M.Krishnamoorthy
A media coach, adjunct professor and author
In Malaysia, rich politicians and their cronies have become obscenely wealthy, while the poor get poorer and are resigned to their fate. Wasn’t it the Malay leaders who stole the taxpayers' money?
“The ordinary Malay will say, ‘Sabar (calm down), God has chosen our path’, while the Ustaz (Muslim religious teacher) will say, God will reward you in the afterlife. Pray harder,” said Mariam Mokhtar, political commentator and a defender of the truth.
She is also the Green Bean Army admiral-general and the president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO).
In her comment on Malaysiakini, she narrated how the mighty had fallen. “The MACC net is widening, and more allegedly corrupt politicians and their family members have been or are soon due for questioning.”
Malaysians are questioning that there are big holes in the MACC dragnet and hoping the Billion Ringgit thieves will be charged. Malaysians are worried the Malaysian Mafia of these politicians will slip through the net and escape the law through further corruption or pardon.
“Nothing is said about how Malaysian politicians behave like the mafia. They allegedly use intimidation and violence to take over an ordinary Malaysian’s business, extort money, or force the legitimate businessperson to include the politician’s family members or the elite Malays to receive commission or be on their payroll.
“These rich, privileged Malay politicians have misled the nation. They said ordinary Malays were lazy, and yet they were the hypocrites who grew rich from the blood, sweat, and toil of the poor Malays and the non-Malays. So, who are the real traitors?
“The day that members of the Malay elite lose everything is probably the day they will regain their humility, values, and self-respect.”
In Mariam’s commentary, titled “Rounding up politicians and their progeny,” she added: “Millionaire and billionaire politicians claim their children have business acumen and are astute enough to grab every opportunity that comes their way.
“Nothing will be said about political connections, insider knowledge, discrimination, and unfair practices. Nor will they mention the pressure placed on individuals involved in the decision-making process to approve an application in the politician’s favour.”
Mariam added: “If the politician’s son were to fail in his business venture, we wouldn’t be told that taxpayers’ money was used to bail him out. Around 40 years ago, politicians who did wrong knew they could hide behind some of the country’s draconian laws. This was the invisible cloak that shielded them from public scrutiny and accountability. In those days, anyone who tried to expose these corrupt politicians had to be ‘discouraged’. There were allegations of arrests, trumped-up charges, incarceration, threats, hush money, and physical harm.”
In contrast, today, Mariam added these allegedly corrupt politicians, their spouses, and their children probably claim unfair treatment for being investigated. The wife of former finance minister Daim Zainuddin said her husband was persecuted for his success.
“The rakyat don’t care, as all they want is justice. Corruption has become a way of life. There is no respect for the rule of law. Values and morals have been abandoned. For 50 years, the nation was sold a lie. The Malays held the top positions in government, the civil service, and the armed forces. They dictated policies and ran the wheels of government. But the Malays were also the country’s worst hypocrites.
“They stole from the public. They were motivated by greed. Short-term thinking involves the three Ps: power, perks, and position. They failed to think of the long-term consequences of their actions. They used the cloak of race and religion to further their evil aims.”
Last week, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Indians and Chinese were not loyal citizens. Really?
To her question, she replied: “Wasn’t it Malay leaders who stole taxpayers’ money, mismanaged the economy, and compromised Malay institutions like Tabung Haji, Mara, and Felda? If anyone is to be considered a traitor, then it is the thieving Malay leader(s) who betrayed the nation. The politicians enriched their family members but then had the audacity to claim their business skills were praiseworthy. The Chinese and DAP would be blamed for the poor financial standing of the Malays.”
Mariam explained that some Malaysians, including the privileged ones, had questioned the timing of these MACC investigations. They want to know why it took so long. They fear the destabilisation of the country. They claim it is too late to do anything.
The poor are stuck in a vicious cycle of poverty. “Somewhere outside Sungei Siput, two boys help their mother place several buckets at strategic points on the floor to collect the rainwater pouring in through the holes in the zinc roof. where six of them – mother, father, grandmother, and the boys’ older sister, who is disabled, as is her father-- live. They get minimal help from the Welfare Department. The family dread the wet weather. As a cleaner, the mother’s wage cannot cover the cost of a new roof, and she has pawned off the last of her wedding jewellery to pay for essentials,” Mariam cited while the poor continue to suffer and the rich keep robbing the nation’s wealth.
In contrast, Mariam said, some of us may have read about the luxurious properties in Beverly Hills, New York, and London, owned by the son of a former Malaysian PM. At the same time, the former PM’s wife told the public that she could afford her huge collection of multi-million-ring gems because she was prudent and started saving when she was a teenager. Or the two sons of a former minister who were millionaires before they were 12.
“Then, we read about politicians and their sons lodging appeals about their huge tax bills. Isn’t it strange that for most of the rakyat, the taxman will say, ‘Pay first, ask questions later.’ Over in Sarawak, a former chief minister reportedly said his children became rich because they are not stupid and possess good business acumen,” Mariam added.
Freelance Writer M. Krishnamoorthy (www.imkrishna.net) is a media coach, adjunct professor and undercover journalist. He has freelanced with Bernama, NST, The Star, and Malaysiakini. He also freelances as a fixer/coordinator for CNN, BBC, German and Australian Television networks and the New York Times. As an undercover journalist, he has highlighted society's concerns.
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