System broken because of greed, says Rafidah

Former minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz (right) says there is a trust deficit in the country with many Malaysians having little faith in the government. – The Malaysian Insider pic, January 31, 2016.

Malaysia’s leadership needs to do more than fix the economy to repair the trust deficit people have towards the government, as some of the problems lie in human greed, former minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz says.

The Umno veteran, in a Facebook post today, again shared her concerns over the country’s image in the eyes of the world following recent developments, which she did not name.

But she noted a link between current problems and the people who were in charge of “the system”, which she said was being broken by human weaknesses as well as greed.

This country of ours is truly blessed… Why has it become so tainted?

“Why are we in the limelight for such wrong reasons?

“Some key parts of the system (are) indeed broken… (They are) being broken by human beings… by human weaknesses, by human greed in some cases.

“The system can only function to the level of the dedication and commitment of those entrusted with the responsibility as custodians of, and functionaries in, that system.

“There is a direct correlation there,” the former international trade and industry minister said.

Rafidah has several times before expressed her concerns over Malaysia’s international reputation and the government’s handling of current issues following news of alleged financial scandals involving state-owned and government-linked enterprises.

The latest development is the attorney-general’s (A-G) finding that there is not enough evidence to implicate Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak of any criminal wrongdoing over the RM2.6 billion donation and loan given to Finance Ministry-owned SRC International.

But Rafidah in her post said “resolved” issues only “spawned new issues and problems”.

“The credibility deficit continues to widen, and the whole world is watching!

“When the issues have to do with questions pertaining to credibility, trust, confidence, about the system and those entrusted with taking charge of the system, then it is a different ball game.

“It will take more than an economic fix, more than policy initiatives.”

She said a firm grip was needed to repair parts of the “broken” system.

- TMI