Exchanges with Din Merican
Dear Bakri,
I read your piece on Endon’s health. You said a lot there, short of suggesting that Abdullah Badawi is unfit to govern, given his mental and emotional state. Those who understand what you are saying know that Badawi will have to make a choice: leave office to concentrate on helping his wife in her valiant effort to recover from her cancer, or concentrate on the affairs of state fully. He has to make the difficult choice between personal and national priorities. In my view, he should do a Nixon (in 1974), that is, just step down and let Najib take over. Abdullah should not leave matters to his inexperienced son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin and his fellow Oxbridgdians.
It is true that Badawi is not concentrating on his job. This is common knowledge in KL. You are the first to have come out in the open. Here in Malaysia everyone is so polite. The 2005-2006 Budget was written while he was LA to be with Endon, leaving his second-in-command at the Finance Ministry to deal with it. Nor Mohamed is, in my view, a washout, given his track record.
We need another Daim-and-Mahathir (DM) team) to fix our current economic slowdown and uncertainty. Both of them were hands-on and knowledgeable stewards of our economy. Both also had significant business experiences and they had the guts to execute their policies.
Badawi returned from LA just in time to deliver the Budget Speech without really understanding the thinking and strategies behind it. When the media questioned him about the specifics, he fumbled. When the Finance Minister fumbles, investors and the public lose confidence. Our international rating like Standards & Poor will slide further. We are also down again on the International Corruption Index. He promised a lot but has done nothing. Badawi has become a bullshitter of the highest order.
The Prime Minister’s job is not ceremonial or symbolic. We have our King to play that role. The Prime Minister must truly be a chief executive and a “nut-and-bolts” manager with a clear head and guts. His job is to run the country, including the economy, with macro policies. He should manage the implementation machinery to make sure it executes his policies faithfully and properly. Badawi urgently needs to create jobs, promote sustainable economic growth, and keep inflation in check.
Cutting the budget deficit without any clear strategy is foolhardy. He did that purely to be seen as being different from Mahathir. All Badawi succeeded was to effectively put a sudden break on the economy and thereby stalling it. It would take at least 18 months for the momentum to build up again. The lack of consumer and investor confidence, poor ratings by international agencies, and low tax revenues cause Malaysia to raise foreign bonds at a higher coupon rate and at deeper discounts because of the rising US interest rates. The ex-TNB Chairman, Jamaluddin Jarjis, is persuading Badawi to borrow via international bonds to fund our biotechnology program. This coming from the man behind the TNB bond issue fiasco!
Badawi should leverage our high savings and Petronas cash. Instead, he encouraged the private sector to invest abroad. In truth, we require domestic investments so that foreign direct investments would follow suit. If we do not have confidence in our economy, we cannot expect others to be bullish.
You were right when you said we should not have postponed the double-track KTM railway project. We also should not depress the construction sector by sending Indonesian workers home in disgrace.
In short, Badawi has become a laughing stock of the investing community, local and foreign, and the Malaysian public is getting very agitated. I am furious as you can see from my exchanges on your website.
The above is my reaction after reading your piece on Endon’s health.
Regards, Din
October 17th, 2005 at 10:28 pm
Say what you like Badawi is not the best of choice to be the PM. Too bad he was the annoited leader and placed in the hot seat by none other than Mahathir himself. And Mahathir too had imposed upon Badawi to make Najib his number two. He was in a fix right from the start.
This does not augur well for a premier who inherits a rotten cabinet, a bloated civil service and an economy that has run out of steam. Badawi is, essentially, a civil servant at heart and is still short on political acumen although he has been with Umno for a considerable number of years.
At the onset of the last general elections there seemed to be much promises. What a let down it was. All the talks of a cabinet reshuffle, zero tolerance for corruption and an efficient civil service are nothing but piped dreams to be recalled in passing.
What the country needs now is a strong leader, someone with the knack for changes, someone who has the interest of the rakyat at heart and someone who does not buckle under pressure.
When a weak leader presides over his brood, squabbles and bickerings become commonplace. We see this happening within BN. The warlords in Umno are holding poor Badawi to ransom and are wielding their power with impunity. See how obstinate Isa and Rafidah are.
Badawi needs to act and act fast if he wants to remain relevant. The Opposition MPs in parliament prefers him to Najib. They contended should Najib take over it would be back to the dark ages for democracy.
In the beginning it was a question of settling down. Two years down the road, it is an ailing wife. What will the excuse be when General Elections are around the corner?
