LETTER | Think about it, fellow Malaysians

LETTER | As I see political developments unfolding each day, I can’t help but feel that many Malaysians may indeed be very sweeping and cursory in their judgement of politicians and political parties.

Of course, I have no monopoly to know better than others. But at the very least, we should judge based on track records, evidence and rationality. We must at least link what they have done in the recent past to the wellbeing of our country politically, economically, socially and environmentally. We shouldn’t be so amnestic.

I am amazed by the fact we can simply overlook and forgive the massive theft that occurred in the recent past. Have we thought about what we would have accomplished if the amount stolen was put to proper use?

We complain a lot about floods, massive congestion, poor services at the local authority level, poor housing, substandard public health care and education.

But we have essentially forgotten that a ringgit stolen is a ringgit less for flood mitigation, infrastructural facilities, public health and education.

How do we gradually come to this idea that corruption in high places does not matter much and what the country needs are the stability of the good old days?

Seriously, what are we really thinking? What good old days of stability did we have? Was it 60 years of stability in stealing, substandard governance, and wrong policies that divide and marginalise?

We took 60 years to realise that we have been conned big time but now we take less than three to change our minds. Where are our tenacity and rationale?

Admittedly, the change we sought has been less than stellar. But did we not always say change is difficult and time-consuming? How could we be so fleeting in our thoughts and resolve?

If mega corruption and stealing do not matter, soon money will absolutely rule this country. In fact, we are already here. Oligarchs do not exist only in Russia.

With their money, they can orchestrate support and with the threat to sue, soon no one would dare even to criticise them.

I have watched political developments of this country for a long time and I can see that the trend is not good. Depravity is now blatant and there is no morality and ethics embedded in any decision making.

Sometimes I feel that laws and due processes are there to protect the guilty rather than to protect the innocence. Institutions are there to legitimate wrongdoings rather than ensure proper checks and balances.

Think about it, fellow Malaysians.

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