No country for honest men, just MO1

The Malaysian Insight The Malaysian Insight Updated 6 years ago · Published on 26 Nov 2017 10:00AM · 2 Comments

Back in the day, the cabinet dared to stand up to the leader if he dared to propose the doing of dubious deeds. – AFP pic, November 26, 2017.

READING Robert Kuok’s account of Malaysian leaders of a bygone era, one anecdote stood out. 

The anecdote shows how far our current leaders have fallen in integrity, accountability, honesty and sense of responsibility for the country.

In his memoir, Kuok recalls an incident of former prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman writing to then finance minister Tan Siew Sin to tell the tax department to go easy on a poker buddy.

Tan was so upset at being asked to intervene and bend the rules that he marched into the office of Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman. 

Dr Ismail’s advice was brilliant. He told his cabinet colleague that Tunku Abdul Rahman had done his friend a favour by writing the letter. Now Siew Sin had to do the country a favour by doing his job.

And yes, Dr Ismail also crumpled up the letter and threw it into the waste bin.

These men were the nation’s true trustees. 

There wouldn’t have been the BMF and Perwaja  Steel scandals, and most certainly, the biggest act of kleptocracy in the world would never have been allowed to happen.

And there would be no Jho Low or MO1. 

If the PM or Umno chieftains of the day had tried to propose a shady deal, they would have spoken up against it.

What a contrast to the crop of today. 

Cronyism. Nepotism. Every “ism” that the leaders of the bygone era fought against has infected the leadership of the country, from top to bottom.

But even sadder is that unlike the towering giants of the past, we now are surrounded by champions of mediocrity. 

Not for them the integrity and honesty of their predecessors. They prefer to attend to the more immediate need of short-term electoral gains to stay in power at any cost.

Cronies and acolytes are a must, in the interests of development and to ensure the race and religion remain supreme.

That it is lip service is of no concern to those who preach that the end justifies the means. People may remain poor decades after Merdeka but they are fed hope while cronies scoop up the contracts and concessions.

Will anyone in government stand up to such blatant abuse of their mandate? Will any blow the whistle on those who abuse their power? 

The long answer is, no way for sure. The short answer, d’uh. It will never happen and the few who dared to say yes have been sacked and punished.

The simple fact is, Kuok is talking of a time in Malaysia that is long gone. And will never return again. – November 25, 2017.
 

Sign up or sign in here to comment.

Comments

  • It is useless to cry over spilled milk. The Malaysia Insight Editor is too kind and diplomatic with words to describe the current bunch of administrators ------ "But even sadder is that unlike the towering giants of the past, we now are surrounded by champions of mediocrity". It is evidently that the bunch are incompetent bumpkins and those who are a little smarter will be first class criminal in all aspect, especially the Umno group who does not administrate but blatantly taking pride in their full time job in draining the coffers completely and leave not even traces of pennies. We are in miseries and pain and terribly poor---- Why??? it is because of our doing. What is our doing ??? by being silent to allow the monstrosity to propagate and smacked right back to us, affecting even up to the next generation. Meanwhile the actions is always hoping others will take the fight for us. We write , we scream, we curse, we condemn , we gossip and it is just the actions of what the Chinese saying "good to be only a gate dog barking". The discombobulate fervent prayers for divine force to intervene and save the nation reveals the desperation and lack of concrete action forms by oneself. It makes a mockery and ridicule the rationality and deduction capabilities that was bestowed on us by divine grace and yet only to be shamefully silent in our actions. People power is truly dead and elections are just gimmicks.

    Posted 6 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • EVERYONE knows this. The difference in.opinion is one side think it's not hopeless, problem can be contained or changed but the other side thing it's bleak for most of us.

    Posted 6 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply