Friday, February 29, 2008
"UNDI DACING DAPAT CACING!"
UNDI DACING DAPAT CACING!*
That's what I'd call an inspired campaign slogan against the Embarisan Nazional party that has enjoyed 50 years of arrogant, incompetent, and mediocre misrule in Malaysia. I borrowed it from an SMS a friend sent a couple of days ago detailing an unending catalogue of sins committed by the BN.
I'm thoroughly fed up of apparently intelligent folks telling me: "Let's say we vote the Opposition into power. Is there any guarantee they won't be just as bad as the BN?" For the last time let's make this perfectly clear: the government exists, in theory, to serve the public. Even the highest paid minister is a public servant. Never let them forget that. As our servants, they either do the job we're paying them to do - or they get the sack. It's as simple as that. Or it ought to be. What has complicated matters is that any political party that has been in power long enough can amend the Constitution and bend the rules to suit itself. In our case, the outright ownership of the press and indirect control of radio and TV stations by the BN means you get nothing but official propaganda from the mainstream media. Even if you had the money to start a newspaper, magazine or TV station, the licensing laws in the country makes it imperative that you toe the party line or have your operating licence revoked.
And, of course, there are countless repressive laws like the Internal Security Act and the Official Secrets Act and the Police Act that serve one purpose only - and that's to keep the BN in power forever. Once we succeed in overthrowing these obsolete and oppressive laws, it no longer really matters who we hire to pilot the ship of state. If they do a great job we'll slap them on the back and offer them a pay rise. If they fuck up, we issue them their walking papers (perhaps after at least one warning, just to be fair).
My friends, the land belongs to nobody. However, all of us belong to the land. Never forget that. The government of the day are elected into office to administer the country, make sure the machinery is properly maintained, and to work constantly and devotedly towards the continued well-being of every citizen. They are not put there to enrich or aggrandize themselves with VVIP facilities and all that crap. The instant they forget this, we show them the boot. Comprende?
Now let's knock the goddamn BN down to size on March 8th and get on with the funky bizniz of living.
DON'T FORGET: 2008 IS A LEAP YEAR. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!!!
____
UNDI = Vote
*DACING (pronounced "dah-ching") = weighing scale, symbol of the Barisan Nazional
DAPAT - get
CACING (pronounced "cha-ching") - worms