October 17th, 2005 at 11:42 pm
Dear Dr. Bakri,
Your piece on the state of Endon’s health and Din Merican’s comments on Badawi’s management of the economy and our country in general are very insightful. Personal problems do affect performance. The Prime Minister is no exception. You can see that Badawi is under severe strain, and we sympathise with him.
It is not easy to be the Prime Minister, even of a small country like Malaysia. The man in charge of our country must be someone with strong character, wide experience, and sound knowledge about the way our economy works. He must also know how to use his awesome power to make things happen. He must have the guts to make critical decisions and see that his policies are followed. He must be prepared to fix problems and be ruthless in dealing with non-performers in his Cabinet, and bureaucratic laggards.
If he does not possess these attributes, he should step down in favour of a more competent successor. Unfortunately, this does not happen in reality. Politicians do not give up power easily. To expect Prime Minister Badawi to step down on whatever grounds is sheer wishful thinking. There is too much at stake for him and his supporters. The country’s welfare is not in his calculus.
In Badawi’s reckoning then, the Nixon option is not an option. So we have to accept that he is going to be Prime Minister for as long as he can. At best we can hope is that he will learn in his job and start to lead. I believe he can, if he is not distracted by his personal situation and if he talks less. He should make critical decisions, not just wait for “ilham”.
Honeymoon is over long ago. Soon, he will enter his 3rd year in office. Prime Minister Badawi must show us that he is different from what most of his compatriots think he is– a wimp. Most of us want him to succeed, as it is in our interest that he does. We will applaud, admire and respect him when he get results.
It must be understood that unlike the United States, the Malaysian public sector plays a vital role in the economy. Government matters. This is because our Government and the GLCs control a significant share of the economic cake (GDP). If they do not move, then the economy will stall. Government spending and GLC investment activity are crucial if we are to grow our economy, and boost investor confidence.
The private sector takes its cue from Government. Captains of industry expect incentives and protection before they are prepared to invest. They usually go to the MITI and pre-Budget sessions with a wish list. This is a result of the way the country functions over many decades.
All planning and thinking is done by Government bureaucrats, as reflected in the various 5-Year Development Plans, eight so far. Since the next Plan is in the final stage of preparation, the private sector see will wait for its release before taking action. So, I think we are into a “wait and see period”.
To all intents and purpose, Malaysia is a State guided economy. This is necessary because of the need to assist the Malays and other Bumiputeras via a series of Affirmative Action policies and programmes.
As a result, if Government cuts back on its programmes to reduce its budget deficit, the private sector does not pick up the slack. In fact, the private sector retreats faster. They see it as a sign that, as Din Merican says, the Government lacks confidence in its own policies. It is then misleading to say that the private sector is the engine of growth. It is for this reason that the Minister of Finance Budget Speech is an important occasion, and the budget is taken seriously.
The 2006 Budget unfortunately does not give us much confidence. Current operating expenditure, some 74% of current revenues, is very high. Public investment is relatively modest, as the Government is committed to reducing is its fiscal deficit. This decision will come at a price, that is, slower growth as the external environment is increasingly sluggish. It is not likely that private investment will grow at the rate projected in the 2006 budget.
That is the way I see things today.
October 18th, 2005 at 6:58 am
I see some interesting comments from Fathol and exMU. Hope for more to come before I respond. I am sure there are other points of view. Let us here them out.
I just came back from breakfast in KL with some friends. I thought it was being hard on our Prime Minister. In fact, I was mild compared to the disparaging remarks I heard across the table.
One of my friends was completely agitated because his company is suffering, and may have to put some of the senior staff of more than 25 years service out of job, after Hari Raya. Sales are down and cash flow is bad. He told me that the Government should openly admit that the economy is not doing well, and prepare people for a difficult 2006.
Another friend said that with good crude oil and palm oil prices, it does not make any sense for us to worry about the budget deficit. Currently around 4%+ of GDP, the budget deficit can go up two notches to 6% without any problems.
At the rate we are going, he added, we can be overtaken by Vietnam which is likely to be the fast growing economy in ASEAN. Why? Because the Vietnamese are working very hard and their Government is actively promoting FDI. Vietnam now enjoys a higher bond rating than Indonesia. His company is looking at that country as a good investment bet in the coming years.
Thanks.
October 18th, 2005 at 1:35 pm
We must ask ourselves what is troubling Dollah. Why is he acting like he is the Head of State with only ceremonial functions to perform – abandoning his duties and “abdicating the throne”, turning his back to urgent problems which require his leadership - and an economy that has been pretty much allowed to drift aimlessly, without any real direction. He has allowed himself to be made the subject of ridicule by opposition politicians especially those led by Lim Kit Siang.
