26/08/2015 12:50 PM
Sanusi: Racial play dulls the patriotic spirit
Sanusi: Racial play dulls the patriotic spirit
Syauqi Jamil
Umno veteran and former Kedah MB says the dull run-up to the Merdeka day celebration this year is due to various issues besieging the nation, ranging from GST to economic woes
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians aren't too enthusiastic about the upcoming Merdeka day celebrations because they have nothing to cherish but only the nation's debts and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) at a time when they are suffering, Umno veteran and former Kedah Menteri Besar Sanusi Junid said today.
Speaking to Berita Daily, he said the patriotic value among Malaysians was eroded by politicians playing the racial card to amass support.
“They shouldn't be playing this whole scenario saying that the Chinese were taking over the country as there is no way this can happen. Don't blame the Chinese for everything. For God's sake we shouldn't be afraid of the Chinese but instead we should be friends with them, even the opposition.
“It is ridiculous and stupid to say that the country will be taken over by the Chinese. We have the Agong, Sultans, the army and the police who are controlled by the Malays,” he added.
The former rural and regional development minister said this when asked on his thoughts on the lukewarm response by Malaysians towards the annual Merdeka day celebrations.
Sanusi said that during the times of the first three prime ministers, the people were very patriotic as they respected the leaders and the government institutions as there were no controversies surrounding them.
“During the old days, all institutions were highly respected where nobody questions the integrity of the police, Attorney-General, the Anti- Corruption Agency and the overall system. They respected the whole lot,” he said.
Sanusi, who is also a former minister of agriculture, said the second prime minister, Abdul Razak Hussein, father of current Prime Minister Najib Razak, was unlike his son as he had no controversies surrounding him, making him one of the most respectable and patriotic premiers ever.
“He (Razak) respected the ability of the locals and only employed foreigners in fields where we were lacking. I was a parliament member (Jerai) when he was the prime minister. I remember that he was a man of the people. A man whose feet was stained with 'selut' (mud), not stained with snow.
“Those days there was nothing mysterious on how the government handled the economy. They took ideas from the premier, experts, scholars, civil servants, heads of department, leading Umno members to ordinary employees in the ministry.
“Once they were satisfied with the idea, it was brought to the Cabinet. Everybody was in the know of what was going on.
There were no mysteries at all as everything was on the table,” said Sanusi.
He added that profit and losses in the nation's economy were known by all where mistakes made were admitted publicly.
“They don't have conflicting opinions. Yes, they might be wrong sometimes but when they were, they admitted it and tried to fix it if they could. If they couldn't then they just took the responsibility for making the wrong call,” he said.
Sanusi said the present situation was totally the opposite with government institutions losing respect among Malaysians.
He said this was due to the fact that several issues were kept secret until the people started questioning.
“With the present government, everything is a secret particularly with the 1MDB issue. When the guarantee was made it wasn't really brought to the Cabinet and the parliament, and wasn't in the budget but it involves such a big amount.
“There are also other issues like the RM2.6 billion donation. The people want to know who the donor is? All we know is that the donor is from Saudi Arabia. Who in Saudi Arabia? Is it the King? The government? Or a businessman? What is he getting out of it?
“I don't think the Arabs would throw around money for fun. I also don't think they are fascinated with Malaysia that much.
We are not the biggest Muslim country anyway. Pakistan and Indonesia have more problems that needed the money more than us,” Sanusi said.
Asked whether he thought the money was fully used up, Sanusi wonders where the balance is kept if it had not been fully spent.
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