Far From Great Expectations
Far From Great Expectations
I was visiting my parents many years ago during the halcyon days of pre-1997 economic crisis. The world was then running out of superlatives to praise Malaysia. Prime Minister Mahathir was at his best, dispensing wisdom at home and abroad, with the adoring media eagerly lapping up his words.
I too was in my usual form, ranting and raving about the deficiencies of Malaysia, having suffered through the hassles of trying to withdraw my pension from the Employees Provident Fund, and the tribulations at the post office. In between my bitching, I managed to take swipes at our leaders, and their preoccupations with grandiose schemes while the monsoon drains were plugged, and the swarming mosquitoes intent on sucking me dry.
After one complaint too many, my father stopped me cold. He told me that Malaysia was indeed very lucky to have had such a capable leader as Dr. Mahathir, and that we should not expect perfection in our leaders. That, he reminded me none too subtly, is the attribute solely of Allah.
My father was of course right. I may be a surgeon in command in the operating suite, but to him I was still his son whom he could pull up short anytime. It took me a while to recover from his admonishment.
When I did, I related this story to him.
Honors Versus Remedial Class
Imagine you are teaching an honors class. If the term paper of your top student is not of publishable quality, you express your disappointment. You might even berate the student because you expect so much more from him, and you know that he is capable of delivering it.
On the other hand, if you are given a remedial class, you praise your students profusely just for showing up!
My father, who was a teacher (a cikgu in the kampong), immediately understood me. My criticisms of Dr. Mahathir, severe though they may have been, emanated out of deep admiration and high expectation of the man, not out of contempt or disrespect.
From then on my father encouraged me to write and be forthright in my views so that those tasked with leading our nation would hear of them.
In a seminar on “Post-Mahathir Malaysia” in Washington, DC, a couple of years ago, I compared Dr. Mahathir to the top student in the honors class, while Abdullah Badawi as the average student in the remedial class. The audience was tickled.
My critics rightly noted that my criticisms of Badawi are mild while Mahathir, severe.
Recently after his retirement, I wrote a piece entitled, “Dr. Mahathir: An Asset, Not A Liability.” Many chided me for suddenly becoming “soft” on the man.
After my first book The Malay Dilemma Revisited was released, an American academic I know expressed his surprise at my treatment of Dr. Mahathir. To the professor’s reading, Dr. Mahathir came off very well. That however was not the reaction in Malaysia, specifically of those in UMNO.
A senior minister chided me and kindly mailed me clippings of foreign papers containing effusive comments on Dr. Mahathir. The minister suggested that I should come home more often! He then rattled off Malaysia’s spectacular achievements. How could I be so wrong? He accused me of being unduly negative by focusing on the shortcomings and the failures. I should instead highlight the successes.
In my profession, we have what we call peer reviews, where deaths and complications are critically reviewed among our colleagues. These sessions can understandably cause a lot of heartburn. Critics liken them to the communists’ “self criticism” cells. Nonetheless, all hospitals partake in them to maintain their accreditation. Peer reviews serve as useful learning exercises; besides, they keep surgeons humble.
Of course, most of our patients recover nicely, but we do not review such cases.
Similarly in aviation, nobody notices the routine safe landings and takeoffs. Instead, safety investigators focus on the rare “near misses” and the even rarer accidents.
Dr. Mahathir was the dashing and daring fighter pilot. He undertook dizzyingly many missions, some dangerous and even reckless, but he also scored many victories. We took those victories in strides while we analyze in details the failures, and rightly so.
Abdullah Badawi celebrates his second anniversary as Prime Minister this month. Malaysians who gave him an overwhelming mandate not too long ago are now openly expressing their disappointments of him. To some however, the mere fact that we can now do so freely and without fear is progress. This reflects the remedial class standards.
If Mahathir was the dashing fighter pilot, then Abdullah is the careful and plodding school bus driver. Success to Abdullah is transporting the children safely. He plies the same route every day, and if there were roadblocks, he would wait them out instead of finding a detour.
Unlike many, I do not have high expectations of Abdullah, and he has not disappointed me. He has not crashed the bus, at least not yet. Nonetheless, the engine sputters, as it has not been overhauled for some time. The tires, while they are not bald, are old retreads and fast losing their traction.
My low expectation of Abdullah stems from analyzing his record. As Prime Minister he decries the corruption in the police, conveniently forgetting that he was once Home Minister and thus responsible for the force for many years. Likewise, I have difficulty discerning his legacy as Foreign, Education, and Defense Minister. He survived in Mahathir’s cabinet by being obscure and unobtrusive.
Abdullah was a midlevel civil servant when the late Tun Razak tapped him to be the executive secretary of the National Operations Council (NOC). I have tremendous regards for the Tun’s talent-picking acumen, but Abdullah is the exception that proves the rule.
Abdullah is a good “staff” person. Wars have been lost for lack of good staff support, with troops lacking food and ammunition, and tanks running out of gas. To win wars however, you need a general who has good strategies, inspires the troops, and is familiar with the realities of the battlefront. These qualities are more typical of a fighter pilot than a school bus driver.
The NOC succeeded because an imaginative general, Tun Razak, led it; he also picked a reliable staff person to support him. Being prime minister means being more like a general rather than a staff person.
On Intentions and Criticisms
My criticisms of Malaysian leaders, no matter how mild, always evoke strong responses from their supporters. Many question my standing or qualification to pass such judgment. Some attribute sinister motives on my part.
I do of course get praises, but I do not let those go to my head. The more profuse they are, the more wary I am. A writer once complimented me: I write very well, he said, … for a surgeon! That darn remedial class standard again!
Recently, I heard a beautiful sermon on the importance of niat or intention. If you miss your lunch because you are busy, and then declare yourself fasting, well, that does not count! You have to declare the niat to fast before hand. Similarly, if you save somebody’s life quite by accident when your intention was to kill him but your plans somehow backfired, that is not a meritorious act. It all boils down to niat.
When people ask me why I am critical of Malaysia and its leadership, my niat is to improve Malaysia. Their opposite approaches notwithstanding, both the honors and remedial class teachers cited earlier too have good intentions.
November 8th, 2005 at 10:36 pm
I have had the benefit of attending countless UMNO/Government gatherings and each time I hear profuse adulations showered upon the guest of honour, who is always a government leader. There is never any mention of failures or mistakes. There was no mention of rumblings on the ground.
That is the nation’s problem. Not only they refuse to listen to criticisms but instead go on the offensive to discredit the critic!
The media made Mahathir into a demigod. He was the infallible Big Brother. Views from the Opposition parties, no matter how constructive, are totally blacked out.
Let us not forget the countless apologists in the kampongs whose thinking is similar to En. Musa’s - praise the PM for the good he has done and fogive him for his failures!
November 8th, 2005 at 11:47 pm
Chinese getting straight As are not allowed into universities. Not allowed civil service jobs. That is blatant discrimination.
Why do you support such discrimination?
Chinese Malaysians have built very successful businesses, hence they have the wealth that they have. This is not greed. They worked for what they now own.
Why do you envy what does not belong to you? Is this not greed?
It is quite untrue that business offers are conducted on the basis of race. Starting any business is very very hard work, but the malays did not have a hard working tradition to persevere. This is a cultural change the malays need in order to conduct businesses successfully.
Armed with this knowledge, do you still insist that Chinese Malaysians are greedy, and therefore it is right for malays to take what does not belong to them?
Your perception of business in Malaysia has got to be wrong.
Most goods and services can be conducted in open markets, and there is no particular reason to single out malays so that Chinese businessmen should swindle them. There are lots of swindlers in business so it is not just malays who get swindled.
Successful businessmen depend on providing real benefits to customers and partners so that it is worthwhile for them to do business again and again to both parties benefit. It is only when customers also get rich that businesses can grow.
The discrimination against Chinese, Indians and other peoples cannot be tolerated in the modern world. Countries that do this will face long-term decline.
Hard working people are not greedy as you accuse them. They are hard working because they have a mission in life to prosper, to give offspring a good chance in life to live to the full, to contribute their talents to the betterment of society……….
This is not greed.
Whereas, envy of others wealth and taking what they have not worked for is greed.
I would put is stronger. It is robbery and corruption. You talk like a Mafia extortionist when you said that worse could happen to the Chinese, so be thankful because there are more malays than Chinese, and therefore they can take even more from the Chinese if they want to.
You have to be joking to believe that your greed and prejudices are the wonderful things about Malaysia. Well, may be you do.
Malaysia as describe it is a country based on racism, lack of a conscience, and greed (taking from hard working foreigners).
Meritocracy is denounced. Robbing the wealthy is promoted.
How can there be a good future for such a country?
Looking from outside of Malaysia, it is easy to see that the malay-controlled government is enforcing a wealth-robbing programme from the Chinese who earned their wealth through hard works.
By barring bright well-qualified Chinese Malaysians from entering Malaysian universities, Malaysia is pursuing a discriminatory policy based on race.
This is not tolerated in civilised countries. It is a policy that gives Malaysia a very bad reputation and deprives itself of its most talented.
It is a policy which tells the malays that robbing from the rich is not greed because being rich, being educated is the same as being greedy.
This is moral corruption and self-contradiction which Malaysia will pay a very heavy price.
November 9th, 2005 at 12:24 am
First, Let me say that I don’t really know what ‘hero’ is ranting about. I have lots to say on the subject, but the topic at hand is not that.
As for Pak Lah the school bus driver, I’m afraid that I and many others I know, share Dr Bakri’s description of our PM. It’s really a pity, because he had the backing of more people than Dr M has ever had, but he squandered it away through indecision and lack of imagination. Being an ex civil servant, he is in his ‘comfort zone’ when he talks about administration of the government. He sometimes does not seem to realise that he is the PM. Sometimes he talks as if he is the Chief Secretary. Perhaps because of this ‘gap,’ his son in law is making himself useful by being involved in his father in law’s work.
LJ
November 9th, 2005 at 1:23 am
to hero - let just focus on the issue discussed and stop initiate fire on race topic again. may be Dr Bakri wld be able to dedicate one topic for us to talk abt this sensitive issue in details and objectively.
On Pak Lah’s capability - I tend to second Bakri’s point of view on the lack of charisma shown by Pak Lah as the Prime Minister of a leading 3rd world country. For the same reason, Im all for the betterment of our country. Pak Lah is surely one world of a nice person. however, thats aint the right profile one wld want someone to be their leader. To me personally, he shd be more resourceful and well-rounded. I just cldnt buy his sweeping statement in most of the issue asked, with his famous generic reply quote kerajaan akan buat yang terbaik, or itu adalah satu benda yang tidak elok etc unquote. being a leader, one must read a lot, see things from different angles, look for creative solutions, act fast, and not always go for popular decision.
He need to brush up his interpersonal skill internationally. dont waste the momentum created by the former premier by putting Malaysia prominently in the world map. We are currently the chairman NAM and OIC. What kind of actions hv Pak Lah led as to use the opportunity at least to promote Malaysia (let alone to bring up the bodies to the next stage). No wonder voices that these organizations are irrelevant are so loud.
One most glaring part of pak lah to me was during the AP issue when people are attacking his own staff (Dr M against rafidah). well, if someone is accussing my staff to me, I wld read it as they are pointing the blame right on my nose ! I shall not just put my silent mode and let the blaming game to exchange without me hv any say of the conclusion. what Dr M potrayed was simply a classic leader reaction when his jurisdiction (proton) was being questioned.
I always see Pak Lah as a good second man. He is not a strategic person like Dr M, but rather operational thinker. He wld be able to look into short term matters or problem and immediately solve it. He cld be the good cop to complement the bad cop role played by Dr M.
My expectation on Pak Lah - of course I hv high expectation on our leader, be it Pak Lah, Wak Dol or Ah Seng for he or she wld be the one to map our future directly or indirectly. If he aint fit for the profile, pls give way to someone else who is. Its nothing personal.
November 9th, 2005 at 3:10 am
Dr Bakri,
You done it again. Thinking and writing like a typical surgeon/scientist.
Being scientist. Information gathering, analysis, hypothesis, inferences and conclusion and most times further review of hypothesis and conclusion as and when new informations are made available. This I believe constituted the success of the western civilisation.
Asians have to grapple with that. Some are learning fast - Japan. Korea, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and perhaps India.
Malaysia learned fast too but only for a short while. The learning is truncated as soon as some mediocre achievement is attained. Like you say we pretty much praise ourselves to death with small achievements. We stop after attaining some trivial successes and celebrations take over to become the main activities. Tools are abandon on the shopfloor in exchange for an opportunity to jam the buffet table celebrating successes for starting a project as against completing it successfully. Pretty soon all are lying on the floor drunk with the euphoria to the fact that they manage to start off a project. Drunk as we are never to get up again. And justify our drunkardness with excuses of earlier trivial successes.
We do not take away Tun M’s credit for Malaysia’s earlier progress as a nations during his leadership. He made many mistake along the way too. Criticism when meted out, should be examined for its relevancy and objectivity such as to allow for amendment for further improvement. It is how we react to criticism that is important.
Success is a journey not a destination. Are the Malaysians earlier successess regarded as destinations arrived? And now we stand still to only continue to spend and busking in the spoils of yesteryears?
Praise and adoration should be reserved for the most outstanding achievement. Children are the best example. Excessive adorations heaped on mediocre achievements would be responded with, just that, mediorcre achievements in the future.