Has he been isolated by his “supporters” from his own Party, earning himself the dubious reputation as the country’s embattled prime minister – not the first. Could we be witnessing a silent coup de’tat as we speak? Who would succeed Dollah? Najib? God forbid! UMNO appears to be in silent disarray and different groups are busy aligning and re-aligning themselves each behind their own Godfathers – an UMNO yakuza in the making?
While these corrupt politicians within UMNO jostle for positions of leadership, ordinary Malays are being insulted on a daily basis for the quality of a leader they did not choose, a prime minister by default, a leader who has allowed others to control everything he does, whose lack of leadership is an embarrassment even to his gardener, whose training in Islamic studies would serve him better as headmaster of a religious school and president of the association for the mentally handicapped and the physically disabled.
I urge our Prime Minister to do the obvious and spare himself further embarrassment, and cease making himself the object of ridicule by non-Malays from within the political opposition – and to restore dignity to the Malay race which he does not even try to lead.
October 18th, 2005 at 1:42 pm
Bad leadership is better than no leadership.
October 18th, 2005 at 2:00 pm
With Najib as successor, at least we know that opposition politicians who over step the boundaries would be offered exclusive membership to the country’s premier country club with a lifetime of roti canai at taxpayers’ expense. Corruption would at least be limited to his close supporters and his kin. We can expect cronyism and nepotism to contribute to the rapid growth of the Malay capitalist class – as opposed to the emergence of a sizeable Malay middle class, necessary if there is to be political stability.
At least Malaysians can look forward to some leadership – even if this kind of leadership could sound the country’s death knell.
And when the property bubble bursts, I will be too happy to liquidate my USDLS investments and repatriate my offshore funds back to Malaysia and buy up whole neighborhoods – at public auction.
October 18th, 2005 at 4:54 pm
looks like the hobson’s choice
October 18th, 2005 at 4:56 pm
habis…bagaimana dengan TINA? tak ade kerja leh! kerja sebagai GRO berapa sangat?? part time pulak tu.
October 18th, 2005 at 9:51 pm
Angry Malay,
I can understand your concerns about the state of the internal politics of UMNO. TINA (Hobson’s choice, not the real life Tina) is not our answer.
The final solution to the UMNO “problem” is serious internal reforms. The election of its leaders must be more open, transparent and democratic with proper and stringent vetting of candidates for high office. The posts of Party President and Deputy President should be contested. Only then, there can be a strong chance that the best leaders will emerge. Its feudalistic culture must, therefore, change.
In addition, the Divisions and branches (UMNO’s cadre system) must be better managed and supervised. Perhaps, there should be a strong financial and management audit team at UMNO Headquarters. This team should travel the length and breadth of the country to assess the performance of UMNO MPs and grassroots leaders, in particular the use of funds by provided by the party and the Government to underwrite Divisional and branch activities and projects in the constituencies. The team’s reports should be tabled before UMNO Majlis Tertinggi and acted upon without favour.
Disciplinary actions against those who abuse their positions should be severe, prompt and decisive. The Disciplinary Committee must not be a “kangaroo court” to be used a means to cow, or eliminate potential rivals.
I feel that UMNO can change. If not of its own choice, then it will come from external pressures by PAS and the Malays in general. After all, UMNO is still the political voice of the Malays. The party needs very strong and grassroots support to represent us.
Grassroots support will come, I think, when the views and concerns of UMNO veterans like Tan Sri Aishah Ghani, Pak Khir Johari and others, and ordinary members are heeded. The challenge will be how to break the existing coalitions which benefit from the status quo. We know that the incumbent UMNO President cannot do it.
UMNO must also shred its elitist image and the stigma of political corruption, and return to its original objective of defending genuine Malay interests. UMNO used to be party of school teachers, small businessmen, and rural leaders. Today, it is a party of big business interests. Its culture is based on making the fast buck, and a total rejection of ethics.
I hear from certain sources (but I cannot confirm) that our man from Cherok Tokoon, DSAI, is inching his way back into UMNO. A friend said to me that this could be one option available to our besieged Prime Minister to fight forces aligned to Najib. Pact between his supporters and those of DSAI within UMNO may be needed for the incumbent UMNO President’s political sutvival. But if we have the Cherok man back, then we will have disarray in UMNO. UMNO will be sent to the real cherok.
Ideals are still very important. It is time for UMNO body politic to have leaders who seek to serve some higher purpose than their self interest.
Thanks.
P.S.
The real TINA is concerned about her job and income. She should see MatMoto to work things out. Lateral thinking is required here. MatMoto, you got to help her by using her legal talents in your motor servicing business to collect outstanding dues.
