If Pakatan Rakyat won, this is what would happen to Malaysia...

Courtesy of Malaysia Chronicle

Everyone in this country is fixated on when the next general election will be. It is probably the most hotly awaited news. Everyone is sure who will win. Be Enders, or so the supporters of BN are called, cannot wait to know the results. Neither can the Pakatanis, or the supporters of the Pakatan Rakyat led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

If Anwar does trounce Prime Minister Najib Razak's BN as he is widely expected to, the casualties at the coalition that has ruled for 5 decades would be high. There is even talk of mass capital flight and how hundreds of shredding machines have been ordered and put on standby to shred all incriminating documents. Yes, there will be ensuing chaos in the aftermath of GE-13, but that is politics. And politics can be rather dirty.

Now, Pakatanis are adamant come GE-13, it will be De End for the Be End for a full range of reasons. Hopefully, they won't be lulled into a false sense of complacency by a recent poll that showed a sharp 6 percentage point plunge in Najib's popularity. The battle is far from over, in fact it hasn't even begun. So before the DAP, PAS and PKR start to count their chickens before the eggs even hatch (yes, many of the MPs and ADUNs are already congratulating themselves - gross!), they really should spend more time tightening their strategy and machinery which is still far, far from satisfactory.

But for us, normal Malaysians who are not contesting, let us envisage a future without the BN. How would life be like with the Pakatan?

Celebrations on the streets

Surely, there will be mass celebration in the urban cities and towns all over the country. People will surely come out into the streets with genuine smiles and happiness to join in the festivities and cheer over the demise of a stifling regime, which has no one to blame but itself for its overgrown arrogance.

Long-awaited reforms will be implemented as soon as Parliament convenes. Those that can be implemented immediately will be announced in the media. The new Pakatan government will launch a campaign to explain and re-educate the people of their basic rights.

Malaysians will be called on to unite and treat each other as equal citizens and not as strangers from another race. Awkward at first, but Malaysians will shyly accept the fact and join hands to declare that we are all Malaysians irrespective of the colour of our skin.

Gradually, our identification, birth certificates and passports will cease to carry the declaration for race. The religion tag too may be dispensed with in the future, as Malaysians starts to value their sense of new found freedom. The Race Relations Act will be passed to ensure that racism will be an offence under the law.

Racism won't disappear overnight but it will never be officially sanctioned or practised as it is now. Under such a refreshing environment, sooner or later, everyone will pick up the courage to break the ice and embrace each other’s identities. There should be unabashed blossoming of multiracial friendships, which should be encouraged rather than discouraged.

Meritocracy and competition would be gradually restored as Malaysians compete for a better tomorrow with the government formulating strategies to assist the weaker ones. Malaysians will come out of their shells and dare to be different, now that there is no more ‘big brother’ hanging over their shoulders to say "this cannot or that cannot".

Getting rid of all the tools of oppression

A Royal Commission will finally be formed to check and transform the Royal Malaysia Police into a world class, 21st century organisation that is efficient, clean and trustworthy, dedicated to serving the people and the nation with integrity and respect for human rights, while at the same time maintaining total independence.

Another Royal Commission will be formed to ensure that the Malaysian Armed Forces are made totally apolitical and independent in their discharge of duties. They will also be reminded that their duty is to the King and Country and to defend the nation and not to pander to the political big-wigs. No, no, that is certainly not the job-scope of the Malaysian Armed Forces.

The Judiciary will be revamped to reflect total independence and as a check and balance to the Executive and Legislature branches of the Malaysian governmental system.

Meanwhile, the civil service would also see beneficial changes where salaries can rise more commensurately with the market when the unwarranted fats are trimmed. The Pakatan government will implement wide-scale job retraining to ensure enough skilled workers are available for the jobs market. The Cabinet too will see a downsizing with the disposal of unimportant Ministries and Ministerial posts.

The archaic and obsolete Internal Security Act, Official Secrets Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Sedition Act and the Emergency Ordinance will be abolished.

People will be encouraged to speak up without fear, while the mainstream media currently controlled by the BN would be given total press freedom to publish the unvarnished truth while upholding the journalist etiquette on false and misleading news.

We are all sons and daughters of the Earth

The bumiputra status will not be abolished as feared but the government will see to it that these will be gradually extended to everyone else.

The government will also carry out projects to accord Internet access to the rural inhabitants, in an effort to create a pool of knowledgeable citizens.

In all probability, English will once again be the medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics. Vernacular schools may be barred in favour of National Schools where Malay and English are the teaching medium, and a choice of either Chinese or Tamil as a compulsory third language. Most educationists believe that nationalism starts from young, and separating children at a tender age only leads to unnecessary division.

Governance using the Competency, Accountability and Transparency (CAT) system will be implemented at the Federal level, as well as in all States governed by the Pakatan. This would spell the end of corruption. Cronyism too will disappear as compulsory tendering exercises eliminate the roots of corrupt practises.

Anwar and team will also implement wide-scale job retraining to ensure enough skilled workers for the jobs market. It would also review existing policies and cut down on the unnecessary foreign labour that drains our economic progress and can pose a risk to our safety and security. Factories and plantations will be encouraged to turn to full-automation to address the growing dependence on foreign labour.

The economy will remain as the new government’s biggest headache. To maintain and prop up the economy, the government will have to review the 2011 budget with hefty spending cuts and abolish capital-intensive projects and divert badly-needed funds to critical sectors.

Salaries will increase as a minimum pay scale comes into force, which will benefit a large sector of Malaysians and boost the national economy with bigger spending power. To attract foreign investments the government will increase free trade practises that will benefit the nation in the long run.

At last, the healing process can begin

The healing of the country will begin, as Malaysians look forward to a brighter and more exciting future. Life as we know it will change for the better and will evolve further into a totally different society from what we are now - a comatose and even dying society over-oppressed by 50 years of BN authoritarian rule.

Malaysians must be ready for change and learn to do things differently. To excel, we would need to work harder and catch up, as there would be no more corrupt opportunities for instant riches.

But should BN win, the political, economic and social climate will remain unchanged. Yes, Najib and UMNO will promise the sky and reforms aglore. But we know they won't keep their promises as they have never done so before. Barely a month down the road, Ibrahim Ali and gang will show up and threaten the minority races and split the Malays all over again.

Life would be the same as it has been the past 50 years and everything will be just as it is. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin goes on to become the next Prime Minister for the next five years. The peace will be disrupted by Perkasa-wannabes each time the UMNO politicos need to distract the nation from another of their hare-brained multi-billion ringgit schemes, for example the two upcoming French-assisted nuclear power plants.

What a difference a general election can make. Really, Malaysians must value their vote and choose wisely.