As elections loom, let’s be discerning about what politicians say

 Like scams, the populace should be wary about comments from politicians. Some are either fools or perpetual liars, or a combination of both to varying degrees.

“You too, Brutus” are the iconic words uttered by Julius Caesar in the play by Shakespeare after a dagger is plunged into the emperor, resulting in his death.

It refers to a betrayal of trust when one that Caesar held so dearly — considered a close friend and trusted as a “son” — was also involved in the plot to assassinate the emperor who had obviously outlived his utility to the empire.

Another drama of similar proportion is playing out in two of our states. It has precipitated the dissolution of the state assemblies with elections on the cards.

Some have opined that these turns of events are a betrayal of trust between partners. Needless to say, it has obviously sown discord.

Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi had, in the minds of some, purportedly made an arrogant remark about “sitting at the same table” with a coalition partner. One wonders if this remark was out of sheer malice or is merely a political soundbite to score points.

More interesting is his latest comment that “it is easier to announce a manifesto than to implement it” — how true these words ring today.

Looking back, prior to the 2018 general election, without forethought as to the economic consequence, ill-informed and ill-advised promises were made simply to grab votes.

It included abolishing tolls (later found not feasible) and the goods and services tax (GST), which was substituted with a less efficient sales and service Tax (SST), resulting in a consequential reduction of total tax revenues. Now, there are calls for the GST’s reinstatement!

Much was spoken on “mega projects” with overinflated pricing and cronyism. Now, there is another round of disinformation.

In 2022, I penned an article entitled “Cut emotional tirade on national debt”, which sought to add clarity to such political manifestations. An alarmist note on the size of the national debt at well over RM1 trillion was rebutted, as it was close to only RM700 billion based on international standards on computation of national debt.

History has separated truth from overindulgent self-serving fiction.

The launch of the LRT3 brought back to mind comments related to how, just after a new government was formed in May 2018, stations were downsized and train carriages reduced given the truncated platforms.

Anyone can save money on “mega projects” by changing specifications to lower requirements and then postulate that they “saved” the nation billions on alleged overpriced contracts.

Just because a project cost is high does not necessarily translate that there is an element of corruption, unless investigated and proven so. Specifications inevitably translate into costs.

Appreciation was extended to a past prime minister at the opening of the LRT3 for his foresight, and the current one for reinstating the earlier deferments (which formed the crux of the purported “cost savings”).

The proof is in the pudding when “deferred” stations are reinstated, indicating that there was a real need to provide an efficient service as opposed to “grandiosity”.

The issue of the project delivery partner model, which allegedly creates a “perverse incentive to inflate project value” reflects uninformed thinking.

In all projects, there is a project manager (PM), a professional duly appointed to consider and contain alleged wanton behaviour, if any, from contractors.

Prasarana, not being a new kid on the block, had on board such professional PMs at all material times to curtail such possible inflationary excesses.

As for the apparent upfront savings and RM10 billion in interest cost savings over the next 25 to 30 years, this is questionable, given that it is provided by the same persons who inflated the national debt in 2018. It appears they have a penchant of “playing” with figures.

At the end of the day, the LRT3 benefits the public. It cannot be considered an “ego project” or a white elephant, given the horrendous traffic snarls on the three highways linking Klang to Kuala Lumpur.

Inevitably, the issues played up at state elections are often linked to what is happening at other states and also at the federal level. Individual states are not islands of their own making given that states are also allocated funds from the federal government.

This has become a political tool. On a micro-level, two politicians who attended the launch of a new political party suddenly found themselves devoid of financial allocations.

The acid test is whether the federal government elected in 2022 has delivered on its promise of governance with integrity. It appears the public has been shortchanged on a number of dimensions.

On a positive side, the economy is doing well given the high level of exports, petrol subsidies to curb inflation, and the managing of consequences from the Iran-US episode.

However, effective management of the economy was a given and not a promised deliverable.

Of greater importance, governance, integrity and accountability were touted. There appears to be a degree of undeliverability on this score. The two state elections will carve out their own tale and we await the outcome.

Like scams, the populace should be discerning about comments from politicians — some, sadly for us, are either fools or perpetual liars, or a combination of both to varying degrees. - FMT

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