It has been over 2 years since Ismail Sabri stopped being the prime minister of Malaysia. In these 2 years, nothing much had happened to him. By all accounts, he probably was leading a leisurely and idyllic life after he stepped down from office. The only news I remember coming out about him in the last couple of years had to do with his advocacy for more humane treatment of stray animals. Other than that, Ismail Sabri for all intent and purpose, seemed like he was no longer keen to lead an active political life, after reaching the career high of becoming the 9th prime minister of Malaysia.
All this changed earlier this month however, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a rumour spread that an understanding had been reached amongst the opponents of Anwar, to topple Anwar’s reign and install a new government with Ismail Sabri returning once again as the 11th prime minister of Malaysia.
What happened next happened at a remarkable pace.
Within weeks, Ismail Sabri was found unconscious in his house and had to be rushed to the hospital.
If you thought his stint in the hospital had something to do with his health, the very next day we found out that four of his aides have been arrested for corruption.
Just one day later on February 24, it was reported that in one of his aide’s house, over RM 100 million has been seized by the anti-corruption agency.
Now, according to the anti-corruption agency, they have been investigating a corruption trail involving Ismail Sabri’s aides for months, and it was just a coincidence that they arrested Ismail Sabri’s aide a day after Ismail Sabri was admitted to the hospital, a couple of weeks after rumours started circulating about how Ismail Sabri had been chosen to replace Anwar as the next prime minister of Malaysia, but to the man on the street, the coincidence is being interpreted as a sign that “black book” politics might still be alive and well in the country’s political landscape.
You see, there is an urban myth in the country which says that that all of the important politicians in the country have their dirty little secrets noted in a black book, that will be kept hidden from the public’s eyes, but only for as long as the politician toes the line and do what they are told, by those who are above them.
The minute they start making their own moves, especially in regards to move that those above them find detrimental to their own position, the secret information about them that is contained in the black book will be unleashed, in a way that will destroy their standing in the court of public opinion or get them in trouble in the court of law.
From allegations of sexual travesty to corruption allegations to sex videos, there are plenty of examples of how black book politics were allegedly used in the Malaysian landscape to thwart the moves of the political movers and shakers in the country.
PMX Anwar himself is allegedly a victim of such “black book” politics , when he was seen to be a threat by those who were above him.
Although he himself had suffered from the hands of “black book” politics, It is hard to say whether PMX Anwar would not use the method on his opponents, now that he is in the number 1 position in the country.
We must remember that those who are abused aren’t always chastened by the abuse – a lot of times, they will internalise their experience of abuse and use it as a licence to abuse others. Children who suffer abuse in their childhood often end up being abusive parents. The population of Israel, who come from a generation that was ravaged by genocide, is itself practising genocide today.
We must also remember that PMX Anwar is also a well known believer of the theory that corruption, cronyism and nepotism was endemic in the Mahathir regime that lasted from 1981 to 2003. His government is also made up of people who believe that kleptocracy and debauchery were rife in the corridors of power in Malaysia until they took over in 2022.
If you believe that corruption, kleptocracy, cronyism and nepotism is widespread for over 30-40 years until you took office, it is unlikely that you will apply a clean and transparent form of government, when you strongly believe that most, if not all of the people that you form the top echelon of the population, are likely people who made their name in the swamp of decadence and debauchery that was the previous regime.
Considering this, we cannot be faulted for assuming that rather than follow the straight and narrow, PMX Anwar might be still applying techniques from the old regime, to “drain the swamp” or remove a thorn with a thorn.
In any case, such incidences as a corruption scandal surfacing in Sabah right before the Sabah state election commences or Ismail Sabri’s aides being caught for corruption right after Ismail Sabri was touted as a replacement for Anwar, will likely fuel the speculation that the current unity government is not above fighting fire with fire.
Seeing so, how should we, the public, perceive the possibility that such things as “black book” politics is still being practised in the supposedly reform oriented government today, when he had voted them in precisely to get rid of such practise in the first place ?
Well, the way I see it, there are two ways we can view it.
In the first way, we can view it as a sign that politics in Malaysia has become so degenerate that it is beyond saving. Our politics have been so conditioned by such vices as kleptocracy, nepotism, corruption, cronyism and other debaucheries, that even those who seek to reform it will become tainted by the very practice that they wish to reform.
If this is the case, other than a complete overhaul, there might be no other way to cleanse our political landscape, and stop the continuous state of decline and deterioration in the Malaysian Experience
In the second way of looking at it, we should probably see the black book politics that might be at play today to just mean that we probably are going to have to accept that the house will have to become messier for the time being before it will become cleaner in the future.
We can’t both believe that the Malaysian landscape has been infected with corruption, nepotism, kleptocracy and cronyism for decades, and expect the same people who have risen to high positions by means of such decadence and debauchery, to miraculously have a Saul-to-Paul transition, and lead the charge against the debauched culture, system and practises that rewarded them and hoisted them up to important positions.
There are likely a lot of “swamp creatures” swimming in the high levels of all sectors in the country today, and they probably would have to be removed or rehabilitated first, using such questionable methods as the black book method, before reformation can be fully affected.
For our sake and the sake of the future generation, let us hope that it is the second view rather than the first that explains the state of our reality today.
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