Time to grow some balls

A leader has an appointed role and the best way to decide whether to be for him or against him is to let his track record tell us how well he has performed.

COMMENT

A friend’s Facebook status read:

“Like most Malaysians, I do not know whether or not the allegations on Najib are true. Therefore, I keep on reminding myself not to make statements which can then turn into fitnah. Fitnah is very dangerous my fellow Muslims. Be careful with what you say.”

His view resonates with many messages I have received over the past few weeks from friends, acquaintances and readers regarding our Prime Minister’s alleged involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

“Did Najib really ganyang our money?”

“Is it true that the info on 1MDB was tampered and fabricated?”

“Do you trust Tun M? I tak nak jadi mangsa agenda Tun M.”

“Both sides are playing games. Whom do we support?”

At one point, I was one of them. Confused. Unsure of who to trust. As an ordinary citizen whose knowledge about our political scenario is limited to what I read in the media, I too did not want other people’s perceptions and assumptions clouding my own thinking and beliefs.

Therefore, I asked myself a very simple question – Do I find my leader trustworthy?

The thing is, Najib’s involvement in 1MDB doesn’t have to be the key factor in deciding whether or not to support him and his Cabinet. Fortunately for us, a leader has a role to play and the best way to decide whether to be for him or against him is to look at his track record to gauge how well he has performed his appointed role.

Go ahead. Read his manifestos. Read the annual Auditor-General’s reports and then ask yourself…

• Has our cost of living eased?
• How many families in our country own their own home?
• Have the tolls been abolished or even reduced?
• How many new jobs were created?
• How many of us earn at least RM45000 annually?
• Have the quality of our public schools improved?
• Did the living conditions of our poor neighbours improve with the RM6 billion spent under BR1M?

The truth is, we lose RM28 billion every year to overpayment, leakage, wastage and corruption. Try browsing the net. Many stories are available with just a few keystrokes.

Read about the RM700 million paid for 831 AES cameras nationwide and how not even 5 per cent of them have been installed. Read about the RM51 million paid to study the implementation of GST when all we had to do is send our panels across the Straits of Johor to learn from Singapore. Read about useless crap worth millions purchased by our ministries which we cannot even use in times of need.

Our leader speaks often about fighting corruption but all I see are corruption cases being swept under the carpet and the culprits freed by the court of law. I see the culprits, being accepted back into the ruling team despite clear abuses of power. And every year the Auditor-General’s Report details these hanky-panky activities, yet no corrective measures seem to be taken. No one is prosecuted.

Ordinary Malaysians like you and I, don’t ask for much. We are not greedy. We just want a comfortable, happy life.

So we work hard to be better providers for our family ─ food on the table and a roof above our heads. But we want to do more than just be able to pay our bills. We want a decent standard of living and a lifestyle we can be proud of. We want a secure future for our loved ones.

But despite being an oil producing country that is home to Petronas, one of the world’s most profitable companies, according to Fortune 500, we find ourselves shouldering a growing national debt.

We pay the price for the corruption, wastage, leakages, excesses and overpayments of our leaders and politicians.

Why are we the ones who are burdened? Why do we – ordinary Malaysians, end up being the ones eating nasi bungkus, carrying a full load of their debts and wondering if and when we will ever be able to afford a better lifestyle for our families?

Think about it.

Najib’s late father, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein once said that the “Duty of a leader is to fulfil the trust of the people to the best of their ability.”

So please, forget about 1MDB for a while and ask yourself this: Do you think Najib has earned your trust?

If you think he has, lend him your support. But if he hasn’t, it’s time to grow some balls.