My Fellow Malaysians:

More than five million of our citizens have yet to register to vote.  Most of these citizens were born in the 1970s and 1980s.  That is a shame, although it is consistent with the trend in most democratic countries where citizens have become disillusioned with politicians and politics.

Before we can talk about the issues facing our country, we must first register as voters or check whether we are still on the electoral roll and get our family members, relatives, and friends to do the same.  On one fine subuh (morning) Imam Badawi will receive his “ilham” (inspiration) to go for a snap election.  In order for us not to be caught by surprise, please register now.  Be prepared!

To check if you are a registered voter, please go to www.spr.gov.my and key in your NRIC/My-Kad number to find out.  Also check whether your name is correct.  We must register and vote.  This is our first duty as citizens.

It is easy to register.  Go the nearest Post Office, fill in the form, and include your IC and other details.  Re-check later as you could be sent to Timbuktu to vote by mistake!!

Finally, make sure you turn up on Polling Day to vote with your clear conscience.  Make sure whoever you choose as your representative will work hard and will be accountable for their actions.  There is no time for cynicism, disillusionment and disenchantment with politics as usual, and with our politicians.

Collectively, we can make a difference.  I appeal to you, my fellow Malaysians, please do not forfeit this fundamental right.  Make your vote count.  Together we can make Malaysia a better and more united and democratic country.

Din Merican

[First posted under SEEING IT MY WAY  in Malaysiakini.com  August 2, 2007]

I fully support the call by the Tanjong Malim UMNO Division to bring back English schools.  This is one quick and effective way to increase the English proficiency of our students, especially those in rural areas.  It would also better prepare them for our increasingly competitive globalized world.

            It is significant that this UMNO division should be making this resolution.  Tanjong Malim is home to Sultan Idris Training College(now a university), long the hotbed of Malay nationalism and breeding ground for ardent advocates of Malay language.

The Division would have these schools teach in English all subjects except Malay language.  It would however, be a great mistake simply to bring back those English schools of yore.  While they served the nation well then, such schools would be totally inappropriate in today’s socio-political reality.  Such schools would unnecessarily provoke backlash

For one, the curriculum had little local relevance.  For another, while those schools were good at imparting English language skills on our young, it was at the expense of our national language.  What we need instead are schools that would make our students effectively bilingual in Malay and English, and have a curriculum that would emphasize science and mathematics while using teaching materials and subject matters relevant to the students’ every day life and surroundings.

In the old English schools we learned more about the beauty of the English Lakeside district in springtime through Wordsworth’s poems but remained woefully ignorant of the enchantment and utility of our own mangrove swamps, or the bountiful biodiversity of our vibrant rainforests.

Brought up under the old English school I admit to being ill informed about our talented writers like Hamka and Shahnon Ahmad, as well as poets like Chairil Anwar and Usman Awang.  Fortunately – and this may seem perverse – because of my Western liberal education and exposure to the humanities and liberal arts, I developed an appreciation of our own native literature later in life.  Only then did I feel the void of my earlier education.

These are the mistakes we must avoid in our enthusiasm in bringing back English schools.

English Schools only in Rural Areas

There is a huge gap between good ideas and their successful implementations.  Failure to appreciate this important caveat dooms many good ideas and policies.  It would then make their subsequent resurrection that much more difficult.  Thus it is important to proceed carefully, with precise planning and effective execution in order to minimize the risk of failure.

In my book Towards A Competitive Malaysia, I proposed setting up English schools initially only in rural areas.  With the high background of Malay proficiency, it would be unlikely for the students to “forget” their native tongue as it is widely and regularly used at home and in the community.  Besides, the need for greater English proficiency is most acute with our rural students.

If English schools were to be set up in the cities where the national language is not widely and regularly used, there is the danger of our students not being proficient in Malay.  Were it to happen, there would then be another and more severe backlash from the language nationalists.

While these schools would be located in rural areas, they should be open to all.  Urban parents who wish to enroll their children in such schools should be allowed to do so.  We would then have a situation that is the reverse of colonial times.  At that time rural parents who wished their children to attend English schools had to fork out additional expenses for transportation, extra costs they could hardly afford.

