Eight bags of sugar and eight bags of flour were given out to each person. That’s how I ended up having a photo of these commodities. These were all stuff into large blue carrier bags bearing the handsome portrait of our current Prime Minister and the logo of Barisan Nasional.
The timing of these gifts is opportune, as Chinese New Year is just around the corner and the bags of flour and sugar will go a long way to making a ton of cookies and biscuits, just add eggs and butter. I wonder whose hair-brained scheme this is.
My family remarked that this election is really special. In past elections, we were not treated to so many gifts. Maybe in the villages and long-houses, gratuitous gifts were given to the people. But this time around, practically everyone gets something (I will use my RM250 book voucher to buy MP Jain’s Administrative Law).
Our cleaner commented that this is how elections are like in Indonesia – handouts after handouts. I wondered to myself if that was true, then our democracy is gradually regressing to that of known corrupt regimes in the past.
I feel sad for the BN because they have lost touch with the people. They do not realise that these handouts are not going to win them any votes but will only serve to insult those they wish to attract. Indians do not need bags of rice and the Chinese do not want flour and sugar.
What we need is good governance. With that, we would all be able to afford to buy bags of rice, flour and sugar. But more importantly, we would all have kept our personal dignity in not having to stoop to taking gifts of commodities. No one wants to live off handouts.
I do wish the BN the best though, for the coming GE13. I know that they’ll need it.
Sybreon Ones Nought 