Is everything just opaque in Malaysia?

 

Do we really value transparency in Malaysia?

Every decision made by the authorities, which impacts the life of ordinary folk, is habitually vague and inconsistent, involves shady backroom deals, and is shrouded with opaque transactions.

True to form, in recent weeks Malaysia has once again seen the rise of these vagaries.

In mid-December 2021, Malaysia signed an agreement with Bangladesh to bring in more labour. But as an employer, when I speak to the relevant agents, it seems that everyone is clueless about the details, once again. This, after recruitment was halted in late 2018 due to overwhelming complaints of abuse, corruption and forced labour.

We are told that we can recruit again, but even after that last debacle, things are still unclear about how and what the rules are, now. So, where’s the transparency in the agreement signed by our minister on behalf of the country?

Thaipusam, which is an auspicious day for believers, is another case of the authorities fudging things up. It is an occasion that Malaysia is known for worldwide, and at the eleventh hour, the authorities decided to draw up stringent protocols to throw a spanner in the works.

On its own, it seemed like a prudent decision. Most people understand that SOPs had to be abided by, for everyone’s safety. The majority of Malaysians adhere to these protocols.

What people found perplexing though is when thousands are allowed to flock to shopping complexes for year-end sales; pilgrims returning from the holy-land cause a spike in the latest variant strain of the virus; and our beloved night-markets have been permitted to restart; how then is Thaipusam made the “poster-boy” for SOPs?

For the observance of a religious and auspicious day like Thaipusam, strangely the authorities decide to clamp down. So, where’s the transparency in decision-making here?

In fact, the most obvious opaque decision-making process is going on right now.

Previously, people were fined millions of ringgit for proxy share trading by Malaysia’s capital market regulator, as is practised in every developed capital market in the world. Proxy share trading is forbidden, and trading accounts must be opened in the name of the beneficial owner or an authorised nominee.

But Malaysia’s regulator does not reveal details, or the source of funds used by a so-called nominee, yet clears a powerful officeholder, who helms the crucial job of upholding transparency in the country of any wrongdoing. This is monumentally and utterly dumbfounding.

Shouldn’t we, as Malaysian citizens, demand transparency from those who lead and govern us?

Only if we shine the luminous light of public scrutiny, will it kill corruption and bad governance.

It is universally accepted that transparency is essential in government, and that there is an absolute connection between transparency and good governance.

Let’s start by reminding ourselves that our Malaysian government exists to serve us, the people who live and work in this country. In short, they work for you and I.

This simple, but oft forgotten notion needs to be central in our thinking. They (the government) are not our “feudal-lords”, and we have to stop being so deferential to them.

Our loyalty must be to principles of justice, inclusiveness, and good governance for the betterment of our nation. We must stop being loyal to individuals, the elites or any political party. Instead, we must remember that anyone in government is simply a public servant, and they do not own a fiefdom.

We, the citizens, have a right to know how our government conducts public business and allocates our tax money. Our government has an obligation to share this information with us, the people they actually get paid by, and serve.

This is where accountability begins.

When we think along these lines, make serious and noisy demands of such transparency from our leaders, it will potentially change the way that the government operates.

It will certainly change our relationship, as citizens, with government officials. Gone will be the days where we lurk around government departments, hoping for the benevolence of a kindly officer to help with our problem. Transparency will allow you to receive the best of government services.

When the public sees the inner workings of our government, they will inherently trust it more.

This is valuable for how government policies are handled in specific situations, like the recent Thaipusam festival. It will provide clarity in the enforcement of rules and requirements, in cases that involve our government officials, like the present fiasco with our capital market regulator.

And, minutes from board and council meetings for national sovereign funds and the like, will be publicly available for examination, without us having to depend on whistleblowers.

Is it not time for Malaysian citizens to tell our government that trust and integrity are intertwined?

And that we can’t have one without the other.

Now is the hour for us to demand that it is our government’s responsibility to provide proper information to us, just as it is our responsibility to be, and act as informed citizens.

I really don’t want to live in an opaque nation. Do you? - FMT

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