Exchanges with Din Merican
Dear Din:
Thank you for sending me the laudatory piece on Badawi that appeared in Singapore’s Straits Times. I do not share the writer’s enthusiasm for Pak Lah. He is like a golfer who has good swings, but there is no follow through.
That writer commented favorably on Pak Lah’s utterancesses (swings) but said nothing of his achievements (follow through) because there were none. Pak Lah’s fight against corruption is such that Isa Samad (found guilty of money politics by his own party) is still in the Cabinet, Osu Sukum (with multimillion dollar gambling debts) is still in UMNO’s Supreme Council, and the latest flap, expensive retirement parties for civil servants, is a bust. The Police Commission Report is just that – a report, and a very expensive one.
I dearly wish for him to succeed, but he is detracted by two major events: One, his wife’s serious if not fatal illness, and two, basically he has not done any reading since his graduation. In short, his intellectual horizon is limited and he is satisfied with blurting out headlines given to him by his son-in-law.
I am noticing something strange. Almost the only positive comments on Badawi come from the Singapore media. It too, like that in Malaysia, is government controlled. My gut feeling is that those Singapore folks have figured out that Badawi is your typical Malay, susceptible to flattery. Praise a Malay effusively, and he will give away his inheritance. The British did that very effectively with our Sultans and now the Singapore Chinese are eagerly learning the lessons of the Brits.
Appreciate your comments!
Sallam,
Bakri
Dear Bakri:
Pak Lah has been in government and politics for a long time. He has enough experience. He has not been a clerk all these times and he must have learned something. His boys cannot continue to spin on his behalf. That has to end fast.
Investors, local and foreign, have no confidence in him. He just does not have the intellectual and physical energy to lead our country. We face challenging times ahead that demand firm and decisive action.
I do not expect much from the 2006 Budget because our civil servants and policy professionals have run out of ideas. He is certainly not providing the leadership.
We need growth; people must have jobs. Cutting the budget deficit is simplistic; it stifles growth. Yes, we need to manage public spending better and allocate resources more rationally. Right now much of the public spending is wasteful, and the politicians, corrupt. As the public leadership is essentially in Malay hands, this gives our race a dirty reputation.
Badawi has been away, again, for the past few weeks. Fancy that! As Minister of Finance, he is not involved in budget preparations and strategies. He is reduced to simply reading a speech in Parliament! When journalists asked him detailed questions, dia gagap saja (he stuttered!). Investors lose confidence when the leader does not know what he is talking about or just fumbles. His Trade and Industry Minister is a prime example of ministerial irresponsibility. As Badawi is a weak leader, the barons and warlords are at war with each other in his Cabinet and party.
Mahathir too, as Prime Minister, was swallowed up by the YAB (the Right Honorable) syndrome and forgot himself. Now he is back in the real world, minus the adulations and trappings of the office of prime minister. I am sure in his private moments he is full of regrets. Eventually, like us, he too will face Almighty Allah and have to account for his deeds. I admire the man greatly yet I am quite disappointed with his management of our country and UMNO.
I am an admirer of Mahathir, but I find that he does not have the ability to choose good people. You pointed this out to me years ago. You were right.
The hallmark of a good leader is the ability to nurture a pool of able would-be successors. The idea of “a crown prince” is wrong and dangerous, as we saw with Anwar Ibrahim.
To get things done, a leader needs capable subordinates and great followers. Before one can be a good leader, one must first be a good follower (not ahli bodek [yes man])). Was Mahathir a good follower? Examine what he did to the Tunku and Tun Hussein Onn. That is something I learned in management and from James McGregor Burn’s excellent book on leadership. Leadership is critical for success in business and politics. A good leader must have a grasp for details, not just vision. Overall, Mahathir was a good leader.
I cannot believe that a strong leader like Mahathir cares what UMNO wants or thinks. He always had his way, by fair means or otherwise. For him to say that Badawi is what UMNO wants is a little far-fetched. Like Nehru, Mahathir did not develop people under him. He made all the decisions; he did not empower his ministers and party colleagues. He had zero tolerance for “smart fellas.” He never had time for you, Bakri, or me, or anyone with views of their own.
UMNO needs to be strong and always relevant. It must have a built-in system of self-renewal and an organized machinery (cadre system if you like). It must stick to its tradition of listening to, and respecting the grassroots. Otherwise, Malay sovereignty and control over national politics and public administration will be lost. We must not lose our premier position in national politics.
The democratic system is essentially adversarial. It is a battle of ideas and programs aimed at delivering maximum happiness to the Malays. This should always be UMNO’s first concern; then comes the other Malaysians. If UMNO is careless and complacent, PAS and its allies can take over.
UMNO needs strong, able and dedicated leaders, not corrupt ones. That is why we must get rid of money politics, and all forms of corruption. Today, as you never fail to remind me, UMNO is corrupt to the core. God help us, the Malays, if UMNO does not reform itself soon.
UMNO leaders have forgotten their original struggle. Leaders like Najib (he is corrupt, so I am told, and with a greedy wife to boot!) who talks about Melayu glokal are out of touch. We cannot even compete locally with non-Malays. How can we go global and compete with the rest of the world?
Amanat Presiden (President’s Address) over the years contained plenty of platitudes, gushes of hot air, free flowing rhetoric, and irrelevant foreign policy pronouncements. Ordinary Malays cannot relate to them in any meaningful way. UMNO should re-look at the content of its Amanat Presiden. It should be a report card, practical, and simple. Focus on things that are achievable within the context of the overall vision and plan. Be modest and down-to-earth. The General Assembly is the only time when the party President has the chance to speak to the grassroots.
I am not sure that Badawi is aware of his weaknesses. His sycophants tell him that he is great, wise, and a Yang Amat Berhormat, and they kiss his hands. He is the proverbial Emperor with no clothes. He has only his “imagined reality,” and his advisors keep him isolated. Intellectually too, he is isolated as he does not read widely.
He thinks that running a country is simply reading speeches, inspecting Guards of Honor, and making official visits abroad and at home. To put it crassly, he has an attitude problem. You said it well when you wrote about The Sultan Syndrome in your The Malay Dilemma Revisited. Malaysia already has an Agung and nearly a dozen sultans. It does not need another one.
To be a leader one needs mental strength, a set of unshakable beliefs, plenty of guts, and mastery of details. A leader must lead and not be concerned with being a populist. He must do what is right, not what is popular.
In the end, he must have the character and integrity to say what he means and means what he says. Meaning, he must execute.
Fortunately, I am not a member of any political party. It is great to be just the man in the street.
Sallam,
Din.
September 29th, 2005 at 9:57 pm
Dear Dr. Bakri and Din Merican,
This is an excellent exchange of views. I wish I can write the way you both can.
I agree with the view that UMNO must change its culture. This project is a long term one, which has yet to be launched in earnest. This is because Badawi is not the man to do it. That is my honest view.
Catching and punishing Isa Samad is not enough as it smacks of victimisation against a potential Presidential contender. Why not book others who also used money to buy votes during the last UMNO party elections like Rustum Ali, the Chief Minister of Malacca? What about taking action against people like Selangor Menteri Besar Khir Toyo, UMNO Sabah’s Musa Aman, or the former Chief Minister Osu Sukum and so on? Here I must say that the Anti-Corruption Agency has failed us Malaysians. It should be more like its sister organizations in Hongkong and New South Wales, Australia.
I am also concerned that Putra UMNO and Kelab-Kelab UMNO abroad are not in a “reform mode”. For them, it is just “more of the same”. The only ray of hope so far (and maybe I am speaking too soon) is Puteri UMNO, which has a better image than Wanita UMNO. Today I read in Malaysiakini that University of Malaya Student politics, especially in Gabungan Pelajar-Pelajar Melayu Semenanjong (GPMS) is equally dirty.
So I think it is not just UMNO, but all political parties like MIC, MCA, Gerakan in our country are tainted with “dirty tricks” and money games. This scourge is now down to University politics. I wonder what the Registrar of Societies is doing about these developments.
Integrity is not just a slogan. It is the foundation of a well functioning democracy, and the essence of a strong and ethical society like Sweden and Singapore. I suggest that Badawi should stop using the word if he does not mean what he says, and does not do what he says. Talk is always cheap.
September 30th, 2005 at 5:01 am
Thanks, Ahmad, for your comments.
I am sure there are others in cyberland who feel the way you do. They must not be afraid to share their views and observations.
Our country needs citizens who dare to speak up when they feel that they are not pleased with what is happening today. I wonder what my good friend, keris_always is thinking right now.
BTW, Tun Mahathir opened the Speakers Corner in the grounds of the famous Victoria Institution. Freedom of speech is coming to Bolehland, man.
September 30th, 2005 at 7:32 pm
Speaking up is one major attribute lacking in the Malays. May be it has been instilled in us not to speak back as it is considered unethical or “kurang ajar”. So, we allow our elders and leaders to do the thinking.
However, when things go wrong, the finger pointing begins in earnest. Even the one who decides will pin the blame on someone else rather than himself. I consider this a sickness that has so long afflicted the race that today we have become so weak and meek.
I sometime wonder why Umno stalwarts allowed one man to call the shots for over two decades without ever a whimper of protest. Only now some of them are talking but “nasi dah jadi bubur.”
Why proclaimed, “Takkan Melayu Hilang diDunia” each time the party assembles to talk the Malay Agenda when in actual fact the race is lost a long long time ago.
There are many more inherent weaknesses that we need to address.
I preside over an NGO that champions the well-being of Ipohites. In my organisation there is only one other Malay, the society’s secretary. I have tried so often to get Malays to join us but the resonse has been dismal. The pensioners fear losing their pension, some their livelihood, others just couldn’t careless.
The Chinese and Indians exhibit better understanding of politics and the environment and they, and not the Malays, have contributed to the furtherance of our cause.
Need I say more?
September 30th, 2005 at 9:29 pm
Dear Fathol,
The blame game is on with intensity as we are debating the NEP; but this has been in existence for some time now. No one dared to criticise Tun Mahathir directly when he was the top national honcho for 22 years. But today, in fact as soon he was out of office, we, the Malays, began to attack him frontally to such extent that even the good things he achieved are being made to look terrible, all a huge mistake. That cannot be correct. In fact, it is grossly unfair.
We, the Malays, are well known for this hypocrisy, backbiting and “wang kulit” stuff. If there is a Malaysian Oscar for this sort of thing, we would win it hands down year in and year out. We do not realise that we are demoralising ourselves, and demotivating our less fortunate brothers, and the young people who look up to us for guidance and inspiration.
We do not seem to have a tradition of building on the achievements of our past leaders, that is, we do not stand on the “shoulders of giants” (Einstein?) to reach higher goals. I liken this to constructing a new foundation by tearing down an old but strong one, and rebuilding it from ground up because the old was built by someone who can no longer grant us any favours, or goodies. It looks as if our loyalty can be bought.
This process will go on from one Malay leader to another, for example from Tun Mahathir to Badawi. Today, it is Tun Mahathir’s fate. Before that, we criticised Tun Hussein Onn who was, in my view, a man of integrity and strong ethical values. Tomorrow, it will be Badawi (although at this time he is being attacked justifiably so for more talk than action). How can we progress, if we are destructive in our ways? “Kita ini macam mesyarakat ketam” (We are like a community of crabs).
Badawi supporters have been criticising Tun Mahathir. They could be the very individuals who felt at one time that the former Prime Minister could practically “walk on water”. Dr.Bakri talked about the Malay Dilemma Revisited, the title of his popular book. To that, you and I can easily add “Malay Zapin ” because of this phenomenon I just described. It is hopping in “zapin” style because we switch from adulation to condemnation almost overnight, like the flipping of a coin.
I, however, cannot agree with you that the Malays have lost the race. We are actually still at the first, or”tayang” (to use my Kedah lingo) stage of the “bersilat” ritual where we are merely showing off our so-called silat formations and skills. We have not entered the race. We have yet to do battle.
What we have done is to ask to our paternalistic Government to fight the race for us, while we continue to do our silat routine and enjoy the showmanship. As long we are in this mode, I would venture to say that NEP/NDP for a thousand years cannot help. So, we cannot expect Article 153 to protect us in perpetuity.
Unlike our Chinese and Indian brothers, most of us have not, for example, personally invested in the education of our young. I know personally of two Indian taxi drivers who put their kids to medical school in India with their meagre savings and loans from relatives and their foundations. I also know of wealthy Malays with honorific titles who use their influence to get scholarships and places in well known universities abroad for their kids.
We rely on the Government for scholarships and loans, even though some of us can finance our children’s education. Our kids do not even want to repay the educational loans!! The attitude is “duit kerajaan duit kita, jadi tak payah bayar balik” (Government money is ours, there is no need to pay back). In contrast, our Chinese and Indian brothers have to be self-reliant. They have to sacrifice themselves for their family’s future as they do not have the Government behind them.
So, Fathol, what I am saying that we the Malays have a serious attitude problem. We seem to have no sense of community, although we talk about the Ummah every Friday in the mosques throughout the length and breadth of our beloved country. Where is the Malay Ummah? It is being artificially created by the Government. It cannot work, if we, the Malays, are selfish, indifferent, and jealous of each other. The world does not owe us a living.
