The Case Against UMNO/BN

This is a sad, sad article written by Ku Li:

Chow Kit

I have fallen a little behind with my blog. People have been asking me what I think of the so-called Second Stimulus Package. What I have to say about it can wait a little while longer. My comments would do little to lift the dismay of our citizens and business people with a package as puzzlingly weak, and directionless, as it is large.

Last Thursday I visited Rumah Nur Salam, a centre for homeless children in KL’s Jalan Chow Kit area. Rumah Nur Salam is founded and led by the indefatigable Dr Hartini Zainuddin, the daughter of dear departed friend of mine. I spent some time with the children and toured the centre, which is, as its name implies, a haven of peace in a very troubled area.

Here, in Chow Kit, in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, less than a kilometre from the Twin Towers and a stone’s thrown from PWTC, life is cheap, drug users shoot up in the back alleys and children wander the streets hungry. Infants are bought and sold by syndicates, young children are supplied for prostitution and child-pornography. Hundreds of children are on the streets or homeless. They beg and hustle and sell themselves for sex. They are runaways or abandoned or neglected children, vulnerable to STD and HIV, to drug addiction and to rape and murder. Many among them have no registration papers. Although they may have been born to Malaysian parents they are “stateless” and therefore ineligible for free inoculation, medical education or education. They are abused and traded with impunity by criminals and corrupt officials because when they disappear it is without trace. They are nobody’s constituency.

Read the rest of his heart-rending article here.

-----------------------------

When I speak against the UMNO-led BN government, I am often accused of partisan politics, anti-Malay racism (or bigotries of all kinds), being stupid, threatening Malay rights, etc. But Tengku Razaleigh here has elegantly highlighted another one of the reasons why I believe that UMNO/BN no longer has any right to rule.

On many blogs that I visit, there are many comments on what we see happening around us - most notably within the ranks of government, police, judiciary, EC and such. But it's what we do NOT see that will truly shock you. The depths of corruption that this nation has fallen into goes beyond just the politics we see on a daily basis.

Ku Li's article above reminded me of the social workers, NGO people and government servants whom I've met. They tell me stories of how our country and its people have been left to their own devices. And how the cats have not only left the scene, but many have joined the rats in their activities (and have become fat cats!)

From these frontline people, I hear of how people are traded freely like cattle at our borders in the north and west, and high-placed government officials active participants in this "business". The slave trade is alive and flourishing in Malaysia.

I also hear that the kingpins of organised crime in this country are high-level politicians. An example would be that once-illegal electronic horse-racing machines can suddenly get legitimate licences to operate their gambling activities.

I hear about how orang asli are routinely denied their rights and constantly harassed, unless they support the "right" political party and join the "right" religion, at which time the taps open and money gushes.

Malaysia was once a much-feared country for drug dealers and syndicates because of our merciless death sentence. But drugs are now openly traded even in prisons and lockups - by prison officials, no less!

I met a guy who worked for the Forestry Department. He told me that official government statistics say that primary forest coverage (virgin forest) in Peninsular Malaysia is above 30%. Whereas in reality, it is closer to 10%. And we wonder why our country is suffering from freak weather, depleting vital resources (like water) and climate change!

And the list goes on and on.

What does this have to do with politics, you may ask?

Nothing at all.

This is not about politics. This is about saving our country. Why, with all our inherent strengths, do these injustices occur? Why are they multiplying? Why is there nothing done about it? It all boils down to leadership.

There is no effective leadership in the country. If there were,
1) in the first place, our country would not have descended into the state it is in now, and
2) we would see real change happening in our society today.

As it is, too many of our so-called leaders are too busy pursuing their own agenda to do their job properly. These so-called leaders are grossly mismanaging our country - that's why we are descending ever deeper into the cesspool. The rakyat's welfare is furthest from their minds. They are so engrossed in their money and power plays, they have no idea of the issues affecting our country.

Having run the ship aground, they have yet to wake up to reality. If they sincerely had any concern for our country, they would be engaging the stakeholders to find a way to make our country great again. Instead, what do we see?

More disgusting power plays, the blatant abuse of state apparatus and the so-called independent bodies are nothing more than the guard dogs of the government.

How can such a party that provides no leadership, has no respect for the rule of law, treats the rakyat as their personal cash cow, sweeps problems under the carpet, threatens people with differing ideas and abuses the institutions of our country be allowed to continue to rule? We are fast becoming a nation ruled by a committee of despots.

As it is now, several African nations have surpassed us in various international rankings. And the UMNO/BN power plays occuring today will certainly not engender more confidence - from both within and without the country.

There is no other way. If UMNO/BN is allowed to continue to mismanage the country, they will have dug a hole for our country perhaps too deep for us to climb out of. I shudder to think that one day, we will be in the same league as Zimbabwe.

Unless UMNO/BN repents - turn over a new leaf and begin serving the rakyat again. But since that is a dim, dim prospect, the only choice is to remove them completely until the day comes when they are ready to rule again.