GIVEN the state of affairs in our country, I was compelled to blog this article out of overwhelming frustration and anger. Angry because I am an ordinary Malaysian who is “helpless” in fixing the political mess (though I wished my vote on March 8 last year would have made a difference), and frustrated because even after a year, the politicians have so far been somewhat irresponsible in tackling the fundamental issues that plague our society.

Politicians have failed to realise that the people are fed up with their politicking and expect some significant changes to our society and hopefully those changes are in line with our country’s goal of achieving vision 2020.

I watch everything from the sidelines hoping that this unnecessary mess will stop and that Malaysians will once again be proud to call themselves Malaysians.

I have come up with a list of essential things which have either been ignored or left un-addressed. I hope politicians will look at these points which in my view are essential for us to achieve Vision 2020.

» Good roads are mandatory.

» Good manners are paramount.

» When an accident takes place you find yourself asking how is the person doing, rather than whether he is Chinese, Malay or Indian.

» When you board a commuter train, people don’t rush into the train but behave in a civilised manner. People readily give up their seats for the elderly, disabled or pregnant.

» People stop saying that they can’t rely on the police force and that they are corrupt.

» Our leaders speak directly to us instead of using the papers or any other media.

» A non-Muslim is given the chance to lead.

» What we read in the papers reflects what is happening instead of what was supposed to happen.

» People realise smoking and drinking are bad for health.

» The day the government realises that the people are whom they answer to and that they are responsible for putting them there.

» When the day comes you see a trader or whoever it is that you come into contact with who smiles at you and gives you the service that you deserve.

» There are no more beggars on the street, the ones that exist are taken care of by the government

» There is no more prostitution.

» The Federal Constitution forms the basis of governance in the country and shall not be questioned.

» Every human being is treated the same, no one is brown, black or white.

» No special privileges for the select few, you have the same basic profile like the others, use it and develop yourself.

» Illegal immigrants are deported immediately.

» Sports is given pride of place and we are able to produce world beaters.

» Public service is commendable, people should say that the government service is better than the private sector.

» What you see advertised in the newspaper is actually what you get. No more gimmicks.

» Everyone is allowed the space and time to worship and practise their religion.

» We are all Malaysians, anyone who doubts that should be questioned in court.

» You go to the mall and you see all the races.

» During festivities, we visit each other because we want to and not because we have to.

» Traffic accidents are kept to a minimum.

» Results and entrance requirements into public institutions are made public.

» No more race-based politics.

» Political parties should be based on ideologies.

» The people should be allowed to scrutinise everything their prime minister does or says.

» Elected leaders should take part in open debates. If you can’t talk to your own people, how are you going to talk to the world?

» When you go as a tourist overseas, people envy you for being a citizen of Malaysia.

» A Malaysian wins the Nobel Prize.

» We qualify for the World Cup.

» We win a gold medal at the Olympics.

» People worship our ministers as if they were Obama.

» Health care is affordable and available to all.

» The ratio of police officers to civilians is acceptable and thus every corner you look there would be at least one policeman.

» You feel safe to take a stroll down the park.

» The judiciary functions as an independent unit.

» Every single sen that is spent by the government is available for public purview.

» Every district and state functions on its own without much aid from the federal government.

» Every single citizen fulfils his responsibility to vote.

We should live by example and be happy with what we have but continuously strive for what we don’t have. Please give me something to shout about as a Malaysian.

I ‘m INTERESTED to the prime minister’s request to the Economic Planning Unit to seek a comprehensive solution to the toll issue and to look into various proposals on the takeover of highway concessionaire PLUS Expressways Bhd, operator of the North-South Expressway (NSE).

Everybody keeps saying that travel on the NSE is a burden financially. However, the urban highway issue is more pressing. The government should look into BESRAYA, GRAND SAGA, SPRINT, NKVE, NPE and the SMART tunnel where urbanites have to pay toll everyday, sometimes three or four times a day.

The amount of toll paid at these highways adds up to a bigger amount compared to what is paid on the NSE.

