By Azly Rahman
Should I cross over for those millions of ringgits?
That is a two million ringgit question.
How much does one get for ‘crossing over’ these days? I do not know. But if there are millions of ringgit involved, this nation will continue to rot as corrupt politicians continue switching allegiances, getting appointments to good positions, and making horrifying decisions for you and your children.
We must destroy this culture and heal anew.
We were convinced things will be better after the elections. We were sure that the revolution was going to benefit the masses and no party hopping would occur.
We are wrong. Things are getting more complex, in a complex time of rising prices.
This is my template letter to anyone on the verge of party hopping for money, based on an advise I gave to a politician who wrote to me — his/her dilemma over switching party allegiance:
Dear sir/madam,
Don’t make this mistake.
Don’t do it if it’s for two million ringgit. Or for any amount of money you do not earn ethically. Stay to be free, and speak up against internal party corruption.
You will die satisfied that you have not sold your soul to any other party in whose ideology you actually do not subscribe to. These ‘party jumpers’ have no clear intention, just clear benefits for themselves.
Principles not resource
If resource is the issue, think of how you can take your party to newer heights without more money. Make your party appeal to the younger generation. Know your party’s roots and make it dynamic.
You may not have the money, machinery, and the media at your disposal as means to influence the masses, however you have the will. Focus on helping people and problem solving at the grassroots level. ‘Small is beautiful’
Think about the ‘class’ struggle we are in. Prevent a generation of our children from the dehumanisation of a new class system. Worker rights need championing in this globalised economy and you can win them their minimum wage for starters.
Figure out how to deliver what you promised and will promise, and find your place in the party’s equation. Phenomenological questions can help you understand your existence and purpose. Without it you are just part of a game of hypocrisy.
Don’t flatter yourself with state honours presented to you in fine and archaic language meant to elevate you beyond what you are. You are not meant to be a ‘yes man/woman’ for powerful people and make others beg for your favour. Politics is about doing societal good not Machiavellian scheming.
A simple life is a virtuous life. Love others and commit yourself to good. Corruption of the soul is the beginning of all corruption.Sages such as Socrates spoke against this. Those sacred scriptures warned us against entertaining our greed more than meeting our needs. How much more do should we become agents of social destruction with the power we have as leaders?
On the question of limited financial resources in pushing our political agenda, here are some thoughts.
Leverage the Internet as a cheap and powerful tool of your campaign, while leaning on traditional methods of appeasing your constituency. Also the SMS system to mirror ‘multilevel marketing’ for effective campaigning.
Brainstorm with the young. Be creative. The greatest tool of human progress is the two pound universe one carries around – the human brain. The greatest enemy of knowledge is of course, ignorance, said Socrates.Tell the young that it is wrong to be engaged in corrupt practices and to take more than you need. The things we take from society belongs to the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, the orphans or all races. Everything that we do is interconnected in this cycle of life. We live a life of complexity, or chaos, and constant change. We must understand too that we are makers of our own history and masters of our own destiny. If we do not live an unexamined life, it will not be a life worth living.
Past wisdom
The great soul MK Gandhi did not have much at his disposal yet he brought down the British empire. He was armed with a deep sense of spirituality and the principle of satyagraha.
Ahmad Boestaman, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Dr Ismail, Onn Jaafar, Nik Aziz, Lim Kit Siang, V Rajaratnam, and many others have shown us what dignity and ethics mean. Learn from them but enrich these concepts of ethics to meet the needs of changing times without losing sight and vision of political realism. Learn from the many around you who are not servants of money.
However if you are logically convinced that your party is on the road to destruction due to massive corruption amongst its leaders, then by all means leave! You have one life to live – make it the best life, for yourself and for others. At a time when we have entered the world of multiculturalism, do not revert to blind ideology of racism.
Ultimately if you take those millions offered, sit in Parliament making decisions for our children, you will be a major crook who continues to rationalise his or her crookedness. You too will sink with the Bahtera Merdeka. The rakyat will help you sink with your two million, bahtera and all.
Like a saying goes, taken from an American Indian tribe: we do not inherit the Earth, we borrow it from our children. To add to this. we do not want to leave a dirty and corrupted world behind — from the Creator we come, unto the Creator we return.
May the Universal God bless Malaysia. And save her from total destruction.
#1 by stanleytan.net on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 9:28 am
Dr. Azly Raman, I have always been following your articles closely. You are able to articulate and dissect on the issues clearly. However, I do not think there is anyway we can stop party hopping. It happened before, it is happening now, and it will happen again.
You mentioned about “brainstorm with the young”. This is easier said than done. Go to the local public universities. The students are most often just the so called “pak turut, whether for the government or opposition sides.
Dr. AzlyRahman, it will be good if we can have you to join the Malaysian political scene. Your pen may be mightier than sword, but if your presence is not felt at the grassroots level, your intellectual discourse will remains heard among the few people.
