Things we may have to unlearn!

Malu apa bossku? Apparently, all the things I may have learnt from childhood may be wrong after all. Sometimes, I wonder whether I thought the wrong thing or may have been hoodwinked to believe obviously wrong things. Perhaps values changed while we were napping. I always assumed that when one loses any of his properties via public auction, he is said to have lost not only his wealth but also his dignity. The mark of a true man is his ability to acquire wealth and provide for his dependents; his inability to retain his finances is a colossal failure. At a time when pride was everything, abscondment and suicide were standard outlets. My legal eagle friends remain nonchalant about their clients or opponents declaring themselves bankrupt or their properties auctioned off. To them, that is a cost of doing business. Overlooking the inconveniences of bankruptcy, it remains a legitimate 'get out of jail' sort of card. Nothing Earth-shattering, they say, and definitely no shame. I remember a time in my childhood when two policemen came knocking at one of my neighbours' doors. The next thing I saw was my neighbour being escorted out with his hands at the back, handcuffed. My neighbour's mother was wailing, and the other neighbours on the flat floor were busy concocting their own theories of what had transpired before the arrest. Forget that they all had not an iota of clue of what the accused was in for. That left an indelible impression on the young me of how a clash with authorities would affect the people around me. Then came an epiphany. Great world leaders immortalised in our history books spent a big chunk of their lives behind bars. Gandhi was practically behind bars all through the Second World War. Mandela spent 27 years in solitary confinement on Robben Island and other prisons.

In my mind, that is how I thought ex-PM Najib's supporters looked at him when all the legal minds of the country decided that he was guilty of hoodwinking the people's money for whatever reasons. His supporters viewed him as a saviour wronged in a hostile environment when he claimed what was rightfully his. It did not matter that the leader took full responsibility for the duties shouldered upon him in the line of national duty or, like the ship's captain, was the last person to leave a sinking ship. In their eyes, he is a sacrificial lamb of a system supposed to protect him. Whichever way one sees it, their statement just becomes more and more pervasive.

"No, no," reassured the ex-PM's supporters. They insist he was just a pawn in an intricate political ploy to discredit him. "There is no reason to be ashamed, my boss!" (Malu apa Boss ku?) 

I was nurtured to believe that education is a sure way to succeed. Hence, as children, we were told that nothing was more important in life than sitting down and absorbing everything in the books to regurgitate at the appropriate times. Then, it dawned upon me. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Every bit of exposure maketh a boy a complete being. As I learnt from Steve Jobs's autobiography, everything one learns is useful somewhere in one's life. There were many roads to Rome. What is the truth?

Shakuni's temple in Kerala. Homage to his

determination to seek revenge against the

greatest empire of the land. Allegedly attained

moksha here.

Now, the world tells us that we were taken for a ride. All the so-called history taught to us was fraud by the voice of the victors who wanted to paint a favourable view of themselves. The truth was multifaceted. Only until the lion tells his side of the story will every tale glorify the hunter.

To put the cherry on the icing on my cake of confusion, lately, a scholar completely shattered the image of Shakuni, a character in Mahabharata. My understanding is that Shakuni was the villain of the whole tale. He allegedly had a special dice that helped him to cheat the Pandavas of their kingdom and humiliate their wife, Kunti. He walked with a limp that inspired a distasteful proverb in Tamil, which suggested that all handicapped people have evil in their hearts.

Now, they say that it is the Pandavas who instigated the situation. By nature, Shakuni was a skilled gamer. He had an abnormal gait but an able body with no handicap of any kind. Shakuni did not have a limp or had no trouble walking, running or even scaling high mountains. What he had was unbridled loyalty to his sister, Gandhari, and far-sightedness. Gandhari's father, with his kingdom in Afghanistan, had learned from his soothsayers that his daughter had a curse. Her astrological chart suggested her husband would die soon after marriage. So, the family got her married to a goat, which was quickly slaughtered to break the curse. Gandhari was then married off to the blind king of Hastinapura, Dhritrashtra. After discovering that Gandhari was technically a widow, Dhriashtra's father and brother sieged Gandhari's father's kingdom. They imprisoned the male members, who subsequently succumbed to their torture. The family was parsimonious with their food supply to ensure the youngest, Shakuni, thrived through the ordeal to avenge the Pandavas on a later date.

Shakuni later comes to live with his sister to protect her. The rest of what happened afterwards is left to our interpretation.

P.S. The aunties I was exposed to in my childhood did not filter much of what they thought of others. My mother was no different. They called a spade a spade and had no qualms about speaking their mind. Being politically correct was an alien concept. I have often heard my mother cursing people behind their backs for wronging her. She even cursed a handicapped lady who congenitally had an underdeveloped right leg as being as evil as Shakuni. That is when I heard her often mentioned in Tamil, implying that a limping person has a dirty heart!

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Higher the call, so is the fall!

Man On The Run (Documentary, Netflix; 2023)

Director: Cassius Michael Kim

We all know the drill. We have heard it all before. The Government started a novel project selling government bonds to buy oil fields in Central Asia. With the returns, the Government, via its subsidiary, 1MDB, would pour money into the country, which would help improve the living conditions of its citizens.

The trouble was that the same who applied for the money from the Government approved the loan, executed the loan, received the loan and received the returns were all the same person. Najib Razak is the 1MDB Chairman, Minister of Finance and the honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia. And there were no oilfields that were bought. Still, the whole exercise saw many people making loads of money, enjoying obscenely decadent parties, and the Malaysian taxpayers paying exorbitant amounts of money as interest to international players.

Even though the local journalists kept crying foul and were brave to publish the shenanigans, the powers that be managed to keep a tight lid. People in enforcement and investigation positions were hushed. A young prosecutor was even buried alive in a concrete can. Things only started moving when the US Department of Justice charged Goldman Sachs with foreign bribery.

With a provocative title like 'Man on the Run', I would like to find new scoops on Malaysia's most infamous fugitive, Jho Low. Nothing. He was nowhere to be found, without an interview or anything new about his whereabouts. With extensive narration from The Edge owner Ho Kay Tat, ex-MP Tony Pua, former AG Tommy Thomas, Clare Rewcastle of Sarawak Report and whistleblower Xavier Andre Justo, nothing new actually surfaced. Perhaps the most ridiculous interview was given by the big kahuna himself, Najib.

In an interview three months before his guilty verdict, he is comically seen lamenting the fact that he had been victimised. In a system where he is supposed to be protected, the system lets him down. He griped that the officials appointed to protect people like him did not do their job well. They, instead, should be the accused, not him. I thought Najib was losing the plot. He is not a monarch who inherits the post by birth. For heaven's sake, he is a leader of a democratically-elected government selected by the people to serve the people. The power that was wielded to him comes with specific responsibilities. A politician only lasts until the next election. Can he be so naive? Does he don the Emperor's clothes? Is he surrounded by sycophants who boated his ego so much that he thinks he need not be accountable? The whole 'speech' reeks of entitlement. Accountability and responsibility do not fall into the equation. It is mind-boggling to see so many who still think he is innocent and is a victim of political sleight of hand.

The whole imbroglio paints a very bleak picture of the Malaysian democratic process. It is as though we are a banana republic where law and order are only for show. The high-heeled can scoot off with millions right under everybody's noses. There is a glaring lack of checks and balances in the system. Too much legislative powers are given to the ruling party. The executive powers are too timid to carry out and enforce laws. The national coffers are made to be like the leaders' kitty. The judiciary arm and even the fourth estate are toothless.

The presentation needs to be more comprehensive in its coverage. Many of the key players and beneficiaries of 1MDB refused to be interviewed. That would include the self-proclaimed First Lady of Malaysia, Rosmah Mansur, representatives from Goldman Sachs, and the makers and cast of the movie 'Wolf of Wall Street', who were paid from proceeds of 1MDB.

Is this the watershed moment of Malaysian politics? Will its citizens awake from their slumber to ensure such blatant abuse of trust does not repeat? From the recent turn of events after the last elections, I seriously doubt it. Too many schisms and fractures have developed in the country, once earmarked as another Asian tiger. Look at it now. It is just a paper tiger lantern that could be engulfed by the fire ignited within its confines.

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Politics is strange...

The Kingmaker (2019)
Director: Lauren Greenfield

An eerie resemblance exists between the Marcuses' story and that of Najib Razak's. Ferdinand Marcos was democratically elected as the President of the Philippines in 1965. The beginning of his tenure saw massive development and prosperity aided by foreign funds. By his second term, the economy was in the doldrums, prompting citizen uprising. In 1972, martial law was introduced. The opposition and media were silenced.

True, in the early stage, progress was apparent, and everyone was happy. Slowly, sycophants and rent-seekers moved in. The Marcoses soon became megalomaniacs. Beyond their collection of handbags, shoes and paintings, the symbol of their opulence is the Safari Park in Calauit Island. Imelda Marcus had had exotic animals uprooted from their natural habitats in Kenya to create a wildlife sanctuary in their own backyard. To make place for these wild animals from the other side of the world, the Government had to displace the island's indigenous people who lived there for generations.

Like that Najib won the 2018 elections, albeit with accusations of gerrymandering and money politics, he reinforced his position as PM. That is when the putrefying scandals of corporate foolhardy came to light. People rose to the occasion to oust what they thought was the ruling party in GE14.