AAB has not recorded any outstanding achievement in his career. Was he chosen for his achievements? Any further adoratons for AAB would certainly give a wrong signal to the future generations. I dare guess that he is chosen for his honesty and piety. Fine, inspite of his lack of personal achievement, let him use these traits to lead a team of professionals with integrity and take Malaysias to a greater heights. But alas, it is not to be. He still has pretty much the same team.
Many corporate owners and leaders may start off with remedial class. But their team is another thing. Their ability to gather and willing to gather team members many time smarter than themselves (honours ones) that attribute to their corporate success. The insecurities of our leaders -government, higher institution of learning and especially of GLC’s lead them to do exactly the opposite. Any hint of intelligence on the part of their subordinates would quickly construed as threat to their leadership. Disaster follows. All focus would be on building up fortresses to protect their personal turf.
When we want to bake a cake successfully, we need the right ingredients. The quality of the cake would depend on the quality of the ingredients chosen and ofcourse the the skill of the baker. It definitely, does not depend on the colour of the packaging nor the store in which you buy them from.
Criticise we must lest we be too arrogant. Let’s not only criticise but to accept criticism graciously. If we do not want to continue eating the same quality of cake let’s criticise (feedback) and look forward to better cake in the future.
November 9th, 2005 at 4:46 am
Dr. Bakri,
I was in Australia some years ago to present a paper. It was during the heightened days of the financial crisis in the late 90s. There was this gentleman who sprang up a graph to show how the graph fluctuated with volatility each time Mahatir “spoke”. It was some time later that Mahatir did mention that he better shut up lest the market sentiments seem to be adversely affected each time he spoke. The joke of it was during these tenuous 22 years, he stifled almost every notable aspect of civil society and what he said and ordered was accepted as gospel truth - not so much as them being one but no one dared to stand up against him for fear of retribution. All dissent was dealt with an iron fist and those who dared to speak-up were fated to rot and fade. The culture he so venerably created and justified was so entrenched that people had almost been indoctrinated to believe and say the “obvious”. He had either destroyed or dismantled almost every credible platform and by the time he gave up, it would be safe to say that he had stripped off the Malaysian society the will and the moral to face the challenges that lay ahead.
It was this scenario that Abdullah inherited - a nation bleeding from the gaping wounds that Mahatir left. The tormented society’s scars were there for everyone to see. Faulting Abdullah and expecting him to undo the damage of 22 years is grossly unfair. I might say that to remove the taint of those 22 years, he may have to charge almost the entire cabinet for corruption, but in the political world matters may not be so cosy. When Gorbachev moved forward from communism, the free world watched with puzzle as how such a strong fottress as communism could be dealt such a blow. But we know that history or his people have not been as kind to him.
While many cite Abdullah as being indecisive and slow, perhaps it may be his way of dealing with issues which have political slants and almost every issue in this country seem to have such a slant. It was the dragged out phase of the AP that unearthed the mischievous and dubious dealings and by the time it was fully acted out, quite a bit of information had been desseminated to the public. The greatest part of this all was that the public were given space to comment to an extent never ever heard of or would have been dreamt of during the Mahatir era. He (Mahatir) would have totally shut it off immediately when it surfaced and that is it - swept under the carpet. There have been many developments and I cite one more. Recently the Shah Alam High court ruled in favour of the residents of PJ and against the MPPJ and the wordings of the judgement were pretty tough on the council. The judgement absolving Anwar Ibrahim of the sexual abuse case was direct and forthright. I am not a lawyer but such events would never, ever be possible during the 22 year reign-of-terror of Mahatir.
I used to read a Sunday column in STAR by one of its deputy editors (I belief) Wong Chun Wai. During the Mahatir days, I used to be disgusted with his writings - nothing but praises of the ex-PM and I used to think of him as a lost soul. Come Abdullah’s time, one can see the relevance and the boldness with which he takes on political figures.
We have been in the dark for so long that the sudden sunlight exposed to us seem to give us a momentum. Good for all us and rightly so. But the environment and climate in which Abdullah operates is far from the sunshine world we live or are exposed to. Corruption is so entrenched that it has become almost a culture. While there have been many racial slurs that the Malays are very corrupt, I also see those who offer bribes and start the corruption chain as even more devious and devilish and it is a known fact that the Non-Malays, particularly the Chinese who bribe them. It is not a case of the corrupt being a minority. If Abdullah takes a wrong turn, there are those who would want him to fall and fail so that they can continue their treacherous trait. I, too, sometimes feel impatient at the slow pace things are moving but two factors are definitely against going sooner or faster - to undo all of Mahatir’s era tasks would be no mean task. Look how he had to poke his nose in everything that was PROTON or the AP. The second is, like they say, the forces of the “dark” are forcing more friction and it would be foolish of Abdullah to lock horns with them directly and that, I belief would make him defensive and possibly stand to lose a good opportunity to move on with the current momentum. So, perhaps (and perhaps) it may be his way of dealing with such contentious issues - drag them through the streets and let the public know and have their say.
Let me say this. I am also for a speedy solution to all the anomalies facing our society but we belong to a society where the corrupt call the others corrupt, the racist call the others racists,etc. In all these, I think Abdullah is having a good smile or even laugh. What he has triggered may find the mark, belated maybe, but the mark it would find. After all, with so many others vying for the the premier’s post, it was this so-called “lackustre” politician who got to be one - and in our pervasive society, that is something. We all have been writing openly criticising Mahatir since we were exposed to the internet era but we have to admit that nothing came out of it - as if we were making speeched for ourselves but small may the difference that we see now but the triggered environment would gain momentum in its own way and move on to trigger other issues along the way. Perhaps I could be wrong but I have a good reason to hope in Abdullah’s era than I ever had during Mahatir’s era.
November 9th, 2005 at 5:29 am
How odd. My father and I were having a conversation along exactly the same lines as FairMalaysian’s post, and it certainly makes sense. I recall Dr. Bakri himself suggested in The Malay Dilemma Revisited that the government, for instance, not neecessarily immediately repeal the special preferences for Bumi contractors, but reveal how much money the public has lost through such preferences. Perhaps AAB is applying this to corruption, racism and politics. I myself am finding the NST and Star timidly venturing into slightly less pro-government waters. Hopefully this is the beginning of a Malaysian glasnost and not another Hundred Flowers Campaign.
After all, who ever heard of racist MPs like Badruddin Amiruldin during Mahathir’s time? Would it have been public knowledge that a minister shouted “bloody racist” 26 times in the Dewan Rakyat under Dr. M? Would any of the things we hear going on now happen under Dr. M’s tight ship?
True, this is perhaps just another indicator of how Pak Lah is nowhere near as firm as Dr. M. But it could be an attempt to purge the party by turning the public against it in the next election. Pak Lah has to know how terrible the government and BN are after 20 years of Mahathir rule, but he has no clout to tackle this problems hands-on. Perhaps he aims to score a knock-out in the next election by having lousy MPs such as Badruddin removed. Then he can take such examples and wave them in the face of UMNO top dogs and convince them reform is needed if they are to hold on to power. Right now, UMNO thinks of itself as invincible. Perhaps Pak Lah is intentionally setting it up for a failure so as to bring BN to its senses.
November 9th, 2005 at 7:58 am
To equate Mahathir to a fighter pilot and Badawi to a bus drivre is rather far-fetched. A fighter pilot has little time to strategise while in the cockpit travelling at Mach 1.5 neither can a bus driver anticipate the needs of his master becuase his primary role is to steer the bus on a course.
A good general is someone who posseses leadership qualities and whose persona will decide the outcome of a battle. Military commanders have their own dedicated staffers who are responsible for operations, training, intelligence, logistics, medical etc. And it is incumbent upon them to plan and advice their commanders, accordingly.
A commander may not necessary accept the words of his staff but will modify his plans based on the advice given. There are commanders who seldom listen to their staff and make tactical decisons solely on their sixth sense. History has witnessed many such individuals and Rommel is one typical example.
It is easier to allude Mahathir to Rommel and Badawi to a lesser-known individual who is charismatic but has a weak character, prone to taking a more calculated approach rather than being impetious.
We cannot dismiss such individuals as failures as history is littered with them. Field Marshall William Slim did a good job welding a defeated and demoralised army into a united and confident fighting instrument capable of turning the tables on the Japanese in Burma during World War 11.
Slim was never a risk-taker. And at the age of 62 became the Governor-General of Australia.
November 9th, 2005 at 8:04 am
Johnleemk,
I observe that when you visit Lim Kit Siang’s blog you apply another standard, another set of beliefs and convictions. You go along with the racist comments against Malays made by followers of Lim Kit Siang. You call him “uncle Kit”.
There has been a spill over of late of Lim Kit Siang’s followers who hero worship him, from there to Bakri’s blog - which is apolitical - to spread their vile and to pollute this blog with the same racial filth that one sees posted on limkitsiang.blogspot.com.
If the intention is to put Dr Bakri in trouble with the Special Branch, then the effort is futile because we know Dr Bakri has neither political design, ambition nor political affiliations. That is not the case with the leader of the opposition. Lim Kit Siang has been fanning the flames of racial hatred among his young followers through subtle ways - which demonstrates that as the man gets older, his views have not changed.
To speak against corruption is the duty of all Malaysians. However, to touch on Article 153 of the Federal Malaysian Constitution is to question the Constitution - subject matter which comes within the ambit of the Sedition Act and the Internal Security Act - and a matter for the Special Branch. Though he does not directly question this Article of the Constitution - held sacred by Malays then and now - his daily postings touch on the issue of the Malay quota in the Country’s educational institutions which derives its legal justification from this Article.
November 9th, 2005 at 9:12 am
The special position of the malays as prescribed under Article 153 of the Constitution is limited in scope to only the reservation of reasonable quotas in these 3 sectors: public services, educational places and business licenses.
Hence, the present rampant racial discriminations practiced on almost every facet of our national life are mostly violations of the Constitution. Examples of these violations are:
(a) Racial discrimination in the appointment and promotion of employees in publicly funded bodies, resulting in these becoming almost mono-raced bodies. These bodies include: the police, civil service, army and various semi and quasi government agencies.
(b) Imposition of compulsory share quota for malays in non-malay companies.
(c) Imposition of compulsory price discounts and quotas in favour of malays in housing projects.
(d) Completely lop-sided allocation of scholarships and seats of learning in clearly unreasonable proportions that reflect racial discriminations.
(e) Blanket barring of non-malays to publicly funded academic institutions (that should include the Mara).
(f) Barring of non-malays from tenders and contracts controlled directly or indirectly by the government.
Our Constitution provides for only one class of citizenship and all citizens are equal before the law.
The presence of Article 153 does not alter this fact, as it is meant only to protect the malays from being “squeezed” by other races by allowing the reservation of reasonable quotas on certain sectors of national life.
However, this Constitution has now been hijacked through decades of hegemony of political power by the ruling party to result in the virtual monopoly of the public sector by a single race.
The ensuing racism, corruption and corrosion of integrity of our democratic institutions have brought serious retrogression to our nation-building process in terms of national unity, morality, discipline and competitiveness of our people.
November 9th, 2005 at 11:14 am
Hello everyone,
It has indeed become a trite to take jabs at those whom we feel are the cause of “our” problems except that we never see that we may be the problem after all. Somehow, we have darted to take swipe at our Malay brothers (and sisters, of course), and countless pleasure at that, for being accorded the so-called special rights.
For instance, “law” had listed a very lengthy number of issues which he has cited as objectionable and which, in his words, had piled up rights and benefits to Malays and consequently Non-Malays have paid a price for that. There may be some truth in what he has said but I think he cannot fully absolve himself of that very guilt he is trying to inflict on the Malays. The truth is, the NEP and the other vehicles cited as the affront to eradicate poverty, etc for the benefit of Malays have been, in fact, hijacked by a group of self-centred, treacherous and elusive conmen. If you take a hard look at this group, it comprises not only Malays but Chinese and Indians. How convenient, lest you may forget, that we only assign that blame on the Malays. It is this demonical partnership which has flourished at the expense of the common man. There are many of my Malay friends who are trying to make their ends as we all do. We are hurt but we have no right to hurt them too as they are not the cause of this messy problem.
About fifteen years ago, I went for an interview in a Chinese firm. At the end of the interview, I was told that although I was more than suitably qualified, they were ideally looking for a Chinese. I then asked, why call me for the interview in the first place. This certainy was not the only occasion I felt humiliated attending an interview in a Chinese firm. Basically, the racist streak runs in all the races and this is what the elite group want us to do - quarrel and fight among us so that we would not be in our element to challenge them. Well, they have succeeded, isn’t it?
What some of us are trying to do here is to see beyond this race issue - Dr. Bakri and Din had many a times taken their own race to task for playing this race card. Try looking at your argument in a practical way like the one you quoted in para (f). If you say that Non-Malays should have a go at the tender and contracts, surely you do not expect Indians to be naive in believing that any Indian would be able to compete with a Chinese in an open tender? So, when you are talking about Non-Malays, you are essentially talking about the Chinese unless you would want me to believe therwise.
There are Malays like the “Observer” who will go on living in a world where he threatens us with the Special Branch and other legislation. Contrary to what he may think, he is an example of a coward who takes pride in seeking pleasure in believing that he, and he alone, is the benefactor of this world. Yet, there are Malays like Dr. Bakri (and others) who holds altogether a more humanising approach and believe we all have a role to play.
