Raja Nazrin's speech on corruption: No mention of Dr M, Pak Lah or Najib as role models

The Regent of Perak, Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah must be commended for speaking out against corruption that reeks in Malaysia to high heavens.

If what is being reported is true to the last ‘T’, the Regent said, “These temptations come in the shape of titles and money, in the shape of beautiful women, diamonds, emeralds and sapphires, in the shape of vacations and holidays, mansions and luxury condominiums”.

Addressing the audience at the Integrity Convention organized by the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission in Putrajaya, he has hit the nail on the head.

What must happen now is, that nail must sink real deep and not just dent nor bend.

The wise words of the Regent echo the very sentiment and concerns that the rakyat have held so close to their bosom in their determination to champion integrity. But that national commitment to fight graft effectively and efficiently is certainly missing – as rightly acknowledged by Dr Nazrin Shah.

And the General Elections results speaks volumes about the rakyat’s anger in the government’s failure to fight graft.

No mention of Dr M, Pak Lah or Najib

Interesting too, in expressing the need to emulate past leaders, the Regent singled out Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and Tun Hussein Onn. No mention of Tun Dr Mahathir? Or how about Pak lah? Or even Najib in his past tenure?

Interesting times indeed!

In any case, the police need to recognize who is the real enemy of this nation. It is not the rakyat who are clamoring, debating, championing and fighting for justice, transparency, fairness, and above all clean and honorable elections.

Self-test

The powers that be need to take the Regent’s speech word for word and ask themselves to what extent have they been guilty. Just make inventories:

> How many titles did you deserve for honest, sincere achievements and contributions to society?

> Did you take money that did not rightfully belong to you?

> Did you fall for beautiful women and if you did, did you also get rid of them like toilet rolls?

> How many affordable diamonds do you have? Did you purchase these through your blood, sweat and tears?

> What about the count of emeralds and sapphires in your drawers? Looking at all those beads and glitter choking your face and neck, it would be hard to believe you bought these at Petaling Street.

> What about all those vacations? Did you pay from your monthly salary? And if so, how could you have salvaged and scourged such sums?

> Yes are you living in mansions? We know so many do. But who is paying for these given your humble salary as a civil servant?

> Do you own condominiums? How come? Where did you get all that money?

The rakyat will thank His Highness, the Regent of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah, for his courage in spelling out the obvious opulent signs and symptoms of graft in this country.

It is also not too difficult to identify the culprits within the corridors of power who have trappings of all the above signs of graft.

Now, the battle must begin not only to go after all those who have fallen into these temptations but equally if not more importantly, to haul up all those who also were behind in the trading of such sins against this nation.

Action now, the time for words is over

We have talked. We have been talking. We cannot go on hoping to talk some more. It is time to fix the mother-of-all-grafts and corruption – the GE 13, for starters.

We need believable, immediate and universally transparent answers to the allegations, reports, incidents and suspicions surrounding the cheating in the general elections.

The police must protect the citizens who have been fighting too long to save this country and redeem the dignity and honor of this nation.

The enforcement agencies must cure themselves immediately of all taints and shades of suspicion and allegation. Anything short of this will rile the citizens and no corruption or any equivalent amount of threat will stop the march to save Malaysia.

Shheessh……why must we wait till the end of a general elections to talk of all these? Could we not have attended to these sins of corruption long before GE-13?

Therein then rests the failure of power and control. When a government fails in battling corruption despite having three solid decades, the citizens have a right to march at the drum beat of “ITS NOW OR NEVER!” and that is what we call true patriotism to nation and King.

MAILBAG