Governance 101: Fahrenheit 9/11 and Pak Lah

(Would there be a Malaysian version of this? Picture source: images-eu.amazon.com)

Did anyone catch Fahrenheit 9/11 over Astro last night?

No? Ya, probably you were busy watching the game between Spain and Ukraine. It’s ok though, probably you have seen the documentary (movie) already and after all, World Cup comes in first before anything else this month.

Watching two third into the “movie”, I could not help comparing our own Pak Lah to President Bush and in the end I concluded that he was no different than President Bush. Ya, of course he did not send our young men and women into an unwanted war in a far away land. No, he did not do such thing. What made a good resemblance between the two are the indecisions at critical times, wrong prioritization of issues and the fact that in the end, the citizens end up looking like fools.

With so many clowning around by the politicians from the ruling party in the last 2 years and the fact that citizens have to face an increasing cost of living as a result of government decisions; I dare say that Michael Moore could have easily done Part 2 of Fahrenheit 9/11 right here in Malaysia. There are more than enough materials in the local politics to be used for a localized version Fahrenheit 9/11.

I am not sure how many of us realised that if our former Prime Minister is making such a loud noise on how Pak Lah administration is running the country, there might be some truth to it. After all Dr M is not known for cheap talk. When the man speaks, he has something to back his words. Leaving aside the fact that Dr M also contributed to some of the problems that we face now, the question remains “Has the Government under Pak Lah come clean with the truth”? What is really happening in the background? Is Pak Lah or someone else running the show?

It is no secret now that Pak Lah is one weak leader – at least that’s how he portrays himself to the masses. He has not shown that he is in the right direction to meet the election promises – the IPCMC is still not up & running. Ya, there is this thing called 9^th Malaysian Plan which Pak Lah seems to be highly focused on but until it is executed professionally and efficiently that ensures the citizens gets the full benefits at end of the day, I am not so ready to pop that champagne bottle to celebrate it.

Then there are other problem facing the man on the street these days – rising cost of living. We have seen the increase of fuel price and electricity tariff (and yes, the cost of one glass of teh tarik went up too). The possibility of an increase in price of sugar seems inevitable now. All the talk of the government keeping the prices down for the masses is nothing short of a “wayang kulit” – it will go up no matter what the government says. The citizens have been asked to “change their lifestyle” to keep up with the increasing cost but what about the government? Have they taken the necessary steps to spend money wisely?

Talking about wasting money – there is a pain in the neck called “the cost of scrapping the scenic bridge”. It is the “in” thing now – surrounded by controversy and secrecy. Read the local newspapers for…nah, who am I kidding here, no, read the real stories in the net and you will realised something is amiss:-

Scenic bridge fully constructed – cost: RM1.113 billion

Scenic bridge plan scrapped – cost RM740 million (plus minus Malaysian way of doing things, it may end up RM1.0 billion)

Can see what is amiss here? No? Let me put it in a simpler formula:-

Work + RM1.113 billion = Bridge

No work + RM740 million = No bridge

It’s clearer now? Someone just hit a “lottery” of RM740 million.

To make things worse, as if it has not been, Samy Vellu in the words of “transparency” lashes out on the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament (PAC) and literally asking them to mind their own business. Why the minister is so agitated for something that everyone been thinking and talking about? Who are the people behind Gerbang Perdana, who will be making millions if not billions by doing nothing? More importantly, why we are paying so much for nothing? Have we failed again (after the IPP) to negotiate well and get our documentations right? Will someone be made responsible on these mistakes? Does this means the government been licensed to waste public funds without any accountability? Am I kidding myself here?

And during all this time, where is Pak Lah – the man that was given the huge mandate by the people in the last election? He was busy planting kangkong in Hulu Yam in self declared developed state. Yes, it was only for one day but think about it, it seems like even before that, he was practically out of the picture. Najib and rest of cabinet ministers and Barisan MPs were doing all the talking.

He maintained an elegant silence over the matters and when he did opened his mouth to say something; he passed the buck to his ministers (as usual) to answers it on his behalf. Don’t be surprised if a Cabinet Committee is formed to handle things if things get more “difficult” with Dr M.

There a big battle brewing between the residents and MPPJ (again in the self declared developed state) and nothing is done by the government to check on the matter. Signs of corruption are clear in this issue and Pak Lah despite the promises to fight corruption is nowhere to be seen neither his deputies. The residents are left to fight the “little napoleons” in MPPJ themselves. With this kind things happening, it is no wonder people like MP for Jasin is found not guilty by Pak Lah and still in business both inside and outside of Parliament.

With wrong things being prioritized, no one can blame the people to have the wrong impression on the current administration and its success to carry out the responsibilities well. Read the ‘don’t forget‘ list in case you are wondering on the failures todate.

As I said, there are enough materials for Fahrenheit 9/11 Part 2 right here in Malaysia…

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