ARE Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his daughter’s arrogance part of the “new normal”, too?

Article 8(1) of the federal constitution states that all Malaysians are equal in the eyes of the law. Well, at least that’s de jure of what the constitution prescribes. The fact of the matter is, the rakyat are all equal, but some are just more equal than others.

You see, in this country we call “tanah airku”, having a “Datuk” in front of your name gives you some sort of superpower that wouldn’t be out of place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Specifically, in the case of one Datuk Nurulhidayah, it grants you a “get-out-of-jail” card when you blatantly break the law.

In fact, the Datuk status allows you to bypass the legal system altogether, even if your Datukship came in dubious and nepotistic circumstances. This can be seen in the little to no action taken against VVIPs who flout the movement-control order (MCO), compared to laymen who do the same. Might as well rename the MCO to “ marhaen (layman) control order” at this point to make enforcement more accurate.

It’s fascinating how in such an unprecedented time, when our nation is ravaged by a pandemic, Malaysia has reverted back to its old ways. Nepotism and cronyism are remnants of the old Barisan Nasional regime that have not faded away. Now, in the wake of the new normal, the old ways are creeping back in and taking charge once again.

From what we’ve seen from our new government MPs, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s new normal is immensely worrying. Perikatan Nasional has no shared ideology, nor does it have a manifesto. Therefore, this government possess no accountability, for it was born through unnatural means and seemingly doesn’t abide by or respect the rule of law.

Malaysia’s new normal is a coalition of opportunistic, power-hungry MPs clamouring for positions in the midst of a pandemic. Their arrogance is equally matched by their sense of entitlement, such as how they feel it is their right to be given chairman positions in all government-linked companies.

Worst among them has got to be Nurulhidayah’s father, Zahid. The Umno president openly disrespected the PM by making a ludicrous request for the benefit of himself and his once-disgraced party, asking that Sabah Umno members be given positions in the cabinet.

Alas, this goes to show that Zahid and Umno’s arrogance and sense of entitlement know no bounds. Moreover, looking at the actions of his daughter, one could say the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

Maybe, this is what Muhyiddin was alluding to when he said we are tired of politics. And to the answer the question, yes, we are indeed tired of politics. Especially the gutter politics that your unprecedented coalition has brought back to our nation through the guise of a new normal. – April 29, 2020.

* Jamie S. reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.