I have three politicians, I consider my heroes. The first is the late Tan Sri Dr Tan Chee Khoon, father of the now retiring MP for Segambut. The father, like the son, always spoke the truth, always spoke in love and always spoke with grace and hope. For the father’s long and unflinching service to the people, even the then government of Malaysia recognised his services and awarded him a PSM which carries the title of ‘Tan Sri’.
The second is the late Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Alatas, the former UM vice-chancellor who passed away recently. In a discussion before our 4th Integrity Congress, he advised me that the fight against corruption must be a peoples’ fight; it does not belong to the government. He explained how he was ‘removed’ as VC some years ago because he stood up for some perennial principles related to credibility and integrity.
The third person is a faithful but not-so-‘successful’ grass-roots politician – my father, a founder member of the Kedah MIC and community worker in Sungai Petani, our home town where he was popularly known as ‘Pak John’. He was a sincere politician but not a cunning enough one to make it big in politics; and therefore his advice to me was always to stay out of politics. I followed his advice for 27 years and then one day asked him at the age of 49, ‘Dad should I consider getting involved into politics?’
He looked towards my younger brother, and said, ‘I suppose now he can!’ But now that I have been involved in my own style of ‘non-partisan politics’ my father is still not sure, because I have started to speak and write against all those whom I believe lack integrity; the same principle I expect from of all my good friends who choose to criticise my views as well. I really believe that one’s credibility and integrity are a very good basis for all types of politics and an equal principle for integrity in our lives; for our every human action, and non-action.
Therefore, on July 6, 2000, I decided to opt out of public service. I wrote to the then chief secretary and the then public services head, and gave my many reasons for an optional retirement. One of the primary reasons, I argued, was that the Public Services Department was no more interested in serving the public interest. She had lost her neutrality and had become blindly biased towards the Umno agenda, and often consequently, sacrificed national interest in the name of public interest.
I was a PTD Officer trained in the old school and traditions of the British public service mindset that taught that all public servants were servants of the King and loyal only to the party in power so long as they served the national interest. The public services until today does sign-off, Saya yang menurut perintah which means ‘we serve at the pleasure of the King of Malaysia and serve only the public interest, never the partisan interests of any singular party. Not Umno or Barisan Nasional.
‘Kelantanese mafia’
Nonetheless, after more than 50 years in power, the BN has evolved a culture of ‘executive political correctness’ which ensures that only those who blindly (and often non-rationally) support the Umno agenda will get promoted. Sometimes today, when you talk to the highest level of leaders in the public service, you are not sure whether you are talking to a neutral public servant or to a high-ranking Umno member. No wonder then that the few types of non-Malays including Christian Bumiputras are not getting promoted based on merit.
For instance, I know for a fact that the only non-Malay Christian bumiputera secretary-general was promoted, not because of the JPA, but because the minister insisted upon his promotion and wrote to the PM about it. Many other similar stories of the like abound, inclusive of cases of non-Tamil Christian secretary-general candidates that have been by-passed because the MIC president who objected that they were Malayalees! Race was not really a factor in public service promotions; only the issue of how one chooses to be subservient to the given political climate at any one time.
I remember for instance, in the early 1970s, when it was a well-known fact that the ‘Kelantanese mafia’ controlled the Public Services Department (PSD) and therefore sought to push up their own candidates throughout the service. Ask any senior retired public servant and they will admit the truth of this matter. There is even the story of how senior public servants who did not follow the pencil-inscribed directives of the then Finance Minister were transferred within 24 hours without any due process.
Saya yang menurut perintah therefore became the blind force of obedience to the minister of the day without due consideration for public interest in each and every case. Therefore, the public service slowly but surely became corrupted by being forced into a framework of political executive correctness. Of course, consequently, the compliant ones were rewarded with titles and board appointments simply for political obedience. Many government-linked companies are today filled with retired public service board members who scratch the back of the government in return for their blind and loyal obedience.
In fact, while at Mimos Berhad, I remember that one human resources consultant who discovered that more than 80% of the employees were ‘psychologically compliant personalities’. An R&D organisation needs staff who challenge the paradigm; that is what the scientist, Thomas Kuhn, called the ‘structure of scientific revolutions’. Paradigms needed to be shifted for scientific discovery, not maintained.
How could anyone then undertake R&D within an organisation filled with compliant personalities? Is it any wonder then that after 23 years in existence, the biggest government R&D organisation – allocated over one billion ringgit in development funds – has little to show for their efforts apart for the efforts of Jaring and the work of the NITC? Their wafer fabrication plant, in fact, remains a white elephant until today. The second finance minister knows of this case personally.
