Malaysians, are you angry enough yet?

Malaysians are typically a very forgiving lot.

We’re often described as a good-natured, self-deprecating and easygoing people, traits I normally take as compliments in a world that prizes ruthlessness over congeniality.

But the growing frustration at recent political power plays and the apparent immunity of some leaders from having to answer to allegations of corruption and mismanagement have finally cracked through the veneer of our magnanimity.

From the suspension of The Edge newspapers to the systematic crippling of critics, wave after wave of government attempts to shut out the voices calling for accountability in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy should have been enough to push Malaysians to the limits of their patience.

But perhaps the fatigue from months of politicking and confusing counter-claims surrounding the 1MDB scandal has numbed Malaysians.

Or perhaps it goes back to our tolerant attitude, because “Malaysians are just not angry enough,” is a comment I hear a lot from both local activists and foreign observers.

If you’re not sure if and why you should be angry, below is a quick checklist that will hopefully help you decide if it may be time for Malaysians to discard our “tidak apa” attitude towards our current political climate:

• Does it make you angry to know that our prime minister admitted to receiving US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) from an unnamed source into his personal bank account, and that he remains today absolutely unapologetic about it?
• Does it make you angry that this same leader had never actually come clean on the source of the money, and that it took the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commision (MACC) to reveal that it was a “contribution” from a Middle Eastern donor?
• Does it make you angry that Malaysians are being told that our prime minister has done nothing wrong in accepting that money, because our current laws have almost non-existent limitations on political funding? Greater men have stepped down for far less morally unacceptable actions.
• Does it make you angry that our leaders are so busy being players in the country’s greatest political crisis in years, to actually be doing their jobs of running this nation? High crime rate, plunging currency and an education system that is a veritable mess all seem to be playing second fiddle to domestic politics.
• Does it make you angry that instead of shooting down allegations of misconduct and corruption involving 1MDB-linked companies with cold, hard facts, our government instead went on the offensive against two newspapers, the former deputy prime minister,  MACC officers and even a former prime minister?
• Does it make you angry that the political scenario has become so chaotic that nobody seems to be perturbed that the removal of our former attorney-general could have very likely been unconstitutional?
• And finally, does it make you angry that we are practically incapable of doing anything about all of the above?

Malaysians are not merely bystanders watching the inevitable political explosion to come – we are stakeholders, and every wrong move from this point on affects all of us dearly.

And yet, we seem to have no other channel normally associated with a democratic electoral system to make our frustrations heard; there is a dearth of public trust towards government institutions and machinery, and we have too few heroes to turn to.

This helplessness and depressing notion that the fate of the nation lie in the hands of an elite few within Umno is perhaps why a street protest has become the only avenue for the ordinary Malaysian to express their outrage.

Corruption, a flawed electoral system and a crisis of leadership will bleed this nation dry sooner than later, and change is no longer just a rallying call – it is our country’s lifeline.

Perhaps it’s time Malaysians put aside our forgiving natures and ask ourselves if we’ve seen enough injustice and blatant disregard for the sentiments of the common man-on-the-ground.

Let’s not confuse our agreeable dispositions with a lackadaisical political stand. Let’s ask ourselves if all that has happened, all that has been said by our leaders, should be morally and legally acceptable.

And if not, then let’s not be afraid to be angry enough. – August 17, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.