It’s the age-old perennial question of why politicians from both sides of the political divide won’t work together to solve the issues which affect the people.
Instead, they bicker, trade insults and play politics. They are so toxic and do the opposite of what they promised in their manifesto. Few people believe what a politician says and many even vow never to go voting again.
However, come general election time, when the evil rhetoric of “defending Islam, protecting Malay rights” rears its ugly head again, the same toxic politicians are returned to power.
Politicians play on our insecurities and fears. Some bribe us with small acts of “false generosity” in the form of wads of RM50 notes stashed in envelopes.
Politicians are the most untrustworthy group of people, but how can we cope with them and what can be done about them?
More importantly, how different is Malaysian politics from the board game Monopoly? Friends fall out, players may turn violent and some families end up feuding when playing the game.
In both the board game and day-to-day politics, the stakes are incredibly high. Politics can be a life changer.
Politicians and their families can be set for life and perhaps for several generations too. Ever wondered why so many older politicians refuse to relinquish their posts?
The game of politics
In Monopoly, each player starts with the same amount of money and nominates a banker whose role is to manage the funds of the bank, manage the auction and distribute the properties and houses.
No one plays according to the official rules and Mr Monopoly is the man who runs the town.
Similarly, in Malaysian politics, the banker or Mr Moneybags is the one to run and finance the show.
If the aim of the real-estate board game is for the player to remain financially solvent while forcing opponents into bankruptcy, then this is no different from real-life politics.
Politicians will do whatever is necessary in their desperation to remain in or to seize power.
Cash is king and is used to buy up properties in Monopoly. Similarly, in politics, money rewards politicians for their newfound loyalty.
Remember the Perak coup, which was orchestrated by the former prime minister and convicted felon Najib Abdul Razak that caused the collapse of the Pakatan Rakyat Perak government in 2008?
Losing trust
In August 2008, the Pakatan trio of PKR’s Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, PKR’s Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu and DAP’s Hee Yit Foong disappeared from public view for a week.
When the trio finally appeared, it was to flank Najib at his press conference where they declared their support for BN and swore their loyalty to Najib. But after the coup, none of the trio put themselves up for election again.
Quite right too, because the public would have humiliated them at the polls and given them a drubbing. They were traitors.
Dr Nizar Jamaluddin, the then Perak menteri besar was ordered to dissolve the state assembly and the Pakatan Rakyat state cabinet was forced to resign.
In an unpopular move, Zambry Abdul Kadir (below) was made menteri besar. Today he is the Higher Education Minister. Perakians do not easily forget.
These morally bankrupt politicians fail to learn their lessons. They are disliked and their corrosive actions forced us to lose trust and confidence in them.
The Sheraton Move took place eleven years after the Perak Coup. The Monopoly board remained the same, with the only difference being the players. A major difference is that one player has been sent to jail. Long may he remain.
Nowhere to hide
In the space of 15 years, the combination of inflation, greed and possibly the cost of living crisis, has caused the price of a politician’s loyalty to rocket.
In 2008, the Pakatan trio allegedly received RM5 million each to switch loyalties. What did the Sheraton Move cost Mahiaddin Yassin and his sidekick Azmin Ali?
The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown aided Mahiaddin and he took advantage of the health chaos by invoking the Emergency Rule.
As no opposition politician could question him in Parliament, he and his National Security Council could do as they pleased.
This is the beauty of the Emergency Rule. No one could scrutinise him or his team. Taxpayers’ money was spent as they saw fit.
Today, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition government is finally embarking on their anti-corruption election promise. Many opposition politicians have everything to fear.
The MACC is investigating a former finance minister. How long before others are called for questioning? Those who helmed other heavyweight ministries are worried.
Will we learn more about the mismanaged and missing hundreds of millions of ringgits in the Ministries of Defence, Education, Health, Agriculture, Telecommunications and Works?
2024 brought unwelcome news about the Dubai Move and more horse trading. Politics has again proven to be just another game and this is what repels us. The rakyat is weary of this one-upmanship and endless political point-scoring.
Politicians say things that they think we want to hear and will not care if it is true or not. They value self-preservation and our interests hardly matter.
Whilst a measure of competition and disagreement in politics is healthy, no politician should simply disagree about anything and everything that the other side proposes. Politics is not a game. People’s lives and livelihoods are affected.
Politicians worship the three Ps: power, position and perks.
So, what measures should we adopt to better manage our politicians so that we treat them with less contempt and derision? - Mkini
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and the president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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