COMMENT The Sun carried a headline, ‘MB: it’s LEGIT’. My question to the menteri besar is not about legitimacy, but regarding morality, spirituality, and ethics. The MB, whom I know personally, worked for at least seven years with Ismail Ali, the very ethical founder governor of Bank Negara Malaysia.
As a consequence, the MB himself has given testimony of the values and ethics learned from the elder man. Therefore, my question to my friend, Khalid Ibrahim is: would the late governor ever be caught in a situation as you are in; wherein your legitimacy and desire to stay in power is clearly immoral and unspiritual. My political retort to The Sun and the MB is, ‘Is ISIS in Iraq legitimate?’
Ethics, morality and spirituality in organisational life
In 1989, one of the final doctoral courses I took was called, ethical, moral and spiritual issues in organisational life’. In the first day of class, Professor Jerry Harvey asked us permission to give all of us an A grade, so that we could finish with the course grade, and then go on to really learn and enjoy the class. The effect was electric and unbelievable, to say the least.
We were all doctoral students, and frankly we were past the stage where grades mattered any more but that simple gesture made the class journey even more amazing. Everyone was forced to begin to deal with real issues and concerns of individuals in group behaviour. Sincerity and honesty with views and perspectives were the content of every class. Weekly we had to highlight and write on one issue of concern. The first one assigned for all of us was, ‘Fear’.
Personal integrity includes morality and ethics of conduct
Can one be legitimate in organisational life while immorally getting there? For example, is it legitimate to ask for a tender, allow open competitive bids, and then allow the best bid to win, even if the person who wins it is your own son? But is not the more important question is, is this morally or ethically right?
For example, would not all decision-makers be influenced by the relationship of the best bidder with the boss? Is that not why even in medical ethics, relatives are not allowed to treat the other? Similarly, is that not why, relatives are not allowed to work under the same department, if another relative is the boss?
Similarly, MB Khalid, my question is while your action to retain yourself as MB may be legitimately right, is not the more important question, what are you really teaching your grandchildren about your values you inherited from Ismail Ali which you are so proud of?
Did you not join PKR as a member and does that not implicitly include party discipline? Did you not get nominated to stand, based on the Pakatan’s agreement of allocation of seats? Were you not moved by Pakatan/PKR to anther seat to ensure your re-election? Did not all the people who supported Pakatan at the last general election (GE), which includes me, vote for the three different parties premised upon the desire to give Pakatan a greater mandate?
Why is your memory so short now? Do you really think it was entirely your brilliance that made the difference in Selangor? Were you not part of a team of actors from three different political backgrounds?
Of course the administration of Selangor improved greatly, but as an ex-government officer, you know I have written to you about many other areas of improvement. But you have failed to take action and recently I have made the same complaint to the Dewan Negeri and presented the same to them.
What is the history of parliamentary democracy?
We were students of the same Form Six curriculum and did we not study British constitutional history? What does it say about how the PM or MB is appointed? Does a person ever stand for the post of the PM or MB? Is it not always the person who commands the majority in the house? Do you really have a majority now? That has nothing to do with the sultan, I believe. Or, are you now partaking in the BN model of divide and rule; of the British vintage?
You see, MB, it is normal to have difference of opinions in any democracy, which does not lend her to feudal ways of thinking and acting. But were we not also taught that there are rational ways to resolve such differences, unless of course your argument or position on issues is untenable?
Dear MB, I supported your improved governance but as you and others know, to me, it was never good enough. There was still too much cronyism happening and the Kidex was just one bad example of why I think you have failed to understand us. We are PJ residents; most of whom have lived, worked and had our being in Selangor.
We do not want to be taken for granted. We do not want to be morally abused. We want to be consulted when you do development in our area and arena. We do not believe that government knows best; in fact we are sure they do not, and that is why we want to be consulted.
Therefore MB, please step down, as you cannot continue your’ game-playing any more. You know that we will finally decide, and it is not the sultan or the MB playing games; it is the people who will decide. We have observed how PAS, sometimes does not have party discipline, as in the case of Kota Damansara when my other friend lost because a PAS candidate played foul in the last GE.
We supported PAS because we believed they were serious with their Pakatan alliance; but if that is proven to be wrong, then we the people will get another chance to decide and we will make our choice again.
For now, dear MB, you have lost moral, ethical and spiritual legitimacy in my calculations of things. So, please do not destroy the change process we all started, by personal maverick actions.
We have all learned much from such in the past, we do not repeat them. For that matter, if you are serious with what you said, please step down from your constituency and make the MB issueyou’re your appointment as MB the key issue and let the people decide. Ours is a democracy, but simply using the sultan for your ends and personal advantage is not the way to do things in any real democracy.
