Good Afternoon Malaysia :)
The votes are in and they have been counted. The Verdict – Barisan National still remains in power. The BN won 133 seats in the 222-member parliament. The government failed to improve on the 140 seats won in 2008. For those people who voted against the government, they were very unhappy & disappointed that this morning the government remains unchanged. As for me, this is certainly has been expected. I expect that the next coming general election in 5 years time; in 2018, the third wave will finally changed the whole landscape of Malaysia’s politics. In 2008 – the first wave – many did not expect such a tsunami for the Opposition, but it was their first baby step into a bigger foray. This year 2013 – the second wave have shown that BN’s majority have been reduce further a little compare to 2008. Thus, moving forward, for 2018 – the Opposition needs to step up, they need to show that they are capable to govern, they have to show that they too is an ideal government and start to tackle some of BN’s fixed deposits – East Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak), the civil servants, the rural areas (FELDA) and the arm forces & security personnels.
Now as usual, all loses were blame on the Chinese; claiming that this is the Chinese tsunami. Mathematically, this is impossible. Chinese use to hold 30% of the population, now, it hovers between 25%. Moving forward, come 10 or 20 years down the road, perhaps the Chinese only holds 20% or lesser. Therefore, for this GE13 – it is the collective effort of every race in the urban seats who wants to topple the government. The Chinese cannot do this alone. I am also very proud that for the urban seats, people no longer see themselves as Malay, Chinese or Indian first. They see themselves as Malaysian first. They put the Nation as their priority.
Yes, the Chinese wanted a change. A change that comes with transparency, honesty, integrity, just & fairness. The Chinese have grown up in Malaysia, we are more educated, more civilized, are more highly aware - we accept the fact that we are the minority in this community, we accept the fact that the sovereign belongs to the Sultan, we accept the fact that Islam is the official religion, we accept the fact that Bahasa Melayu/Malaysia is the national language, we accept the fact that we will be govern by the Malays – and we are certainly fine with that arrangement; provided it was a fair & just government that champions the welfare of the Rakyat. Not a government that keeps quiet when some fella from the Perkasa said that we are pendatang. Not a government that is highly corrupted. Not a government that is incompetent in its policies. I think the Chinese do not mind to let the Malays to run the country’s administration & politics. I think the Chinese are just comfortable in running their own business. But we want a fair & just government.
Yes, to a certain extent, the Chinese is indeed punishing the MCA & Gerakan. That’s because they did not stand up for the Chinese, they just keep quiet. The Chinese community wants a party that can highlight their frustrations, speak out vocally and provide solutions to the problems. Even though that Perkasa fella have caused disharmony, at least he does speak out about protecting the interest of the Bumiputra. Even though, I find it to be an outdated piece of policy, at least the Malays feel good about it. At least the MCA & Gerakan should speak out, at least the Chinese feel that you are with them, sometimes there may be no actions in sight, but no one will ignore the effort. This GE13 – both MCA & Gerakan is totally wiped out.
To the Prime Minister – I have to give you the credit. Your effort is there. Some may say that it’s an act of desperation, but you have done many things that the previous Prime Minister has not done. I also appreciate your National Reconciliation effort after this GE13. Malaysians have changed. Listen, listen, listen – there is no longer polarize politics anymore. No doubt, traditionally, the BN brand of raced-based patronage has ensured stability but it has also led to corruption and widening inequality. We see ourselves as Malaysians now. The people want change, your administration was not fast enough to change it and you do know what change that they need. MCA & Gerakan needs a revamp for sure. Your own people are also rebelling against your team. This is also quite alarming; for UMNO. The support from the majority Malays have also weakened, a sign that the middle-class Malays are agitating for change too. Malay unity is at stake here. Some of the Malays are rejecting Umno. That is obvious. There was a mini-Malay wave in the urban areas against UMNO. The urban-rural divide was clear. Pakatan won votes from all races and religions in the urban areas while BN retained their rural base. It is an election result between urban and rural, West Malaysia versus East Malaysia, between the better educated, better informed versus the lesser educated and lesser informed.
So, what’s next after this…it will be very interesting. For the Chinese – either the government is going to go all out to bodek us or they are going to make our lives more difficult. GE13 have already proven that they can capture the Federal Government by going it alone. Because the government is still trap in the old world thinking. Everything is also our fault. And the most crucial thing – for the next election, all the parties now need to groom and bring up a new generation of politicians. Some politicians have already passed their expiry time frame. By 2018, the country will be even younger, more urbanized and more demanding.
Malaysia – Refreshed & Redefined.
