By Nehru Sathiamoorthy
It has been over 2 years since Ismail Sabri stopped being the prime minister of Malaysia. In these 2 years, nothing much had happened to him. By all accounts, he probably was leading a leisurely and idyllic life after he stepped down from office. The only news I remember coming out about him in the last couple of years had to do with his advocacy for more humane treatment of stray animals. Other than that, Ismail Sabri for all intent and purpose, seemed like he was no longer keen to lead an active political life, after reaching the career high of becoming the 9th prime minister of Malaysia.
All this changed earlier this month however, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a rumour spread that an understanding had been reached amongst the opponents of Anwar, to topple Anwar’s reign and install a new government with Ismail Sabri returning once again as the 11th prime minister of Malaysia.
What happened next happened at a remarkable pace.
Within weeks, Ismail Sabri was found unconscious in his house and had to be rushed to the hospital.
If you thought his stint in the hospital had something to do with his health, the very next day we found out that four of his aides have been arrested for corruption.
Just one day later on February 24, it was reported that in one of his aide’s house, over RM 100 million has been seized by the anti-corruption agency.
Now, according to the anti-corruption agency, they have been investigating a corruption trail involving Ismail Sabri’s aides for months, and it was just a coincidence that they arrested Ismail Sabri’s aide a day after Ismail Sabri was admitted to the hospital, a couple of weeks after rumours started circulating about how Ismail Sabri had been chosen to replace Anwar as the next prime minister of Malaysia, but to the man on the street, the coincidence is being interpreted as a sign that “black book” politics might still be alive and well in the country’s political landscape.
You see, there is an urban myth in the country which says that that all of the important politicians in the country have their dirty little secrets noted in a black book, that will be kept hidden from the public’s eyes, but only for as long as the politician toes the line and do what they are told, by those who are in power.
The minute they start making their own moves, especially in regards to move that those in power find detrimental to their own position, the secret information about them that is contained in the black book will be unleashed, in a way that will destroy their standing in the court of public opinion or get them in trouble in the court of law.
From allegations of sexual travesty to corruption allegations to sex videos, there are plenty of examples of how black book politics were allegedly used in the Malaysian landscape to thwart the moves of the political movers and shakers in the country.
PMX Anwar himself is allegedly a victim of such “black book” politics , when he was seen to be a threat by those who were above him.
Although he himself had supposedly suffered from the hands of “black book” politics, It is hard to say whether PMX Anwar would not use the method on his opponents, now that he is in the number 1 position in the country.
We must remember that those who are abused aren’t always chastened by the abuse – a lot of times, they will internalise their experience of abuse and use it as a licence to abuse others. Children who suffer abuse in their childhood often end up being abusive parents. The population of Israel, who come from a generation that was ravaged by genocide, is itself practising genocide today.
We must also remember that PMX Anwar is also a well known believer of the theory that corruption, cronyism and nepotism was endemic in the Mahathir regime that lasted from 1981 to 2003. His government is also made up of people who believe that kleptocracy and debauchery were rife in the corridors of power in Malaysia until they took over in 2022.
If you believe that corruption, kleptocracy, cronyism and nepotism is widespread for over 30-40 years until you took office, it is unlikely that you will apply a clean and transparent form of government, when you strongly believe that most, if not all of the people that you form the top echelon of the population, are likely made up of people who rose to high position in the swamp of decadence and debauchery that was the previous regime.
Considering this, we cannot be faulted for assuming that rather than follow the straight and narrow, PMX Anwar might be still applying techniques from the old regime, to “drain the swamp” or remove a thorn with a thorn.
In any case, such incidences as a corruption scandal surfacing in Sabah right before the Sabah state election commences or Ismail Sabri’s aides being caught for corruption right after Ismail Sabri was touted as a replacement for Anwar, will likely fuel the speculation that the current unity government is not above fighting fire with fire.
If this is the case, then all we can hope for in our government, is that it takes heed of the warning by the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche
“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.”
As they gaze into the darkness to fight monsters, may providence grant Anwar and his cohorts in the Madani government the wisdom, to every now check themselves in the mirror of self-reflection, just to make sure that the darkness they are fighting has not turned them also into monsters.
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