Merdeka In All Its Manifestations
Merdeka In All Its Manifestations
[Reposted from www.Malaysia-Today.net (September 4, 2005). This is an expanded version of the one published in the Merdeka supplement of the Sun]
As we celebrate Merdeka Day, we joyfully recall the events that led to it. It is equally important for us to ponder on what did not happen or could have happened. What took place was obvious; Malaysia gained her freedom from colonial rule. What did not take or could have taken place requires some reflection.
Unlike Independence Day celebrations of many nations, we do not have to pay tributes to slain warriors. Thanks to the wisdom of our earlier leaders, there were no “glorious” wars of independence and therefore no fallen heroes. Further, with many nations the dream of freedom quickly degenerated into a nightmare of national tragedies. Malaysia was thankfully spared such horrors.
Gandhi with his nonviolence philosophy humbled the mighty British into granting India its independence peacefully, but he could not tame his fellow citizens bent on massacring each other. The Indonesians fought hard for their independence, only to see their cherished freedom debauched by their egomaniacal president, Sukarno.
True Hero Of Our Independence
Our first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman held true to our prophetic tradition of the pen being mightier than the sword. He resorted to the negotiating table, not the battlefield, and enlisted lawyers not soldiers in our struggle for independence. Honoring fallen heroes of such wars as martyrs, national heroes, or freedom fighters does not lessen the pain their loved ones endure. We owe Tunku a massive debt of gratitude for sparing us such misfortune. He was truly the quiet and unsung hero of our independence.
This fact needs emphasizing, lest we forget. Already there are “revisionist” historians and other commentators intimidating that such an honor belongs to the likes of some obscure failed politicians and former thugs and terrorists. To me, the true hero is not the dashing rescuer who saved the drowning damsel, rather the young boy who kept his finger in the dike and thus prevented a flood.
Tunku went further. Whereas India and Indonesia degenerated into anarchy, Malaysia enjoyed a decade of peace and prosperity following independence. This led Tunku to boast that he was the “world’s happiest prime minister.” God later humbled him and the nation. The 1969 tragic race riot took place during his watch; it remains a blemish on our history.
If Tunku’s wisdom was in sparing us the dream from disintegrating into a nightmare, his successor’s genius was in giving substance to that collective dream. Tun Razak’s bold rural development schemes and imaginative economic initiatives gave Malaysians their greatest freedom – that from privation and poverty. Later, Dr. Mahathir drove development to greater heights, and equally greater excesses.
These leaders have done their part. It would take an even greater measure of genius and wisdom from today’s leaders to fulfill the promise of merdeka in all its facets.
Abridgment Of Our Merdeka
It would be a great irony and outright perversion if today’s leaders were to deprive Malaysians of their personal merdeka in the name of defending the nation’s freedom. Yet today hundreds are being incarcerated without being charged, let alone tried in court. The state has summarily stripped them of their precious rights as citizens and as human beings.
We do not respect nor honor the spirit of merdeka when we arbitrarily abridge the freedom of our citizens. The authorities crudely remind the citizens that they cannot read certain books, attend particular plays, or watch specific movies. For Muslims, the stricture is even narrower: Islam is what the government says it is; we deviate at our own earthly peril.
While lamenting the shortage of books written in Malay, these leaders do not hesitate in banning the works of Malay writers who dare express independent thought. The nation’s foremost thinker, Kassim Ahmad, had his Hadith: A Re-Evaluation banned. He also endured years of incarceration for his political views.
A sinister recent development is the intimidation of journalists through seizures of their computers, and the jailing of writers for what they write. Far from being intimidated, Malaysians continue to express themselves freely through other media, in particular, the Internet. That is a singular tribute to the ingenuity of Malaysians.
The attitude towards our best and brightest is no more enlightened. We want them to think and be creative, but we insist that they conform. Top positions in universities are given to pseudo academics whose chief function is to ensure that faculty members abide by Akujanji (a loyalty oath) rather than to their scholarly duties.
