Political

How have your political views changed over time?

In 1998, a political gathering took place outside the Jamek Mosque, and a TV3 car got stuck in the middle of the crowd. The newscaster inside the car was injured by a stick during the chaos. It was an awful sight to witness. The crowd was chanting “Reformasi,” voicing their frustration over the treatment of a prominent politician who had fallen from being the second most powerful figure in the country to disgrace.

I was there, walking to work and waiting for the bus as the main road had been cleared. What I had previously only seen on television was now unfolding before my eyes in real life. At the time, I felt it must have been the height of corruption, though I couldn’t fully grasp the extent of it. After all, the country appeared to be thriving in 1998.

However, the streets were deserted during this unrest, and many citizens sought greener pastures abroad due to political instability. The fall of the so-called reformist prime minister, who shed crocodile tears at the UMNO Supreme Council building—a moment broadcasted on television—marked the exposure of corruption. It became clear that public funds were being siphoned into personal accounts, leaving the country’s finances in tatters.

This political turbulence drained the nation’s intellect and resources, while those in power engaged in mudslinging against their successors. The precedent set by this prime minister taught others to do the same—filling their pockets with the people’s money. This ongoing corruption led even more citizens to migrate due to the declining currency and deteriorating living conditions.

Those who left returned only occasionally to visit a country that no longer felt like home. The original patriots who fought for independence had vanished, leaving behind a nation struggling under the weight of delusion and unrest. The skyrocketing prices of goods and homes only deepened the despair. Houses that once cost a few hundred thousand ringgit now sold for millions. How could anyone afford such prices on an average paycheck? While salaries of RM15,000 may suffice today for some, they stand in stark contrast to the RM500 paychecks of the pre-1998 era that were once enough to buy a home.

This stark difference in affordability reflects the nation’s political and economic unrest. The country narrowly avoided intervention by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which could have led to even more significant challenges. Perhaps the Reformasi movement was driven by the prime minister’s refusal to involve the IMF. Instead, he chose an alternative route—one that sparked dissent and division.

Today, the former Reformasi leader, now prime minister, appears to have deviated from the ideals he once championed. As he works to address the mess left behind, it’s clear he is playing a different ball game.

Will the nation ever return to the unity and patriotism of its independence era? Only time will tell.