There are just too many incongruous arguments now going on in Malaysia today. I consider all these deliberate distractions and diversions from the more fundamental problems confronting us.

The first distraction is the assertion that Lim Kit Siang will become DPM should the opposition take federal power. There is nothing wrong for Lim Kit Siang to become DPM if the situation warrants it. Why would the race of a person become an issue unless it is the embedded racism being staged? Has racism become so entrenched in Malaysia today even the racists are not consciously aware of their own behaviour?

We must not get distracted; fight we must against racism and bigotry now before it is too late.

Second, I wouldn’t say Malaysia will lose its sovereignty anytime soon as being debated at the moment. It is Malaysia’s wanton adventurism in development. We rely on foreign capital and investment to build massive infrastructures that are of no immediate need. We depend on foreign buyers to build mega cities not knowing who are going to occupy them. Are these not a concern for all of us?

Third, going back to Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s past ‘misdeeds’, including the latest CIA revelation on the BMF scandal, is another distraction. Are we trying to compare who has committed a greater blunder here? Are we trying to compare who has stolen more money? We should learn to be more practical and realistic. It is useless to harp on past problems.

Instead, we should focus on those we can do something about it now. I think it is not difficult to distinguish between the two.

Fourth, we should not be constantly distracted by so-called external factors such as Donald Trump’s presidency, commodities prices, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) et cetera. All countries face external factors, not just Malaysia. It is how competent and resilient we are able to handle the headwinds.

The debate should rightly focus on our incompetency, vulnerability and profligate ways and not trying to find excuses or apportion blames on factors beyond our control. We must focus on how our ringgit is managed, not the price of oil or US interest rate affecting ringgit. What about those countries with no oil? Did their currencies go to the dogs?

Fifth, we should not be too impressed by more corruption investigations and arrests lately. We should focus on why corruption has become systemic and massive. Are we losing control over our monitoring mechanism and governance system? Seriously what is the point of more people being charged with corruption when it has become so rampant?

The auditor-general has said that 30 percent of the public project value was lost due to graft. This is equivalent to RM15.6 billion a year, if total development expenditure of RM52 billion (2016) of the federal government is taken into account. This huge number does not even include leakages and grafts in government-linked companies (GLCs) which are off-budget agencies.

Again, it is good to remind ourselves to stay focus on the big picture, not a few high-profile arrests here and there.

We must focus on the right issues; otherwise it is futile to argue.