My Children, tomorrow is polling day. I am very sure there has never before been an election this fiercely contested - from the banner wars, the millions and billions in development aid/economic corridors promised by the BN to the illogical promise of fuel price reduction made by Anwar.
That BN will win, is a foregone conclusion. But out of this dirtiest ever election I hope will be a better Malaysia for all of you and the other children and the future generations.
The first redeeming grace for BN would be for all those who have been tainted - the likes of the bocor and tunnel characters, be given the boot by votesr. Also those who can afford to build palatial homes but cant afford to pay for the quit rent(?) for 12 years or his relatives and close- one-eyes and similarly idiots caught carrying cash-filled suitcases will have nothing to do with the government ever.
We Malays have become more educated compared to our parents and we can thank the goverment for building the schools and making educ more accessible. Yes yes we're grateful for all the help. But with education comes awareness. We are now exposed to the alternative media. We read of the abuses of power and public funds perpetrated by those in ruling party. Dont tell us that we're being told lies. We can judge for ourselves. The proofs are there for all to see. What we got as beneficieries are peanuts compared to what the elites got for themselves.
Its time for the government (read UMNO) to realise that as God-fearing people, they have to take this amanah and serve the rakyat honestly, fairly, ethically and honourably. I hope that enough opposition members get to sit in the parliament to save UNMO from itself. It will self destrcut if it gets too big like what we're seeing now. Enough of trying to out-Islam PAS in form only. How about putting in more substance ? Getting rid of corruption and being fair and ethical are very Islamic indeed.
The other thing I wish to see improve is national intergration. I believe that the key lies in the school system. There is little hope if the Chinese and Indian kids still go to vernacular schools. Every child should attend sekolah kebangsaan which must be secular. Only the strongest of political will (via a strong leader) can do this. For umpteenth years we have fooled ourselves into thinking that we're ONE nation by the superficial displays of open houses and whatnots. But really, after they stuffed themselves silly, mounds of uneaten leftovers notwithstanding, they go home and live happily ever after in separate but parallel universe until the next open house.
The makeup of the civil service , police and army should reflect the racial demographics of the country. At ALL levels of the hierarchy. So if I enter a post office I should see 50 % Malay clerks, 25% Chinse clerks and 10% Indian clerks. Will this remain a pipe dream - I guess so.
I am very proud of you children because you mix well with the other races. You are truly the Malaysian - you have Malay, Chinese and Indian blood in you. No wonder you are so smart! But of course you need to study/work hard too - get that Ayip and Amir?
Let's get back on track. I get uneasy when I read about the numbers of foreigners in Malaysia. We need them for sure We're too good for the 3D jobs so we cant live without them. The govt should make legal workers' entry in Msia more transparent or professional. Instead, the importation of workers is given to agencies. Who are these agents - people with political connections -cronies or relatives. They are the ones getting rich at the expense of the ordinary Malaysian employer or the poor foreign worker. With a proper system that's transparent and hassle free maybe the govt will get to keep more of the monies rather than the agents. If we have to have foreigners, then let's have legal foreigners. There we go again -all road leads to corruption. But I personally hope we can reduce our dependence on them. I play my little part by not having a live-in maid. Our house together with five others share one maid. So that's 5 less maids. We're lucky coz you guys are big enough to not need a baby sitter.
We passed by Bangsar yesterday balik from Subang Jaya. Banyak betul posters esp Barisan Nasional's. As I looked at the glamorous air-brushed face of Sharizat and the simple sweetness of Nurul Izzah (anak Anwar) - candidates for lembah Pantai parliament seat- I have one more wish. I wish ALL the female candidates success. If a female lawan another female, may the better lady succeed. Hope that lone Indian lady contesting under the PAS ticket somewhere in Johore wins. Let them all get into the assemblies. It's one step towards making this place more gender sensitive.
My last little wish is for Sharlinie, the little girl mssing since Jan7. Whereever you are may ALLAH protect you. Allah Knows Best.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Yes, today is poling day. After all the ceramahs and house to house visits by candidates, it's the rakyat's turn to cast their vote and elect their representatives for the State and Parliamentary seats. Mom and I are in the Gombak Parliamentary constituency and Ulu Kelang state constituency.For Parliament a BN candidate will go against Azmin Ali(yes, brother of Azwan Ali the TV personality and son of arwah Ustadz ALi,the garang guru mengaji Along)of Keadilan. The state seat is between BN and PAS. I hope that the day will go by peacefully without any major incidents.A lot has been said over the last few weeks even though the mainstream media as expected only highlighted BN's achivements and contributions.Opposition stories are few are far between and mostly are attacks on their leaders especially on the opposition defacto leader Anwar. How I wish we could get a more balanced reporting. Luckily the internet gives us the other perpective to get a more balanced view.
BN has done a lot for the country since it governed Malysia over the last 50 years. Mom and I also benefited through the vision of the 2nd PM Tn Razak who set up MARA which amongst many things they did, was to send thousands of poor(yes mom and I come from very,very poor families as you all know)and bright Malay students to study overseas. The BN govt also implemented many physical development projects everywhere and we are a first world nation in terms of infrastructure thanks mainly to Tun Dr Mahathir.
We had high hopes in 2004 when Dato Seri Abdullah took over the helm of PM from Tun Dr Mahathir. We hoped that the physical development will be balanced with a more civil society, better accountability by people in power, better judiciary, less corruption, a more dynamic Police force and improved racial integration. Alas, from my perspectives these things did not happen. I still hope that with a more educated rakyat who continue to demand these things from their reps, we would see change. The number of new and younger candidates(also more women candidates) in this 2008 election is a good start. May the deserving candidates win and serve their constituency as they had pledged. Our SIU college mate Datuk Fatmi is also contesting in the Kota Baru Parliamentary seat. I had sent him an SMS when he was nominated by BN and wish that he wins the seat but more importantly make a difference for the future of our country. I hope that Election 2008 is a start of a better Malaysia and you kids will be proud to call Malaysia our country.
Post a Comment