Thanks.
October 19th, 2005 at 6:04 am
but pak chik din merican,
the economy under dollah badawi is a sick one. tarak obat ka??
my motor repair business is not good right now. people are postponing servicing their machines. some are postponing buying one because they dont want to be in debt too much. they already have credit card debts. TINA has decided to set up her lawyers table next to mine - to help my customers deal with their problems. that way then with this one-stop agency concept of doing business, it may help me a bit. but only a bit lah.
i may have to take to selling weed at night around clubs frequented by children of our rich UMNO politicians. i have to be realistic. all these ideals sound crap to me. even if UMNO is voted out of our power, it is likely to be replaced by another group of yakuza minded big malay businesses in collusion with rich towkays with ties to secret societies.
while i take to selling weed at night, TINA is busy augmenting her income by doubling up as part time GRO. soon our moral police will be tailing her ass. we just have to factor that in as the “cost of doing business” - because they usually go away once greased. that is how corrupt our system is.
October 19th, 2005 at 6:11 am
oi, bang mat. hang ni habis keluak rahsia ni apa pulak! TINA ni hanya mau cari makan la!
dan pak cik din merican, ni mengenai disciplinary committee dalam UMNO apa hal??
dulu di ketuai oleh tan sri zaki. playboy tua kita. tak sedar diri. sudah tua pun gatai lagi. dah lah kahwin di thailand dengan wanita setengah umur dari dia, terpaksa cerai pulak! lepais tu menafi yang mana dia beristeri. lelaki macam ni harus di penjara dan di sebat 10 kali!
October 19th, 2005 at 8:16 am
Well done, Pak Din you have the panacea for Umno’s ills. A very likeable solution but the only problem is how to set it in motion.
One problem that seems to afflict the Malays is their ingrained feudalistic mentality. I was invited to a brainstorming session on urban development organised by the state government under the ambit of Local Agenda 21 (LA21) at a hotel in Ipoh yesterday and the thing that annoyed me most was the lengthy salutation the speakers gave when addressing the audience. Is the salutation more important than the speech? I never cease to wonder.
It will be a monumental task to enforce a paradigm shift. Habits die hard and traits are never easy to erase.
Umno has to reinvent itself. The party leadership must acknowledge its weaknesses and initiate changes for the better. It’s easier said than done. There are too many factions within the party and the warlords are never easy to dislodge. Gentle persuasion is a way but is it effective?
Umno has to start on a fresh footing. Party election must be an open affair none of the no-contest diktat for the two top posts. A two-term tenure for party leaders is desirous, as it will prevent any dynastic ambition on the part of the leaders.
Malays must learn to speak out and not to bow in reverance to their leaders. They must accept criticsms with an open mind. The adage, “saya makan garam dulu” should be eased out.
Malays must accept that the Chinese and Indians and the other minorities in the country are here to stay. We are all stakeholders and, therefore, our rights are enshrined in the Constitution.
Something drastic must be done if we cherish hopes of a change. Otherwise, it is the same old story, year in and year out.
October 19th, 2005 at 8:19 am
Saudara Din Merican,
Reforming UMNO is not going to help. Corruption and the culture of “I scratch your back and you scratch mine” or in other words the “kaotim” culture is too deep rooted among its leaders and their supporters and will not go away anytime soon. Vested interests are too strong and would perceive any change or reform as a threat to their continued existence. It is naïve of you to think that change will come to UMNO peacefully and without resistance.
Malays need to form another political party – and allow Malays who are not with UMNO or with Parti Keadilan – to have another alternative. Malay dissidents and political activists who flocked to Parti Keadilan (or Justice Party but more accurately described as Justice for Anwar Party) in protest in 1999 should now consider breaking away from these two and form another Malay based party. All this clamor for political parties to be non-race based is not going to work. Race-based political parties do deliver, and as long as they continue to deliver they will continue to be around.
Dollah is a disgrace. He must go. If I were the CEO of a company, Malaysia Inc. and he a manager, I would have given him the sack a long time ago. I would also sack the Human Resource Manager who recruited him.
Enough said about this lame duck Prime Minister.
October 19th, 2005 at 8:25 am
“Umno has to reinvent itself. The party leadership must acknowledge its weaknesses and initiate changes for the better,” says Fathul Zaman.
Tell me. If you were Dollah or Najib and their supporters, would you initiate change that could spell your doom??
