Malaysiakini , in an exclusive interview, reported former deputy premier Musa Hitam as saying:

"In the old days, once you talk about meritocracy, you are finished, you are in trouble."

Well, that statement says it all. It is another way of saying that promotions in government-run institutions and the advancement of careers and education were given or directed for the mediocre and below-par performers, at the expense of other truly deserving Malaysians.

And they are the ones today who are given the leadership and management discretion to look after the precious resources of our beloved nation. Are Malaysians surprised by this revelation? Not at all.

Musa could have added that any mention of the word 'meritocracy' in Malaysia in the old days would have attracted abuse by the political leadership, accusations of acts of sedition, racial incitement, and threats of civil chaos, all under the dark clouds of the ISA.

I hope that when Musa said "in the old days", he meant it as since 1970 onwards - that is, with the start of the New Economic Policy. Because prior to that, there was at least an effort to give meritocracy a chance.

However, the inevitable forces of globalisation is now forcing our leaders to accept the need to adopt and apply the simple principles of meritocracy, if Malaysia wants to remain relevant in the 21st century.

Is this already too late? History has shown that the admission of failure of past mistakes does not necessarily translate into political will for change.