In an article by JD Lovrenciear in Aliran (24 Feb 2022) a similar topic as above was posted. As he sees it, shame can be best described as a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behaviour. Shame manifests human thinking and a feeling of deep regret over a situation or action.
All major religions provide immense teachings and emphasis on shame. Voluminous psychological studies are on shame abound. Philosophers have also expressed their thoughts on this emotion throughout human civilisation.
Source: https://www.gottman.com
With the 1MDB case panning-out in a New York courtroom, we may have a sense of shame. But its true meaning is lost in Malaysia. Many are not ashamed of the sordid details spewed out in the courtroom. They are not ashamed that someone who was already convicted in our own court remains free “pending appeal”.
They are not even ashamed to parade with pride in large gatherings and chant, “Malu apa, bossku?!” (What’s there to be ashamed of, boss).
They are not ashamed that there is still one person at large, whom the authorities are helplessly unable to extradite and bring back to Malaysia to be tried.
Not just that. They are not ashamed that prestigious titles given out in good faith and with dignity and honour are not withdrawn, when the whole world knows the sins of the personalities associated with the 1MDB sovereign fund debacle.
Malaysian businesses are not ashamed when they are punished severely by foreign authorities for violating human rights and flouting rules against forced labour. They deny first, accept under duress and re-dress when given little choice.
Some top civil servants have hit the headlines for questionable conduct. But, to them, the public shaming is often like water off a duck’s back. We have heard about cartel operatives within our police force. We have also heard about court clusters in the country. We have the top graft buster busted from charges. Where is the sense of shame?
The ultimate shame is that these sins of commission and omission and the mismanagement of the country’s wealth have resulted in a colossal loss for the people of Malaysia.
The obvious failure in stopping the rape of natural forest reserves and its plunder provide a clear barometer of the levels of shamelessness that have taken root – from the highest authority to greedy business tycoons acting with impunity. The ‘elite’ have lost their moral compass and behave like Vikings.
Our national shamelessness is also on display when many of us throw up our hands up and say, “What can we do lah?”
When shame has left the nation, we have sold the nation’s soul. When shame is no more a vital consideration to measure our progress and successes, we have pawned the country into a vulnerable spot that makes it easy meat for rogue nations to exploit. So, it was for Ukraine, corrupt to the core.
The question is, why are we increasingly becoming shameless?
We hear of many leaders elsewhere who resigned on their own volition to register their sense of shame and to save their respective nations from being shamed. But no more in Britain, with Boris hanging on despite parties during lockdown.
We hear of corporate magnates confessing and regretting their shameful actions in many places around the world and even stepping down from their positions. May be true in Japan or South Korea but not in Malaysia.
Do we have no sense of shame? Do we no longer fear God? Are we numb to those who commit crimes and get away scot-free? What can we do lah?
We can pray for righteous people rising to take the country forward. We can express our disgust in social media (or other medium). We can act to restore “Dignity, Integrity and Remorsefulness” by observing a day of fasting and prayer? We could get our religious leaders (and others) to organise a peaceful gathering to raise consciousness and change the current malaise? This has to be a “grass-root” movement not from the current leadership/elite who are mired in controversy.
Reference:
1MDB and beyond: When shame has lost its meaning in Malaysia, JD Lovrenciear, Aliran, 24 Feb 2022
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