Barisan Nasional - Enough Is Enough!

Former minister in the prime minister's department Zaid Ibrahim has said change and hope would only take place in liberal countries like America, and that it would take Malaysia a pretty long time before the country could eventually see the hope of change.

In other words, if we want to see change, we have to wait really patiently.

Malaysians have been indeed too naive and foolish to believe that the country would become more democratic, liberal, incorrupt and equitable after last year's general elections, thinking that Barisan Nasional would become more open and less racist after losing five states in the elections.

Meanwhile, they believed that Pakatan would work even harder so that Malaysian voters would have a better option to elect a government for all people come the next general elections.

In the end, changes really took place in Malaysian politics, but not for the better.

We have the despicable "political frogs," the obscene pictures that infringe upon other individual's privacy, throngs of rowdy protesters, and unruly rascals that have attempted to mob an elected representative.

And on 3 March, we saw the emergence of a legendary tree that would soon make in into the country's history, the state assembly tree.

The "state assembly under the tree" is enough to make Malaysia a laughing stock of global proportions while tarnishing democratic politics and obliterating the expectations of Malaysians for a more promising political future.

Although we are not a powerful nation by world standards, we are also not an insignificant player in the region. In certain areas, we have even enjoyed respectable status.

Having said that, both Barisan and Pakatan have not sought to improve on their administrations, but have instead resorted to the trick of roping in rival assemblymen as they seek to expand their influences.

Some say Barack Obama could become the first African American president because he believed America needed change. He has the will to bring about the changes, and hopes his conviction would inspire all Americans to change.

The biggest difference between Malaysia and the United States is that our politicians are often forced into making changes only when the people want to change, while they themselves have never wanted to change in the first place.

This probably explains why the situation could only get worse in Malaysia.

After being too naive and too foolish, hopefully Malaysians will say it out loud like Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung: "Enough is enough!"

By FAN XIAOQI
Translated by DOMINIC LOH
Sin Chew Daily
MySinchew
2009.03.05

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