Malaysians must not allow the only chance for the country to become a top world-class nation of unity, justice, freedom, excellence and integrity to be sabotaged by unscrupulous and unprincipled politicians wanting to regain political power by using fake news and hate speech to incite inter-racial and inter-religious polarisation

It is more than 500 days since the historic and miraculous decision of Malaysians in the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018 - what the international media had described as a “shock victory - to achieve the “impossible dream” of achieving a change of government through peaceful and democratic means first time in six decades.

All Malaysians who had rooted for what appeared to be an “impossible dream” of a change of government had high hopes of the Pakatan Harapan government in Putrajaya, and so did the leaders of the four parties of DAP, PKR, Bersatu and Amanah which made up the Pakatan Harapan coalition, but they were totally unaware of the magnitude of the rot which the Najib premiership had left behind.

The country was in debt for over a trillion ringgit; the national institutions have lost their independence and professionalism as they were suborned and subverted by the former prime minister and the 1MDB billions of ringgit; the country had forfeited the respect by the international community of nations as it became a global kleptocracy, publicly flagellated as “kleptocracy at its worst” in an international conference; while race, religion, fake news and hate speech had been employed to protect the former government leaders from any possibility of regime change in the 14th General Election.

Pakatan Harapan Ministers and deputy ministers were shocked to find that they had to ascertain and address the rot that had been left behind by the previous government before they could proceed to implement the Pakatan Harapan promises of a New Malaysia where the country can become a top world-class nation of unity, justice, freedom, excellence and integrity.

There is widespread disappointment and disillusionment among Pakatan Harapan voters and supporters who had expected political, economic, educational, socio-cultural changes in the past 500 days.

It is imperative that Pakatan Harapan must make Malaysians understand that the re-set of nation-building policies after the deep rot left behind by the previous government and the achievement of a New Malaysia is a national mission which will take a generation to accomplish and not just one general election cycle, but the Pakatan Harapan government must now embark on this re-set of nation building policies based on the five pillar-promises of the Buku Harapan presented to the people in the 14th General Elections, viz:

• Reduce the people’s burden;
• Institutional and political reforms;
• Spur sustainable and equitable economic growth;
• Return Sabah and Sarawak to the status accorded in Malaysia Agreement 1963; and
• Create a Malaysia that is inclusive, moderate and respected globally.

Malaysians must not allow the only chance for the country to become a top world-class nation of unity, justice, freedom, excellence and integrity to be sabotaged by unscrupulous and unprincipled politicians wanting to regain political power by using fake news and hate speech to incite inter-racial and inter-religious polarisation/.

It might be useful to compile a catalogue of the fake news and hate speech which had made their rounds in Malaysia in the past 500 days.

Forty years ago, when Malaysian Chinese visited China, it was a from a rich country to a poor and backward nation. Today, the reverse had taken place – as a visit from Malaysia to China is to a more developed and prosperous nation.

In 40 years of its economic reforms, the World Bank reported that China has brought 850 million people out of poverty while its per GDP had increased 24 times.

How does Malaysia compare with China, which does not have a New Economic Policy (NEP)?

Malaysia’s per capita GDP increased by some eight times in the past four decades, while the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Professor Philip Alston, said recently that Malaysia had undercounted the number of poor, that the reported 0.4 per cent of households or approximately 27,000 housesholds below the poverty line income (PLI) is a gross underestimation.

Last week, there were reports that Malaysia is even losing out to Vietnam which should come as a wake-up call to Malaysians to put their shoulder to the wheel to transform Malaysia into a top world-class nation of unity, justice, freedom, excellence and integrity.

Instead, we continue to be bogged down by false issues especially in recent months, with an upsurge of fake news and hate speech to incite inter-racial and inter-religious polarisation in the country, reckless that it could provoke inter-racial or inter-religious conflict or conflagration.

Malaysians must strike out courageously in the direction of a New Malaysia, for which we have received a mandate from the voters regardless of race and religion in the 14th General Election.

Once I said that Pakatan Harapan should not try to out-Malay UMNO and out-Islam PAS, and it was immediately distorted as proof that I am anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

This is the height of mischief and diabolism.

What I meant is that Pakatan Harapan should not out-Malay UMNO, just as it should not out-Chinese MCA or out-Indian MIC, but a political coalition which can out-Malaysian any other political entity in the country.

In the same way, when I said that PH should not out-Islam PAS, it is not an anti-Islam expression, as I Pakatan Harapan should not be in the business to out-Christian, out-Buddhist or out-Hindu any other political entity but to be a model Malaysian political party which fully upholds the Malaysian Constitution which provides for Islam as the official religion but freedom of worship for all other faiths.