Kazakh Debacle: Should Not Najib And Rosmah Set The Highest Moral Code?

Written by  J. D. Lovrenciear

The public is asking if the PM and his First Lady have abused their positions vis-a-vis attending their child's engagement while having gone to Kazakstan on official business.

Meanwhile many have rushed to rescue the PM and his First Lady giving evasive and aggitated explanations and even sneering at the very question that the rakyat are asking.

What makes it all a debacle is the way the rebuttals are forthcoming from the defenders of the PM and his First Lady.

The point of contention is very simple really. The logic is when you go to a foreign land on official business, the rakyat pay for the trip and expenses included. It is approved because you are doing your job given to you by the rakyat.

You complete the assignment, come back and report on the success. And the rakyat will sing praises for you.

But when you go on official business and along the loop also attend a family function - in this case your child's wedding, and then return on a all expenses paid for flight, it certainly raises ethical questions.

The right thing to do is that you go on official business at national cost, return, then apply for leave and go off to do your private thing and return when the leave expires. And that you do at your private expense and in your private and personal capacity as Mr Najib and Madam Rosmah.

In fact, if you place a seperation between official duties and personal matters you would not even have the wedding fixed to coincide with your business calender. That is the way how it works for all rakyat who are employed or conduct their official businesses.

Business and personal matters do not mix!

But when you sambung sambung sambil buat kerja, ahh that becomes an ethical issue. Got it?

To make matters worse, the entire entourage who also happened to be on the band wagon of official business and happened to be also attending the wedding 'by the way' are also guilty of mixing duties with personal social obligations.

This exactly is the problem with Malaysian work culture. It permeates the entire government machinery and today even some private organizations are guilty of taking piggy-back rides on company or organizational expenditure and time.

They are guilty of flying to some destination for work related matters, extend their leave and continue to enjoy a seemingly 'well earned' holiday and then return on company paid return ticket.

To some Malaysians this is smart thinking. They do not realize how unethical they have been. They bat not an eyelid at this compromised virtues.

And so BN will accuse the rakyat of making a fuss about a 'simple' matter.

But this is no simple matter. It involes the Number One of the nation. In fact if you study the nine challenges enshrined in Wawasan 2020, this 'tumpang' mindset and attitude runs foul of at least four of the nine challenges.

Then how on earth are we going to be a world class citizen and nation?

Should the PM and his First Lady not be setting the highest moral code of behavior and examplary ethical values so that the entire nation can emulate and transform its compromised values? 

- J. D. Lovrenciear is a reader of Malaysia Chronicle