DEAR Zahidi Zainul Abidin,

It was with great consternation that I read your remarks, reported in the media today, where you blamed the rakyat for the current political turmoil.  

You mentioned that the voters only have themselves to blame for the country’s current political instability. The media quoted you as saying “The people are the ones who made the decision. The situation today is because the people made such a decision (when voting) and the politicians are only correcting the situation.” 

What? The mind boggles at your statement and how you can come to such a conclusion, so much so that I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. 

There is so much that is wrong with your statement on so many levels. It smacks of arrogance, ignorance and even foolishness.  There are so many other adjectives that can be used as well. How can you even attempt to pin the blame on the rakyat for the shenanigans of politicians?

You are basically saying that the will of the people should be ignored and that the mandate given by the people does not matter.

Allow me to remind you how an electoral process and the formation of a government are supposed to work.  

The people vote for their elected reps. You were, in fact, one of those elected.  The party or alliance with the majority in Parliament forms the government. The government then carries out their duties for the rakyat. That is what the people voted for.  

When scheming takes place to make the government of the day fall and when MPs jump ship, these MPs have betrayed the people’s mandate. Pure and simple. 

That is what happened in February in the Sheraton Move. Lawmakers jumped ship and disregarded what the people voted for. These are the real people at fault. Don’t forget that. That includes you.

By saying that politicians are only trying to correct the mistakes of the people, you are in effect saying the will of the people has no bearing. The people do not matter.  You are going against the very semblance of what democracy is. This is pure arrogance on your part.

To question the people’s choice of their elected rep goes against the very grain of what democracy is about. For argument’s sake, let’s say the people did indeed make a mistake. It is not for you to try and rectify that mistake. It is for the people to hold their elected rep accountable and responsible and hence correct that mistake. If that fails, then it is for the people to then re-evaluate their decision at the next election. And if the people decide they want to make the same “mistake”, it is their prerogative. That is what an election and democracy are about. It is pure ignorance to think or claim otherwise. The choice of the people is paramount. Not what you think.

When MPs or ministers such as yourself try to justify political manoeuvring by saying you are only correcting the situation, it shows you have no concern for the rakyat at all. It shows you do not honour the will of the people. It proves how self-serving you are and how you are only interested in your own political survival. It shows utter foolishness on your part.

Have you forgotten that you are supposed to work for the rakyat and do the will of the rakyat? Or has power gone to your head? Have you forgotten it is your own party that has caused instability in the current government by complaining and making demands for more positions?

You are a deputy minister.  You are the deputy communications and multimedia minister. Surely you should be able to communicate your thoughts in a far better and concise manner. The rakyat expects more. So much more. I can only surmise you are living in your own little bubble and have no clue what the sentiment on the ground is. I think it is time that someone burst your bubble.

Perhaps tomorrow you will turn around and say you were misquoted. That is what a lot of you politicians seem to do when you are caught out making foolish and imprudent statements. 

Or maybe I just got it all wrong and what you really meant was that the people made a mistake by voting for you. Because quite frankly, your statement pinning the current political imbroglio on the rakyat is nothing short of shameless.

Shame on you Zahidi. – October 26, 2020.

* Dharm Navaratnam reads The Malaysian Insight.

* 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.