By Lim Guan Eng, CM for Penang
Najib Tun Razak must no longer be a Prime Minister of Malaysia that leads from behind but reaffirm the Malaysian Dream of a high-income nation through moderation, excellence and reducing income inequality by leading from the front. For too long he has led from behind that permitted the abuse of sedition laws against political opponents and dissident academics, culminating in notoriously breaking his thrice-repeated promise to repeal the Sedition Act, and instead retaining and strengthening it.
The open letter for rational dialogue and appeal for the values of moderation by 25 prominent Malays on the position of Islam in a constitutional democracy is a damning indictment of a failure of a Prime Minister’s leadership to practice what he preaches. These prominent Malays who had succeeded on the global stage based on their performance urged Najib to exercise leadership before it is too late. Even US Vice-President Joe Biden publicly expressed dismay at the self-contradictions of Najib that spoke of moderation on the international stage yet adopted extremist measures at home curtailing freedoms and democratic rights.
Malaysians are not so gullible as to believe that Malay and Islamic rights are under threat in a country where all the top political, security and key economic sectors are controlled or led by Malays. By blaming only non-Malays, humiliating non-Muslims and even arbitrarily denying or depriving them of their fundamental constitutional rights, UMNO and BN hopes to distract attention from the economic ills afflicting ordinary Malaysians.
Rising prices that is not matched by rising salaries, growing indebtedness of households making Malaysia recording the highest personal indebtedness in Asia of 87% of GDP and mismanagement or corruption that is unpunished as highlighted in the yearly Auditor-General’s Reports are the real problems that needs to be addressed. By resorting to racist and extremist postures may help UMNO and BN in the short-term but does irreparable damage to national unity and integration in the long-terms without solving the mounting financial burdens faced by ordinary Malaysians – where a shocking Human Development report revealed that 90% of working Malaysians have no savings to rely on in an emergency.
The challenge is for Najib to save his Prime Ministership by choosing intelligent leadership which presses forward over an unworthy timid leadership perpetuating ignorance and fear that would only hinder our progress as a democratic, prosperous and progressive united nation.
