We are at a period of our political development, where great things are afoot in the political arena with unprecedented ferment for change, and Patto should be a model for all Malaysians in the fight for justice and freedom in the next election to lay the basis for far-reaching political change to create a New Malaysia.
Patto should be a role model not only for every Malaysian Indian, but for every Malaysian citizen, as to how we should fearlessly stand up against all forms of injustices, inequalities, exploitation and abuses of power to expand the horizons of justice and freedom for all Malaysians in the country.
The recent phenomenon of political uprising among the Malays, the Chinese and the Indians covers a wide spectrum of public demands for change - political, economic, social, cultural, integrity in public life and good governance.
Malaysians not only want to see the restoration of an independent judiciary, a professional and fair-minded Attorney-General, an independent and professional Police, they also want to see the end of corruption, cronyism, nepotism and the misallocation of limited public resources at the expense of the fundamental rights of Malaysians of all races to the best in education, housing and health care.
The Government has spent RM5 billion so far to build the new federal administrative capital, Putrajaya, which could be better spent to build low-cost houses for 250,000 poor households or to provide quality and affordable education and health care to low-income Malaysians.
The memory of Patto’s dedication and sacrifices for the cause of justice and freedom would be best served if in the next election, a fundamental shift in Malaysian politics could be achieved with the denial and ending of the two-thirds parliamentary majority and the political hegemony of the Barisan Nasional - ushering a new political era for all Malaysians in the new millennium.
(4/7/99)