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ON 13 August 2025, in a mall car park in Putrajaya, the unthinkable happened: a 12‑year‑old boy—no more than a child—was dragged, threatened, and jabbed with a syringe by masked assailants on a motorcycle.
This was not spontaneous; it was planned, precise, a terrifying message. And who was the target? Not just the boy—his father, Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, Pandan Member of Parliament, former Economy Minister, and unwavering voice against corruption and complacency in politics and government.
Let us be clear: this isn’t politics. This is criminal intimidation. It is the fruit of a political culture that has grown comfortable with hate‑mongering as entertainment and petty vendettas cloaked as national issues. We call it the “parliament of owls” in hopeful irony—where wisdom and intelligence should thrive, but what we see instead are hyenas revelling in cheap theatrics and fear.
Politics is no longer theatre— it is duty. This moment demands not spectacle, but responsibility; not slogans, but safeguards. Yet the narrative in many corners of our political class remains performative, focused on tearing at one another, erecting tribal lines to inflame rather than resolve.
We are fed up. Malaysians do not express disagreements via street protests; our very streets now seem unsafe—even our children are no longer exempt from the fallout of self‑serving political malice and corruption
This assault is a natural culmination of a corrosive environment cultivated by cadres who treat every disagreement as existential threat, every dissent as justification for lurid incitement.
Our politicians have weaponised language, turned everyday grievances into existential conspiracies, and in so doing have militarised our social discourse.
Enough.
Rafizi’s family didn’t deserve this. His son was not the target because of any policy failing; he was collateral in a wider campaign of fear. Yet Rafizi vowed that he will not bow to any threats, that he will continue his duties as usual.
That, precisely, is leadership. I have often disagreed with him, but I have never doubted his love for his country, nor his belief he was doing what he felt was right.
We must all stand with him—with both words and actions. This is not a something that requires a political calculation. It is simply something we must all do because it is absolutely the right thing to do.
We must demand:
• Accountability, and real consequences— which must include political fear and hate mongers.
• Zero tolerance for hate speech in Parliament and public fora—debate is not a battlefield, but a responsibility.
• Protection for public servants and their families—because democracy cannot function when the marketplace of ideas becomes a gauntlet of fear.
• A reset of our political discourse, away from spectacle and back to substance.
I have often said that leadership is not about titles, speeches, or applause. It is about the burden of responsibility, the courage to act, and the humility to serve. Today, this must echo louder than ever.
If our politicians choose to continue feeding the beast of tribalism and rancour, they will only embolden the hyenas to strike again—against our institutions, our families, our children.
This is a test—not of Rafizi, not of one man, but of Malaysia’s soul. Do we sink deeper into cynical spectacle, or do we reclaim the duty of discourse, the dignity of disagreement, and the safety of our society?
We have shown, time and again, that when tested, Malaysians rise. We stood against corruption, intolerance, fear. We can do it again.
Know this if we allow what happened to Rafizi's family to go unanswered by thunder and lightning, then it's only a matter when, not if, it happens to any of us. Let this horror galvanise us—not silence us.
Stop.
Just stop.
Don’t test the wisdom of the Malaysian people. We are watching. And we demand better. - August 15, 2025
Datuk Dr Vinod Sekhar is the publisher of the Vibes and Chairman of the Petra Group