On the streets of Ipoh, many are tired of politics

IPOH, May 8 — A day after the chaos that engulfed the Perak state assembly, the weariness of ordinary people here towards politics is palpable.

In coffee-shops, warungs and restaurants, the one common ground holding together the man on the street is the fact that most of them are disillusioned and just want everything to be back to normal.

Most people appear to be sympathetic towards what happened to Speaker A. Sivakumar and felt the manner in which Barisan Nasional (BN) took power has left a bad taste in the mouth.

But still, many felt the problem has been dragged on for far too long and would like the politicians to look into more urgent issues rather than argue among themselves for individual and party interests.

Many are feeling neglected and are willing to face an election rather than wait for another three years of uncertainty.

Mohd Shirin Adnan, a local businessman, told The Malaysian Insider that he did not agree with what happened in the state assembly yesterday. He believes that what happened was not democratic and that the assembly should have followed the proper procedures and respected the constitution.

Chong, believes in the wisdom of the people. - Picture by Choo Choy May
“Their actions affects the people, not only in the assembly but also the outside. We must not act like children. What happened in Perak was an embarrassment not only to Malaysia but the whole world. This is not our culture, if you are not happy then wait for the next general election. The politicians must always choose the best way in handling any problems. The rakyat are now smart and not like last time,” Mohd Shirin said.

Another Ipoh resident who only wanted to give his name as Shahir, whose office is located near the state assembly complex, was disappointed with what happened because it affected the people. He said that the politicians were too emotional and could only think about power.

“I am not expert in politics but I do not like it when the problem starts to involve ordinary people.

“What happened to Sivakumar was too harsh. It was not fair. They shouldn’t have acted like that and made the Sultan wait for five hours. They were very immature and disrespectful to the Sultan.

“I do not care who become MB as long as I have a job. What happened with the three assemblymen was PKR’s fault. They do not know how choose candidates with principles. We just have to wait for the next general election,” Shahir said.

Chong Chuan Fin, who has lived in Ipoh for 50 years, fears for the future generation because he feels that the current political deadlock is bringing the state backwards.

“People are wise enough to know what they want but what happened to the speaker was very unfair. I am very disappointed. They were uncivilised.

Zaiton wants peace not havoc. - Picture by Choo Choy May
“They just argue but what do we get from it? I hope the situation won’t end up like Thailand. I don’t think Perak people are angry but sad. What can we say? There is no development, everything has already stopped. Maybe we have to wait for 3 years before anything happens.

“We respect the Sultan but there are two MBs and now two speakers? There are now two governments in Perak. The Rakyat is disappointed with this government and what they have done. If BN were patient and did everything correctly then there would be no argument,” Chong explained.

Ponusamy, who owns a food stall, has grown tired and would like to see stability brought back to the state.

“They are all the same, we just want peace and tranquility. I don’t care who is the government because I still have to wake up every morning, wash my face and go to work. I just want stability,” Ponusamy said.

Zaitun, a housewife, felt that what happened in the assembly was crazy and would like everybody to accept the Sultan’s decision.

“We want peace in Perak, we are not free because of them. We are facing the burden because they do not want to accept reality. Just wait for the next election and vote but for now just listen and not create havoc. They are all acting like they are crazy for power,” Zaitun said.