I refer to the Malaysiakini report The end of BN is nigh .
It is more likely to be a fact soon rather than a mere premonition. Everyone knows how corrupted our politicians and civil service have become and it is time to halt this hypocrisy.
It takes two hands to clap. Therefore it also takes two pockets to corrupt – one pocket to hold the goodies for payment, and the other to receive the presents. With so many pockets on both sides of the fence, our country has become one big Disneyland of greed and lawlessness.
If you read the news reports daily, you can easily deduce even from the most guarded and conservative government-owned media, that corruption is happening at all levels of the government and private sectors.
‘Corruption’ comes from the phrase 'CORporation to bankRUPt the naTION' and our government is the biggest such corporation hiring more than 1.15 million sweet-toothed civil servants and thousands of greasy politicians.
For the last 50 years, they have drained and wasted our nation's resources and wealth to the tune of billions of ringgit. Because of them, our country has missed out on countless opportunities for progress and development.
Malaysia could have become one of the most advanced and prosperous country in the region, if not the world by now. We have natural resources such as gas and petroleum. Our land is fertile and able to support all kinds of economic crops. Malaysians of all communities are relatively hard-working and resilient. And most of all our country is blessed with calm weather throughout the year and free from natural disasters that plague our other less fortunate neighbours.
Truly Malaysia is paradise on Earth.
We should be standing tall with the rest of the developed world today, but instead we remain stunted years behind. Some even say that we are on the verge of falling backwards into the throes of Third World countries. What a shame for a land once known as the Golden Chersonese.
Corruption is like the music of the sirens that enthralls you so much that you will never want to let it stop. For years and years, our government has become a well-lubricated network of corridors for channeling public funds to undeserving people. While the giver and the taker stand to gain from this marriage on convenience, the people of Malaysia are the losers at the end.
There is no way corruption can be eliminated by efforts within the 'corporation' itself. Every prime minister that came into power promised to rid his administration off corruption and yet the situation has become worse every year. No one wants to get incriminated by exposing corruption within their organisation especially if one is deeply involved. The corporation is akin to a brotherhood of greed and to scream out corruption is like drawing out a double-edged sword.
Even the Anti-Corruption Agency is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Department. It doesn't take a genius to know that the agency's independence and freedom to investigate the government is restricted. After all, which dog is stupid enough to bite the hand that feeds it?
The only way to get rid of corruption is to have a sea change in the government. The political tsunami that swept through the nation last March is starting to uncover some dirty linen in Penang and Selangor.
This is proof that we need a total change in the composition of leaders in the government to expose previous misdeeds. However, the bulk of our nation's wealth is still under the control of the federal government and we need a second and bigger political tsunami wave to stop its carnage.
Even with full control of the federal government, I foresee difficulties in Pakatan Rakyat's efforts to halt corruption altogether because they would still have to deal with the 1.15 million civil servants who have gotten used to the old ways. It takes more than political will to change the attitude of this mammoth institution and to jump-start it from its own inertia and tardiness.
The eradication of corruption requires honesty, integrity and persistence on the part of the government. The people should also be informed that it takes two persons to commit this crime and therefore should refrain from doing it.
The Anti-Corruption Agency should be an independent body free from government control to be able to function as a vigilante for the nation. Only then are people able to report corrupt practices without the fear of being victimised.
It is said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Barisan Nasional's 50 years of unopposed rule has created such a situation. The 'corporation' which we placed our trust in to lead us, has bled us dry from left and right. It has wasted every single drop of sweat from the hard working Malaysian on countless dubious projects that never seem to benefit the nation.
The Barisan Nasional government should be replaced immediately before they bankrupt the whole nation.
What our country needs is a political system in which there is a balance between the ruling party and the opposition. There should be a change in the composition of the government every few terms or so to ensure that there is a check on misappropriation. The various news reports and letters in Malaysiakini demonstrate this general idea amongst its readers.
Fifty years is more than enough for one party to dominate our political scene. It is time they take a bow, leave gracefully and let the new cast from Pakatan Rakyat come on to the stage.
