Opinion: Who is this "special person" that Hadi believes God has willed to reign for more than two terms?

Opinion: Who is this "special person" that Hadi believes God has willed to reign for more than two terms?


27 Mar 2025 • 9:00 AM MYT


TheRealNehruism
Writer. Seeker. Teacher

Image credit: The Vibes


While theoretically, I do believe that there might be some people who have an “inner light” or are “divinely inspired”, in such a way that they have an inner confidence to allow themselves to trust themselves in even the most challenging circumstances, as a rule, I tend to believe that most people who believe that they can trust themselves all the time, are simply delusional.


I think you are delusional if you think that you are a person that is always good, innocent, righteous, well meaning, selfless or sane. If you were more circumspect, you would probably recognise that there are many occasions where you thought what you did was right, but then you regretted it later, or a case when you thought that you were doing something good, but actually, when you investigated your intentions more thoroughly, you found yourself having an ulterior motive, or a case where you lied and justified it by saying it was necessary for the sake of a greater good, or a case when you just became mad – as when strong emotions like anger or pain and hatred takes over you.


If you don’t think that you are ever capable of doing anything wrong even when you are tempted, pressured or swept away by strong emotions, there are two possibilities to describe who you are – you are either a saint or you are delusional.


Of the two, it is more likely that you are delusional, because I doubt that in this world there are that many saints that walk amongst us.


Even if you are saint, who is by definition incapable of doing anything wrong, you will likely not be against taking such precautionary measures as to create systems, limits and processes, to curb your worst instincts, even if you are fully confident that you have no negative instincts, if for no other reason, then so that you can provide a good example to others.


Such limits, such as not acting as judge, jury or executioner all at once, or not taking expansive “gifts” when you hold a position of authority, or not going into a beautiful woman’s house when you are married to someone else, or limiting the tenure or a prime minister to two terms, are examples of you creating a process or a limit, that will not require you or anyone to trust you or anyone blindly.


A trustworthy person is a person that conducts themselves in a way that forces no one to trust them.


Of course there is no system that is perfect – nothing in this world is perfect, but in this imperfect world, our best shot is to behave and act rationally, by setting limits and processes upon ourselves, that will optimize our ability to bring out the best in us, while limiting the possibility of us being swept away by our worse instincts. .


The desire to set the limit of the PM to two terms one of such limits that a decent and rational person will set upon themselves.


An aspiring leader will probably need to spend 20,30 or 40 years observing, experiencing and learning from their country before they will know what they need to do for the country when they are given power and position. Once they reach a position of power, two terms, or 10 years, is enough for them to implement the plans that they had envisioned for 20,30 or 40 years.


It is not the case that a person will always have great ideas. Even geniuses are not always brilliant. Einstein’s best work was done before he was 30. Great directors like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are no as prolific in their later year as they were in the early years. A leader that has spent 10 years executing the ideas that they had envisioned for the last 20,30 or 40 years, are a spent force. After they have executed their plans and visions, by right, they should be more than ready to hang their boots, so that the next generation of leaders who has spent the last 20, 30 or 40 years of their life to come up with a plan or vision for the country, will have the chance to execute their vision.


It is only if we keep changing leaders once they have executed their vision for the country, that our country can be ever replenished with fresh ideas to keep the country up to date in tune with reality at all times.


Nations also go through different phases throughout their existence. Sometimes a nation is on the rise, sometimes it declines, sometimes it is doing well, sometimes it is doing poorly, sometimes it is peaceful, sometimes it is in turmoil, and throughout its different phases, it will likely need different types of leaders to handle its circumstances.


To think that a single leader is suitable to handle all phases of a nation will likely only bring disaster to a country. You have to be incredibly self-absorbed and delusional to think that you or anyone else is a perfect leader that will be able to provide the country the leadership it needs for all occasions.


Also, we must realise that our habits will eventually become our self. In the beginning, every leader tends to believe that they become leaders by merit and as leaders, they have a job to do, but the longer they stay as leaders, they will inevitably start to believe that being a leader is a part of their identity, and thus they should remain as a leader even when it becomes obvious that there others who have more merit than them or even if they are bedridden an unable to do their job. It is to prevent a leader from believing that being a leader is a part of their identity, that you have to limit their tenure to 2 terms. After 10 years, a PM might still be able to persuade themselves to step down, even if it is difficult, but if a PM has stayed for 20-25 years, they might never step down, simply because they might have become so thoroughly corrupted by the view that leadership is their destiny or identity, rather than a responsibility and a product of merit, that they might even be tempted to bring ruin to the country, just so that they can lead it until the very end.


Pas’s objection to the two-term limit for the PM post, by citing supernatural reasons like it is against the will of god, to me, is not something that someone who inspects their actions and intentions will do.


Rather, it sounds like the views of someone who has too high an opinion of themselves, to the point that they might be faulted for hubris.


It is their hubris that is deluding them to believe, that there are people who will be able to provide leadership for all phases of a country’s evolution, or that a leader is capable of coming up with limitless plans and visions, or that there is a leader that is so exceptional or “divinely inspired”, that that there is no one else that will be able to replace them.


There is nothing in reality to lead us to believe that this is the case. When Tunku was around, Tun Razak was also there. When Tun Razak was around, Tun Ismail was also around. In Mahathir's time, there were other leaders like Ku Li and Musa Hitam that could have run the country just as well as him. Even in the Islamic tradition, when Caliph Abu Bakar reigned, Caliph Umar was around and ready to replace him. When it was Caliph's Umar turn to reign, Caliph Uthman was also already around to replace him, and through all three of their reign, Caliph Ali, the fourth and last of the Rashidun caliphs, was always around to replace any one of them.


Nobody, in other words, is that special that they cannot be replaced. Everybody is expandable. When we are at the top, we are not so exceptional that the we are a head and a foot above the person in the second or third position. There will always be others who are capable of doing what we are capable of doing. Just as we want to be on top, so do others. We can't forever occupy the top position, by coming up with a cockamamie reason like if not for us, no one else can be expected lead the nation to safety and success. Our position at the top also depends on time and circumstances, as much as our ability and skill. Time and circumstances always changes. Our ability and skill does not necessarily always gets better - often, it deteriorates with age, illness and lack of practise.


Considering everything, I think that PAS is taking the name of god in vain by claiming that to set the PM's term to two terms, will invite the wrath of god.


If you receive revelations from god, perhaps you can claim that to limit the terms of your leadership would invite the wrath of god, but save for that, I am undoubtedly sure, that there is no one, even in the ranks of PAS, that is that special or irreplaceable, that only they and alone can be trusted to lead a party, organisation or nation, until the day they die.

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kt comments:

Basically matey Nehru has run a 'marathon' course to tell Pak Hadi the latter is 'delusional' wakakaka, but I agree with Matey assuming Pak Hadi has been 'sincere' in his dire admonition to the DAP, accused by Pak Hadi for influencing a Malay leader, namely Anwar Ibrahim, in acting against the Will of Allah swt.

Otherwise (if he was kerbau-ing that Allah swt told him that a 2-term PMship would be against the Will of the Almighty) then he had been politically manipulative, racially agitative (for badmouthing the DAP) and as a Muslim, naughtily unscrupulous & sinful (for misusing-abusing-misrepresenting the Divine Authority of Allah swt).

Hmmm, I'm beginning to be like Matey, verbosely philosophical, wakakaka😂😁😅😆😊.