October 19th, 2005 at 8:46 am
i agree.
i think the disaffected, the disillusioned, the disenfranchised, the disgruntled, the disconnected among the malays in UMNO, Parti Keadilan, PSRM, PAS should organise themselves and form a political party to attract the protest votes during general elections - even if initially, the party is without a national agenda, without an ideology. this is to bring out those malays from the shadows, who have not exercised their constitutional right to vote because they feel their votes don’t matter as “it is not going to change anything.”
it does matter. it will change things.
October 19th, 2005 at 8:47 am
Well, if your love for your country and your race is enduring enough you’ll want to change. But in the case of the present leadership it’s beyond redemption. Dollah, Najib and their cohorts will not want a change and I don’t think they will change. But we can do something. Getting all fired up is one sure way of setting things in motion.
October 19th, 2005 at 10:46 am
We need a spark.
October 19th, 2005 at 12:03 pm
I have a few spark plugs to spare. After all business is bad. I suppose I can afford to donate them for a good cause. Tina is hot!
October 19th, 2005 at 12:06 pm
hello bang din,
dont know about ‘lateral thinking’ but i sure know how to go horizontal. interested?
October 19th, 2005 at 12:25 pm
You guys watch Saddam Hussein on trial? We here in the States can watch him ‘live’!
I think we should put our corrupt ministers on trial the same way.
The time for talking about justice is long gone. We need to act. It’s easy. Get somebody to leak out official secrets - the contents of dossiers kept on leading personalities by the ACA, for example, meant for the PM’s eyes only. Put their contents on the internet. That is not hard to do.
In other cases, we need some whistle blowers here and there. It will snowball.
If our A-G refuses to prosecute, replace him.
October 19th, 2005 at 1:26 pm
yep
i can just imagine the fat lady getting one stroke of the rotan across her fat butt. that’s for being less than truthful with the Ap issue.
October 19th, 2005 at 4:33 pm
Bring back Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and he will unite the Malay, Chinese and Indian. GIve him the chance and I’m sure he’s a changed person now compared to what he was in UMNO.
October 19th, 2005 at 5:19 pm
Why do I sense that everybody is smelling blood and like sharks beginning to circle for a kill? How come when Dr M was the PM and micromanaging the country everybody doesn’t scream bloody murder? Why scream at AAB now?
Being the PM, AAB task is managing the cabinet. There are things he need to do and things he need to know. There are now more than 20 ministers and everyone of them have a portfolio or job to do. They have to do the job and the PM is the recourse for appeal if the minister fails to do their job. If AAB has to do everything then why need those ministers? Just let AAB be the one stop one man government. It has been like that for the last 22 years. Nothing moves till Dr M says move. I remember the case of the the GRO’s caught at the luxury hotel and no minister made any comment till Dr M made a statement. Then there was the case of the Indian or Pakistan PM saying that Jalan Bukit Bintang is dirty and full of trash. Dr M sneezed and all cabinets ministers broke wind. Suddenly BDKL and Alam Flora were out in full force. Before Dr M statement nobody paid any attention.
AAB the PM is a mortal man and has emotions and feelings. He is currently undergoing very serious tragedy in the family. his wife is stricken by cancer. Cancer is a death sentence, even if the doctors say she is fully cured, her lifespan is limited. Put yourself in his shoes and then you will begin to appreciate his position. Sometimes we need to have some significant impact or tragedy to happen to someone close to us to really understand the situation. Dr Bakri is a surgeon and as a surgeon if the limb is sick, cut it off. Doctors often jioke that surgeon are not real doctors. Doctors are there to treat and heal the patients, not chop off. So in AAB’s case we need to doctor him back to health and not chop him off.
One question, name me someone in UMNO who can take over the position of PM, someone without excess baggage and skeletons in the closet. Right now, none. So AAB is still the best bet.
The AP issue is just bad implementation of the NEP/NDP. So just because of some bad or poor implementation of the NEP, the program has to be done away with? This is just like the Malay saying; marahkan pepejat bakar tilam. So am I hearing that the Malays wants to do away with the NEP/NDP because of abuse of the AP’s? There are many other NEP/NDP projects that were successful such as MARA. We should be thinking and making recommendations on how to turn the AP’s issue into something that will benefit the majority. So far I’ve heard nothing except do away with AP. What is the other alternative? AP is like toothache, if the dentist pulls the tooth out, we no longer have something to bite with. So better have the dentist work and repair the tooth so we still have use of it.
Bro Keris Always, what happened, keris dah cabut dari sarong jadi mesti cari mangsa kah?
October 19th, 2005 at 6:31 pm
PM’s wife had passed away this morning ( Malaysian Time around 8.00 am on 20 Oct. 2005 ).
Now some of you may feel regret to criticise PM for spending more time with his wife for last few weeks.
