Shsssss....Malaysia's All Well And Rosy!

Pic By Ordinary Malaysian

If Malaysians are to believe what the main stream media tells us, everything is well and rosy in Malaysia.

Crime rates are falling, the economy is going on nicely and projected by the Prime Minister to grow 5-6% next year (even though more analysts than fewer are saying that the projected figure of growth is too optimistic and unrealistic given the current world economic situation), the people are living in harmony and the government is always ready to help the rakyat.

But nobody is fooled. Although the authorities claim that crime rates are falling, the public are not convinced. Just a few days ago, a woman in Klang was killed when several persons who had been tailing her suddenly highjacked her vehicle right outside her house and watched helplessly by her husband and son!

The cost of living is rising, brought about by rising prices of goods and services, but salaries and wages, especially in the private sector, remain stagnant.

Public transport, especially the bus and commuter service, is still woeful despite promises from three different Prime Minsters, including the current one, to do something to put it right.

Malaysians can't even talk freely, although freedom of speech is enshrined in the constitution. So many things are considered taboo subjects or are seditious to talk about.

We can't talk about race or religion or about the royalty. And we even have to be careful when we criticize or take to task powerful public or political figures, including ministers. Because some of these people are very sensitive and think that they are beyond reproach and don't or refuse to understand the concept of ministerial, public or group responsibility.

Just recently the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, had to apologise to the Sultan of Johore for what he (the former) had allegedly said in a speech that Johore Bahru was not a safe place.

I remember that even the former Prime Minisiter of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, had once mentioned in a court affidavit (if I am not mistaken) that Johore Bahru was like a cowboy town. Then too, there was much unhapiness about the remark. But being the Prime Minster of Singapore then, there wasn't much the Malaysian authorities could do anything about him.

The latest victim is IIUM (International Islamic University of Malaysia) law professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari who is being investigated by police for sedition for his alleged remark that it was "uncoventional" of the Sultan of Selangor to have intervened in the Jais's (Selangor Islamic Religious Department's) raid on DUMC (Damansara Utama Methodist Church) by saying in a decree that there was proselytizing of Muslims going on but that no action needed be taken as there was not sufficient legal evidence.

Ah, all's well and rosy here. Thank you.