I rest my case.
KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years. The views expressed here are his personal views and not those of any institution he is involved with. Write to him at kjjohn@ohmsi.net with any feedback or views.
As a consequence, the MB himself has given testimony of the values and ethics learned from the elder man. Therefore, my question to my friend, Khalid Ibrahim is: would the late governor ever be caught in a situation as you are in; wherein your legitimacy and desire to stay in power is clearly immoral and unspiritual. My political retort to The Sun and the MB is, ‘Is ISIS in Iraq legitimate?’
Ethics, morality and spirituality in organisational life
In 1989, one of the final doctoral courses I took was called, ethical, moral and spiritual issues in organisational life’. In the first day of class, Professor Jerry Harvey asked us permission to give all of us an A grade, so that we could finish with the course grade, and then go on to really learn and enjoy the class. The effect was electric and unbelievable, to say the least.
We were all doctoral students, and frankly we were past the stage where grades mattered any more but that simple gesture made the class journey even more amazing. Everyone was forced to begin to deal with real issues and concerns of individuals in group behaviour. Sincerity and honesty with views and perspectives were the content of every class. Weekly we had to highlight and write on one issue of concern. The first one assigned for all of us was, ‘Fear’.
Personal integrity includes morality and ethics of conduct
Can one be legitimate in organisational life while immorally getting there? For example, is it legitimate to ask for a tender, allow open competitive bids, and then allow the best bid to win, even if the person who wins it is your own son? But is not the more important question is, is this morally or ethically right?
For example, would not all decision-makers be influenced by the relationship of the best bidder with the boss? Is that not why even in medical ethics, relatives are not allowed to treat the other? Similarly, is that not why, relatives are not allowed to work under the same department, if another relative is the boss?
Similarly, MB Khalid, my question is while your action to retain yourself as MB may be legitimately right, is not the more important question, what are you really teaching your grandchildren about your values you inherited from Ismail Ali which you are so proud of?
Did you not join PKR as a member and does that not implicitly include party discipline? Did you not get nominated to stand, based on the Pakatan’s agreement of allocation of seats? Were you not moved by Pakatan/PKR to anther seat to ensure your re-election? Did not all the people who supported Pakatan at the last general election (GE), which includes me, vote for the three different parties premised upon the desire to give Pakatan a greater mandate?
Why is your memory so short now? Do you really think it was entirely your brilliance that made the difference in Selangor? Were you not part of a team of actors from three different political backgrounds?
Of course the administration of Selangor improved greatly, but as an ex-government officer, you know I have written to you about many other areas of improvement. But you have failed to take action and recently I have made the same complaint to the Dewan Negeri and presented the same to them.
What is the history of parliamentary democracy?
We were students of the same Form Six curriculum and did we not study British constitutional history? What does it say about how the PM or MB is appointed? Does a person ever stand for the post of the PM or MB? Is it not always the person who commands the majority in the house? Do you really have a majority now? That has nothing to do with the sultan, I believe. Or, are you now partaking in the BN model of divide and rule; of the British vintage?
You see, MB, it is normal to have difference of opinions in any democracy, which does not lend her to feudal ways of thinking and acting. But were we not also taught that there are rational ways to resolve such differences, unless of course your argument or position on issues is untenable?
Dear MB, I supported your improved governance but as you and others know, to me, it was never good enough. There was still too much cronyism happening and the Kidex was just one bad example of why I think you have failed to understand us. We are PJ residents; most of whom have lived, worked and had our being in Selangor.
We do not want to be taken for granted. We do not want to be morally abused. We want to be consulted when you do development in our area and arena. We do not believe that government knows best; in fact we are sure they do not, and that is why we want to be consulted.
Therefore MB, please step down, as you cannot continue your’ game-playing any more. You know that we will finally decide, and it is not the sultan or the MB playing games; it is the people who will decide. We have observed how PAS, sometimes does not have party discipline, as in the case of Kota Damansara when my other friend lost because a PAS candidate played foul in the last GE.
We supported PAS because we believed they were serious with their Pakatan alliance; but if that is proven to be wrong, then we the people will get another chance to decide and we will make our choice again.
For now, dear MB, you have lost moral, ethical and spiritual legitimacy in my calculations of things. So, please do not destroy the change process we all started, by personal maverick actions.
We have all learned much from such in the past, we do not repeat them. For that matter, if you are serious with what you said, please step down from your constituency and make the MB issueyou’re your appointment as MB the key issue and let the people decide. Ours is a democracy, but simply using the sultan for your ends and personal advantage is not the way to do things in any real democracy.
I rest my case.
KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years. The views expressed here are his personal views and not those of any institution he is involved with. Write to him at kjjohn@ohmsi.net with any feedback or views.
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