Much ado about what? — Michael Fong
APRIL 18 — Is it a crime to appoint a lawyer for personal business in Malaysia? Can one assume anything, even sinister motives, if a lawyer writes in to the courts and asks for leave to work on legal matters for a client elsewhere, even if the client is the prime minister and his wife?
These questions arise now because Saifuddin Nasution, the Machang MP and PKR secretary-general, waved a letter in Parliament yesterday, purportedly from Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah who claimed that he has been sent by the prime minister and his wife on a “sensitive legal assignment” abroad that “must be completed before the general election”.
This is the prime minister and his wife’s personal business. Why should we care even if it says it has to be completed before the general election?
We have seen how Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politicians have been attacking Datuk Seri Najib Razak on personal issues. They take umbrage when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is attacked but don’t see the irony when they do the same. There cannot be any double standards on this, really. You get as good as you give, although I don’t condone such personal attacks.
Malaysian politicians have to rise above such crass personal attacks and go on issues and policies. By all means, if you don’t like Najib, criticise his policies if they don’t sound right or if contracts are wrongly awarded without public scrutiny. Attack the lackadaisical method in combating corruption or even improving basic services or reforming laws.
But please don’t clutch at straws over a lawyer’s letter. Expose the wrongdoings of the BN government but don’t tease with innuendoes. The prime minister deserves much more respect than that.
There is no free ride for PR anymore. They have ruled some states and the run up to the general election is also an audition for the opposition.
They have to show what they have done well. Not all four states under PR are humming along nicely. Do tell us what you have done and what you want to do if you get to rule the four states and others after the election.
It is the same with Barisan Nasional. They have to tell us again what they have done and what their new promises are. Both coalitions are in this audition and the people are the judge.
I want to judge you on your track record, not on how much filth and rumours you can dig up about each other. That’s nasty and puts me off and I am sure others are also wondering how low politicians can go to achieve their aims.
Come on, this is much ado about what? A lawyer going abroad for the prime minister and his wife on a mystery mission. Move on. There’s work to be done for a better Malaysia than to bother about this. Show me what you can do for Malaysia, and not what you can do to run down a man.
* Michael Fong read The Malaysian Insider.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.
