Weed Out Corruption

 

        Anwar Ibrahim hit the nail on the head when he said that the cost of living is the result of corruption and cartels. 

        And, he is right to say that the public is keeping an eye and more willing to report any form of corruption, because we have reached a level that we can no longer tolerate the culture of paying bribes.

        It is time for business people now to step forward to highlight their complaints, if there is any attempt to squeeze them for money. After all, no business person with a right frame of mind would be happy to pay bribes if they can do without it. 

        It is those with the connections with the authorities who are willing to pay bribes in order for them to monopolise the market.

        Such cartels I believe also exist in almost every sector of our economy, and not confined to only the powerful industry cartels. 

        For example, tow trucks and funeral parlour operators are known to be collaborating with some policemen or hospital staff, who will channel information to them. 

        I find them a big nuisance as the grieving party is often too busy to entertain their incessant 'sales' gimmicks. 

        Such things are very common. If the authorities are keen to put a stop to this, they should just put some plainclothes officers to pretend to be relatives of the deceased. 

        Cartels and corruption go hand-in-hand and I wonder if this is what Pas president, Hadi Awang once meant when he said, "Corruption is not under hudud because it is a matter of willing giver and willing taker?" 

        I have earlier highlighted that social activist, Imraz Ikhbal has challenged Hadi Awang to a debate, but Hadi has yet to make a squeak about the statement he made. 

        After all, the video has gone viral which makes our blood boil when Hadi could at least have accepted the offer to debate followed with a glass of teh tarik. We cannot take cheap political talks. 

The Public is Watching Closely

        These days, with the social media platform, people are willing to broadcast whatever they have captured on video. Illegal logging, for example, is condemned, and further retaliation against the ordinary rakyat will get more brickbats from the public. 

        After the Covid-19 pandemic, people have become desperate because their livelihood has been affected. When people are desperate, they are more willing to take their voice their frustrations on Tik Tok just to get the attention of the people in the corridors of power.

        'Kita Jaga Kita,' whoever has coined it, has made a tremendous impact on our Malaysian society. For the first time, people could see how ordinary rakyat played a role in helping the flood victims, while politicians were all enjoying their expensive holiday overseas. 

        It is also heartening to see that race or religion no longer become a barrier when humanitarian help is offered. This is the Malaysian spirit on the ground, which is very much alive today! 

        No one accused the Christians of trying to proselytise the Muslims when practical help was offered. Even the Tzu Chi and the Sikhs did whatever they could during the Sri Muda flood, when government agencies with all the huge budgets, should have been the ones carrying out the task.

        The recent landslide in Batang Kali shows that these men in uniform themselves were ready to give of their lives to rescue the victims. They deserve the honorifics often given to politicians who do not deserve them. I wonder if the Sultan of Selangor would pick some of them to be given at least a title befitting their willingness to work extra hours to rescue whoever was still alive.

         In recent years, I have noticed that people are also bolder when they speak up against corruption using a simple platform like Tik Tok and Youtube.

        This is because they have seen how the rich have become richer, while the poor are spiralling down in inescapable poverty abyss. 

        We should be grateful that most Malaysians, regardless of race and religion, subscribe to peace rather than bloodshed, when they demand for change.

        Only certain politicans are still trying to play up racial and religious sentiments in order to destablise the country's administration so that they can continue to seize power and cover up their own corrupt practices. 

        We see this happening even today, despite the suggestion to form a unity government came directly from the palace.

        From our observations, when Lady Justice decides, her turn has come to take to the centre stage, cash is no longer king. With the change of government end of last year which comes along with it, the long- awaited Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, the unity government has brought cheer to Malaysians and the international community.

        We are expecting from henceforth, whoever is in power, there is no more room for corruption because the rakyat is watching closely. We are all ready to weed out corruption to the core. I am reading this on everyone's mind based on this article which I am told has gone viral beyond my own imagination.

Weed out Corruption 

         Corruption can happen only when there are still runners operating on behalf of the corrupt public servants. 

        Many of these people can be easily identified based on some observations. When Ali, Ah Kow or Muthusamy walks into the licensing department of a local council, for example, everyone greets him like a celebrity, this should raise the flag. 

        Why? Because people applying for a license would encounter all sorts of challenges just to obtain it. 

       Currently, with the Chinese New Year coming up soon, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should set up undercover teams of its own officers to nab traffic police manning roadblocks who are on the take. 

        It is not difficult to catch the culprits red-handed. If they are able to do it in Africa (see video), there is no reason why MACC officers complain that they are unable to carry out Operation Sting. 

        The public is just frustrated that when they offer to provide tips, the evidence is often dismissed as 'not concrete enough' and an entire file would then be classified as 'NFA' or No Further Action, when the MACC, acting on public info, armed with the power of investigation, could have carried out a thorough investigation. 

        

Backlash

        Finally, I end with this conclusion that Anwar is right that there will surely be a backlash. Only those who are corrupt and cannot achieve what they demanded for will want to topple the present government. 

        Those who want to earn an honest living will want a government that is clean, because they will at least be able to compete at a level playing field.

        It should not surprise us that in the next few years, that there will be attempts similar to Langkah Sheraton by the corrupt to topple the government of the day. 

        It is time that the Yang DiPertuan Agong and the Conference of Rulers should put it foot down that the people want a stable government that is allowed but the full term to run the country.

        Another Sheraton coup should end up with the arrest of the betrayers, instead of making them leaders of the country. We should not wait for another general election to show these corrupt leaders who king. 

        Therefore, once again, to all my 'idealistic' fellow Malaysians, despite all the odds, as rakyat, we have to stand in solidarity with a government that is committed to weed out corruption. It takes more than just one person to make this happen.

        Since Anwar is visiting Indonesia, can we afford to be seen lagging behind Indonesia, especially since the latter has forged ahead of us in the past one decade? Let us, as fellow members of the ASEAN community, work hand-in-hand to enrich each other and become a powerful economic block in the region.