Lim Kit Siang

Principled Politics

By Hussein Hamid

Why is it that I, as a Malay, show much disrespect to Najib? Why are there so many Hang Jebats as oppose to Hang Tuahs in this time of ours – ready to do verbal battle with our leaders? Menderhaka they say. Sometimes after I have written my piece I read them and I am appalled at the venom of what I write. While we are Hang Jebats we do what we do because of what Hang Tuah had said “Takkan Melayu Hilang di Dunia”. If we do not care for our survival as a viable partner to the other races in our country then who will?

We want to tell the Malays and the people of our country that there is an alternative to the excesses of the past fifty years when UMNO were in power and got totally carried away. You not only systematically steal from our national treasuries but also take from other Malays what as taken years to acquire. How else do you explain the use of the EPF and Petronas funds to bail out your failures?

If you ask how can DAP, Keadilan and PAS work together towards a common goal when their fundamental beliefs are so divisive? I say this….how about principled politics?

Politics with ethical and moral sense. A sense of what is right and what is wrong. It is wrong to govern our country as you do now. Money Politics, Corruption, Nepotism, no accountability, no taking of responsibility, putting away of your own citizens for their political beliefs, you every day deeds and actions totally focused on self preservation. It is right for Pakatan Rakyat to want transparency and accountability in the system of Government. Politics without principal as you now practice is without a soul. Empty and void of any decency and righteousness.

Our Nation’s hope for tomorrow lies with the young. One of them, Teoh Beng Hock is no longer with us. It lies with the young within our midst who believes that it is imperative to insist on principled politics if we are to survive as a Nation.

It also lies with the young who even now have no qualms about accepting bribes if they have the power and the opportunity. It also lies with the young who are with Pemuda UMNO – the same Pemuda UMNO headed by KJ – of whom many have said of his victory as Ketua Pemuda “KJ menang. UMNO kalah”.

It lies with Nurul Izzah Anwar – the same Nurul who won over Sharizat despite Sharizat being a Wanita UMNO who can work and contribute positively to the Nation.

So our Nation hopes lies with the young but while some of them will lead there are many that needs to be led. Our work to make them ready must begin now.

Our Nation hope for tomorrow lies with you and me. It lies with Anwar Ibrahim. With Tok Guru. With Karpal Singh and with Lim Kit Siang. It lies with Zacharia, Shahzlina, M Nasir, Misha Omar. Jacyln Victor with Nicol David, with Lee Chong Wei, with Quzier Ambak, with Shalin Zulkifli. It lies with everybody. It lies with all of us – and unfortunately it also lies with Najib Razak, Mahyiddin, JJ and all those people who are now with UMNO who have a preoccupation of looting the country’s resources without fear of God.

Why should thieving Politicians and Government Servants be treated different from other criminals? We have had snatch thieves caught and killed by community vigilantes. Pickpockets have been punished in the most gruesome manner when caught by the public, suspects are killed in shootouts with Police. These Politicians are allowed to go free with their grand theft – is there one law for the poor and another for the politicians? The stench continues to grow.

PKFZ. What UMNO can do MCA can do better? Go try and figure that out.

MIC. Maika. The Telekom Shares Debacle. Simply put in language that every one can understand. Ten Million Telekoms share were offered to MIC at $5 a share. Maika acquired only one million shares the rest were for the account of those identified by Samy Velu. When Telekoms shares were first traded it fetched RM6.15 per share. By mid 1992 the Telecom shares were worth RM11 to RM13. Had MIC been given the additional Nine million shares already on offer it would have realized a profit of RM120 million by just hanging on to those share. After 17 months of investigation the Anti Corruption Agency cleared Samy Vellu of any wrong doing. Do we expect anything less?

Samy Vellu was the largest individual shareholder with 2.8 million shares. The rich man that he is and he still needs to have some more by stealing from the poor of his own race? Go figure that out!

This is the same Samy Vellu who last week tells MIC “There is no point in going against the government just to release their emotions. Many of our requests have been met !!”

Mahathir blames this same Samy Vellu for the ills of the Indians. Was not this same Samy Vellu in your cabinet Mahathir? So do not lecture us on probity!! HAH !!

We have much work to do. We begin now.