So, please stop pointing the fingers at others as if the Chinese are not racists themselves. The Indians are no better. As an Indian Tamil, I still find it preposterous that the Tamils give very little room in MIC politics (at the top) for others besides Tamils. I became colour blind several years ago and you know what, I really enjoy having the benefit of many friends from diverse racial backgrounds who can have a decent conversation without invoking this racial stigma and where we disagee, which we do at times, it is because we are different in our views. If you ask my children of their race, they would say they are Malaysians. I married a Chinese and we never ever had the problem of race as an issue. Let us stop this at our doorstep before expecting others to do so.
November 9th, 2005 at 11:37 am
Fair Malaysian,
You said, “There are Malays like the “Observer” who will go on living in a world where he threatens us with the Special Branch and other legislation. Contrary to what he may think, he is an example of a coward who takes pride in seeking pleasure in believing that he, and he alone, is the benefactor of this world.”
There is no threat, overt or covert, direct or implied in my posting. I am merely saying for those who choose to stoke the fire of racial hatred for political gain, there is the ISA - legislation passed just for this purpose. This blog is apolitical blog and has no ties to any political group or party - unlike the blog run by the Leader of the Opposition.
November 9th, 2005 at 11:49 am
If you want to challenge or question or discuss Article 153 of the Constitution, you need to go repeal the Sedition Act first. Until then you would be committing an offence under the Act - which is why the Leader of the Opposition in his blog refused to take up the challenge by a reader/poster who went by the name PemudaUmno to discuss it.
November 9th, 2005 at 12:12 pm
The far more worrying aspect of this article i.e. Art. 153 is that its implementation has benefitted the rich and well to do among the Malays much more than it has the working Malays. The benefits of the NEP etc do not have the trickle down effect, the multiplier effect if you will, they are supposed to have. It is time to re-evaluate the NEP in the context of its implementation.
The framers and draughtsmen of the Federal Malaysian Constitution 1957, recognised that if there is to be peace among the races, if there was to be independence at all from the British, the Malays who were disadvantaged economically then (and still are today) vis-a-vis recent immigrants especially the business oriented, strong and successful Chinese, recognition need to be given to their lot - and some assurance of a level playing field until such a time when it would be fair for them to compete in the open market without government assistance.
Chinese youth today led by the DAP has no understanding of the historical, economic and culural aspect of the article known as Art. 153. They have never heard of it! If they do, their understanding is so skewed that they are able to see only one aspect of it.
One could write volumes on this subject. Unless you have adequate knowledge of Malaysian political history and Malaysian constitutional law, it is quite certain you would come out with a distorted view of it.
Like it or not, in Malaysia, racism has been institutionalised. What do we do about it now?
November 9th, 2005 at 1:00 pm
I wish to point out that the Orang Asli, not the malays, are the original inhabitants of Malaysia. Most of the malay Malaysians came from Sumatra and other parts of Indonesia. They only migrated here much earlier than the Chinese and Indian Malaysians. It does not mean they deserve privileges or rights just because they were the pioneer immigrants.
It is true that there have been abuses under the name of malay special rights and it is the duty of the malays in particular, and all Malaysians in general, to stop it so that the rightful malays get their rights, and the non-malays get their rights as citizens of this country.
It’s a sad thing to say, but I do believe the main thing that’s holding back malays is not the Chinese or the Indians, but the malays themselves. That’s why Dr M and Pak Lah have been quoted as telling to throw away crutches and work hard to face the challenges of globalisation.
The malay and others of the same mind should learn to stand on their own feet rather than claim for special privileges and rights. The world is becoming globalised and if they don’t change their attitude, they will only become beggars in their own country.
As for the malays who insist on hiding behind the veil of malay special rights - you have lost the respect of non-malays a long time ago.
We also suspect that the current situation will, unfortunately, get worse if no action is taken now. Why? Because our kids in school hardly mix with each other. They will grow up with little understanding of their fellow Malaysians, and with the suspicions that exist, it will be worse.
The truth of the matter is that polarisation in Malaysia is caused by the discriminatory practises of the government - especially after the NEP - rather than vernacular education.
The NEP is upheld for the rich and not the poor in Malaysia.
Whether we admit it or not, the problem is that the special rights and privileges given have now resulted in only a selected few bumis getting richer and richer. The bulk of the bumis, especially in the rural areas are not benefiting from the system.
Poor people are poor people, rich people are rich people - no matter which race they come from.
The poor in Malaysia must be served but I am sure all taxpayers feel that this should be done in a manner which is blind to age, ethnicity, gender and religion.
What’s wrong with extending help to all deserving citizens based on needs and merits regardless of race?
The Malaysian problem is that rich do become richer. And because of the political system, the players are the same.
Out of control - this is all I can say about any type of enforcement and the level of corruption in Malaysia. No idea what Pak Lah has done in his first year in office but judging from the ground, I guess nothing much.
If you have ever heard of the simple saying, “Give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach him how to fish and he eats for a lifetime,” you will realise that many non-bumis have learned how to fish but the government is still handing out fishes to the bumis. One day the fish will run out.
If you want to say discrimination is here in the US, yes, of course it is. Can you name a country where it doesn’t happen? But let me tell you one thing - if you go looking for it, you will find it. But in Malaysia, you don’t have to go look for it because it seeks you out, slaps you in your face every which way you turn, and is sanctioned by law!
Official figures have more than one million Chinese Malaysians emigrating over the past 25 years. Why did they emigrate? I am sure the government knows.
For most professionals, living abroad has its own ups and downs. But, you get dignity, fair treatment, and respect for your ability. You get a voice, too. And ears to hear you.
Brain drain by the tank-loads is what we get. Every single year, Malaysia loses people who could potentially contribute to the country immensely.
So the malay, you may keep your rights and perpetuate them. Such things are archaic. Who loses in the end? Your country, which should have been a first world one by today.
I sympathize with those that have benefited from the NEP, but the bad news is that the price he pays for his progress is much higher than what he pays for his benefit.
These special privileges and rights were once a necessity for them to move forward. Today, after many decades, they find themselves still standing in the same place.
It is a shame that our history has been constantly twisted so that our younger generation has no understanding of Malaysia’s foundation and its true aspirations.
It is arguable that if not for the contributions of the Chinese and Indian Malaysians who helped in the development of this country tremendously, Malaysia would probably be in same category like Indonesia or the Philippines, if not worst.
To improve the malays lot, more have to be made to work in private companies where competition is real and what counts is your ability. If special rights only help malays to become government servants, then all the more reason not to invoke special rights.
But of course, the present ruling elite drunken with wealth, will continue to fight this dream to ensure that Malaysia is kept divided so that BN can continue to rule.
Alternatively, Malaysians may begin to realise the dream of a new Malaysia.
The bitter truth is that the majority of this nation don’t see the need to change things yet and until then, we can do little about it.
The bottom line with present day globalisation is this: compete on a level-playing field or you will lose. Plain and simple.
November 9th, 2005 at 1:36 pm
The floodgates are open for all who wish to migrate - including Malays. It is not peculiar to Malaysia. The controls are only on immigration and not emigration. We all emigrate for various reasons and we have been doing that for centuries. The United States is a country of immigrants. The native Americans who today number just several millions are popularly regarded as “natives” - but who knows who the real natives are. The native Americans are said to be Asians who crossed the Bering Straits centuries ago. Nobody knows who were om the united states first - does it matter? Some say it is the Chinese who were in United States first. If that is the case then perhaps the American born Chinese should petition the U.S. Congress and the President of the United States for special status? I dont know. Does it matter?
My kids are 12.5% chinese - one even looks Chinese, always mistaken for one. Their great grandfather is from mainland China. My family and I have migrated in search not of a better economic life but in search of freedom.
November 9th, 2005 at 1:47 pm
P.S.
Anybody knows how many Malays have adopted Australia as their second home? Apparently these are mostly the rich Malays with political connections. But there are some middle class Malays and professionals who have made Australia their home. I am not one of those newly emerging Malay Aussies by the way.
November 9th, 2005 at 6:46 pm
Dear All,
It is always for a delight to read Dr. Bakri’s writings. He is critical, but very balanced. I am also a critic of our new Prime Minister, Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi. I do it on a “no holds barred” basis. At the same time, I recognise that he is a good and kind Muslim brother. He is also a leader who created high expectations and fired my imagination, only to crush my hopes.
Badawi is my contemporary at MU, and I desperately want him to succeed since he is of my generation, supposedly the First Among Equals. I tend to equate his success or failure to my generation’s ability to perform.
Unfortunately, over the last two, he has shown himself to be unable to use the power of his office to get things down, to put through and execute some urgent reforms, which he promised ( made of his own free will) in his Manifesto.
Being Prime Minister is serious business. So I am now asking myself: Is this man for whom I voted to lead our country really up to the job? I thought so I in 2003. Now in 2005, I am not sure any more. Will he do any better in 2006? Your guess is as good as mine.
Badawi should read Jack Welch’s latest book, “Winning”. It is well written, easy to read, and simple to understand. In this book, Jack’s talks about his 4Es (Envision, Evaluate, Empower and Execute) & 1P(Passion) paradigm. If only Badawi reads the book, and thinks about what Jack has to say on managing, he might be able to do better.
Jack is a no “bulls” man. Here is a man who walks the talk. There is no “tembak” from Jack Welch, the iconic Chairman of GE. He has run a mammoth global company with a sales turnover in excess of our GDP and is regarded arguably as the most successful CEO of the 2Oth century. I know it is too much to expect Badawi to be a Jack Welch or Mahathir, but I do think he should deliver what he promised in his Manifesto.
Badawi must act confidently, and execute. So when he is going, for example, to make some changes to his Cabinet? Otherwise, he will lose my support for good. I cannot speak for others, but I do know that many in our country are disappointed with his performance so far.
Thanks.
November 9th, 2005 at 6:53 pm
Correction. “It is always a delight for me to read Dr. Bakri’s writings”. I apologise for that error. Thanks.
November 9th, 2005 at 7:21 pm
Salam everyone,
Back to the main topic of discussion, the two driver Mahathir & Badawi. For someone who spends 92.9% of his life under the Tun M era, I would agree with Dr Bakri. He’s good, but the he was not good enough to be in the premier league, there are things that were ignored by his administration team even if he claim the economy was so good that everybody was so happy until the year 1997.
I was in a government hospital during Ramadan looking after my mother who suffered a stroke attack. There’s nothing wrong with the doctors or the nurses, they were a bunch of hardworking people who spend hours diagnosing patients everyday, taking blood samples, urine and all other stuff that is incomparable to their low earnings. The prevalent problem to be highlighted is the ratio of patient to hospital, I’m no good at WHO facts trivia but my common sense would have said that intolerable would be an understatement whenever anyone is to illustrate the state of affairs in a government hospital.
Maybe if you were to be admitted into Hospital Kuala Pilah you can have the luxurious time and space, just kiss goodbye to all that if u’r in Klang Valley… or you could always check-in to any of the Private Medical Centre and you can be treated like someone who is really sick, don’t worry if you can no longer pay the bills – they’ll call the ambulance and sent you to the nearest government hospital… u might need to pay the ambulance charges.
Dr Bakri.
Sorry for being self-centered by addressing this problem to you and the gang when my mother is sick.
Please emphasize on this issue whenever you talk to THEM.
To all,
Stop playing within the racial line, all of us suffered. Make a drive to your local government hospital and look at what is happening to your own races. No matter what color is your skin everything come down to how much money you have.
It is about time Pak Lah look at this problem seriously, don’t rely on your informer. The informer could be the one smiling their way the bank and will not be indecisive in making the decision to opt for private medical center.
November 9th, 2005 at 9:09 pm
Dr Bakri,
I coud not understand some of the views expressed here with regards to the leadership stle of our current PM where slow, indecisiveness rule the day. He is the PM for god’s sake! the head-honcho, the taikor, the big kahuna, have the biggest axe, etc..etc. the only other person with such power to change and reform the system is when the majority of Malaysian act and decide in unison in the next general election.
To say that he’s slow due to being careful of the dark forces within his own administration is an insult to the post of Premiership. Be wary, yes, but not to the point of almost grinding to a halt. He has been in the government for years, he must have known by now who these dark forces are. In his capacity as PM and President of UMNO, he can fire their a*s!! granted, he can lose the support of his own people by tacking the bull by the horn, ultimately losing his post, but at least as a religious, God-fearing, piety individual he can walk away head held up high knowing he has done the right thing, where the ultimate reward is bigger than any job/position in this world!
Some might respond by saying that I’m naive with my comments and things are not as simple as that in the corridors of power. It is then our collective fault for making simple things complicated!
