07 December 2013

Banjir, oh banjir, di mana parti 'ketuanan Melayu' dan 'pembela rakyat'...


Ketika ini, sedang rakyat Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan dan Johor mengharungi derita banjir dengan kemusnahan tempat tinggal dan harta benda tanpa sumber makanan mencukupi, bekalan elektrik dan air yang terputus, selain anggota keselamatan dan sukarelawan yang bertungkus-lumus menyelamat mangsa dan menghulurkan bantuan, di mana parti yang sering mendabik dada sebagai "pembela rakyat"?

Sekadar melaungkan retorik di Perhimpunan Agung yang sedang berlangsung di dewan berhawa dingin sambil berbangga bahawa parti itulah penyelamat bangsa?

Atau sekadar meninjau dari helikopter tanpa turun padang mengalami sendiri penderitaan rakyat yang majoritinya berbangsa Melayu dari kawasan pedalaman (yang majoritinya telah memenangkan Barisan Nasional dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13)?


Di mana Kelab Putra Umno 1Malaysia yang begitu gigih memberi bantuan kemanusiaan sejauh Gaza di Palestin, Somalia dan terbaru di Filipina? Mengapa diam membisu dalam krisis banjir yang mengancam nyawa ribuan rakyat di tanah air sendiri?

 
Di mana pula sayap Puteri yang katanya tidak mahu sekadar dianggap "penyeri" parti? Di mana pula sayap Wanita yang mendabik dada sebagai "tulang belakang" parti?

Hanya sekadar jadi perayu undi di musim pilihan raya? Adakah sayap elit Pemuda pula sedang bersenang-lenang di hotel lima bintang usai berpantun, menyanyi dan berlawak jenaka di persidangan agung?

Lebih pelik, kelibat Menteri Besar Pahang dan Terengganu pula langsung tidak kelihatan di sisi rakyat! Adakah kerana ini belum lagi musim pilihan raya umum?!

Seharusnya parti yang mengaku "pembela rakyat" ini menangguhkan sidang agungnya itu serta-merta dan segera mengerahkan ahlinya yang mencecah ratusan ribu turun padang menjadi sukarelawan semasa dan pasca banjir.

Tidak cukup sekadar Presiden parti meninjau pusat pemindahan dan bersalaman dengan para mangsa banjir tanpa sebarang jaminan bantuan segera apatah lagi jaminan keselamatan para mangsa yang masih terperangkap di kediaman masing-masing.



Anehnya, Presiden parti "pembela rakyat" ini yang juga Perdana Menteri yang begitu ligat memberi pelbagai jenis bantuan berjuta ringgit hampir setiap hari sebelum PRU13 lalu sekadar memberi kenyataan bahawa "kerajaan akan mempertimbangkan bantuan kepada mangsa banjir" tanpa sebarang pengumuman bantuan khusus.

Lebih menjelikkan lagi sikap segelintir ahli palimen dari parti "pembela rakyat" ini yang memperkecil-kecilkan usaha Ahli Parlimen Kuantan, Fuziah Salleh sehingga usul tergempar isu banjir di Kuantan yang dikemukakannya semalam ditolak mentah-mentah oleh Speaker, walaupun penjelasan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri tidak memuaskan.


Sudahlah tidak turun padang menghulurkan bantuan kepada para mangsa, terjerit-pekik pula di Dewan Rakyat menentang usaha murni Pakatan Rakyat dalam membela nasib rakyat marhaen.

Ternyata inilah wajah sebenar pemimpin parti "pembela rakyat" ini! Mengapa begitu sukar sekali pemimpin mereka memahami bahawa dalam keadaan krisis sebegini, politik wajib diketepikan dan para pemimpin perlu bersatu mengutamakan kepentingan dan keselamatan rakyat?





Lihat pula kenyataan Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim yang menyatakan kemudahan logistik yang terhad menjadi punca bantuan lambat disalurkan kepada mangsa banjir di beberapa negeri yang sedang dilanda banjir.