I stand to be corrected if my views are too extreme.
Thanks.
October 1st, 2005 at 8:29 pm
No. Din, your view are not extreme at all. You have have given the best discription of the Malays in Malaysia. You are just calling a spade a spade.
I once asked an aged Tan Sri (he is now dead) why as an elder, he did not comment on th excesses of the then PM, Mahathir.
He replied ” Why should I? I am in the board of about 20 companies. Do you want me to lose RM20,000 each month in directors fees?”.
I have asked some of my Malay friends why they preferred to be in UMNO when the party when its leaders lacked integrity.
Their answers were something like this, ” In UMNO I can get all that I need like, low cost houses, scholarships, promotions in my career, business licences, all forms of loans, perks, etc etc.”
What can opposition parties give me!
So you see its politics of patronage.
Malays do not like to “lawan towkay” as it does not benefit them.
I cannot blame them. UMNO leaders will intimidate, cripple and victimise anyone who expresses views and opinions which are contrary to theirs.
October 2nd, 2005 at 9:15 am
methinks malaysia is experiencing a leadership crisis right now - with nobody really seen at the controls.
October 2nd, 2005 at 9:27 am
how else could you explain how bloggers like jeff ooi and lim kit siang are seen to get away with allowing posters to make atrocious and racist comments against the malays? bloggers like yourself bakri encourage the malays to examine themselves with the aim of bringing about self improvement and to question whether government policies are benefitting the ordinary malays and not just the politically connected among the malays. bloggers like lim kit siang are questioning the ’social contract’ which forms the very basis of our federal constitution - this has a subversive impact and is politically divisive.
October 2nd, 2005 at 9:43 pm
It would be naive to categorise LKS and Ooi as racists or as bloggers who condone racists postings. Any budding political observer should know that. Bloggers cannot spend all their time checking their blogs for racist postings. But when they do detect any, these comments will be removed and that’s what LKS and Ooi always do.
I would request Bakri to remove the above posting since his name itself is derogatory! It is an insult to use such a name in this reputable blog. Neither is it fair to paint all Malays with one brush and call them lazy!
I will not be surprised if the imposter LKS was referring to here (http://limkitsiang.blogspot.com/) is the one who posted the above two comments.
October 3rd, 2005 at 7:32 am
Dear Libra,
You dont shout down someone just because he chose to excercise free speech. But I agree the posting should be deleted - can we move on? LKS has to respond the way he did - to protect his back, from over zealous officers in Special Branch. But in his case he correctly put matters in the right perspective.
Such postings should be deleted. They smack of a conspiracy to intimidate local bloggers using local servers. Period. Leave conspiracy theories where they should be - in the toilet.
Regards.
October 3rd, 2005 at 8:29 am
This site does not normally attracts trolls - only serious discussions. So let us not say anymore about the negative side of trolling on bloggers. Dont open the floodgates!
My 2-cents.
October 3rd, 2005 at 7:45 pm
En. Din,
What is wrong with Pak Dollah. Do you know? We know he cannot fill Mahathir’s shoes. They are too big for him. But worse he seems embattled. Like what many are saying, we need a capable Malay leader at the helm. But what we do not need is another Head of State or Sultan!
Why is everybody kissing his hand? He is not royalty. Nor is he an Arab! Don’t remember any Arabs kissing hands. They kiss both cheeks as a sign of respect – their standard greetings.
Kissing of the right hand started with Mahathir. As to why our Mahathir took to allowing his hand to be kissed at all is a mystery – right out of John Grisham’s novel. Before that it was the standard Malay ‘salam’. Don’t remember Hussein Onn or Tun Razak being given the ‘royal’ treatment. Not even Tunku Abdul Rahman who has a more relevant claim to such ‘honour’ – if you could call it that.
Remember Mahathir went down in history as the Prime Minister who almost did away with the sultans – but stopped short of doing it. Nobody really knows why.
Has anybody ever calculated how much it costs the country to maintain its monarchy? Admittedly it is important that we maintain the monarchy as the sultans play a very important role – though mostly symbolic. I say it is mostly symbolic as opposed to completely symbolic as there are times in our history that the sultans as an institution played a very important role in resolving national crises.
In fact without the Malay sultans, the Malays are hard pressed to lay claim to Malaysia being a Malay nation. We have nothing left except the Malay language and the Malay sultans to remind our children and our children’s children what the country once used to be. We have already lost much of our land.
