KUALA LUMPUR: It is unfortunate that many politicians are issuing statements that are racial and divisive in nature for political mileage, National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) chairman Wan Saiful Wan Jan (pix) said yesterday.
He said this would not bode well for both sides of the political divide if they were to inherit a country that was divided.
Wan Saiful said while the country is heading in the right direction, he is worried by the recent racial and religious issues.
“Many people are talking about it (race and religion), but not many are discussing it in a rationale way. What’s happening today is issues are being politicised,” he said during a session at the National Economic Forum, here, yesterday.
“We have a situation where politicians have no qualms about dividing the country even further in order to win power or to retain power. This is wrong. A lot of the things being said are only dividing the country.”
Wan Saiful said there needed to be more responsible politicking in the country, and that politicians should pursue a healthier direction when issuing statements and comments.
“The same responsibility falls on the opposition as well. We must make sure that whether we are in the government or opposition, if we win (the general election), we want to inherit a united country, not one that is divided and broken,” he said.
Wan Saiful was asked to comment if he felt the current government and the country was heading in the right direction.
He said while he believed so, the expectation that the public had on the government during the general election was extremely high.
“As a result, when the change took place, the country was expecting immediate change. On the government’s side, what I think we failed to do immediately after the election was to manage those expectations.
“There was no clear plans for reforms, no certainty about the theme the government will take. And this created concern. But overall, I think we are on the right track. Just that the expectations need to be managed better,” he said.
Wan Saiful said, among other things, the government should improve on its communication and delivery service to ensure the public understand better of what it is doing.
