AFTER weeks of salvo fired not just from the opposition, but also from within, for procrastination over reforms and reversal of some in the election manifesto, Pakatan Harapan (PH) had announced some good news in the form of the renegotiation of 121 Barisan Nasional (BN)-era contracts.

The Finance Ministry had managed to save RM806 million, which was commendable, even if the amount was small compared to other mega infrastructure projects that amounted to billions ringgit.

Credit must go to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and his team who must have done months of home work and renegotiated with the parties involved.

Make no mistake that most, if not all, of those awarded the contracts through direct negotiation were BN politicians or their cronies.

This was the way contracts were awarded, and it was not just confined to infrastructure projects.

It was also business as usual with supplies and procurement contracts, big and small.

Gravy trains serving politics of patronage operated to support the only apparent reason why people joined politics then.

It is ironic, and yet unsurprising, that Lim’s renegotiation of the contracts with the predominantly Malay contractors have been met with the repugnant cries of “anti-Malay” and “anti-Muslim”, and a “jihad” to overthrow the “DAP-led” PH government.

Those war cries and accusations have been propagated since before the last general election.

Repeated lies spun from news events to make believe have to feed the unthinking masses to reinforce the cries for jihad.

In the months preceding the general election, concocted stories by spin masters would be fed to the 4,000 odds cybertroopers for widespread dissemination through social media.

However, after the Cambridge Analytica (the British psywar company) Facebook debacle and subsequent investigations in several companies shut it down, the activities of our local cybertroopers became dormant for months.

This makes Cambridge Analytica suspect number one, with Umno as its paymaster.

The modus operandi of psywar to captivate the minds to secure a certain ethnic groups as voting blocs continued past the election.

This time with funds clipped and accounts frozen, targeted groups are merely intra party members and supporters to incite anger and hatred.

Spin masters, although numbered and much less than before the election, are still very effective with concocted stories that are very damaging to our society.

Opposition politicians need only to hail cries of jihad against non-Malays and non-Muslims, and the crowds respond.

Umno and PAS playing the race and religion card to secure their vote bank is damaging on two counts.

First, it divides our society into us and them, the Malays and non-Malays, the righteous and the kafir, with so much hatred and distrust towards the other that will probably take more than a generation to salvage.

Second, it perpetuates a mental cocoon of a certain ethnic group incapable of independent thinking, shackled to subservient status and forever dependent on handouts.

Being perpetuated into a situation of being poor, both mentally and financially, any amount doled out through BRIM1 and its number sequence would be most gleefully received by the cocooned masses.

It is sad our society has to retreat to such ignominious situation.

Much has to be done, and quickly, to salvage the damage done to our society via racial and religious politicking. National unity should be top of our nation’s agenda.

We need decisive leadership to stem the toxic divisive politicking.

We need a leadership that focus away from ethnic-centred good towards the broader national good.

Strive for national unity now. – April 4, 2019.

* Captain Dr Wong Ang Peng is a researcher with an interest in economics, politics, and health issues. He has a burning desire to do anything within his means to promote national harmony. Captain Wong is also a member of the National Patriots Association.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.