Debt management

Ramli Yusoff, chief of Commercial Crimes Investigation Department, is likely to be charged by the ACA today. It seems only natural if one considers what's behind the scenes; the effects of a downward spiral in a crumbling relationship between bigger players. Poor Ramli... a chess-piece who's more than a pawn - perhaps a rook - but expendable no less.

The clearest picture emerging out of this saga is the shameless patronage crippling the running of this country. It is but a snapshot of the sinister web of IOUs between soulless bigshots and peasants.

It reaffirms the suspicion: You are in a position of power not because you're good but because of favours done and favours owed. You may be at some pinnacle, but you are Owned. You are a puppet. And that makes for a very pathetic reason to exist, if you ask me.

At this point, it is irresistible to ask one single question - What if? What if Ramli had refrained from conducting investigations on the suspected underworld taiko back then? Would he then be on a happier umrah this Saturday? Would he be tagged as future IGP? Just wondering...

It has become painfully obvious that in Malaysia worms and fellow grovelers succeed if you help this govt keep its power. Merit? Aptitude? Feed that to the fishes.

Melaka's chief minister Ali Rustam will not be punished by his Umno clans-folk despite his obnoxious remarks at the PPP assembly. Zakaria Deros remains very happy in his palace. The Altantuya trial was scarred even before Day One and is proceeding on a curious trek. The people behind the Port Klang Free Zone fiasco continue to walk freely.

There has been incredible inertia displayed by the powers to act on the VK Lingam videotape, as damning as it is. Why?

IOUs.

Simple as that. And simpler than that is the next question: You gonna just watch?