Leadership and the Malaysian eCONomy-part 1

I hope not everyone-and I further hope, not the majority of us are mesmerised by Najb’s PR gimmicks. His presentation of the yearly budget is fast becoming a yearly singsong. He is repeating some same stuff over and over again.

The more important issues like income distribution, the worsening level of education, the deterioration of domestic and external security, the scourge of corruption were hardly mentioned. He took time to sound silly by prodding the opposition. His budget speech is one boring rendition of some economists extended essay.

We saw the video clip of Najib being elbowed by Rosmah during Jokowi’s inauguration. If that is true, this country is doomed.  The clip however looked suspicious.

He is now compared to president Jokowi of Indonesia and is seen as inadequate. That’s humbling to us Malaysians. Jokowi was a furniture trader. Najib is a scion of an aristocratic family, the product of British education, yet pales in comparison with wak Jokowi?

There you are- all this time one compares him with the milieu composed of pedestrian village folks, or people coming from less privileged family background who are crude in mannerisms, less cosmopolitan- he on the other hand coming from a pedigreed background; that alone made him appear ‘special’. But once he is compared among equals, not linked to the same cultural background, the real Najib stands out. Ineffectual, intellectually less rigorous, muddled thinker.

While Indonesia is adopting openness and meritocracy and more democracy, Malaysia is reversing. Malaysia is introverted, becoming more tight-fisted, and petty. The main reason for this reversal is the weak leadership of Najib. He is assertive on the wrong things and not on the fundamentals of nation building. He is expansive on the petty things and not on the factors that really contribute to the nation‘s advancement.

In 2009, he became the PM with pomp and splendour liked by any member of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie.  He declared all the acronymic initiatives- a series of marketing gimmicks to inform the public that he is serous about transforming this nation. He also declared the age of big brother government is over.

After 5 years, the country has not transformed into what the various acronyms promised. The country is divided along racial, religious, and social lines; the security of this country breached so many times. We have millions of foreign paid security workers guarding our housing estates and commercial premises; the economy has grown at non extraordinary rates, public debt has risen, household debt has grown to astronomical levels, religious bigotry and pettiness are on the rise. What has Najib done?

Nothing.

Just what are the things crucial to nation building? I would say things like having leadership, the rule of law, security of the nation both domestically and externally, social cohesiveness, economic governance, education and skilling the people, income distribution, adoption of live and let live attitude.

Leadership deficit slackens the country.

What is it that Najib lacks first? He is not a thoughtful person. Now when I say being thoughtful it means being intellectually rigorous. Najib is only slightly better than his cousin Hishamudin upstairs there. The only leader thus far displaying that trait is that ’evil dictator’ Mahathir. We can say all the evil things about him, but lack of intelligence and wide knowledge isn’t one of them.

Perhaps that is a reflection of a less intellectually rigorous youthful life. He doesn’t have the quality of mind that differentiates him from the rest of his cabinet members. We all suspect that many of his speeches written in books were not his and ask him to expand on the ideas he will look askance. The slack in youthful life that could have been corrected and compensated by rigorous education has finally shown itself in the present day Najib.

So? So he can’t grasp the bigger picture of nation building which requires more democracy where it is needed, order when it is appropriately required, corruption free civil service, the absence of which has created a group of government-rich coterie. Ever wonder how some ex high civil servants after retirement can own houses costing RM7-8 million?

Some tough measures are needed to tackle things like open defiance of the supremacy of the nation’s laws. For example when JAKIM people refused order from our civil laws which stemmed from the supreme laws of this nation, Najib should have these people arrested. Not doing so, has created uncertainty over the laws of this nation. This is not an Islamic state- I am sorry to say this to my Muslim brothers in Malaysia.

We don’t need an Islamic Constitution say the objectors- the institution of Islamic principles, is in in the hearts. Well, good- then that is the more reason why we don’t need an oversight organisation that makes a mockery of the constitution of Malaysia. Islam rules by gentle persuasion- acceptance by way of conviction is more lasting than acceptance by force.