I can hear some people are already thinking – there she goes again… complaining! I am not complaining here. I am getting the silent majority to come to realization of what’s happening in our community. Malaysians confuse me. They want clean leaders. They said they voted for change. Yet once I got elected, some immediately branded me as not trustworthy because I’m a politician. It doesn’t make sense.
A recent survey by Transparency International published in The Malaysian Insider (‘Malaysians say politicians the most corrupt lot’) is a tell-tale sign of the state of mind of Malaysians. According to the survey, 42% of Malaysians perceived politicians as being most corrupt. This is extremely disheartening. But this report should be analysed alongside an indicator of the rate of change of government. Why? Because logically, if the people perceive politicians as corrupt, then surely the people would be voting to change their corrupt government more frequently, and at every chance they get. But then, we do not see that in Malaysia. The people here view politicians as most corrupt, but yet, constantly vote these same people into power. According to Malaysiakini, the former chief minister of Selangor tops the list of high-profile corruption cases in the country with the highest number of corruption reports lodged against him in the then ACA (Anti-Corruption Agency), yet he still won the state assembly seat which he contested last year! And there are others who have controversies and scandals surrounding them, yet still bagging huge wins with majorities in the tens of thousands! A nation that perceives politicians as most corrupt should be changing its government more frequently, but we don’t. It seems that we as a nation are all talk only.
The new breed of politicians came on board because we believed in a cause worth fighting for. I can’t speak for all but I do believe there are others who are on the same page as me. Do this for the people, we thought to ourselves! And then when I got here, I realised that there are people who don’t really believe in what they have voted for. The exact same thing may be said by a dentist, a hawker, a student or a housewife but just because I’m a politician, it is dismissed by some quarters very easily and is viewed with much suspicion.
We want to do this for the people but some of these people purposefully choose to be professional skeptics, viewing the world with doubt. How can we not be disillusioned?
And young people, if you still don’t get involved in the local community, in the government or in politics, you will soon find yourselves in a place where everything has been charted for you and it is too late to change it then. The saying is true : Until lions learn to write, hunters will tell their story for them.