The State of the Opposition : An attempt at Clarity.

I am not a political activists of any ability worth talking about neither am I attempting to pass myself as a political pundit worth talking about. What I write in this blog are the thoughts of one who is far from the maddening crowd....thousands of kilometres away to be exact...... unsullied by the musings of acquaintances and friends and entirely devoid of vested interest of the financial kind. In short I write what I pretty damm like without fear or favor.

In these last few weeks I have done what I normally would not want to do...spend time with Malaysians in Melbourne and talk. I still do love my isolation but these were things I wanted to do to listen to what others had to say about all things Malaysians.  

The first opportunity was the SABM organised conference on "Overcoming Racial Discrimination as the key to restoring Democratic Health in Malaysia" 

A well organised and well attended conference that gave us all much thought and substance at the end of it all. 

The other occasion was with a group of over twenty Malaysians and the odd Singaporeans...all residents of Melbourne and almost all, at, and around my age....for lunch.

Malaysians living abroad, with no intention of returning to Malaysia, worry about the state of our nation today. Some who left Malaysia after May 13 have seen their fears of what Malaysia was going to be then, materialised today. Some worry because they still have family in  Malaysia. And then there were also others who wanted their family and friends back in Malaysia to be able to live the good life they were living in Australia.

Invariably we all ask why the opposition have fallen into disarray? Why, they ask, when Umno and the BN government they lead are at its lowest ebb, the opposition are fighting among themselves for reasons that are obscure, petty and smacks of self interest inherently centred along racial and religious divisions? When will all this change?

If that was how we felt thousand of kilometres away, how then do Malaysians cope with the reality of an opposition that is no longer able to give hope that change is possible? 

An opposition that does not deserve to be the alternative to the Umno led Barisan Nasional?

And more critical, an opposition that does not seems to be able to provide the electorates with any sense of clarity in what they intend to do if ever they were given the opportunity to form government.....and most disappointing of all, who among them will form government? 

Is there any opposition worth considering...what more vote for?

And to add insult to injury....we now have Tun Mahathir, the founder of Umno Baru, prime minister of an Umno led Barisan Nasional  government for 22 years, rallying the people and the opposition to topple Najib Razak - the leader of all that the opposition is opposed to...and the party that Tun Mahathir was once leader of! 

Wither goes that sense of "We shall Overcome Euphoria" that we had going into the 12th General Election? Wither goes ABU? Where is Anwar Ibrahim, TGNA, Karpal Singh and Lim Kit Siang?

Alas TGNA and Karpal Singh are no longer with us. Anwar Ibrahim is again in Sungai Buloh. Lim Kit Siang is a forlorn opposition icon that now only waves the flag vigorously for DAP and for no other party but the DAP. 

PKR, DAP and PAS have been effectively scattered by Umno to the prevailing winds that blows ever so strongly towards the evil that we humans too easily become victims of -  self-interests, race, religion and hubris. 

It sickens me and many Malaysians that it is so.....that we now have an opposition without national leaders able to lead it out of the hubris it now finds itself in....but to have it happen in the reign of this most corrupt and incompetent of prime minister - Najib Razak  - insults the intelligence of us all who have given so much of ourselves to the Pakatan Rakyat of the 12th general election!

That it is so reflects on PKR, DAP and PAS....not on Umno.....for Umno has always been corrupt, Umno has always been about self interest, race and religion! 

It is Pakatan Rakyat that has lost its way....it is Pakatan Rakyat that has abuse the trust we have placed in them and it is Pakatan Rakyat that will bear the electoral costs of the indifference and disrespect they have shown to us all when the next general election comes their way. Of this I have no doubt!

So long live corruption, long live self interests, long live money politics and prepare yourself for more race and religion in politics.....anything else is mere wishful thinking!