Persoalannya adakah ini kali pertama negara ini, terutamanya negeri-negeri Pantai Timur dilanda banjir besar? Kenyataan Menteri ini menunjukkan betapa rendah komitmen kerajaan BN yang mendabik dada kononnya mendahulukan rakyat dalam isu banjir ini.

Umum mengetahui menjelang akhir tahun, lumrahnya musim tengkujuh atau monsun timur laut akan melanda negara tetapi kerajaan langsung tidak peka akan isu-isu yang harus ditangani untuk mengelakkan kemusnahan besar ekoran bencana ini.



Tiada usaha pencegahan banjir atau peningkatan infrastruktur di sepanjang sungai-sungai seperti tebatan banjir dan sebagainya, dan tiada pula persediaan kelengkapan untuk menghadapi musim banjir saban tahun.

Lalu terjadilah situasi seperti sekarang ini; kekurangan bantuan makanan, ubat-ubatan dan kelengkapan asas bagi mangsa banjir, keadaan pusat pemindahan banjir yang serba kekurangan, kekurangan fasiliti untuk menyelamat mangsa di kawasan terpencil seperti bot dan helikopter.

Ironinya, kita punya sejumlah jet peribadi untuk keperluan pemimpin tertinggi negara dan anak isteri ke luar negara tanpa had peruntukan. - TMI



BN partners: Najib should talk to Anwar...

In an unexpected turn of events, Barisan Nasional component parties MCA, MIC and Gerakan said they welcomed engagement between Pakatan Rakyat and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, “as long as it benefits the people”.

MCA, MIC and Gerakan all agree that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak should be open to discussions "with anyone for the benefit of the country.”

Their openness to the possibility of inter-party discussions flies in the face of comments made by Umno leaders that Najib was “too busy” to accommodate Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s invitation to talk on matters of national unity.

“To me, there is no harm with any discussions. I think that it is good to discuss among each other how the country can improve. There has been too much politicking this year,” said Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong.

“Election is over, 505 is over, so let us all work together to build the nation. I think the prime minister has a lot of plans to move the country forward, so let’s put aside our differences,” he added.

He warned the PKR de facto leader not to politicise every issue and to use the talks, should they take place, as a platform to support what was good for the people.

MIC central working committee member S Murugesan said that as prime minister of Malaysia, Najib should be open to talks with “everybody”.

“But of course, whatever the terms are must be agreed upon by the component parties. For instance, the discussions should be strictly about what can be done to benefit the country, and not for politicking.

“As the prime minister of the country, I believe that he should be able to discuss with anyone for the benefit of the country.”

Former MIC vice president SK Devamany also welcomed the talks, adding that remaining a fractured government would only harm the rakyat.



Time for real ‘inclusiveness’

The Perak state assembly speaker said the Pakatan-Najib discussions would be in line with the “inclusiveness” ideal as outlined in the New Economic Model, which he said he had worked on during his time as deputy minister in the prime minister’s department.

“All parties must play a role in bringing the country forward, and this is facilitated by us all coming together.

“Pakatan Rakyat should come before the prime minister with a full proposal on how we can help the rakyat. The more we are fighting, the more the rakyat will suffer,” Devamany told FMT.

MCA, too, said it saw no harm in intra-party talks – the party’s Youth chief and deputy-president hopeful Wee Ka Siong said that as long as the discussions remained non-partisan, then MCA would not object to it.

“I don’t see any problem. I don’t think such talks would erode MCA, MIC, Gerakan’s power in BN as we are all in the same coalition. There is already an avenue for MCA to talk to Umno.”

The leaders also said they were not afraid that should Najib hold discussions with Pakatan, their role in the BN would be further sidelined.

Mah maintained that they would remain as BN component parties, and no discussions with Anwar would change that.

“But it depends on how Najib will rationalise this with component parties. It also goes back to Pakatan’s intention. Are they sincere in wanting to help the rakyat?” asked Devamany.-fmt




cheers.

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