October 19th, 2005 at 6:49 pm
Thanks Taishan. This is indeed a sad moment for Badawi. My condolences to him and his family. I know how it feels to lose a loved one. I lost my eldest son sometime ago. Al Fatihah.
October 19th, 2005 at 6:57 pm
Albert Einstein described insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Dato Onn Jaafar could be ahead of his time, perhaps today we have matured as a nation of people?
If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan - Jim Rohn
We have amongts us brave intelletcuals like Professors Jomo, Terrance Gomez, Chandra Muzaffar, and others. There should be more intellectuals of the same if not higher calibre who choose to watch by the sidelines. Are we content to let the politicians dictate the directions of this beloved country? I would venture to say that most politicians started off with their honourable ideals and with the welfare of the nation at heart. However the lack of checks and balances in today’s system of government spawns a potent mix of abuses.
Some of the ideas advocated by Dr Bakri perhaps could be the starting point of the pooling together of both intellectuals and concerned individuals with a heart for the welfare of the nation to charter directions for Malaysia as a nation for Malaysians.
Could it be today’s ills are manifestations of ideals gone awry? A cake with the wrong ingredients will never be baked. I myself find Dr Bakri’s book of Malay Dilema Revisited provides poignant advocates for some positive fundamental change in the Malaysian nationhood.
October 19th, 2005 at 7:31 pm
My condolence to PM Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and family on the passing of Datin Seri Endon Mahmood. Al Fatiha and may Allah bless her soul.
October 19th, 2005 at 8:05 pm
Dear All,
I too heard the sad news on RTM this morning that Dato Seri Endon Mahmood has passed on. Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat keatas roh Allahyarhammah. I join thousands of Malaysians, critics and supporters of the Prime Minister, in expressing my sincere condolences to our Prime Minister and his close knit family in their bereavement.
We know how close our Prime Minister is to the Late Datin Seri Endon Mahmood. He devoted much of his time to her as she fought cancer. At this time, I hope our Prime Minister will be strong and in good mental state. We need his leadership because we gave him a resounding mandate in the last General Elections. He must use the power of his office to get things done, to make things happen and keep the barons and a baroness in his Cabinet in check.
The country needs a leader who can take us through what promises to be a difficult period in our nation’s history, and maximise our potential as a nation even under trying circumstances. The global economy is slowing down and since our economy is an open and export oriented one, we will be affected. MatMoto is already feeling the effects of reduced consumer spending. People are worried about their businesses, and jobs. The answer is wealth creation.
The New Automative Policy (The NAP) was announced yesterday by the Prime Minister. While it is early days yet to assess its impact on the development of the automotive industry, at least one policy uncertainty is removed. Tun Mahathir is vindicated when he said that Proton was not competing on a level playing field. Hopefully, this will also help Matmoto’s business. But we also need countercyclical measuresin place to restore consumer and investor confidence.
2006 will be an important year for us because we will witness the tabling of the 9th Malaysian Plan, over which, I am sure, there will be lots of contentious exchanges in Parliament and on blogs and websites about the next phase of the Malay-Bumiputra agenda.
As it is, many of our friends are challenging Article 153 of the Malaysian Constitution. For me, that is “non-negotiable” ( to borrow this expression from Mr. Lee Kuan Yew). There is nothing wrong with it. The devil was in the implementation of policies to support it. The Malay-Bumiputeras seek economic parity. It is reasonable expectation. We must ensure that through affirmative action no one is denied an equitable share in our national wealth and development. And that also includes other Malaysians who need help.
Professor Jomo, Terrence Gomez and others highlighted policy failures with regard to the NEP/NDP, but in my reading of their books, research papers, and articles in referred journals, I find that they have not questioned the need to build a united Malaysian nation, one of the pillars being achieving economic parity.
The devil was in the details as the NEP/NDP benefitted only UMNOputeras through rent seeking activities, influence peddling, favored access to bank funding, cronyism and rampant corruption. UMNOputeras are not the only Malay-Bumiputeras in town. The rural Malays and those not politically connected to UMNO have gained nothing except through hard work. There were some spin-offs, of course, but that never really “trickled down”, always trapped somewhere in the paternalistic state system.
The issue today then, in my view. is this: Can we do it better? Can we be open, transparent, acountable and more rational in our allocation of scare resources (always in relative terms to competing demands for them…Economics 101)? Can we work on the principle that “incentives matter”, not handouts? If we can, then Article 153 of the Constitution is not the problem (in fact, it was never a problem, in my opinion).
Thanks.
October 19th, 2005 at 8:52 pm
My condolence to Dato seri Abdullah & family.
