Bad cultured government

By Maclean Patrick - Free Malaysia Today,

COMMENT Every month, I go into the normal routine of counting the bills and going into a state of bewilderment. I am sure, most of you, if not all of you, go through this routine each and every month.

We ask the age-old question, "Where has my hard-earned money ended up?" And we come to the conclusion, "I have no idea where but it went somewhere."

Often times, confusion sets in when some funds are mis-spent and the missus begins to wonder whether she should start holding your wallet for you. You give that stiff poker face and say, "Everything’s under control." But it's a myth for men to believe they are able to control the purse strings without some form of check and nagging.

We could wave it all away to gremlins that invade our wallets every month, pinching cash and leaving us penniless.

And there are gremlins in Sarawak.

Sarawak is gearing up for an election; whispers have it that it will be announced after Hari Raya Aidilfitri; but what is certain is that the Sarawak state election has to be called before July 2011.

Suffice to say, the current ruling parties have started their initial "soft" campaigning, proclaiming their impending victories faster than Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmuds can call the election into being. Splashed out in the papers are the subtle reminders that the ruling government has helped settled various issues.

An example of such an issue is the Native Customary Rights (NCR) land.

For almost 30-odd years, NCR land has been an issue that has seen its fair share of light in the civil courts and in the local news.

The illegal logging of NCR lands, the inability of the government to allow local farmers to obtain land titles and the mammoth task of properly surveying and mapping such lands, have been played out for years.

Yet within weeks after a statement by the prime minister, the issue is resolved and now NCR land folks can have their land titles. It is a half miracle that a word from the prime minister was able to move so much in so little a time.

I guess it does help, when that statement is made during election year.

Phantom money
Why was there a delay in issuing NCR land titles, in the first place? We have no clear idea and the government should answer this or are there gremlins lurking in the offices of the land department?

Don't you just love election year? It is the time when phantom money is promised for a myriad number of development works, designed to placate a voting public.

But it is high time that people started asking the government, "Where has all my hard-earned tax money gone to?" and "Where has all the money earned through the pillaging of natural resources ended up?"

We should take a hard look at the Sarawak state wallet and see if there are any gremlins lurking about, pinching cash to hoard away in secret funds.

Come election period, the people of Sarawak should start asking questions and demand answers.

Already, at least one political party (Party Rakyat Sarawak) has predicted winning several seats. Joseph Entulu confidently stated at a press conference at the Sibu airport that Belaga was a comfortable win. This is clearly a show of confidence, a subtle message to contesting parties to stay away from PRS turf.

Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Numpang has fired a reminder to all: don't accept the bad political culture that the opposition from the peninsula wants to export to Sarawak. This is again a subtle note to all: don't step onto our turf.

Bad management
What about bad management of government? Bad management of public funds when in office spells more harm than a bunch of peninsular politicians pointing out the misdeeds of the local government, as showcased in the Sibu by-election, for which the local populace agreed with and promptly voted the opposition into power. So why blame bad political culture when the current government failed to explain its own misdeeds?

It makes you wonder, what future do the people of Sarawak have when all its politicians are only interested in retaining power and not to serve the people? When politicians and the leaders are only interested in fattening their own personal wallets?

What has happened to the form of government, voted by the people, working for the people?

And would another election really change things, when at heart it is not the government that is flawed but rather the form of government?

It is a form of government that treats the populace merely as cash cows that stream money into the coffers of bad-cultured politicians, hell-bent on retaining their positions in government. Truly, such state of affairs can keep you wondering all night.

Maclean Patrick, a webmaster in Kuching, is a contributor to Free Malaysia Today.