It would indeed be a perversion if not a great tragedy were we to be freed from the yoke of colonial oppression only to be subjugated and suppressed by our own kind. We are ever vigilant of threats from outside, we must remain equally wary of intrusions from within. The best of intentions and the noblest of motives do not prevent their perversion; the proverbial road to hell is paved with the best of intentions. I look askance at the restrictions placed on citizens all in the name of the “public good.”
Loss to the Nation
It is also a sad commentary when the cream of the younger generation leaves us; a loss we can hardly afford. It is even sadder when we fail to develop the young talent in our villages. That represents a double tragedy, for the individuals as well as the nation.
Today’s headlines carry unending tales of financial scandals and shenanigans, from approved permits for importing cars dispensed to cronies to the massive losses at government-linked companies. The waste is colossal. As staggering as that may be, an even far greater loss is the opportunity cost. Had we spent the resources on educating our young, building good schools, and training teachers, there would be no limit to the height of their – as well as the nation’s – achievements.
The first generation of leaders freed us from British rule; the next lifted us from privation and poverty. Tun Mahathir, the last leader, gave us economic freedom, albeit to the exclusion of other freedoms. The challenge for today’s leaders is to give us merdeka in all its manifestations.
September 5th, 2005 at 11:46 pm
Dear Bakri,
I spent August 31, 2005 for the first time without watching on TV the much touted “Mardi Graz” we put on for the rest of our country and the world to see, and for a few accolades from foreign tourists. I did not think I missed very much, having seen many previous celebrations in better times and circumstances to mark our National Day.
In our 48th Independence Year, we are having the celebrations for I month. This fiesta will end on September 16, at Bandar Darul Aman, Jitra, Kedah, again amidst fine display of our culture and music, fireworks and pomp and ceremony. We started with a bang in Danga Bay, Johore Baru and it must end in similar fashion in Jitra.
We will never know how much money we spent for this Merdeka celebrations, including the cost of the Galur Gemilang excursion led by a Government Deputy Minister to London and back. But I do see a disjoint between this level of public spending, and the stories which are being put by Badawi’s spinners of the need to maintain fiscal discipline.
These spinners put out the word that we had to be prudent in our public spending. This was because Tun Dr. Mahathir had spent all the money. Even as laymen, we all know that Government can only have tax revenues when businesses are making money, and Malaysians have jobs and incomes. We also know that Tun Dr. Mahathir created wealth through economic growth via foreign direct investment and infrastructure development. Our economic growth was impressive during his time, for most of his 22-year Administration.
For me, and the reason for my lack of excitement over the celebrations, it is the state of our national economy over the last 2 years. Sudden and serious cutbacks in public spending are having its toll. The economy has stalled, and it is going to take time to get the momentum going again.
Our most immediate challenge is how we should deal with our sluggish economic growth, and the specter of price inflation, meaning a substantial drop in the domestic purchasing power of our ringgit. I have to yet any action plan to revive growth, attract FDIs, and create jobs. Of course we have adopted a few ad hoc measures to deal with toll road charges, diesel oil subsidies for the rural sector, and profiteering by businesses.
Maybe, the NEAC is working on such a plan. If so, that is good. We can then expect to get a clearer picture in the next Budget, 2005/2006.
I am afraid, at least for the time being, we all being diverted away from the bread and butter issues and problems. We are only told about what a great future we can have and what we must do to be a developed nation in 2020. In reality, there may not be a future to talk about, if we cannot deal with social problems that may crop up due to a looming and possibly serious economic slowdown.
Let us heed the message of the IMF which is forecasting a global economic slowdown in 2006, although we were fully justified in resisting its Washington Consensus prescriptions for our economy during the 1997-1998 economic crisis.
It is time that we Malaysians are told to brace ourselves for a difficult 2006 and 2007 as the world itself experiences slower growth. We need to be told of the facts concerning the state of our economy so that we can prepare ourselves.
Most of all, we need strong and decisive leadership on the economy once again.
September 6th, 2005 at 5:35 am
From what I read from over here, Malaysia seems to be having a wishy-washy kind of leadership.
