JUNE 24 — After prolonged silence, veteran journalist-turned-politician Kadir Jasin had finally spoken up on the issue of the gay sex video implicating Minister Azmin Ali. He called the scandal the “litmus test” of Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Why should we care what the former Group-Editor-in-Chief of the New Straits Times Press had to say about the scandal? As it is, lots of views had been put forward already.
Well, for one, Kadir was (and probably still still is) a newsman through and through.
He had never harboured any political ambitions despite sitting on Parti Bersatu Bumiputra Malaysia’s (PPBM) supreme council. Otherwise, he would have been a Minister like the late Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin.
That absence of political ambitions would have made his views more “objective” and distilled of any agenda or mischief.
True, he is known as a Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad loyalist but he is also known for going against mainstream views of PBBM of which he and the Prime Minister are from.
He had no qualms about resigning as head of media and communications of the Council of Eminent Persons instead of latching on to the post at the expense of his integrity.
In May, as PH was celebrating its one-year anniversary in power, Kadir called on under-performing Ministers to quit and save the government from further embarrassment.
He was one of the few (or perhaps only) senior leader in PH who dare openly call on Cabinet members to resign.
Such views would have been shaped and molded by the 50 years he had been a newsman, recording Malaysian history unfold and looking at how those who do not learn from the past is condemned to repeat its mistakes.
This is why Kadir’s views on the Haziq sex tape matters.
Of interests is this gem of a quote from Kadir’s blog: “The question that every PH leader must ask is, do I use my party and my government position to shield me from my wrongdoing or I shield my party and my government from shame by doing the right thing?”
This is a very Malay way of putting across a message — full of kiasan or metaphor and subtleties. To the untrained or those not well-versed in Malay culture and nuances, it doesn’t say much.
To those who know, the message is as clear as daylight: stop using the government to shield your wrongdoings.
Kadir went on to cite examples of foreign political leaders who resigned over lesser “misconduct” like Lord Prufumo.
The subtext is that Malaysian leaders caught with their pants down (literally or metaphorically) should resign, or at least take leave of absence.
I believe Kadir was not directing the message just to any individuals but also to those who are in a position of power. Because he had also mentioned that “It (the scandal) is a test to the ability of the PH leadership to stay above the fray and to put the interest of the country above personal likes and dislikes”.
To quote Lim Kit Siang, the scandal is “PH’s biggest challenge since the last general election”.
If that is so, PH leaders — the Prime Minister included — should take a leaf from Kadir’s blog and do what they had been put there for: to govern the country, not play politics.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
