I do not blame Selayang Municipal Council president Bakaruddin Othman for 'labelling' the corruption survey findings which interviewed residents in his municipality as " unfair and baseless

".

Like his 'boss', Selangor Menteri Besar Khir Toyo, his reaction was seen more as a 'self-defence' since the findings have a direct negative impact on the local council.

He also claimed the possibility of respondents relating their experiences with the past administration prior to his taking over the municipality in 1999. He also claimed that the findings were too general and there was no proof of corruption.

My impression is that Bakaruddin is confused between what is an accusation and a survey. A survey, unlike an accusation or allegation, does not need any burden of proof.

Bakaruddin should be more positive towards the survey since it can serve as a valuable guide to identify and subsequently rectify the problematic areas.

I can understand the 'pressure' faced by Bakaruddin since the survey was carried out in Selayang Baru and Bandar Baru Selayang, both of which are under his municipality.

The fact that he has sacked staff within 24 hours, transferred 'deadwood' to other department at a moment's notice, dismissed five and disciplined more than 20 staff indicated that the services rendered by the municipal must have been somewhat notorious and its soiled image has stayed with the public.

As such, can he rule out totally the accuracy, if not authenticity, of the survey?

As the saying goes — Your attitude is the eye of your soul. If your attitude is negative, then you see things negatively. If it's positive, then you see things positively.