Too many questions, too few answers

Malaysians should be doing much more to demand answers from our elected representatives

COMMENT

By Tariq Ismail

I recently spoke out against the Taman Medan protest and how much I abhorred the fact that this incident was pulling us down into depths from which Malaysia may not return.

But as social media and news outlets continue to report the Taman Medan protest, other pertinent issues have taken a backseat.

One of these is of course the endless confusion about 1MDB. I find myself bewildered as to what this entity is, as many seem to be.

Could 1MDB be classified as a rogue company? The level of secrecy and lack of transparency seems to warrant this characterisation.

And 1MDB is only the tip of a potentially catastrophic iceberg. The Taman Medan incident is reminiscent of events that transpired in 1969.

Yes, that very same event that the Right Wingers vehemently remind us will happen again.

Could it happen again? Yes.

Can we stop it ? Yes.

How?

Readers and friends, as I have often said, we need to find a common goal and to adhere to our Federal Constitution and the Rukunegara.

Malaysia today is rife with more questions than answers. There is a disconnect between the politicians and us, the people who voted them in.

Once in power, egos take over.

Instead of championing policies to benefit the citizens of this land, they champion their own causes so they won’t lose their positions within their respective parties.

Misdeeds in the political world are normally followed with serious consequences. Recently, the South Korean Prime Minister tendered his resignation amidst a corruption scandal.

Indeed, any scandal in developed political arenas will result in the accused resigning from office or facing impeachment.

Against this backdrop, we Malaysians seem a very forgiving lot. We often excuse our elected representatives for their blunders, be they thoughtless remarks, inflammatory statements or scandals.

What we are truly interested in is what car he or she drives, the watches they wear, who they sleep with and if they are Muslim and drink alcohol.

So forget about their lack of professionalism, why don’t we?

My sarcasm is deliberate. We, the Malaysian people deserve better.

We should tell our leaders and our representatives that enough is enough. Get on with your work, lest we kick you out.

We should demand that they answer our questions.

How is our nation to move forward?

What policies can you bring to the table to achieve this?

What are your short-, medium- and long-term plans?

After all, it is you who are beholden to us and not the other way around.

It is said that the leaders of a people often reflect the people. The leaders now certainly do not reflect me.

Do they reflect you, fellow Malaysians?

Tariq Ismail is an FMT Reader.