November 9th, 2005 at 9:58 pm
Dear Farid,
I do share your views in as much as any ordinary person would. Isn’t it an irony that in your words that he may stand to lose his position if he takes them head-on and to get someone “untainted” from the lot to replace him would only be a dream. Being the President of UMNO or the PM does not confer him the right to become a blood-thirsty hound. Never, in my wildest imagination, would I want him to become autocratic much as we desire him to go after the criminals relentlessly. This would mean, mark my words, that we will be going back to the dark era of Mahatir. Who would have imagined that what started off as a march towards liberty ended up as the reign-of-terror - I allude to the French Revolution. Much as we want things to shape up, it has to be within the confines of and respect for the law. Allowing an individual to bulldoze in his own way is a certain recipe for disaster. As I mentioned earlier, I have reasons to hope, which I would never ever have had during the Mahatir era. I will say it again, Abdullah is on the right track and it reflects his political maturity and respect for individual rights much as we detest the criminals still walking with their chins up. Look at all the possible leaders from the current crop who would have gone this far. I cannot see it. Perhaps, a candidate from outside the ruling establishment may be there to take us on a rejuvenating journey and I do not dismiss this possibility as Abdullah’s hands may be tied because of his past and current relationship and support of the criminals. But for now, this may be the best we have and it is a wary and treacherous path that poses the greatest problem. I am sure Abdullah is as concerned as we are of the perceptions people have of him. Abdullah has done better in this area in 2 years what Mahatir could not or did not want to do in 22 long years.
November 9th, 2005 at 10:06 pm
Sorry if this is out of context.
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2005&dt=1110&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Muka_Hadapan&pg=mh_10.htm
“Badan khas akan pilih naib canselor - Shafie”
I remember reading one of articles from Dr. Bakri regarding this matter, and finally they are listening.
It’s good to hear they are listening.
Any comments?
November 9th, 2005 at 11:23 pm
Dear Fair Malaysian,
Road to hell is paved with good intentions. I do not disagree with your alluding to the French Revolution.
In an ideal world, he would wield the proverbial heavy axe, clean up the whole mess, untangle the web, and after the dust has settle, pick an outsider to the establishment, someone with impeccable integrity, and walk away from the post. But we do not live in an ideal world.
Cleaning up the mess can mean a lot of things. It can mean criminal prosecution for corruption, or it can mean something as simple as removing them from the cabinet. The latter is within his direct authority and prerogative; autocratic ruler or not.
He obtained the people’s mandate in the last GE on the ticket of transparency, governance, anti-corruption, etc. We gave him a landslide victory. We entrusted him with our hopes of better things to come. As someone who voted for him, and as far as I am concern, he can be as bloodthirsty as he wants on matters within his authority and the law of course, to fulfill the promise he made to me and the rest of the country. I had so much hope when he first came into office. The promises, the greeting cards, the “I am the PM for all Malaysians” speech, etc. Alas, it is not the case anymore. Maybe I’ve grown impatient with age.
I am urging myself that when the time comes for the next GE, I would not be so naive. I would demand each individual aspiring to gain my trust and vote to present what they have achieved vs. what they had promised during the last GE. As a shareholder in this “Malaysia Inc”, the least that I expect is a good, not “satisfactory” performance from the management.
November 10th, 2005 at 2:56 am
Dear Farid and Fair Malaysian,
Badawi is entrenched in the UMNO system, which does not have a tradition of changing its leader mid-stream. That is why, as you can see often on TV, people are kissing Badawi’s left hand, and singing praises of the man, although we all know that he has done nothing which merits praise at this time. He is piling disappointment after disappointment on us almost with impunity. Yet, some of us no doubt will remain suckers. Why? Suckers and hand kissers are amply rewarded.
Badawi is in the same situation as that “mad cap” George W. Bush in the White House. Bush will remain in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC unless he is removed via a time consuming impeachment process, or declared mentally insane, or when his Christian God decides his time is up. Since this is not likely, Bush will be the 43rd President until 2008. In the meantime, Americans are showing their discontent on the streets and via the polls. Does Bush care? I think not, but, as a politician, he will pretend to be very concerned and put his spinners to work with the help of the media.
Badawi is, however, more fortunate because we Malaysians are a very patient lot. We do not protest and when we do, the law and order guys will ensure that we are appropriately dealt with. People like Fair Malaysian, my good friend, are trying hard to find excuses for the man. I hope you are not kidding us, Fair Malaysian.
In UMNO, as I have written before, Badawi does not have to worry about what the general party membership thinks of, or feels about his performance. He needs only to take good care of 2500 delegates to the annual Party Convention. There will be lots of Dato Badruddin (of Yen) types to entertain him like they did when Tun Dr. Mahathir was the top party Big Kahuna with their “pantuns dan lawak jenaka”. Furthemore, these delegates can be “bought” with nice sweetheart deals, or tamed by threats that their overdrafts and bank facilities would be withdrawn, or with removal of their chairmanships of public companies or GLCs, for not toeing the President’s line.
What money politics? It applies only if you are a threat to the President or his people. Unfortunately, Isa Samad learned this a little too late. Moreover, the UMNO’s “democratic” Constitution prevents contests for the posts of President and Deputy President. No change can be expected from UMNO.
For the rest of us, the voters, Badawi and his election advisers and strategists led by Khairy Jamaluddin, his son-in-law, think we have short memories, easily tempted with goodies and tax breaks. In reality, he has only to take care of Government servants. So if he can revive the economy before the next General Elections and grant better bonuses and perks to Ketua Setiausaha Negara Tan Sri Samsuddin Osman and his staff in the public services, Badawi is likely to lead the Barisan Nasional to power again in 2008(?).
Come to think of it, we haven’t got much choice. Would you give your vote to PAS and the new mullahs in lounge suits, the chauvinistic DAP, and the directionless KeADILan? Compared to these groups, MIC under Samy Velu, MCA under Ong Ka Ting, UMNO under Badawi together with other component parties in Barisan Nasional are looking like roses in Cameron Highlands!! A rose is a rose even if it stinks.
Personally, I cannot trust PAS with their Hudud Law mindset and Islamic State agenda. I wonder what Fair Malaysian thinks of Ustaz Abdul Hadi and his new band of mullahs. I am also wary of Anwar Ibrahim and his “western style politics”. I have not forgotten what he did to our beautiful Malay women when he introduced the tudong and “arabised” them into submission. The truth is that Anwar will do anything if he is assured becoming the Prime Minister, after messing up his chances when he challenged Mahathir in 1998. Will the real Anwar stand up?
In short, I do not think Badawi cares about our views. He is a great talker, and a few verses of the Quran here and there will keep the devout Muslims in the rural Malay heartland happy to have him as their Prime Minister.
Jack Welch and Din Merican and his friends on this website can go to hell. Yes, but Badawi and his political spinners forget that you can fool some people some of the time, but you cannot con all the people all the time.
Thanks.
November 10th, 2005 at 3:38 am
Assalamualaikum to all
Now that I’ve read all these postings, I have a few comments to make.
One, we need to give Pak Lah time to sort things out since his state of mind will be different than before Ramadhan 2005. Not long time ago, Dr. Bakri wrote about the state of Pak Lah’s mind due to his late wife’s sickness. I think there’s a lot of truth in what was said. From personal experience, I know my husband couldn’t work and stay focus when I was sick then fell in a coma for 12 days. It must be hard for Pak Lah to see his wife’s suffering all those months prior to her passing. Let us hope that now he can focus on being the PM and take the task on hand.
Two, with so many competing issues to deal with, what should be his priorities? Do you have a wish list you want to share with him? Rather than speaking among ourselves, write to him; or tell him to read this blog sometimes. Then we need to shut up. Let the bus driver drive in peace. You and I know how hard it is to drive with passengers yelling and screaming, wanting your attention. I think this was probably one reason Dr. M shut people up so that he can think.
Last but not least, try to stay on the topic. I wake up 4:00 am each morning so that I have some time to do some readings and I’m getting tired of reading comments from people who can’t stay on the topic.
Maaf Zahir Batin to all, it’s still Raya. Go visit and forgive each other. Life is short, use it wisely.
November 10th, 2005 at 4:06 am
Pak Lah has stated right from his first day as PM that corruption is one of the worst enemies to our country.
Pak Lah has been doing something against corruption. He has been setting up some system against corruption while few corrupted individuals have been brought to court.
The question is whether he is doing fast enough or not?
Pak Lah has taken over as PM for only two years. What criteria do we use to say he is too slow?
If we compare him with the previous PM based on their efforts against corruption, Pak Lah has done far better for a period of two years.
At least lately I heard some corrupted politicians had slowed down in creating projects and swindling the government money through their proxy companies.
In ancient China there was a saying ‘ kill a chicken to send warning to monkeys.’
Is not Pak Lah applying the same tactic as conveyed through this saying?
When there are some many ‘ monkeys’ (corrupted people) around, it is not wise to try to take action on all of them, as it will bring chaos to our country. So actions are taken on some so as to send warning to others.
Let us hope some of less corrupted ‘monkeys’ will change and stop being corrupted.
As to those hard core corrupted ‘monkey’, let us keep on exposing them so as to get people not to vote for them at the coming General Election, if Pak Lah still can not replace them by then.
So far I do not take what Pak Lah has done as ‘ wayang kulit’.
I believe he is still having his own strategy. It is better that people can not read his strategy, otherwise those corrupted politicians will know how to counter him.
Let us hope Pak Lah are able to quickly gather enough clean and capable individuals to replace those corrupted politicians as well as those corrupted senior government servants.
November 10th, 2005 at 5:24 am
Bros Farid and Din & Others,
Oh no, never in my life will I support Abdul Hadi Awang. Maybe I have some reservation for Anwar Ibrahim but his recent support to PAS in the upcoming by-election definitely has eroded my value of him. And you are right, the institutionalised Islam and its manifestation in our policies started rearing its ugly head through Anwar. Perhaps, the lack of choice over other aspirants may rekindle my interest in him now that he “appears” to have reinvented himself. I could be wrong but the echo in me seems to see a different Anwar today and hopefully his liasion with PAS does not damage his image. For all what he talks, it would tantamount to mere politics if this marriage of convenience is seconded to nurture his own aspiration to the top.
The encumbrance of a rotten system on Abdullah is evident but where others have failed to dent even the slightest, he has managed reasonably well. The parroting and singing praises will be there, as always, but right now at least something is evident as opposed to talk under previous administrations. Like what Taishan said it is happening but not in a magnitude all of us want to. Yes, most of us gave him the mandate to clean-up but suggesting that he has all the consuming power to clean it up with a few strokes is expecting too much but I believe the ball he has started rolling will gain momentum.
But friends, I am certainly with you all on the issues raised but just that I want it to evolve in a non-choatic way. Make no mistake, I am on the side that wants these changes. Sooner or later, Abdullah needs to show this, otherwise my love towards him would become fragmented or evaporated.
November 10th, 2005 at 6:25 am
Friends, just be patience…Pak Lah will deliver.. do give him time…Everyone of us want the best for our country…Malaysia…we are just forty eight years old…the USA three hundreds years and those countries in the EU are thousand of years old…all these countries are not perfect as yet, so what do you expect for a country which is just forty eight years old…We are doing fine, full employment, a prosperous country and everyone have roof on their head…remember the first PM. Tunku Abdul Rahman said, we would give Malaysian house instead of barrack, food instead of ration and clothing instead of uniform…in just forty years we have more then what was promised by our founding father…We live in a peaceful country…of course there are those that are not happy, but that can be expected…the is us human…For a person who have live through the period of the British colony, the war, the Japanese occupation and the communist insurgent and then the early days of independence, I am happy to see the country progress….Give us time we would be a better country then those in the west… As for now let us give Pak Lah the chance to lead…He has been there only just two years…Dr.Mahathir has done his jobs well and it took him twenty two years…so do give this man some time… for time will tell…have a nice day
November 10th, 2005 at 7:17 am
Now what is wrong with this last post??
“Friends, just be patience…Pak Lah will deliver.. do give him time”
But we don’t have the time. Haven’t you heard that to stand still we have to run??
“we are just forty eight years old…the USA three hundreds years”
but remember, we live in a world different from the yesteryears – it is the world of the global village, where there is no place anywhere in the world that we cannot go in a matter of hours.
“We live in a peaceful country…of course there are those that are not happy, but that can be expected…the is us human..”
This kind of philosophical attitude has to be from someone who has “made it in life” – applying his own expectations of what life has to offer for him. Nothing wrong with that - except for those who feel the need for change, it sounds so out of place.
“For a person who have live through the period of the British colony, the war, the Japanese occupation and the communist insurgent and then the early days of independence, I am happy to see the country progress..”
But when we all go one day as we all have to, what kind of country do we leave behind for our children to grow up in? The Chinese are very conscious and perceptive of this and rightly so. They rather sacrifice their own comfort and enjoyment so that their children could be assured of a good life. The average Malay has been led by their Malay politicians to think that there is nothing for them to worry – this is not the case. There is a lot to worry. We worry about different things to different degrees depending on our expectations etc. depending on our station in life.
“I am happy to see the country progress….Give us time we would be a better country then those in the west..”
Really? To be sure, we have progressed in terms of standard of living. Most countries do – after four decades. But how does one measure progress?
“Give us time we would be a better country then those in the west..”
You are suggesting that we emulate the west, that modernization is the same as westernization and hence we could be better than these western countries themselves. I disagree.
“As for now let us give Pak Lah the chance to lead…He has been there only just two years…Dr.Mahathir has done his jobs well and it took him twenty two years…so do give this man some time… for time will tell”
Badawi, when he goes will leave his own legacy – and history will be the judge of that. In my opinion, for what it is worth, Badawi may have been a good bureaucrat in the past but he certainly does not appear to have the kind of leadership qualities that this country needs to lead it out of the dilemma it finds itself in the post Mahathir years – Malaysia is at a crossroads. We need a strong leader to lead the way. He is not providing that leadership the country and its people needs.
