Malaysia must get back its bearings

The country needs to be transformed and this can be done without Najib and his substandard Cabinet.

Malaysians yearn for the nation to get back to the state it was in some three decades ago. We were then on the verge of greatness. But we have since gone wayward and lost our bearings. We are now led by shameless leaders lost in their state of barefaced immorality. Worse, they do not have the conscience that might stir them out of their debauchery.

It is certain enough that the public has lost confidence in Najib and his Cabinet. Najib is responsible for the unmanageable problems that his administration is saddled with, while the Cabinet members are accountable for not shooting down his morally questionable decisions.

If they were responsible leaders, the Cabinet members would, for instance, have railed against the PM’s decision to acquire an elaborately luxurious and expensive executive jet, mainly for his use. They would have demanded that he cancel the decision. We won’t accuse them of giving him permission in the first place. They apparently did not. Najib asked for approval only from the Finance Ministry, which is of course under his charge. He asked himself for approval and he gave the approval to himself without the “official” knowledge of the Cabinet.

Najib is encumbered by issues of weak leadership and ineptness in managing what used to be a nation poised for glory. We were at one time ahead of South Korea and many other developing nations across the globe. We are now miles and miles behind.

Malaysia is now well known for all the wrong things. We are Number One in the purchase of defence equipment at inflated prices to allow for enormous kickbacks to the country’s leaders and we are certainly unmatched among importers of unskilled labour.

We are already in a state of devastation and Malaysians should not have to wait for the leadership to be rehabilitated. Efforts to discontinue Najib’s premiership is not an option any longer. He must resign and give the people a break. Malaysians need the country to be transformed and this can be done without Najib and his substandard Cabinet. He has mislaid all clues that point to how a prime minister should be managing a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation.

Najib should not have been the Prime Minister in the first place. I blame the politicking of the warlords in Umno for offering him the post. This was a serious political misadventure. It has resulted in Malaysians being saddled with the weakest prime minister since we achieved our independence. The time has come for the warlords and for ordinary Malaysians to search their souls and to forget past differences. Just set in motion the engine that will lead us to a genuine leader who will initiate the transformations that we are in dire need of.

We ordinary Malaysians are frightened by the real prospect of the country becoming insolvent. What is even more frightening is that our leaders – both in the executive and the legislature – don’t seem moved enough to bring about the changes we need. Indeed, many of our legislators seem incapable of even standing on their own feet.

Our legislators are undependable weaklings compared to their counterparts in Japan. The Japanese legislators have often demonstrated their commitment to their nation by revolting against the reigning prime minister.

We have to envy the Japanese for setting such a tough standard for their Prime Minister and Cabinet. The lawmakers are tough leaders who perpetually check on the conduct and behaviour of the Prime Minister and Cabinet members to ensure that they don’t transgress against the tiniest part of the system.

Masayoshi Ito had been PM of Japan for only 35 days when members of the legislature revolted and kicked him out of office in July 1980. Sosuke Uno had only 68 days as PM. Tsutomo Hatta had 63 days. Many other Japanese PMs stayed less than a year in office because the legislators take their duty to their nation seriously indeed.

Despite the frequent change of PMs, the Japanese government remains strong because the system of governance works. The Japanese PM is subservient to the system, but it is the other way round in our country. In Malaysia, the PMs change the system like changing their underwear to suit their whims and fancies. The system is submissive to the ruling Prime Minister. This is irrefutably one of the main causes of the problems we face today.