I have been following most of the exposés on 1MDB and the
denials, threats, etc by those involved since the story broke out. We also talked
about them during friends and relatives’ get-togethers. I believe we all know
who and what to believe. Like many concerned citizens, I also want to voice my
anger.
Unfortunately, our society is still race- and religion-sensitive.
The recent “run-off” at Low Yat Plaza speaks volumes how fragile race relations
can be in Malaysia, even though the authorities said it was not. So perhaps
it is better for a china-man like me to resign to the realities of Beautiful
Malaysia!
We have seen the likes of 1MDB before. The scale of this one
is simply too mind-boggling to imagine, that’s all. Chances are that there will
be more in future, once this has come to pass, if we allow our institutions to
continue as usual. This leads me to a reader’s comment about an event that is
now unfolding in Australia.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bronwyn Bishop,
recently used a helicopter to travel from Melbourne to Geelong, a distance of
some 80km, to attend a fund-raising function. It cost more than A$5000 of
Australian taxpayers’ money. Everyone, save Prime Minister Tony Abbot, who
values “mate-ship” above better judgements, opines that she should resign. The
only concession she finally made was to pay back the money (albeit with an
administrative penalty, of course). But she continues to wear that defiant “It’s
my entitlement” look. This prompted a reader to ask in The Age: Entitlement: a
new Australian value?
Entitlement is a right – if it is rightfully yours. If you
are a CEO in a company, even your wife and children are entitled to certain
perks prescribed in your company’s manual. If you are a minister, you get this
and that, besides your pay, based on government policies. But if they are out
of policies or manuals, they are not your entitlements. Period. Bishop’s
helicopter ride is a case in point.