Having said all that, in my opinion, the ordinary Malays are a very simple people easily satisfied, easily led, respectful of their own tradition and a people to which change cannot come too easily. It is not a coincidence that many of the Malay leaders in the immediate pre and post independent years come from somewhere else and were of mixed parentage - Thai, Bugis, Turkish, Pakistani etc. I say this, not out of disrespect for the Malays (for I am a Malay of mixed parentage), but the government of the day has an important role to play.
Malaysia after five decades, is still in the midst and throes of nation building - and we do not have a clear view of what that nation is going to look like.
November 10th, 2005 at 8:12 am
To Dr. Bakri
Here’s hoping that you would open up threads dealing with hot and current issues in Malaysia. How you are going to do that, I really dont know.
How do you keep in touch with current events in Malaysia? I suggest you visit some of the blogs run from Malaysia like Screenshots and limkitstang.blogspot.com - if it is just to put your finger on the nation’s nerve in order to feel its pulse.
November 10th, 2005 at 8:43 am
Ummi Muhammad wrote:
“…we need to shut up. Let the bus driver drive in peace. You and I know how hard it is to drive with passengers yelling and screaming, wanting your attention. I think this was probably one reason Dr. M shut people up so that he can think.”
This analogy does not quite address the issue.
You are merely stating the obvious - the case of the bus driver who has to drive with passengers yelling and screaming (and the case of the fighter pilot, who alone in the cockpit, is focused on destroying his target) – but that is reality!
It is obvious too that you have allowed your maternal instincts to take over the process of decision making. This is so typical of our Malay women in government service – in your case you are posting from Washington D.C. and that speaks volumes.
Nothing personal but we need leadership.
Returning to the analogy of the bus driver who has to drive.
1. Is he qualified to drive? Has he the required experience of a bus driver so he could drive his passengers safely?
2. Does he know where he is going?
3. How does his employer view his job performance?
4. He has an assistant on the bus who helps control the noisy and problematic passengers. How is the assistant doing to cope with the problems when he is distracted from his job as bus driver?
5. There are unruly passengers who do not want to see the bus reach its destination for reasons best known to themselves, who want to see changes made and who think they are being discriminated in terms of the fare they are being charged, some enjoying a discount on the fare etc. How is the bus driver and his assistant and their employer coping with these problems?
As for the fighter pilot, he has long ejected and abandoned his plane. He has landed safely and enjoying his life as a former fighter pilot. Leave him alone. Should he think he is still a fighter pilot, then we owe a duty to all the fighter pilots
November 10th, 2005 at 8:44 am
to wake him up from his slumber.
November 10th, 2005 at 8:49 am
The Malay psyche is never difficult to comprehend. He is simple to please, to placate, to cajole and to manipulate. The British found this very early and had written volumes on the natives of Malaya whom they had come to colonise.
Mahathir took it one level up by writing a book on the Malay dilemma so he could thumb his nose at Tunku who had done little to improve the living standards of the race. Many had come to theorise that Mahathir’s intimate knowledge of the Malays had made him less forgiving towards them. And in his later years had taken advantage of their magnamity.
Malays are very feudalistic. I remember my days in the kampong where the penghulu wields so much power and is law unto himself. It’s this feudalistic mentality that makes mavericks like Badaruddin, the guy from Jerai, so potent.
The Malays in the kampongs see politicians like Badaruddin as demigods to be worshipped and idolised just like their children idolise Mawi, the so-called singing sensation. Sadly, it’s this mentality that is holding them back.
Regardless, how idiotic our politicians are they seem to get elected year in and year out. What must we do to change the rural Malays’ mindset?
It’s pointless harping on issues that had been roundedly discussed and debated. The racist in us will surface, unconsciously. After all, we need scapegoats to be subjects of our scorn. Will heaping scorns on Malays, Chinese and Indians solve our problems? Hardly, it will only inflame our hatred for one another.
We have to find a way to educate the Malay masses in the rural areas. They must not be bought over by a piece of sarong or a cup of kopi ‘o” at the village warong.
Someone told me that motivating the urban masses is not the answer. The answer, herein, lies in the kampongs. And this is not purely a Malay problem, per se. It’s our problem.
So, let pool our resorces and come to an agreeable conclusion.
Cheers.
November 10th, 2005 at 9:08 am
The last remark tells a lot about you, Fathol.
I think you are naive to the point of being a danger to yourself and your ideals. But let there be no doubt. If you were to write a book it would sell like hot cakes - among the English educated of the different communities and for different reasons.
November 10th, 2005 at 9:17 am
Dear Malay Nationalist,
Is there something unusual in Fathol’s writing you saw that I didn’t see? Perhaps you may care to enlighten us.
November 10th, 2005 at 10:02 am
Observer:
I observe that when you visit Lim Kit Siang’s blog you apply another standard, another set of beliefs and convictions. You go along with the racist comments against Malays made by followers of Lim Kit Siang. You call him “uncle Kit”.
Eh? I cannot recall going along with blatantly racist comments. Please enlighten me if I have. And I see nothing wrong with prefacing someone’s name with a particular word - I believe I referred to Bakri Musa in my earlier comment as “Dr Bakri”. It’s just instinctive for me when I am in a Malaysian setting and dealing with elders who use their real name - I have to preface their name with something.
There has been a spill over of late of Lim Kit Siang’s followers who hero worship him, from there to Bakri’s blog - which is apolitical - to spread their vile and to pollute this blog with the same racial filth that one sees posted on limkitsiang.blogspot.com.
I am not one of those followers. On the Malay side of the Lim Kit Siang coin, Malaysia Today, I have lambasted the DAP for its inability to relate with the man on the street. Lim’s blog only improves my confidence that the DAP cannot make much inroads into voters’ hearts until there is a major shake-up in the party. I just do not make it clear on his blog because he has yet to blog about something I disagree with. I have, however, stated in a comment (a few weeks ago) that I am not a DAP fan.
And anyway, I visited this blog long before Lim Kit Siang ever set up his blog. I even briefly corresponded with Dr. Bakri via email. So no, I am not a member of that spillover, nor do I see why you would insinuate that I am of the racists’ ilk.
If the intention is to put Dr Bakri in trouble with the Special Branch, then the effort is futile because we know Dr Bakri has neither political design, ambition nor political affiliations. That is not the case with the leader of the opposition. Lim Kit Siang has been fanning the flames of racial hatred among his young followers through subtle ways - which demonstrates that as the man gets older, his views have not changed.
Fanning the flames of racial hatred? Since this is the first term I’ve been able to hold a dialogue with someone who believes this, may I ask - could you point me to one of his blog postings where he fans the flames of racism? Even subtly? I am sorry, but to me, these are just assertions. To me, racism is discrimination or prejudice based on one’s race. So, please (and I am not being sarcastic) help me out by pointing me to some of Lim’s more racist comments.
If you were talking about Lee Kuan Yew, I would understand. That man has made many stupid comments such as one confirming his belief in the Bell Curve. But Lim? Well, perhaps his comments are less well-documented than Lee’s, so maybe I’ve just missed the racist ones. If Lim is anything like Lee, he should have been able to successfully ferret away his discriminatory remarks.
To speak against corruption is the duty of all Malaysians. However, to touch on Article 153 of the Federal Malaysian Constitution is to question the Constitution - subject matter which comes within the ambit of the Sedition Act and the Internal Security Act - and a matter for the Special Branch. Though he does not directly question this Article of the Constitution - held sacred by Malays then and now - his daily postings touch on the issue of the Malay quota in the Country’s educational institutions which derives its legal justification from this Article.
Ah…I see. Although you have not linked to any of those postings, I can see where you’re coming from - they do tangentially touch on that issue just so slightly as to ensure some idiots will come along and post spiteful things. Still, if someone who opposes Article 153 as it is is a racist, I am proud to be one.
I do not question that Malays ought to be helped or that they are the indigenous people of Malaysia (along, of course, with the Orang Asli and various East Malaysian tribes). Nobody at all is denying that - even the most racist Chinese can’t deny that the Malays are lagging behind the nation overall in terms of economic development or that, like it or not, they were by and large the only citizens of the Malay Peninsula for several centuries. But I question the need for quotas in this regard, and other such institutions not mentioned by Article 153 but derived from it. How does giving a Malay millionaire a discount on his BMW or mansion help the FELDA settler? That discount could have bought the FELDA settler a lorry, but it goes to fattening the pockets of some businessman who’s already had enough luck in life.
Let’s compare Article 153 with Article 152 of Singapore’s constitution. Both articles make it clear the government must “protect, safeguard, support, foster and promote their political, educational, religious, economic, social and cultural interests and the Malay language,” in the words of Singapore’s constitution. The problem is that Article 153, with its unfair quota provisions not withstanding, has been used to derive practices that blatantly border on apartheid, while the part of Article 152 dealing with protecting the “political…interests” of the Malays has been largely ignored. The implementation (and in one case, wording) of both articles has, in my opinion, been very unfair and to say the situation needs a lot of improvement is an understatement.
You probably would like to know why I feel so strongly about quotas. In my opinion, such quotas are like giving a man a fish, while the American affirmative action teaches a man to fish. In America, the URMs (under-represented minorities) are given top priority for, say, university admission, if and only if they are more or less equal in standing with a White or Asian candidate (Asians are over-represented in their universities). So, you have to make the cut, but once you make the cut, you don’t have to worry about someone else unfairly nabbing your spot. This is how it should be, in my opinion.
Furthermore, Article 153 has also been misused to institute and defend the policy of “Ketuanan Melayu”. There are about 12 million Malays in Malaysia, and 24 to 25 million Malaysians. This means Malays probably do not even comprise a majority of Malaysians, so how can there be Ketuanan Melayu? There is only a Bangsa Malaysia.
You can argue Article 153 is relevant for two reasons. One is economic - that the Malays need help to compete. I do not deny that, and am all for better-targeted policies to aid the Malays deserving of aid (and not those useless UMNOputras). However, I do not see why this has to be enshrined in the Constitution. The government is instituted to protect the interests of all Malaysians, including Malays. If you want such an article, perhaps word it like “The government shall do its best to assist any ethnic group that lags behind the country economically”. Why deny other Malaysians such affirmative action? Indians are about 5 to 10% of our population, yet MIC is asking for a measly 1.6% that UMNO will probably deny them.
Or, you might cite the good old “Ketuanan Melayu” reason - Malaysia belongs to the Malays, thus everyone else are “pendatang asing” and only the Malays, and some other indigenous groups (just to appear consistent), can be sons of the soil (Bumiputra). This argument is utterly devoid of logic or reasoning - a whole generation has grown up considering itself Malaysian, and half of it is non-Malay. Following the logic of this argument, a Bumiputra drug addict is of greater worth and loyalty to the country than a fallen soldier who died fighting the communists just because that soldier happened to be born a non-Bumiputra and was thus a “pendatang asing”.
I understand that there exist two groups in favour of Article 153 - those who stake their stand on the first reason I cited, and those who stand their ground on “Ketuanan Melayu”. Unfortunately, the nature of Article 153 as it stands appears to be worded just ever-so-slightly as to appear it was written with the latter camp in mind, and not the former. After all, no economic rationale is provided, and the article just launches into “It shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak…” without any qualification concerning economic status. Considering the Malays and the natives of East Malaysia are “original Malaysians” (as one “Ketuanan Melayu” proponent told me), it appears logical to induce that the Article is defending “Ketuanan Melayu”.
Ironically, Article 153 was proposed with economic reasons in mind, as the Reid Commission relates. However, do note some other of their findings: “We found little opposition in any quarter to the continuance of the present system for a time, but there was great opposition in some quarters to any increase of the present preferences and to their being continued for any prolonged period. … Our recommendations are made on the footing that the Malays should be assured that the present position will continue for a substantial period, but that in due course the present preferences should be reduced and should ultimately cease so that there should be no discrimination between races or communities. … The effect of our recommendation is that with regard to other preferences to Malays no new quota or other preference could be created. These preferences can only be lawfully created or continued to the extent to which that is specifically authorized by the Constitution. … We recommend that after 15 years there should be a review of the whole matter and that the procedure should be that the appropriate Government should cause a report to be made and laid before the appropriate legislature; and that legislature should then determine either to retain or to reduce any quota or to discontinue it entirely.”
That’s right. The Reid Commission’s idea of continuing the provisions of Article 153 for a “substantial period” was to make it last for 15 years. Clearly someone screwed up, because after 15 years, I think there was little improvement in the Malays’ lot. Nevertheless, the fact remains that Article 153 was crafted as a temporary provision, as any economic-related provision should be, due to its changing over time (which is also why I do not believe it should be included in the Constitution, an essentially permanent and ideally not amended document). The Ketuanan Melayu folk clearly believe this provision is permanent. Do you?
In my opinion, the first clause of Article 153 is alright, and I would not mind leaving it as it is, although I do prefer Singapore’s Article 152 (2). Most of the rest of Article 153, however, is discriminatory, in my opinion, and should be removed as soon as possible. That article reads like a subtle message to non-Malays: “this is our land, and we’ll get what we want”. This message is accentuated by the government policies, some of which have derogated from the article, and some of which haven’t. Perhaps as Malays, many of you cannot relate to the disenchanted feelings of the non-Malay youth. Still, disenchantment it is, and it is growing. Unfortunately, I fear it is even encouraging extremist racist tendencies among certain Chinese (much like how the Whites’ discriminatory policies in pre-1960s America led to the rise of Black Power movements).
