The Meaning Of True National Struggle

Dr Mahathir’s comment uncalled for (The Star 9/5/08)

Referring to Tun Dr Mahathir’s “Return to the true national struggle” published in The Star on wed. 30/04/08, his expressions reflect on his style of governance for 22 years as he will knows best how the mechanism in BN ticks. His statement that “maybe loyalty to the Barisan is now based on personal gains or fear of punishment” is never a maybe but true to its form. He also mentioned that they are “all fighting to get a piece of the cake when the party wins” was a hallmark of UMNO’s practice when he was at the helm and it is not going to go off with any changes of the top leadership, at least not in the near future.

Interestingly his closing statement of “Continue supporting a person under whom the Barisan and its component parties were defeated or stop being self serving and return to the true national struggle. You may gain something for yourself personally today but your children and grand children will pay a terrible price” sounds frightening but whose children and grand children is he referring to.

Obviously we can read between the lines for his message and that message is not new to any of us. However his message that “your children and grand children will pay a terrible price” is not only unfair and frightening but totally uncalled for. Of course he is entitled to his thinking. To me “true national struggle” is for the benefit of the people and not for any political parties. Any political party that can form a government with accountability, transparency, sincerity, fairness, uncorrupt practices, good governance and has the peoples’ welfare at heart is true national struggle, not otherwise.

WillJudiciary and ACA be Reformed OR Remain Deformed.

I am excited and at the same time not very convinced of what our PM said with regard to the overhauling of the Judiciary and ACA. He is loosing power very fast and he is trying to play the same game as he had played in the 2004 Gen. election which gave him an overwhelming majority by singing the same songs and hope to get the people support again. To me is once bitten twice shy.

The train which we all know is having some mechanical problem and moving so fast will certainly end up being derailed. We all know that more than 90% of the politicians in BN, especially those from UMNO and the civil servants are corrupt and they will do everything to derail him. If he cannot or do not make an effort change all these at the peak of his power, how is he going to do these now that he is almost like a lame duck. Yes the rakyat are hungry for all these changes, but can he withstand the torrent of all those who had been enjoying these tasty fruits for so long.

To me I think it is the just like a sick man who try to pop in some pills and hope to have an immediate cure. On the other hand if this guy is hale and hearty ( say if he has repeated the 2004 victory), we will have to swallow those pills instead of him.

My verdict is (never mind if you brand me as a pessimist), do not expect too much. It is easier to change the government than to change the mindset of UMNO and its civil servants. If you are lucky you will only get a watered down version of what we are expecting.

The happenings in the last four years do not have any indication or any positive impact that he is a statesman but a staleman. Hear me, this is a playback of his stale stories.