You can’t win fans by being arrogant
Putrajaya’s defenders must stop being condescending and belligerent as Malaysians get restless over the 1MDB scandal.
As a firestorm erupts over the US Department of Justice’s decision to file lawsuits to seize assets purchased using funds allegedly siphoned from 1MDB, the mood of the country can only be described as restless.
Bersih 2.0 is mulling a fresh wave of protests and former PM Mahathir Mohamad has called for the public to exert pressure on Prime Minister Najib Razak and his government to resign. Social media is in a state of irritation as the government-owned media organisations attempt to refute the charges of corruption in 1MDB.
Statements from Barisan Nasional leaders and cabinet members have only exacerbated this mood by condescending upon the Malaysian public.
Every new statement from the government, it seems, is met with disgust. In such a situation, condescension is certainly not the best approach that the government should take.
But worse than that is the belligerent attitude shown by Umno Supreme Council member Tajuddin Abdul Rahman. He has taunted the aggravated public by daring them to protest and face the consequences of a dangerous step forward in the government’s approach against dissent.
Such a dare can only be taken as a challenge. Tajuddin may or may not realise it, but he has called into question the sincerity of Malaysians who feel they have no choice but to protest and risk repression to get a clean government.
He said protestors would scatter at the first threat of arrest. This is combative language, and it serves only to anger people already frustrated.
Tajuddin is not the only one guilty of this. Many ministers take a superior, taunting tone that does not help them gain any public sympathy for the ruling government. Neither does it help to turn this massive international blow to Malaysia’s image into anything less damaging.
Umno hardliners and Putrajaya officials may think that the National Security Council Act has eliminated all options to extensive protest, but history has shown that people backed into a corner will only fight back harder.
The government has nothing to gain from taunting the public. While there are now some serious questions that need to be answered that the government may not want to answer, the last thing it should be doing is deepening the rift between itself and the public.
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