It is enlightening to read Lee Kuan Yew’s words in our Parliament 40 years ago. He may have been a racist then, and he probably is a racist now. No doubt he was exploiting a “Malaysian Malaysia” for his political gain, but still, the truth and clarity of his words remains:
How does the Malay in the kampong find his way out into this modernised civil society? By becoming servants of the 0.3 per cent who would have the money to hire them to clean their shoe, open their motorcar doors? … Of course there are Chinese millionaires in big cars and big houses. Is it the answer to make a few Malay millionaires with big cars and big houses? How does telling a Malay bus driver that he should support the party of his Malay director (UMNO) and the Chinese bus conductor to join another party of his Chinese director (MCA) - how does that improve the standards of the Malay bus driver and the Chinese bus conductor who are both workers in the same company?
If we delude people into believing that they are poor because there are no Malay rights or because opposition members oppose Malay rights, where are we going to end up? You let people in the kampongs believe that they are poor because we don’t speak Malay, because the government does not write in Malay, so he expects a miracle to take place in 1967 (the year Malay would become the national and sole official language). The moment we all start speaking Malay, he is going to have an uplift in the standard of living, and if doesn’t happen, what happens then?
Meanwhile, whenever there is a failure of economic, social and educational policies, you come back and say, oh, these wicked Chinese, Indian and others opposing Malay rights. They don’t oppose Malay rights. They, the Malay, have the right as Malaysian citizens to go up to the level of training and education that the more competitive societies, the non-Malay society, has produced. That is what must be done, isn’t it? Not to feed them with this obscurantist doctrine that all they have got to do is to get Malay rights for the few special Malays and their problem has been resolved.
…
They (the Malay extremists) have triggered off something basic and fundamental. Malaysia - to whom does it belong? To Malaysians. But who are Malaysians? I hope I am, Mr Speaker, Sir. But sometimes, sitting in this chamber, I doubt whether I am allowed to be a Malaysian. This is the doubt that hangs over many minds, and the next contest, if this goes on, will be on very different lines.
Once emotions are set in motion, and men pitted against men along these unspoken lines, you will have the kind of warfare that will split the nation from top to bottom and undo Malaysia. Everybody knows it. I don’t have to say it. It is the unspoken word!”
November 10th, 2005 at 10:09 am
Meet the stark reality.
There are three different races living in this Malay penisula called Malaya and then Malaysia.
There is no such thing as a Malaysian race only Malaysian nationality.
It is hardly a country populated by people or peoples who share the same aspirations, but by people who happen to be living together as an accident of history, and who have no choice but to tolerate one another up to a point.
The races live in compartments, in their own neighbourhoods, have their own schools and places of worship, speaking their own languages following their own cultural traditions.
Their leaders tried to unite them by making them believe that they all want the same thing, make them believe that, in their diversity, there is unity and make them sing to the same national anthem forced upon them by the so-called visionary leaders in the name of nation building while they quietly amass their wealth for themselves and their families.
This is the biggest lie they made to the inhabitants of a peninsula referred to as Malaysia. We are living out that big lie.
November 10th, 2005 at 5:29 pm
To Johnleemk
I agee with your analysis which ends:
Still, disenchantment it is, and it is growing. Unfortunately, I fear it is even encouraging extremist racist tendencies among certain Chinese (much like how the Whites’ discriminatory policies in pre-1960s America led to the rise of Black Power movements).
and I believe the Malays and Chinese are well on the road towards a repeat of may 13th.
Good Luck!
November 10th, 2005 at 8:37 pm
Dear Fair Malaysian, Fathol, Farid, et.al,
Your comments are most helpful and useful. They show us that the tasks of running a country, resolving issues, reconciling different perceptions and needs, and meeting a plurality of expectations are not easy.
As reasonable and pretty intelligent members of the apolitical Dr. Bakri blog, we understand what Badawi is up against as Prime Minister and leader of our country. But he made everything sound simple, and goes about his job on ad hoc basis, using what I call the “campur aduk” approach. He needs to lead with courage, get good people to help him and listen to the right advice and accept dissenting views. He must mobilise the nation, not cripple it.
In my view, he has completely lost focus. Why? Because he lacks clear vision, and the passion to execute. Yes, he talks about Vision 2020 and so on, but he cannot execute because he has no ownership of Mahathir’s wawasan. He talks, example, about modernizing agriculture, but how to do it?
Execution involves decision making and risk taking. Otherwise, he is just another Field Marshall William Slim, a Governor General (thanks to Fathol Zaman for this apt example).The Prime Minister is the Chief Executive of our national enterprise. Furthermore, we have our King who is, in my view, doing a great job. He is our unifier, and our enlightened ruler. Let us avoid role duplication.
Fighting corruption is a long term project. Let us not kid oursleves that there are quick fixes for this societal scourge. We may probably never eliminate this age old problem which transcends time and civilizations, but we certainly control it from being rampant. Today, we cannot do business without making submarine payments, and paying rents. That has to stop.
One day, maybe we can be like Sweden where society does not condone corruption. But even the Swedes will concede that corruption has yet to be completely eradicated in their country. So let us not underestimate the magnitude of the task before us. The ACA should not claim that it can perform miracles. But it is possible for us to be like Kong Kong over time.
Yes, Badawi produced a National Integrity Plan and established an Institute, which is being ably led by Dr. Sulaiman Mahbob. He has also made the public more conscious of corruption and put some fear of God in the minds of the corrupt. Okay, Fair Malaysian, I concede on this point.
But he has yet to introduce much needed reforms to improve the Civil Service delivery system (thanks Anson Warrior for pointing this out with a personal episode). Badawi talked by Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). What is next after mooting this idea? He spent millions on the Royal Commission on the Police Force (no public disclosure about how much was spent on this exercise). He is short on action on both counts. Frankly, I find myself in a difficult spot to accept that he is serious in the affairs of state.
In my view, he has not fixed the economy. His policies so far on this vital aspect of Malaysian life have had a very negative impact on consumer and investor confidence with the KLSE Composite Index hovering around 900. We are even behind Vietnam in terms of FDIs. Today with rising oil prices, we face the threat of rising inflation and unemployment.
Some people recently asked me about our economy. My answer was that our Prime Minister had slammed the brakes on the economy and for verification of its effects, they should, I suggested, talk to the taxi drivers and the tea tarik stall operators, not just look at official statistical indicators.
For me then, “it is the Economy, Stupid” (to borrow from Bill Clinton). If he can fix that, Badawi would have gone some ways towards restoring confidence in his Administration. Let us hope,in deference to you, Fair Malaysian, he can do something about the economy in 2006. For this, he is pinning his hopes on the 9th Malaysian Plan. But that will flounder, however, if he fails to strengthen the implementation machinery and crack his whip on politicians and bureaucrats who want to have a share in the next round of lucrative development harvest.
He has three years left to get things done, that is, to move the economy forward. It is not going to be easy because our country faces many competitors in the regional market place. Can he do it? While we may be patient when he crawls, slow and steady, the international market places takes no prisoners. Either we are ahead, or we are going to lag behind our competitors. I am impatient for results, and Badawi should get cracking.
Ummi in Washington DC, Fathol, Fair Malaysian and Farid, any comments?
Thanks.
November 10th, 2005 at 8:43 pm
Correction…”the international market place takes no prisoners”. Sorry. Din
November 10th, 2005 at 9:06 pm
I find the comparison to bus driver interesting.
Does he have a “kopi-O” licence or what?
I am sure that the PMs position is not easy but perhaps he does really understand the potent powers vested in the office with so many draconian laws at his disposal.
Maybe his religious disposition does not allow him to be ruthless and therefore the fight against corruption appears to be from the bottom-up approach; with the new badge and poster campaign.
However, I believe he should instruct the AG to just get on with the 2 most prepared cases for the famous “gang of 18″ as that will definitely give a significant impact to the anti-corruption drive.
It does not really matter what happens in the Courts - let justice take its course.
November 10th, 2005 at 9:08 pm
Sorry, one word missed out.
I am sure that the PMs position is not easy but perhaps he does NOT really understand the potent powers vested in the office with so many draconian laws at his disposal.
November 10th, 2005 at 10:09 pm
Bro Din,
My focus has been on corruption and the way Abdullah has gone about tackling it. I do confess that it is not something that could be severed and divorced from other pertinent issues such as the calamities facing our economy and administrative and social infrastructure. What more with the rapid decline in our University standing? Yes, I do agree that on the conomic front, it does show that he has yet to come to grips that time is moving too fast. Competitiors and other economies would not wait for us to maintain or improve our standing in world trade. I honestly believe that it is not just Abdullah, the entire cabinet gang knows that they are not able to deliver and are just passing their time.
To manage corruption he may have to turn hills but to move the economy he has turn mountains. Our present infrastructure and policies are grossly inadequate and misplaced. It is not like tackling corruption which may be and can be dealt with at a desired time frame. Frankly, we have lost out because of the hollow past policies which were designed on the pretext that we would always be within the comfort zone. This miscalculation and the desperate policies are no answer to the vibrant growth of emerging economies. The ad hoc policies, including like that we are talking about in education, are piece-meals which are going to create more problems than solutions. Recently, the STAR front-paged the reasons as to why our local graduates are remaining unemployed. Well, the reasons cited appear to blame the graduates and parents which are true to a certain extent but quite frankly the govt. has no answer to the unemplyment problem. It is like telling that if, on a hypothetical basis, all the graduates do meet the criteria that 60,000 jobs are available for them to fill. Before the 1997 crisis, any tom, dick and harry was able to get a job. Back then, the standard of such graduates was as pathetic as at present.
I may see the answers to our problems but the political scenario and the penchant for mud-slinging among politicians to just gain glory is leading us nowhere. What I have said 10 years ago is true now. I think quite a number of us knew what was coming but it has been hopeless telling politicians who have their own agenda, not the welfare of the people. With a complacent society, we are reaping what we have sowed, except that we are still sowing the same old seeds because we do not know or do not want to sow new and better seeds - all because politicians have got their way. Perhaps, I may write a book next year where I wish to share my views. The heart of Malaysia has become weak, very weak indeed. Medication alone is insufficient. Open heart surgery is required. If you ask me, none of the leaders are bothered about it. They just want to pass their time and make money along the way. Why should they care anyway?
Summing up, my hope on Abdullah on tackling corruption is on track, at least for the time being but everything else appears to be a lost cause. We are paying the price for the crude and dirty politics of the past. The remedies are there but I cannot see anyone around him with that kind of brains or determination to do that. Sorry for this remark. It is personal and I stand by it.
November 10th, 2005 at 10:12 pm
Friends,
Here is a piece in Business Times which supports Pak Din Merican’s comments about sentiment on the KLSE and the Malaysian economy.
Badawi must fix the economy. If he does not understand how the economy works, “minta nasihat dan ambil keputusan dengan tegas”(Ask for advice and take firm decision). Consumer and investor confidence drives the economy. Econ 101 stuff.
“Sekarang Badawi bercuti di South Africa. Aneh sekali, diapa minta nasihat dia. Tetapi nasib Tun Dr. Mahathir pun ada disana” (At this moment, Badawi is holidaying in South Africa. Most Strange, they should ask him for his advice. But fortunately, Tun Dr. Mahathir is also there).
Have a great day.
Friday, November 11, 2005
M’sian Market weighed down by Fear of Capital Flows : Domestic Funds said to be gearing up to invest part of their Funds Abroad
November 8, 2005
By PAULINE NG
Business Times
A FLIGHT of capital to stronger markets is threatening the Malaysian stock market with a further downturn.
The Kuala Lumpur market, which has been trending down since early last month, yesterday dipped below the 900 mark yesterday to 898 before closing at 901 points.
On Tuesday, market volume was at its lowest in more than a year, with only 215.8 million shares traded.
Market players fear that domestic funds which are gearing up to invest a portion of their funds abroad may exacerbate the slide.
Until now, the sums invested overseas by local funds have been minuscule, as a percentage of total funds. Only a handful of local funds - notably CIMB-Principal, Prudential, Pacific Mutual and RHB - have established global or regional funds.
Even the launch on Wednesday by UOB-OSK of a RM250 million (S$113 million) global fund to be managed by Singapore’s UOB Asset Management was relatively small.
Still, when one considers that only RM3 billion or 3 per cent of RM113 billion in institutional funds was invested overseas as at the end of last year, the potential for far greater outflow is enormous, given that local funds can take out up to 30 per cent of their fund’s net asset value.
Based on the 30 per cent cap, the potential outflow is estimated at more than RM30 billion.
‘It’s slowly going out,’ one head of research commented. But most of the money being channelled overseas is ‘new’ money, he said.
And as the bulk of Malaysian shares are notoriously illiquid and tough to dispose of, unwinding positions also takes time.
But the fear of local funds taking a chunk of much needed funds out of the Kuala Lumpur market, coupled with expectations that hot money is starting to move out, remains a concern.
Investors who poured cash into the country last year and earlier this year on expectations of a review of the fixed currency peg have found currency gains to be negligible given the ringgit’s appreciation of less than 2 per cent against the US dollar.
The negative interest rate differential between domestic and US rates of more than one per cent also makes Malaysian assets less attractive.
With an estimated tens of billions - some place it at RM30 billion to RM40 billion - of hot money in the system impatient for better returns, market players are not expecting a buoyant market in the near future.
