Because the ordinary rakyat i.e we, voted for them.
The ordinary rakyat does not have the ability to distinguish between the confidence and competence of these politicians. They are unable to resist the allure of narcissistic individuals.
Politicians with grandiose visions. They do not know that there is a big difference between being an effective leader and being a stand-up comedian.
The ordinary rakyat loves charismatic individuals. They want leaders who are charming and entertaining. It is a potent mix when the existing political system where parties competing to represent the rakyat also continuously produce an abundance of incompetent and dishonest political leaders who exploit the rakyat’s credulity and prejudices and thrive on emotion-driven discourse and fake news. This creates a group of leaders who are unaware of their own limitations and unjustifiably pleased with themselves. They see leadership as an entitlement and they lack empathy and self-control, so they end up acting without integrity and indulging in reckless risks. If we want to improve the competence level of political leaders, we need to improve our own competence in judging and voting for them.
It has become a precedent in the past few General Elections where after a honeymoon period between voters and their winning candidate, often as short as a few months, the person appointed as Prime Minister always disappoints.
What all these people lack in competence, they make it up through their confidence and assertiveness.
Even though confidence is a highly desirable quality, it is desirable only if it is accompanied by actual competence. Each conveyed the impression that they are not just more competent – which they are not - but also more driven and leader-like. As the saying goes, one of the best ways to fool other people into thinking you are better than you actually are is to fool yourself first. Their incompetence is often masked by the contribution from the civil service in the Ministries under Cabinet. Yes, we do have competent political leaders here and there, but they are lost in a sea of incompetent and corrupt politicians. It is no different in private organizations. Individuals who focus on getting ahead of their colleagues are more likely to be rewarded by their leaders than people who are less driven, even if the ambitious individuals contribute little to the organisation.
Generally, if you google most of the top management in GLCs in Malaysia including government agencies, one will be impressed by their résumé, network and public brand, graduate from top universities either in the UK or the US and thousands of social media followers. However, none of these accomplishments generally reflect the individual’s ability to lead. It is no longer a surprise that most had dismal management skills. But because these individuals in the top management devotes most of their time to managing their own reputation with the external world, he or she is a sought-after leader. To further lubricate his or her undeserved career success, they generally performed superbly in their networking coming across as driven and charismatic. And it is the same in all the political parties in this country.
Is it the fault of the voters who expect too much? Or the voters don’t understand what is going on, how complex the job of governing can be, how and why campaign promises can’t be kept?
Voters generally favour policies that enhance their own well-being with little consideration for of future generations or for long-term outcomes. Politicians are rewarded for pandering to voters’ immediate demands and desires.
How do we stop these incompetent people from becoming leaders?
Progress starts with each and every one of us. Start with what can be done immediately. Stop picking leaders on the basis of their overconfidence, their bravado and their assertiveness. Reject all those aspiring politicians who are uneducated – at least a degree - and do not have real-world experience, managerial abilities and knowledge of public administration. Reject all those aspiring politicians whose preoccupation is to play political games that could not in any way conceivably allow them to think of ways to help the ordinary rakyat and the country.
The cost of choosing incompetent leaders is enormous. Narcissistic leaders are more likely to push the country into extravagant projects. They tend to have difficulties with the execution, generally not delivering.
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