Why need for one-upmanship within BN?

Published on: Sunday, September 17, 2017

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By Joshua Y. C. Kong
DESPITE 54 years of Malaysia since 1963, we are still very much parochial in the way we manage our politics and its impact on society at large.

Malaya started with the Alliance of major political parties Umno, MCA and MIC to gain support of the people to manage the nation then. Post-1969, Alliance was slowly expanded with several more political parties to be known as Barisan Nasional or National Front or simply known as BN.

BN now has 14 political parties plus other associated NGOs to master greater support to ensure BN stays in power even with questioned tactics in politics. Maybe we see more of BN at every General elections since 1970s.

Every candidate in the BN come from various parties in BN and the common platform or logo as approved by the Registrar of Society and the Election Commission Malaysia of BN is the “dacing” sign.

Under that strategy is the networking of all the component parties, but what is important is the platform of BN.

So all candidates especially those made themselves into the various seats and the Cabinet positions should only be identified as BN member and not any other political parties which should be kept at home.

Is it a departure from the national policy that some consider their own political parties as more important or prominent than BN as a registered and recognised group forward? The names of those component parties never feature in the crucial ballot papers. Soon after the conclusion of the General Elections, the winners harp on their own political parties in public forum.

So how can we pursue the national policy of national unity, national harmony, common identity, and possible integration when parties within BN can be off tangent?

We read such material daily in the public forum and how can we move forward as a united nation?

To illustrate the point as it was reported that “Teo is certainly the best performing Chinese minister in the State Cabinet.” The person who said it was his Deputy in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Datuk Chin Su Phin.

Without prejudice, I believe all component parties in BN think and act in that manner pitting someone against others in the same family of BN.

Can such thinking do so much damage to the young nation still behaving like “babies” as it can be deemed to be “seditious” as well?

I hope this is good food for thought and that BN – the socalled ruling authority- would address this anomaly to cement better relationship amongst the matured leaders so that all people would benefit as any division or divided society would finally cause the collapse of the house we all intend to build but likely seen as lips service only. It seems BN has failed even after a few decades.

Lets get out of the scenario mired with “ill will concept” to steer the nation on higher ground.

Joshua Y. C. Kong