Just What Sort of Leaders Do We Have In This Country?
Azmi Sharom, The Rakyat Times
Let’s see. First we have state leaders who were willing to throw their state into a possible constitutional crisis by leaving their party because their leader was made to resign from his post as Menteri Besar before his child’s wedding.
That’s incredible. It really is a first in politics for this country and maybe the world. I’ve heard of politicians leaving their party before, it is not that uncommon. We have those who change because of principle and those who are enticed by money; there have been many reasons but never before had I heard of the “wedding reason”.
What sort of people does such things? The insanely egotistical? The painfully short sighted? The incredibly childish? All of the above?
Then we have a national leader who holds himself up as a shining light of moderation and democracy. And then he speaks at an event and reportedly says things that sound very suspiciously as if he is opposed to human rights (a key element for moderation and democracy). In fact the reported words are actually very dismissive of the whole concept. To support human rights is “deviationist” he supposedly said.
Now the term “deviationist” is actually quite a specialised one. In the Oxford Dictionary it is a noun that means a Communist who deviates from his party doctrines or practices. Why, surely this can’t be what that glorious leader meant.
This being the case let us look at the root word: deviant. To be a deviant is to deviate (to diverge or move away from) what is accepted as normal or usual.
How very interesting. So human rights are deviating is it? Deviating from what I wonder? So let’s look at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that all members of the United Nations are bound to respect. Oh! Wait a minute, I think Malaysia is a member of the United Nations. We spend a lot of money to be a member and to send our representatives to live in luxury in New York. I’m guessing here, but that would mean we have to respect human rights.
