Same
Reality, Different Perceptions
Najib’s
RM 2.6B – Generous Donation or Grand Corruption?
M. Bakri
Musa
www.bakrimusa.com
In the 1950s the Americans were alarmed with the
leftist-leaning and shrill anti-Western rhetoric of Indonesia’s Sukarno. To
neutralize him, they concocted a scheme to blackmail the man by portraying him
as other than a true nationalist.
So on one
of his many visits to America the CIA secretly set-up Sukarno to be in the
company of high-priced hookers, and then clandestinely filmed him in his
frolics. Sukarno must have felt that he was already in heaven with some of his
72 “virgins!”
The plan
was to screen snippets of the tape in the movie houses of Jakarta. Surely in
pious Muslim Indonesia such scenes would enrage the audiences such that they
would take to the streets demanding Sukarno's downfall.
Thus far
everything went according to the well-rehearsed script, one that would be
repeated in different places and with different players.
Imagine the
horror of the local CIA station agent when the audiences instead roared their
approval of their President!
“Yeah! Itu
jantan kita!” (That’s our stud!) they roared as Sukarno, like the bunny,
powered by the Eveready battery, kept going and going (or coming and coming)!
“It’s about time one of us gets to screw them, they did that to us for years!”
The
Indonesians could not conceal their pride in their leader’s virility, perhaps
fantasizing a part of themselves in him.
My long
preamble here is to put forth a simple proposition. While the reality may be
the same, the perceptions may be radically different. The world and many
Malaysians may view Najib’s RM2.6 billion “donation” as corruption on a grand
scale, but to red-shirted Malays and their UMNO Putra patrons, it is but a
measure of an Arab’s high regard for their man.
Pardon my
comparing Najib with Sukarno. Najib is no Sukarno in leadership talent or
oratorical skills; he is in priapic proclivities.
It is not
coincidental that Najib’s spinmeisters would have the donation come from the
Middle East, the land of the Prophet. To Muslim Malays, the Arabs and their
desert are blessed. In Saudi Arabia even the flies on your food are halal. As
for the ensuing diarrhea, well, that’s Allah testing you.
This truism
– differing perceptions of the same reality – extends in nature. A rotting
carcass is revolting and haram but to vultures, a heavenly gift. Does the
fastidious diner have moral superiority over the scavenger vulture?
Dispensing
with the relativism, let’s examine Najib’s bonanza from a practical and more
consequential perspective. Najib claims that the money was reward for his
“exemplary” leadership, and to ensure that it be continued. More directly
stated, it was to fund his re-election.
Thus one
fact or precedent is now established. Malaysian leaders and elections can be
bought, or at least influenced by foreign money and individuals. That is
significant, and pivotal. Today, a generous Arab; tomorrow, the CIA! Next could
be China or Singapore. Before long, a non-Arab Middle Eastern state! With the
ringgit fast becoming worthless, topping the RM2.6 billion should be easy.
Besides,
money is not the only means of influence peddling. The Americans and
Singaporeans in particular are more sophisticated. They are not crude, careless,
or stupid like the Arabs as to write a massive check or drop off a bundle of
cash.
Consider
that many children of Third World leaders end up at top American universities
despite not having super SAT scores. Similarly many Third World leaders are invited
as visiting fellows and professors. They lap up the accolades! If those refined
tricks fail, there is the White House visit or a presidential golf game.
Likewise
with Singapore; Malaysians covet invitations to address institutions there, a
reflection of its influence. The Republic today is far different from the early
days of Lee Kuan Yew when its leaders took every opportunity to snipe across
the causeway. Today Singaporeans are active partners in the development of the
southern corridor. They choose their partners prudently however, preferring for
example, the Johore royal family. The same shrewd calculation applies as to
whom they invite to address them.
China too
is learning fast. The Chinese are now partnering with the Johore royal
household to develop some swamps at the tip of the peninsula. With the sultan
on your side, there won’t be too many intrusive questions.
It’s worth
reminding that not too long ago the same royal family sold off the entire
island of Singapore. With this propensity to sell, what else would they dispose
of next?
Yet another
perspective to Najib’s bonanza is to analyze its opportunity cost. Granted we
do not know how or where he spent the money; Najib is still trying to spin that
one out. Nonetheless even a devalued RM2.6 billion could buy you both
Australia’s Anna Creek and the Texas King Ranch (world’s and America’s largest
respectively), with plenty left over. And if you run both outfits in other than
the manner of Sharizat family’s National Cattle Feedlot, there would be plenty
of jobs and halal meat for generations of Malaysians and others.
Back to
nature’s vultures, beyond gluttony they do provide a useful service, as with
cleaning up the environment and preventing the spread of diseases. They deserve
our respect. Najib and his vultures on the other hand pollute our social
environment and corrode the integrity of our institutions through their corrupt
deeds. They deserve our contempt.
Apart from
the lucky few around Najib who benefit directly from him, what purpose would
there be for the others to view his loot as reward for his performance instead
of an act of grand corruption?
I can
understand (though condemn) Najib’s ministers and UMNO warlords for being his
ardent cheerleaders. They could not otherwise afford those luxuries; these
characters have no marketable skills or professional accomplishments. Their
flair for “sucking up” is appreciated only by insecure and untalented
superiors. To these unabashed supplicants, even Najib’s crumbs are worth
scrambling for. Absent that they would be back to their old kampong mode.
Those whom
I feel most sorry for are the young red-shirted pemudas (youths) and
pink-frocked puteris. Surely their maruah (reputation) is
worth much more than just the few hundred ringgit for their free trips to the
capital city, plus their complimentary colorful attires and perhaps a sarong pelekat
or two.
I would
support them if they were to demand their share of the booty. Not as direct
handouts as that would quickly end up in the hands of those retailers at Low
Yat Plaza but to create enduring programs to train them as plumbers, mechanics,
and electricians, or to improve our schools and universities.
They could
then benefit from those initiatives and do something meaningful with their lives,
quite apart from contributing to society and having a bright future. That would
be a legacy worth bequeathing to their children and grandchildren. Those values
and sense of self-worth are worth cultivating. Itu maruah Melayu tulin!
(That’s respect to a genuine Malay.)
Maruah shapes
our perception of reality. Our maruah says that when we receive money or
favors for which we are not entitled to or have not worked for, that is
corruption, not donation. Those who claim otherwise have no maruah.