Have you ever been in a metal workshop for hours and then stepped out? It takes some time for the zinging in your ears to stop before you can hear the birds. But you don't realise this until a nagging feeling arises that something is missing. It's that din of course. Which is followed by a huge sense of relief.
I've had this nagging feeling since the middle of last month. You know that something is not quite right, like an amputee still feeling the itch in a phantom leg.
Then to my delight I discovered the source of the bother. The constant pounding of slogans since the 1980s and later the code of ethics for practically every sector one can think of, which was followed by the clients charter for every government department.
It is quite amazing, if you look at it closely, that there are religious talks every week on TV and I think every day on radio and yet the country still needs codes when one word will do. Honesty. Most valued and missed only in its absence.
Look at the word, turn it over in your mind, weigh the weight of its influence on world affairs and stand in awe that a simple word like that can create such havoc when it's buried in the basement.
The Merriam Webster dictionary has this definition for the word which I reproduce here:
Date:14th century
1) obsolete: chastity
2) a: fairness and straightforwardness of conduct b: adherence to the facts: sincerity
Synonyms: honesty, honour, integrity and probity mean uprightness of character or action .
Honesty implies a refusal to lie, steal or deceive in any way. Honour suggests an active or anxious regard for the standards of one's profession, calling or position. Integrity implies trustworthiness and incorruptibility to a degree that one is incapable of being false to trust, responsibility or pledge. Probity implies tried and proven honesty or integrity.
Wah! All that moral power packed in a seven-letter word.
If you had all those qualities or virtues you may be just a step away from demanding a halo from the gods.
Righteous outrage
However, all that is asked for is plain honesty which, it seems, is far from the being the norm even in daily life, much less in the political field.
Most times we demand that virtue from other people and suffer righteous outrage when not met. But when we cheat we congratulate ourselves on how smart we are.
There is a comfy sense of security around honest people. A feeling that encourages conversation free from any form of constraints, including the fear of causing offence that may rebound heavily on the offender. More importantly, such people, without being conscious, exude a discernible aura of solid dependability.
Of course, one cannot run away from the plastic versions adept at winning your confidence and then stun one with the stab in the back. The sense of betrayal can be so deep and depressing that even time will need help to heal the wound.
Such incidents are commonplace in the world that politicians of various species inhabit. The innuendoes, the special code words and phrases; the shifty eyes that dart to and fro like cockroaches suddenly exposed in the light ... as the plot is hatched in hushed tones. And poison pen letters are penned to act as the assassin's weapon against one perceived as a threat to his position, the source of power and ill-gotten gains.
I'm sure in such acts of conspiracy, the participants expect the honour among thieves principle to apply. But thieves do fall out, more often than not.
These are the people who, occupying exalted positions, preach to lesser mortals the virtues of noble values while conveniently blanking out of the exhortation "leadership by example". Thus the opportunity opens for the "abang masuk, apa salah adik masuk juga" attitude to take root as the norm.
Grim reaper's bountiful harvest
One good example of this awful manifestation is the "flying licence" issue which has been a hot topic of discussion in the country recently.
For want of honesty among other factors, the grim reaper has enjoyed a bountiful harvest of bloody mangled bodies and metal wreckage in the past five years on our roads.
Thanks to the Anti-Corruption Agency, the matter has hogged the headlines. However, why should anyone be surprised at the phenomenon when it has been public knowledge for years that if you want a licence without any hassle, pay extra to the driving school and Bob is your uncle.
So some dark genius with the right buttons to push must have decided to take the business another innovative step up. And the venture had paid high dividends of around RM5 million.
One can't help but have a sneaky admiration for the culprit for having the audacity to work the system so well for so long. Another form of Malaysia Inc, I suppose.
Over the years, dishonesty has insidiously winked and nodded its surreptitious way into the administration and how much it has harvested will remain unknown. Can the ACA's enthusiasm include casting it's net higher and farther than the flying licence affair?
I wouldn't pop the champagne bottle just yet. Their newfound gung-ho attitude must surely reflect the desire of their political masters who have been quite busy lately trying their hands in the art of winning the hearts and minds of the people, political foes excluded.
As they run around giving the impression of implementing hastily drawn-up plans, one wonders how long before myopic political expediency steps in, calling for a halt.
Still and all, the current ACA campaign is a good start, and hopefully better things are in the offing. A sign that the people's voice is being heard even if it is for a limited run only.
History repeats itself
There is nothing new in what is happening in the country now. The story must have repeated itself since the dawn of history. What gives it poignancy, though, is that we are caught in the drama as it is being played out.
The ancient Greeks must have had a good understanding of human nature. Their tale of Sisyphus springs to mind. He was a man condemned to the underworld to push a boulder up a hill with his head and shoulders. And when he is just one push away from toppling it over the peak, the boulder slips and rolls away. He has to repeat the action for eternity.
The story appears to encapsulate the history of mankind. Hell, isn't it?
K SUGU began his journalistic career in 1964 and has worked in the New Straits Times , The Star and The Sun . He became a Buddhist monk in 1981 and had his first taste of press freedom when he worked in Bangkok for The Nation. He is now retired and spends his time writing and trying to get a handle on the fleeting nature of life.
