While The World Looks Up We Are Still Stuck Below

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Last week, international media turned its attention to a strange, fast-moving object named 3I/Atlas. Scientists believe it is the third known interstellar visitor to pass through our solar system, possibly artificial, possibly natural, but certainly mysterious.
Speculation about extraterrestrial life filled headlines and social media feeds, and once again, the global gaze shifted upward in curiosity and fear.
Meanwhile, on our own streets, last Saturday, thousands marched under the banner of #TurunAnwar, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The contrast could not be more telling.
While the world looked to the skies for signs of other life, Malaysians looked inward and asked whether their lives were getting any better.
ADSThe rally, though energetic, has become another episode in a cycle that repeats itself too often. Claims of high turnout were countered by official estimates suggesting otherwise. Organisers said they were speaking for the rakyat.
The government dismissed it as political theatre. Online narratives clashed with street-level reality. And at the end of it all, few were clearer about what exactly had been achieved.
Yes, there is public frustration. Nobody should deny that. Diesel is more expensive. Groceries cost more. Electricity tariffs continue to climb. Wages remain flat while job competition rises.
These are not imagined concerns. They are daily struggles. But the question we must ask is whether a protest demanding the prime minister’s resignation brings us any closer to resolving them.
Pressure valve
This is not a defence of government missteps. Reforms have been uneven. Communication has often been poor. Some policies feel detached from the realities of those struggling to cope.
The pain is real. But so is the context. The administration inherited structural weaknesses, fiscal debt, and decades of subsidy distortion. Fixing that system will hurt before it helps.
To be clear, protests have their place in a functioning democracy. They are a pressure valve. They send signals. But when protests become tools for destabilisation, especially before reforms can take root, they do more harm than good. Not every gathering is a revolution. Not every slogan is a solution.
What is dangerous is when we allow politics to mimic the media habits we criticise. The alien object in space became viral news not because of its scientific value alone, but because it fed a hunger for spectacle.
Similarly, when political actors craft campaigns more around emotional symbolism than structured reform, we risk indulging the same instincts. And in both cases, clarity suffers.
True reform
Malaysia is not short on complaints. It is short on patience and policy continuity. Every government in recent memory has struggled to govern without being toppled or threatened before its agenda matured. That is no way to run a country.
ADSIf we expect long-term change, we must be willing to endure short-term discomfort.
The rally may have given a voice to some. But what it did not offer was a credible roadmap. It called for a resignation, not a recovery. It shouted about pain, but did not present a coherent cure. And it risks telling the rakyat that disruption, not reform, is the only way forward.
No government should be immune to criticism. But criticism must lead to better policy, not perpetual paralysis. The government must do more to cushion hardship, close the communication gap, and deliver results.
But the rakyat must also recognise when frustration is converted into political currency.
True reform is slow, messy, and painful. But it is the only path that leads to something better. If we abandon it every time it gets uncomfortable, we remain stuck in cycles of outrage without outcome.
So let us keep our eyes on Earth. The answers are not in the stars. They are in our resolve to stay the course, even when it is hardest to do so. - Mkini
MAHATHIR MOHD RAIS is a former Federal Territories Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional secretary.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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