If I were...the Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan

If I were the Sultan of Perak, I will recognize that the quagmire that my state is in is possibily destiny's beckoning. I would first take a deep breath and sit down to think before making any decision on the political impasse in my state.

As a legally-trained professional, I will remind myself again and again what I have always preached on the topic of good governance and the importance of integrity in leading a nation. It was not too long ago when I myself lectured that ‘only those who are capable, responsible and scrupulously honest should be allowed to serve in positions of leadership.’

I will bear in mind my esteemed reputation as the most wise and respected ruler in the Council of Malay Rulers, regardless whether the larger-than-life standing was truly justified. Knowing fully well that Malaysians are currently in state of political awakening, I must do the right thing so that my subjects in the Silver State will remember me as the ruler who defied feudal warlords. We are after all, mere mortals and will one day leave this earth without any of our worldly possessions.

Apart from that, I will look back at the times when Ipoh and Perak as a whole was a shining example of sound leadership as opposed to the current state of affairs. I have ruled and reigned long enough to see the marked deterioration of Ipoh city. The city built on tin is more of a retirement home now. The young have let to seek job opportunities in Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Abandoned homes and vacant shops are a dime a dozen. The elderly in land who have contributed to its development are growing old without the company of their children or the pleasure of noisy, rowdy grandchildren.

The airport named after me receives only one flight each day and even so, an airplane that is barely occupied. This airport that bares my names pales in comparison to the bustling Kota Baru airport in PAS-led Kelantan. If there was one thing my state can boast to superior in, it’s the ubiquity of old folks’ home and other nursing institutions.

At this juncture, I will realise that Perak has truly degenerated and regressed from its namesake. It is no longer silver, it’s not even scrap metal. It’s just a vast piece of land with abundant resources that has been plundered repeatedly and shamelessly over the last 50 years. While the daylight looters robbed and enriched themselves in the name of democracy, the people remained poor and perhaps became even poorer over the years. This is something I do not have to search far and wide to see for myself. Not far from the heart of Ipoh city - in Buntong, Meru and Pasir Pinji my rakyat are still staying in makeshift homes made out of zinc and leftover plywood.

I will now question myself whether I have lived up to my reputation and much lauded preaching. Can I look back and honestly claim that I have safeguarded the interests of the simple folks of Perak Darul Ridzuan? Can I even claim to have upheld the integrity and sovereignity of the Malay Royalty? Have I in a state of unintended complacency allowed a party of money-minded politicians to insult the intelligence of my citizens and usurp the rights and powers of the Malay royalty?

I will consider the implications of ordering a power transfer to the Barisan Nasional. At first glance, I will notice that it is not even BN as I know it to be. Essentially, it will be an UMNO government, with UMNO holding 28 seats and MCA a solitary seat. Not only that, I am also empowering the likes of Hamidah Osman, state assemblywoman for Sungai Rapat who regarded Indian Malaysians as worse than snakes. Is this the legacy that I desire to leave behind?

My thoughts are increasingly disturbing by now. I must however look back at the last ten months of governance under the informal coalition christened as Pakatan Rakyat by Malaysians of all races and religion. It was a short time to gauge any state government. Nevertheless, news from the ground and even from the BN-dominated mainstream media have given positive reviews to the bedfellows made up of supposed DAP Chinese chauvinists and PAS ultra-Islamists.

In the last ten months, my subjects living in new villages for the last 50 years were finally given the opportunity to apply for freehold land titles. Malay villagers crying foul that their land for cattle-grazing has been snatched are finally getting their voices heard by none other that the Menteri Besar Nizar Jamalludin himself. For the first time in the history of Malaysia, an Indian Malaysian was given the post of Speaker of the State Assembly. I should have felt proud that this took place in my beloved Perak Darul Ridzuan. Perhaps I should have gone to the ground and asked the people if they were satisfied with the leadership and administration of the Pakatan Rakyat state government?

Indeed, if I were the Sultan of Perak, I will dissolve the state assembly and allow my rakyat to speak up once again.

As it is however, I am not the Sultan of Perak, which is why UMNO has now hijacked the silver state of Malaysia.