Having English schools in rural areas would not unduly burden those city parents who wish to enroll their children, as these more affluent parents could afford the added costs of transporting their children.  Being generally better educated, they would also demand more from these rural English schools and their teachers.  That would ensure quality education.

English No Panacea

English proficiency alone is not enough; India and the Philippines would disabuse us of such a misguided notion.  While these two countries emphasize English, their schools and students are not worthy of our emulation; nor for that matter their economy or leadership.

In addition to bringing back English schools, what is also needed is a curriculum that emphasizes the sciences and quantitative skills, as well as critical thinking.  Using English as the medium of instruction would facilitate the acquisition of these skills and knowledge.

English is now the de facto language of science and technology.  There is no way for our scientists and students to keep abreast in these fields by depending only on translations.  The rapid expansion of knowledge is such that even if the entire intellectual endeavors of Malays were devoted solely to translating, that would still be inadequate.

The teaching of science is important not only for the acquisition of the specific knowledge and skills but also for mastering the scientific method, an approach to solving problems that has proven effective and productive.  The remarkable advances of the West in the last couple of centuries are attributable to their adoption of science and technology, together with the accompanying mindset.

For Malay students, the teaching of Islamic Studies in English would go a long way towards modernizing our approach to that important subject.  Currently, Islamic Studies is being taught in Malay or Arabic, using archaic pedagogical techniques and assumptions more suitable for ancient Bedouins.  The emphasis is more on rote memory and blind adherence to traditions and rituals.  This philosophy of teaching has long been proven less effective through the insights of modern psychology of learning and child development.

If Islamic Studies were taught in English, our students could be exposed to more modern texts.  Increasingly these are written in English; it is now the most important language in Islam, next to Arabic.

I see many merits to bringing back English schools, suitably modified to meet our times and needs.  While the Tanjong Malim Division may encounter huge obstacles in having their resolution adopted nationally, the much greater challenge is to ensure that the policy, if adopted, be imaginatively and effectively executed.

From Tasawuf to Triangles

(Or, On Parroting Versus Understanding)

Hanis Ahmad

[The writer is a surgeon in private practice in Kuala Lumpur.  This essay first appeared in MCOBA (Malay College Old Boys Association) chat group.  Re-posted with kind permission of the author.]

One basic problem with our culture is the lack of respect and appreciation for those who think critically, or for that matter, those who dare use their brains.

Our culture should honor, value, and place above the common herd the curious, the innovators, and the scholars.  These are the individuals who explore new frontiers, expand our knowledge, weigh the evidences, and connect the dots in the puzzles of our lives.  They enjoy their works for their intrinsic value, and they balance their priorities.

Our mantra should be, “From Tasawuf to Triangles,” an oblique reference to the glorious days of Andalusia, Spain, with its beautiful Moorish palaces based on simple triangular geometric designs.  This symbolizes the direction our kids should be encouraged to pursue, from mysticism (tasawuf) and nostalgia to science and rationality.

Examine our present generation.  Ask the young to sit for five minutes to view a news documentary or listen to some basic science presentation, and we will likely get a shrug and a dismissal.  It is hard to get their attention away from trivia; they are focused on Fantasia.

They cannot even recognize much less appreciate novel ideas.  Numbed by repetitious messages and admonitions from on high, our young are opting for the easy path.  They mechanically memorize whatever they are taught and then vomit it out when asked to do so, as at examination time.  We would not be too far off to label them as mindless.  The surprise is that we managed to churn out such a generation in so short a time.

When these kids screw things up, we do not point out their stupidities or the errors of their ways.  Nor do we suggest corrective measures.  Instead we search for and seize upon some minimal or even imagined achievements and blow these out of proportion in the mistaken belief that it would be harmful to their self-respect to do otherwise.  If that were not enough, we then remind them of their entitlement:  Ketuanan Melayu!

