Skip If Allergic To Politics
I haven't touched politics for eons. Not even with a disinfected 10-foot pole. This has been purely cowardice on my part. I feared being labelled a 'pseudo-intellectual insufferable know-it-all who thinks she has all the answers just because of where she went to university but doesn't have the guts to walk the talk'. But you know what? Sod that.
1. It's my blog yadayadayada
2. By putting this out here I'm using some of my 'talent' to highlight things that are bubbling under the surface, floating around in mamak stalls and bourgeois cafes, but never, never, in the hallowed halls of our legislative system, where they should be discussed.
3. I've kept quiet for far too long.
4. I'm walking my own brand of walk- it may not be the type you're used to- I may not be joining Promuda any time soon, but I'm doing my bit.
5. I don't know all the answers. Heck, I may not know even one single answer, but I know that questions need to be asked, or we may all j
Open Letter To The Elected Representatives Of Malaysia
Dear Esteemed YBs,
As a Malaysian voter who loves her country, a mother who dreams of a better Malaysia for her child and an avid follower of your discourses (both heated and respectful) in Parliament, I have made the following observation:
Namely, in my humble opinion, these are the key issues affecting our country today:-
1. The imminent danger of one or even, two, epidemics hitting our shores with no action plan in sight, bar one or two vague reassurances. I'm sorry, but how many more birds would have to drop from the sky, or how many more babies would have to die from what is largely a preventable disease brought about by filth and a lack of mosquito repellant before we admit we might have a problem?
2. Whilst I admire the fact that more cases of corruption are highlighted in our media, I wonder why the buck seems to stop at senior civil servants? Surely, the senior Rural Development Ministry official was answerable to someone else while embezzling several hundred million Ringgit worth of orphans' money. Surely the senior MITI officials who were giving away APs right,left and centre were answerable to someone even more senior. And how many more overhead passes have to crack before the Public Works Ministry stops blaming God?
And today, I just saw a documentary on the Orang Asli which highlighted, among others, that they still suffer in squalor and deprivation despite the fact that 100 million Ringgit has been allocated for Orang Asli aid. Dare I ask where this money has gone? By the way, Jabatan Agama Islam, what is the point of converting the Orang Asli if you're only goint to neglect them right after they recite the syahadah?
It's been 20 months since the 'Rakyat' rewarded the Government with its landslide election victory- won on a ticket of an honest, transparent Malaysia. Why do I sense that we're being thrown small bones on the off-chance that we may choose to ignore the stench of more high-level corruption? I'm sure secretly that no one was surprised when we retained 48th placing in the Transparency International table.
3. The dismal state of education. Surely unemployable graduates and our premier university falling 40 places from grace merits more than lip service? Perhaps an overhaul of the system altogether, as opposed to piecemeal, and disruptive changes?
And yet, these are the 'hot' issues being discussed in Parliament recently:-
1. The throwing of a musician into the sea following his creative interpretation of our National Anthem.
2. The origins and usage of a six letter derogatory word for a certain ethnic group.
3. The fact that the DAP shouldn't use the rocket as its emblem since it's no longer relevant (this debate has me completely stumped, I'm afraid)
4. The fact that a particular rice commercial in Malaysia is insulting to the Malay sultanate as it depicts the Sultan as a demanding tyrant who only wants fragrant rice. Perhaps then, PGL the movie should be banned as it depicts the Sultan as an unreasonable adulterer.
My apologies, but I think the fact that some members of royalty are capable of violently disrupting innocent wedding parties might mean that some members of the Malaysian royalty are quite capable of bringing disrepute to the whole race.
My point is this, there seems to be a bit of a disconnect between the issues affecting our country and the issues being discussed in Parliament by our elected representatives. This conclusion might be a bit simplistic, but could this not mean that our elected representatives are then not representing the interests of the people?
Therefore, this is my request, as a voter and a taxpayer, dear esteemed YBs- since part of our hard-earned income pay for your now increased salaries, could you please spare us some time to talk about the things that really matter?
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Concerned Citizen
nads went at 21:30