October 4th, 2005 at 3:25 am
patiot’s comments are interesting.
let’s look at malaysia’s recent history to form the perspective needed before we enter into a limited historical anaylysis.
prior to the turn of the 18th century, there were a group of disparate malay sultans ruling over a land referred to by the british as the malay peninsula including the island at the tip of it. yes there was a malay sultan ruling present day singapore.
with the advent of the british the malay peninsula disintegrated into states and at the same time “united” into bastions of british rule with british advisers whose sole role was to make sure the malay sultans “behave”. with the british we witness the emergence of modern malaysia.
the british were here to exploit the peninsula’s natural resources, to provide raw material for their factories back home. they were here as colonisers - not out of any humanitarian reasons like saving the malays from themselves etc. they were here to exploit and to plunder. and exploit and plunder they did.
but what is most damaging is that they forever destroyed the demographic profile of a country once known as the malay peninsula. they imported cheap labour from china and india to work their tin mines and their rubber estates. in one stroke of the pen so to speak these colonisers destroyed forever the malayness of this land. the disintegration of the malay states did not stop there but continued even after “independence” as the island at the tip of the malay peninsula was jettisoned from the federation.
prior to that they “stole” the island of pulau pinang and melaka from their respective malay rulers.
several centuries later, we are still struggling to regain our malay hegemony, and still trying to break away from the shackles of neo-colonialism.
the greatest injustice to us malays is when we were made to cut loose modern day singapore from any semblance of malay control and administration as the only solution to our racial problems - brought on us by the colonisers because it suited them and their interests.
this process of integration is NOT OVER yet as we battle those who seek to colonise us economically.
October 4th, 2005 at 3:25 am
patiot’s comments are interesting.
let’s look at malaysia’s recent history to form the perspective needed before we enter into a limited historical anaylysis.
prior to the turn of the 18th century, there were a group of disparate malay sultans ruling over a land referred to by the british as the malay peninsula including the island at the tip of it. yes there was a malay sultan ruling present day singapore.
with the advent of the british the malay peninsula disintegrated into states and at the same time “united” into bastions of british rule with british advisers whose sole role was to make sure the malay sultans “behave”. with the british we witness the emergence of modern malaysia.
the british were here to exploit the peninsula’s natural resources, to provide raw material for their factories back home. they were here as colonisers - not out of any humanitarian reasons like saving the malays from themselves etc. they were here to exploit and to plunder. and exploit and plunder they did.
but what is most damaging is that they forever destroyed the demographic profile of a country once known as the malay peninsula. they imported cheap labour from china and india to work their tin mines and their rubber estates. in one stroke of the pen so to speak these colonisers destroyed forever the malayness of this land. the disintegration of the malay states did not stop there but continued even after “independence” as the island at the tip of the malay peninsula was jettisoned from the federation.
prior to that they “stole” the island of pulau pinang and melaka from their respective malay rulers.
several centuries later, we are still struggling to regain our malay hegemony, and still trying to break away from the shackles of neo-colonialism.
the greatest injustice to us malays is when we were made to cut loose modern day singapore from any semblance of malay control and administration as the only solution to our racial problems - brought on us by the colonisers because it suited them and their interests.
this process of integration is NOT OVER yet as we battle those who seek to colonise us economically.
October 4th, 2005 at 3:25 am
patiot’s comments are interesting.
let’s look at malaysia’s recent history to form the perspective needed before we enter into a limited historical anaylysis.
prior to the turn of the 18th century, there were a group of disparate malay sultans ruling over a land referred to by the british as the malay peninsula including the island at the tip of it. yes there was a malay sultan ruling present day singapore.
with the advent of the british the malay peninsula disintegrated into states and at the same time “united” into bastions of british rule with british advisers whose sole role was to make sure the malay sultans “behave”. with the british we witness the emergence of modern malaysia.
the british were here to exploit the peninsula’s natural resources, to provide raw material for their factories back home. they were here as colonisers - not out of any humanitarian reasons like saving the malays from themselves etc. they were here to exploit and to plunder. and exploit and plunder they did.
but what is most damaging is that they forever destroyed the demographic profile of a country once known as the malay peninsula. they imported cheap labour from china and india to work their tin mines and their rubber estates. in one stroke of the pen so to speak these colonisers destroyed forever the malayness of this land. the disintegration of the malay states did not stop there but continued even after “independence” as the island at the tip of the malay peninsula was jettisoned from the federation.
prior to that they “stole” the island of pulau pinang and melaka from their respective malay rulers.
several centuries later, we are still struggling to regain our malay hegemony, and still trying to break away from the shackles of neo-colonialism.
the greatest injustice to us malays is when we were made to cut loose modern day singapore from any semblance of malay control and administration as the only solution to our racial problems - brought on us by the colonisers because it suited them and their interests.
this process of integration is NOT OVER yet as we battle those who seek to colonise us economically.