MAS vs AirAsia
Therefore, what then are the key or core issues as the nation approaches the 12 th general election and all of us seek to exercise our right as citizens? To me there is only one serious and core issue. After 50 years of independence, are we as a nation moving in the right direction? Do we consider that our feelings of national unity are better today than four years ago, before Pak Lah began his governance? Are we cleaner today in terms of corruption and abuse of authority and power; in terms of the integrity agenda that Pak Lah promised? Is protection and preservation of the environment better today? Are our water resources being better handled today? Are our toll roads better managed today? Are our airlines better managed today? Are FDI investments better today and more importantly are they sustainable to ensure our continued growth into the future?
Are we more competitive as a nation today? Are the so-called economic corridors really going to improve our competitiveness or are they merely high class free-trade zones focused on infrastructure development for government-linked companies to get more public contracts? Are our government-linked companies better managed today than in the past? Is our nation run based on the federal constitution or based on the political zealotry of over-enthusiastic government agents? These are questions that need answers.
Very sadly, my answer to all these questions except one is a definite ‘no’. The only area where I will give some credit for better management in the last four years ago is for the government- linked companies but these too, one can really only know the real situation if they become more transparent and open their books! There is an article floating on the Net about the behind-the- scene stories involving MAS versus AirAsia and many of the under the counter dealings and non-disclosures. The truth is that the ordinary citizen is left without information on all these GLCs because ‘somehow’, the Cabinet has decided that GLC are off-budget agencies, much like Petronas’ financial accounts, even though they involve the people’s funds.
But why is this so? Are they not also based on public funds, assets and allocations made through Parliament? Why are they not accountable to the people through Parliament? Where are the laws which disallow Parliament from questioning and investigating such public service expenditure? Why do all these companies not come under the Parliamentary Audit Committee? Why do they not come under the Auditor-General’s report? I can ask one hundred questions but the ones here should suffice.
My conclusion on the core issue for this general election therefore is – can we integrate this nation with integrity, under the current Barisan Nasional model of leadership and governance? Sadly and disappointingly, my answer is a definite ‘no’. BN’s multi-ethnicity has outlived her usefulness. But then, is the Barisan Alternative the answer? My answer is ‘no’ too. What then is the way forward for those of us who love Malaysia and for the Anak Bangsa Malaysia who consider themselves as Malaysians first?
Keris – wielding antics
I personally believe that the answer may lie in the Barisan Rakyat; along the lines of the Merdeka Statement framed by the CPPS. Frankly, I do not yet fully know who are the real voices and actors behind both of them, but their agenda looks credible enough. To me, I give credit to all of such planners and strategists, as they have tried earnestly and honestly to find a common ground which unites all Malaysians from different ethnic backgrounds. We can and must celebrate diversity.
Surely we are now well past the Umno’s Ketuanan Melayu agenda for that is only good for the Persekutuan Tanah-tanah Melayu. Likewise with PAS’ Islamic state agenda – that may be only good for Kelantan and Trengganu but surely not suitable for the whole Federation of Malaysia! The only real and viable Malaysian Agenda maybe DAP’s ‘Malaysia for Malaysians’ or Gerakan’s multi-ethnicity, but I have my doubts there too.
I have, therefore, always stood for the familiar Bangsa Malaysia Agenda as per the Vision 2020 adopted by the BN government in 1981. It was a total and complete embodiment even among all Malaysian parties and peoples; except for some sections within Umno who are still trying to resurrect the Ketuanan Melayu mindset of the Tanah Melayu days. My views are therefore that we have to as a people have put an end to this backward and regressive agenda once and for all.
And the only way for doing it is by evolving a Malaysian-minded community of people that will clearly demonstrate this by denying the government their two-thirds majority. Then we can go back to review the original social contract of 1957 and the legal Merdeka Agreement of 1963; with full and due respect for the supremacy of the federal constitution. Only then can we exorcise the ghosts of the past that keep re-emerging over the last 50 years.
Therefore, we must translate this desire into action at the ballot box. All moderate-minded Malaysians must vote against the Umno-driven government as a way of saying that we cannot and will not tolerate the keris -wielding antics of Umno and their race-based agenda. I am sorry for the Barisan partners of Umno but I am not sure that there is really any other alternative way.
Only then will the Umno-led Barisan go back to the drawing board to revisit some real and serious issues. Whether we call it Bersih or Hindraf or simply the Barisan Rakyat Agenda, we have to say it for them with our votes against the Umno-led government. May God have mercy on Malaysia come polling day.
