Two senators have expressed their dismay in Parliament that the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) did not elect to have the Malaysian nominee as its new secretary-general.

I am having quite a tickle because the two senators were obviously applying the cultural norm of Umno to an independent international organisation. You see, in Umno, what the top leadership dictates becomes the standard procedure and all members just simply accolade their support for the wise leaders' dictum.

The two senators expect the same thing in OIC. Simply because Malaysia serves as the chair of OIC, the senators expect all member countries to bow, accolade and support whatever the chair utters.

Well, we now find out the hard way, don't we? Apparently, the world does not operate the way Umno does. To me, this episode reveals more than just the ' katak di bawah tempurong ' mentality of the members of highest legislative body in the country.

It questions the quality of the kind of people we have in our legislature.

But again we were the ones instrumental in getting these people to where they are today either through our own silence, complacency, tacit support, or lack of disapproval to what 'the leadership' dictates.

What lesson have we learnt?