Are we in the brink of collapse like the Qing Dynasty?

        There is so much we can learn from the history of ancient civilisations. This is because the human heart is deceitful above all things, and nothing has changed in the way we do things, even though we are now living in post-modern times.

        After reading a few posts, a friend wrote to me, "Wow… history repeating itself in our own country" when he read what was said about the Qing Dynasty by Qizhi Chang: An Introduction to to Chinese History and Culture. New York, NY: Springer Heidelberg, 2015. 

    

    "The eventual collapse of the Qing Dynasty is, however, not because it did not have a good system of government. Other factors contributed to its decline. While Renzong (emperor) was against corruption, he was surrounded by the elitist group who had made up of both central and local officials. They helped to safeguard the emperor’s power base, but at the same time, these elites were both highly corrupt and oblivious to the welfare of the common people. Soon, cliques were formed when these officials were no longer interested to choose competent people to serve the national interest but their personal gains. Renzong also executed officials who were bold enough to criticise the emperor. This destroyed the self-esteem and dignity of the officials, causing corruption to worsen within the bureaucracy.

    "It is said that the Qing dynasty had become “so corrupt and shady that bribery and the sale of official titles and posts for money were rampant.” Such a level of corruption during the later Qing Dynasty era has prompted the common saying, “Being three years a Qing government official is of equal worth to 100,000 taels of silver.” The military sector also suffered from corruption and they became ill-prepared for a war."

Are We in the Brink of Collapse?

       No civilisation can last forever. The Qing was the last dynasty to rule China. Because of high level of corruption, the kingdom started to deteriorate leading to the Taiping Rebellion in 1850. Thereafter, the country went through upheavals because the ordinary rakyat were neglected by the emperors and their elite officials. 

        In Malaysia, we have to safeguard the interests of our children and grandchildren. By all means snub the politicians if they are underperforming, but it is time for the next General Election. Let's go out to vote.