Choosing a Trustworthy and Responsible Government

July 21, 2012

by Dato’ Ariff Sabri (Sakmongkol AK47)

A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.–Thomas Paine

There is one word to describe what UMNO is going through right now. I am not concerned with the affection that it secures from that portion of its members who will sink and swim with UMNO no matter what.

UMNO dulu kini dan selamanya. That will always remain no matter what because there will always be in UMNO those who subscribe to My UMNO uber allies. Their affection can hardly be faulted but also cannot be rationally explained.

I am talking about an increasing number of UMNO members (in 2008 there were over 1 million of them) and an even more increasing number of Malays who have grown disillusioned with UMNO. In 2008, UMNO candidates got only 2 million of the 5.7 million Malay votes.

The word which I think most appropriate to describe the present feeling about UMNO is “disesteem”. The word captures all the negatives- dishonor, disrespect, held in low opinion of, repulsive etc.

Why has it come to that? I think the most important factor has been the increasing disconnect between what is desired by the majority and the small elite leading UMNO. And that increasing disconnect has also been caused by UMNO’s refusal to hold its own elections.

Here is why UMNO has made the crucial mistake. It thinks by suspending its own elections it can expel the bad feelings; what it does is only postponing the anger and frustrations of the disconnect. What it has done is to build up frustration and anger.  That will translate into rejection of UMNO.

Thomas Paine the American writer and thinker wrote……“prudence will point out the propriety of having elections often; because as the elected might by that means return and mix again with the general body of the electors in a few months, their fidelity to the public will be secured by the prudent reflection of not making a rod for themselves“.

Lest the above paragraph makes life miserable for many UMNO people- what it means, that if the elected voluntary submit themselves to be judged frequently by their electors, they will be restrained from forming self-interests.

The answer to legitimacy therefore is no prolonged suspension of elections but frequent as provided for by the constitution. Now, if the elected leaders postpone elections indefinitely, that is a strong presumption that those elected have already made a rod for themselves.

How would that place the UMNO leaders chief of all, its President who plays hide and seek with us electors on the election date? We will make a strong presumption that his government has lots to hide from our judgment and it is therefore a government deserving of disesteem.

By to-ing and fro-ing on the election date, the Prime Minister is making fun of us and insulting our intelligence. Such behavior shows his lack of understanding of the responsibility of government.

Elections cause frequent interchange with the elector and will establish a common interest with every part of the community that will mutually and naturally support each other and on this depends the strength of government and the happiness of the governed.

What the Prime Minister has done is to speak to his own kind, behaving increasingly as a sectarian Prime Minister, and not Prime Minister of the whole nation. He is only keen to establish common interest with his part of the community. His give me your nambikei and lu tolong gua, gua tolong lu, reflect insincerity of the highest form.

A responsible leader of the nation helps the governed without expecting what more demanding any form of reciprocity. He serves the governed and earns their respect for good governance.

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