Racial polarisation has been allowed to continue unabated - perhaps not openly but racial animosity is allowed to simmer. To understand what I mean just visit the blog by Jeff Ooi. This blogger is encouraging racial bigots to dominate his blog. He says he is not allowing racist and defammatory comments by posters and seems to be exercising control, that he has learned his lesson after his brush with the Special Branch on two previous occassions. He has in fact made fools of the officers at the Special Branch - who should show more sophistication in the way they control bloggers like the likes of Jeff Ooi. His “censorship” is in fact minimal as he would allow his friends to continue to make racial remarks albeit disguised as “constructive”, motivated not by malice but by a desire to make positive contributions etc etc.
Unlike this website, the blog by Jeff Ooi is an insult to Badawi’s leadership. Administration under Badawi is seen by foreigners as weak at all levels, a slap in the face of the Malays who seem powerless to control these bloggers.
The national sampan is left adrift, floating aimlessly in the stormy waters of racial bigotry tacitly promoted by bloggers like Jeff Ooi. Read the positngs by one Frank&Honest. You could see that he tries to moderate his views on Malays and Badawi, but merely out of respect for his blogger friend. We are not stupid as we can read in between the lines. We hope the officers at the Special Branch would act soon to stop the insults being hurled at Malays by his posters on a daily basis. They blame activists from within the UMNO youth wing for stirring up racial hatred but make no mention of similar outbursts from racists within their fold. Jeff Ooi in fact encourages comments from among his posters which while they are not outwardly racist in appearance, are in fact mischevious in their nature and intention. They disguise this as being their desire to bring freedom etc.
We all know better. We hope Special Branch know as much - and take preemptive measures and not just show lip service, before this Country is torn by racial strife of the form we saw first hand on May 13th 1969. I should know because I was in uniform then, armed with an SLR and saw burnt out cars with dead bodies in them along the Federal Highway adjacent to the EPF. Petaling Jaya then was a predominantly a Chinese area - unlike today when PJ has a good racial mix.
I call upon the Badawi Administration not to let the national sampan continue to drift towards new depths in the stormy waters of racial polarisation. Badawi has to take control of the oars and row the national sampan towards racial harmony and peace - before we all drown.
September 6th, 2005 at 5:56 am
P.S.
No poster at this respected website by you, Bakri, has called Malays morons, tin kosong, fools, bodoh, unfit to compete with other races and the like.
Visit the blog by Jeff Ooi and read what posters write just in the last few days and you know what I mean. You dont need to scroll back, track back weeks and months to know what I am talking about.
To the Special Branch I say, “Dont be a stooge to stooges from within”. Do your national duty.
September 6th, 2005 at 6:43 am
The remarks by “keris_always” seem somewhat overstretched. I do agree that moderation is required in anything we have to say in a multi-cultural setting as in Malaysia. However, you must also understand the frustration and despise that has been building-up among the non-malays and if you appear to see only from the Malay perspective, then that would certainly be skewed.
There has never been a fair and level playing field in Malaysian politics with the Malays hijacking almost all that is prizy. When we want to buy houses, applying for places in universities, AP permits, and thousand and one things, we are sidelined. For the Malays, it is one of wasted opportunities, but for the non-malays, it is one of DENIED OPPORTUNITIES.
You can ask any non-malay and he would agree that all the under-priveleged, irrespective of race and religion should be given a helping hand but what we are actually seeing is a complete disregard to treating us as fair citizens of this country who have helped economically and politically towards the growth of this country. We are only citizens in name. This country has the most blatant institutionalsied racial discrimination.
You would agree that almost everthing under the sun has been done for the well-being of Malays and we accepted as a conducive nation-building effort but look at the endemic corruption of the priveleged few who have squandered all that has been dished out to them.
When we tell our children to study very hard and when they get good results, we have to go around begging for places in academic institutions. Looking at their faces makes us weary and sad and telling them to excel in their studies seems to be a joke. Additional marks are given to Malays (this is not a secret anymore) and yet they flounder. Find out why such a dismal performance and take a corrective action instead of pointing the sniper at us. You would well find that your own race has been the cause of its problems and you need not have to create a bogeyman out of us because we do mean well in most circumstances and have put up with revision of goal-posts a number of times for the sole reason to maintain a lasting peace and understanding as the key to the progress of the nation as a whole unlike the keris-waving leader. But sometimes we find it very difficult to justify to our children as their sudden demise of their feeling as Malaysians is rudely awakened by the racial politics having a field day.
