A voter’s GE15 wish list

RUNNING on empty. That’s how I feel about our 15th General Election (GE15). All I see and hear are empty promises and the stale old political parties twisting and turning in all directions to forge shaky alliances just to win votes.

As a voter, I don’t care to find out what these parties are dangling in their election manifestos. We found out that Pakatan Harapan drew up a very ambitious one in GE14 in 2018 because they didn’t think they would win and have to keep those promises. At least that’s what their then leader Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad admitted later, dismissing the manifesto as a mere guide.

Now another party has promised its GE15 manifesto will be treated like a sacred holy book. Really? Ho hum, is anything really sacred in the dirty world of politics where compromise, back-tracking, delays, putting it on the back burner, and plain forgetfulness are standard practices?

Do I care an iota for promises to have two or three deputy prime ministers? That is pure carrot-dangling by peninsula parties to win over their Sabahan and Sarawakian counterparts. How will that benefit me?

I would rather have a promise to shrink the bloated Cabinet, whose members earn high salaries and are eligible for life-long pensions.

Dear politicians, why is it so hard for you to just be good, honest people who want to serve multiracial Malaysia? Where are the Onn Jaafars, Tunku Abdul Rahmans, Tan Cheng Locks and VT Sambanthans of today?

Back in 2013, I wrote a column titled “Ruling multiracial Malaysia”, in which I said the late Lee Kuan Yew was correct when he said whether Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Harapan won Putrajaya, the country would still be under Malay rule (The Star, Aug 14, 2013; online at bit.ly/star_many).

To me, that was inevitable given our history, racial demographics and political structures. I then set out a wish list of what I wanted in a Malay-led government.

Here we are, almost a decade later, and I believe my wish list is worth repeating.

This citizen wants leaders who cherish and respect the Constitution and continue to abide by the provisions in this document.

I support a government that upholds Islam as the official religion but also unequivocally respects other religions and protects the rights of all Malaysians to practise their faiths without discrimination, harassment or fear. In this respect, if there is a de facto minister for religious affairs, then the portfolio should cover the needs and protection of all faiths and not just Islam.

Next, I want leaders who will acknowledge the contributions of all races in the building of this nation and will not invoke fear among Malays by insinuating that the Chinese and Indians are cunning interlopers who will steal the nation from under them if they are not careful.

While we see some women candidates in GE15, I want to see a government that believes in gender equality and will end all laws that continue to discriminate against women and treat us like simple-minded creatures.

This is especially so in light of the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling last year that directed the government to grant citizenship to children born abroad to Malaysian mothers by operation of law as the word “father” in the Second Schedule of the Constitution must mean and include mothers.

The Perikatan government and Home Minister then appealed against the ruling which led to the Court of Appeal overturning it on the grounds that the word “father” means the biological father and cannot be extended to include the mother or parents.

The judges said it was up to Parliament, not the courts, to rewrite the Constitution. So can the new government promise to do just that? Such a Constitutional amendment would surely be supported by both sides of the political divide.

I badly want a government whose leaders embrace meritocracy and will nurture and retain all its talented citizens to benefit our society and nation and give us the edge on the international front.

If we continue to offer opportunities, grants and scholarships based on race and quotas, then I fear our brain drain will become a deluge. Worse, in time to come we could very well replace neighbouring countries as the supplier of cheap labour as desperate Malaysians seek jobs elsewhere. It’s already happening as we see an increasing number of Malaysians lured by job scams and syndicates abroad.

In GE14, Pakatan promised us a government that would practise the rule of law. That means all government agencies will enforce laws fairly and equally and will not act based on political expediency nor prey on defenceless minorities.

I will reiterate my wish for leadership that nurtures a thinking society and does not fear dissent or those who challenge its authority through non-violent expressions, be it in words or through art, performances, music, film and peaceful assembly.

I want a government that is inclusive and actively promotes true racial accommodation and acceptance instead of paying lip service to mere tolerance. In this respect, the National Unity Department should have more clout and a budget as generous as Jakim’s (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia).

I am very tired of half-baked, poorly thought-out policies, programmes and procurement contracts thrown out by ministers who often are unable to articulate and defend their policies because they lack the know-how; these policies offer little, if any, quality research and facts and figures but cost millions to implement with no clear completion deadlines or KPIs set out. The latest scandal: the Defence Ministry’s multibillion-ringgit littoral combat ships.

In August, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission reported it had completed its probe and referred the case to the Attorney General’s Chambers with recommendations to charge several people linked to the project. The silence two months on is deafening.

Coming back to our colonial past that gave us a legacy as an English-speaking country, I am dismayed to see that hard-earned advantage being pushed aside.

A country that has strong English language skills is attractive to both investors and tourists. And there is no doubt that when a leader can promote or defend Malaysia’s interests abroad in crisp, clear English on the international stage, he will reach a wider audience.

That’s why when Dr Mahathir gave his hard-hitting address at the 73rd United Nations session in 2018 in English, his powerful message won international acclaim.

Interestingly, caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob decided to send a congratulatory letter to Britain’s newly installed PM Rishi Sunak in Bahasa Malaysia.

We know Ismail Sabri’s stand on promoting BM but was it necessary to go that far? Did it help build better bilateral relations this way? I do wonder if Sunak’s office took pains to get it translated into English for him to read or did they merely file it away?

Last and not least, I want a government led by principled leaders who love and want to protect a multiracial, multi-religious Malaysia with zero tolerance for corruption and who will not use their office to enrich themselves or resort to underhanded ways to keep themselves in power.

That’s not asking for too much, is it?

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.