masterwordsmith-unplugged

The past few weeks have been quite stressful for many of us and I guess it will be this way till the Sibu by-election and other by-elections till it culminates in the final call at the next GE. The political atmosphere affects people in a myriad of ways. Some yearn to have a political power some people or parties and it is saddening that there are those who use selfish ways where others use it altruistically.

Politics is exciting because people disagree and we see a lot of that in our country. They disagree about how they should live including who should get what, how should power and other resources be distributed. Very broadly, we can say that politics is the activity through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live and as such, is a social activity affecting people.

The problem is that we can see how crucial decisions made by politicians have affected people's lives. The attitudes of these different political authorities play significant role in social welfare and selfishness has been one of the most contradictory attitudes of political actors in terms of governing the states. In terms of politics, selfish or altruistic administrations faced with many success and failures.

Selfishness in state or federal administration provides less success and no peace within a society. What we see before us today is evidence that selfishness is rampant in our country and this malaise has to stop!!! The rakyat are suffering and it almost seems as though the leaders either don't care or cannot see beyond their noses.

Sometimes, in the name of the well-being of the country, political power may be used selfishly thereby causing a further undemocratic regime. The truth is, misuse of politics under the pretext of it being for a person's or a group's welfare is against human rights as it creates inequality and trouble in society. I need not elaborate for obvious reasons.

If political power in a country which is taken by elections is used in a selfish way, this divides society into at least two groups which quarrel negatively thereby exacerbating the situation and creating more hatred and those who are powerless may begin to live in fear because of the imbalance of power in the country. Feelings of frustration like what we see in Malaysia escalate because we can see how selfish action made some people rich some people poor thus it comes as no surprise then that Malaysia has a very high gini coefficient. Such inequalities are also against human rights.

We can see that misuse of political power creates many bad effects on our society and selfish political actions have caused untold physical, mental, emotional, economic and social suffering in our country.

We see leaders who irresponsibly say things that reflect their warped and selfish mentality. We see actions taken such as legal suits, frogs jumping, bad mouthing, and all kinds of verbal attacks that are on the rise at an unprecedented rate. I feel so embarrassed sometimes to read statements from leaders and other web content. What on earth will happen to the next generation?

Where is morality, values, ethics and principles?

Gone with the wind?

Gone in the name of advancement of a political party or person?

I am not saying that it is wrong to advance a social cause. I am saying that we have to do so in such a way that we demonstrate our respect for fellow citizens. We have to think before we speak. We have to consider the feelings of others and the effect of our message on others and also care for human rights and welfare of society at large. When the time calls for it, we call a spade a spade but not at the expense of inter-group relations.

Any action that shows that one cares for only a part of society or to apply pressure on a part of society creates inequality and this is against democratic view. How then are we to view the massive funding being diverted to HS during the campaign and what will happen in Sibu?

We have to stand up for what belongs to us. Although we may have elected some to power (in that we may not always get the leader we voted for), I believe that leaders should act, work, speak in such a way that they think of the COLLECTIVE GOOD of the nation and not just that of themselves, their party or their area!!!

Political action must be well discussed and any action taken that undermines unity in a country can have long lasting consequences. A good example is the HS election. To me, right from the start when it was announced that Datuk Zaid would contest, I knew it was bad news. And why? Was he sent there for the kill as a lamb to the slaughterhouse? If you read the posts I wrote before the HS election results, you can see that I was never too optimistic about Datuk Zaid winning. It would be a tragedy if he was sent there because of political sabotage - something which I suspected from the beginning. That is a different story which you can read HERE and HERE.

Personally, I am deeply troubled by the way things are moving. There is so much negative action being taken, negative words spoken and crime is on the rise in some areas while the economy is not as vibrant as it used to be. Public expenditure is increasing but how much of it is being channelled to you and me as rakyat of this country?

We need a government that truly has a heart for the people - not a selfish, seriously short-sighted group that think of themselves and their group. The stability of society is very important for a country's political power. The time has come for our government to realize that they need to keep a healthy balance and try to make all people happy. If any government acts in an altruistic way, democracy is applied in the best way. Altruistic policies provide better conditions for a country. The more the authorities worked in cooperation and in an altruistic manner, the more the state takes less risk and obtain more positive outcomes.

Therefore, to have a political success and stability for a society the administrators should have an altruistic attitude in ruling the state, rather than holding a monopolistic power in their own hands. The aim of the political figures must be rule the state without violating rights of its citizens, they must guarantee individual rights and to implement each and every aspects of democracy in state administration. It is not possible to apply democracy under a selfish rule, because a selfish rule causes a fragmentation within the society, it leads to violation of human rights and social polarization, the distortion of the balance of the society and creates very serious social, economic and political conflicts. In other words, the only way to maintain political stability and social and economic welfare is to have an altruistic attitude in administration rather than a selfishness rule.

From Stone Age times, people have been divided into groups and their behavior can be mobilized or controlled for the well-being of the country. Since the authorities aim to get the most beneficial conditions for their own countries through politics, it is obvious that the power holders cab use their power selfishly or wisely to create better situations. The clearest example of a selfish policy shows us that selfish applications are not durable and have more disadvantages than advantages.

The time has come for some Malaysians and their leaders to grow up and abandon their selfish ways. After 53 years, what can we see? Do we see a nation that we are proud of? Are we proud to call ourselves Malaysians? Are we proud of our leaders and their policies?

What do we see? A country that respects, honors and treasures its citizens or do we see a gradual erosion of rights, especially for some quarters? Who allowed it to happen?

How on earth did the rest of us ALLOW it to happen and why did those who could speak up KEEP QUIET?

Complacency?

Selfishness? Because they were protecting their own interests, groups or friends or cronies?

Ignorance?

Think about the elderly. Some slogged their whole life to save money to bring up their children with the hope that they will be with them in their old age and now what happens? More and more have left and will never come back. Now, old and in destitute state - many are in old folks' homes because their children are OVERSEAS and do not want to return.

And who is to be blamed?

Could it be that people have become selfish because of affluence? Could it be that some have become so comfortable with their Starbucks and affluent lifestyle, shopping malls that as long as they have such treats, whatever nonsense they see in the political arena is OK cos it does not affect them PERSONALLY????

How wrong can they be!!!

The sad truth is, dear reader, events today, in the past and those that will happen in the future - will affect each one of us.

Until and unless each one of us wakes up to see reality as it is and acts unselfishly, we are likely to remain in this quagmire with probably no sight of salvation at hand - only a spiralling trend downwards. Until our leaders look at themselves honestly, truthfully and sincerely and realize their moral and spiritual state, I doubt we can make much headway for our country.

What then do you think are the fundamentals that OUR MALAYSIA needs?

Do leave a comment to share your thoughts and views. Thanks!

* This post is specially dedicated to ~wits0~ who has made me see beyond what my mind, eyes and soul can see about Malaysia. Thank you, ~wits0~.

* This post is also dedicated to all Malaysians who love Malaysia - with the hope that they will inspire others to be more than what they are in the way they dream and work towards a better Malaysia.