Look at the landscape genuinely and feel for us too. We were born in this country and have come to call this country home. We will do anything to defend this country. So, tell me why are we being treated as second-class citizens in our own country? If the non-malays have a higher equity footing, it is through sheer hard-work. What is stopping the Malays to do the same? With so much of preferential treatment, why many fail? How long can this go on?
Believe me, we are hurt. What pride can you have when you do not treat us as an equal so that we can forge our arms and walk as Malaysians, as in the good old days? Racial polarisation is strife and ask any decent person the cause of it. In those days, my Malay friends visit our homes during festivities but now they decline to even step into our homes. We extend our open arms but what we get in return is the “suspicious” look. So, do some soul-searching into the depths of your own humanity and excavate if there is any in you to understand the frustration and rejection feeling among the non-malays, instead of taking a short-cut to solving problems as you have erroneously suggested, as this seems to be the preferred way of the government of the day but with disastrous results as you are seeing being expressed. Love and respect cannot be won by brandishing a sword.
FAIR MALAYSIAN
September 6th, 2005 at 10:14 am
Fair Malaysian says
“There has never been a fair and level playing field in Malaysian politics with the Malays hijacking almost all that is prizy. When we want to buy houses, applying for places in universities, AP permits, and thousand and one things, we are sidelined”.
You are questioning Art. 153 of the Federal Malaysian Constitution 1957. This provision is inserted in the Constitution in the first place, in order to level the playing field, a field which is not level to begin with – so that we could say to the British that we have an action plan to resolve the race issue. Otherwise, we would not have been able to convince the British that we deserved to be given independence.
The dichotomy between economic and political power, artificial though the division may be to maintain, is perhaps the single most important factor that works to preserve stability within multi racial Malaysia in the short run. As we work towards the reduction in the identification of economic functions with race, some conflicts, racial tensions etc are inevitable. Our work in nation building have acted to blur those lines – good in the long run. But the continued dichotomy between political and economic power, maintained artificially, is necessary as a balancing act - bad in the long run and impossible to maintain but necessary and justifiable in the short run. The problem is we never go beyond the short run.
The crisis of confidence which troubles the Malays today, their ambivalent attitude towards UMNO, a political party dedicated to the struggle for the advancement of the Malay race, is due to the fact that it has today lost much of its legitimacy. It is riddled with massive corruption and its leadership positions seem to have been monopolized by leaders of less than full integrity.
Racial discrimination in Malaysia is institutionalized - agreed. But for a reason. It is the mirror image, if you will, of the dichotomy referred to above – which is there to begin with. For one to go, the other has to go first.
Had the UMNO Malays gone along with its founder Onn Jaafar, who was an idealist, a visionary and less of a pragmatic politician than Tunku was, I am sure the country would have been torn by racial chaos soon after independence that would turn the incidents of May 13 1969 into just a glitch in the history of this country.
Let not the abuse by politicians, individuals of different political affiliations and loyalties blur the objectives of constitutional provisions like Art. 153. It is not an exaggeration to say both of us, our children and their children, owe our well being today to Art. 153. We must work towards the rescission, if you will, of this key article but until the conditions which give rise to it have been relegated to the background, it has to remain and politicians and community leaders must continue to work hard.
As for the non-Malays feeling that they are but second class citizens, I would invite them to come live in the United States – a place where to discriminate along any line – racial, sexual etc – is illegal and there are laws which you could rely on to seek redress if you have the resources. You will find being a Malaysian living in the world’s leading democracy is not much different. You are many rungs below the African Americans, the Hispanics, the Koreans, the Vietnamese, the Middle Eastern, the Indians and even the Pakistanis. You are at the bottom of the “food chain” so to speak. Racism still rules and racial discrimination is a fact of life. Non-Malays who make a bee line to the United States to find work when times are hard in Malaysia somehow find reasons to return. I ask myself why and I keep getting the same answer: Malaysia is still the best place to make a living, to live – and die.
