I AM a Japanese novelist who has published more than 50 books in various
countries. I have lived in Malaysia for three and a half years and I am so
impressed with the outcome of the 14th General Election and what Malaysians
have achieved.
The coalition ruled the country for decades. No one expected it to be defeated.
When people first saw the stunning result, almost everyone was at a loss for a
while. Then they realised it was the beginning of a new era. I am not writing
about Malaysia. I am writing about my own country.
Congratulations, Malaysians! You have finally decided to change your
government. You have shown your ability as a mature democratic nation by making
this decision.
When I saw Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad declare Pakatan Harapan’s victory on TV
at midnight, I was deeply touched. To be honest, I had a little pain in my
heart. At that movement, I thought about my country. As a person who has
experienced a similar situation, I would like to share what I saw and felt back
then even though it is somewhat bitter for me.
When I was young, it seemed the LDP would reign forever but then DPJ won
the election with a super majority. I believed my country had finally got a
two-party system and that DPJ would introduce some measures which LDP had
ignored for a long time, such as an effective child allowance system and open
immigration policy. Not only I but also all the people hoped that those
measures would spur Japan’s sluggish economy.
Sadly speaking, this was a delusion. What we saw after the election were
endless internal fights within DPJ. Our elected representatives immediately
engaged in internal fights again and again.
The first prime minister from DPJ resigned a year after his inauguration.
The second prime minister also left his office a year after his appointment.
The third lasted only for a year. We had three prime ministers in three years!
What was worse was that DPJ decided to increase the consumption tax rate
from 5% to 10% even though retaining the current rate was one of the most
important promises they made in the campaign.
Many Japanese people felt betrayed and as a result, DPJ lost terribly in
the next general election. DPJ doesn’t even exist now. The party dissolved like
sugar in water, and so did our hope for a brighter future, the two-party system
and a more democratic policy process. Policies that once shone brightly were
miserably dumped and drenched in muddy water and the Japanese people lost
interest in politics.
LDP is back on the stage now and it looks set to reign forever again. I
feel like my country would never change the government even if the ruling
coalition is extremely corrupt. So, I am jealous of you, Malaysians. You have
got a right to build a modern democratic nation.
Be patient, Malaysians. Don’t make the mistakes my country did. It will
take a while to see your government work well as you are now in uncharted
waters. I hope your politicians will maintain order and cohesion and help each
other to serve the rakyat. If they start internal fights due to selfishness
like the politicians in my country did, you should stand up and tell them that
unity is crucial to building a better future.
Freedom, democracy and transparency are not given naturally, these are
cultivated by all the rakyat. Your beautiful country taught me about the
importance of unity when I first came here.
TSUMUGU
HASHIMOTO
Kuala
Lumpur
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.