Policies

There is a positive air of freedom spreading over the country. The relief is almost palpable

Everywhere you go there are people who are smiling and enjoying their time out in the shops and restaurants.

It is as if the sun is shining here in Malaysia or the first time in many years.

Today we had a great lunch in ‘The Chicken Rice Shop’. A woman was sitting on the bench seat a couple of places away from me. Her daughter, who had a bountiful head of luxuriant hair, was the other side of her.

They were enjoying their meal as much as we were.

When it came time for us to leave I edged up the seat towards her. As I got close she edged away so I said to her, “Can you feel old age creeping up on you?”

She laughed, I smiled at the little girl who looked extremely apprehensive about that, and I got up to pay.

My wife took the opportunity to chat with her while I did the nasty business of handing over money.

Later on my wife told me that the lady with the small girl was happy because she came from a State that had not been under the control of Barisan Nasional (BN) and now that BN has been deposed she was hoping that there would be the possibility of getting new roads built.

That made me sad. It has long been a maggot in my head that those States who were not under Barisan Nasional had received almost no funding from the Federal Government.

Many, many years ago I travelled to a place called Puchong on a daily basis. On a bicycle.

Leaving my home I would travel down a fine road and then turn left onto another road that was even finer in that it was a dual carriageway coming from Shah Alam.

After nearly a mile the beautiful dual carriageway became little more than a pot-holed lane suitable for Four-Wheel Drive cars and bullock carts.

One day, at lunch in a local eatery, I asked one of the worthies at the table why this sudden demarcation?

He informed me that Puchong was under the control of an opposition party. No funds from Central Government would be forthcoming until the voters of Puchong toed the party line* and sang from the same sheet as BN.

Ultimately there was development after BN took the seat from the opposition and, suddenly and miraculously, development began.

Since then I had noticed that development was not forthcoming Statewide where BN was not in control.

Kelantan, for example, would shy away from any development that meant that high-rise buildings would be constructed – other than hotels. But roads would be useful.

Is it any wonder, then, that the expressway that goes up the East coast ends before it gets to Kelantan?

My argument was, and is, that the people of these States pay income tax.

The Federal Government receives this tax bounty from everyone but not everyone gets the benefit from the Federal Government.

Such shedding of responsibility for non-participating States in BN’s schemes is reprehensible.

It is now my hope that this breath of fresh air that is drifting over this beautiful country will benefit everyone equally.

I have a dream…

*NB: 'Toe the line' is not the same as 'Tow the line'. The etymology is different.