I read with interest Sim Kwang Yang’s Damn this sewer politics! and applaud him on his gentlemanly stand to refrain from making more moral judgments on former Health Minister Chua Soi Lek’s unfortunate political demise.

His argument that ethical politicians should know better than to go for each other’s privates in public is pretty straightforward insofar as suggesting the possibility of a more refined Malaysian politics.

That politics is a dirty sport comprising dirty sportsmen is certainly not the newest finding, and we somehow forget democracy is only as clean as peeping-toms like you and I keep it to be. So, conscious Malaysians could be forgiven for expecting less than what Sim called the ‘moral impoverishment of our culture of party politics’.

Some of us have even given up hope of retaining any affinity with the set of ‘culture’ these leaders define in return for our plain obedience.

For as much as we would like politics (ie, national issues) to be separate from the individual politician (ie, his sexual fantasies), they are but like this - is a river different from water? Can we then discuss this ‘culture of politics’ by excluding the misdemeanours of individual politicians and hence legitimising them? We shall see.

In the ideal world where a government is supposedly made up of leaders who are of the ‘rakyat’, policy-makers make decisions based on the ‘rakyat’s’ needs. National issues are about the ‘rakyat’ and should never concern the individual politician’s personal interests. Democracy, put simply, benefits the greater majority but safeguards the many minorities.

Yet, any realist will tell you that quite the opposite is happening in modern democratic Malaysia. Let me quote the now embattled VK Lingam:

“Politician is what is your interest, not what is my interest. But if I am giving advice on your interest, you will listen. On my interest, you will not. You must be careful about this,” said him who knew best about the Malaysian culture of politics.

Behind a smokescreen of a healthy political culture, Islam Hadhari, and feel-good politics (if we have not yet fallen unconscious) is a culture of private-interest, money politics, and yes, G-strings.

‘Holier than thou’

And I am reminded of Chua. Let’s be honest, I found it not too surprising for him to admit to his wrongdoing (more on that in a while), first insist on having zero intention to resign, and proclaim his loyalty to the Prime Minister – without mention of the angry ‘rakyat’ – on the first day.

The next day, I was given a scary shock. Chua tendered his resignation after meeting Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and proceeded to a spiteful speech on how he was forced to resign because some ‘holier than thou’ Malaysians were unable to accept his apology.

“This means they are all ‘ulama’ (religious experts). So, I think if I continue to hold positions in the party or government, this will be a burden to the government and party, especially in the context of Islam Hadhari.

“And also in the context of what has been recommended by my president (Ong Ka Ting), which is healthy political culture,” he said, clearly unhappy his political career had come to an abrupt and shameful end.

It does not make much sense, really, for Chua to claim his service is at the pleasure of the PM and then blame the ‘rakyat’ after resigning.

Following Lingam’s logic, if I may, Chua’s ‘holier than thou’ detractors could not have been genuinely the ‘rakyat’. Politicians are of the ‘rakyat’ after all, and Chua on day one reportedly thanked Malaysians for their support after coming clean.

Double-double-speak and I am almost lost, let’s not mind that first. Many have voiced their concerns regarding the issue of privacy and the need to separate public from private. Chua’s dwindling supporters, regardless of race and religion, generally take this line.

They might say: ‘Chua’s extramarital affair would seem to have nothing to do with national policies or visiting forgotten hospitals (one of the things I read he’s best at) and those who want his resignation clearly need to be more liberal in thinking’.

I shall be liberal. Let me loosen that moral belt. As a Health Minister, having multiple sex partners is the last piece of linen you want in the sun. As a member of the government bench in full support of existing laws of the land, allegedly violating Section 377A of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum 20 years jail and rotan, is plain seditious.

And as an elected representative of the ‘rakyat’, cheating on your wife and not being accountable to your own family raises serious questions regarding your credibility. This is not a morality vote; it is about confidence in you.

Culture of apathy

Chua conveniently forgets the above and turns the cross-hairs of his jammed rifle on the enemy. Being dedicated to serve the ‘rakyat’, he says, made him climb MCA’s creaky political ladder far too quick. is advice to politician wannabes – do not work too hard.

After having to apologise and resign, some sense must have been drilled into his head. Lo and behold! Chua claims the mistake he made was to go to the same hotel and use the same room every time he did it.

Now that is what I call a straight-talker, which I am not, and some of my readers might be starting to question my reluctance to engage the issues surrounding how Chua was stripped bare of his political future.

Yes, there could very well be organised efforts at destroying Chua. I do not deny that. Yes, there could very well be many, many more politicians who do worse things that do not get taped. I shall not deny that either. Yes, there could very well be a future for more gentlemanly, refined, and clean politics in Malaysia.

But for that to be realised, dear Malaysians, you will have to go for every rotten ball of dirty politics. Instead of feeling sorry for Malaysia and staying apathetic to change, the ‘rakyat’ can take such moments of political barbarianism to reflect upon the possibilities of a cleaner democracy.

Within the very feudal-like politics of Malaysia – whether party or national – as I have said earlier, values like submission, loyalty, and the ringgit sign work most effectively as a lubricant into high office. That there is not a culture of open competition perhaps serves to answer why politicians resort to using dirty tactics instead.

Watching Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton go for each other’s ideas on live television makes me wonder why Malaysian politicians are not given that arena. Watching Kevin Rudd gently nudge John Howard out of office recently makes me wonder what Malaysians will do when we have a more dialogical society.

And watching Chua Soi Lek on DVD (which I still have not) probably tells you dirty politicians – as clean as they once were – are products of our culture of apathy. You can do more than peep, please vote for democracy.


NG ENG KIAT recently completed his undergraduate studies at the Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Communication.