By Mariam Mokhtar

When serious problems occur in Malaysia, which are mostly caused by Umno-Baru/BN policies, the usual trend is for Umno-Baru politicians to blame DAP, the Chinese community, the Christians, the Singaporeans or the communists.

However, for reasons only known to himself, the Umno-Baru Supreme Council member, Zahidi Zainul Abidin, has created a new trend; he blames the rakyat for the current political impasse. He said, "Don't blame the politicians."

Most politicians bend over backwards to please the electorate, but not Zahidi. Is he trying to distract us and deflect blame from Muhyiddin Yassin, who over the weekend failed to get the support of the king to declare Emergency Rule in Malaysia?

On October 26, Zahidi, who is also the MP for Padang Besar, said that parliament is divided, the economy is stagnant and investors stay away, because the people made the wrong choice at GE-14. He scolded the rakyat for electing Pakatan Harapan politicians, but he claimed that they had been deceived by Harapan.

Has Zahidi forgotten how the criminal, Najib Abdul Razak, almost bankrupted our country, stole taxpayers' money, made "Cash is King" his byline and, warned civil servants not to expose his wrongdoing, in 1MDB? Is Zahidi blind to all of this?

Under Umno-Baru/BN, corruption was rife, injustice was on the rise and financial mismanagement of our GLCs was a recurrent theme. The rakyat could see the damage that was being done, to Tabung Haji, FELDA, the EPF, and the retirement fund. They wanted to halt these unlawful acts, in the only way they knew – the electoral ballot.

Zahidi appears to have a terrible affliction, called foot-in-mouth disease. As the deputy communications and multimedia minister, he accused Sabah teenager, Veveonah Mosibin of lying. He said she was trying to become an YouTube/internet sensation and attention seeker, by making a video which showed that she had to climb a tree, to get better internet coverage so she could complete her online university entrance examination.

Zahidi was probably stung that his minister's performance was under scrutiny. His baseless allegations against Veveonah, and his arrogance cost him dear. He was excoriated by MPs from PN, opposition politicians and the rakyat.

So why did Zahidi blame the rakyat for the current political crisis? Last week, his leader, Muhyiddin, presented his proposal for Emergency Rule, to the king, but this was rejected by the Council of Rulers.

Zahidi failed to mention that we are in this impasse because of the PN politicians' stampede for top positions in government or the GLCs, and their lust for power. He omitted to say that we have a bloated civil service and an equally bloated Cabinet, despite the treasury struggling to cope with our enormous debt.

Muhyiddin's proposal would have plunged the nation into a period of uncertainty and chaos, during which our institutions would be threatened and may never recover. The ringgit will tumble, the business community will face further hardship. Foreign investors will be reluctant to build and manage businesses in a dictatorship. The income we earn from tourist dollars will decline, as few visitors will be interested in visiting a dictatorship. Zahidi omitted to highlight these risks.

If Muhyiddin had governed Malaysia under Emergency rule, we would not have been able to recover economically, culturally, socially, politically or financially.

Instead of reassuring our fears and encouraging us to work together as a nation to conquer the immediate threat from coronavirus, Zahidi angered us by blaming us, for starting this political imbroglio.

Zahidi's academic and work credentials are revealing. For all of his working life, he has been steeped in the Mara and Umno-Baru tradition. His exposure to the wider Malaysian multicultural experience appears to be limited. How can someone with his tunnel vision, and limited interaction with people from other cultures and faiths, understand the needs of the average modern Malaysian?

Zahidi holds a Diploma in Public Studies from the Institut Teknologi Mara (ITM) and after graduation, he remained close to Mara when he was elected the Student Representative President of ITM and later the President of the Association of Former ITM Graduates.

He worked his way up the Umno-Baru ladder since 1991, starting off as the Islamic Education Chief for Umno-Baru Youth Malaysia, then becoming the state and divisional chief, before his appointment, this year, to the post of Deputy Multimedia and Communications Minister.

Zahidi is in simple terms, another career politician. His Umno-Baru credentials are his badge of honor, and he has not really known what it is like to have a real job as a wage-earner, put food on the table, a roof over his family's head, worry about his children's health, education and well-being, like a normal citizen.

Throughout his life, Umno-Baru has taken care of his needs in a cradle to grave fashion.

Zahidi has no clue about the problems faced by Veveonah and her community, who are isolated because of a lack of infrastructure, have no electricity or piped water and a lack of multimedia communication. More importantly, he has no clue about the needs and aspirations of the rakyat.

Zahidi lives high-up in the Umno-Baru cloud, and is unaware of the real problems faced by Malaysians. That is why he blamed the rakyat for their political impasse.

Career politicians like Zahidi believe that Umno-Baru can do no wrong. He must not be re-elected, in PRU-15. 

Source:

1. Malay Mail: Voters 'at fault' for current political turmoil due to their choice at the ballot, says Umno's deputy minister

2. MalaysiaKini: Political crisis happened because rakyat made the wrong choice in GE14: Zahidi

3. Free Malaysia Today: People's vote for PH led to this impasse, says Umno man

4. Malay Mail: Deputy minister who accused Sabah student Veveonah of lying says info came from Kudat MP

5. Suara TV: Mengenali Timbalan Menteri Komunikasi & Multimedia

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)