Pak Lah, Worry About the Rakyats’ Rice Bowl Instead

SEEING IT MY WAY
Malaysiakini Dec 21, 2006

Pak Lah, Worry About the Rakyats’ Rice Bowl Instead

Co-written with Din Merican

Editorial lead: This is not the time to be nice to any individual. It
is time to be nice to ALL Malaysians and worry about their pots of rice.


As he enters his fourth year as Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi still
does not get it! He is concerned with his son-in-law’s pot of rice,
not that of the rakyats’. Since he cannot brag about the nation’s
economic achievements under his leadership, he is reduced to boasting
of his son’s wealth. There is no glory if his son (and son-in-law)
were rich but the nation poor.

Someone ought to tell him that he was elected to lead Malaysia, not to
take care of the well being of his grown-up family, its friends and
cronies. His advisers and family members have convinced him that those
critics are out to bring him down. If Abdullah persists with his
present pattern, rest assured that this belief would be self-fulfilling.

Abdullah should ponder the fate of another leader who was consumed
with filling in the rice pots of his family members. Suharto’s
downfall was ugly for him, as well as for his family and Indonesia.

Abdullah hides behind accusing his critics of fitnah, a particularly
sinister term replete with profound religious implications. That is
just a case of yet another rouge politician seeking subterfuge behind
religion.

Being intellectually lazy, Abdullah conveniently cocoons himself and
is thus shielded from the harsh realities. There he was a few months
ago rationalizing that he was just “warming up!” Now he pronounces
himself satisfied with his performance! It sure does not take much to
make him satisfied, the smug satisfaction of low expectation.


The Curious Silence of Many

Abdullah is impervious to the plight of the poor devastated by his
recent reduction of oil subsidy. The demands by civil servants for a
40 percent pay hike reflect the general increasing cost and declining
standard of living.

Gone are his promises of open tenders and competitive biddings. Mega
projects like the second Penang link and the new palace are being
awarded without much discussion or formal tender processes. He has yet
to deny disbursing RM600 million to UMNO operatives at the recent
General Assembly, the most obscene and expensive display of money
politics. Six months after the cancellation of the crooked bridge in
Johore and there is still no full accounting of the total costs,
including the hefty penalty payments. He spent hundreds of millions on
the Monsoon Cup for a sporting event that hardly registered on the
Malaysian consciousness.

The self-serving behaviors of his advisors ensconced on the infamous
“fourth floor” of the Prime Minister’s Office are understandable; their
very positions depend on their ability to humor the old man. As for
his family members, there is the traditional Asian filial loyalty: the
father being always right, the son (or son-in-law) always the prince.
That will never change with Malays, Oxbridge education notwithstanding.

As for the others, there is the residuum of feudal Malay culture: the
sultan is always right, challenge him at your peril. Classical Malay
literature is replete with heroes presumed to be derhaka (and suffered
the fate) for daring to correct the wayward ways of their sultans.
Hang Tuah was only the most famous. Whatever the sultan wishes, he
gets, and more. Increasingly, Abdullah is behaving like a pseudo
sultan, minus of course the heritage or even regal charm.


It Takes More Than A Leader To Destroy A Nation

Thanks to the British colonial legacy, our nation is governed by laws
and institutions. Those laws and institutions however, are premised on
having competent and honorable leaders and individuals to serve them.
With the corrupt and the incompetent, even the best laws would
eventually be circumvented, and robust institutions eroded.

Abdullah alone could not destroy Malaysia; his lack of engagement is
perversely an assurance of that. His lack of diligence and attention
however could by default let others ruin the country. If that were to
happen, the blame must then be equally borne by his advisors,
ministers, and senior politicians, pundits, and public servants. They
let it happen.

There are men of integrity in Abdullah’s cabinet (not many), but they
have remained curiously silent. They are either putting their careers
ahead of the fate of the nation, or they condone Abdullah’s shenanigans
and incompetence. Or both. We look forlornly for a local Robin Cook
or Paul O’Neill in Abdullah’s cabinet, men who willingly gave up their
cabinet positions to impress their conviction on their wayward leader.
More recently, a bipartisan group of distinguished retired Americans
told their president publicly and in no uncertain terms that his Iraq
policy is deeply flawed.

As UMNO President, Abdullah is answerable to its members. Judging from
their collective behaviors at the party’s recent General Assembly, do
not expect them to provide responsible checks and balances.
If ministers and UMNO members cannot provide the necessary oversight,
then surely there is the UMNO Supreme Council. Their members, except
for the few appointed by Abdullah and thus beholden to him, are elected
by the membership. Thus we would expect them to be independent. Yet
they too have remained curiously silent.

As we look at the roster of distinguished Malaysians who are now
retired, we are humbled by their accomplishments and contributions in
academia, the professions, and public service. They too are silent.
If they agree with the direction the nation is headed, they should
voice their support so as to encourage the leadership to do more of the
same. If they disagree, then they owe it to their fellow citizens to
voice their concerns. Surely the whole country has not suddenly been
gripped by mediocrity and low expectations. We cannot find any other
explanation for this curious but far from elegant silence.

An African proverb has it that it takes a village to raise a child.
Likewise, it would take more than just a leader to destroy a country.
Saddam could not ruin Iraq without those “enablers” around him. They
too must bore the blame.

When reality strikes and Malaysians find ourselves in an abyss, yes, we
will blame Abdullah. We must also pour our wrath on those others
complicit: his ministers, pundits, and intellectuals now singing his
praise. That ought to make them pause and examine their stance; to
have the courage to impress upon Abdullah of this reality before voters
deliver their verdict in the next general elections.

Abdullah’s self-admitted poor time management is not an acceptable
excuse. His frequent and obvious inattention and dozing off should not
be tolerated. If the burden of the office is too much for Abdullah,
his advisors, ministers, and senior UMNO politicians owe it to the
nation to tell the man to give it up and let others more capable take
the helm.

This is not the time to be nice to any one individual; it is a time to
be nice and considerate to all Malaysians and to worry about their pot
of rice. To remain competitive, Malaysians, leaders and followers
alike, must work hard and smart. Malaysia does not need nor should she
tolerate sleepy heads.