The Concept of 'Bomoh' Accountability

One of the obligatory things we do in Malaysia, whenever we have a major outdoor event is to hire a ‘bomoh’ to ensure that there is no rain during the course of the event. In so doing an employment situation is created where there is a psychological contract between the event organizers and the ‘bomoh’; he to ensure that the event is rain-free and we on our part to pay him for that service. But how many times have we seen that should it rain, the ‘bomoh’ will have many ‘vague’ reasons on why he could not ‘perform’, ranging from somebody wearing a black shirt which agitated him to the fact that the event started late which made it difficult for him to perform. In simple management terms, what he is saying is that he is not accountable and that the blame should be placed on someone or something else.

In that context, do you realize that we have a lot of like-minded ‘bomohs’ in Malaysian organizations i.e., employees who are reluctant to shoulder the blame when something goes wrong? Do you realize that in corporate Malaysia, when something goes wrong, nobody is accountable? Everyone plays the blame game and points fingers at others.

No one wants to accept blame and be held accountable. The attitude seems to be that it is better to go on the offensive and yes, give any reason for the situation, no matter how ludicrous. Blame even god as a last resort.

The most troubling aspect of this lack of accountability is that in a few weeks’ time, everything will be forgotten and life will go back to normal. Nobody is punished, nobody is held accountable and nobody will be blamed. And everyone will just shrug their shoulders and say, “That’s the Malaysian culture of accountability”.??

I concede however that because of the instinctive need for corporate survival, individuals will initially try to shift the blame on someone or the situation as part of a natural defence mechanism. However, what I find most infuriating is that the authorities and superiors of those who committed these errors of judgment have not demanded any form of accountability. Their silence has been most deafening. In a sense, these people who disclaimed accountability are being rewarded for doing so. Their superiors should rightly be blamed too because accountability is not only what we do, but also what we do not do. If you don't hold people accountable they will learn quickly that their behaviour in relation to the incident or situation was acceptable and therefore they will continue to behave in a similar manner in the future to the detriment of the organization and management practices in the country.

But why is this so; why is it that situations like these where people accept accountability are rare in Malaysia. Why are corporate leaders so terrified of being held accountable? Isn’t it a critical part of being a leader i.e. taking ownership of a problem and being held accountable? Or is corporate Malaysia practising a claim credit for anything good that happens, and passing the blame to others when things go wrong kind of management style. From recent events, it seems as if the latter is a standard operating procedure in most corporate organizations.

What is frightening about all this non-accountability is the fact that it then becomes an accepted management norm. When subordinates see their bosses becoming ‘bomohs’ they, in turn, start practising this management style themselves which in turn becomes part of the organizational culture. And when it takes place at the highest levels of corporate governance, the cascading effect will be immense. Sometimes I wonder if our leaders at corporate levels are aware of the damage they are doing to themselves, management practices in Malaysia and to their organizations, with their ‘coming out with guns blazing’ concept of accountability.??