The young people of Malaysia today must be facing a great dilemma, if not a great frustration, looking at the things happening in the political parties governing the nation. The infighting among leaders, the charges and countercharges of corruption and misuse of power, old leaders refusing to make way for younger ones, the nomination of ex-leaders found guilty of money politics to stand for by-election or to remain in power, the police, the anti-corruption Commmission and the Judiciary being suspected of being subject to political pressure and arm-twisting, a rich country facing financial problems due to the great amount of public funds being squandered away through wastage or criminal diversion to private use.....
Barisan Nasional which had ruled the nation for 52 years is no longer what it used to be, the pillar of confidence and trust with great leaders at the helm. Many of the current ones and involving several levels, are facing many allegations of misdeed, misuse of power and self-enrichment in a surreptitious way.
More bewildering are some of the decisions made by the leadership. Port Dickson, for example, which is being promoted as a tourists seaside resort par excellence, has been designated as a 'Badar Tentera Darat' a military town. Wouldn't that name turn people off especially if there's some trouble in the country and the military is called upon to help restore order. A lawyer who was struck off from the register for some allegations of misdeed, was put up as a candidate for election and duely lost. Now an ex-Minister who was found guilty by the party disciplinary board of indulging in money politics ( buying votes - a criminal offence equivalent to corruption) is nominated as a candidate for a by-election. People's Representatives ( Wakil Rakyat) widely publicised as being involved in some sex scandals are being highlighted by the media like heroes and heroines. An ex-Minister alleged to have invaded the modesty of a cute employee had also been appointed as the nation's Ambassador to the United States.
The last two items could be a spiritual boon for the young but a bane to the morality of the nation.All these would certainly be difficult for the young people of Malaysia to digest, while the older and not so young knew that Barisan Nasional has lost a lot of it's earlier glory. The new leadership promised a change in image and attitude but all the above seem to affirm the saying that 'a leaopard cannot change its spots' . Everyone will have a tough time to decide whether to abandon the old Barisan and accept the new Pakatan, or let the old leopards continue to rule the Malaysian scene which is fast changing from the sylvan to the concrete jungle.
The older people could have enjoyed the best that the country had to offer and if things become very bad they'll just have to weather it out. It's the younger Malaysians who must decide now and in the next few years. They'll certainly have to bear the financial burden that the nation is now creating by selling all the bonds and debentures in the international market. If they don't like what is going on now, they have to show their disapproval by quetioning the decisions made by the old leaders and insisting that younger ones be allowed to enter the corridor of power.
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