I'm sure lots of people had experienced some difficulty entering K.L last saturday (August 2009) due to roadblocks stationed at ALMOST EVERY ENTRANCE INTO THE CITY. This is due to a street protest done by certain group of people & yes,IT IS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED.
DEFY has NEVER made a design based on the local political scene.why?because we are happy with the way things are in the country. Of course,theres a few things that needed changes but overall,we all live in PEACE, HARMONY & most importantly, STABILITY. But there are certain groups out there whom are trying to offset this balance by doing things without even thinking of the consequences not just towards themselves,BUT ALSO TOWARDS OTHER PEOPLE. And this current event that happened last week moved us to actually mend our design principle & made a design statement of our own.
Firstly, lets start with the PARLIAMENT & the DEWAN RAKYAT. Usually this represents the federal government. BUT IN THIS DESIGN ITS REPRESENTED AS POLITICAL PARTIES & POLITCIANS WHICH / WHOM WAS SELECTED BY THE PEOPLE NOT JUST TO FORM A GOVERNMENT,BUT TO LEAD THEM. As we all Malaysians know,the DEWAN RAKYAT is a place where both the RULING PARTY as well the OPPOSITION debate on certain local issues. UNFORTUNATELY, some politicians nowadays are too obsessed with FAME & MAKING NAME FOR HIM/HERSELF that they NEGLECTED THE VERY BASIC REASON WHY THEY ARE IN POWER IN THE FIRST PLACE,which is TO SERVE THE PEOPLE!
Secondly, the title of this design is THE STATE OF E. I deliberately put 'E' because it could represent either 'EMERGENCY' or 'ECONOMY' or perhaps,both. Why economy? Its because DUE TO ECONOMY WE WILL MAINTAIN STABILITY. ONLY WHEN WEALTH IS BEING DISTRIBUTED EVENLY the social unrest could be cut to a minimum. As we all know,today,everybody is facing hard times. Recession doesnt just impact us in Malaysia but its global. Even a country with strong economy such as the United States & China is suffering due to economic slowdown. Locally,people are losing jobs or getting their salary cut or bonus removed whereby LIVING COSTS ARE GETTING HIGHER EVERY YEAR especially the cost of basic needs such as fuel, rice, etc. Even electricity tariff will be going up soon!
Unfortunately, A LOT OF OUR POLITICIANS ARE TOO BUSY HIGHLIGHTING ISSUES WHICH ARE LESS IMPORTANT. Seldom they discuss about this very basic need of the people. Yes, true that the government had given grants worth billions of ringgit but where did the money go? Did it go to the petty traders, small / medium enterprenuers, or only the ailing corporations in the brink of collapse are the ones who received the payment? A lot of people been asking the same question but we can never get an accurate answer. But the blame SHOULDNT just be directed at the federal government. The State Government ALSO carries the same responsibility. Unfortunately, POLITICIANS WHICH MADE UP POLITICAL PARTIES ARE TOO BUSY PROVOKING EACH OTHER!!! BE IT THE RULING PARTY OR THE OPPOSITION, BOTH SIDE ARE BEING IGNORANT TOWARDS THE RAKYAT'S NEEDS - which is THE IMPROVEMENT OF OUR ECONOMIC SITUATION AS WELL AS OUR LIVING STANDARDS. We, the rakyat, had voted these politicians to represent us. Hoping that they would at least try to make the country a better place to live in. Not to say that Malaysia is in total chaos, but as argumented earlier, THESE POLITICIANS HAS TO DO BETTER. These days, words such as "PARTY DEFECT", "JUMPING SHIP" & others are too familiar in the news. Whereby the rakyat is SUFFERING DUE TO RISING COST OF LIVING, SLOWDOWN IN BUSINESS MONTHLY SALES, as well as PROSPECTS OF LOSING THEIR JOBS, these politicians doesnt even seem to be concerned. They're too busy attacking each other & trying to topple one another. Of course,why would they care, right? They dont know how is it like BEING A REGULAR, LAW ABIDING CITIZEN. They doesnt have to wake up early in the morning to catch the train to work. Hell no! Politicians got drivers to drive them to office. Plus the police escorts!!! Whom are selfish enough to tell the traffic to move aside because of this so-called VIP is coming through. Hey, WE"RE THE CITIZEN, WE PAY ROAD TAX AS WELL. & OTHER TAXES TOO.
Lately, our country had witness A LOT of street protests. The latest ones was held last Saturday, 1st of August 2009. Wow, what a day to remember! Due to this, the police made roadblocks to every entrance heading to K.L in a bid to prevent such gathering to take place. Unfortunately it did. Its a mess. Shops were being forced to close to ensure public safety. Even the tourists were running for their lives. Roadblocks led to MASSIVE TRAFFIC JAMS ALL OVER KLANG VALLEY. I know because i got caught in one. I was on my way to my friend's wedding & i was late due to it. But thats not the point here. The point that i was trying to say is this - WHAT HAPPENED LAST SATURDAY CAUSED MORE PROBLEMS THAN IT SOLVED. As a matter of fact, nothing is being solved. Its just total 100% problems.
Businesses were forced to close. Can you people imagine HOW MANY ENTERPRENUERS ARE RELYING ON WEEKEND CROWDS FOR THEIR DAILY SALES???!!!! ESPECIALLY SATURDAY??? I bet NONE of those people WHO ORGANIZED & PARTICIPATED IN THE MARCH GIVES A SLIGHTEST OF THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. Because if they had, NO MARCH WOULD TAKE PLACE.
What happened to our beloved country's image as a PEACEFUL & PROGRESSIVE ISLAMIC COUNTRY ( as quoted by the U.S President Barack Obama )? Did this violent march justify the 'branding' of our country towards other states? Of course it was a "peaceful march which turned violent due to police presence". We all heard this so many times before. How true is this statement, only God knows.
To end my argument, i would like to appeal towards ALL of the politicians & citizens alike to really focus on the BIG problems at hand, which is the ECONOMY. Because due to economic slowdown, businesses will be forced to cut cost. This will lead to massive sacking of staff & lots of people will be unemployed. When there is more people unemployed, crime rates will get higher. Everybody know this basic chain reaction that the economy has & its impact on society. So dearest politicians please. Do your job & serve the people well. STOP THE ROT by working together & finding solutions to every problems. Not by creating one. This isnt an argument of 'do not ask what the country can do for you,its what you can do for the country'. Politicians is not a country. They are human beings like you & me. The only difference is that they are being GIVEN THE RESPONSIBILITY TO MANAGE THE COUNTRY. And we, the rakyat, who gave them the power to lead. With hope that they will serve the people & the country well. Because REGARDLESS OF WHAT RACE GROUP YOU BELONG TO, WHAT FAITH YOU BELIEVE IN, WE ALL WANT TO LIVE IN PEACE. We all want this country to be a good place to raise our children & younger generations. Not a country where the parliament is under siege
THANK YOU
