How Dato' Seri Musa Aman could wriggle out of the mess he is in
M.G.G. Pillai
THE POLITICAL CRISIS IN Sabah gets out of hand. What political crisis, you ask? In Malaysia, when politicians attack, and the newspapers, radio and television slavishly report in, usually out of context or for no apparent reason, it is a sign all is not well. Sabah UMNO's misguided, unilatera, ill-thought attempt, with the undoubted connivance of federal BN and UMNO, to abolish the rotational system of chief ministers amongst the three broad groups – the Muslim, the non-Muslim and the natives; the bureaucratic gobbledygook beloved of our politicians and administrators describe it portentiously less elegantly, but this is what it means – to make the UMNO Sabah leader the permanent chief minister, backfired.
The chief minister, Dato' Seri Musa Aman, then unilaterally extends his term first from two to five years, then asserts the post for UMNO in any National Front (BN) government. In the current state of politics, and despite the landslide Sabah BN was returned to power last year, it was the proverbial red rag to the bull.
The Sabah BN, in principle, accept this usurpation of power. It did not object, on the questionable principle that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it. But not UMNO. They did not want Dato' Seri Musa Aman. He has been inflicted, since he was appointed chief minister, with the megalomania and political dementia that destroyed Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun who, for all his faults, was a far greater man than he could ever hope to be. But he rushed in to control the internal UMNO dissent by boasting of his close rapport with the prime minister, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and stepping on their toes every time he opened his mouth. Individually, the state UMNO leaders has had enough of him and want him to step down next month, and another from amongst them complete the remaining three years in office.
The BN leaders lost their spine, hummed and hawed, as this UMNO battle became more serious. Dato' Musa, to quell this incipient revolt, arrogantly assumed he could shout them down as Tun Datu Mustapha once did. He after all controls, if not owns, the newspapers and the air waves. But this got everyone riled: politicians, civil servants, those in the peninsular, the man-in-the-street, all of whom used the only means to get their dissatisfaction across: the Internet.
The tentative postings, especially on Malaysia Today (www.malaysia-today.net), soon turned into a flood. Given the information this contained, this opposition could only come from within. First, Dato' Seri Musa and his officers tried to staunch it with their explanations and threats, but that stopped when each reply was more damaging information. Then he went on the attack in public, which the newspapers, radio and television reported in full.
This led him to believe he had regained the initiative. He now characterised his Internet tormentors as 'cyber terrorists', and as he went on to explain it to an incredulous public, he warmed up to insist they were both anti-nationals and treasonous. He got carried away. He now believes, at least that is what I think his speeches mean, that cyber terrorists – whom he does not identify but is taken to mean any one on the Internet who does not regard him as God's greatest gift to Sabah politics – should be tried for treason, and for good measure, hanged. To him, a cyber terrorist questions him on issues and events in his past that he wants kept well-hidden.
What are these? The usual simple and valid ones as: Is he Musa Aman or Musa Aman Khan? Is he married to Jennifer Marcus? Why did he go about building a new UMNO headquarters without the state UMNO supreme council approving or even knowing about it? Why and how did Sabah Inc. become his family business? Why is he on the warpath when these questions are asked? Why does he insist that all who report or question him should behave like those exemplary journalists who revere the very ground he treads, and rewarded for their reverence with holidays with the great man at official expense?
The fat is on the fire. It is not good that the state should be in rigor mortis while its leader flounders. Let us put this to rest for the good of Sabah. Let Dato' Seri Musa be given the five-year tenure as chief minister he desires. But with this codicil attached: he cannot resign under any circumstances than Acts of God, like death or be struck by lighting and other causes which automatically repudiate insurance companies repudiate policies.
If he does resign, or is forced to, Sabah UMNO agrees to sit out the remainder of the five years, and another five years, while the BN parties provide the chief ministers. It is time politicians in office are told that they are as accountable as every one of us.
This way, one stone kills two birds. Dato' Seri Musa gets the five-year-term he desires, and another chance to come clean. The people of Sabah are fed up of this gross misfeasance in office. There is no opposition to speak of who would, or could, raise these concerns. But the people want an accounting. He should give it. If he does not, Sabah UMNO pays for it. It puts UMNO on notice and BN on, to use that trite phrase beloved of politicians, 'a level playing field'. He must be responsible for his actions.
Since UMNO came to Sabah, it has re-ordered the political life to ensure the primacy of Islam in a Christian and pagan land. It came in with intent to conquer and control. But subtlety is not, never was, its strong point. it did this with threats and bluster through local leaders like Dato' Seri Musa.
One can be certain, in this setup, of only one thing. It Dato' Seri Musa continues to behave as he does, equating political attacks on him as an attack on the nation, he will be brought down to his senses quickly. If he turns out, under these circumstances, to be an exemplary leader, then all would beneft.
Sabah UMNO will have a vested interest to keep him on the straight and narrow, and insist he answer all accusations against him from whatever quarter. Perhaps a new political culture of democratic and electoral respect, with a sense of fair play, would emerge, and which has been absent in Sabah politics for four decades, since its entry into Malaysia, would emerge.
Even this practice of putting into one's pocket what should be for improving the state would be reduced, and the anti-corruption agency would or could even make an example of some of these politicians and civil servants, however high, and put them in jail, and confiscate what they stole from the people. It is taken as read that Dato' Seri Musa could not survive another three years in office. But he and UMNO Sabah would learn from those they had stamped on for years if their defeat mean victory for Sabahans. Is that too much to hope for?