If those measures were inadequate or do not produce the desired effects, we resort to lowering the passing or qualifying grades.  Lest we think such shenanigans happen only in schools, consider that the man responsible for the Certificate of Legal Practice examination was recently jailed for falsifying the results.  Perhaps he was defended by one of the lawyers he passed!

We have yet to learn or refuse to accept this stark reality:  shifting goal posts does not bring us victory, or even the illusion of one.

Deluded by such bloated false praises, these kids continue their blunders onto adult life.  Then they proudly become tailors for the largest flag in the world or compete to be singers of the most schmaltzy, self-pitying songs in their mother tongue.  And when they prevail at such inane contests, they would receive the same, if not more, accolades and adulations as if they had cracked a revolutionary method for gene splicing or graduated magna cum laude in science from some prestigious foreign university.

You cannot completely blame these youngsters.  After all, they have been told repeatedly that they need not strive for new ways or seek innovative solutions to our problems.  The answers are all there in the holy book.  By virtue of repeating a few lines, their minds would be illuminated and their souls saved!

A few may appreciate the hard work and diligent research that brought so much of the modern technological marvels they take for granted in their daily lives.  Most however, are content to leave such endeavors to the hated infidel Westerners.  Suffice that we can afford to acquire the next Mercedes S model, fastest Intel processor, latest Windows application, most luxurious Airbus, or even the fanciest MRI scanner.  Besides, why is everyone making such a big deal about these inventions anyway?  What research, what discovery?  What is so impressive?  The answers are all there in the holy book.  Just master the language (Arabic), and then endlessly recite the passages!  And magically, a flying carpet would appear to rescue and deliver us to the Promised Land.

Unfortunately, those content only with parroting the holy book and hadith are also serving as ready role models for the coming generation.  It is easy for these elders to be dismissive or actively denigrate the virtues of modern research especially when they have not done any or have any clue of the intellectual and other efforts involved.  It is so much easier merely to memorize and then mouth endlessly the same similes and platitudes, or regurgitate whatever the central religious office provides.

Our young continually see ridiculous ideas being given the same respect as those properly researched and thoughtfully formulated.  They no longer know how to distinguish between the shadow and the substance, let alone engage in any meaningful discussion.  When they attempt to, they resort to debating not the merit of the ideas rather who uttered them.  They become consumed in endless puerile debates on the chronology of events or on the identities and ranks of the personalities and narrators involved.  The merit, truth, validity or implications of the ideas do not interest them.

The few self-respecting individuals who readily see through the whole charade may mount some initial perfunctory challenges, but unable to bear the resulting ostracism, they too readily succumb.  They learn fast that it is so much easier and more remunerative to simply shut up and go along.  Impoverishment in the guise of empowerment!

Meanwhile the mainstream media and the public forums are humming with the same old messages preached by the same old snake oil salesmen in the same jual ubat style.  The courtiers would continue to convince themselves that the sultan’s increasingly tattered bark loincloth is the latest in fashion statement.  In schools, teachers who cannot string a coherent sentence in English are correcting English examination papers!  And the band plays on!

Chapter 4:  On Being Competitive (Cont’d)

Macroeconomic Environment Enhancing Competitiveness

At the macro level, the prime prerequisite for enhancing growth and competitiveness is obvious:  the absence of war, turmoil, or civil disturbance. During such times the nation’s efforts would be directed at non-productive endeavors as killing and destroying. Nothing good could come out of that, the competition being which party could inflict the greater destruction. Besides, money spent on armaments and the military has little multiplier effect, meaning the resulting spending does not percolate or multiply much in the economy.

Had the billions Saddam Hussein spent on his army tanks been diverted to buying tractors for his farmers, Iraq would have had a very productive agricultural sector, and his country would have benefited greatly. The only purpose served by those expensive tanks was as easy target practice for American pilots.

The view that war is good for the economy is an illusion. During the Korean War, Malaysia enjoyed an economic boom with the price of rubber skyrocketing. That war may have been good for Malaysians but it was hell for the Koreans. Malaysians have conveniently forgotten their own hell of World War II.

