Reported in Malaysiakini.com and witnessed 'live' by myself, Gerakan Wanita chief Tan Lian Hoe, in a strongly-worded winding-up speech, said merely listening to the grouses from the rakyat will be insufficient as what the people wanted are for swift actions to be taken.
She was referring to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s opening speech yesterday that the latter wanted to hear the truth even if it hurts.
“Listen, listen, listen but no action taken. The people are actually disappointed, frustrated and angry,” Tan, who is also the Bukit Gantang member of Parliament, told the delegates. “It is useless that we only listen but no firm and swift action is being taken.
This would not solve the problem,” she added, pointing out that those who voiced their grouses against the government should not be deemed as ‘traitors’. “They are not traitors, they just want to air their views. The real traitors are those who are corrupt, do not have integrity and dishonest,” she added.
Tan's statement must be carefully studied by all politicians and government leaders. Many leaders, especially those in the BN, are swift to take stern action against those who criticised the government but are not as quick to respond to real grouses and malpractices. The PM has said that he is prepared to listen hard constructive criticism. The other leaders should encourage people to tell him the truth.
Leaders should emulate Tan and start to act like true patriots. True patriots must answer the call for action when things in the country start to go wrong.
They should focus on substance and not form.
Picture courtesy of Malaysiakini.com
1 comment:
I fully support DATUK TAN LIAN HOE's statement that all races are MALAYSIANS and not immigrants. Even though most of our ancestors(except the orang asli and indigenous people of SABAH and SARAWAK) including the MALAYS(from MALAY islands in NUSANTARA) migrate here from elsewhere, we are born here.
The statement by Pengkaji tamadun Melayu, Mohd. Arof(UTUSAN MALAYSIA ON 14/10/08)that even though the MALAYS come from the above MALAY islands in NUSANTARA they are still Malays(and not for example INDONESIANS)cannot be true. If it is true, than the AMERICANS,born in USA. but their parents migrate from, for example INDONESIA, will call themselves INDONESIANS or MALAYS but not AMERICANS.
For national unity we should call ourselves MALAYSIANS (like a lot of people in other countries like the AMERICANS above) and not call by different races .
DATUK TAN's statement can help national unity.
Thus, I thank DATUK TAN LIAN HOE for her statement.
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