Dennis Ignatius
~ Provoking discussion, dissent & debate on politics, diplomacy, human rights & civil society.
Madani disappoints and disappoints
19ThursdayDec 2024
Posted in corruption, justice, Malaysia, Politics
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[1] The appointment of Musa Aman, a former chief minister, as Sabah head of state marks a new low for Malaysia, another reason to hang our heads in shame. It’s the triumph of political opportunism over honour and integrity; a further reminder than we have in Anwar Ibrahim a prime minister that is unworthy of the office.
[2] That the appointment comes in the midst of an another unfolding scandal involving yet another Sabah chief minister should tell us just how rotten things are in the state. The actions of the MACC thus far do not inspire confidence that the truth will be uncovered anytime soon. All those “investigations” that are supposedly being conducted are just a sideshow to the power play that’s undoubtedly going on behind the scenes. The whole nation can smell the stink of it but our politicians are so used to the odour of moral decay that they don’t even notice it.
[3] Consider too the string of DNAAs that are being handed out to political cronies. How convenient that all the charges against Zahid Hamidi, for example, were suddenly withdrawn when he joined the unity government and threw his support behind the prime minister. At the time, many excused it in the interest of keeping a reformasi-led government in power. But precedents once set soon take on a life of their own. Now, the prime minister seems intent on further appeasing UMNO by looking for creative if unethical ways of rehabilitating a convicted felon with offers of pardons, house arrest and possibly yet more DNAAs. In Madaniland, its DNAAs for cronies, MACC for enemies and MCMC for the rest.
[4] For most Malaysians, former MACC chief Latheefa Koya’s spirited defence of the soundness of the investigations involving Zahid along with the integrity of the AGC under Tommy Thomas carries far greater credibility than all the statements put out by the current prime minister, the AG and the chief of the MACC.
[5] The prime minister’s spin masters can muddy the waters with allegations of political persecution, leaked memos and conspiracies but there’s no escaping the fact that the nation’s legal system is being neutered to facilitate the ambitions of a few power-hungry politicians. Despite all his tough talk on fighting corruption, the prime minister remains too fixated on power to do what is right, to honour the oath he took to protect, preserve and defend the constitution.
[6] In the meantime and while the prime minister jets off to foreign capitals to promote himself as a world leader, the cost of living keeps going up, our democratic freedoms are being curtailed, our education system is in tatters, corruption remains undiminished and reformasi is dying from a thousand cuts. No one believes any more than he is committed to reform; it’s all just empty sloganeering. He has a speech for everything but no real answers to the problems we face. Malaysia deserves better!
[7] DAP leaders can dream of unending days in power for themselves and this Madani government but the people grow increasingly weary and wary. More and more the cry “Anwar must go” is on the minds if not the lips of Malaysians. Perhaps the old fox was right after all – Anwar is not fit to be prime minister. Of course people are fearful of what comes after but increasingly they are beginning to fear more what might happen if he stays.
[8] Sadly, Malaysia is caught in a downdraft of poor leadership, with each one being worse than the one before. The current incumbent might just go down as one of the worst prime ministers we’ve ever had the misfortune to have.
[Dennis Ignatius |Kuala Lumpur | 19 December 2024
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