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Friday, August 14, 2015

Winter comes to Malaysia

The Whitewalkers are coming. Who can possibly save us now?
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nazir,game-throne
CIMB Group Chairman Nazir Razak recently compared Malaysian politics to the popular TV series “Game of Thrones.” Indeed, we have all the prerequisites – murder, sex, shady figures in corridors of power, speakers of truth being cut down, and the list goes on.
Perhaps all we’re missing are the Whitewalkers. But if you take the slowly coming winter to be a metaphor for the economy and the socio-political climate of the country, then yes, it definitely looks like Malaysia has become the scene for a modern-day version of “Game of Thrones.”
We could go ahead and decide which Malaysian politician is which character. God knows we need a good laugh right now, but it’s time to look away from the politicians for a way out of this mess we’ve found ourselves in. To extend the metaphor, if the politicians represent Westeros, then the financial sector could probably be Essos, a place that can be just as cruel and forbidding as Westeros but with a different set of rules and a different playing field. And in Essos is the aforementioned Nazir, who is not quite as much in the public eye as his brother.
Amid the firestorm that surrounds Malaysian politics, there are few voices of true reason, and one of those is Nazir Razak. The brother of our dear, soft-spoken Prime Minister has been teasing a break with his brother for months now, with one report even claiming Nazir was in the midst of setting up a third force composed of moderates, with Global Movement of Moderates head Saifuddin Abdullah as its choice for Prime Minister. Nazir quickly claimed that the “party” would actually be an NGO, but here in Malaysia we have a saying about crocodiles and still water.
Even if Nazir truly does not intend to set up this third force, it’s time we started listening just a little closer to what he’s saying.
Just last week, he gave his endorsement to Bank Negara Governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, who was rumoured to be under pressure to resign from her office, with some parties speculating that it was she who made the documents exposing the transfer of nearly US$700 million into the Prime Minister’s bank account available to the Wall Street Journal and Sarawak Report. Before that, he spoke on English language proficiency in the country, saying it must be made into a priority to “reverse the deterioration now.” After the Low Yat riots, he called for racism to be defined and made illegal.
It’s clear that Nazir has a plan, maybe even a blueprint. Thus far, he has been right on the money with his sentiments, and this gives us an idea of what Nazir’s Malaysia would look like. If he is indeed looking to create a new platform for moderates, then many indeed would flock to his cause as the last bastion of sanity in this crazy little part of the world. There is no doubt that the moderates must join together in a common cause to drown out the voices of the extremists and to present a united front in the face of the possibility that Malaysia would become a failed state.
A third force would drastically redraw the political landscape of this country. A third force would effectively represent the voice of the silent majority, a bulwark against those urging more extreme action. Perhaps it would show Malaysians that it is not party that we should vote for, but outstanding individuals with conviction and competence, with morals, principles, and ideologies that are fair to all in all things.
Winter has come. With the ringgit falling ever faster against the dollar and public discontent rising, Nazir must make his move soon, if it is true that he has a plan. Too many have written off our nation as a failed state, and we as Malaysians need someone to get behind, someone we can raise up as our champion before it is too late.
It is a heavy thing to ask of anyone to shoulder responsibility for the nation and the hopes of the people, and it is admittedly a long shot for Nazir. However, small sparks become forest fires, and Malaysians desperately need a sign that somebody is trying to do something.

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