Ministers need to lead by example

A couple of days ago, Higher Education Minister Noraini Ahmad announced a TikTok competition for young people through her social media channels. The proposed competition, which was slated to take place from April 8-14, was promoted in a video featuring Noraini and two social media influencers, Norreen and Iskandar Rahman as well as a poster with photos of the three.

The video and poster were taken down after public backlash. The competition apparently has been cancelled. The reference of it can be found in the minister’s social media channel.

The complaint that many have with the competition is that the minister seems to have misplaced her priorities. As the higher education minister, she should be focusing on the welfare of students during the movement control order (MCO). Some students reportedly do not have enough food to eat, and yet the minister is promoting what is seen to be a frivolous competition.

Putting aside these objections, the biggest offence of the video to this writer is the lack of social distancing shown by the two influencers. In one scene, the two sat close to each other as they were shown talking to the minister.

How can the minister promote a video which ignores the advice given by the government and the Health authorities again and again to maintain social distancing?

It is also clear from the video that it was produced at the minister’s office. Again, this seems to be contrary to the government’s instructions for everyone to "stay at home". It is also clearly in contravention of the MCO regulations, as individuals are not allowed to go out except for certain limited reasons. Shooting a TikTok video is not one of them.

This is not the first time that members of the administration ignored the government’s advice to maintain social distancing. Several ministers have uploaded photographs of them standing close to other people. A deputy minister was photographed with the management of a bread company without social distancing.

It is little wonder that many still do not comply with the MCO. When our leaders themselves do not follow the government’s instructions and advice, how can we expect the people to view such instructions and advice seriously?

Dr Musa Mohd Nordin, a consultant paediatrician at a private healthcare facility hits the nail on its head recently on this issue. In an interview, he said, “As ministers, you must show the best example! If the rakyat sees a minister walking alone, they’ll think 'maybe there’s one bodyguard. There’s no one else around.' But no, we are seeing 100 bomba personnel around. What kind of social distancing is this?”.

The doctor added, “So please, the first thing is through setting a good example. This is important. The National Security Council must give an example. All ministers must show this example. Otherwise, we will fail, because we fail from the top.”

Our leaders, therefore, must do better. If we are to succeed in this fight against Covid-19, our political leaders must lead by example. Good practices must start from the top. Do not dismiss the value of leadership by example, especially in these times of crisis.

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SYAHREDZAN JOHAN is a civil liberties lawyer and political secretary to Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang. - Mkini