Knowledge, Power and Moral Leadership

COMMENT: I agree with Haridas on the quality of our present leadership. The pursuit of power without a moral compass can lead us all to unmitigated disaster. Najib’s politics has undermined public confidence and trust and soiled our image abroad.

The Wall Street Journal reported that FBI is probing 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) for alleged money-laundering activity. Journal (WSJ) reported today citing an anonymous source. Najib is the Chairman of 1MDB’s Advisory Board. It also pointed out that its previous report alleging that US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) was funnelled into Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s accounts involved two deposits made via US banks, a Swiss international bank and Wells Fargo in New York. It followed up last month with another report alleging that US$1.4 billion in payments from 1MDB to a UAE sovereign fund were missing from the Middle Eastern firm’s accounts.

The July report, in particular, appeared to trigger of a series of events in Malaysia that eventually led to the amount being declared a donation from the Middle East while local investigations into 1MDB were also either suspended or redirected. Improprieties involving 1MDB and its transactions are also being investigated in Switzerland, the SAR of Hong Kong, and, most recently, the United Kingdom. How long more can our county the toxicity of corruption, racism, and greed? –Din Merican

Knowledge, Power and Moral Leadership

by K. Haridas

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Moral Leadership for All

Instead of providing the moral leadership that Malaysians are looking for, our present leaders seem focused on retaining power that is poisoned by collective bad faith and polluted by unfettered greed. When the Prime Minister blatantly and unashamedly exploits racial sentiments, it is clear that he has little to offer our nation and is ready to play with fire to sustain his position.

What does this mean for the rest of us? Are we going to condone such actions and let it be because at the next occasion this may mean ethnic strife and violence? Will we only learn when it is too late? These are critical questions that we cannot just wish away.

We see evidence of a leader who is all things to all people, a democrat now, a moderate later and a racist when it suits him, and one who unconsciously speaks with a forked tongue displaying that he stands for nothing and falls for everything.

At the opening ceremony of the Muar UMNO building, he said that UMNO is not a racist party. The fact is that all member parties of the ruling coalition are racist parties. Barisan Nasional (BN) is a coalition of race-based parties where the whole (BN) is weaker that the parts. They are not a multi-racial party unlike PKR or DAP. These are independent stand-alone multi-ethnic parties.

It is this confusion in the mind of the Prime Minister that makes him and his cronies act different roles depending on the situation and the audience. The language of the “red shirts” and their stance was racist in essence and for the PM to endorse and support such a cause defeats the notion of 1Malaysia.

The fact that BN has not transformed to become a multi-ethnic party is the cause of the incongruence between what is espoused and the reality on the ground. Every transcending idea be it the Rukun Negara, Vision 2020 or 1Malaysia has failed because racist parties are imprisoned within their own narrow thinking.

Malaysians must stand up and be clear about what is acceptable. It is sad that other members of the BN coalition have not taken a strong and clear stand on this issue. We have had some rambling from the Youth wing of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), the Gerakan party and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC).

If members of the ruling coalition are not going to take a stand on divisive ethnic issues stoked by an imaginary hurt to the dignity of UMNO Malays then the ghetto mentality will continue to breed negative sentiments within a sector of Malaysians.

Well, to some extent we are all to blame. For too long we have rationalised the role of BN under slogans of stability and moderation only to realise time and again that these are just political gimmicks without substance.

Understanding and respect for coalition members is fundamental. However, the bullying tactics by the first among equals, UMNO, and the reactions from the other component parties has led to an overall loss of support for BN. As a result of their poor showing in the last general election, these parties are referred to by some UMNO leaders as “pendatang” or “penumpang”, that is immigrants or free travellers.

Every component party within BN is riddled with corruption issues. We have all read about the Bank Bumiputra issue, the MAS scandal, issues with GLCs like Sime Darby, the PKFZ crisis not to mention the MAIKA scandal. How this country remains where it is despite these numerous scandals is a mystery.