Like that, after witnessing their opposition leader, Aguino, gunned down in the cold upon return from the USA, the Filipina People Power rose to the occasion to send the First Family reeling off to Hawaii from Malacanang Palace.

The long arm of the law then dragged itself to retrieve the vast people's wealth parked the world over. Slowly the dust settled. Ferdinand Marcos died in exile.

Calauit Safari Park

The initial euphoria of the People Power dwindled as the economy slowed down, and the divide between the haves and have-nots widened. Crime and drugs menaced the country. Half of the nation had to find employment overseas. The people now reminisce the good old times of the Marcoses when life was better. The public heart mellowed. The Marcoses' plea to return was granted. The former President's body was allowed to be buried in Filipina soil.

They saw hope in Duterte as their next President to put things in order. Imelda slowly shows her mettle. Her son Bongbong Marcus also appears in the scene to stand for the post of Vice President. The people then realise that Duterte had his election campaign financed by none other than Marcos' daughter, Imee. It all fell into place. The Marcoses are back, and the system is twigged for their purpose. Rodrigo Duterte drops another bombshell. His father was a cabinet minister in Ferdinand Marcos' first Government. There we see the connection - Duterte's link to the Marcoses!

The same thing happened in Malaysia. After the initial thrill of changing the Government without bloodshed, Malaysians soon discovered that change was not easy. The nonagenarian, whom they thought had turned over a new leaf, had all the while plotted a twisted Machiavellian move to sabotage his own Government.

Fast forward to the year 2022, like a scene from Mission Impossible where Nathan Hunt removes his disguise over disguise, we see the same clowns that we abhorred re-appearing stronger than before in identical ridiculous suits.

They say love is strange, politics is stranger!

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Managing a free market is expensive.

Billion Dollar Whale (2018)
Authors: Tom Wright & Bradley Hope

The world has all the resources to feed Man but not his greed. Going through the book, it is evident that the world only caters for the high-heeled.  Try borrowing a couple hundreds of bucks from a banking institution or transfer some money. The paperwork and the confusing legalese jargon that one has to go through would make the borrower feel like a criminal.

All these formalities remain so, formalities, when it comes to the megarich. Rules are purposely made to rein and ruin the poor.  Money flows seamlessly from the rich to the rich, across borders and without sureties. Compliance procedures are ignored. Standard practices take a back seat. The hidden forces from unknown places show their presence. The rest of the public, being oblivious or choosing to stay ignorant just join the gravy train.

The whole establishment seems aware of everybody's misconduct around the world. Adequate laws have been enacted to curb any wrongdoing. Still, crime happens. Doing business has become so competitive, and people have grown impatient to be on top of their pile of cash and pot of gold that they bend the rules. They do mind getting caught as the long arm of the law takes a mighty long time to pin them down. Members of their legal teams are getting increasingly smarter to get them off the hooks on technicalities. Whatever loss is made, the bankers still reward themselves handsomely. By the time their foolhardy comes to light, they are long gone, and the tracks have disappeared long ago. The international laws are all impotent at best in preventing wrongdoings or at retrieving the laundered money to laymen, people of the country, upon whose shoulders the brunt of the economic downturn falls.

The establishments have accepted the fact doing business is risky and losing money to cheats and running afoul with the law are part and parcel of doing business, especially with the leaders of tyrannical governments of the third world. Money linked with developed countries are so regulated that it cannot be moved at it, With developing countries, their leaders are given carte blanche to treat their kitty and the national coffers as one and the same bottomless pit.

When the cat is belled, the mice come out to play!

With excellent skills of investigative journalism, these two Wall Street Journal reporters (Wright and Hope) explore the events of how a young punk cajoles the royalties of Saudi and Emirates, the Malaysian Government via its investment company 1MDB, the Hollywood fraternity and the whole banking network to finance his mega projects and to sustain his decadent party-popping and extravagant lifestyle. Jho Low, a Penangite and a Wharton graduate, set into motion an elaborate scheme to move unprecedented amounts of money from one shell company to another to confuse investigators. His evil act is a learning experience to demonstrate how modern fraud is conducted. The scale of the heist is a record of sorts and manage to topple the ruling Malaysian Government.

If one were to look carefully at most of the shady dealings that happened here, it is evident that the laws are there, but most people either decided to close one eye or crumbled to the lure of a big windfall. So, the fault is not the legislation but the human factor itself. They say the free market will correct itself. I suppose this is what meant by remedying itself - that the wrongdoers will be purged from the system, the system finds new grounds, only to be assaulted by new tricksters, correct and the cycle continues. This must be the basis of the free market.

https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson 

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