#2 by SGPR on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 9:31 am
GE13 – together we save malaysia
#3 by dagen on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 9:53 am
Selamatkan Malaysia.
This time make very sure that the country does not go to the dogs. Never.
#4 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 10:16 am
But they need to feed their many kids, support their wives and mistresses, pay petrol, car loan, gambling debts, ah longs, buy new house, new car, go on junkets, eat steak every day (enough of roti canai), feed their hangers on, new wife etc etc.
If the Almighty and Anwar can’t help them, maybe a political party can and most certainly will. The frogs are just being realistic and want to make their dreams come true and enjoy while they still can.
See the big smiles on the faces of the frogs from Perak? They don’t have any problems any more, unless they blow it all and act stupid.
Principles? wazzat? Gravy? Yes, tambah lagi!
#5 by Jong on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 10:31 am
HahahHHa what a joke, those two problemetic MPs within PKR – Zul and Wee aren’t hopping just yet, will continue to stay put for as long as they are able to, enjoying the froggy circus from inside PKR while Anwar & Co most probably needs to jump ship instead, no?
#6 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 10:35 am
Azly,
You make sense: “don’t cross over” – “for RM2 million!”
But how about RM15 million? Nah our currency too weak, how about raise stakes to RM25 million? How about it Azly? (When you are not a Mahatma Gandhi, no British Empire to overthrow, not satisfied with mere walking around in white Dhoti cloth!)
“Or for any amount of money you do not earn ethically” – have you asked your wife or children before you take the ethical line: what would they say to you? Your children all want to study in UK, Australia and US (because they don’t believe in the education system here). That cost no less than RM3 millions, and talking about “children subject to the dehumanisation of a new class system”. they tell you the millions you get from “cross overs” will help finance their overseas education which is the best way to transcend the class barrier and its dehumanising effect. What have you got to say to that? Your wife tells you, struggle with you in making ends meet for last 20 years, and asks, isn’t it high time she gets a break? She also tells you when you get the millions from cross over your chances of not being a “yes man” to anyone – whether to politicians, employer, rakyat etc are better. Feel ethical conflict? Can’t you resign from parliamentary/state seat, go and buy a house and stay by side of Lake Como or Lugano, Switzerland. If your millions don’t make you feel rich there, what about in Bali, a house by the lake in crater of extinct volcano?
What have you got to say to all these from the “ethical” perspectives?
#7 by Ridzuan Aziz on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 10:37 am
A leader who expects people to follow him only, is a weakness by itself. A leader who influences others to lead others is a true leader.
In the case of crossing over, the leadership must manage the following:
1) value its people
2) commit to people
3) instill integrity inpeople
4) create influence over people
Because if all the above are not taken care of, there will be no issue of jumping ships. If the pasture is greener on the other side, what is one expected to do? After all, all of us look for our own self-interest.
I am most concerned with the unity in the party, because, it is cracking and someone must take a lead now. I don’t see Anwar doing the anchor job.
#8 by johnnypok on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 10:54 am
Jumping frogs is a new culture in bodohland. Some of the frogs are very expensive and only BN can afford to buy. Eventually, BN will be full of jumping frogs and HP6 idiots.
#9 by k1980 on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 10:56 am
With the 3 PKR frogs plus PAS’s Abraham Ali in their bag, BN only needs 7 more seats to reclaim its two-thirds majority in the 222-seat parliament. Then it would once again be able to amend the constitution and change election rules to boost its own position.
So the millions paid to the frogs are well spent, for it would ensure umno’s rule for another umpteen years.
#10 by k1980 on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 11:01 am
How much does one get for ‘crossing over’ these days?
It’s not a measly RM2,000,000 because it is not even enough to get you a nice house at today’s inflated prices. According to RPK, it’s around RM25,000,000….enough to get 4 brand new wives and a new home in Australia the size of George Bush’s Texas ranch
#11 by bennylohstocks on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 11:29 am
A HAPPY TAN
#12 by Thor on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 12:33 pm
This “parasites” could afford millions and millions to buy frogs but can’t afford to pay oil royalties.
Are the royals playing dumb, dumb or are their hands all “tied up”?
We rakyat, are very concern about the situation and what about your highness?
This is not about politics but about the future of the people and country.
Listen to the cries of the people but not to the “one party”.
Our forefathers fight hard to gain independence but the those spoilt sons tend to waste everything on their behalf.
Please do remember that Malaysia is for everyone and not only for “one party”.
Do something please, your highness!!!
#13 by DCLXVI on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 12:48 pm
So, is Anwar expected to,
1) put a monetary value on each of his party members?
2) shower each of his party members with gifts & money?
3) treat his party members like children so that he could father/mother them around?
4) seek an (expensive) image/public relations consultant who will advise him to promote some sort of campaign/sloganeering just to make his party members feel good and believe that all is well?
#14 by frankyapp on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 2:49 pm
How much does one get for ‘crossing over’ these days? I do not know. But if there are millions of ringgit involved, this nation will continue to rot as corrupt politicians continue switching allegiances, getting appointments to good positions, and making horrifying decisions for you and your children.