M.G.G. Pillaipillai@streamyx.com
THE POLITICAL CRISIS IN Sabah gets out of hand. What political crisis, you ask? In Malaysia, when politicians attack, and the newspapers, radio and television slavishly report in, usually out of context or for no apparent reason, it is a sign all is not well. Sabah UMNO's misguided, unilatera, ill-thought attempt, with the undoubted connivance of federal BN and UMNO, to abolish the rotational system of chief ministers amongst the three broad groups – the Muslim, the non-Muslim and the natives; the bureaucratic gobbledygook beloved of our politicians and administrators describe it portentiously less elegantly, but this is what it means – to make the UMNO Sabah leader the permanent chief minister, backfired.
The chief minister, Dato' Seri Musa Aman, then unilaterally extends his term first from two to five years, then asserts the post for UMNO in any National Front (BN) government. In the current state of politics, and despite the landslide Sabah BN was returned to power last year, it was the proverbial red rag to the bull.
The Sabah BN, in principle, accept this usurpation of power. It did not object, on the questionable principle that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it. But not UMNO. They did not want Dato' Seri Musa Aman. He has been inflicted, since he was appointed chief minister, with the megalomania and political dementia that destroyed Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun who, for all his faults, was a far greater man than he could ever hope to be. But he rushed in to control the internal UMNO dissent by boasting of his close rapport with the prime minister, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and stepping on their toes every time he opened his mouth. Individually, the state UMNO leaders has had enough of him and want him to step down next month, and another from amongst them complete the remaining three years in office.
The BN leaders lost their spine, hummed and hawed, as this UMNO battle became more serious. Dato' Musa, to quell this incipient revolt, arrogantly assumed he could shout them down as Tun Datu Mustapha once did. He after all controls, if not owns, the newspapers and the air waves. But this got everyone riled: politicians, civil servants, those in the peninsular, the man-in-the-street, all of whom used the only means to get their dissatisfaction across: the Internet.
The tentative postings, especially on Malaysia Today (www.malaysia-today.net), soon turned into a flood. Given the information this contained, this opposition could only come from within. First, Dato' Seri Musa and his officers tried to staunch it with their explanations and threats, but that stopped when each reply was more damaging information. Then he went on the attack in public, which the newspapers, radio and television reported in full.
This led him to believe he had regained the initiative. He now characterised his Internet tormentors as 'cyber terrorists', and as he went on to explain it to an incredulous public, he warmed up to insist they were both anti-nationals and treasonous. He got carried away. He now believes, at least that is what I think his speeches mean, that cyber terrorists – whom he does not identify but is taken to mean any one on the Internet who does not regard him as God's greatest gift to Sabah politics – should be tried for treason, and for good measure, hanged. To him, a cyber terrorist questions him on issues and events in his past that he wants kept well-hidden.
What are these? The usual simple and valid ones as: Is he Musa Aman or Musa Aman Khan? Is he married to Jennifer Marcus? Why did he go about building a new UMNO headquarters without the state UMNO supreme council approving or even knowing about it? Why and how did Sabah Inc. become his family business? Why is he on the warpath when these questions are asked? Why does he insist that all who report or question him should behave like those exemplary journalists who revere the very ground he treads, and rewarded for their reverence with holidays with the great man at official expense?
The fat is on the fire. It is not good that the state should be in rigor mortis while its leader flounders. Let us put this to rest for the good of Sabah. Let Dato' Seri Musa be given the five-year tenure as chief minister he desires. But with this codicil attached: he cannot resign under any circumstances than Acts of God, like death or be struck by lighting and other causes which automatically repudiate insurance companies repudiate policies.
If he does resign, or is forced to, Sabah UMNO agrees to sit out the remainder of the five years, and another five years, while the BN parties provide the chief ministers. It is time politicians in office are told that they are as accountable as every one of us.
This way, one stone kills two birds. Dato' Seri Musa gets the five-year-term he desires, and another chance to come clean. The people of Sabah are fed up of this gross misfeasance in office. There is no opposition to speak of who would, or could, raise these concerns. But the people want an accounting. He should give it. If he does not, Sabah UMNO pays for it. It puts UMNO on notice and BN on, to use that trite phrase beloved of politicians, 'a level playing field'. He must be responsible for his actions.
Since UMNO came to Sabah, it has re-ordered the political life to ensure the primacy of Islam in a Christian and pagan land. It came in with intent to conquer and control. But subtlety is not, never was, its strong point. it did this with threats and bluster through local leaders like Dato' Seri Musa.
One can be certain, in this setup, of only one thing. It Dato' Seri Musa continues to behave as he does, equating political attacks on him as an attack on the nation, he will be brought down to his senses quickly. If he turns out, under these circumstances, to be an exemplary leader, then all would beneft.
Sabah UMNO will have a vested interest to keep him on the straight and narrow, and insist he answer all accusations against him from whatever quarter. Perhaps a new political culture of democratic and electoral respect, with a sense of fair play, would emerge, and which has been absent in Sabah politics for four decades, since its entry into Malaysia, would emerge.
Even this practice of putting into one's pocket what should be for improving the state would be reduced, and the anti-corruption agency would or could even make an example of some of these politicians and civil servants, however high, and put them in jail, and confiscate what they stole from the people. It is taken as read that Dato' Seri Musa could not survive another three years in office. But he and UMNO Sabah would learn from those they had stamped on for years if their defeat mean victory for Sabahans. Is that too much to hope for?
M.G.G. Pillaipillai@streamyx.com
posted by Gundohing at
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