Former minister Rafidah Aziz said our “system” is broken due to “human weaknesses as well as greed. The system can only function to the level of the dedication and commitment of those entrusted with the responsibility as custodians of, and functionaries in, that system”.

It is a good observation. But I think it is more than that. It is not just those responsible are not able to live up to expectations. It is also the diversions they have created and how they have made us sheepishly and gullibly entrapped into their ‘shadow plays’.

When a certain public official argued that his power and actions are based on the federal constitution despite the obvious abdication of public responsibility, we foolishly go along into the technicality of constitutional provisions and the court judgment of these provisions.

We forget that the constitution, in essence, is to protect the well-being and the rights of the people against the tyranny of the state. But, as it is, the constitution is now an instrument used to protect the government against culpability and accountability. This is constitutional government upside down and I think we are wasting valuable time and energy engaging in this endless baloney.

Then we have numerous interpretations on what constitute a legitimate government. We have different ‘ways’ to interpret whether a head of government has lost his support or legitimacy. We had this problem in Perak and it went to highest court of the land. We had it in Selangor and now we have a similar problem brewing in Kedah.

Our problem now seems endless because we have largely ignored the will of the people in this equation. We have forgotten that ours is the government of the people, for the people and by the people, in essence and in substance, whether we like or not. If we ignore this, we are going to have endless problems.

When come to investigating wrongdoings, we split hair over procedures, jurisdiction and inter-government decorum. Some potential but privileged wrongdoers must be given all the protection of ‘fairness’ and secrecy. Those given the authority to investigate must be strictly circumscribed and the power to prosecute must solely rest on personal discretion. There is no need for transparency, public accountability and most important of all, for the truth to prevail.

What baloney, if we continue to uphold procedures over truth. Why adhere to official channels, inter-government decorum and secrecy when all these are leading us nowhere? When a well-respected foreign government revealed certain issues or concerns, it mandates us to pay attention, to at least ascertain the truth. Here, we are not talking of disclosure from a half-baked attorney-general.

There are just too many unanswered questions right here in Malaysia today. The country cannot move on when we are not at peace with ourselves.