There is a general impression that Malaysia is a peaceful country. This appears to be far from true. Bridget Welsh, writing in East Asia Forum, notes that the political norm in Malaysia can be brutal.
Malaysian politics is dirty. Murder, sodomy, secret trysts, sex videos and conspiracy are all commonplace, and corruption scandals occur regularly. Both sides wallow in this political gutter, each trying to darken the reputation of the other, and not fully appreciating how much the system as a whole has been damaged. The acquittal provided the government with an opportunity to take the high road and move away from this negative approach to politics. Instead, it opted to appeal — despite the shabbiness of the evidence.
New Mandala readers only have to visit the site of Malaysia’s most famous exiled blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin, at Malaysia Today, to get a dose of the defiled nature of Malaysian politics. From the allegations that UMNO engineered the killing of Sabah’s top leaders who had demanded 20% of oil royalties, to the recent “death” of a prominent business man investigating covertly scandals in the state of Selangor…and many more.
Are these allegations true?
If they are, can this peaceful façade remain?
1 response so far ↓
1 Adam // Feb 13, 2012 at 2:15 am
Two words would sum up the sorry state of affairs in Malaysia today. Power and money. Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And the love of money (read greed) is the root of all evil.
Governments should be the servants of the people and should look after the welfare and well-being of all citizens. But once this noble aim is deviated to be self-serving, the whole system of government would be compromised. This was what has happened to Malaysia. During Tunku’s time, we could be considered as a true democracy with peaceful co-existence among all segments of society. After Tunku, the situation went from bad to worse.
Our pillars of democracy were all compromised. The Judiciary was made subservient to the executive and the election commission became a party to the gerrymandering of the electorate. Controversial laws and amendments were made to favor a certain section of society. All such dubious actions were all done to maintain and retain power and control.
And when power and money are concerned, there are no holds barred, even to the extent of murder. To the victims, real or accidental, may they all rest in peace. And may the truth somehow be revealed.
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