Over the past month, Bank Negara’s international reserves dropped by RM12.35 billion to RM290.4 billion as at the end of October from RM302.75 billion as at end September.
This outflow reflects hot money moving out of bonds and equity, ECM Libra economist Wong Chee Seng said.
Mr Wong believes the outflow is likely to continue for the next month or two, but said this could be tempered by expectations that China would allow the yuan to appreciate in the first quarter of next year.
‘Hedge funds might move the money back to Malaysia if that happens, or hold their positions,’ he said.
Analysts have pointed out the outflow of liquidity will be negative for equity prices as well as for other asset prices in general.
Brokers said Bursa Malaysia had proposed a meeting with stockbrokers to discuss how the market could be rejuvenated. But the lack of market catalysts hasn’t helped.
‘Previously, even though the KL market was trading at a premium, foreigners were prepared to pay the premium,’ said the head of research. ‘Our market valuations are higher than other markets in the region but foreigners are no longer willing to stump out the premium.’
November 10th, 2005 at 10:27 pm
Fair Malaysian,
This must be the work of some genuis in Badawiland!! They must be joking. What do you think? Will it help? Isn’t it better to use the Policeman’s name tag and identification nr? Even that won’t help.
If this is the way to end of corruption in the Police Force, you should heap more praise on your hero, man! More prayers needed.
Thanks.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Malaysian Police to wear Anti-Corruption Badges
(AFP) - Malaysian police must wear badges reading “I’m against corruption” as part of a new campaign to clean up the force and discourage people from bribing officers, police said Thursday.
About 40,000 of the badges have been distributed to police officers along with 20,000 car stickers with similar slogans for the force’s vehicles, said federal police spokesman Chief Superintendent Mohamad Daud.
“All this is to encourage people to try and avoid giving bribes to the police and also the police to stop taking bribes,” Mohamad told AFP, adding that it was compulsory for officers to wear the badges.
Posters have also been distributed to state and police contingents which variously read “Honourable police above corruption”, “Don’t give and take bribes”, “Bribe the police? You will be prosecuted” and “Corruption does not pay”.
Mohamad was hopeful the initiatives would change the mindset of police and the public, and said the wearing of the badges would serve as a reminder to eschew corruption.
“Hopefully it will create something like this feeling on both sides,” he said, adding that the campaign would continue until further notice.
A survey of Malaysians earlier this year showed nearly 80 percent believe corruption is most prevalent in the public sector. Malaysians often complain of having to pay off officials to get their cases processed.
The police are the government agency most commonly involved in graft, said 68 percent of those surveyed. Two-thirds of the bribes paid involved the police, mostly for traffic violations.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has pledged to combat corruption. Since he came to power in 2003 one cabinet minister has resigned over graft, while several other politicians from the ruling party have faced censure
November 10th, 2005 at 11:31 pm
Dear Friends, and Mr Fair Malaysian,
Greetings from Cambodia.
I am learning a lot from reading Dr. Bakri’s website. During one of his lectures at my University of Cambodia recently, Visiting Professor of Business Strategy Din Merican referred to this blog/website. He recommended it to my class, and we have since spread the word. He wrote http://www.bakrimusa.com on the white board legibly before he commenced his lecture.
I have learned a lot, not just ideas and views, but also about how to write clear and simple English. The quality of Dr. Bakri’s blog is admirable. It is also liberating and mature. So Dr. Bakri, I say “okun charan” to you (thank you very much) for this international service. You may take great comfort that you now have a good following in Phnom Penh.
Even the donkies will “hee haw” if they are told that the Malaysian Police is going to ask their personnel to wear Anti-Corruption badges. I am surprised that your Malaysian Police is very corrupt because we always look up to Malaysians, and applaud your achievements.
Cambodians admire your former Prime Minister, Mr. Mahathir, for his economic and foreign policy achievements. We do not know much about Mr. Badawi except that he is a religious, soft and kind man. Is he a good leader?
Visiting Professor Din Merican told us that he admired Jack Welch, GE Chairman, and explained Mr. Welch’s 4Es & IP framework. He also said to my class that a good leader is a fearless, inspiring, hard driving decision maker, whose middle name is “Risk”. He added that if a leader could make 2 good decisions out of 10, he would have done very well. This meant that the probability of success was only 20 per cent. I wonder what you have to say to that, Mr Fair Malaysian?
Visiting Professor Din Merican did not say very much about your present Prime Minister to us, but he obviously had very strong views about leadership and the use of power. At the end of the day, he stressed to us that leaders should be judged by results of their deeds, not their words.
Okun.
November 11th, 2005 at 3:03 am
Assalamualikum
Wow, I truly enjoy reading the postings today, they are more constructive and pleasant to read. I’m playing with the “Big Boys” here. As I was reading, I was thinking about the value of Freedom of Press enjoyed in Americas. I said to myself, “won’t it be nice if we have shows like “Meet the Press”, “Inside the Beltway”, etc, in Malaysia, where exchanges of ideas and analysis can be made. There’s a lot of real thinking, reflecting and thinking done here, which should be shared with the PM. Instead the TV producers in Malaysia want to copy useless shows like American Idol.
Although I’m a Malay and Muslim, the so-called Malay mentality some time puzzled me. How can you claim to be Muslim and pray five times a day, then collect bribes or give bribes? Or take things from the office or factory for your personal use? Your religion teaches you that these are all wrong. The person giving the bribe is to blame as much as the person receiving the bribe. Personally, I’m such a straight person, don’t even know how to bargain, let alone give bribe to anybody. Don’t you feel afraid that the police officer might say that he/she will not accept bribe and then fine you more for offering the bribe? I would. Fighting corruptions must start from within you. Things must have gotten bad huh. Many years ago, we used to have Anti-Rasuah Campaign, did anybody study that campaign to see if it had worked? Perhaps we can use the same strategy now.
I agree with a lot of things that Prof Din Marican and others have said here. Malaysia need strong leadership, set proper goals and work together to accomplish those goals. Pak Lah need to set his own agenda/wawasan. Wawasan 2020 was Mahathir’s, can he relate and strive with passion the same way as Mahathir? I have more to say here but have to sign-off to do my “mother” thing. Now I understand why we do not have many women blogger. It’s time consuming and you need to read and think a lot. I’m a working mother and if my postings seems “maternal” and “Islamic”, that’s just me being me and I think it’s the product of good Malaysian Islamic upbringing and education. Alhamdullillah (All Praises due to Allah), I hope I’ve changed for the better.
Terima kasih (thank you in Malay) to solysumyann from Cambodia — you taught us how to say yours. Welcome to this forum, I hope you will enjoy your “stay” with us, you will learn a lot.
P/S I also need some suggestion on what books, magazines, etc about our beloved Malaysia. I’ve been in the States for over 20 years, and might have outdated info. I’ll pick up Jack Welch “Winnig” later today — Thanks Prof Din Marican.
November 11th, 2005 at 4:18 am
“How can you claim to be Muslim and pray five times a day, then collect bribes or give bribes? Or take things from the office or factory for your personal use? Your religion teaches you that these are all wrong. ”
why do you think every friday the mosques overflow with sinners eager to ask god for his forgiveness?
November 11th, 2005 at 6:00 am
“How can you claim to be Muslim and pray five times a day, then collect bribes or give bribes? Or take things from the office or factory for your personal use? Your religion teaches you that these are all wrong. ”
All religions teach that collecting brides is not only wrong but is one of the biggest sins. Nowadays there are so many so-called believers of God (whether they called themselves Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and etc.). These people keep doing all these wrongdoings for their earthly material gains and expect to get forgiveness through their prayers. They are even thinking that they will go to heaven when they die because they keep praying.
Do you think God will accept these people as His believers and send them to heaven?
November 11th, 2005 at 7:16 am
Sorry, folks. I have to hijack the thread one more time!
To Johnleemk
A short answer to you:
Art 153 touches on many issues – there is the history, the law and human rights elements.
It is a foregone conclusion that the elitist negotiations which preceded the drafting of the Constitution ignored the views of many Malays, Chinese and Indians and the other ethnic groups. We cannot now undo history. Period.
You agree to the need for a level playing field but disagreed as to why provisions to guarantee that the playing field is maintained post-Merdeka should be incorporated into the Constitution. Judging from the mood prevailing then, I do not think independence would have been possible otherwise. I believe the Tunku acted too hastily and agreed to the proposals and in doing so compromised native Malay interests.
I will not go into the legal niceties of the constitutional provision itself. That would take too long.
When I was an undergrad studying constitutional law, if you were to mention the term “ketuanan Melayu” it would have elicited gasps and more gasps among the students. Today could it be a new term for an old concept? Probably. But any “ketuanan Melayu” had already been compromised a long time ago. I do not profess to know what the term really means today. It is susceptible to many different shades of meaning as there are writers I suppose.
There are ambiguities all over the Constitutional provisions affecting the position of the Malays. Do not think these people are stupid. Those ambiguities were deliberate. They were made for a purpose and the purpose is to give flexibility in their interpretation – the Court of last resort for civil and criminal matters was the Privy Council then. Not so today. They have not found a solution then and they still have not found a solution today.
But if you think there will come a day when the Article 153 would be done away with, then I think you are living a dream - and a lie. Period.
Historians, academicians, constitutional lawyers can sit in conferences and debate the issue until the cows come home. The solution lies elsewhere.
But one thing is clear. Had the Government and the Armed Forces not been under the control of one race, this country would have seen a lot of bloodshed which would have made May 13th looked like child’s play.
Am I a racist? Yes I am – and like you I am proud to call myself a racist, a peace-loving one – if there is such a thing.
I believe the Malays and the Chinese and Indians are on a collision course that nobody wants - except the politicians.
November 11th, 2005 at 7:44 am
Observer:
You agree to the need for a level playing field but disagreed as to why provisions to guarantee that the playing field is maintained post-Merdeka should be incorporated into the Constitution. Judging from the mood prevailing then, I do not think independence would have been possible otherwise. I believe the Tunku acted too hastily and agreed to the proposals and in doing so compromised native Malay interests.
Well, I actually believe Ketuanan Melayu may have been relevant 50 years ago, and would thus have justified that article (although I still disagree with the notion that quotas would help much). Then, many Chinese and Indians were still tied to their respective motherlands, and had strongly backed nationalist movements there that culminated in the Kuomintang’s defeat in 1949, and India’s independence in 1948. But today, Ketuanan Melayu is a relic. Today’s Chinese and Indians are Malaysians.
But if you think there will come a day when the Article 153 would be done away with, then I think you are living a dream - and a lie. Period.
I am not so stupid as to believe that. Even if I did desire to do away with Article 153, I would recognise that the Malays could never allow it. It’s a matter of pride, I suppose. But as I said, I do not feel that way - I merely think that Article 153 could do with a lot of trimming. Its provisions for quotas, etc. are so specific in their nature that they sound more like outlines of policy than a roadmap for a nation that will remain relevant in a few hundred years. I am not contesting clause 1 of Article 153 - I am challenging pretty much almost every other part of the Article, however.
Am I a racist? Yes I am – and like you I am proud to call myself a racist, a peace-loving one – if there is such a thing.
I believe the Malays and the Chinese and Indians are on a collision course that nobody wants - except the politicians.
Although I agree with you, I’m not sure what is the point you are trying to emphasise.
November 11th, 2005 at 9:01 am
Hi Bro Din,
My, my, I am lost for words actually but after a breather I got it - it is not actually taking on against corruption - the issuance of the 40,000 badges to the police that is, it is corruption unto itself. Wonder who got the contract?
Instead of implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission, which I belief have been gathering dust, now comes the clowning glory. Don’t these people really get it? What happened to the rules? So, it seems the police unwittingly admit their dishonourable act? And it takes them a badge to rein them in. Are they really bankrupt?
Well, although my spine chills I am further reinforced in my belief that there are no brains around Abdullah. Bro Din, I did not even get a full day to keep my praise and trust. Where do you think we shall go from here? I mean, are we really doomed?
November 11th, 2005 at 9:07 am
I am afraid, unlike the intellectuals among us who seem to have one solution or other to offer, I have none.
It is a time bomb and unless we come up with a “solution” (and I hate to use this word because there can be no real solution) soon it is going to explode in our faces. There is a spark out there waiting to ignite.
The perception remains one of a zero sum game unless it is demonstrated otherwise.
November 11th, 2005 at 9:37 am
Hi Observer,
Well, your cursory stretch of our Constitution in the ambuguities, an intended one you contend, has been watered down to narrowed specifics by some who indeed hijacked wholesale the interpretation to suit political needs - as in the case of declaring the country as an Islamic nation. You, being trained in constitutional law, would surely appreciate and understand the difference between secular as opposed to anything else.
Again, when Colin Powell of USA was appointed the chief-of-staff, the soldiers nor the nation did not riot. When Manmohan Singh, from a minority was appointed the Prime Minister, the masses did not riot for not appointing one from the main. You see, these people are all matured enough to understand that colour, and consequnetially race, is only skin deep. Are you implying that we are not that matured enough or you have simply wasted your time studying for Constit Law. I will continue to see beyond this race issue as anything even close to it is repugnant, disgusting and dehumanising. You continue with this parade of yours on this race thing and one day when we are consumed by external economic powers because of our own folly, bickering and pettiness, then you will learn that we need to keep our act together, and it is not your parochial understanding of race that will come to back you up.
