What is it that you and I do not know behind the attack on Anwar and Nurul?

 

        Much, -- in fact, too much -- has been said about Anwar Ibrahim's daughter, Nurul Izzah being appointed as senior economic advisor. 

        Finally, the Prime Minister has given his reason for appointing Nurul as an advisor. The thing about Anwar is that he knows what to say and says it when the time is right.

        To me, it is obvious that Nurul Izzah's appointment is not only welcomed, and it can hardly be argued as 'nepotism.' As defined by the Cambridge dictionary, it is "the act of using your power or influence to get good jobs or unfair advantages for members of your own family."  

        I believe, if I had consulted the late Gopal Sri Ram, he would agree with me on this. The former federal judge remained low key during the trial of Najib Razak and Rosmah Mansor because he knew the moment, he said something -- in fact, anything -- he would come under attack. This is very unhealthy for a country that is supposedly "progressive" in our worldview.
        To me, as long as Nurul is not paid a fat salary or given allowances that are unreasonable, no amount of argument against nepotism will hold water.
       The altruistic daughter of Anwar is offered the position because her father trusts her and knows that she has the fibre to carry out her task to "ensure that contracts and tenders are managed in an “orderly” manner." Is there anything wrong with that? 
        So far, Anwar's response was only carried by the media that seek to give fair reporting. Others which were used as a platform to attack Nurul and Anwar just kept mum on Anwar's feedback. 
        When I first watched this video by one Dr Bazrul, I did not believe what he was saying, until I read in the news.   

I Would Do the Same

        If I were prime minister and if my daughter were a good forensic accountant, even I would offer her a job and pay her a salary or an allowance that commensurate with her experience.
        There is no reason why I should sideline her just because she is my daughter which is why I think some have stretched the argument on 'nepotism' too far.
        What is wrong for Anwar to teach Nurul a lesson on altruism although I would go to the extent to argue that we should never muzzle the ox that threshes the floor? 
        But in the Anwar-Nurul case, Nurul is only doing the job for the sake of her father -- she is doing it for the sake of the nation to plug all the wastages in the millions.
        It is only when people have things to hide that they are afraid that it would be uncovered by Nurul.        
        It is not surprising that there are people like Nurul still around, who just want to serve the nation, even without a salary. Not even the soldier, no matter how patriotic, would serve his nation without a salary.

Pay Nurul a Salary

        I would go to the extent of suggesting to Anwar to pay Nurul a salary that commensurate her experience as she too has her daily expenses to take care. Her car does not run on water, nor is she exempted from paying toll just because she is the prime minister's daughter. 

        

Please click EasyPolls above and give your answer whether you agree or disagree for Nurul to be paid a salary. 

       If Nurul refuses to accept the salary or allowance, I am not surprised because in society there are still people who are truly altruistic.

        I have been introduced to a forensic accountant in Singapore who is willing to assist a friend of mine with her case. She offered to do it for free because she sees it as a mission to help many people. 
        In the case of Nurul, I think she should just accept any amount paid by the Government and donate it to a charitable cause, rather than to offer her services for free.
       Now, I direct my focus on the state of our nation. What saddens me the most is the two cultures that I see in our society today. This will eventually destroy us instead of helping us to move forward.

Crab Culture 

        Our politicians are like crabs caught in a basket. While one is trying to get out of the basket, the rest will drag it down. 
        There is, in fact, a Malay proverb, "Seperti ketam dalam bakul." Translated, it simply means that crabs in a basket will do anything just to disappoint someone's efforts to move forward.  
        I learnt this proverb when I was in primary school. The teacher described how crabs would climb on top of others in an attempt to escape. 
        Instead of working together to help each other to escape, the moment one crab tries to get out of the basket, others would pull it down.
        Politicians do this because they do not want others to outshine them. In the end, no one excels in the job. And the country is still stuck in the ruts.
        This is what holds the country back from progressing. Suffice to say that we are already behind many other nations in the region in terms of our economic growth.

    Parrot Culture

        The other culture is our so-called parrot culture. It is not difficult to notice that there has been a psychological war against Anwar all these years.
        The warfare is based on perceptions that he is an agent of Israel, of the United States, of China and Russia. And, now the attack is on the current unity government as though they can make no mistakes.
        Earlier, two Bersatu politicians, Wan Saiful Wan Jan and Faiz Na'aman attempted to play up the perception that Local Government and Development Minister, Nga Kor Ming was compromising on the country's sovereignty. 
        A few people also joined in the fray to attack on the same angle until this was quelled by Nga. 
       Please observe carefully the next round this happens. In our case of Anwar and Nurul, it begins with just one or two persons saying that Anwar's appointment of Nurul was a form of nepotism.
        Thereafter, you will see others parroting the same thing; either intentionally or unknowingly, they have been drawn into the psychological warfare against the unity government. 
        Even if we want to criticise Anwar or Nurul, we have to at least exercise some critical thinking, which is sadly very lacking in our culture. Even Harith Iskandar is trying to remind us the importance of exercising this God-given gift. 

More Attacks 

        This is why I have written a piece earlier, titled, "Just let the man do his job!" 
         Mind you, the unity government is hardly 100 days old, and the nonsense that we read in both social media and online news is unbelievable.

        I write this piece because I think the majority of Malaysians are still unaware of the political games that they are caught in between. 

        While I can, I will try to assist the present government to get its job done by giving some suggestions. Unless of course, the current batch of ministers are too arrogant and keep making all the blunders, I will continue to engage them privately instead of criticising them in the open.
        This was the problem with Maszlee Malik, former education minister. After more than a year trying to engage with him privately, he continued to make more blunders and his refusal to listen to some honest feedback. 
        I had no choice but to bring it out in the open, as my intention was not to destroy his career, but because I was deeply concerned with the state of our education system because my children were still in the system.
        Maszlee might be surprised that I launched my criticisms in public, but this was after over a year of trying to knock some sense into him. 
        What a lot of us see today is a system that is so entrenched in a counter-productive culture that can only drag Malaysia further down the abyss unless we, as civilians, understand the real motives behind some of these attacks and remain strongly behind the reforms. 
        Although this year is Anwar's jubilee year after pushing for Reformasi these past 25 years, he and his cabinet will face pushback by civil servants and the pro-Opposition forces, who are still supporting the old regimes. After all, change does not come easy for anyone.
        It will take at least two parliamentary terms before we see any real change in the federal government just like what we see in Penang today. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same of Selangor unless Anwar revamps the state government before the next state election.

Please watch the video here: https://come-to-senses.blogspot.com/2023/01/anwars-visit-to-permatang-pauh-should.html 

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