COMMENT Why is Najib Abdul Razak still riding high as prime minister despite being embroiled in the greatest financial scandal the country has ever seen?

Because Malays, generally speaking, do not feel the sense of anger or revulsion against leaders who are corrupt, or who steals from state coffers. Taking money from unauthorised sources are something they can tolerate because it is already part of their lifestyle. Malays under the New Economic Policy (NEP) cannot tell when things are theirs or belong to the state.

They do not regard honesty as a premium quality for leaders to have, so long as the leaders share in the spoils. Stealing occurs at various levels in Malay society; only the amount differs from person to person.

However, they feel differently when those Malays leaders are found drinking whiskey or wine; or do not go to Friday prayers.

Then they will march the streets and demand those leaders to resign.

I am sure if a Malay leader from the opposition one day forms the federal government, he or she will also benefit from this cultural uniqueness not found anywhere in other communities in the civilised world - feeling blasé when it comes to abuse of power and taking money from the government.

The attitudes of PAS, Umno and PKR on this issue supports my argument that Malays have high tolerance for corruption and abuse of power. They talk about the huge debts incurred by 1MDB; but they will not compile a list of Najib’s wrongdoings so that he can be prosecuted.

They will not march the street to demand Najib be arrested. None of them, with the exception of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, dare to talk openly about Najib allegedly stealing money or being allegedly involved in money laundering.

They dare not talk about Najib allegedly subverting the cause of justice by dismissing the former attorney-general (AG), and the public accounts committee (PAC); or allegedly colluding with the new AG, or effectively disbanding the 1MDB task force and allegedly facilitating the illegal transfer of officers from the MACC to other departments.

The opposition is in partnership with PAS in Selangor, yet PAS supports Najib all the way and yet DAP and PKR do not at all feel necessary to disband the Pakatan Rakyat alliance in Selangor. Remaining in power is of overriding importance; so important that DAP and PKR are willing to sacrifice the principle of honest government.

So their table thumping antics in Parliament are just for show. They play along with Najib and the speaker and participate in the fanciful charade that is the 1MDB Q&A session by asking questions they know they won’t get real answers to, but they do not have the guts to shun PAS or boycott Najib and his ministers.

They want to rule Selangor at all costs.

Which brings us to this very important question - why change Najib at all when the chances of his successor, whether from Umno, PAS or PKR, will have the same traits?

Nothing much will change, my friends.

ZAID IBRAHIM is former de facto law minister and former MP for Kota Baru.