Two worlds apart

Probably that's why our neighbour is two worlds above us...

Let Pak Lah fly SIA
Restless Native

I refer to the letter Private jet: Give Pak Lah a break by JTB.

It is the attitude similar to those expressed in the above letter that fuels personal aggrandisement among some leaders in this world. Most of us attribute this kind of mentality to pillagers of economies – usually some despot or crank ‘real Third World’ types. Jean-Claude Duvalier (Haiti), Idi Amin (Uganda) and a host of African leaders come to mind although some Middle Eastern cranks have also joined the bandwagon of late.

In stark contrast, the ex-prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew almost always flew Singapore Airlines (First Class on a normal scheduled service wherever SIA had the service or he chartered it when it was not a SIA-served destination). His reasoning was that it was a more efficient use of scare resources.

In fact, in his book Third World to First, ex-PM Lee remarked on the very topic, stating that it was the leaders of the more-economically backward countries that try to outdo each other with ostentatious demonstrations of wealth such as private jets, grand yachts and Cadillacs.

What he should have stated is that backward minds (such as fills the ranks of the BN) that are low on content but high on ego, provide the catalyst for such immature ‘show-offish’ behavior. The end result, sadly, is that the rakyat will have to underwrite all these extravagances.

It is not just the initial cost of purchasing a jet that is a drain on resources – it is the associated maintenance, the 24-hour stand-by crew, inventory of spares, maintenance log etc., that nickle-and-dimes you to death!

As for a personal luxury yacht allegedly bought with public funds, there should be a full-bore investigation, not by the ACA or the BN kampong-homeboys in parliament but by an empowered and independent third party.

Yes, JTB, I expect our PM to fly aboard RMAF C-130, a Nuri helicopter or take a MAS flight on his official travels. If MAS is ‘prone to delays’ or if he is ‘off-loaded in London due to over-booking’, then book him on Singapore Airlines just to drive home the point that MAS is a slipshod airline compared to SIA – sad but true.

The prime minister will find such experiences edifying. He will learn how the average Malaysian fares in a typical MAS flight. He may then remember that he is answerable, in the end (come voting time), to the rakyat and be more prone to do his job after that experience.

Yes, JTB, we are painfully aware that we, the beguiling rakyat, voted for him. At that time we had hoped that, in the wake of the rot and filth that his predecessor left behind, he would (being a ‘simple man vs. the bigot that left’) change things around. We had assumed that voting for a public representative was to be taken as an honour to serve the rakyat. However, we have realised during this time that the BN leaders assumed that we had given them all blank cheques that could be used to fund all their fantasies.

We all invest, to some extent, in our hopes. Unfortunately, the hopes, the trust and the goodwill we put in Pak Lah seems to have been abused. We all also live and learn in this world. We will not make the same mistake twice, come election time.