Five months to the third year of 'New Malaysia', but still no impact

LETTER | It is worrying when our Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, implies that only he has all the solutions for the nation's ills. At 94, time is not on his side and therefore, it is imperative that he ensures a smooth transition of power.

This, however, does not look the case in the present political climate.

Even more disturbing is the PM’s non-committal answer, at the recent Doha forum, on when the transfer of power to Anwar Ibrahim will take place.

His remarks in Qatar fell short of assuring his audience that Malaysia has everything tightly under control, well planned and ready to take off on a rejuvenating journey.

The implied notion that Mahathir is indispensable is not the type of leadership this country needs and can afford to have.

It would have been more prudent if he had assured his international audience that his government and the future of Malaysia are well on track, that accountability and transparency of all the branches in its parliamentary system would be strengthened and special focus given to the criminal justice system in order to make the rule of law supreme.

That would have been in tandem with his campaign theme. And this should have been his message, at the Doha Forum, to all abroad and home, regardless of whoever takes over the reins of Putrajaya.

In five months, we will move into the third year of New Malaysia and our politicians have yet to make an impact in instilling the feel-good factor for all Malaysians - and this inevitably will affect Pakatan Harapan’s political support. The anger and frustration are building and the ruling party must take heed before it is too late.

The main political parties are busy with intra- and inter-polemics, while the main issue of raising the standard of living seems to be fading away. We cannot afford to go back to the days when the corrupt walked the corridors of power! It will be disastrous for the nation!

Our ageing politicians are outdated and are not in sync with the aspirations and challenges of the youth of today. Information and technology are evolving faster than they can imagine.

We need to take stock of the political landscape and start a swift political transition towards giving the youth a bigger role in governance. The old must accept that they have done their part and must allow the present generation to lead into the superhighway of modern infotech.

Our politicians must be magnanimous in wanting the best for all Malaysians regardless of colour, creed, race or religion and must put their house in order to ensure that everyone here can take their place fairly under the Malaysian sun.

We need to do this effectively, and swiftly, as time is of the essence.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.