Malaysia Today
Don't punish voters for exercising their legitimate right


Posted by kasee   
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A just government will treat all its citizens justly. It will not discriminate neither will it punish them for voting in an opposition politician. After all, in the electoral process such a choice is made available to the voters. This is what democracy is all about, say P Ramakrishnan. A just government will treat all its citizens justly. It will not discriminate neither will it punish them for voting in an opposition politician. After all, in the electoral process such a choice is made available to the voters. This is what democracy is all about.
But, unfortunately, the BN is no respecter of the democratic process. It withholds development and facilities and punishes the voters for electing an  opposition member as their representative.  
 
We have witnessed this shameful conduct for many decades in this country. When Pas captured Trengganu in 1999, the BN stopped giving the state government the petroleum royalty that was due to  the state and which had been given to the previous BN state government without fail. This had been the case for as long as the BN was running the state government in Trengganu.
 
Again, when the voters of Ipoh Timur elected Lim Kit Siang as their MP in 2004, the flood mitigation project came to a standstill.
 
According to the defeated MCA candidate who was the previous MP, there were plans for a flood mitigation project in Ipoh Garden South and Kampung Simee. He had requested for a RM10 million allocation for the project, but as he was not re-elected, the allocation fell through.
 
Should a BN government that prides itself as being imbued with Islamic values of justice and fairness behave in such an un-Islamic way and punish innocent citizens unjustly?
 
These are just two shameful examples of the BN acting unfairly and undemocratically. We must not allow this bullying conduct of the BN to continue unpunished. They have been punishing the voters in the past. It is time for the voters to punish the BN for acting in such a high-handed fashion.
 
The BN must be made to realise that it is an obligation of any government worth its salt to provide facilities and amenities for the welfare of its citizens. It does not come with a price. It is our right to expect these facilities. After all, the money for development does not come from the private funds of the political parties. It is the wealth of the nation that is used for development purposes and citizens have a share in that wealth.
 
We cannot condone this practice. We cannot any longer tolerate the double standards practised by this undemocratic government. 
 
Should such a government deserve your support? - Aliran Monthly