For rakyat’s sake, Ambiga pleads for truce

 

For the sake of the people, NegaraKu patron Ambiga Sreenavasan has made a plea for a ceasefire, calling on all stakeholders to rise above politics.

She said leaders from the government, opposition and civil society should set aside their differences and come together to immediately deal with four urgent issues confronting the country.

They are:

• The devastation floods, indiscriminate deforestation and the reconstruction efforts.
   
• Weakening economy and the search for realistic solutions.
   
• Racial and religious tensions.
   
• The unprecedented dengue menace.

“I will call these our ‘immediate concerns’. There are more but we should start with these,” she said in a speech at a function to honour Tunku Abdul Rahman and national laureate A Samad Said in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

Moratorium on Sedition Act

The former Bar Council president also proposed that several compromises be undertaken by the government as an act of good faith, which included a moratorium on strengthening the Sedition Act.

She said the moratorium should also include all charges brought and pending under the same legislation.

Ambiga also suggested that a moratorium be imposed on the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is to take effect on April 1.

The other compromises put forth are to ensure freedom of the press, a moratorium on logging and deforestation, independent inquiry panels be established in one form or the other to determine how the environmental crises have arisen.

“These compromises will immediately inspire the confidence of the rakyat in the proposed solution and will enable parties to work more effectively with each other.

“It will remove the atmosphere of doom and gloom that prevails because people are afraid to speak their mind. We cannot make the people live under this fear anymore. They have enough on their plate as it is. They have a right to live with peace of mind,” Ambiga said.

Stressing that it is a “plea” and not a “demand”, she implored all who are in a position to do so, to consider this suggestion and to implement the proposal by agreement.

“This means setting up four joint task forces to address each of the immediate concerns. I will call this Projek Rakyat,” she added.

Give people hope

Ambiga said if those in the government, opposition and NGOs open their minds to this, they would be demonstrating not leadership, but statesmanship.

“You will be giving people hope. You will lift people out of the melancholy that pervades all conversations about our future.

“This is the moment to act. Let this moment turn into a momentum to rebuild and recapture the soul of this nation. The government cannot be expected to do this alone.

“Let the rakyat help. Let them be empowered by allowing them to participate. Let us work together.  For now, let us give our political differences a rest until the elections. Let us be happy and let our future be secure,” she added.

Ambiga said the country is now facing many challenges, which are a direct result of allowing financial success to override everything else of real value, including basic constitutional rights and the nation’s institutions.

“Once these became vulnerable, whether to abuse of power or corruption, the destructive path was set.

“The economy is cause for concern. Our ringgit continues to slide, oil prices are falling, 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) is looking fragile, GST is coming, household debt is rising and people are really worried.

“We additionally have the problem of the fabric of society being ripped apart by the few who seek to divide us.

“The recent floods were the latest in a line of disasters. Look at Cameron Highlands as well.  All this has been caused by the disrespect we have shown to our environment and by uncontrolled corruption,” she added.

Unity forged in calamity

However, Ambiga pointed out that the calamity in the east coast saw Malaysians of all walks of life rushing to help the victims.

She said the race or religion of the victims and volunteers alike did not matter one bit.

“We had transcended all our differences in a humanitarian crisis. I am reminded of a saying ‘It is the hour of trial that makes men great, not the hour of triumph’.

“This was an hour of trial and it brought out the best in Malaysians. We saw the same goodness come forth with the crisis of MH370, and MH17,” she added.

Ambiga also recalled photographs during the recent floods which showed a minister carrying an old lady who was a flood victim, army, police, volunteers and NGOs helping with packing, washing and cleaning, a Sikh squad who dropped supplies in remote areas, especially for the Orang Asli who were neglected and a menteri besar helping to clean the streets.

“These pictures tell us something. They tell us that in a crisis we can rise to the occasion,” she said.

“That we can put aside our differences for the greater good. That in our hour of trial, we can be great.”