26 Apr 2024, 21:17 Kuching
26 Apr 2024, 14:17 London
The lack of gratitude for those who brought about development and foreign direct investment (FDI) is the reason behind several states falling into the hands of others, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“There were states which we once developed or emerged as developed states, which fell into other’s hands because there is no gratefulness,” he said when officiating a rural development convention in Kuala Lumpur this evening.
“When we urbanised these rural areas, when we transformed these areas, it was costly…(but) the people who benefitted from the development were not thankful to those who made the effort,” he added.
A certain type of politician is always eager to blame others for their failures, but rarely does one who is seeking re-election blame voters.
It is a rule of democratic politics that voters have to be right, since after all they are the boss and the job is in their gift.
BN politicians are awfully keen of course on turning all this on its head and acting like the grand givers towards the humble voters, whom they expect to show grovelling gratitude and burn sacrifices of thanks for their munificence.
However, people know that it was not Zahid who brought development, either through his own money or his own toil. Whilst Zahid has enjoyed the perks and power of office, the entire world around has been developing too and much of it far faster than Malaysia (see South Korea/Japan, both far poorer countries in terms of resources).
Were it not for the selfish policies and corruption of Zahid’s party the average Malaysian taxpayer, who has funded all his ‘development policies’ and a lot more besides, would be immesurably better off.
That is why many of the more informed areas in Malaysia have indeed started voting Zahid’s party out. They owe BN no duty whatsoever. Like any boss they have seen that Zahid and his friends are poor and ineffective employees, who have also been stealing around the house and so they have fired them.
To be accused of being ungrateful is hardly going to attract voters back into hiring them again.
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