October 4th, 2005 at 4:53 am
yes. you are right patriot.
present day leaders are nothing but self serving politicians who are in need of an ideology to formulate the malay struggle towards real independence. we should look into the plight of our malay brethren on the island of singapura. remember the tudung issue involving a malay girl whose father wanted her daughter to go to shool wearing the tudung - some years ago?
October 4th, 2005 at 4:58 am
Freedom fighter,
That would be ideal. Histroy again and again demonstrates that the people who suffer are often the future generations paying the price for their ancesters’ mistake. Bigotry begets bigotry. Hatred begets hatred.
Today, are we any different from a couple of generations back now that we are importing cheap labours in the trolls to feed our hungry industries just because our locals are not willing to work in certain jobs where development of the country depends? See the repetition of the same scenario that you are lamenting about. Are we to let our future generations suffer the same fate tomorrow now that we are more informed and with histroy on our side.
Are the present generation of “pendatang” to suffer for the follies and ’sins’ of their previous generations? So if not then let history rest and we, the present genereation work towards and a united future and not make the same mistake again.
October 4th, 2005 at 5:25 am
Kg boy,
I have a feeling that we are not of one tradition. Be that as it may, allow me to address the issues you raised.
Your central message is : let bygone be bygones. (Stop the bigotry? I am not sure where you want to go with the ‘bigotry’ issue)
We the Malays do not have to be slaves to history. History teaches us lessons so that we could avoid similar pitfalls in the future. The future is based on the present – and the present has its origins in history. Tomorrow’s future is but yesterday’s history.
But do we have to ‘accept’ history? Today we control our own destiny – or at least we would like to think we do. Should the Malays be satisfied in letting the future be the mirror image of the past and the present. No. The Malays need to take the bull by the horns – to control their own destiny.
We must fight for the control of what is rightly ours.
October 4th, 2005 at 5:43 am
Are you saying that Malaysia take back Singapore? And restore to the Malay sultan his rightful place. Bring him back from ‘retirement’?
Unlike the island of Hong Kong, Singapore was not leased. Remember? If it was a mistake of history to accept the terms for independence in 1957, today we cannot undo without at the same time tackling the issue of sovereignty of another state - that Singapore has become.
Rice has turned to porridge. There is nothing that can be done about it. Get real!
October 5th, 2005 at 2:36 am
October 5th, 2005 at 2:41 am
oops, Mr Badawi. You are a national tragedy. He needs help but he is too proud to ask for it. Or does he think he can rely on his team of you academically well trained group of Oxbridges? Good luck, Malaysia.
October 5th, 2005 at 2:42 am
Young not you!!
October 5th, 2005 at 3:21 am
yes, rafidah aziz says the dap leader is but a court jester, and she the queen. is this the kind of malay leadership the country can hope to look forward to in the next decade or more? malays should do something immediately to stop the rot. these corrupt leaders are not working for them but for themselves and for their families.
i wish she would sue the dap leader - and they say she’s smart. she is not. imagine if she were to sue anybody for speaking out (when not protected by parliamentary privilege), for slandering her, she will be forced to defend herself in court. her statements are evidence. she cannot just keep quiet. and when she opens her big mouth, all the dirt will come out into the open - which will then lead to other prosecutions. just what we want.
umno would do well to avoid this.
in the midst of all this, where is the prime minister?? we need to hear from our prime minister - to defend her, to call or hint for her resignation to save the party and the government. something! anything! stop the wayang kulit.
like someone says earlier, the country does not need another sultan or head of state. there are already too many.
October 5th, 2005 at 3:24 am
Yep! Vacancies for head of state/sultans closed long time ago.
October 5th, 2005 at 3:28 am
where is din merican, the bomoh and dukun from kedah??
he’s gone awol??
October 5th, 2005 at 7:23 am
Nope. Just MIA.
