Apandi, self-praise is no praise at all

Apandi: Difficult to balance confidentiality, public policy

 Res Ipsa: Self-praise is nothing more than disgrace. Quite frankly Mohamed Apandi Ali, you should be more than happy to have survived the first 100 days in office as attorney-general, rather than holding out that you have passed some crucial test over the same period.

It also makes one wonder whether there is some hidden meaning behind that statement of yours… something that relates to the reason and the manner your appointment as AG was effected.

Bluntly put, whether you owe a living to the person who put you there and whether you are duty bound to act on the whims and fancies of that person. If this was the actual scenario, then you have certainly passed the first 100 days in office, and with flying colours at that.

The first thing you did was to disband the special task force investigating the PM. Then came the selective prosecution of the sedition cases where activists and the media were targeted. The more serious seditious cases involving Ali Tinju and Jamal Mohd Yunos were not acted upon.

Even lawyers acting on behalf of their clients ended being hauled up to court. The National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) saga is another feather in your cap, where the accused was discharged and acquitted without going through a full trial.

You had further refused to heed the recommendations from Bank Negara to prosecute 1MDB for utilising funds for purposes in breach of the approvals given. Out of frustration, the central bank revoked the approvals and directed 1MDB to repatriate the monies concerned.

Of course, 1MDB officials couldn’t care two hoots for this directive as they were privileged and untouchable for reasons best known to you.

The icing on the cake was when you took it upon yourself to be the personal counsel for the PM and advised him not to answer questions on 1MDB in Parliament on the ground of subjudice.

“Anticipatory” subjudice perhaps if ever there is such a term as no one has been charged in court yet. Well done, Mr AG. For the general public, your “deeds” will be long remembered.

Kingfisher: A layperson may be inclined to think that the judiciary has a special prerogative as the ultimate guardian of the constitution and all its provisions on basic freedom to pronounce on infringements that are shrouded in claims of confidentiality in the national interest.

The public should have the confidence to assume that indiscretions of individuals for personal gain whatever their exhaled status should not have the benefit of being protected by aspects of legal provisions on confidentiality in the interest of the nation.

Especially and including when the issues impinge on public interests on accountability in national finances even where confidential provisions are legally defined, for example, Bank Negara.

While confidentiality is a qualified prerequisite for the healthy functioning of any government, the same can be exploited in the name of national interest by practitioners of corrupt governance.

The judiciary should rise to the occasion when truth and public require such initiatives.

The Analyser: Transparency is like freedom of speech. It must be absolute. But the current autocracies operating in this country, no matter from which race they emerge, are all against both.

Governments are dealing with public money so they should be accountable and transparent in everything they do. There is no room for confidentiality when you are spending other people’s money.

To claim the need for confidentiality is for no other reason than to mask incompetence or criminality.

The only place for an Official Secrets Act is in the nation’s defence. And as Malaysian defence is so incompetently amateurish, I doubt that there is any need for secretiveness there either.

Middle Path: So the AG passed the crucial 100-day test. Did PM Najib Razak give him a pass?

IGP orders probe into ‘deface’ threat to Najib’s dignity

Vijay47: Grave threat? Is something wrong with the inspector-general of police (IGP)? I mean apart from his unique penchant for executing his ‘mata-mata’ duties through Twitter?

If somebody chooses to depict Najib ala cross-dressing and looking as terrible in women’s clothing as he does in men’s, so what? Life will still go on, tomorrow the sun will still rise from the East, and the RM2.6 billion will still be missing.

It would seem that Najib’s minders are so insecure or out to score cheap points that any photo that does not show him looking like Brad Pitt is the height of treason for the entire police force to be unleashed upon.

Khalid Abu Bakar, not that I am surprised, but you seem unaware as you are about most things, that nobody owes Najib any obligation to be eternally praising his image.

If Najib, a politician, is unable to take some potshots on his looks, he is almost as pitiful as you. If you are unable to be a proper policeman, just vacate the position, Khalid, the country will be better if the IGP post is not filled.

Saya Pun Nak Cari Makan: Khalid, what business have you in the public ridiculing and making fun of Najib? It is part of occupation hazard for any leader.

US President Barack Obama was not spared when his photo is frequently doctored, with him dressing up as a Muslim.

Anyway, Najib must bear part of the blame for all the ridicules on him. Had he behaved like a gentleman, his image would not invite such large number of defacements.

Hplooi: IGP, have you not heard of satire? Have you seen some of the caricatures satirising western leaders?

In studies by cognitive scientist, it was discovered that the ability to detect sarcasm is a very distinct human characteristic which other lesser beings, for example, chimpanzees (our closest biological relative), camels, cats, dogs and even dolphins (supposed to be most intelligent of the marine mammals) cannot detect.

It was also found that people with low empathy (usually psychopaths) and people of lower intellectual capacity also find it difficult to detect irony and sarcasm.

Mojo Jojo: I think Integrity Minister Paul Low is right when he implied that members of the government are not god-fearing.

If it were, we wouldn’t have a senior member of government labelling a genuinely disgruntled member of the public as a “traitor of the country.”

These stunts by the seemingly Tweeter-savvy police earn no brownie points with the public at large. No, like a spring, the more you push down, the harder it pushes back up at you. A corrupt leader who tries to suppress the dissenting voices will only invite condemnation from the people.

Buttman: Najib should consider himself very lucky that all he suffers is widespread ridicule when he deserves to be paraded through the streets in a wooden stockade like common thieves in olden days.

Anonymous #19098644: What dignity? If Najib had any dignity, he would have resigned long ago.

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