Two wrongs don’t make a right

Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
My View - The Sun Daily
March 2, 2016

IT SEEMS that the state of politics in the country has dipped to a new low with the "pot calling the kettle black".

The idiom is generally understood as the accuser (the "pot") sharing some negative qualities with the accused (the "kettle") – likened to "soot" which covers both. This is better illustrated by an anonymous 1876 poem:

"Oho!" said the pot to the kettle;
"You are dirty and ugly and black!
Sure no one would think you were metal,
Except when you're given a crack."

"Not so! not so!" kettle said to the pot;
"'Tis your own dirty image you see;
For I am so clean – without blemish or blot –
That your blackness is mirrored in me."

As far as I can recall this name-calling and blame-assigning "game" was popular when we were little especially in the desperation to score easy brownie points against another, an effective way to "save face".

In other words, "if you can do it, so can I" – even going one point further to be "better", so that everything is even. It is fun no doubt, although it defies common sense; but common sense is not common among children.

It is more for the "fun" of making a monkey out of someone. So it is quite understandable as children are still growing and there is a lot more to learn about life. It is easy to overlook such silliness.

This is not the case when adults indulge in the same kind of "game". Particularly in getting defensive while attempting to score some political mileage at the same time – or so they think!

Surprisingly among the "players" are prominent names who used to hold top positions in the political hierarchy and portfolios or otherwise.

Like children they too can be engrossed in playing the "game" (some are very good) with no qualms at all as the world witnesses their antics.

This kind of "absurdity" is not new in Malaysian politics, except that it is becoming more of an embarrassment as the country is touted to be a "fully developed nation" in less than five years, not just physically but mentally as well.

The "pot calling the kettle black" line of argument is too simplistic, predicated on the notion that two "wrongs" can make a "right".

It does not at all reflect the kind of progressive thinking expected from such personalities. Worst, it conjectures a well-known local idiom: bagaikan meludah ke langit, terkena juga muka sendiri! (like spitting towards the sky will land on one's face!).

The "muka" can metaphorically range from that of the individual to that of the entire nation by which all of us are implicated one way or the other.

Moreover by being insensitive to such a profound wisdom is in itself disconcerting because it also demonstrates the lack of sensitivity to decorum (adab) to sustain respect from others.

Once this is allowed to happen, intentional or otherwise, it throws wide open a window for others to begin taking pot-shots by transgressing the very same decorum.

Thanks to the alternative media that provides for greater latitude to do just that, and the situation can only get dire.

This is what we see and experience today like never before, as the powers that be keep lamenting about it not realising that "fish rots from the head down".

In short, when there is a "failure", the leadership will be the first to take the brunt as the root cause. By letting down the moral and intellectual guard, the allegations become more evident, making any form of denials more difficult.

This will then lead to more allegations and the resulting vicious cycle takes a life of its own.
Hence, now is as good as any time to put a stop to such antics once and for all to regain whatever respectability left before it is gone forever.

At a time when governments all over the world are facing a real trust-deficit, it is foolhardy to carry on with such child-like game such as the "pot calling the kettle black".

Let us leave it to the children to have their share of fun like we used to do. The adults should move on so that the future generation can secure their rightful place in post-2020 Malaysia.

By deploying robust intelligent articulations a solid foundation can be built for them to grow and prosper in an enlightening worldview benefiting all nations.

With some four decades of experience in education locally and internationally, the writer believes that "another world is possible".