I was appalled at the response of the Welfare Minister to the on going expose about the mismanagement and squandering of funds from the National Feedlot Corporation which she has been directly or indirectly associated with.
To say that her family had worked hard and deserved to be awarded such a project is akin to saying that yes we decide on who to award projects and it is usually taken up by us and so what about that?
As expose after expose has been unturned by the opposition and the NGOs that are on a crusade to rid the country of the menace of corruption, Umno finds itself in a corner unable to turn over a new leaf and tell the people that they have repented.
It seems as though they feel that it is their right as members of the ruling party dominating the government to have the first right to take a dip at the cookie jar.
When all this information had been carefully kept from the public by a ever compliant media which is beholden to the ruling corrupt barons of Umno for their yearly operating licenses, nothing of this sort had been let known to the public, the public may have wondered how and where does the money come from when these robbing barons come a calling for votes every four to five years once.
It would have been coffee shop talk about what had actually transpired with some having insider knowledge as to what was actually going on but when the bellies of the masses had been hit because of the unstoppable might of corruption, the people began to fight back in their own subtle way and are very proud of the decision that they had made in March 2008.
The MACC seems to be deaf to open confessions like these but pounce on a alleged misappropriation which never was and which started their new duty and responsibility to their political masters by suddenly having the so called corrupt people mysteriously ending up dead at their premises!
The Sarawak Report.com had done a marvelous job in showing the way the white haired “Rajah” made Sarawak his private fiefdom where taking a cut from every project is more of a rule than an exception. Therefore one wonders do these people feel that it is their birth right to be as corrupt as they can as soon as they assume the seat of power?
Is the right to be corrupt part and parcel of what Article 153 of the Federal Constitution says? Does it come as a privilege when one successfully assumes the seat of power after going through so many political battles to get to that coveted seat?
Have these people ever wondered what an example they are setting for the future generation of leaders in this country? Not being resilient and steadfast about principles and values is what that has made the Malays so accustomed to corruption.
Right from the time Sultan of Kedah had sought foreign assistance to boost his position from a rival claimant and subjugation from the might of Siam, where the British saw the opportunity and moved in to provide military assistance and eventually asking for Penang Island as a naval base for their naval fleet in the Indian Ocean, the Malays have always fallen victim to the strong draw of corruption and all its ways as long as it handsomely rewards monetarily.
In fact when attention was drawn recently to the valour and bravery of Mat Indera of Johor in going against the colonial police force who took their orders from the corrupted British Military Administration, brickbats where thrown at the orator who sought to remind us of what actual good poor Mat Indera was actually doing for all of us.
Instead what we see is the naked attempt of covering up facts which clearly shows that there were many Malays who were opposed to the colonisers and didn’t want to be associated with their corrupt ways. History fails to honour people like Tok Janggut, Mat Kilau and many other personalities who despised the British for lording over us and plundering our natural resources to feed their greed back home.
The same pattern seems to be repeating itself and the Malays will be the eventual losers if they do not see it and take steps to end this vicious cycle which stunts the growth of their race and makes them believe that they have to be scared of their own shadows for if they do not succumb to the pressures that demand them to act in a certain way, the artificial bogeyman will become real and take over the reigns.
To scare off this bogeyman from within, they have to act in a certain way even though it may be utterly corrupt to ensure that they remain in the position of power, failing to realise that it was this that made them enslaved and beholden to the Portuguese, Dutch and finally the British. To come out of this cycle the Malays have to free themselves from being controlled in thought and begin to tell themselves that they too, can achieve and succeed without being beholden to corruption.
Being utterly arrogant about their ‘exclusive’ rights to government projects, is a culture and attitude which has been cultivated due to being in the seat of power for far too long and thereafter thinking that it is their perpetual right which the lower rung of the Malay society gives them without batting an eyelid.
The feeling that they are always above the law because all the enforcement agencies are beholden to them or directly under the department of their party leader who is also the Prime Minister, these leaders have not been humbled by their defeat in the last elections. This time they are determined to get back to the seat of power by whatever means even if it means to give Indonesians, Bangladeshis and Filipinos overnight citizenship and voting rights in this country.
The don’t mind compromising the sovereignty of the country so long as their stranglehold on certain projects that have direct pipeline to the coffers of the Treasury. All this is said and done in the name of ‘bangsa, agama dan negara’ a theme that continuously keeps the Malay mind enslaved.
The former Umno war lords and ladies are determined to keep their ways even though a dawn has arrived where the people are not going to take this thieving attitudes sitting down anymore. There are many who are still keen to see the Malay society being weak and easily manipulated due to their inability to say no to the temptations of corruption.
This is what that keeps the Malays down, the time has come for them to free themselves from this vicious cycle and take on the challenges of running this country head on. Instead of calling would be reformers ‘traitors’ and ‘sell-outs’ it would be for the betterment of the Malays if these reformers are given a chance to lead.
We are seeing what mismanagement and misappropriation has done to the economies of Europe and we would not want to see that happen here although the indications are strong that we are heading towards that direction.
This sheer arrogance can only be contained if we, the people begin to understand our rights and participate in the democratic process of electing representatives to Parliament, if we elect thieves, we only have ourselves to blame. The perpetual right to take a dip at the cookie jar must stop.
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