I refer to the Malaysiakini report Task force for AG's report: 'Yet another eyewash.

We in Malaysia are known to be a democratic state. Maybe it would be more appropriate to refer to it as a ‘dictated democracy.’ This is owing to the fact that there is no separation of the ‘economic’ and the ‘political’ sphere. Further, the ‘judiciary’ is not independent of the government but rather its slave.

We claim to be a capitalist society. But when we observe the role played be the government, in particular through the various incorporated ‘government-linked corporations (GLC), it is not to difficult to draw an objective conclusion that there is a tremendous amount of conflict of interest, which ultimately undermines the ‘ethics’ and the role and the responsibilities of elected and appointed members of the government.

We are all too familiar with the role and responsibilities of human beings in the society or community in which we live, work and carry out our duties and responsibilities to our families and our employees while complying with all laws, rules and regulations as determined by the government of the day, from time to time.

We are also aware that all of us are mortals and that no one is above the law, which includes the government and the monarchy.

Therefore, when we consider the role and the responsibilities of a government with the new found insight of the voting masses, we cannot stop intruding into the domain and the realms of ‘ethics.’

Here we find that whoever becomes the ‘government’ of the day has to be committed to conscientiously following the base line of an unwritten ‘Golden Rule’ which advocates that one should do or not do to another what one wishes to be or not to be done by.

This golden rule would translate and fall squarely within what Abraham Lincoln said and we quote: ‘As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.’ Unquote.

All of the above is in respect of the Auditor-General’s report where there are findings that the various governmental agencies have given out closed tenders where the recipients of the closed tenders have ‘over-charged’ the said agencies by some RM24 billion.

Following the AG’s report, a statement was made by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak based on his ceaseless egotistic prudence that ‘another task force’ would be set up to ‘study’ the AG’s report.

As far as we, the taxpayers, are concerned, the findings as stipulated in the AG’s report are conclusive. The AG is the ‘chief accountant’ of the government. We demand that Najib and his henchmen in government show to us as taxpayers at least some decency and a minimum altruistic sympathy for the over paid RM24 billion.

This is owing to the fact that the persons who approved the closed tenders have abused the trust and confidence reposed on them and they have acted in a gross and a discreditable manner in which his government agencies and the persons responsible have grossly misconducted themselves or may have in the process unjustly enriched themselves.

This is in itself is a criminal offence for which the Attorney-General should contemplate and start investigations and proceed to prosecute those responsible.

Najib, do not be na ï ve, as we are all too familiar with the antics of the Barisan Nasional government. Do not think and act like an ‘ostrich’ by proposing to set up another task force, which as we all know is ‘set up by the unwilling to do the unnecessary and the unwanted.’

Najib, you should stop projecting the mental level of a child who will desists from pinching when it gets pinched in return. If that is not the case, why have you not instructed the attorney- general to prosecute those responsible? Or is this a passive way of achieving the target of the New Economic Policy?

It is time, Najib, that you be more insightful and responsible and do away with your egotistic prudence and act courageously with altruistic sympathy to recover the overcharged RM24 billion or ensure that all those who are found guilty in a court of law, are sent to jail.