National Day in 2022 is diametrically different from National Day in the last two years of 2020 and 2021 – as there is now hope and anticipation instead of black despair and hopelessness

The National Day today in 2022 is diametrically different from the National Day in the last two years of 2020 and 2021 – as there is now hope and anticipation instead of black despair and a sense of hopelessness.

In 2020 was the first National Day after the greatest political betrayal in the nation’s history when the Sheraton Move political conspiracy toppled the Pakatan Harapan government and shortened its rule from a mandate for five years to 22 months.

In 2021, the National Day was also subdued with UMNO toppling the Muhyiddin government and the beginning of Ismail Sabri premiership.

In both years, the National Day celebrations took place under the cloud of the world-wide Covid-19 pandemic, with Malaysia as one of the worst performers among the countries in the world with Malaysia’s ranking in the Bloomberg Covid Resilience Index tumbling from 16th place in January 2021 to 52nd ranking in July 2021 and Malaysia falling from a world ranking of No. 85 in November 2020 among countries with the most daily number of Covid-19 cases and overtook 59 countries as we are now ranked No. 26 with nearly 5 million Covid-19 cases and over 36,000 Covid-19 deaths.

But there is now hope when for the last 30 months there was black despair that the promise of spring-time of reform when UMNO-BN political hegemony was miraculously ended in the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018 was completely wasted, and now is the time for Malaysians to hope again that Malaysia can be saved from becoming a kleptocracy, kakistocracy, a failed and rogue state and that it is possible to hope again for Malaysia to fulfil its aspiration to be a world-class great nation and to be “a beacon of light to a difficult and distracted world”.

May 9, 2018 will go down in Malaysian history as an important date but it was the first step in a long struggle for change and reform. But without May 9, 2018, it would not be possible to expose the monstrous mega RM50 billion 1MDB scandal and recently the RM9 billion littoral combatant ships (LCS) scandal.

Malaysians who had toiled from all over the world in the Malaysian Diaspora in the 14th General Election to ensure that their votes were counted in the 2018 political miracle had not toiled and sacrificed in vain, but they must dare to continue to dream the Malaysian Dream.

I recently came into possession of a declassified document which showed that DAP leaders had been consistent and loyal to their ideals and beliefs.

This was the statement I made to the police while in police custody at the Kuala Selangor Police Station lock-up under the Internal Security Act after I voluntarily flew back to Malaysia on 18th May 1969.

I was asked about my political views and this was what I told the Police as stated in this declassified document:

(a) Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural society, and a viable Malaysian nation can only be formed if all the races and groups in the country are given an equal stake under the Malaysian sun.

(b) In a multi-racial society like Malaysia, violence and any ideology of force, as for instance advocated by the CPM can only lead to the disintegration of the country because it quickly degenerates into racial conflict. I therefore deplore force and violence of all forms.

(c) In a multi-racial society, if any racial group feels it is backward, either educationally, economically, culturally, linguistically, or politically, then racial antagonism will be created. Every attempt must be made to remove these imbalances between the races and groups.

(d) Poverty is not a communal problem. It is a socio-economic problem. To regard poverty as a racial problem is to increase racial antagonism in this country.

(e) Democratic socialism can close the gap between the haves and the have-nots of all races.

(f) I want a clean, honest, efficient, incorruptible and effective government.

(g) Only parliamentary democracy can prevent a racial clash. Any other form of government will only lead to racial mistrust.

(h) Communism is unconducive in a multi-racial society like Malaysia.

Fifty-three years ago in 1969, I told the police about my political plans and I have devoted over half a century of my life to the commitments to continue my political work in the DAP to help bring about a genuine nation of Malaysians where :

(a) every citizen, regardless of his race, language or religion, regards himself as a Malaysian first and his racial identity secondary;

(b) Malaysians of all races have more in common with one another than with their ‘blood brothers’ counterpart be they in China, India or Indonesia. Unless we can achieve this, Malaysia cannot be said to have become “a Nation of Malaysians”.

I pledged that inside and outside Parliament, DAP and my theme will continue to be:

i) all Malaysians must be Malaysian conscious;

ii) to work in unison to make Malaysia an united, harmonious and prosperous nation.

I have lived by these ideals and commitments since 1969.

On this challenging 2022 National Day, there are new dangers in the land.

There are desperate forces trying to prevent the country from returning to the original nation-building principles and policies as enshrined in the Constitution and Rukun Negara – constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, separation of powers, rule of law, good governance, public integrity, meritocracy, respect for human rights and national unity from our multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural diversity where there are no first-class and second-class citizens whether based on race, religion or region.

Malaysians must endorse the joint statement of the nine former Malaysian Bar presidents in full support of the current president Karen Cheah for her defence of the independence of the judiciary at these “unprecedented times” and in defence of “brave judges for upholding their oath of office without fear or favour”.

I would advise lawyers contemplating with their plans to undermine the principle of the independence of the judiciary and the doctrine of separation of powers to cease and desist to avoid infamy.