The Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, has made a mockery of 1Malaysia. He has established beyond doubt that 1Malaysia is nothing but a political rhetoric signifying nothing. It is a hollow political slogan without substance. It is hypocrisy couched in deceiving terms to hoodwink the rakyat.
For the DPM to maintain that development funds are only meant for Barisan Nasional MPs, it only exposes his gross ignorance about democracy. For him to insist that there was no intention to extend it to Opposition MPs smacks of the dictatorial tendencies of a tyrant who dismisses ethics and morality when it comes to political survival.
This money that he is dishing out to the BN MPs does not come only from BN voters who pay taxes. Opposition voters also pay into the national coffers. This being the case, how can he then deny the Opposition voters the development that is their legitimate right?
His claim that allocating funds to Barisan MPs has been a practice of the Federal Government does not hold water. That practice does not make it legitimate. A wrong carried out for many years does not confer on it any moral grounds to justify this unethical act. A wrong is a wrong –no two ways about it!
The vindictive and revengeful policy to deny Opposition MPs development allocations is one thing. But to deny Malaysian voters their share of legitimate development for exercising their discretion in electing Opposition MPs is totally unacceptable. They are Malaysians and they are entitled to equal treatment under the Federal Constitution.
The BN has no legal or legitimate reason or right to withhold developmental allocations that are the just dues of every Malaysian.
It is based on this rationale that the Sungai Siput MP Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj has taken this injustice to the court seeking justice. It is our fervent hope that the court will not resort to some silly technicality to throw out the case as it has been wont to do in so many instances frustrating Malaysians and encouraging the erosion of confidence in the judiciary.
The other reason tied to Muhyiddin’s stand is whether he considers himself as the DPM of all Malaysians in all the states? Or should he be perceived as the DPM of the states governed by the BN? If he projects himself as the DPM of Malaysia, then he must honour and respect every Malaysian voter and treat them equally.
He is on dangerous ground if he stands for the exclusiveness that the Prime Minister says he abhors. While the PM preaches about inclusive politics, Muhyiddin practises exclusive politics.
What if the voters in the Opposition states boycott him and refuse to recognise him as the DPM of all Malaysians? That would be tragic. I hope that it does not come to that. He has a responsibility to ensure that it doesn’t happen. He has a duty to prevent this and keep the nation as a united entity. Let Muhyiddin be reminded that any act that violates the inalienable rights of the ordinary person is essentially unjust, totally tyrannical and absolutely reprehensible.
P Ramakrishnan is president of Aliran
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