5 months after GE13, BN back to its bad ways blinded by arrogance, cheered on by Umno Malays

GE13 is already five months behind us now, but over these past two weeks, the condition of mental regression among our politicians has actually gone from bad to worse, probably because the Umno party election is just around the corner.

If our leaders choose to regress to conservatism in order to please the voting delegates and if Umno fails to revert to the right track after this, there is then nothing much we can count on the transformation programme.

We have heard a good deal of absurd remarks over the past two weeks, including shoot-first before arrest, threats to close down newspapers, only a handful of items have civil servants purchased at inflated prices, lost guns could have dropped into the sea, Chinese Malaysians specialise in illegal activities, and universities should progressively phase out English teaching.

Denial mode

Mental regression is a gravely serious phenomenon that is poised to bring on negative impact on a number of areas.

Firstly, the spirit of rule of law could be eroded, jeopardising PM Najib's legal reform initiatives. The 2013 Prevention of Crime Act (Amendment and Extension) has been hastily passed in the Parliament, dealing a major blow to the principles of law.

Although the minister has assured that the police would not abuse the power to detain a suspect before trial, given the level of professionalism and capability of our police personnel (to an extent that even guns and firearms can be lost), such assurance is simply unconvincing.

Some have justified the act citing the fact that detention without trial has been practised even in the United States, without realising that the US has used the anti-terrorism act to deal with mostly foreign terrorists, not criminal suspects.

The argument that the police should be allowed to shoot if they have evidence in hand is a mere contempt of he country's legal system. How can the police ever double up as judges? How can they be sure the evidence they have in hand is flawless?

The current standard operating procedures for police shooting are anything but transparent. Although the IGP has reiterated that the police are only allowed shoot if their safety is threatened, the minister has nevertheless given the green light. Unforewarned shooting could result in wrongful killing. The wrongful killing of 14-year-old Aminulrasyid offers a good instance.

Aminulrasyid's death has nevertheless failed to make the authorities realise that human rights and lives must be respected.

Arrogance of power

The inflated power of public institutions has also brought about arrogance of power, and we have seen instances of this. This will only aggravate the conflicts between the civil society and those in power.

Secondly, the responses from government officials on the AG's Report reflects the truth that accountability is almost non-existent in our government.

Not a single minister has admitted that the revelations in the AG's Report are instances of corruption. To make things worse, Institut Integriti Malaysia president Mohd Tap Salleh even said civil servants had not bought everything at inflated prices, only a couple of overpriced items in the midst of reasonably priced items.

If buying overpriced items is not construed as acts of malpractice and power abuse but just negligence and lack of competency, then why such things kept happening year after year?

The 2012 AG's Report revealed that the police had lost 44 numbers of guns over the last three years. Losing guns could be a very severe violation overseas, but our IGP defended the violators by claiming that the guns could have fallen into the sea!

MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Hj Abu Kassim Mohamed's response was nothing exciting, suggesting that the government review the existing laws to make civil service negligence a punishable crime.

As the Auditor General Ambrin Buang has said, it wouldn't help serving only oral warnings to erring civil servants. In the absence of culture of accountability, no one will bear the responsibility or feel embarrassed by their wrongdoings while corruption would get further aggravated.

Politically, more and more people are putting their hands on sensitive racial issues in winning the hearts of more conservative party members. Umno vice president candidate Mohd Ali Rustam is one such person.

End of reforms

Playing up racist politics will only accentuate racial polarisation which does not augur well with Najib's 1Malaysia concept.

In addition, second finance minister Ahmad Husni just said days ago that the bumiputra empowerment policy is an extension of the NEP, spelling the demise of the government's pledge in New Economic Model based on meritocracy, transparency and equality.

Allowing the police to detain suspects before trial is contrary to the legal reform programme while leniency towards corrupt officials goes against the government's transformation programme. Adopting BM teaching in tertiary institutions will only mean a drastic turn in our educational reform.

Competition in a globalised world lies with the right thinking. If we fall back on our thinking, the future of this country is doomed.

mysinchew