I will live and die with the unencumbered belief that there is a meaning and purpose that whoever that Creator might be that as a Malaysian Indian I was not born in India but in Malaysia among the richness of cultures and I am envious of such a conferrment and bestowed a gift to belief that we share a common destiny - if you do not understand that I feel sorry for you. If only racists like you have realised earlier on, we could have been as mighty economically as India and China. We have India and China at the doorstep and yet let it slip through. What a waste!
November 11th, 2005 at 9:48 am
Hi Bro Din,
Forgot to ask, how was your Cambodia trip? One of your students did mention of how you carried the pride of our country in Cambodia. That is very good for our country, especially at this time.
To “Solysumyann”, greetings to you from Malaysia.
November 11th, 2005 at 12:34 pm
well, “fair malaysian”, maybe i should not have said that “i am a racist and proud to be one” in that manner. but it was in response to johnleemk’s earlier words. he said earlier that if he is seen to oppose article 153 as it stands make him a racist then he is a racist - and proud to be one. it is a matter of emphasis of the message that both of us are trying to put across.
i am hardly what you would call “the average malay”. mixed blood runs through my veins. my kids are part chinese. my closest friends have been poor indians and middle class chinese. i grew up alongside them - rather than with fellow malays, and as a result i was never totally at ease in the presence of malays when they are in a group. throughout my life i have had to face serious bouts of identity crises that continue till today.
but make no mistake where i stand politically - and on issues like “special malay privileges.”
in the same context in which those words were made i.e. “i am a racist and proud to be one”, my view is that everyone is a racist. some say they are not - and nobody really knows what they mean. some prefer to call a spade a spade and move on. the latter i must say is a lot simpler - because then we accept who we are and work towards a common objective, acknowledging where our differences lie. not acknowledging who we are or our origins or failure to do so serve only to add to the complexities of an already complex situation.
i feel article 153 is a disgrace, nay an insult to the malay race. it should not have been there in the first place. there should not have been a need to make it into a constitutional provision. there should not have been a need to consider “giving the fish or teach someone how to fish”.
if you consider getting RM7,200 for three years to enable me to study for my first degree makes me a beneficiary of the NEP, then i am a beneficiary. i could not have afforded it otherwise - and i dont apologise for having been a beneficiary. but i never have had to say “show me special consideration because i am a malay” when it comes to university admission requirements. i have had two other tertiary level qualifications since then all acquired overseas and financed by my own savings - one at postgraduate level.
no help from the government there.
i dont care for such help since i can afford it. just like i dont care if i fit into the constitutional definition of a malay - i.e. one “who habitually speaks the malay language, follows the malay custom and professes the muslim religion”.
i am not sure which part of my writing you have found personally offensive. my intention is not to offend - if i can avoid it. but if you must be offended then so be it.
November 11th, 2005 at 12:39 pm
P.S>
i paid back every cent of the scholarship the selangor state government gave me.
November 11th, 2005 at 7:21 pm
Hi Bro Observer,
I lived with a Malay family for almost 2 years. I was only fifteen then. The father of the couple I lived with was an imam. But the entire family treated me like one of their own. I am not just picking up a leaf from nowhere. It is the pure truth. Once when I was invloved in an accident, it was the Malays who rushed my three-month old son to hospital. After all this, and if I have not learnt from such experiences then my worth as a human being means nothing.
Of course, it was the right thing that the govt helped those who needed the help. There has never been an instance where anyone with a decent mind would oppose affirmative action. The problem has always been that it has been hijacked by a greedy few and the implementation process has been weak. In this, the greedy benefactors are not only the Malays but Chinese and Indians, too and those who were subject of this deceit included the Malays. I have written about this in this column before.
Believe me, when I decided on my CEO for my company, I evaluated based on the merits of the candidate and I chose a Malay. Mind you, I do not live on or expect govt. contracts. Race would not blind me to see a person in the real sense. I have great respect for gentlemen like Dr. Bakri and Bro Din, not because they are just Malays. I learn a great deal from them and I have said so. When I am wrong I write back to say I am wrong. I see in your writing the goodness beyond the race thing rather than what you are not. We have in us the human spirit and I cannot see you in a different shade. Take care and regards.
November 11th, 2005 at 7:55 pm
Fair Malaysian:
I was in Cambodia from October 24-28, 2005 to attend the inauguration of the Asian Economic Forum, a think tank of the University of Cambodia and participate in the ensuing conference on the First East Asian Summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur this December.
The UofC is a new private University committed to providing high quality education to a new generation of Cambodians for public service and the private sector. I teach there as a Visiting Professor, passing on to these enthusiastic students my knowledge and experience as a manager and a researcher. I do that pro bono because of the satisfaction I get from knowing that I am of some value to them.
I think the Cambodian Government under Prime Minister Hun Sen, and Cambodians are humble enough to want to learn from the experiences of Malaysia and countries in the region. On this occasion, I talked about “Malaysian Economic Development During the Mahathir Era (1981-2003): The Growth with Equity Model”.
The Cambodians have been through tragic and difficult times with Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouges (The Red Khmers). The consequences of his ideological myopia and social engineering experiments are still evident in this wonderful nation. All you have to do is to visit the Toul Sleng torture centre in Phnom Penh, and the Killing Fields in the outskirts of the capital. You will be reminded of the folly of revolutions. Revolutions destroy people and consume their perpetrators. Being passionate does not mean being crazy!!
Pol Pot killed intellectuals, civil servants and the commercial class, destroyed the market economy, and sought to create a cultural revolution based on collective agriculture. He was reported to have boosted to the late Prime Minister of China and Confucian mandarin, Zhou Enlai, that he and his henchmen would outperform China’s Cultural Revolution. This came after Zhou had warned him of the failure of Mao’s experiment.
1975 was appropriately described as “Year Zero”. The urban population in Phnom Penh and in the provincial capital were forced into labour camps for re-education so that they could farmers. Some 1 million Cambodians died of torture and executions, disease and starvation. The foundations of a modern economy were also obliterated in the process.
Towards the end of his regime, the “great leader” started to purge and execute his inner circle. Paranoia got the better of him. Pol Pot’s death in 1998 is a remainder of “Karma” which can befall any power maniac or brutal dictator. He died in disgrace and was cremated on the stacks of old wood, rubbish and old tyres in the jungles of Pailin, Northwest Cambodia. It would be interesting for you to read Ben Kiernan’s book, “The Pol Pot Regime” and Michael Vickery’s book.
The past, 2 decades of Civil War, is behind the brave Cambodians, although for those who lost loved ones and who saw their fortunes destroyed by the autogenocide, painful memories remain. They can now to look up and move forward. I was impressed with what I saw and the leaders and the young people I met during this visit.
The country has a strong political leader in Prime Minister Hun Sen who is able to attract a very good group of well educated Cambodians to help him rebuild the economy with emphasis on agriculture, SMEs, tourism and light manufacturing. Education and human capital development have been given due priority.
Macro economic policies with the help of the World Bank, the IMF and the Asian Development are now in place to attract much needed foreign direct investment. Budgetary reforms have been implemented and over time, Cambodia will be less dependent on budget support (donor contributions).
Political stability has returned to the country and I feel that given their commitment to develop a market economy founded on the Rule of Law and good Governance, Cambodians can move forward with confidence. Vietnam is booming. Thailand is growing impressively. Cambodia, as a member of ASEAN, will benefit from the growing dynamism of the Sub-Mekong Region in the short term, and can gain from the ASEAN Free Trade Area over the long haul.
Fair Malaysian, you ask me about our country. I make no apology for saying that Malaysia is getting too arrogant. We think that we have a monopoly on wisdom, and are entitled to our success. That is why we are given to lecturing the African countries, now that our Arab brothers are looking elsewhere.
We are suffering from a “humility” deficit. We have not learned the lessons of the last Economic Crisis, and are bound to repeat them. We need to lower our voices, act with resolve, and handle our relations with our neighbours with great skill and finesse.
Having said all that, I remain an optimist because of what I read in this blog/website and others. Malaysians are speaking their minds freely within bounds of propriety on matters that affect our country. Sooner or later our efforts will have an impact on the politics of our country.
As our democracy matures, politicians can only ignore the voices of people at their own peril. Power remains with the people. We can make a difference. But we also need a leader with character and energy to move forward.
Ummi:
You spelt my family name wrongly. It is Merican, not Marican.
How lucky you are!! You are in Washington DC. Just go to the Library of Congress and the resource centers of the Universities (like George Washington University, American University and Georgetown University) in the Washington Metropolitan Area and you find a lot of reading materials on our country. Please also visit the Malaysian Embassy in Massachusetts Avenue and talk to the senior diplomats.
Thanks.
November 11th, 2005 at 8:09 pm
Well, there are many Malays who do not benefit from the so-called affirmative actions of the BN Government. My two sons went through college without any scholarship. When I was in school my father paid my school fees, and that of my siblings.
There were many Malay students who received financial aids from the Government, especially those who joined me from the Special Malay and Remove classes. I bear no grudge against them for their poor parents could not afford the RM5 monthly fee the mission school charged.
It was fine then for we had come to accept this anomaly as a matter of course.
RIDA and then MARA college was there to take care of the brighter Malays. To get into MU in the 60s was God-sent for one had to be academically inclined to be admitted.
All was okay until after May 13 and when the NEP was introduced with vengence in 1970. Subsequently, even well-meaning Malays, like many on this blog, could no longer seperate the wheat from the chaff.
When I was in Melbourne some years ago I was shocked to note that the son of the then mayor of KL was studying at La Trobe Uni on a government scholarship. He failed his first term exams and rightly enough should be sent home but he remained to complete the course after several hiccups.
While the rest shared to rent houses and apartments, he stayed in a condo in Souh Yarra with a live-in maid and drove to college in a sports car.
This is the kind of abuse that many have overlooked, as the system, by design or otherwise, cannot differentiate between the poor and the rich from among the Malays themselves.
Article 153, regretfully, does not make an allowance for this. Should we support it then?
November 11th, 2005 at 10:13 pm
Dear all,
The word racist have been thrown around like a one cent coin. Does everyone knows what it really means? Sometimes we use the word racist to describe prejudice, bias, dislike or preference for a certain group of people and the likes. In that instance you are not racist but just a bigot. May i caution all to really understand the word racist before using it the next time. My two cents worth. 10-4
November 12th, 2005 at 6:22 am
fathol,
“change” and art 153 - since this forum is about “change”
if i may add, art 153 is an exception rather than the rule. it is opposed to the “equality” and “equal before the law” and such other clauses in the constitution. it is meant to be temporary, meant perhaps to be replaced in another form after 1990 - but was not. as to what form it could take post-1990 i dont care to speculate. what is the point in specualting what was in the minds of the draughtsman. like i said earlier, they had no solution then, they still dont have the solution now.
but clearly it has been abused. that seems the consensus here. now what do we do about it?
can it be left to the armchair critics, those gentlemen in pinstriped suits, those talking heads who ply back and forth between popular destinations (with their mistresses never more than an arms length away) to actually solve this problem? no. because they lack the will to initiate change themselves but only possess the academic wherewithal to voice out ideas they feel others are too stupid to see and understand, that they alone have the monopoly to intelligence and truth and the knowledge of what is best for the country. they prefer to live in ivory towers they built for themselves, only to emerge to spread the myth and to spin.
that leaves the politicians. now why should the politicians want to change anything? even the dumbest among them must know that he would be commiting political harakiri if he so much is known to favour it, let alone voice it. this applies to the malay politicians of whatever political affiliations. as to the non-malay politcians, they too want change - in the oppositie direction. some more extreme than others. but only because they need to increase the influence among their constituents. it is race politics, remember? at one end of this political spectrum are the chinese from the coalition partners, and at the other end are those from the opposition parties. it is a political tug-o-war leading nowhere. the opportunists among the malay politicians have allowed the abuse to continue while they amass wealth for themselves and their families - all in the name of “malay special privileges”.
since they will not initiate change who will and who can?
it used to be the malay intellectuals emerging from universities in oxford and cambridge and institutions abroad in the pre-independence and post war era, followed by malay school teachers of the 60s, newly emerging malay small businessmen and traders of the 70s, islamic fundamentalists of the 80s. today it would be naive to expect those who benefit from it to work for its eventual demise. in fact they are very strong vested interests working both openly and behind the scene to make it permanent - and in some cases for the abuse to continue.
so who can? who has the power and the will to change? those who have the power do not want to initiate change, and those who have the will do not have the power to make the change. those who have neither will continue to talk about change.
i remain an observer. pessimistic but not given to pessimism.
December 29th, 2005 at 8:25 am
I just found your website and will read with great interest.
January 3rd, 2006 at 10:17 pm
I was browsing through for information and found your site by chance. Very interesting. Freedom of speech is very important and should be upheld by every single individual be it in Malaysia or abroad. I am Malaysian graphic designer working for the english daily The New Straits Times. I am very proud of my country, although there are issues that should be brought out into the open regardless of its inplications. The public have not reached the stage of speaking out their views and mind at the moment but we have to make drastic changes for the benefit of all regardless of race and religion. I believe the first thing that should be changed is the ridicalous race column in our forms. The day we stop filling up the form as indian, muslim, or chinese and etc… we will be truly Malaysian. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to have my say.
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June 17th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
Have not seen more from you.
What do you think of the current quarrels.
I am also malaysian and I live just slightly north of your ransh in the San Jose area.
EC
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