A Blunt Message for Opposition Parties: From a 16-Year Old Malaysian

From theCicak.com. Read here

Prosperity vs. Ignominy, And How The Opposition Isn’t Really Helping Malaysian Politics

by

John Lee
(John Lee is a 16-year-old Malaysian with a passion for reading and writing about current events on the local and global scene. Currently an A-Level student at a local college, he hopes to pursue an economics degree in the United States. Visit his site. )

Click below John Lee's other related articles:

• "The Fundamental Failure of the Political Opposition".
  
• "Resurrecting a Dead Malaysia"
  
• Analysing Politics in Malaysia: Playing the Racial Game

We, the Malaysians of this generation, the generation of all Malaysians currently living, are at a crucial crossroads in our country’s history.

The decisions we - and by extension our leadership - make today, will either set our country on the path to permanent prosperity or infinite ignominy.

Malaysia Today

After 50 years of independence, Malaysians remain shackled by racial politics and by the denial of political equality to almost half of the country.

And the Opposition is NOT helping; I believe they are dooming this country to failure as well – because being unable to change government policy, they are completely worthless.

After 50 years of independence, we remain in the shadow of our southern neighbour, even though God has granted us every conceivable advantage over them.

What’s most disheartening about all this utter bullshit is that after 50 years, we are no closer to changing this situation than before. How will we ever see a change that can alter our country’s path from the road leading to infinite ignominy to the highway of permanent prosperity?

I believe that the present government, at the rate things are going, is dooming the country to failure. The “Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah (clean, efficient and trustworthy)” policies of our government have only seen us plumbing new depths of wastage and inefficiency.

The Pathetic Opposition Parties

As for the Opposition, they’re so pathetic they can’t even be bothered to brand themselves as the future leaders of Malaysia.

All they know to do is talk about denying the government a two-thirds parliamentary majority. All they’re capable of doing is organising rallies and demonstrations and boycotts which have zero effect whatsoever on government policy.

Their leadership is old - just as dinosaur-like as the present slate of Barisan Nasional leaders. Their image, even amongst opposition supporters, is that of a party aiming to become a stronger, more effective opposition - not a party aiming to become an effective government.

I DON'T want an effective Opposition, I WANT an effective government.

I don’t want to vote for a party that’s only interested in being in the Opposition.

Being in the Opposition forever is meaningless for any political party in any country. The purpose of a political party is to win power, and nothing less.

Why should I support a political party that’s not interested in the power it needs to make its goals for the country a reality?

For decades, all the Opposition has been capable of is pandering to its hardcore base of supporters. While this is good for staying in the Opposition, it will never be good enough for actual change.

For the sake of our country, the Opposition needs to get serious about becoming the government. Our only hope of joining the highway to permanent prosperity is a Government that understands the need for change and the needs of the country.

1. Can the Opposition pull through on this?
   
   
2. Can it win the votes of the average voters, instead of only those of the hardcore Opposition supporters?
   
   
3. Can it develop a clear, insightful, innovative and sensible policy plan that will at least begin to undo the damage that has been done by the Barisan Nasional government’s complacency?
   
   
4. Can it build up a slate of candidates with clearheaded ideas and principles and the energy to carry through the plans that have been drawn up?
   
   
5. Can it truly focus on what most of the people want, instead of what a few hardcore Opposition partisans want?

My verdict so far is a resounding NO.

The Opposition’s history in Malaysian politics is one of infinite ignominy itself.

The Opposition seems wholly incapable of fielding more than a handful of competent and able candidates. It is utterly unable to develop a coherent, clear and sensible idea of what its policies will be when it comes to power.

And - most depressingly - the Opposition isn’t even able of conceiving of itself in power. It can’t even cast its campaigns in incremental terms, for example: “First we increase our share of seats, and in the next election, we go for the government.”

All it knows how to do is talk endlessly about that insane two-thirds majority which Barisan Nasional has, while making increasingly shrill and ineffectual noises about BN’s incompetency and corruption.

I’ve got news for you, folks in the Opposition: we know BN is incompetent and corrupt. The question now is: What are you going to do about it?

We Malaysians know what we want:

1. We know we want a country where our children can grow up in peace, prosperity and pride; a country they can call home - a country that’s always there for them.
   
   
2. We want our children to grow up feeling a sense of pride, achievement and accomplishment in being able to call themselves “Malaysian” - in being able to flash their red passport at any airport terminal around the world with a sense of honour.
   
   
3. We want our children to grow up knowing that they have a real opportunity to make the most of themselves and maximise the potential they have been blessed with by God, without any discrimination, whether from the political or business establishment.
   
   
4. We want them to hold to the principles that can and will make this country great if only we truly apply them: the principles encapsulated in our Rukunegara.

What is the Opposition going to do about this?

All I can say is, looking at the Opposition’s inefficacy, I have this funny feeling that my children are probably NOT going to grow up being Malaysian at all.

And that will be a loss, for both me and my country. Keranamu Malaysia (Because of You, Malaysia), yes - but will there be a Malaysia to speak of in my children’s time?

Or will the Malaysian nation be a long-dead concept, having collapsed into a squabbling rabble of different races fighting for an ever-shrinking economic pie?

It is incumbent upon all Malaysians, especially those seeking to change our path from one of infinite ignominy to permanent prosperity, to push political change now - because, literally and in all seriousness, it’s now or never.

The window of opportunity is closing fast.

If we wait, we will soon find ourselves a backwater in an up-and-coming region of economic superpowers. We must seek change now, and we must change this ineffective government.

In our 50th year of independence, we must move to set our country on the path to permanent prosperity by setting the gears in motion for a new and effective government.

It’s our move.

Can we save this country for our children?

-John Lee