BN caught in a time-warp

The Prime Minister has outlined his cabinet's vision for a Malaysia that is to be more united and resilient. He hopes to achieve this by transforming Malaysia into a high income country by increasing productivity through innovation and specialised knowledge.

Thus far, he has yet to reveal how this can be achieved without widening the income gap between ethnic groups and within ethnic groups. To achieve these aims, the government now needs to win hearts and minds. This will not be easy as the BN is caught up in a time-warp.

The question is this: "Can a political arrangement that sprung up in the pre independence struggle still be relevant in 21st century Malaysia?" Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (left) shed light on the matter, explaining Umno's struggle embodied in Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Ismail.

He believes that one can be a Malay and Malaysian nationalist at the same time. Tengku Razaleigh said that these men showed "......how it (the national cause) could be both Malay and Malaysian, nationalist and cosmopolitan, traditional and contemporary, at one and the same time."

Is this the essence of Malaysia? That we need not compromise our ethnic identities to be thoroughly committed to the national cause? Many politicians will find that hard to accept, and opportunists will dismiss it, sticking to simplistic solutions and blaming other ethnic groups for everything.

Tengku Razaleigh admits that what he is advocating for Umno and Malaysia is idealistic. In our current state of affairs we sorely need a confidence-booster. Morale is at a very low point, and we are in danger of losing our self-confidence as a people.

No confidence in the judiciary

Perhaps we cannot be united totally, but we must believe that we share common aims. That sense that we all belong to one nation is unravelling. Our economy is no longer so buoyant with substantial job losses in manufacturing.

The middle-class is saddled with huge housing loans and many are exposed to heavy credit card debt. Unskilled workers are still eking out their living by doing several jobs for very little financial return.

We look at our institutions and shudder. The recent Perak constitutional crisis does not inspire confidence in our judiciary. Judgements that even a layperson can see are full of holes, do not earn respect.

The brutish behaviour of law enforcement officers, the death of a witness after hours of interrogation over RM2,400 defies logic.

The cabinet decision to pull the plug on MACC's 'Selangor' investigations until the dust has settled over Teoh Beng Hock's (right) sudden death is a clear indication that the government is struggling with a mounting public backlash against it.

The great challenge for the BN is how to convince Malaysians to share some common vision. The first thing it has to do is to build up consensus. The days of imposing one's will onto others, even if one is the mighty Utusan, no longer works.

Nowadays even the staunchest Malay nationalist, if he/she thinks, will begin to have doubts. For example, why have a few privileged Malays become so rich, whilst the majority remain so poor?

Successive leaders blame corruption. In a country where most civil servants are paid such low wages, corruption is bound to be high. Any suggestion of giving them more pay tends to be met with bluster and outrage: Are we rewarding people who are corrupt?

Here, we are seeing only half the picture. For every bribe received, there is someone out there giving bribes, and in most cases this is, in truth, a comfortable symbiosis.

Malaysians had such high hopes for the MACC. It was supposed to be our version of the Hong Kong ICAC, which, if Hong Kong movies are to be believed, is fearless and incorruptible.

But the reality is that it was imposed from outside, and took years to build up its reputation. It took a lot of political will and a lot of pain.Unfortunately, political will is in short supply and the pain threshold is particularly low in Malaysia.

Institutional changes too little too late

What I fear most is that the BN actually does not have time. In fact, time has already run out. KPIs, judicial reforms, royal commission recommendations that are not implemented and other necessary institutional changes now all seem too little too late.

The government must realise that if BN is to ensure its political survival, and carry Malaysia forward, it can no longer entrust its future to "BTN-types". These are the people who will use wonderful slogans like "psy-war" to convince the PM that they can help BN to win the next general election.

They will recommend the breaking up of Pakatan in order to hold on to power. The reality is that they will only bring like-minded friends along with them. The majority of Malaysians will find their racist attitudes out-dated and destructive,
and to many Muslims, "un-Islamic".

If Malaysia is to work, we need to evolve a type of leadership that embodies wholesome, inclusive values as Tunku Abdul Rahman (left), Tun Razak and Tun Ismail did.

It remains to be seen if the current PM can be, like the late Tunku, "a prince with the common touch", a man of vision with the courage to stick to clear principles. These were the qualities that any Malaysians would admire.

Once again, Tengku Razaleigh has proved to be a wise statesmen, by providing constructive ideas at this critical juncture in our nation's life. Today, when we need idealism and purpose, and it does not seem to be coming from this government.

Malaysia seems to be in danger of moving down, as quickly as Indonesia is moving up. Should that happen, it would be Malaysians who are sending maids over to Indonesia!