This nation is apparently progressing but it is progressing on the wave of a bygone impulse. Someday, it will stop…
October 19th, 2005 at 10:23 pm
I cannot agree with the contention that Proton was not operating on a level playing field, and that Tun Mahathir is “vindicated”. What the Tun had done is to create a monster that has eaten into our pockets for more than twenty years. The thing about the Tun is that he has a few favourite projects and nothing else matters. When Langkawi was not doing well, he changed the status to a duty free island. He only visits Langakawi as if other resort development does not matter. He even named the bicycle race as Tour de Langkawi whereas we should be promoting Malaysia as a country. Even some of MAS flights are diverted to land in Langkawi.
Then we have Putra Jaya that is still sucking billions of ringgit that could be used elsewhere. Other Tun M’s wasteful projects are well known, and if it is a ‘one off’ thing, perhaps it may be more tolerable. But subsidised projects like Proton seems to go on forever.
LJ
October 20th, 2005 at 3:20 am
I share my condolence with all fellow Malaysians for the loss of Prime Minister Dato Seri Abdullah Badawi.
Shall we pay a day silence on our comments at this site to respect our PM.
Sincerely.
October 20th, 2005 at 3:23 am
sorry change that to as a mark of respect to our PM
October 20th, 2005 at 3:59 am
Ogre says: Why do I sense that everybody is smelling blood and like sharks beginning to circle for a kill? How come when Dr M was the PM and micromanaging the country everybody doesn’t scream bloody murder? Why scream at AAB now?
Being the PM, AAB task is managing the cabinet.
While any PM’s task is to provide leadership and not just to “manage his Cabinet”, his effectiveness as representative of the constituents who elected him, as a politician and chief executive is seriously limited by his personal problems – and I am not talking about Abdullah Badawi, the person here. If one hears nothing or little of the difficult time a leader of a country has to go through in finding a balance between his official duties as PM and his personal struggle as husband to provide comfort for his ailing wife, one has to look to the media to provide some of the answers.
The media while providing some of the checks and balances needed for the running of a democracy must not forget its very basic role - which is to inform. The politicians must accept that it is their choice to be a public figure and as public figures leading public lives they must not then draw a line in the sand and say the media must not cross this line which separates the public from the private and personal. In western democracies like the United Kingdom and the United States, everything is fair game.
Clearly, our own PM has fallen “victim” to limitations placed on the media. As Malaysians we were not adequately informed of what was happening to him as a person, as a husband. Like someone says here, he is but a mere mortal - meaning he has feelings like all mortals, who is a husband who experiences the same personal loss when he loses his wife who has been the guiding light of his life all this while, someone he looked upon for comfort in times of crises, someone he could rely on when he is facing the loneliness of power, his confidante – but at least in the case of Abdullah, he has sufficient warning and a decent opportunity to prepare for his wife’s passing. There are many among us who are not spared the cruel fate of not knowing.
Having said that, let us all refrain from criticism of Badawi the person for now.
October 20th, 2005 at 4:21 am
But it is alright for me, the ordinary Malay to comment and criticise our former PM, the so-called “visionary leader”of the ’80s, Mahathir Mohammad, the crafty politician and chief manipulator, the dictatorial UMNO president, the tin pot dictator to the world, the recalcitrant Prime Minister to Australia, and lastly but not least the embattled Prime Minister of the late 90s and a corrupt politician.
The legacy of the Mahathir years??
Well, today I have had to sell weed and ecstacy pills at expensive lounges, karaoke outlets, discotheques frequented by the rich kids of UMNO politicians. The drug addicts along Chow Kit and Jalan Alor cannot afford my ecstacy pills. Business in the motor repair business is really bad. It is so bad that my lawyer friend Tina has no choice but to keep her part time job as GRO to finance her expensive life style.
They talk about the Malay dilemma but I cannot afford even to eat buah delima.
October 20th, 2005 at 5:53 am
A Malay such as MatMoto is probably a Non-UMNOputra. Not much different from non-Bumiputra having difficulties in getting a share of the economic pie the easy way. However, he has a choice to be a UMNOputra - a case of “if you can’t beat them, join them”.
TINA and GRO? - its a fact of life for the middle class nowadays! A good advise for MatMoto is to redeem yourself and join UMNO before Petronas run out of oil.
As for me, I am posting this from faraway land.
October 20th, 2005 at 6:48 am
i say man,
tina yang pulak di salahkan! hello abang din merican? bagaimana? tolong lah cek abang oi! or are you busy with your lateral thinking? dont indulge too much in ‘lateral thinking’ you might go blind.
