Lessons from a derailed chairman

WELCOME to my month. Can you believe half the year has gone, seemingly at lightning speed?

Talking of lightning speed, that’s how fast the Finance Ministry removed Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman as Prasarana Malaysia Bhd chairman. It was simply unprecedented.

Undoubtedly, it was public outrage at its best and most effective in getting the ministry to give the boorish Pasir Salak MP the sack.

Yes, we are angry. But Malaysians have been angry and frustrated long before the pandemic struck. And those feelings stemmed from how many politicians, especially those in power, act and speak.

The disdain for the common folk, the sense of entitlement and privilege they seem to think they have a right to, the arrogance and belief in their invincibility that makes corruption almost endemic and acceptable, playing to their gallery with racist rants – the list is endless.

Tajuddin ticked almost every box, and the last straw was his now infamous press conference in the aftermath of the May 24 LRT train crash.

Everyone who watched it was shocked and revulsed by his obvious incompetence, lack of knowledge of the situation, and zero sympathy for the victims. One came away feeling that he thought paying RM1,000 in compensation and taking care of the victims’ medical bills were all that mattered and would settle everything.

It was plain that this man, elected to represent the people, had no idea how to do that.

And Malaysians, already tired and stressed out by the resurgence of Covid-19 infections, were in no mood to be nice, even about something unrelated to the pandemic. Everyone wanted him gone. And he was, the very next day.

It was laughable that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak thought it was up to Umno

to decide when Tajuddin should resign. The Perikatan Nasional coalition government, aware of the strong public sentiment, obviously thought otherwise.

Well, good for them.

Tajuddin serves as a classic example of a political appointee who absolutely did not deserve, nor was qualified for, the position he was given. It’s no secret that there are many more like him who got

plum jobs heading government-linked companies (GLCs) based on political expediency.

Tajuddin’s self-inflicted implosion pulled the lid off such appointments, prompting Umno’s Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz to ask the Perikatan government to remove other “problematic” political appointees.

Nazri, the Padang Rengas MP and a former minister, is no stranger to controversy himself. But he is also known for his bluntness.

He was quoted as saying: “He [Tajuddin] is not the only one. There are many others and I think there is no need for me to mention names.” (Oh Nazri, do name names, please!)

He added: “The same action must be taken [against] them, too. Don’t be selective. I mean, really. We are talking about wanting to be a clean government and we must do our level best to comply with what the rakyat wants.”

Yes, indeed. How many more such leeches can this country bear? Ours is a nation blessed with natural beauty, resources and a strategic location, safe from natural disasters like typhoons and volcanic eruptions. We also have lots of talented and intelligent people, but why does it feel that it isn’t properly reflected in many of our institutions and the corridors of power?

But like I said, we the people are in no mood to play nice when we are suffering from a crisis of epic proportions. That’s why badly- behaving ministers, MPs and GLC appointees are not getting away with anything anymore. The same goes for anyone who thinks he or she is above the law, including so-called VIPs and celebrities.

Popular as they are, actress Neelofa and singer Siti Nurhaliza could not escape being shamed and punished when they violated the pandemic standard operating procedure.

Ironically, their transgressions were openly posted on social media. It was as if they thought their fans would be thrilled to see how privileged they are and the authorities would indulge them.

Currently, the police are investigating allegations on social media that an unnamed minister was stopped at a roadblock in Perasing, Kemaman, Terengganu, on May 16 without a valid interstate travel document.

Let’s see how that unfolds.

With that in mind, everyone had better behave. We are all linked together in this pandemic that has sickened and killed many and wreaked havoc on people’s livelihoods and the economy.

This time last year, we were coming out of a conditional movement control order and moving into recovery. We thought we had succeeded in taming the virus. But like many other countries, our hopes were premature. Many governments wanting to appease their citizens eased restrictions too quickly and SARS-CoV-2 went on to mutate into variants that were more infectious and deadly.

We made the same mistake in April by allowing Ramadan bazaars to operate.

According to online portal FMT, Bersatu party insiders admitted “We were giving in to everyone without really thinking of the consequences. We caved in to pressure, not wanting to upset the traders, hoping for their support in return.”

The result was that bazaars became one of the main reasons for the huge surge in the number of Covid-19 cases, added FMT. We have paid a terrible price for our impatience and lack of political will.

And so the total lockdown that we dreaded began yesterday.

This time around, if we have any hope of quelling the virus and its infection rates, we must once again strictly abide by the SOP.

There will be the inevitable violators, whether by design or accident. But let’s not see ministers or celebrities or other VIPs among them. They should use their elevated

status to be role models for their admirers and supporters to follow and not be figures of disappointment and ridicule.

From last year’s experience, two weeks was too short and the MCO was extended.

Hopefully this time, it’s enough because we have the additional weapon of mass vaccinations which are finally shaping up well. I had my first jab this afternoon.

If our leaders keep a steady hand on the tiller and steer enough of us to collectively do the right thing – adhere to the SOP, stay home, and vaccinate – over the next few months, then we have a good chance of saving Deepavali and Christmas 2021 and being able to safely balik kampung for Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Gawai Dayak and Kaamatan 2022.

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.