By 4pm yesterday, the numbers were tallied and the die was cast. Whatever happens in the next few days, as Malaysians we will need to move on, with courage. In my last post, in Part 1, I talked about acceptance. Well, my darlings, all of you now know how that turned out. On 16th August, 2021, a nation waited, not daring to breath.
By late morning, we heard that Mahiaddin and his cabinet had stepped down. By early evening we received the decree that he was appointed Caretaker. Nobody knew whether to laugh or cry. That now gave the Caretaker enough time to scramble the stale eggs and try to regroup the tenants that willingly and smilingly stepped down with him. His stepping down speech was nothing but a mockery. It sealed our nation’s fate and showed us finally that our constitution is no longer the hallowed document on which this country was built. Elvis left the building but his ghost continues to wander the halls.
The Oxford Dictionary defines caretaker as a “person employed to look after a building”. Even by that definition, he has not done his job. The hallowed halls of our stately Parliament were barricaded against democracy. That it needed the FRU and a heavy army and police presence to keep democracy out, should go down in history as the day so much in this country died emotionally and psychologically.
Physically to date, 13,302 citizens have died and have been sacrificed at the altar of bad governance, which has since led to an overwhelmed healthcare system. 1,466,512 have contacted different variants of Covid-19 at the altars of the inefficient management of SOPs and the fact that so many factories and businesses are still open. The owners of these factories and building sites, employ undocumented and unvaccinated workers and they live in crowded inhuman conditions whilst continuing to be our super spreaders on buses and trains and complexes of flats and in the factories where they work.
Many constitutional lawyers have weighed in on the Caretaker PM. I quote just two:
- ”Caretaker PM” is an informal definition in the Federal Constitution. However, in this particular context it means that the caretaker PM, would not introduce new policies or sign any major treaties on the countries behalf. It also meant that it now fell on the MPs themselves to decide among themselves either, by “confidence and supply agreements” or “unity government”. (Kee Hui Yee)
- “The concept of a caretaker government does not come into play, unless there is a dissolution of Parliament by the King”. (Sri Ram)
Does it matter anymore though? Mahiaddin and his cabinet stepping down was mere farce, if the rumours flying around are anything to go by. Coincidentally, it has rained buckets. Which means the ponds have filled up and the frogs are cohabiting with those from other ponds. The racket they are making is deafening. Also, just out of curiosity, do frogs get excited and give out pheromones just before they jump? But I digress.
The fact that there are so many rumours and reports confuses me though. Wasn’t the vote secret? Was not the the only other person besides the YDPA to know about the numbers, Art Harun? I wonder how the numbers are slipping out? Anyway, if what we get by tomorrow evening is a rehashed, hodgepodge of inept individuals, we as citizens will have only one option.
- PN Version 1 Government abandoned us for a full one and a half years. We had to be courageous, independent, powerful, intelligent and most of all, we all had to be resilient. Many have barely survived. Those that didn’t are being fed by NGOs and big hearted Malaysians. Or they have committed suicide. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN FED BY MAHIADDIN.
- PN Version 2 will be no better. We have to stop Covid-19. Or else, life as we know it, ends. Malaysians will not survive PN Recycled Version 2.
So, it does not matter who is makes it as the PM, and quite frankly, if they put up an Orang Hutan, I don’t care. If it’s a rehashed version, we know what to expect. So, as citizens we need to collectively ask, no, INSIST, that the following is implemented:
- Withdraw all MITI permits except to those food outlets providing food.
- Close down ALL factories and building sites for ONE week. Have the premises disinfected.
- During the lockdown, vaccinate ALL workers. These workers must not be allowed back onto the premises till they have had at least their first dose of the vaccination.
- Use Nano disinfectant spray machines to spray ALL workers coming to work and when they are leaving.
- Where are the vaccines coming from?
- Well there was a budget for free vaccination for all Malaysian Citizens. So we are covered. Most Malaysians must be vaccinated from that budget. It’s the tax payers’ money that was spent.
- For the undocumented and illegal workers, use the free vaccination doses that were donated by the US and Japanese governments. These came free.
- Sinovac was sold. Factory owners can get their supplies from the buyers. HANDLE THIS. After all, the factory owners and GLC license owners have not lost one rare sen throughout the pandemic. Your factory workers, legal or undocumented, are the reason for the variants being loosed on our population.
- Give MITI permits to ALL businesses that have spent thousands of ringgits getting their premises for reopening ready. They need to be allowed to operate. Stop strangling people and businesses. Everyone wants to live.
- Open up the internal borders between states. Keep international borders closed till there are at least 80% of the population fully vaccinated.
See, I am reasonable. Essentially, I only want you guys to do ONE THING. Shut down factories with illegal, undocumented and unvaccinated workers.
Dear God, grant all concerned citizens of Malaysia COURAGE to face what is next.
Nathanial Tan’s demands stay as it is, verbatim.
Jennifer Soars
Link to Too Little, Too Late – Part 1: https://www.facebook.com/537646164/posts/10159540837731165/?d=n