LETTER | Recently, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was admitted to the hospital for diarrhoea. Soon after, chatter in cyberspace took a dark turn, with some wishing his condition would deteriorate, or worse. The spite and hatred were most unbecoming, to say the least.

Muhyiddin may not be the most popular political figure in Malaysia right now. But there is no need to resort to below-the-belt punches that only reveal the true nature of those who made such uncalled for remarks. 

There's a line which one should not cross no matter how much one detests his or her political opponents. I'd like to believe that Malaysians are above such behaviour.

Let's not forget that Muhyiddin is not like ordinary Malaysians. He's a cancer survivor who had part of his pancreas removed. Any such health bouts needed to be treated with utmost urgency and care, unlike most of us.

Regardless of whether we like him or not, the deterioration of his health would have far-reaching implications for the country's administration. 

How would you feel, if you are curled up in bed writhing in pain from terrible food poisoning, only to read about the vile comments online made by those whose paths you had crossed?

Still, on the issue of political decency, another incident that came to mind was the appointment of Nor Zamani Abdol Hamid as the new Education director-general.

Most of the criticisms were due to the fact that she's the wife of Health Minister Dr Adham Baba. Have critics taken into account her merits before passing judgement?

My sister who's an educator and works closely with the Education Ministry told me that Nor Zamani was a career educator and had risen up the ranks over the years. 

The new DG's credentials were impeccable. It's not like she was plucked from outside the system and installed as head of the department.

Why do we want to stifle talent just because she's married to a minister? Can't she embark on her own career path, regardless of who she is married to? 

The Singapore prime minister's wife Ho Ching is also CEO of Temasek, the government's holding company for a myriad of high-profile investments. Ho had climbed up the ranks due to her track record. 

Let's not belittle women like her and the new Education DG just because our judgement is clouded by politics.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.