MANY view the current coronavirus pandemic where humans readily give up most of their natural rights in order to establish civil society as a tragedy.

People feel morally obligated to voluntarily restrict movement and maintain social distancing under the premise of a highly infective and virulent strain. Even Thomas Hobbes, the original social contract philosopher would smile from his grave. We are not short of politicians in our midst whose words and antics often amuse.  

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s recent pronouncement that “lies are enough of a sign that one has lost their integrity, which will definitely lead to other bad behaviours, including becoming a kleptocrat”, is perceived both as a public lecture and sermon-like.

In 2019 Hadi did not rebut accusations that he lied about the terms of settlement for his withdrawal of a legal suit and had to pay legal costs to Sarawak Report editor, Claire Rewcastle-Brown. He even said publicly that lying was permitted if it benefited the party, when its leaders were accused of accepting RM90 million from Umno.

Well, that is not a problem. We are familiar with the age-old saying and mental conditioning “Don’t do as I do but as I tell you to do”.  

Hadi’s statement being sermon-like does not require logical understanding, but pure faith and unquestionable obedience. Religious scholars only need to make short statements without need for lengthy explanation to get the message across, as in this case about lies and integrity.

How unfair for social scientists as they have to link societal phenomena to draw conclusions, often to ridicule. And for health scientists, as in the case of coronavirus, who tirelessly explained and even had to coerce, yet saw lukewarm enthusiasm in the vaccination queue.

Most Malaysians have a problem because we cannot see a clear distinction in a politician robed in a pious outfit. Just accept what he says without question and little need to think.

Politics has imbued in religion far too long causing a society less inclined to think. Emotions hold sway and the people are easily moved by orchestrated sentiments. In essence, the masses surrender their rights and mental freedom to think. If Hobbes were around today, he would surely modify his postulates.

Then, we have the Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, whose ministry is a third of the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry under the previous administration.

With the unending unscheduled dry taps so frustratingly endured by millions after a chemical spill, our country surely needed someone to put in charge specifically for the environment and water.

Malaysians were  unsure if Tuan Ibrahim was suitable for the job. Concern was that, being a religious man, he might put down a natural disaster to be an “Act of God”, a famed Malaysian political escape clause.

In September 2020, when asked to compare the infrequent water supply disruption in the Klang Valley and Kelantan, Tuan Ibrahim confidently said Kelantan could utilise rainwater because it was not heavily industrialised and hence it did not have much acidic rain. Indeed, a brilliant and straight forward answer that needs little thinking, and with little doubt has effectively silenced his critics who questioned his qualification for the job.

Malaysians never knew that a waste product could be clean until Tuan Ibrahim alluded to the two containers of plastic waste that arrived in Port Klang from the US.

He said, “The plastic waste was clean, homogeneous, and followed the criteria as required in the import licence”.

To this day Malaysians could still not fathom why imported discards from a developed country to eventually be recycled by shredding into tiny bits and then either burn or landfill them at Pulau Indah. Pray tell us dear minister.  

The same learned minister, when asked why Malaysia was not invited to the Leaders Summit on Climate Change in the US, had replied that our country was not categorised as vulnerable to climate change.

Naughty Malaysians had the impudence to ask the minister “Which planet is Malaysia on?”. Fortunately, no one thought of asking the minister to leave the artificial intelligence age to return to the stone age.

There has been a dearth of major national issues spoken by leaders of PAS. It would be interesting to hear their views concerning such issues – the fast-rising national debts, rising household debts, the exodus and divestment of foreign direct investment, rising unemployment, plight of SMEs’ sustenance in a protracted lockdown, strategies to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, the concept of vaccine passport for movement control. These are prevailing tragedies in the midst of our current pandemic that caused much hardship.

Are leaders of PAS capable of constructive discourse on major national issues other than those of Malay unity and religion? – April 22, 2021.

* Captain Dr Wong Ang Peng is a researcher with an interest in economics, politics, and health issues. He has a burning desire to do anything within his means to promote national harmony. Captain Wong is also a member of the National Patriots Association.