LETTERS Oct 10 , 2000 A 'traitor' speaks up This is an open letter in response to the honourable grandson of Onn Jaafar, who called students who demonstrated against the prime minister abroad "traitors", and said, in The Star, "These students will now have to rethink their action and the agenda of those who had influenced or incited such hatred in them for the leaders of their own country." How dare you call people who demonstrated against the prime minister "traitors" in that all-encompassing, sweeping and contemptible way? Why can't you and other Umno leaders accept that criticism of Mahathir Mohamad and Umno does not necessarily stem from hatred, ignorance or people out to bring about the downfall of the government, but from the same love you all purport to have for the country? Your sweeping dismissal of any and all rightful criticism is both lazy and unjust, to say the least. And your characterisation of it as "hatred" is so obvious a rhetorical ploy as to be pathetic. I asked Dr Mahathir to resign at the Cambridge conference. I did so solely because I think he is not doing anything to tackle the endemic problems of corruption, a weak judiciary and ministerial inefficiency more than anything else. Not because I hate him, am a closet Anwarista (although I don't think the sentence for sodomy is right), a member of PAS or any opposition party. Nor do I want to bring about the downfall of the government or the country. Why should I? It's my country as much as it is his. He should stop pretending he has a greater right to decide what is best for it. And while it's true I would frankly like to see a change of government almost for its own sake, this is motivated by the anger I feel at politicians like you, twisting very real and weighty issues like race, religion and opposition to corruption and inefficiency, into slimy, weak, emotional appeals to fear and money. Not because I'm bored of BN (although I'm getting there, believe me). This is how your appeal goes: Here's a stick - racial riots; here's a carrot: economic growth and riches for all. Now choose between Barisan Nasional and the opposition parties, my loyal Malaysians. You never consider the simple things in between like dignity, ethics and what is simply right and wrong, because money is enough to pave over these things. That some of your politicians are, I believe, imbued with enough intelligence to recognise this, but don't dare to speak up or challenge Mahathir openly about them even, is further indication of your weaknesses as human beings, never mind politicians. As ministers with the people's trust, who hold enough power to change Malaysia for the better and who know the steps that need to be taken, but don't, you shame your offices and yourselves more than any fanatical or ideological student protesting for a better world, misinformed or misguided though they may be. Worse, you're lucky, because the opposition really is, in some part, as ignorant, unprepared and racist or fanatical as you make them out to be. So people think your sweeping generalisations of all criticisms hold water. And those who would like a change can't really vote for one for fear of economic collapse - stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. For my pains at the conference (and it was painful - I was as frightened as I was angry), I received several dirty looks from Mahathir's entourage, and had the disagreeable experience of several dark-suited men breathing heavily down my back and at my side for the rest of the talk, trying to see what I was writing. A few suits spoke to me later to ask where I was from, what I did, where was I studying, where was I based, who my father was, could they have my phone number, address, e-mail address ... Why? Can't you accept that a girl nobody, someone with no connections, no political ambitions, no other motivation than a wish to see some things done right in the country, could be angry enough to ask a weak leader to leave, to give way for someone more able to tackle the challenges of building a nation with honour as well as a high GDP per capita? If you want people to vote BN why can't you tackle the things wrong with the system - corruption, the judiciary, police, and ministerial inefficiency - and show us what a good job you can do, instead of scaring us with stories about how crazy the opposition are? This just leads us to believe that you are either so ignorant as to be unaware of them, or that you are a part of them and so you don't want to do anything about them. Kindly tell us which it is and set your own glass house in order before you begin throwing stones like the word "traitor" about. Girl Nobody London