October 5th, 2005 at 11:18 am
As a student I find this blog is racist blog. Malays here blame others like chinese for all others problems. The truth is it is not good to think like racist. Our country need people like Lim Kit Siang who dare speak against anybody. Look at his speeches in parliment. I oso have some ideas. Read about them when you visit my blog http//ambiguous-wanderer.blogspot.com
October 5th, 2005 at 1:16 pm
Ambiguous Wanderer
I’m not sure how long you’ve been following the writings of Dr Bakri Musa but to say this blog is racist is reflective of your own attitude. If you care to read all if not most of Bakri’s writings and also Din Merican’s exchange with Bakri you will find that both never blame the Chinese or any other races for problems plaguing the Malays. They don’t point fingers at any race or anybody. They enter into intellectual discourse, discussions and voice their opinions on what is wrong with the system, went wrong and what corrective actions can be taken.
I suggest you go to Bakri’s site and read all his writings and all his books before jumping to conclusion. This is the first time I see your comments on Bakri’s site and I am disappointed that as a blogger you let your negativity get the upper hand and jump in with false accusation.
October 5th, 2005 at 11:45 pm
Ambiguous Wanderer,
I feel extreme irritation over your remark. Dr Bakri and many others like Din Merican, Ibrahim and Keris_always write not only with exceptional neutrality and backing of time tested principles. Like all other bigots, when you point a finger at others three fingers are pointing back to yourself. The problems with most bigots is that they do not take the trouble to read and research further before making conclusions and worst lopsided judgement. I would strongly encourage you to read the writings of Dr Bakri before you even think of writing another word.
October 6th, 2005 at 8:32 am
There is enough racist in the crowd.
Firstly, there is no way the communal sentiment will go away. Someone said that “We must fight for the control of what is rightly ours”. I hope the “we” and “ours” here are refering to Malaysians, for I have no other interest in rights of a particular group of people based on ethnicity.
There are many blogs out there that provide viewpoints from bloggers from different ethnic background, age, profession, political leaning and worldviews. And you have commentators who hold vastly different beliefs about citizenship and the state. Because of the failure to think beyond a communal whole, many Malaysians have resorted to history in order to prep up their claims to the land. The attitude towards economic migrants can still be seen today, where we treat our foreign workers less than human, and it is ironic considering the dislike is so intense although the many roads, buildings and businesses are built upon their labor.
What is the meaning of citizenship and the Constitution when a group of people claims a greater right to the land Malaysians call home? I am also a subject of the King, and I see no “sin” in migration, and I am sure as hell not a “pendatang”. I am Malaysian, and I consider any individual who claims that they have a greater right to Malaysia because they are Malay as essentially stupid. Malaysia is not a cake you carve up to be eaten. It is a country that needs a lot of work, and if you just want dessert without having to first sweat for it, keep dreaming.
The politicians have dictated how the communities should hold their discourse between one another. Our perspectives have been limited to the scope as handed down to us by the ruling elites, and many has failed to see beyond the illogical rhetoric being pandered about. Many did not realize that the NEP’s primary goal is to eliminate poverty, regardless of race, and instead of addressing the poor measures in reducing the wealth gap between the communities, you have politicians who hijacked the NEP to enrich their cronies, who are, incidentally, pretty multiracial beneficiaries.
There are successes, and the rise of a sizeable and affluent Malay middle class is a blessing. However, there are people who are brainwashed with the notion that they are lords of the land, and the rest of us are mere tenants, not partners or co-owners. This mentality is depraved, and I have the highest pity for such misguided souls.
October 6th, 2005 at 3:53 pm
To the readers of Dr M. Bakri Musa’s blog,
I have just stumbled upon the above post made by “me” from a link referring to it. I would like to clarify that the above untruth was not posted by me.
I would like to apologise for any infuriation caused by the imposture, particularly to Kgboy. I understand how it feels when a revered author is falsely slandered as the same thing happened to a blog I regularly read.
This same imposter is the one banned from Lim Kit Siang’s blog and has been visiting and posting malicious comments in my blog under the name, “Jeff Ooi”. Hence I have his IP address and have posted it up on my blog. An email sent earlier to Mr Lim verified that he is indeed the same person.
I hope that this matter will be justified and the offending post deleted. I have written to Dr M. Bakri Musa about this as well earlier.
Thank you!
Ps: Selamat Menyambut Bulan Puasa dan Eid Mubarak!
October 7th, 2005 at 6:16 am
To the “Wanderer”
Clearly you are not anywhere being a regular visitor to this site. Because if you were, you would notice that we are serious readers and we deliberate on serious issues affecting Malay leadership.
