COMMENT | Scandals, corruption, income inequality, structural discrimination, nepotism, cronyism and so forth. These are the burdens we bear.

Malaysia’s decades-old problems, however, are not any more systemic than what other nations face.

What caused our problems, though, are the leadership blind spots of those who govern and those who oppose.

Leaders, blinded by short-term political gains over the long-term development needs of the people, have over the decades wasted away our human capital and polarised the rakyat.

Opportunist political behaviour, however, is as old as human history. Any wily politician will seize opportunities, and crises, to manipulate it to their advantage. In our case, it’s deploying the fail-safe strategy of race and religion.

Hence, the changing tune and tone of Pakatan Harapan and gradual deviation from its electoral promises to wrestle away Muslim-Malay support from the Umno-PAS camp. What’s the...