Malaysia’s uncontainable moral dilemma

There is a saying about how a big storm could bring out the best in us. A well-defined political crisis management does more than weather a storm. It proactively forges a better future for its citizens.

Unfortunately this is not in the case of our leadership.

Last Friday, we were “shocked” by the revelation by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) under the title, “Investigators believe money flowed to Malaysian leader Najib’s accounts amid 1MDB probe.”

This serious allegation comes at a time when the ethical stocks of politicians and our political institutions are at rock bottom.

Expectedly, it has drawn various reactions.

Some have defended the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. They include, the Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, and Domestic Trade Minister Datuk Hasan Malek.

Calling it a continuation of political sabotage, the Prime Minister ‘s Office (PMO) in its immediate statement affirmed that local media should not accept such documents as genuine unless verified by appropriate authorities.

In the mean time, the 1MDB declared that it had never given any funds to Najib.

Najib himself has also denied the allegation and linked the episode to former prime minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. He also announced that he would take several days to decide the next course of action, which include filing a suit against the WSJ.

While the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, some Umno leaders and oppositions have called on all relevant agencies to investigate all allegations made against Najib, there lies a reality, which we cannot deny. That is, the damage is done.

Now the question, is there anything else that we can do, even if the allegation is not true?

Responsible government by its own terms implies a moral condition. In a layman term, we understand the term, ‘responsible’ as how someone accepts the blame or credit for something. We are always been taught that, being responsible corresponds with a noble act.

But, this is not a practice here in Malaysia.

The exercise of authority can only function effectively in an atmosphere of trust, but trust is in short supply.

Failing to develop legitimacy, then, has critical effects. It can cause policy failures that in turn further harm the imperfect legitimacy.

Many politicians seem to assume that the general public does not bother to care much. They think that we will forgive or forget their “dirty hands” someday when distracted by the good times they hope will happen.

Well, they are wrong.

Looking back at the contentious issues that have taken place in this year alone, it is hard not to accept the truth that we are indeed undergoing a series of political crises.

The measure of a leader is often tested during a crisis. Crudely speaking, our ship is sinking.

1MDB controversy is not new. Now, as concerns reach new heights, it gives the feeling that our leaders are failing on these accounts.

This is where the effective political accountability becomes an essential component in order to maintaining proper governance.

For a leadership that has been under mounting criticism in and out of the country, I ask, has the public confidence not been shaken?

As I have written in the past on the topic on blind obedience to the state, saying no to your government has nothing to do with patriotism. Rather, we would have betrayed ourselves by being blindly obedient, as that means we have basically thrown away our moral basis. – July 6, 2015.

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