Thursday 17 September 2009

It's not the System - it's the Culture it Created ...

For some time now, I haven't been able to write much - whatever I started never got finished, or I felt, was unfit for publication. However, a "kind soul" humored me, and I just couldn't resist a quick entry before taking my annual Raya break tomorrow.

Before I go on - I must say that much like Mahathir's thinking, the title is what NH Chan might call "gobbledegook". So here it goes .....
Firstly, I must thank Mahathir for giving me some insight into his twisted mind, and inspiring an early entry on this blog. It was truly rib-tickling to read what the MalaysianMirror reported on the words of Mahathir in It’s not the system but those who practise it, says Dr M . So, it isn't the system within Umno that has destroyed the party - it was the people they have within the party that destroyed it.
Very interesting indeed - now it means that since he took over, the people who came to power were all, all of a sudden, corrupt - poor ol' Mahathir.

In saying “By some specific means, the president can force the divisions to only nominate him," he has admitted that the President of the party has almost absolute power to dictate to the party, the leaders he wanted, to be working with him - and hence, dictate the qualities required of them. That ultimately means that it was he himself who was at fault for creating this system that encouraged corruption, and hence kept him in power for 22 yrs.
But of course he has to defend himself - and so says that no system is perfect, and it depends on those who practise it .....
True enough, it depends a lot on the people, but it is the system that nurtures a culture within the system - and Umno under Mahathir created a bunch of unthinking barbarians who will not tolerate dissent.

To me, what he's saying is essentially this:-
"The system was created by him, for himself - and in his opinion, worked well under him. Everyone else who tries to work on it will fail, because it was designed solely to facilitate his stay in power - so it now wouldn't function anymore, as they cannot master his art of dictatorship to keep those lower down in check.
Now you have to design a new system that would work for you, while it can take care of my interests."

What he fails to see is the fact that he had stifled dissent and debate to such an extent, that he created a pool of servile apple-polishers for the leaders in power - and hence created warlords who cannot be dislodged from the hierarchy. To make up for their lack of intellectual input, these warlords simply compensated their dissatisfied followers with money - and lots of it. Ultimately, the one who got to rule and make the most money and dispense with it, got his seat secured.
This of course corrupted the people - so much so, that corruption had become their culture.
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It is what happens when one chooses to rule by law - make them, enforce them, break them and amend them at liberty, devoid of ethics. It was the system that created these monsters to take on the role of leadership - and now they wish to change the rules once again, hoping for a better outcome. All I can say is that none of them in the leadership will dare to make any drastic changes, for they all wish to remain there unchallenged. It will somehow be manipulated to help those aristocrats in power, to dominate.
The "changes" they propose will be nothing more than window-dressing, with added powers given to their agents in the disciplinary committee to indulge in persecution of genuine challengers.

IMHO, no matter what they do, Umno is doomed as long as it remains hypocritical, bigoted, intellectually bankrupt, racist, fascist and elitist. To Mahathir, Najib, Hisham, Mukhriz and gang - all the best in perpetuating your political dynasties, guys ...... your days are numbered, and we may all be doomed together if we have the rise of the unthinking "Talibans" you fellas nurtured (within and without Umno), in a few years.
Lastly, we shouldn't forget to thank Tun Razak for his "vision/foresight" of a truly racist BN, living with the haunting spectre of May 13.

See you guys again after I take my break, reflect and "reboot" .......
Selamat Hari Raya.

RPK SPEAKS - On "Islamic" Justice in Malaysia

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