THE success of Pakatan Harapan (PH) convincing Malaysians that the root of all evil was former prime minister Najib Razak was nothing short of genius.

Najib, whether deserving or not, was the most hated man in the country at a point just before the May 9 polls, and Malaysians blamed him for everything, from more expensive ikan kembung to corrupt government officials.

But the danger in vilifying one man and his team – no matter how easy they were to abhor – is that we stand the risk of believing that all the wrongs of this country will disappear with the fall of the old regime.

The truth is that it took more than Najib and his administration to lead the country to where we were.

The rot of corruption, the increasing economic vulnerability and the strain in society’s racial balance cannot be traced to any one leader, but blame should be collectively shouldered by all past leaders who never had the desire to go against the grain.

And not all blame should go to corrupt leaders.

The deference and adulation we accord our political leaders had made them untouchable, and have led to the erosion of the independence and integrity of our institutions.

While the old Barisan Nasional (BN) government has been changed in the May 9 polls, the dangerous tendency to hero worship our new leaders have remained.

It is unsurprising that Anwar Ibrahim, the face of political rebellion and all that was wrong with our system for the last 20 years, won the PKR presidency uncontested ahead of the party’s coming elections.

But what has become increasingly uncomfortable is the great extent to which PKR leaders are going to outdo each other in proving their loyalty and abject reverence for Anwar.

This Anwar-worship has manifested in several uncomfortable forms, starting with the offer by several lawmakers to give up their seats – as if it was some kind of toy or property that was theirs to give or keep – to Anwar to pave the way for his return to Parliament.

And then there’s the battle between Rafizi Ramli and incumbent Mohamed Azmin Ali for the party No. 2 spot.

Instead of campaigning on leadership ability and track record, or on how each candidate can help lead PKR and PH along the path of reform they have long championed, the fight has come down to who is more loyal to Anwar.

Anwar, in the eyes of PKR members and perhaps many Malaysians, is the embodiment of change and a new Malaysia, but it is this same level of deification which had created our past leaders who could act with almost total impunity.

Anwar, like all of our leaders and those who claim to have the nation’s best interest at heart, must be judged based on his words and his actions, not on the symbol of anti-oppression he built his image on the last two decades.

Malaysians should not have to merely accept that our next prime minister “deserves” to helm our government purely because he was unjustly jailed and spent years of his life in prison on politically-trumped up charges.

We should be convinced that our next prime minister is a leader who is actually committed to making right the system that had wronged him, and not a former leader who has grown out of touch with what Malaysians really want.

If there’s one lesson Malaysia must learn from the last 60 years, it’s that no man is infallible.

And even the most well-intentioned of leaders will ultimately be tainted by the lust for more power, especially if those around him continue to accord him blind and absolute adulation.

We would do well to remember that our leaders from here on must never reach a stage of invincibility, lest in another 60 years, the “new Malaysia” our children will inherit will look very much like our old. – September 10, 2018.

* Julia Yeow has been in journalism for two decades and counts it as her first love, despite enjoying brief stints as a lecturer, clown and salad maker. She is a strong believer in social justice, and holds that there is sometimes more truth in the greys, than the blacks and whites.

* 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.