The “war is good” thinking in economics emerges from the “broken window” effect. [Note:  Not to be confused with the “broken window” syndrome in law enforcement where if minor acts of vandalisms like broken windows were ignored, that would encourage other more serious crimes, and soon a general breakdown of law and order. The American sociologist James Q. Wilson first made this observation. See Chapter 8 under “Institutions of Law Enforcement.” Imagine a storm breaking the window of the local bakery. The baker would now have to spend money to fix it, which money would now flow to the window fixer. He in turn would have to buy the glass window, and thus part of that money would now flow into the glassmaker’s pocket. The glassmaker would now have to order more materials and the money would now flow into the silica miner’s pocket. Thus the money-flow goes on, percolating through the economy. The same dynamics would occur with damages wrecked through war.8

The flaw with this thinking is to imagine what would happen if that window had not been broken. The baker would now spend the money on building an addition. The same multiplier and ripple effect would occur, as with fixing the window except that the baker has now an additional space that he could rent out or expand his business. He would be adding productive capacity instead of merely replacing it.

War activities do not add to the productive capacity; on the contrary, they destroy it. Further, the multiplier effect of military spending is considerably lower. [Not to be confused with the “broken window” syndrome in law enforcement, where if minor acts of vandalisms like broken windows were ignored, that would encourage other more serious crimes, and soon a general breakdown of law and order. The American sociologist James Q. Wilson first made this observation. See Chapter 8 under “Institutions of Law Enforcement.”] When you fire a bullet or drop a bomb, there is no multiplier or any beneficial effect, only destruction.8

Spending on war and the military is wrong morally; it is also economically non-productive.

Yes, there were advances like jet engines and nuclear power from military spending that benefited society. Those benefits are coincidental; we would accrue them just as well if not better without having to go to war, as with the peaceful joint outer space exploration.

The negative effect on the economy applies not only to war but also to civil unrests and disturbances. One of the smartest moves Mahathir did as Prime Minister was to sign the peace treaty with the Malaysian Communist Party (MCP) in 1989. The organization, which once dared to take on the mighty British, was well on its way out save for a few raggedy stubborn old men wandering in the jungle. With that treaty, the government was spared the huge expense of maintaining a military presence near the Thai border. In a magnanimous gesture, even though the MCP was technically defeated and the treaty essentially a surrender document, the government included in it prohibitions against gloating or using any term to suggest the reality—a surrender.9 The proud old men in the MCP maintained their tattered dignity, and Malaysia had peace and its ensuing dividends. The surprise is that this brilliant maneuver by Mahathir is not more widely lauded and appreciated.

Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman saw early the wisdom of having peace. After getting a commitment of independence from Britain, he quickly sought the MCP’s leadership for peace talks.10 Tunku was even wiser in that he refused to give away the store in search of peace. He intuitively knew the difference between peace and appeasement. When the Baling Peace Talks collapsed, the Tunku prudently secured a defense treaty with Britain as an insurance policy. Thus a newly independent Malaysia was able to divert funds from the military to schools. The country’s subsequent impressive economic performance was due in large part to that early investment in education.

In contrast, neighboring Indonesia was consumed with buying the latest expensive armaments while its schools and other institutions were left to deteriorate. Today, the difference between the living standards of the two people could not be more different.

Threats to Malaysia’s stability can arise both externally or internally. In the early 1960s there was the needless konfrontasi with Indonesia. That crisis sapped resources from both sides that otherwise could have been devoted to nation building.

All of Malaysia’s neighbors could potentially threaten Malaysia’s stability. Ironically, despite the daily headlines of squabbling with Singapore, I do not consider that tiny republic a threat at all for the simple reason that its citizens are enjoying a First World standard of living and would have the most to lose from hostilities between the two neighbors. Being rationalists, they will restrict their ranting to only verbal volleys across the causeway. The more serious and credible threats come from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and more distantly, China. I will revisit this issue of regional security in Chapter 13.

My Diamond of Development presumes that there is peace and stability, for only then could Malaysia prosper.

Next:  Microeconomic Environment Enhancing Competitiveness