SEEING IT MY WAY
Malaysiakini.com November 9, 2006
Malignant Neglect of Pak Lah’s Leadership
M. Bakri Musa (www.bakrimusa.com)
The current political anxiety in Malaysia centers over two issues. One
is the obvious incompetence of Abdullah Badawi’s leadership and the
consequent malignant neglect of his administration. The other is the
fear that his replacement would be someone even worse.
Both fears reflect the generally sorry state of the nation’s political
leadership. That however should not be the excuse for us to accept the
status quo. Yes, change involves risks. The Iranians thought they
were doing themselves a great favor by getting rid of the Shah; look at
what they have now.
What I am advocating is not simply change, but change for the better.
That would not happen easily or spontaneously, we have to work hard to
achieve it.
I do not pretend to know who would be best to lead Malaysia. I believe
however that Allah in His Wisdom has endowed us with our share of the
talented. Offhand I can name a dozen capable candidates; those closer
to home should have an even longer list.
If we were to open up the process, we would more likely get better
candidates and thus increase the probability of selecting the right
leader. Restricting it through putting onerous burdens like having to
be nominated by over 50 branches unnecessarily limits our choice. We
must cast our net deep and wide.
If those would-be leaders were to present themselves and their ideas,
then we could exercise our collective judgment. I believe in the
Quranic wisdom that Allah would not let His community be in error.
Meaning, have faith in the judgment of the crowd, but first you have to
ensure that the crowd is truly inclusive and its decisions reached
without corruption or coercion. Otherwise we would have essentially
mob rule masquerading as democracy.
Once we have chosen our leaders, we must continually hold them to high
standards and demand more of them. If we put our leaders on a pedestal
and treat them like sultans, it would not take them long to think that
they are. Then they would think that they are not answerable to
anyone. Very dangerous! Monster leaders are not created overnight;
often their followers are the enablers.
Mahathir’s Supreme Contribution
It is ironic that Mahathir would make one of his greatest
contributions only after he retired. Regardless of the eventual
outcome of his criticisms of the current leadership, he has already
effectively broken down the entrenched cultural taboo against
criticizing our leaders. By his not seeking refuge in his comfortable
pension, together with his willingness to risk his considerable
reputation as well as his trademark disregard for meaningless protocol
and misplaced sense of social decorum, Mahathir shocked the normally
placid UMNO community with his scathing criticisms of Abdullah.
To be sure, Mahathir is only one factor. Abdullah’s own ineptness
invites the avalanche of criticisms and outright scorn. In fact,
Mahathir was a latecomer to the party.
Then there are the Internet and the alternative media that give
expressions to those dissenting views. Perversely, Abdullah paved the
process by appointing incompetents like Kalimullah Hassan and Brendan
Periera to run The New Straits Times. The alternative media would not
have gained their immense following and respect so quickly had the
mainstream media maintained some modicum of credibility.
It is this confluence of factors, the perfect storm as it were, that
helped shatter our collective ingrained Hang Tuah-like blind loyalty to
our leaders. I hope this particular legacy will endure. To hear his
supporters say it, Abdullah claims credit for all these, attributing
them to the greater transparency of his administration. Such a
misreading of reality! If he had his way, he would muzzle every dissenter.
Rest assured that the next leader would not easily get a free pass. He
or she would be subjected to critical scrutiny right from the start.
That would be healthy and help ensure that he or she would stay on the
straight and narrow path. At least that is my fervent hope!
Abdullah was well meaning, honest, and earnest in the beginning.
Malaysians, exhausted by the unrelenting pace of his predecessor, were
enthralled by the welcomed change in rhythm. Unfortunately, the
unrestrained adulation heaped upon him early on by well-meaning
supporters, together with the overwhelming electoral mandate he
received soon after, quickly went to his head.
Following the elections, instead of being emboldened, he was content to
rest on his laurels. He was like the high school senior who having
excelled in his matriculating examination, merely coasted along at
university, and then was bewildered by the disastrous consequence. He
should have been working doubly hard and set himself an even higher
standard after the election.
Alas, that impressive political victory seemed so long ago; it has been
a steep and unnerving downhill ride ever since.
The Challenge of Securing Talent
An additional challenge for Malaysia is that politics today no longer
attracts the talented. In the past, nationalism and the accompanying
struggle for independence inspired many to enter politics. Today,
smart young Malaysians have the world as their stage. Their skills are
in demand globally. Malaysia has to aggressively entice them.
Mindless emotional appeals to patriotism would not do it; challenges
and opportunities would.
Even at home, there are many other exciting opportunities, like
starting their own enterprises or joining multinational corporations.
By default, public service generally and politics specifically is fast
becoming the refuge of the less talented. Not surprisingly, our
leaders are slow to appreciate this stark reality.
Reversing the trend, while difficult, is doable. Doubling the pay of
ministers would definitely help. That alone would not suffice; you
still need to attract fresh talent, otherwise only the current crowd
would benefit. If we reduce by half the current bloated cabinet, the
remaining ministers could easily double their pay without the
government incurring additional costs. It would also save by having
fewer Secretaries-General and other highly paid support civil servants.
One effective way to enlist fresh talent would be to secure high-level
recruitment, or “helicopter candidates,” to use the local parlance.
Tun Razak effectively used this strategy. He was successful because he
selected only outstanding individuals with proven and widely
acknowledged accomplishments. Anyone with less-than-spectacular
credentials would only incite endless sniping from the troops.
Relying on members to work their way up through the party as at present
merely perpetuates the current corrupt system. It is not the cream
that rises to the top, only the crud and dirt that had worked their way
loose through the agitator of the party’s washing machine.
Looking For UMNO’s Goldwater
Malaysia cannot endure more of the malignant neglect of Abdullah’s
leadership. What UMNO (and the nation) desperately needs is a
respected senior statesman (or a group of such individuals) to do what
Senator Barry Goldwater did to Nixon at the height of the Watergate
crisis. Goldwater personally convinced President Nixon to resign
voluntarily and thus spared him (Nixon) and the nation much grief.
The crisis in Malaysia today is much worse; the damage it wrecks is
hidden and far more consequential. Sadly, I do not see any potential
Goldwater in the party. Tengku Razaleigh is one of the few bold enough
to carry the blunt message to Abdullah. However, as the Tengku had
earlier challenged Abdullah, such a role would be unseemly for
Razaleigh. He could still do it credibly if he were first to publicly
disavow any interest in being Prime Minister.
The other possible person would be Musa Hitam, but he is too enthralled
with his fresh Tunship and is in no position to be the bearer of bad
tidings to the very person who recommended the award to him.
Thus it would be up to the ordinary UMNO members to deliver the
message. Knowing full well the party’s culture, that is a very tall
order. Meanwhile the malignancy continues to exact its ravages upon
the nation. That is the real tragedy, not the fate of any individual
or leader.
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