When will the influential speak up for the Ah Bengs?

The elites are too concerned with profits, power and the good life to speak up against abuse of power, corruption, and injustice.

COMMENT

poliiiBy TK Chua

In Malaysia, everyone of substance is an insider. The system of patronage and mutual reinforcement is almost perfect. This is probably one of the reasons why real change is almost impossible.

Politicians will take care of themselves when they are in power and when out of power. The recent forced resignation of Robert Mugabe comes to mind. He was able to negotiate an “out of power” settlement and those who succeeded him were essentially “part of him”, jointly governing Zimbabwe to the ground in the last few decades.

What real change then can we expect from this transition?

For more than three decades Mugabe did not have to resign even though the country under his rule was getting worse. He could still get his “votes” to govern. So what has changed?

To me it is just the “changing of the guard” – the real power is still retained within the same group of elites who will probably continue to govern Zimbabwe the way Mugabe did.

For Malaysia, the same nexus of politicians, top civil servants (both serving and retired) and corporate bigwigs is fast emerging.

Just look at the number of retired politicians in cushy appointments in private corporations, statutory bodies and GLCs.

The same goes for former top civil servants, judges, policemen and generals. The nexus is complete when private corporations, out of expediency, have never stopped to seek them out for appointment into their respective boards.

I may sound a little pessimistic, but I can see the mutual reinforcement of elitist power within our establishments, from the government, the civil service to the private sector.

Just ask ourselves this question – how many men and women of substance in this country (other than opposition politicians) can speak up against abuse of power, corruption, and injustice today?

It is ironic really; when an Ah Beng like me speaks up, people ask, who am I to do this? But then, can the people of substance and influence really speak up for us?

When well-connected elites coalesce, public interests and interests of the common folks are side-lined. Who, for example, cares about labour rights or fair wages in the country? Who is concerned with consumer rights? Who cares about fair privatisation, reasonable toll and utility tariffs, and environmental degradation? Who cares about monopoly power and uneven dealings and transactions?

The elites are too concerned with profits, power and the good life to care for all this.

There is now a contest for political power between different political parties and coalitions. I think real change will only come about once we have dismantled the nexus among the elites in the country.

We must include more trade union leaders, educationists, researchers, social activists and consumer advocates, not just former politicians, top civil servants, judges and generals in our many establishments, both in the public and private sectors.

Think about it, what can former top civil servants and politicians sitting on the boards of banks, infrastructure corporations, privatised entities, GLCs, private corporations and superannuation funds do for social justice and equity?

TK Chua is an FMT reader.