Zahid, go tell your boss not to mix business with politics

Don’t use politics for business and personal interest, says Zahid

 SteveOh: Why do politicians, especially leaders, like to say things that tickle the ears but are unlikely to happen? Remember “clean, efficient and trustworthy government”, “world’s best democracy” and so on?

And now “don’t use politics for business and personal interest”. They are urban myths. Will another politician now say “leaders should not indulge in platitudes?”

There is no credibility and integrity when leaders merely mean “do what I say but don’t do what I do.”

If leaders are honest about politicians not getting involved in business and personal interest, they ought to prove it by example and bolster their credibility by actions that speak louder than words.

Make it illegal for a politician to obtain a government contract directly or indirectly. Make government leaders declare their assets. And most importantly, give the public and media total freedom to make politicians accountable.

Then, unlike the state media the Perak sultan laments, leaders may regain lost credibility and integrity.

Wg321: If DPM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi were to hang all the politicians who use politics for business and personal interests, he will have to hang all the Umno MPs and state assemblypersons; all the Umno divisional heads and warlords, etc.

Umno will cease to exist. This will include all the leeches from MCA, MIC, PPP, etc. Even when their political careers are over, they are even appointed as senators, so-called advisors to various ministries, GLCs (government-linked companies), etc, at ministerial-level salaries.

As a result, career civil servants who are technocrats in their respective fields are sidelined because of such unproductive political appointments.

Anon888: Zahid, you should first of all practise what you preach and secondly, tell your immediate boss not to use politics for business and personal interest like 1MDB, instead of telling this to the general public who are so much cleaner than you and your Umno Baruputras.

Victor Johan: And so Zahid sings, “I started a joke which started the whole nation laughing.”

He could be directing his advice to his party president cum prime minister cum finance minister cum 1MDB adviser.

Is this the beginning of a subtle plot to oust him? We are waiting to laugh much more.

Hello: What a hypocritical statement from Zahid. Or is it a tongue-in-cheek statement by the DPM?

Everyone, and I mean everyone, knows Umno and its leaders have been plundering the country’s coffers since the time of Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he started those “negotiated” contracts.

I remember when there was infighting in Umno over the sacking of then DPM Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir came out with a list of those who profited from his negotiated tenders and one of those was the present DPM.

Odin Tajué: Yes, I remember reading following Anwar’s sacking, Zahid subtly criticised Mahathir for awarding contracts to Umno politicians and cronies.

Mahathir turned around and shut him up by implying that he, too, had got such contracts. He then said that Mahathir had given him a “fatherly advice”. And so what is he saying now, when he himself has obviously got business opportunities due to his position as a politician?

Further, we have read of numerous business contracts awarded to those in Umno and that these people have invariably failed to complete the particular projects or the projects handled by them showed substandard workmanship.

Have both the givers and the receivers of those contracts not deprived bona fide entrepreneurs of business opportunities?

Mojo Jojo: Zahid, talk is cheap. Don’t just stand there at the podium and preach to others with your holy-than-thou attitude.

For one, name these perpetrating politicians whose personal interest supersedes the needs of the people, and send their names to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for further action. Only then will we see the stuff you’re made of.

Vijay47: Goodness! This man’s sheer wisdom and intimate knowledge of the ways of the world is nothing short of awesome.

A lesser person would never have realised the possible conflict between personal interests and political responsibilities and how it could give rise to, god forbid, corruption and abuse of power in Malaysia.

Tonight I will sleep like a babe, knowing that following Zahid’s advice, the nation’s wellbeing is in safe hands. Thank you, Zahid, thank you, if only others could think like you and understand complex issues like this.

No doubt tomorrow the country will further benefit from your insights into how we should also avoid thieves, crooks and Arabs bearing gifts.

Slumdog: The hide of this man trying to make out that he is squeaky clean and corruption-free. He just about dug himself and his fellow ministers into a hole with his comments.

This rhetoric is a bit rich coming from someone who used his position in government to almost award his brother a half-brained system to register 1.5 million poor and uneducated Bangladeshi workers to work in Malaysia.

Just a Malaysian: This is like Najib talking about the importance of transparency and good governance.

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