I UNDERSTAND the concerns by many of you here. I have been accused of many things, including being a trojan horse for some political parties, funded by some political people just to split votes in Pakatan Harapan (PH).

I have been called a “murtad” (apostate) and a betrayer to my own race just because I want equality for all Malaysians and separation of religion and state. The federal government has no business in managing religion. I have condemned religious authorities and figures for their actions, which are not acceptable in this day and age and against our Federal Constitution.

Let me ask you my friends, how many of these PH MPs have stood up for you in the above subject matters, especially those from PKR and Amanah? Just look at the recent case of Loh Siew Hong and the unilateral conversion of her children. How many of these PH lawmakers spoke up for her?

We are not against any political parties. We are against the systemic problems we are having in our country. We do not see any political will from any of the sides, be it PH or Barisan Nasional or Perikatan Nasional.

We have seen how political parties or party whips work in the system. Lest you forget what happened during budget tabling in 2020 where PH could have brought down the budget and a vote of no confidence could have happened but its political warlord told them not to vote against it. All PH lawmakers followed the instructions.

This is the dilemma we have within our political party system. Even good MPs are unable to vote according to their conscience or what their constituents want. They have to follow party bosses. Until and unless we have good leadership, one without a personal agenda or one who is busy fighting to be the next prime minister, we can never get the change we seek.

If PH is as noble as you all wish, Gerak Independent (GI) would not have existed. We are doing this as a national service for our country. If you want to accuse us or suspect us of being the bad guys, there is nothing I can do. I can only say, those who have been watching me will know I have been consistent throughout my activism as a Malaysian or as a lawyer. I only want the best for our country and for all Malaysians.

A soulmate who is not a politician but an ordinary hardworking businessman shares the same vision as mine decided to put his money where his mouth is. He has been footing nearly all the costs himself so far. That is how much he believes in me and us as Malaysians. On top of that, we have volunteers who worked hard on this project. None of us is paid, except one worker who is helping to manage GI.

And you accuse us trying to bring down your beloved PH? Just look at the Johor elections. Why do you think PKR went on their own? Why did DAP and Amanah give at least six seats to Muda but not PKR? Think about it.

The truth is, we are talking to Muda, Warisan and DAP. We are not interested with PKR because we know how they are. I have seen how they treated Parti Sosialis Malaysia in previous elections. We are not wasting time talking to people who only think for themselves but not for the people. The Johor election is proof. I am not surprised they won’t work with Muda.

It is not true that only political parties can form a government. A coalition of a like-minded group of people, including political parties and Independents, can form a government. Who knows, GI may well just be the decision maker on who form a government if there is no clear majority. Who do you think we will go with? Clearly, parties that only have the rakyat at heart will win our votes.

So, there you go. People, it’s time for a different paradigm. If you share my vision, it is time to vote for the PERSON rather than the POLITICAL PARTY. We need good people in Parliament to change the systemic problem we have. Only Parliament can change it. Education, separation of powers, the Malaysia Agreement 1963, equality for all.

These are GI pillars.

If you are still not convinced, this is democracy after all. We are free to choose who we want at the voting booth. – February 23, 2022.

* Siti Kasim is a leader of Gerak Independent and a lawyer-activist.

* 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.