Malaysia Chooses 2008

"Let our track record speak for itself." This the the rallying cry coming from all Barisan Nasional candidates. Indeed, it is an impressive track record. Since independence, Malaysia has been transformed by successive Prime Ministers into a modern country with many achievements to be proud of. I am proud to be a Malaysian, and I stand in awe of the work and accomplishments that our leaders has brought to our nation.

However, lets not confuse past performance with future performance. Malaysians are generally avid stock punters, and those with long memories of the local stock market will tell anyone who would listen how they were burnt by a "darling stock" - a stock that was previously touted to be a blue chip investment based on its track record and strong fundamentals, only to be routed to penny stock status when the reality is exactly the opposite.

Apart from that, we need to ask, "Whose track record?" The present leadership of BN, under the current Prime Minister, has been in power for 4 years. To critically access whether it has been a successful one, we need to ask: whether the new administration has advanced the track record it has inherited from its predecessors; whether it has made positive changes to rectify obvious weaknesses in the previous administration; and finally, whether the new leadership has made any concrete changes in policies and governance that benefit the people.

PM Badawi got a landslide victory in 2004 because many people, myself included, believed that he is a breath of fresh air, a noble man who will fulfill the true destiny of Malaysia by being a PM to all races. A PM who will push Malaysians to reach their potential via hard work and intellect, not via connections. A PM who will strive to reward competence and success, and penalize mediocrity and failure. A PM who will lead a responsible and transparent government, one who will unite the various race, so we compete not with each other but against other countries (say Singapore) whom has exceeded our achievements.

However, what we have seen in the 4 years since PM Badawi's victory is disheartening. The pain is made worse when we have given such a strong mandate to the PM, only to see the mandate being squandered away. BN MPs are openly raking the May 13 incident, when we should be looking forward, not backwards. Zero marks for tolerance. BN MPs are openly humiliating women in parliament. Zero marks for respect. BN's elected representatives who broke the law are getting away with it, while ordinary rakyat are hauled up for the same offence. Zero marks for integrity.

Prices of essential goods have risen substantially. This cannot be blamed on the current administration, since it is a worldwide phenomenon as commodities prices surged. Yet, instead of practicing responsible governance, the current BN leadership espoused the rakyat to "change our lifestyles". Instead of tightening its pursestrings, the current leadership continue to splurge on prestige events (the Monsoon Cup), proposed to build a sports centre in a foreign land that costs hundreds of millions of ringgit, sending a Malaysian on a tour of space, to name a few. Low marks for prudence.

How about the promise to revamp the police force? Where is the independent commission recommended by the Royal Commision? Why has the ACA not produced any conviction?

PM Badawi asked for more time, and it is given that he will be given more time. With the formidable resources and organization that the BN has in this General Election against the Opposition, the outcome is heavily in the former's favour. With the mainstream media skewed to paint a favourable picture of the government, we will not get to enjoy the robust workings of democracy in action. In the US, the media is an integral part of the democratic system where investigative journalism and critical editorials let the voters decide if either side are speaking the truth. In Malaysia, the broadsheets display little independence from their business owners, who are the ruling political parties or affiliated to them.

The election will yield huge wins for BN. This is a certainty. However, lets hope there will be one or two major upsets, one or two surprises, one or two miracles. Lets send out a message, that we the people matters.