What I wish for in a politician...

- ‘a competent, dedicated and incorruptible leader’ as suggested by M. Bakri Musa.

I always believe and hope that our country will be lead by such ideal leaders. I also believe that such people are driven by their passion for the good of the country rather than for positions or personal gains.

We have to believe there are such people, which is why I am most disappointed with a friend who is always cynical about politicians and would generalise that all politicians are in it for their personal objectives. He is also one who would not put his name on any cause in case it might jeopardise his pension or create unnecessary problems with the authorities.

To be fair to the few good politicians who are in it for freedom, justice, equality and so on, I would not expect them to be shouldering the responsibilities for too long, unless they wish to. I believe there are those who would do it even without personal gains, yet they are accused of being unwilling to give up their positions.

On the other hand, if public life is becoming too much in terms of encroachment on personal life, then it is time to call it a day and let others have a go at it.

Well, if the system is fair, then the best person should win in any given contest, though this is far from satisfactory in practice. If you think a certain leader is too autocratic, then try and oust him. If not, just quit and let others bear with such leaders. Ultimately, the voters should be the ones to decide on who should lead us.

Even for the post of town or city councillor, when we actually read the requirements of a good one, as spelt out by Dr. Goh Ban Lee some time ago, and briefly in Edward Lee’s blogsite, Role of a State Legislator, not many people are really up to it!

So it is a wonder how certain politicians who quitted from the Pakatan Rakyat in Perak as Deputy Speaker and State Exco Members, could claim that they were being ignored or sidelined which was the main reason why they hopped over to Barisan Nasional, even though claiming to be independents. Were they too big for their positions as Exco members after just less than a year? If they were truly independents, Perak State Assembly did not have a simple majority coalition. If that is not being conceited and deceitful, I do not know what is.

My selection of certain parts of Dr. M. Bakri Musa’s book review…readers are advised to read his whole review to get a proper perspective of Saifuddin’s book.

M. Bakri Musa - Calling for a new breed of politicians
Saifuddin does not explore why politics has degenerated in our country, or why our current politicians do not share their earlier compatriots’ deep sense of duty and service to the community. My own theory is this. Unlike earlier leaders who were inspired by the struggle for merdeka; today’s politicians lack such transcendental ideals; hence they are easily corrupted by material gains.

Further unlike the past, today’s best and brightest today have other much more rewarding avenues for their talent. If they have not already succumbed to the seduction of the First World, there is the lucrative private sector at home.

Attracting talent is a major challenge. Generous compensation is not entirely the answer. America does not pay its leaders on the same scale as the private sector, yet there is no shortage of capable and willing candidates. Paying them poorly however, would definitely attract only the corrupt and the less-than-talented, a destructive combination.

While we should strive for competent, dedicated and incorruptible leaders, we should nevertheless be realistic and deal with the cards we have. To prioritize, I would put competence first. The public would readily overlook if not forgive an otherwise competent leader’s other inadequacies. Witness America’s continuing admiration for Jack Kennedy despite his unsavory personal morality. Malaysians tolerated the corruption of the Mahathir era because his was a competent administration, and the level of sleaze was at least manageable.

It is for this reason that I am not enamored with Saifuddin’s idea of electing town councilors. In theory that would be the essence of grassroots participatory democracy, in practice however, it would merely bring the current political gridlock down to the local level. Witness the ongoing paralysis in Perak and elsewhere where the party in power is different from the one nationally. Now imagine the local, state and federal governments all under different political parties! To reemphasize, I would put competence ahead of everything else, including ideology. Town dwellers just want their potholes filled and drains unclogged!

I have a simpler and more accurate concept that is readily understood by the masses. We would empower them if we grant them their personal merdeka to make their own decisions. Repealing the Universities and Colleges Act for example, would grant our students their personal merdeka.

As with a nation, we must properly prepare our citizens for their merdeka lest they corrupt that precious gift as a license for anarchy. Meaning, we must make the relevant information readily available to them and they must be capable of thinking critically. Thus we must have freedom of the press and a decent education system.

In many ways the issue of press freedom is now mute. The Internet has democratized access to information and no government, not even the most repressive, has a monopoly on information nowadays. The deficiencies of our education system however is not so readily overcome or bypassed. It remains the biggest obstacle to effectively empowering our citizens.

Saifuddin is silent on the Internal Security Act (and other intrusive laws) and affirmative action. These issues are dear to all Malaysians and must be faced directly. Leaders with higher aspirations cannot pussyfoot around these defining matters. The ISA and other oppressive laws are the antithesis of empowering our people.

Another wrinkle is that with few notable exceptions, civil society in Malaysia is race based. Thus the government has to mediate the conflicting demands of GAPENA, the Malay writers association, and Suqui, the champions of Chinese education.

As a politician Saifuddin faces the twin challenges of first changing UMNO along the lines suggested in his book, and second of ensuring that he is not changed in the process. Both are formidable undertakings. His writing this volume is an excellent beginning.