Changing the Government

There had been a General Election and the ruling party lost.

The television footage showed the Prime Minister packing his briefcase and then he waved to the cameras and left his official residence.

Outside all was calm. The stock market had not crashed and no one was rioting in the streets. It was like any normal day and it was “business as usual” for everyone.

I was in the UK as a student in 1970 and it was simply amazing how simple and uncomplicated the process of changing the government had been. Even after 36 years the memory is still vivid.

Changing a government is something the citizens of the country have to decide. And many countries in Asia where parties ruled for decades have changed their governments like Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

Often the voters got fed up with corrupt leaders or the lack of reforms. Of course it is the function of political leaders to remain as long as possible and we cannot deny them that endeavour.

But as responsible voters we need to make sure that our country is managed so that there is a proper accounting of resources and wastage is kept low. Our leaders operate on the basis that we have put our trust in them as a stewardship and they need to show us that our trust has not been misplaced.

For Malaysia to succeed in whatever vision there needs to be proper disclosure and more transparency. Our nation cannot be operated on the basis of private deals and secret agreements. The road to financial ruin is paved with nefarious activities.

Photo: Fremantle Prison – end of the line