I am not a politician but I know politics affects the lives of all of us in everything we do – from the smallest things such as the price we pay for our utilities to the most important ones such as the future of our children.
That is why I am here to give my support – in the form of a donation – to Sungai Siput parliamentarian Dr D. Jeyakumar, who was recently incarcerated under the Emergency Ordinance, for allegedly “subversive” activities and waging war against the Yang DiPertuan Agung.
Nobody in his or her right mind or who is aware of the public record of service and ideological commitment of Dr Kumar to the poor would ever believe these ridiculous and unbelievable charges which were clearly politically motivated.
It is good that the government has finally realised its mistake and released him. To many Malaysians, his imprisonment was totally unjustified and should never have taken place.
To Dr Kumar, I would like to say that you are the people’s hero and the action of the authorities in detaining you has angered all fair minded people in the country. I would also like to point out that when the Barisan Nasional was riding high and its leaders appeared to be invincible, it was Dr. Kumar who stood up to challenge Dato Seri Samy Vellu.
At that time too, I provided a modest donation in support of his campaign to dethrone Samy and I am happy to note that the unthinkable did happen. The Sungei Siput voters saw the light and gave Samy the boot.
Today, I am here also because I want to remind you of the following concerns which are uppermost in my mind when I go to the polling booth. These concerns are not mine alone. I believe they are shared by the majority of Malaysians who love the country as much as I do.
1. I want the best people to govern us.
2. I want a good education system so that our children do not have to emigrate.
3. I want a good and fair civil service to manage our country well.
4. I want a good and fair police force.
5. I want a good and fair judiciary.
6. I want an effective MACC that does its job in going after the really big fish (such as the dentist who lives in a RM6 million house) without concern for the political position or affiliation of the suspects.
7. I want the new government to stop giving out large concessions and contracts without open tenders so that we can get cheaper rates for essential services such as water, electricity, highway tolls etc
8. I want the new government to investigate the purchase of the two Scorpene submarines that was made a joke of for allegedly failing to submerge, the RM500 million in commissions paid for the purchase, and the related murder of Atlantuya, the Mongolian translator.
9. I want all Malaysians to vote wisely so that changes can take place in our government to ensure that all these concerns are taken care of.
Finally, I am here to offer scholarships to poor students whose parents are earning less than RM2,000 a month to enable them to pursue higher studies in our universities. Those who need my help can contact KYYFoundation@gmail.com.
The above is a speech given by the writer at the PSM dinner at the Jelapang community hall, Perak on Aug 13, 2011.