Lesson Not Learned?

• 24 February 2019
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In the last general election the pattern of communal voting, in place for decades, broke down. A multi racial party, PH secured a convincing, if unexpected, majority on a platform of clean government. Since corruption had been a feature of Malaysian politics for a long period it was an unexpected result and stemmed, in all probability, from a general perception among voters that the administration of UMNO/BN was rotten from top to bottom, was impoverishing the nation by massive theft of public money and had to go. And it did; in emphatic style.

Those who voted PH into power did so by putting communal considerations to one side in favour of a party that promised clean government and the stamping out of corruption. Probably few of those who so voted realised the true extent of the rot but they knew enough to use the one weapon available to all. Their vote.

Events since that election have moved more slowly than expected and hoped for though the worst criminal of all, Najib Razak may finally be about to face Justice for some of his many crimes. That prospect is tinged with doubt in the light of more recent revelations of possible judicial corruption that might, theoretically, offer him an escape route from his crimes. The recently announced RCI should close that door and correct any past abuses which might mar future trials, not just of Najib but also a whole slew of massively corrupt UMNO politicians.

More worrying are the many indications that the communal voting patterns which governed elections prior to 2018 are again coming to the fore. While it is understandable that many voters may be more concerned with seeing their own community in power than with the future of Malaysia as a country that road can only lead, as in the past, to abuse, discrimination and a failure of the nation to progress to fulfil its very real potential. That would be a national tragedy and the leaders of PH bear a very heavy responsibility for seeing that it does not happen. Votes trust is hard to gain and easy to lose and will be given or withdrawn on the basis of performance in office.