By C C Pung J P
WE measure different people differently.
There are different benchmarks; different standards. Because of the sin nature of us who are created with bias.
Prejudice and hypocrisy, we rationalise about the universality of what’s supposed to be ‘standards’ and, when the rules are vague, our prejudices dictate.
It amused me when an Umno politician Rahman Dahlan came out in defence of new Head of State Musa Aman whose appointment in the last sparked unprecedented debates and outright protests.
You get a feeling that the appointment was not hailed, as is customary matter-of-course for a non-elected office.
Head of State is a high office.
The office is also Head of Islam in the state.
He is nominated by the chief minister (who, if he’s fair, would have consulted with his Cabinet) who would have sought the nod from the Prime Minister before Musa’s nomination reached the King who, under the Constitution, has sole discretion to appoint.
The process and scrutiny are enough to imply that office of the TYT is beyond question, must not be questioned, can’t and shouldn’t be questioned.
That Rahman, a former MP, has to come out to defend Musa answers questions asked by sceptics about the suitability of his elevation.
That there are protests and debates in the first place revealed that Musa’s suitability or otherwise was already a decided issue in the court of public opinion.
Suddenly, the words and accolades usually and unreservedly showered on persons to high unelected office seemed odd with Musa, I bet Musa himself didn’t realise that the office of TYT is measured by a very different yardstick.
Yes, he may have been discharged from his 40+ cases of alleged criminality that allows him the luxury of calling himself ‘clean’, but the stigma can’t be erased by the most expensive propaganda.
There are those who defend Musa by pointing to his lengthy tenure as chief minister, emphasising that ‘he must have been good’ to have lasted.
Right there is another irony.
That you pointed to his years in office without being able to list down his areas of supposed achievements is weak and even counter productive faience.
Sabah faces perennial problems with illegal immigrant, poverty, non descript economy, federal dominance etc – what is Musa’s ‘achievement’ in these areas?
Don’t try and impress me with what he’s done.
Tell me what he has failed to do because what he’s failed to do resulted in Sabah being the poorest state in Malaysia with the lowest per capita income, youth unemployment, stagnant GDP, stubborn poverty, persistent PTI issue.
But then …. its good that he is TYT and no longer in politics.
Editor: The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of talantang.com
