Isn’t it time we ‘drained the swamp’?

 

By now, you would be familiar with the phrase, “draining the swamp”.

It’s been frequently used since the 1980s in the US. Originally though, it was meant for the physical draining of swamps that their capital city is said to be built on, and to keep annoying mosquitoes away.

In political folklore, it’s a rhetorical saying for a thorough clean-up of ineffective and defective leadership.

Ironically, I thought about this when reading an article in FMT this week.

A few days ago, William Pesek, the award-winning Tokyo-based journalist who writes for Nikkei Asia, said in this article that “Malaysia’s politicians are brawling while the economy burns.”

And, we know that it’s not just the economy that’s burning, but people are dying with this pandemic because of the apparent mismanagement of resources and the lack of cohesive direction.

Suicides are rising at an alarming rate. Health professionals are reporting an increase in mental-health related trauma. And, people are raising white flags for the want of food.

While all this is happening, our politicians are brawling, scheming, plotting and manoeuvring.

And it seems like every other day, someone else says that they’ll be willing to “lead us to salvation”. They argue that their brand of leadership is the panacea for all our ills.

I applaud people who come forward to do something constructive in the hour of our country’s need.

But aren’t these, the very same jokers who put our nation in peril?

Not just in the past year and a half, but systematically over the last 40 years.

And aren’t these fellows, who now say they can do better, the very same people who made countless questionable choices and decisions that were merely politically expedient for themselves?

Then there is another group, who have been top administrators in the past, and are now offering opinions on who could, should or must lead.

I know that many of them are well-meaning Malaysians, who once held positions of authority, like former ministers and senior civil servants, who are speaking out now.

In their heyday, some of them had political power, and others were in senior positions, albeit without political clout. I applaud these fine upstanding Malaysians, for finally standing up.

Although I must admit, I do feel that they would have better served the nation, if they chose to put themselves in peril for the sake of righteousness, and actually stood-up back then, when they were in positions of authority or power.

So, the question remains. What is the real need for our nation now?

To navigate out of this dire situation, should we be looking to the same old players, who now are wearing different jerseys and colours? Or is it time we said thank you and goodbye, wish them well, and tell them as a nation that we’ll take it from here?

I am not a political operative or an activist. I am, however, a management consultant and a leadership coach. Companies hire me to help them deliver better results. My opinion, therefore, is based purely on helping them turn around, or in this case, for our nation to get better results.

I’ve worked with many companies that needed to step up or recalibrate to survive. But a lot of them, even though they realise that change is necessary, struggle with it. Especially when they feel like “…better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”

My task then is to help these reticent and reluctant companies understand how vital it is for their very survival, to “bite the bullet” and make that transformation.

I start by reminding them that change in an organisation leads to many positive aspects. This is an indisputable fact.

It helps them retain a competitive edge and also remain relevant in their business area. Change encourages innovation, develops skills and staff, and leads to better business opportunities.

It improves staff morale, and ultimately brings any business potential growth, and longevity.

I repeatedly hammer home these points to the companies. I also ask them to be aware that any change becomes effective only when it’s done properly, fully and with the total buy-in from their teams.

At the end, if they are still undecided, I ask the owners of these businesses this all-important question:

“What have you got to lose if you make this decision to change things around?”

Well Malaysians, I reckon this is the ultimate question for us too, right?

Really, what have we got to lose that we haven’t lost already?

The overwhelming majority of us have seen our savings wiped out, our jobs teetering on the brink, our businesses failing or just about hanging on by the skin of our teeth.

Our public services, especially the most important ones, healthcare and education, are at a critical stage. We have been in a state of “emergency” since January, but literally nothing useful has come out of it.

Things haven’t got an iota better. On the contrary, we are worse off than we were six months ago.

Can it get any worse? Are they telling us the truth? Is there any transparency in what’s going on?

So, what more have we got to lose?

Isn’t it time we change, and get a whole bunch of people who are not tainted by a chequered past?

And is it not appropriate at this point in our history for us to jettison the people who have messed us about, and focus on looking for those who have a track record of being exemplary at their work or professions, and are now just interested in serving the people of this nation?

Before you ask me, “…but who is there”, or “…she/he is too young”; let me be clear that I don’t have any specific answer for this question. I don’t know who should lead us out of this deplorable chaos.

But I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that it cannot be any of the people who have failed us thus far.

I cannot but agree with that saying that is attributed to Albert Einstein, “…insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.”

We must clean up our act, become responsible citizens, and be open to new faces and new ideas. We cannot be fearful, and only cling on to the people who are known to us.

We must be brave and decide that it does not matter if someone has no experience or is a fresh face. All that matters is that they have integrity, can present new ideas, be able to bring disparate Malaysians together, and have boundless energy for work at hand.

And, this process must begin with us “draining the swamp” or in our case, the “paya”! - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.