THE political situation in Malaysia is in a state of flux with various forces vying for dominance while others are trying to exploit the situation to establish clandestine political supremacy by provoking racial sentiments and spreading negative perception of the government.
What has brought this seemingly chaotic political scene is the ousting of the old regime. A change brought about by the people’s realisation of mismanagement, malfeasance and corruption perpetrated by leaders of the previous regime.
It has become crystal clear that the ones who were supposed to ensure the wellbeing of the people and to protect them have abused their position and have not discharged their responsibility.
Even after these former leaders were charged with corruption and malfeasance that destroyed the nation’s financial credibility and undermined the administrative fabric and institutions, they are still popular with the somnambulist rustic Malays.
This gives them a false sense of security and encourages their state of denial, refusing to acknowledge the defeat as they neurotically believe it is their God-given right to govern and to enrich themselves irrespective of the consequences on the nation. They feel lost and unsettled without the reins of power that would allow them unfettered access to squander the nation’s wealth. The Felda fiasco, the Tabung Haji debacle and the 1MDB financial scandal are testimony to their misdeeds.
As a result of the change in government the old leaders are now subjected to scrutiny of their misdeeds that could lead to their incarceration. To avoid this possibility, they are desperate to regain power by foul means. The only recourse open to them is to create a negative perception of the Pakatan Harapan government with the eventual objective of toppling it and to establish themselves as the protector of Islam and Malay rights.
Thus, their modus operandi is to discredit all efforts of the Pakatan Harapan government and condemn without rhyme or reason the achievements of the new government. Such naïve and negative reactions are reflected in one former menteri besar’s condemnation of the current government as a complete failure, betraying his abject animosity and total lack of professional credence and mental acumen.
He and his defeated cohorts are demanding that the government solve all the problems stemming from their own mismanagement of the country. They conveniently ignore the new government’s efforts at cleansing the administrative system and completing a slew of institutional changes, realigning fiscal commitments to the nation’s benefit and recovering monies and assets stolen by the previous leaders.
More importantly they undertook reforms towards a government of integrity and accountability that in the long run would benefit and safeguard the people’s interests.
The defeated politicians should assume the mantle of a responsible opposition that not only picks a bone with the ruling government, but also acknowledges its positive efforts. However, they have become an irresponsible opposition that not only finds fault and discredits all efforts of the government, but also stokes the fire of racial animosity and discontent.
This current opposition is bereft of good leadership, ethical and moral principles and its main objective is to thwart all efforts of the new government and create a perception of incompetence by disseminating incorrect information.
Both the government and the opposition must realise that they are the people’s representatives elected to manage the country for the benefit of the people and not for sectarian interests. Right now, the country needs an open and corrupt-free ethical government based on the principles of integrity and morality, and a responsible opposition to ensure that the government follows a trajectory of selflessness and not self-indulgence.
The writer is an emeritus professor at the Centre for Policy Research and International Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang