COMMENT | The governing philosophy of former premier Najib Abdul Razak was “cash is king”. This means that most problems of governance and politics could be solved by money. If you want people to vote for you, give them free money; if you want MPs to support you, give them free money.

In Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government-of-slim-majority, he needs enough "payroll MPs" on his side so that he can still hold on to the top post. He does this by offering a second salary – as ministers, deputy ministers, GLC chairpersons, or foreign mission appointees.

Both Najib and Muhyiddin believed this philosophy because it is the easiest. You do not have to spend time reconciling ideological differences with other MPs, nor do you have to seek consensus on ideas and policies. You just have to ask them what their price is – and sadly, everyone has a price if you go high enough.

Malaysian politics is now morally vacant. The question is not...