Throughout the duration of the Mahathir-led government, we saw a number of leaders in the upper echelons of the three main Barisan Nasional parties, namely Umno, MCA and MIC, being accused of corruption, rape, and other misdeeds. Yet no one was charged and all of them were indeed cleared and exonerated of their crimes after so-called investigations by the Anti-Corruption Agency or the police and indeed, in some cases, by the attorney-general himself.

Today, we read of 'close one eye' members of parliament, dubious characters who have risen to occupy state assemblies and local councils. They flout the law openly and are rewarded with grand sounding, valueless Datukships, further undermining the value of such honorifics.

Yet, the government keeps quiet. Indeed, there is always fear that, going by precedent, there is a greater chance of the whistleblower being hauled to court rather than Umno leaders who flout the law. Lim Guan Eng's case comes to mind.

The lapse of common sense and the surrender to the little warlords of Umno today sees the government unable to function. And today, we only have the Sultan of Selangor taking the initiative to bring to book, within his limited capacity, those councillors and state assemblymen who seem to be 'untouchable' as far as the laws of the nation are concerned.

Umno is taking this country to the dogs. In trying to garner support from the masses within its party constituencies, Umno turns a blind eye to the shenanigans of its leaders and little warlords. It is not too inconceivable, therefore, that in the not too far distant future we shall soon see the makings of another Pakistan or Afghanistan where the federal government surrenders to the will of territorial warlords. Indeed, children looking at all this will soon realise that becoming a gangster might indeed be a more rewarding career option.