If a convicted criminal on corruption can become the 10th or 11th Prime Minister of Malaysia, then China and Indonesia can overtake Malaysia in TI CPI by 2025 or latest before 2030

If a convicted criminal on corruption can become the 10th or 11th Prime Minister of Malaysia, then China and Indonesia can overtake Malaysia in Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) by 2025 or latest before 2030.

This will definitely be the end of the Malaysian Dream of the country being a world-class great nation, better than China, Indonesia and India in many fields of human endeavour because Malaysia is able to leverage on the best values and virtues of the four great civilisations which meet in confluence in Malaysia – Malay/Islamic. Chinese, Indian and Western.

If instead of excelling in various fields of human endeavour as compared to China, Indonesia and India, we are performing worse than these three countries as is happening in the past half-a-century, then we are in the trajectory of a kleptocracy, kakistocracy and a failed stated.

Can Malaysians avoid this fate?

This is why the 15th General Election – and its rehearsal in the forthcoming Johore state general election – is so important and critical in deciding the future and fate of Malaysia in the coming decades: whether we can reverse the national decline in the past half-a-century or are condemned to be a kleptocracy, kakistocracy and a failed state like Venezuela, Somalia, Syria and South Sudan.

I was very touched by the Chinese New Year posting of a former Shell executive, Yusuf Hashim who, as a Malay, apologised to non-Malay Malaysians. He wrote:

“My heart bleeds for my non Malay fellow Malaysians.

“I seek forgiveness from non-Malays for the apartheid mentality of some Malays. I cannot change the colour of my skin, and nor do I have the power to change the mentality of many Malays.

“But I feel for you, and can only assure you that there is still a core of fair-minded Malays who believe deeply in meritocracy, integrity, morality, honesty, honour, fairness, social democracy and righteousness.

“We are quite a large number, and I truly believe the numbers of fair-minded Malays are increasing.

“I put the blame for the sad state of our current situation, squarely upon the shoulders of the hypocrite and corrupt politicians, who have long used race and religion as political bait.

“Until they stop, I cannot see the situation improving significantly. Nor do I see the frustrations of non-Malay Malaysians abating anytime soon.

“I know many of you will want to give up, migrate, and leave these foolish and easily fooled trees to their fate.

“But I urge you to stay, and help moderate Malays to make change happen.

“Let us remember the names of all the scoundrel politicians who betrayed our mandate in the last General Elections, who are currently having a field day raping the coffers of our country. Remember them and in the next States and General elections.

“Let us turn out in full force and throw them out.

“We did it in GE14, and we will do it again in GE15.

“Let us pool all our votes, come out, and vote out these despicable politicians.

“And all the young voters who can now vote arising from the UNDI 18 law, please don't make the mistake of not voting. Come out and vote, and make your vote count.

“It is the greatest mistake you will make, if you let your angst and exasperation, lead to you not exercising your hard won right to vote. If you do not come out to vote, you might well have your worst nightmare as your next PM.

“I have a prayer. I pray that there will one day rise a truly honourable Malaysian leader, and a truly Multiracial party, that will enact a law, to make race and religious baiting, illegal under whatever legal system that we may have left.”

There is disappointment, disillusionment, dejection and despondency in the land that the Pakatan Harapan Government had not been able to fulfil its 2018 General Election.

I am myself disappointed with the Pakatan Harapan Government for I believe it could have done better, but we must not be unfair.

I met the Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in mid-2019 and expressed to him my concern about the government’s fulfilment of Pakatan Harapan election pledges, and I had intended the meet the Prime Minister after the mid-term of the government to review the implementation process.

The PH mandate to fulfil the election manifesto was for five years. If in the first half of the five-year term, the Implementation of the election manifesto was slow because of resistance, opposition or even sabotage, this could be remedied in the second half of the term by an acceleration to implement the election pledges.

But this was rendered impossible by the Sheraton Move conspiracy which toppled the PH government in 22 months.

There is a high-octane propaganda campaign to paint the 22-month Pakatan Harapan government as a total failure and a disaster, which is not the case.

I am impressed by Marina Mahathir’s apology for her gaffe attributing Mahathir’s “shoot to kill” threat to Vietnamese refugees in the late l970s to the then Home Minister, Ghazali Shafie.

It showed firstly, that it was a honest mistake; and secondly that a wrong perception if not corrected could last years and even decades.

I specially appreciate the latter aspect, as I am probably the most demonised person in Malaysian politics.

I am painted as anti-Malay and anti-Islam when I have no animus to any race or any religion. During the 22-month Pakatan Harapan government, Mahathir was presented as my stooge to the Malays and I as a stooge of Mahathir to Chinese and non-Malays – an impossibility for any one person to accomplish.

We must learn from our mistakes and our struggle.

Firstly, we must correct misperceptions, especially those which were maliciously planted. The 22-month Pakatan Harapan made promising beginnings for major institutional change which would see their full flowering if the Pakatan Harapan government had five years to fulfil its mandate and not toppled after 22 months by the Sheraton Move conspiracy.

Secondly, we must understand that the struggle to achieve the Malaysian Dream for Malaysia to be a world-class great nation is neither easy nor simple but a long arduous struggle inculcating the ‘Malaysian first’ idea and mentality which requires commitment, grit, perseverance and stamina lasting years and decades – covering several general elections.