Why do we choose narrow-mindedness over integrity?

 

We just had a state election last weekend.

Thankfully the “frogs” or the opportunistic party hoppers lost their seats. But the voters in Melaka sent the former politicians who lost their positions in 2018, primarily for the lack of integrity, back to power.

It was a strange result, if you consider that everyone harps on about integrity and righteousness.

Granted, it was a “mid-term” single state election. The turnout was pretty low at about 65%, and the vote majority gained by the overall victors were clearly slim in most constituencies. The obvious gerrymandering of the electoral map definitely played a role, especially with the low number of voters.

Most significantly perhaps, the fatigue that many people have with the credibility of those politicians who were supposed to give us “hope” the last time round, contributed to the return to power of Malaysia’s formidable, if not seriously tainted, coalition.

This time, even with so many pending legal charges, corruption claims, and allegations of malfeasance, they are back in control, as a result of a direct election, and not by the ubiquitous “backdoor”.

I don’t know why integrity isn’t the most important thing Malaysian voters look for in their leaders. As a corporate trainer and leadership coach, I have been schooled to make this a central pillar for all my trainees and coachees.

But when we gather together as citizens exercising our inalienable right to choose our government, everyone’s judgment on integrity, honour, and uprightness seem to get wonky.

Parties with unconvincing track records get retained. And, people who have been acknowledged worldwide as having dubious scruples, get feted as national and community saviours.

To be fair, this is not only a spectacle in Malaysia.

There is empirical research from various scholars at Harvard, the London School of Economics, and the Autonomous University of Barcelona to name a few that indicates this as a global phenomenon.

Their studies clearly demonstrate that while citizens publicly express their strong denunciation of corruption and state their intention of not supporting corrupt politicians, in reality voters around the world only mildly punish these corrupt politicians.

It is mystifying why any well-informed and free citizen would continue to vote for tainted incumbents or political parties. Everyone must know that corruption has severe consequences for our nation, right?

If we have opaque transactions at the highest levels of government, it certainly hinders economic development, and increases inequality. Our exhaustion with the political process over the past few years in Malaysia has surely led to decreased trust in government and other political institutions.

And, the backdoor route that our politicians employ to gain power and authority really does obstruct the fundamental democratic principle, of all of us having impartial access to political representation.

The juxtaposition of our total condemnation of corruption, with the limited electoral consequences of any impropriety, is one of the most perplexing mysteries in our political landscape.

Even when people obtain credible information, many choose to overlook dishonesty or fraud, if they like other characteristics of the candidate or are loyal to a political party.

It proves that narrow-minded partisanship often determines their choice, and simply negates any alleged wrongdoing.

But in business, I know I need to employ people with integrity, above everything else.

Warren Buffet said that when you hire people, you must look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. But if someone you want to hire does not have the first quality, the other two will kill you.

So, being upright and behaving with honour is a non-negotiable requirement in hiring people, if you want your business to prosper and grow.

I know that when I deal with someone who possesses unwavering integrity, I can look at their decisions and be satisfied that they would have used good judgment.

Hiring people with integrity also addresses leadership gaps. If a person has integrity, they command respect and become an influencer. People around them will inadvertently look to them as a role model.

This is the quality that organisations desire in their leaders. But somehow when we decide who should lead and govern our nation, this knowledge just gets thrown out of the window.

If we elect someone with high energy, high intelligence, but low integrity, don’t we risk getting a quick-thinking crook? And, if we elect someone with high intelligence, high integrity, but low energy, we might get a steady leader, but one who probably won’t be an engine of growth.

Today, with all the challenges that Malaysia faces, ranging from our economic situation to our race-relations, don’t we need to elect people with high energy and high intelligence but most importantly with high integrity, in equal measure, to navigate us out of this complex mess?

Don’t we need politicians who tell us the truth, keep to their promises, and are understanding rather than judgmental? Shouldn’t our preference be for candidates who are equitable, ethical, and do the “right thing” despite the fear of negative consequences?

And right now, wouldn’t you and your family be better served if you simply drop bias in favour of electing leaders with a strong sense of duty, evidenced by their behaviour and not their rhetoric?

As a nation, we better start choosing integrity above everything else, or else we will plunge even further down a dark abyss from where we find ourselves at now.

I suppose Thomas Jefferson was right all those years ago, when he said that the government you elect is the government you deserve. The choice is simply ours to make. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.