WE see many things have gone wrong in the past and continue to go terribly wrong under your leadership.
Honourable Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, your handpicked ministers, deputy ministers and special advisers who supposedly are the most intellectual among the tens of thousands of party members have been a total disappointment.
This coterie of heads’ efforts in trying to resolve the many problems inflicting the nation today remains much to be desired.
Honestly, there has not been a single policy or action forthcoming from any of them that has pulled the brakes to halt the decay that is permeating throughout the entire system of government – corruption, abuse of power and mismanagement.
The idiom, the fish rots from the head down, defined by The Idioms – the largest idioms dictionary – as “failing organisations and how the blame of it should be on its ‘head’ that is its leadership”, perhaps best describes the state of the country’s current situation.
Corruption is becoming a daily reported occurrence, and the perpetrators are the very persons who are entrusted with the responsibility to ensure that all public-funded projects, developments and activities are not abused and mismanaged in order to ensure that you as the prime minister achieve the desired and promised results.
Disgustingly, politicians have given various interpretations, definitions or meanings to the word “corruption” in order to make it look less sinful and, to some, acceptable if not caught in the act.
The heads of ministries and various government departments seem to be oblivious to what is happening under their charge, especially in the disbursement of funds. The abuses, misuse and leakages of public funds that now run into insurmountable, abominable numbers.
What seems to be the disgusting pattern under your leadership is when there is an expose on the wrongdoings of your elected and handpicked appointees, the “heads” parade their total innocence or ignorance and are in quick strokes absolved of any responsibility for wrongdoing.
What is totally upsetting is that the scapegoat is often the subordinates.
Let truth also be told. There has never been an incident in our nation’s history where the head of a ministry or department will be the first to come forward into the open and take full responsibility for any misgivings, miscarriages or shortcomings that occur in the ministry or department under his/her charge.
Patriot draws your attention to the loss of RM6 billion involving the naval littoral combat ship (LCS) project. This is, undoubtedly, one glaring example of abuse, mismanagement, and widely perceived as high-level corruption involving officials of the ministry, the project’s owner and other stakeholders.
This high-level mismanagement was known some years ago, but was probably kept under wraps hoping that the problem can be managed and resolved.
One wonders whether the Defence Minister at the time was being aloof over the LCS project or that no one took responsibility to adequately brief the minister.
Whatever the case, the question is can this be a justifiable reason to absolve the minister of any responsibility towards that failed project? Leadership by any universal qualification means that the head takes full responsibility. Period.
The loss of RM6 billion of public funds that was reportedly paid out, without a single ship ever being completed and handed to the navy, is clearly “thievery at its best” whichever way one chooses to argue.
It is mind-boggling to really comprehend how such a huge amount of money had been paid by the Finance Ministry without a physical check to ensure the money is rightfully spent. It certainly is not like paying for the purchase of a can of “kacang putih” (peanuts).
Patriot stands by the members of the Parliament Public Account Committee (PAC) for their thorough investigation of this monumental loss of public funds.
We now demand and hope that the PAC report would be acted upon speedily by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and bring to justice those found guilty of abuse, corruption and mismanagement of this multi-billion ringgit LCS project.
Patriot also salutes the former navy chief Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar for his courage and patriotism in speaking out against the Defence Ministry and Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd for ignoring his professional views on the LCS project.
Honourable prime minister, please take charge of the country, do something. Stop the rot.
As the saying goes, “Do something – either lead, follow or get out the way”, our national war against abuse, wastage, corruption and mismanagement of public funds demand exemplary and courageous leadership.
Otherwise, one must take ownership of the continuing failures and not keep blaming predecessors or subordinates as seems to be the popular trend in almost every institution of government.
Patriot respectfully pleads that as prime minister, you should keep a tab on your bloated coterie of ministers, deputies and special advisors to do what has been entrusted upon them i.e. to save this nation under your leadership. – The Vibes, August 6, 2022
Brig Gen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji is president of the National Patriots’ Association.
