Though the news had Shinzo Abe resigning because he lacked the support from the opposition controlled Upper House to extend Japan’s naval logistic support for US warships in the Indian Ocean in operations against the Afghan Talibans, in reality Abe was severely affected by allegations of corruption within his cabinet.
Howsy correctly reminded us that Japan’s the country where its people know disgrace and place great store on seppuku – the honorable suicide.
On this subject I would recommend a novel by Alfred Coppel titled Burning Mountain. It’s about alternative history, a what-if the A-bomb wasn’t dropped. Plenty of seppuku in the story.
Well, taking about a country which knows what the significance of disgrace is, today’s news tell us that Shinzo Abe has just been admitted to hospital due to extreme fatigue caused by stress.
I think it’s called shame.
Our BolehLand politicians lack that obviously,
If we read malaysiakini and the articles on PKFZ, the absolute lack of governance in the purchase of naval boats where the government keeps throwing good money after bad into the billions, the outrageous pilfering and misuse of tsunami funds to renovate the residence of fat cats, and the total absence of shame or honour among our leaders - yes, total absence when even among thieves and gangsters there is honour, we yearn for one of Dr Mahathir’s earlier policy.
And what’s that?
No, not ‘go West, young men’ but ‘Look East’!
Would it be ever possible to build the concept of honour among our leaders, and while we aren’t exactly asking them to commit seppuku (mind you, some more extreme friends of mine asked, why not?), we would like to see some basic decency and sense of honour (or at least a sense of some shame) in resignations.
Might as well ask, Is the Pope Protestant?
Politicians in Japan are invariably accountable and honourable.
ReplyDeleteThe resignation of Abe as PM of Japan was expected and he will be remembered and respected for his action.
Shameless politicians in Malaysia do not follow the Japanese example, here politicians and senior civil servants are neither honourable nor accountable, they never accept blame, always passing the buck to others.
Those guilty of transgressions never resign no matter what the circumstances.
It is however encouraging that there have been two recent cases where persons with conscience have ‘voted with their feet’ and ‘retired’ from the AG chambers.
Generally however corruption in all its ugly forms is standard operating procedure in Malaysia. The country is on a dangerous slippery slope and the gradient is getting steeper day by day. Determined action is required to reverse this slide before it is too late.
It is almost impossible for a person to be virtuous unless he/she is endowed with the twin factors of "Hiri & Ottapa" i.e. moral shame and moral fear. Moral shame is an inherent shame of doing something that is shameful in the eyes of the society that the person lives in. Moral fear is the dread of being found out if one commits a shameful deed.
ReplyDeleteIf you test the leaders and YBs, how many of them have an iota of Hiri & Ottapa? Only persons who have a strong sense of these two factors will commit Sepuku or to a lesser extent, resign from their posts as most leaders in Japan and the Western Democracies do.
Hi there... enjoy reading your posts once in a while... been residing continuously in Japan for over 20 years now... and one thing I can say is, Malaysia under Mahathir learned next to nothing from Japan under the so-called LEP... in relation to this blog: how many of those blood-sucking rascals in the ruling party resigned in shame during Mahathir's so-called LEP? Mahathir should be the first to resign in shame over the many scandals and irregulaties... so, sorry my friend, I think there is no use for AAB to revive Mahathir's 'Look East' policy... anyhow you look at it, it is just going to remain a useless exercise...
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