History, a lesson we all must heed

“THERE is no present or future, only the past happening over and over again, now.”

American playwright Eugene O’Neil, who was awarded the 1936 Nobel Prize in Literature, famously wrote that. It reaffirms the old adage that history repeats itself.

A contrarian that he was, he changed the course of American theatre. He brought a realism to American theatre that paved the way for one of the greatest era of American plays.

Humanity is learning very little from the past. The world is not getting any better in terms of equality, wealth distribution, health among the poor, education, poverty, peaceful co-existence and racial and religious tolerance. Corporations are wealthier than a third of sovereign countries. The super rich are richer than some poor nations. The disparity between the rich and the poor is widening by the day.

Leaders are creating their own kleptocracies. Policies are made to benefit a few at the expense of many.

History tells us that poverty among people is a death knell for any nation. Revolutions were galvanised out of anger and resentment when the poor became the marginalised. Disenfranchisement among the populace resulted in the fall of governments, even powerful ones supported by ruthless state apparatuses.

Things are changing in the world today. Unlike days of old, the Internet is changing the way we communicate and get informed. Nothing is sacrosanct now, not even personal details. Everything is like an open book. It makes any act to protect government secrets or that of corporations and personalities, frivolous. Social media is changing the landscape entirely.

Back then it took a long journey for any leaks to become gossip, kedai kopi discussions and later official denials from those responsible. Now, news (fake or otherwise) is spreading faster than the world’s fastest train. The term “viral” is currently the scariest word in the English language.

Take the case of Malaysia. It took us years to realise the extent of the Bumiputera Malaysia Finance (BMF) debacle. It was only after the Committee of Inquiry came out with a report in January 1984 that the country knew what actually happened. The death of one of its officers in July 1983 in Hong Kong was a shock to everyone. Since BMF, a subsidiary of the then Bank Bumiputera Berhad, we were regaled with one debacle after another. We have a scandalous financial history.

Perhaps no one really paid any attention to the report of an Auditor-General before 2007. It was a routine endeavour that attracted little interest to the public. The AG would highlight certain relevant issues and that was about it.

It was in 2007 that the media and the public started to pay attention to the otherwise boring affair. It was an innocuous product – screwdrivers – bought by Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN), the national youth skill centre. The screwdrivers and other equipment for the institute was bought at ridiculous prices.

Tan Sri Ambrin Buang, the country’s longest serving auditor-general has a lot to tell in his memoirs, From AS to AG: Reminiscence of a PTD Officer. A credible and respected officer was able to bring to fore inefficiencies and mismanagement of government programmes and projects without fear and favour. He called a spade a spade. He made known his displeasure and he pointed out what ought to be done to improve the situation.

His yearly report from then on was keenly followed. Every year there was a thunderstorm of uproar and disbelief following the AG reports.

He was in the thick of things from the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal to the 1MDB colossal misadventure. He saw it all. He told it as it was. It was not pleasant, but the truth is, do we really care? Did those responsible for the mistakes ever get reprimanded or his recommendations seriously looked into?

It was only when the government realised that some of the cases were causing them votes, they began to take notice.

People suffered while some others made a fortune from buying screwdrivers (yes!), building phantom ships (alleged), siphoning rakyat’s money (proven by the court) and God-knows what else.

The people sadly are hoodwinked by the powerful and the well-connected. Little wonder there is so much anger in the air and so little faith in the ruling elite.

When it comes to upholding integrity and good governance, apparently we have learned very little. Perhaps we are paying dearly for our dogged pursuit of “progress” (kemajuan) at whatever price. We wanted to achieve our goal for economic glory without the moral and ethical compass.

And not learning the lessons of the past.

Eugene O’Neil was right all along!

Johan Jaaffar is a journalist, editor and for some years chairman of a media company, and is passionate about all things literature and the arts. And a diehard rugby fan. The views expressed here are entirely his own.