This raises the poignant question as to what keeps the coalition united in their disunity. Is it money, power, position and titles or a commitment to a large and big enough cause that moves this nation altogether in the direction of greatness? The evidence seems to be that the former holds them together.

It is acknowledged that our diversity is our strength and Malaysian tourism highlights this point. Malaysia has the opportunity to showcase to the world a democratic multiracial nation that works and where diversity is respected and opportunity is shared. However the structure often defines the form and in this instance BN has failed because it has not evolved to respond to the multi-ethnic needs of the nation.

Political relationships require a measure of decorum and an understanding of boundaries. That UMNO has rough shouldered the other coalition members is most evident from the loss of support at the last general election. Race does not provide reason enough to support an inclusive cause. The coalition must accept the fact that they have failed.

An ethnic coalition represents a party where ethnic interests are protected and shared. When such a coalition is based on money and economic interests, then a time will come when greed takes over. The party as a whole becomes unable to deliver and meet the needs and expectations of its constituency.

The antagonisms regularly expressed at annual general meetings of these coalition parties assign blame for the lack of delivery to meet expectations. At these occasions one party will naturally feel that the other is asking too much and the rhetoric that follows stirs deep ethnic feelings and reactions.

The sense of respect and friendship gets thrown out of the window and stark and hurtful comments follow. As the “first amongst equals”, UMNO must take responsibility for the worsening ethnic relations within the coalition and in the nation.

There comes a time when race or ethnicity can no longer be the raison d’etre for a political party. The present political formulae have been with us for over five decades. The disenchantment is obvious. BN themselves have lost their two-thirds majority in the lower house of Parliament. They are in power purely because of gerrymandering.

The question that many Malaysians are asking is whether the time has come for us to make a shift. To move away from ethnic politics and to spell out a commitment based on meeting the needs and promises made to all Malaysians.

Politics should drive such an agenda. We need Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners and at this time of crisis we need brave souls who will lead to make such a shift possible. Interracial harmony in Sarawak could provide meaningful lessons for all of us.

The agenda should not only be about autonomy but an undertaking to honour the 20 point agreement. Sabah and Sarawak have an opportunity to take advantage of this window to ask and ensure that their cause is met. In so doing they will also need to hitch their wagon to a political cause beyond race and religion.

They hold the trump card. Will they miss this chance to make a singular contribution and bring a difference to the politics of the nation, one based on governance and justice? We must trust that what is right and best as well as sensitive can be fashioned by Malaysians – provided we move away from ethnic-based thinking to one based on justice and fairness. This calls for negotiations, discussions and consultations.

The motivations of the present government make this nigh impossible. Malaysia is suffering from a serious credibility crisis and the time has come for individuals and parties to re-negotiate their priorities. The present situation is untenable and in the long run, distrust and loss of confidence will grow daily from within the nation and in the international arena.

Those who represent Malaysians in the Dewan Rakyat have serious questions to ask, for it is at a time like this when history is in their hands. Will new combinations be formulated on the basis of what is best for Malaysians as a whole, our democratic traditions and the future of our children? We cannot continue doing what has been done for five decades and expect to get different results.

Those in power will have to take initiatives to bring change. We know that our Parliament is a mere rubber stamp, our judiciary is not independent and we have an autocratic executive that is unable to address the serious corruption and mismanagement issues that are evident. There are too many skeletons in the cupboard of the prime minister and he is suffering from a serious lack of personal dignity brought about by his actions.

Will our parliamentarians stand up and make a difference? They must join hands in a bipartisan manner and undertake what is best for the nation. We must take steps to address the present serious national crisis. Where are the leaders, where are the Malaysians of conscience, where are the patriots who will together take on this initiative?

Francis Bacon’s thought that knowledge is power is perhaps correct from an individual perspective. A nation flourishes when both are combined in the same individual but faces a grave crisis when some have knowledge and others have power.