IT has been 48 years since the late Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman left us. His legacy for us was an independent nation headed towards a bright future centered on a constitutional monarchy democracy that was strong and respected by all.

Sadly, if Allahyarham could see the current state of the country he helped build, he would be disappointed and angry to witness this nation’s universal values torn asunder by the greed and voracious appetites of power-hungry politicians.

Who would have thought the generation he entrusted to continue the struggles of our forefathers, to defend the fate of the people and the country, is now the Brutus to his Caesar?

It is an abomination that the current state of politics is such that the prime minister himself treats Parliament as a brothel, and who leads the band of political whores whose loyalties can be horse-traded to provide political sanctuary for himself and Team Perikatan Nasional.

Where in the past the welfare of the country formed a common political objective that bonded political parties, the situation is quite the opposite now. Now, it is personal political benefits that is the priority. Now, greed and lust is the political capital to the point it bastardises and treads upon the constitution, the king and the country.

Given these political shenanigans and pimping, how do the people fare?

The fact is that the standard of living in this country is declining, and even more so during this health emergency.

If, in the past, the percentage of B40/M40 was being addressed, these past 17 months have not yielded them any protection. In fact, a large percentage of M40s have now been reduced to B40. One in four graduates are now unemployed. Education for our children, from kindergarten to university, is at a standstill and stunted.

In short, most of the progress made through Ismail’s struggles to emancipate the people from similar problems, is now almost wiped out.

Unfortunately, this is not an easy fix. The struggle to liberate the people requires the utmost sincerity and decades of perseverance. What more the struggle to uplift the Malays.

But when Malay politicians are infighting for power and wealth, it is almost impossible to return our path to the original struggle.

As long as envy and backstabbing are part of the Malay politics that is willing to run brothers down, political whoring will continue to run rampant. So long as Malay politics today ignores the true values of Islam and the promise enshrined in the constitution, the Malays will continue to be in limbo and repressed by the political whoring.

By right, Malays with a strong faith in the Almighty, would also abide strictly to the promises made in the constitution. The constitution is a source of our protection. In fact, it is an amulet of protection for all Malaysians who adhere to the tenets of the country regardless of race or religion.

However, when leaders fail to abide by the constitution and treat state administrative institutions as their personal political puppets, it is also the people who will ultimately suffer because of this endless political greed.

The administration of a government should be a primary responsibility as a result of social democracy and not political democracy. The social and economic well-being of the people should be the key indicators of a successful government, especially in times of disaster.

The royal institution is also a check and balance mechanism (and a protection for the people) to ensure this element of social democracy. Because of that, the challenge to the decision of the royal institution is seen as a sign of the destruction of government leadership.

Fortunately, Malaysians are strong-minded, who do not know the meaning of defeat, who do not know the meaning of exhaustion, who help and support each other to ensure each other’s well-being. It is this strength that will ensure that the country’s economy survives even if the administrators throw a multitude of obstacles the public’s way. It is this identity that will continue to uphold the system of democracy in this country no matter how insistently the country’s constitution is challenged.

These political thugs and whores should be grateful to be standing on the shoulders of the king, the people and past political warriors during the current social and economic disaster.  Otherwise, they would have long ago drowned, washed out by the tidal wave. – August 8, 2021.

*Tariq Ismail Mustafa is head of the international affairs bureau and central executive committee member of Pejuang.

* 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.