Daim was to be checkmated by Najib, Daim will just be the fall guy anyway.
Just like Datuk Ariff Sabri Aziz (SakmongkolAK47) and Chegubard who have their own views and opinions, the rest of us are only guessing the obvious. But what has been going on between the four top most politicians may never be made known to us. Every one of them has his own secrets. Maybe their secrets are also interconnected.
When this is over, all of them would come out unscathed except for Anwar; he will face the extremes. He will either achieve both his objectives or end up in jail.
Dr. Mahathir will either come out empty handed or achieve his objectives but dented and exhausted with all his energy and bullets spent.
Daim will either be facing the MACC and the authorities to explain his wealth with a dented reputation or still survive but humiliated. It is also quite likely that the allegations of him engaging in sex with underage girls after his personal doctor vets their virginity will suddenly disappear and be 'forgotten' by the authorities.
As for Najib, he could either be kicked out or stay in power. But if he manages to cling on, he will be more of a lame duck than he is now.
Thanks to Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, Malaysians must focus on the question why there should not be local government election in Malaysia on the 50th anniversary of suspension of local council polls.
Fifty years ago, on 1st March 1965, the then Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman suspended local council election, giving as justification the threat of Indonesian Confrontation. However, he gave the solemn undertaking that “The very moment peace is declared, I can assure this House that the elections will be held”.
It is 50 years down the road and Malaysians are entitled to ask why they should continue to be denied local government election, when local government election is accepted as a basic democratic right of citizens in countries committed to a democratic way of life.
Of course, I do not agree with Hadi that local government election may lead to another May 13 race riots.
In fact, this is the first time anyone has claimed that the restoration of local government election could result in another May 13 race riots.
The causes of the May 13 race riots are still a guarded secret and this is why in my first speech in Parliament in February 1971, I had called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to conduct a wide-ranging investigation into the causes.
I do not propose to discuss the causes of the May 13 riots but they were not caused by the 1969 General Election but by irresponsible elements who exploited the general election results for their own ends.
Hadi Awang
It is therefore a great fallacy for anyone to assert that the restoration of local government election could result in another May 13 race riots.
However, with Hadi opening the way, I will not be surprised if this will henceforth be used by reactionary Barisan Nasional leaders as an additional reason for opposing the restoration of local government elections.
Malaysians are already seeing the extraordinary spectacle of the Minister for Housing and Local Government, Abdul Rahman Dahlan springing to the support of an opposition leader – with his own twisted logic.
Many seem to have forgotten that a very vibrant local government democracy had existed in the country in the 1950s and the first half of the 1960s.
There were 373 local authorities that had well over 3,000 elected local councillors before local government elections were suspended in 1965.
A Royal Commission of Inquiry headed by Datuk Athi Nahappan was established into the workings of local government, which recommended the restoration of local government elections.
However, a law was finally passed in 1976 to abolish local government elections, and although a more efficient and accountable local government were presented as the arguments for the abolition of local government elections, the real reason was that BN leaders had no confidence of victory in the local council elections – or the lack of commitment to democracy and the principles of good governance.
It is also wrong and misguided for anyone to argue that the restoration of local government elections will benefit anyone race or on the ground that the towns are dominated by the Chinese, and that the DAP will be the main beneficiaries.
This is to ignore the process of Malay urbanisation in the 45 years since the 1969 general election.
As DAP MP for Serdang, Ong Kian Ming, has pointed out in his statement today, the ethnic composition of many of the urban councils have changed significantly since the May 13th incident in 1969. The large migration of Malays from the rural to the urban areas have made areas like Kuala Lumpur very different from today from what it was in 1969.
According to the 2010 census data, the Malay population in Wilayah Persekutuan KL (45.9%) outnumber the Chinese population (43.2%). In fact, out of the 3 city halls, 9 city councils and 37 municipal councils in Malaysia, only 6 have populations where the Chinese outnumber the Malays – Ipoh, Kuching Selatan, Johor Bahru Tengah, Pulau Pinang, Sibu and Subang Jaya!
In other words, 88% of these large urban areas have a plurality and in most cases, a majority, of Malay residents. Even in a place like Petaling Jaya, the Malay population (46.2%) outnumber the Chinese population (39.6%)!
I don't think Kian Ming can be faulted when he concluded:
“While the Malays may be slightly under represented in the voting population in some of these urban areas because of their younger demographic profile, it is clearly wrong to say that the DAP will dominate local elections on the basis that urban areas are largely Chinese dominated. “
Fifty-eigtht years after Merdeka and 52 years after Malaysia, Malaysians should move beyond the politics of race to an inclusive politics to embrace all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, age or gender .
The 2008 and 2013 general elections are proof of this politics of inclusion which unite Malaysians instead of the “divide and rule” politics of exclusion, and this is one important reason why after 50 years, local government elections should be restored to Malaysia.
Lim Kit Siang is DAP Adviser
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