But we would recognize a troll when we see one. Thank you. Trolls are best ignored. They crave attention and when ignored they disappear as fast as they come. Sometimes ‘trolls” are created by those who claim they are the victim of trolling in order to divert attention to himself – and to his blog.
Your understanding of free speech is understandably tainted, skewed by laws such as the ISA, Sedition Act etc which exist in Malaysia (but not here in the United States) and the need for self censorship there. We believe in the First Amendment in the United States Constitution. Any attempt at censorship is unconstitutional and would be contrary to the principles and the spirit we stand pledged to protect.
That having been said may I remind you that no one has intellectual property rights to nick names. We cannot censure him for using a nick similar to yours – even if we suspect that his purpose is to “slander” you simply because it is not legally and technically possible to slander someone who is known only by his nick – and no one knows who you are and you don’t have a reputation to protect.
I would advise you to stop making patronizing remarks to us readers of this blog. Dr. Bakri a serious Malay intellectual in his own right would not stoop so low as to involve himself in issues in a way which would tarnish his image as a respected leader of his community here and in Malaysia, dedicated to the principles of free speech.
Since you claim you are still a schoolboy, stick around and you may learn a thing or two yet. Saying someone is a racist is definitely not a ground for taking away anybody’s First Amendment rights.
October 7th, 2005 at 7:56 am
MatMoto,
I do understand that no one can claim rights to a particular online pseudonym. That said, I would not have minded about the post made by “me” if it wasn’t the fact that he directly referred to my own blog, hence indirectly claiming it to be his, and, causing this whole misunderstanding.
October 7th, 2005 at 8:01 am
Well, in that case he has done you a favor by promoting your blog.
October 7th, 2005 at 8:26 am
MatMoto,
I do not wish for this form of publicity.
Referring to paragraph 5 of your post written at 6.16am, I was aware when I first came to this blog, that Dr M. Bakri Musa is an intellect. So I do respect him and his writings as I do with Tun Dr M’s, being a fervent supporter of his works.
So once again, I wish for this matter to be justified.
October 7th, 2005 at 8:55 am
Ambiguous Wanderer,
Dr. Bakri Musa is an intellect? He is an intellectual.
For failing your English, you are to do 20 push-ups. Report yourself for the detention class today. Before that the Headmaster wants to see you.
October 7th, 2005 at 9:58 am
Ambiguous Wanderer,
Whether your timely post of apologies and words of remorse are genuinely a victim of deliberate indiscretion pepetrated by somebody else or a hasty change of course after some sharp rebuke from senior readers like us or not, mistakes and pitfalls are the essential elements encountered during the process of learning as we progress in life.
I respect your apologies and your right to protect yourself and learn from the mistake. Your task ahead is to continue reading this blog and for better background understand of the person behind this blog, I would encourage you to read at least a couple of books found in this blog.
You will be pleasantly surprised like I did.
Then you may find more substantive information and opinion cummulated as a result of trekking through life’s rough and tough terrains like the owner of this blog and some of its readers and commenters. Your blog may eventually mature and perhaps gain credibility and hopefully we may make a comment or two in your blog.
Good luck.
October 7th, 2005 at 11:09 am
Kgboy,
Sir, I regard highly upon integrity. Although I am not a WordPress user, I believe that every comment sent to a blog using this application displays the user’s IP address to the author of the blog. Thus, I have faith that all shall be revealed and this matter cleared.
After going through all the comments here, I also suspect that this imposter has been posting other negative comments under another name before “Ambiguous Wanderer”.
Yes, I do intend to come back and read this blog thoroughly when I have more time. From the few posts I have read so far, like I said in my previous comment, I really do hold high regard for Dr M. Bakri Musa’s writings. They are all constructive and well-thought out.
I guess this is one favorable outcome from this whole despicable issue (the imposture) to have led me to this blog.
Thanks for the advice, sir, about the books. I will check those out too. Are they available here in Malaysia, by the way? I collect books (Tun Dr M’s also part of my library and I’m proud of my collection)
October 7th, 2005 at 11:21 am
I have just checked out one of Dr. Bakri Musa’s books. I am still serious about my above enquiry. ‘Malaysia in the Era of Globalization’ will complement nicely with ‘Globalisation and the New Realities’.
October 7th, 2005 at 1:37 pm
Yes. And dont forget to attend your detention class. The Headmaster just called to remind.
April 9th, 2006 at 10:26 pm
Great article. I am just sad I dont know how to reply properly, though, since I want to show my appreciation like many other.
July 12th, 2006 at 10:03 pm
We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent.