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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Change, before change, changes you.




Tunisia the 'Jasmine Revolution'


At last the wind of change has started to blow on those barren countries, which has been ripped of any growth in democracy. Any bud of resentment, criticism which protrudes this barren land will be quickly annihilated with the might of the despotic regime of Zine el-Abideen Ben Ali a ‘benevolent dictator’.
 Tunisia is the most Europeanized, Secular State in the Arab world, due part to the secular oriented policies of the regime, just like secular Turkey.  As the event  unfolding now in Tunisia, it is a secular non Islamists revolution. Is it the beginning of non religious Arab Revolution, will it ignite and flame the revolt, and spread from Rabat to Riyadh, from the Atlantic to the Euphrates: will the Kings, Sultans, Emirs and Presidents bring the desired change to placate the exploited people of the region, before change, changes them. When citizens are no longer afraid of the ruler’s bullets, the ruler’s days are numbered.

An explosion is inevitable when a thousand small injustices add up until the accumulations reach a critical point. Mohamed Bouazizi’s self immolation, an unemployed University graduate was the spark which ignited and caused a general conflagration. He was stopped by Police for not having a permit to sell fruits in a cart; he succumbed to the injuries and died.
Tunisia is continuously being ruled by one party after their independence from France for the past 52 years, and Ben Ali is in the helm of the country for the past 22 years. The country is plagued with rampant corruption, abuse of power, very high rate of unemployment, rising food prices, utter lack of freedom, jailing of opponents, censoring the media and stifling of civil society. Popular uprising unfolded simultaneously, the regime used all the tools of typical decadent countries, like water cannon, tear gas, live bullets, arresting protestors and torturing and jailing them. Even under live bullets and death, the people showed their undeterred resolve and demanded for the removal of their corrupted dictator Ben Ali. The police and the military which came to neutralize the demonstration failed miserably in front of the pent up resolve of the masses. The jittery President announced reforms after reform to propitiate and win the heart of the people, but the intensity of the demonstration newer subsided. And subsequently after pleading for asylum in France which was rejected, he booted to Saudi Arabia the haven and sanctuary of failed leaders.
The maddening situation in Malaysia is similar to the situations in Tunisia. 53 years of rule of Umno controlled coalition is claiming that they are the rightful rulers for eternity. The Prime Minister who fervently defends his 1 Malaysia Policy has recently said contrary to his altruistic policy, that he will defend this Government even on crushed bones, bodies and death.  The Government’s discreet and continuous propaganda of racialism, and ethnocentric superiority through BTN; raw racialism is being unleashed by the government for their political expediency, with the covert collaboration of their proxies Perkasa, Perkida and Utusan.  New Economic policy which was formulated for the restructuring of the economy was hijacked by Umno to enrich their supporters, cronies and their children, abandoning the real deserving folks. The police force, election commission, the Juduiciary, and the Civil Service has been made the tools and instrument of the ruling party, to prolong and to plunder the economic resources of the country. A vibrant economy which was at par with Singapore and Korea is now competing for foreign investment with Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam.Spiralling inflation with cost of living going up,and when real wages are stagnating; this keeps the  working class under profound pressure to make their ends meet. Our education system is churning out graduates who cannot be competing in the job market. Our country is in a crisis.  A complete overhaul of the system must be executed; reforms must be formulated before this beloved country of ours goes to the abyss of destruction. For this to be a reality, the archaic decadent policies must be revoked. This is only possible when this putrid government is replaced.
As in the Maghreb, Malaysians must break the monopoly of the one party system; It must be overthrown through the ballot box before a two party system  can be formed, the one  party rule of decadent  Barisan must be banished. Hope the tempest from the distant land will ignite our people to act rationally and bring the desired change.

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