Truly

The BN government has truly and systematically shortchanged the people of Malaysia over the years. Nowadays we hear much news about the severe shortage of medical doctors and dentists in the country. This shortage has come about due to the very myopic and discriminatory policies of the BN government. Opportunities for young people to become such professionals were deliberately and forcefully limited to order to 'address imbalances among the student intake'. Many very capable young people were robbed of a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pursue their dream career as doctors due to the racist politics of the BN government. Many bright young minds left the country for good. The nation suffered a big brain drain due to the discriminatory manner in which the minorities were duly given the short end of the stick in virtually every field or arena of society in Malaysia. Now, there is constant talk of luring them back. Yet, the BN government continues to exhibit an inexplicable fondness for changing horses in midstream. Jusy how could these two things reconcile with other is a mystery that could only be answered by the BN politicians. No one in his right senses would ever go near a place where the leaders are known to make constant 180 degree turns when formulating policies. The young children in the country have suffered most at the hands of the callous BN politicians. Many schools in Malaysia which once ranked among the best in SE Asia are now mere ghosts of their past. These schools which were once filled with good students and pupils are now populated by half-baked kids who know and understand the shortest and fastest way to earn money. Taking things that do not belong to them. In public places. The BN government has ceaselessly tried to rein in the people, especially the minority communities by encouraging and coddling extreme right-wing groups in the country. Today, these extremist groups, most of which are hell-bent on maintaining the so-called 'race supremacist' policies and certain chosen religio-cultural dogma designated as 'the inherited type' for the country have increased vastly in numbers. These extremists act as the pressure groups to allow the BN government to continue maintaining very blatant discriminatory practices against the minority communities. Many extremist right-wing groups have been extremely very vocal and persistent in their actions. They have been known to march in the streets hurling abuses and carrying out provocations and issuing threats via the mass media and they are aware that they are always free from any risk of arrest or harassment by the keepers of law and order. The BN authorities through a wink here and a nod there have given the green light to them to do as they wished. Also the air waves are constantly filled with disgustful exhortations reminding certain groups to 'unite' for 'race and religion'. In other countries such garbage would be patently illegal and unlawful. But not here. Not at all. On the other hand, any politician opposed to such groups, most especially from the minority communities are hauled up the very

moment they uttered a sound or moved their bodies. Even merely wearing a shirt of the wrong colour can get you a few days of totally unjustified detention. This is how the people have been treated or shortchanged by the BN in Malaysia. Meanwhile, the government is busily shredding the airwaves with unsubstantiated boasts that the country is a model for this and that. As a result, many foreign leaders are literally tripping over one another trying to congratulate the country for being such a 'remarkable' example for the rest of the world. Even Obama has been duly duped. Or perhaps he knew better but preferred not to show it. The people meanwhile have to endure all kinds of bad problems and unsettled issues and perennial woes. Houses are in danger of earth and mudslides in many states, apartments are in bad shape with cracked walls and broken pipes, residential areas are infested with cockroaches, rats, mosquitoes and all kinds of pests including the two-legged kind. Other groups of citizens have to live without water or electricity supply due to skyhigh unpaid bills incurred through no fault of their own. And the NS programme is actually nothing more than a propaganda tool set up for the direct benefit of the BN ruling class. Billions of ringgit have been spent on it, all from the taxpayers' pockets and what have the people received in return ? Absolutely nothing except the deaths of their children and a sense of betrayal. The cash could have been better channelled to the police in the country to fight crime and control the mounting traffic fatalities. People who are law-abiding have been the most thoroughly shortchanged by the BN just merely for the sake of upkeeping stale and tired propaganda. The problem list stretches well over several km or miles, yet the BN government continues to paint a pretty picture of the situation in the country. Truly, the people have been shortchanged very most thoroughly by the callous BN ruling class in Malaysia. The BN claims that the country practises true democracy. But just using a magnifying glass one would be able to see that it is sham democracy which is being practised. The mass media is fully in the tight grip of the BN and all the radio and TV stations work full time for the BN. Areas with large minority presence are lumped together as one single constituency and thus their votes have very limited effect on the overall outcome. This is why minority candidates are able to register consistently huge margins in their victories. But the big majority margins count for nothing as the victory is registered as just one win. Thus many can vote for a particular person but the huge numbers are of no consequence and cannot do any good. It is sham democracy. The people have been truly shortchanged. At every election after every election. The BN government has tried ceaselessly to rein in the minority communities at every step of the way and in every field. Such actions only harm the country in the long run. The government has tried its level best to suppress minority education and even mounted very intense and prolonged propaganda campaigns to this end. The minority education presence has been viewed with a much jaundiced eye and has often found itself at the receiving end of a vicious slander machine run by the highest levels within the BN ruling class. No thought or consideration has been given at

all to the many priceless and praiseworthy contributions made by the minority education effort. Countless books and literary gems have been produced and a lot of jobs created but all these have been overlooked by the BN. The innocent people of the country has been shortchanged by the BN ruling class throughout the years and the end is still very much nowhere in sight. There are easily a thousand & one ways or even more by which the BN ruling class successfully shortchanged the people in this country. The benefits to the BN have been multifold. The BN has been able to control the seats of power in the country uninterruptedly for over half a century and is looking for even a longer tenure. Perhaps forever. Until the end of time. And BN politicians have become rich beyond their wildest dreams with fat bank accounts and overseas properties. No wonder it is so worthwhile to shortchange the people.