In addition, the NSE is not a highway that the average consumer uses regularly. The biggest beneficiary of lower toll or abolition of toll on the NSE would  be businesses rather than the man in the street who does not frequently go on long-distance trips. Therefore, priority should be given to tolled links which ring the Klang Valley.

By only privatising PLUS, what message is the government sending if it does not have a follow-up plan for other toll roads?

Sports issues in our country had never be in silent mood. From one to another, up and down of organisations and clubs, make me feel sick of all political-game-player who ruins the good of sports. Look at the burial of CYC, the plan for a high performance centre in Brickendonbury, outside London, has been shot down, poor turn out at SUKMA, and most but not least, our Football team ranking in FIFA is 169 out of 199 countries.

Why are we focusing on only upgrading facilities and other tangible stuff as ways to enhance the level of sports, when in fact the root cause is in the mindset and attitude? When one has the passion or aspiration, one can succeed. The problem is many of our sportspersons are fame- and money-driven; and the coaches or managers often discriminate when selecting players. Remember the time when we had footballers like Arumugam, Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh, Mokhtar Dahari? And the time when we had Ng Boon Bee, Punch Gunalan, Tan Yee Khan?

The Africans are a good example. They don’t have posh sports centres and yet they do well in football, athletics, etc. Datuk Michelle Yeoh loves dancing (she learnt ballet). Her passion in ballet subsequently helped her in her kung-fu movies and led her to stardom. Datuk Jimmy Choo’s passion for shoes brought him to where he is now. Many people have turned their hobbies into careers with much success because of their passion and belief in what they do.

So please stop wasting our money on non-beneficial projects! And to all sports- persons, please get your mindset and attitude right.

THE new fuel hike is going to spell hardship for medium income earners and devastating to the poor. This is ridiculous especially when you don’t have a reliable public transportation system. KTM, the LRT and buses are providing a pathetic service. I am talking only about the situation in Klang Valley. How about other states and townships?

Come today, I hate to imagine the overcrowding of these public amenities that are never on schedule and subject to frequent disruption without any announcement at all. Taxi drivers who do not use natural gas too will impose new rates on their own. Haulers and other goods transportation networks are going to be hard-hit. The profiteers and going to have a field day as the government is so weak on enforcement. The overall impact on the cost of living is simply frightening. The hardcore poor may even face starvation.

We urge the government to cancel or postpone all the proposed mega projects and growth corridors that are not going to benefit the rakyat at this point of time. The government must eat humble pie and engage economic experts to advise and restructure spending. It ought to consider the plight of the poorest. I dare say this fuel price increase is enough for the government to lose further support as the rakyat has nothing to lose by voting the Opposition to replace the federal government.

THERE are two ongoing campaigns – anti-smoking and rear seat-belts – which the public seems to be ignoring. Both are for the good of the people, but just look at the response.

The anti-smoking campaign has been running for years, but it appears that more people are picking up the habit. The Health Ministry and other agencies must have spent millions, if not billions of ringgit on advertisements and other efforts to educate the public, especially the young on the dangers of smoking.

Pictures showing how a damaged lung looks as a result of nicotine blockages and other horrible pictures simply no longer have any effect. Similarly, banning smoking in certain confined areas have not achieved the desired result. What is more disturbing to non-smokers is that even those who are supposed to enforce the law on smoking are themselves happily puffing away in restricted areas.

The same with enforcement of the use of rear seat belts. There have been many complaints about this new law. Forget about its advantages and the safety aspects. Most of the complaints I have read are of how much it is going to cost to install rear seat belts, and show no appreciation that the government is doing something positive for motorists. It seems the lives of loved ones must be calculated in ringgit and sen.

Perhaps the only way to shock the peo-ple would be to let smoking-related deaths soar. Only then will the public wake up.

The same applies to rear seat belts. Stop the campaign, fatalities of rear passengers will rise and maybe then car owners will come to their senses and install the belts.

So if people do not wish to heed warn-ings on the dangers of smoking and not using rear seat belts, so be it. Let’s channel the money to some other worthwhile cause like helping the poor.