We must destroy this culture and heal anew…..By Azly Rahman….In Sabah during the sixties under USNO and Tun Mustapha,say a heavy weight frog got three million ringgit in cash plus a signed/approval letter by Tun M,permitting the said frog to seek one thousand acres of designated areas of vast timber land in the virgin forest of Sabah. At that time the extracted timber value was easily worthed 20 million. Hence yesterday’s frog was worthed 25 million. To day I think the most needed one is worth at least 50 million and depending on the frog’s weight,I think is between 20 million to 50 million plus bonus project contracts or AP. I think Sabah’s best contribution to the arena of politic in malaysia is the frog culture/cancer. In the sixties and seventies,Sabah politicians were critized and accused of being dirt and greedy and were being laughed at but now I think Sabahans and politicians are laughing the loudest at what’s happening in west malaysia as you guys there are struggling with this “frog culture/Canser “. And to answer your second question Mr.Rahman. How would you destroy it when Umnoputras,warlords ,UmnoUtusans and cronies who are embedded by the system.a system created by them to serve only their interest and to destroy all their political foes through the frog culture as well as many corrupted methods. Even the opposition is not immune to it now. Like you said the frog cultlure and I add like corruption is now being an active cancer and you and I know advance stage cancer has no cure. Besides old habit dies hard. I think unless,I said unless a malaysian Mao Tsetong comes out to lead a revolution along with the people against these corruptors and aggressors would this and many other problems be solved. Frankly speaking under Umno/Bn these problems would expand and if PR was given the chance to govern,do you reckon this frog culture/canser would go ?
#15 by boh-liao on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 3:54 pm
“We must destroy this culture”
No lah, we must destroy d hopping toads, then d culture automatically dies mah
A couple of potential toads r holding back at d moment 2 hop, hop, hop
Timing is important lah 4 d best market value n 2 get big fat kaya raya
They will wait till BN is short of 1 or 2 seats 2 get back 2/3 majority
Then tally-ho they will do d super big fat jump 2 crossover 4 >50 million +++
Jiak, jiak, jiak – jiak bei liao, can retire loh
#16 by Winston on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 4:27 pm
Well, first things first.
We must go all out to ensure a very convincing win for the PR in the next election; one where UMNO/BN will literally be wiped off the board. It’s difficult but not impossible.
Then, only those who are tried and tested and found to be absolutely capable and honest will be appointed to key positions. This will get rid of the frog or any other unpalatable cultures.
And right from the start, cultivate a corp of young, honest, capable second line of leaders to inherit the mantle from the older generation.
I think that’s the way to go.
#17 by monsterball on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 10:05 pm
Never doubt…UMNO is using money to buy up loyalties and the country.
#18 by good coolie on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 10:36 pm
These Keadilan fellows – most of them- come from UMNO Bahru, right? They understand the inner workings of UMNO Bahru. Anwar, for example, can make an educated guess at the figure for frogs (in millions).
Frogs don’t come from PAS. They come from Keadilan and DAP. It’s the responsibility of Kit and Anwar to get humans (not frogs) elected. You chose the candidates wisely; we will give you the votes! It is that clear.
#19 by lopez on Thursday, 4 March 2010 - 10:59 pm
hey , it is a more than two way traffic in these times of globalization and electronic society.
It is more like Forexl ah
if you jump TO my camp , you can also jump FROM my camp….
like this also can….huh….SUN TZU would already have chop off their pee ends without another wink
sumpah my foot
#20 by ReformMalaysia on Friday, 5 March 2010 - 12:08 am
“…..Should I cross over for those millions of ringgits?…….”
Those who are willing sell their dignity and principles when offered money are not just political frogs.- they are actually POLITICAL WHORES (Sundal-sundal politik)….
A government which is formed through the buy-over of these political whores would never be respected by the people.
Say “NO!!” to POLITICAL WHORES!!
#21 by yhsiew on Friday, 5 March 2010 - 2:27 am
///Should I cross over for those millions of ringgits?///
Not really worth doing it because your bad name will be remembered by Malaysians for generations to come.
#22 by johnnypok on Friday, 5 March 2010 - 4:33 am
Najib is the real Money God, while Rosmah is the Goddess of Jumping Frogs.
#23 by HJ Angus on Friday, 5 March 2010 - 6:50 pm
If the silent majority of Malaysians support such antics from political parties, Malaysia will be surely doomed.
Some horse-trading among politicians is acceptable but accepting money to betray the voters is EVIL.
We must remove such parasites ASP!
#24 by lopez on Saturday, 6 March 2010 - 9:45 am
why did genghis khan chopped the head of these running dogs.
you do this successfully today , you do it again tomorrow.
this is not a football league. you are playing with lives and well being of people who gave you the power.
you can lose a game, you cannot lose a nation like this.
i say this akin to treason