By Malkeet Singh
In our eagerness to push for regime change, we could end up doing the country a greater disservice.
History shows that many of the regime changes in the Middle East ended in absolute disaster with instability and anarchy, and hardly any progress.
There’s no doubt that Barisan Nasional (BN) has had a long run of ruling this country for the last 60 years. There’s no doubt that the system has not been fair.
There’s no doubt that dissent has been brutally stifled. There’s no doubt that corruption has not been effectively contained.
There’s a lot that needs to be addressed. Abuse and cronyism must be eradicated.
Above all, the nation needs to heal of its wounds and walk the path of reconciliation. This step is imperative for both the BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) leadership.
The moral fabric of the rakyat needs healing to move forward. Gutter politics has no place in a post-GE14 Malaysia.
Religious extremists also need to be tackled, while the rising cost of living needs to be effectively addressed.
Unfortunately, politics has taken up more precious time than the process of nation-building. All of us will pay a very dear price for this.
The era of taken-for-granted electoral victories is gone. In fact, commanding a two-thirds majority is also gone. There will be an emergence of a balanced two-party system with checks and balances, which augurs well for Malaysia.
Prime Minister Najib Razak and the BN leadership realise that the political landscape has changed. The rakyat cannot be taken for granted.
The voter is an intelligent person who is fully aware of how powerful his or her vote is. In fact, every vote will count in GE14 for both sides.
The BN leadership post-GE14 will certainly move on a path of nation-building and reconciliation. The BN government will take every step to avoid its shortcomings and strive towards fulfilling its manifesto. Expensive lessons have been learnt, with the wrath of the voters incurred during GE13.
The challenges facing the PH leadership, on the other hand, will be in working together effectively as a united team.
Looking forward, for the next five years or so, Team Najib and BN could be a better bet in the immediate interest of the nation.
Still, whatever the outcome, Malaysians can be assured of a strong two-party check and balance system.
Malkeet Singh is an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.