“In politics, what is important is perception, not reality and this is exploited by the Opposition. Even the truth is always denied as they know that politics is all about perception and not about reality and truth.”
~ Najib Tun Razak.
Politic is all about the art of deception. It matters little your capability if you are incapable in portraying a good image of yourself while bringing the fall onto others. Could one not wonder how Dr. Mahathir with an Indian ancestry, eventually became our most powerful and longest serving Prime Minister? Many must have tried to bring him down due to his lineage, but he played his cards well, too well in fact, by championing the “Malay rights” to gain power. Thinking back, did he actually champion their rights? Or was it a political ploy to gain power? My view is of the latter.
Perhaps what I want to say here is, it feels like history will repeat itself if we are not careful in who we vote for during the upcoming 13th General Election on May 5th 2013. Dr. Mahathir has won tremendously well for “championing the rights of Malays” in the past. Many then thought it was the “right thing to do” as the Malays were very far behind economically. We supported this “right”, and have allowed ourselves to be chess pieces of the great mind’s political ploy, who then led Malaysia through corruption and fear and even cementing his position as a dominant figure until today.
Compare to Mahathir’s era, the “right thing to do” today would be to champion the equality for everyone. Pakatan Rakyat (PKR) has been promoting their pet slogan, Ubah for the past few years. Everyone now clings onto Ubah, not knowing if it will truly be as envisioned, or will it be like the “Malay rights” which in my honest opinion has failed tremendously. Could all the opposition truly care for the beneficial of all Malaysians? Will a second Mahathir emerge from this hope for change, after using us as chess pieces?
Reality and perception must never be mixed with each other as one is only half true. We perceive change, and we embrace it. But can it truly happen with the way we select our leaders? Perception and reality is dangerous because it traps us into believing only the half and never knowing about the other.
Here is a story that opened my eyes towards reality and perception.
Three months ago when I visited Sibu for the new years, I was told of a major local murder case that happened last year. The case involved a family of six, the husband, his mother, wife and three lovely kids. The husband’s business was beginning to take off and his then wife was his second wife from mainland China. None of the children were blood related to her. What happened was that four of the family members were brutally murdered on the 3rd of January 2012, just 20 days short of the then Chinese New Year. One child was knocked unconscious and was in very critical condition when found. The wife however did not had a single scratch on her.
The investigation team arrived later and found several doubtful points from the wife’s testimony.
1. There was no evidence of forced entry of any kind.
2. The wife said she heard a commotion downstairs when the murder happened. However, none of the neighbours heard any noise.
3. The CCTV did not capture anyone else except the wife climbing out of the window to save herself.
4. No money or valuables were taken.
Furthermore, there was also news that the wife was pregnant during the incident. It can only make sense that the Chinese woman killed everyone for the family’s inheritance. Everybody in Sibu was enraged and condemned the woman.
It was only found out a few days later that the killer was their 17 year old neighbour who climbed into their house through the connected ceilings between his house and theirs. He killed the four victims with a sledge hammer after a failed theft attempt.
With the 13th General Election nearing, I hope my message can be spread across that we should never always believe what we see. Politics are never easily understood by the small people like you and I, and we will always be one step behind in uncovering the truth. Dr. Mahathir is living legacy of our past failed perception towards his then future political agenda. And with the current fixed mentality for change, the new voters have already casted their vote even without knowing who will the electoral candidates be.
It will prove disastrous if we are actually voting for the wrong government because of a possible falsely perceived image of either side. I strongly urge people to think twice before casting their votes, and not just stick to the party that has been promoting a perceived agenda of change or money goodies. Of course, voting for the party is equally important. But it would be safer in my view to think of the consequences and benefits of voting for the candidate instead and how he or she can actually help our people and country. Voting blindly for the party is just as good as gambling - making a decision without knowing the true odds because everyone says “this is the right choice”.
I was asked once by an acquaintance, if I would vote for a better candidate but from a “lousy” party, or a lousy candidate but from a “great” party. In my reply, I told him that I envision for Malaysia where all voted candidates to truly help his or her people, despite his party background. I hope I am making the right decision here for a better Malaysia and I hope you too will make the right decision. Please do not stand in the sidelines and follow the votes of others. Make a choice. This is after all, your only home.
For anyone that wants to know more about the Sibu story, please click on the following links. Alternatively, you can also just google for "Sibu quadruple murder case".
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