October 25th, 2005 at 3:12 am
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is a competent and capable leader, Thank You! We, true Malaysians, are insightful and wise…we know about honour and integrity unlike those who bite the hand that fed them. If any Malaysian is unhappy with their leaders/rulers then they have the prerogative to leave this country. Why do you want to bad-mouth and criticize about a fellow Malaysian in the first place?!!! Have you got nothing better else to do in America??? Thank God, you live there as Malaysians would detest folks like you!
Our Prime Minister is grieving and has been deeply traumatized with his wife’s fate, have you no sympathy or maybe you are plain heartless! …Have you lost a spouse before or does that not matter to you if you did? PM Badawi is doing his best, his genuine love for his nation and her people stems from his love and compassion for his own family. Endon is such a wonderful and inspirational woman who has taught us so much about selfless devotion, grace and humility. Maybe you should learn from her!!
Has our Dr. Mahathir failed when he chose his successor? The answer is an astounding NO as we respect our leaders. Although I am of a different race and religion, I am so proud to be a Malaysian and Malaysia is the BEST country in the world to live in. For all those Naysayers, stay out and keep your bigoted opinions to yourselves…I feel sorry for all of you because you have major issues and agendas which is beyond redemption — even Dr. Phil would gladly would agree!!!
October 25th, 2005 at 6:24 am
Fellow Malaysian, American humourist Al Franken notes there are two kinds of love for your country. The first is the love of a child for his parents, where he thinks his daddy/mummy can do no wrong, knows everything and “could take your mum and dad on any day!” The second is the love of an adult for his parents, where he knows they are only human and can be wrong, but loves them anyway, because they’re his flesh and blood. Your idea of love for Malaysia appears to be childish love. A love based on constructive criticism, as seems to be posessed by many commentators here, is mature love. We must learn to accept our nation can never be the best in everything, nor is it infallible.
Likewise, we must also learn to differentiate our country from our government. You can love your country, but nobody says you have to love its government.
October 25th, 2005 at 7:32 am
You are contradicting yourself, johnleemk. I am entitled to my opinion just as you are. I am well aware that rulers are not saints (are you one?) but to be overly critical, to back-stab, whine like banshees and keep beating around the bush serves no purpose. All talk and nothing - isn’t there more to life than fault finding, being obnoxious and malicious? Wouldn’t it be a better world if people can throw out their own personal garbage, attend an anger management course and find inner peace first. When you have done that, then we can talk about the contribution of worthy functional citizens and not those who are just wishing upon stars, pushing blame and hoping that the problem is out there!!
As Gandhi says, “Be the change we wish to see in this world” OR, maybe, some folks love their comfort zone and enjoy being bitter and jaded after all. Isn’t that pathetic and SAD? If you hate the government so much, why are you still living here? Malaysia certainly do not want folks like you!!! You should move in with Bakri!
October 26th, 2005 at 4:47 am
Dear people, I have to agree with Fellow Malaysian on this case. It is not right to talk bad about other peoples religion. Here, in Malaysia, we would all ban you from our country. Wouldn’t you feel bad if we insulted America? That is how we would feel if we did that, just like us. Do you people have anything better else to say or to do in America? I am lucky most of you stay there, because if you stayed You people are heartless beasts. I know I can’t change you, so you all can go on with your selfish ways, but I don’t care what bad things you throw and say at me, I don’t
care the slightest bit!
P.S. Our PM is not as bad as he think you is, he was a fair leader and so were the past PMs. Ahmad Badawi had a caring and loving wife. You’d also be mourning if you had lost a loved one!
October 26th, 2005 at 4:53 am
Really, I have no comment on this page, though it is pretty insulting.
October 26th, 2005 at 5:17 am
I meant that we as a human race should stand united shoulder to shoulder and not run the government or rulers down if we are living in our native country and enjoying its freedom and beauty. If we are dissatisfied with the rulers then we should leave but it is absurd to just moan and groan unrelentingly and point fingers when we can do so much to help the people in our individual communities — have we become that Desperate?!! No wonder the world is in chaos when you guys just sit around and gossip merely about our PM, go and do your bit for your neighbours and friends and make our world a happier and brighter place to reside in!
October 28th, 2005 at 1:03 pm
oi… this one is flee country laa…dont joke!
October 28th, 2005 at 3:35 pm
Oi Ah Beng
How come you say “Don’t joke” Didn’t you made a joke of Proton with Dr M trying to sell Asean leaders? Make up your mind. You can’t tell a joke and turn around and tell people off when they try to tell a joke. Are you appointing yourself to be the one and only Official Joker?
July 23rd, 2007 at 4:05 am
FDi…
…