September 6th, 2005 at 12:22 pm
P.S>
By the way, “Fair Malaysian”, as you ask why the non-Malays feel they are second class citizens in the country of their birth, it is not unfair also to ask yourself as to why Malaysia is not just a place, for a good 60% of Malaysians to live in and die but also to die for.
September 6th, 2005 at 12:43 pm
First of all, we should not shut others up because what they say is disagreeable. In fact, we should learn to counter untruths, lies and distortions, not silencing them. Ronnie Liu made a lot of factual errors which he kindly provided in text for us to read and reply (which I did), but the more important thing here is how we are swept away by the politics, not the accuracy of historical representation.
I read with delight what this blogger has said and I am glad that there are many of us who still has their critical faculties on. Not all readers are fools, and we must share the belief that they can be taught and mutual learning is possible. We cannot ask the censors and the special branch to shield us from correcting prejudice, as the action is merely to stoke the fury and misconception. Silencing dissent will only serve to reinforce prejudice, and there is no percentage in that.
We still have many good people around, and we should encourage more to partake in this fight for common sense and human decency. Don’t keep asking the Big Brother to shut someone up because you cannot deal with it. Malaysians have to grow up and learn to mature as a civil society, and that cannot be achieved when we fail to exercise our rights to dissent. Self-censorship is equally horrific.
I was born in Malaysia, and I plan to die here. However, using the Constitution or any law to silence people who disagrees is catastrophic. The crowd is blind, and the mob is alive, but we got to have faith in winning them over on the soundness of rational discourse, not by gagging them. Engage the crowd, and do not lose faith. We do not all have to be bloggers to be heard, and we do not have to be tyrants to make sure only our voice is heard.
September 6th, 2005 at 2:06 pm
“First of all, we should not shut others up because what they say is disagreeable. In fact, we should learn to counter untruths, lies and distortions, not silencing them” says Chez1978.
I cannot agree with you more. We should not shout somebody down merely for exercising his right to freedom of speech. That is not the issue here. The issue here is: freedom of speech not being absolute or unqualified, and given the fact that racial polarization in Malaysia has been left unchecked, encouraged even, and racial tolerance is at a new low, we do not need a repeat of the 1969 riots to remind us how fragile racial tolerance is in a country like Malaysia. The United States has had 200 years of history and they still cannot say that they have passed the time when they look at each other not as whites, blacks, hispanics, asians or orientals or jews etc. We have had less than 50 years of history. What is 50 years compared to 200 years? We still need laws to help balance freedom and security. The U.S. has the U.S. Patriot Act. Malaysia has the ISA – both emerged in response to terrorism. The ISA is never meant to be used to stifle freedom of speech but to help preserve the very conditions without which freedom of speech under Art. 10 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia 1957 cannot exist.
If you refer to our Federal Constitution, the right to freedom of speech and expression is not unqualified. It is subject to “the right of Parliament to impose restrictions as it deems necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of the Federation….” The ISA, borrowed from the experience of the British fighting terrorism in Ireland, was introduced in colonial Malaya to help fight the communist insurgency of the ‘50s and early ‘60s. It is useful and if used correctly will help safeguard our fundamental liberties. It is like Big Brother is saying, “You behave and you can have the freedom you seek. However, if you do not then I have this big stick to make sure you do.” That is the only scenario I can see we as Malaysians in a country of minorities can have our freedom. Now as for the abuse of such laws to stifle political opposition, that is another matter. The fault here is not in the song but the singer.
“Fair Malaysian” calls himself Anak Malaysia. How can there be Anak Malaysia when there is no such thing as Bangsa Malaysia. Bangsa Malaysia is but a figment of the imagination. There can only be anak Melayu, Cina and India etc. It is an excuse by the liberals among Malaysians to promote an agenda of their own. I pride myself as being a realist – not an idealist.
September 6th, 2005 at 6:29 pm
Dear anakmalaysia,Frank&Honest et.al,
I pride myself in being “quite” liberal in that I try to encourage and engage free expression and exchange of views and ideas as long as these are carefully considered and responsible. I too have been very critical of Government policies and our politics. I believe after 48 years of independence some flexibility can be good as we need space to grow and mature.
But the quality of discourse in most websites and blogs I visited reflect that we still lack maturity. In fact, some people who use them are “distasteful”in their use of the language be, it English or Bahasa Malaysia. They hide behind their pen names, and throw insults at serious writers, analysts, and commentators.
We, the Malays, at this moment in our proud history, are engaged in a serious process of self-examination and soul searching. That is our business. So stay out of it. We will emerge out of this a stronger and better people. All said, that does not give bloggers like Jeff Ooi and Raja Petra Kamaruddin and their readers the license to heap racial insults and slurs on the Malay community.
Dr. Bakri Musa and I have criticised attempts by the Police to harass websites like Malaysiakini and Malaysia-Today on the assumption that they are capable of fair reporting of the news, and criticisms of public policy and politics. But I have no tolerance whatsoever when it comes to challenging the integrity, honour, and dignity of my race, and inciting racial hatred with stereotypes and caricatures. Here I draw the line. There are limits to what I can take.
People like Mr Ronnie Liu and others in DAP and the NGOs should not push the envelope too far as the consequences will be dire. To all bloggers, I advise you to vet what you write and allow to appear on your blogs and web-pages. Otherwise, I will be happy to advocate a systemic clamp down of bloggers and web owners who lack good taste, and who deliberately encourage racial polarisation.
I agree with keris_always that there are limits to freedom of speech. So those who advocate the end of the ISA should re-think. Finally, I say to all, please stop insulting my race. If on that grounds you say I am a racialist, I gladly stand accused.
Thanks.
September 6th, 2005 at 8:17 pm
To Keris_always, I am glad that we are able to discuss the instant topic with a level of maturity and this certainly augurs well.
Your argument that the British would not have acceded to independence if not for agreeing to the level playing and this was done to secure independence rather frightens me. You mean to say, you will lie to the core to get what you want. Now, perhaps, you would understand why the non-malays are by and large distrustful of what the Malays say, particularly politicians, to say one thing and mean something else, most of it adversarial. That is why I refer to the “changing of goal-posts” and you seem to reaffirm my view.
Your reasoning of the economic and political balance among the races to go beyond the short-term and reach an even ground is rather disturbing, too. The Malays have been given almost everything in a silver platter but abuses of the priveleges unabated means you are going to get nowhere. We have not taken away anything from you. The widespread abuses has become the talk of the town and in all this, a new understanding has emerged, and a number of my Malay friends have personally told me that what was supposed to have benefitted a wide spectrum of their kin had only gone to a select few. Do some soul-searching on this.
During the days when I was working, during the fasting month, I did fast the entire month and break-fast with my Muslim friends. Being a non-muslim, I saw something in it where no other religion has. I even went a step further. While some of my Malay friends, based on invitation, broke their fast in hotels, I refused any invitation to break-fast in hotels and instead chose to go through with it in simple surroundings.
So, I have nothing against any race. Even your argument on the state of affairs of the minority in other countries such as in USA seems shallow. In the US, it is not instituionalised race discrimination as in this country. There, it is one of poor enforcement and implementation. Even so, you are only comparing those which seems convenient to your argument, leaving out the many positive developments that has taken place there. Notwithstanding, I would not go to the extent of citing such anomalies in my argument to justify my position in this country. That certainly would be a cheap shot. What you are alluding is that, if the Americans can do it, why can’t we? I really do not understand it. We are all supposed to be the children of whoever the Creator is and what moral justification we have when we pray to the Almighty and yet are able to argue that some of us are better than others because of race and religion. For your information, I will never stoop to such a low level and hold firmly to the belief that we all are the same in the eyes of the Creator, irrespective of race and religion.
TRUE MALAYSIAN
September 6th, 2005 at 8:34 pm
Keria_always argument that you are a realist and not an idealist. So what are you real in - in the skin, in the air that you breathe in, in the hope that if you sleep today, whether you will wake up tomorrow. Nothing in this world is real my friend. Let us cherish our life with the blessings of humanity and do not get carried away with false hopes and arguments. Our understanding and co-existence will carry us far, our division will cause our own downfall. And I sincerely believe that the day you will wake up to this truth is not far away. Wish you all the best.
TRUE MALAYSIAN
September 6th, 2005 at 10:12 pm
Fair Malaysian says,”….the day you will wake up to this truth is not far away”
I sense a threat here. My friend, at first I thought we had a lot of common ground. The restraint you seem to be showing, I thought at first, was commendable.
But it seems that I am wrong.
I suggest you read again the statements I made. If you do away with your preoccupation with the shifting of goal posts while the game is being played, you should be able to understand what I am saying. You have chosen instead the well trodden path which is to hurl insults at the Malays - interspersed with what appears to be phrases of tolerance and understanding etc.
You say, “In the US, it is not instituionalised race discrimination as in this country. There, it is one of poor enforcement and implementation.”
Allow me to paraphrase for you. In the U.S. any form of discrimination is illegal. There are expressed laws you could depend on to seek redress should you fall victims to such practices. On the other hand, racial discrimination in Malaysia is institutionalised, made legal by the government. It is institutionalised for good reasons. It is provided for by Art. 153 of our Federal Malaysian Constitution 1957. It is at the very core of the bargain struck by representatives of the various communities.
Now you blame the Malays for the act of “shifting the goal posts” whenever it suits them. If you take a moment to think, to amend the Constitution now and do away with Art. 153 and such like provisions within the Constitution, would in fact be shifting the goal posts during the course of the game. Although you have not said it in so many words, I feel that is what you are advocating.
Government policies to eradicate the identification of race with economic functions have failed. The equitable division of the national economic pie among the races too has failed.
What the Government has succeeded is in creating a capitalist class among the Malays. the wealth created failed to reach the
September 6th, 2005 at 10:30 pm
Fair Malaysian says,”….the day you will wake up to this truth is not far away”
I sense a threat here, my friend. At first I thought we had a lot of common ground. The restraint you seem to be showing, I thought at first, was commendable.
But it seems that I am wrong.
I suggest you read again the statements I made. If you do away with your preoccupation with the shifting of goal posts while the game is being played, you should be able to understand quite easily what I am saying. You have chosen instead the well trodden path which is to hurl insults at the Malays - interspersed with what appears to be phrases of tolerance and understanding etc.
You say, “In the US, it is not instituionalised race discrimination as in this country. There, it is one of poor enforcement and implementation.”
Allow me to paraphrase for you. In the U.S. any form of discrimination is illegal. There are expressed laws you could depend on to seek redress should you fall victims to such practices. On the other hand, racial discrimination in Malaysia is institutionalised, made legal by the government. It is institutionalised for good reasons. It is provided for by Art. 153 of our Federal Malaysian Constitution 1957. It is at the very core of the bargain struck by representatives of the various communities - which forms the social contract often referred to by our political scientists.
Now you blame the Malays for the act of “shifting the goal posts” whenever it suits them. If you take a moment to think, to amend the Constitution now and do away with Art. 153 and such like provisions within the Constitution, would in fact be shifting the goal posts during the course of the game. Although you have not said it in so many words, I feel that is what you are advocating.
Government policies to eradicate the identification of race with economic functions have failed. The equitable division and distribution of the national economic pie among the races too has failed.
What the Government has succeeded is in creating a capitalist class among the Malays. Not enough of the wealth created reached the low middle class among the Malays. This has a destabilising effect especially in times of national economic crisis. Consult any student of political science and he will tell you that unless the size of the middle class is wide enough, there will not be any political stability in the long run.
Think again, my friend, whether you want to do away with Art. 153 under such circumstances.
September 7th, 2005 at 12:57 am
keris_always,
I see, you are actively engaged in the exchange of views. Let me join you.
We seem to have problem in communicating with some of these people who do not seem to have sufficient background about our country’s immediate past history. So, we are often blamed for this so-called “generation gap”. I got an e-mail from someone with a pen name who told me to “drop dead” because I tried to offer an alternative, and obviously different, view. Did I get upset? No. I know that in the long run he and I will drop dead. In fact, we all will.
This issue of “social contract” was resolved at the time of Independence and it is enshrined in our Constitution. Maybe, Lim Kheng Yaik was too young to remember!! He is of my generation, younger give or take a few years. It is a non-negotiable matter. Period. As I have said before somewhere than on this website, just ask the Malays in Singapore to do the same, and they will get the same answer: Non-negotiable. Our Constitution is fine.
The problem was with the NEP implementation. The NEP, as a policy, seeks to eradicate poverty irrespective of race, and to eliminate the identification of race with economic function. How this would be done was negotiated in 1970 by the Barisan Nasional coalition partners under the late PM Tun Haji Abdul Razak with national unity as the overriding consideration. This was the year after May 13, 1969 when you were in uniform to protect the peace.
In my view, the poverty objective was successfully implemented.The Gini-coefficient indicator and other statistics show that. Relative poverty, however, is another kettle of hot water, and we must ensure that the growing urban-rural gap is carefully monitored and managed. This means more balanced development throughout our country under the 9th Malaysia Plan (2006-2010).
But the economic restructuring aspect was a “failure”(maybe “dysfunction” is a better word) in the sense that it led to a creation of a rentier UMNOPutra capitalist class. This group worked with their MCA and MIC counterparts, cronies and associates to reap all the benefits of strong economic growth. The well connected Chinese and Indians gained too. Why not blame the Chinese and the Indians as well?
Malays and other Malaysians with no connections, or the “know-who”, did not fare well. To think all Malays gained cannot, therefore, be correct. But today, we cannot deny that our country has been transformed from colonial agricultural backwater into a modern diversified economy, which is poised for continued economic growth, with glitches now and then.
So why blame the Malay community as a whole? That is, as why I said earlier, insulting the Malays for the present state of affairs is unhelpful and even dangerous, if we seek to preserve political stability and national unity. For me, it is important that our Malaysian brothers stop insulting the Malays by labelling us “tin kosong”, “bodoh”, “fools” “kosongs”, “morons” and so on.
It is a problem of not achieving a more equitable distribution of the economic cake, that is of who gets what, in what time frame (when), why, and how to go about it. That is negotiable when we discuss the NNA (the New National Agenda), but not the “social contract” as embodied in our Constitution.
We must not confuse the two because when you seek to change the Constitution, the matter is like opening the pandoras box; it is very problematic indeed. We must ensure that our rights as Malaysians as provided in the Constitution continue to safeguarded (Article 153 and other like provisions).
The formulation of the NNA is a delicate process because of the raging debate going on in the public domain, especially in the media. I think when issues are discussed across the table by all parties, good sense, mutual trust among the coalition partners, and a common desire to preserve national unity and socio-political stability will prevail. Showing the kris is not at all helpful.
For all our perceived faults, Malay leaders from Tunku A. Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak to Tun Hussein Onn and Tun Mahathir succeeded in preserving peace and bringing progess to our country. Prime Minister Badawi now deserves our support as much as he should be criticised when he appears not act decisively or with some haste.
I have my greatest respect for our present Prime Minister as our duly elected leader, despite my occasional critical comments on his Administration.
Thanks.
September 7th, 2005 at 2:48 am
To keris_always, I am sorry if you had perceived a particular phrase as threatening. It has been never been in my nature to do that. I should have made it clearer. I referred to the globalisation effects sweeping and how the two economic giants, India and China, could swallow us if we do not walk together as Malaysians to face the global economic challenges which, I believe, is not too far away, and this is what I actually meant.
At least we are agreeable that the widespread corruption exisitng among UMNO capitalists had affected many middle class and lower status Malays. And, of course, I do agree with Din Merican on what he says: Why blame only the Malays when the Chinese and Indian capitalists are also blameworthy who joined hands with the UMNO capitalists to hijack this country’s interests. And calling names as Din had pointed out, for whatever reason, displays the utter ignorance of such people and I would go as far as to say that by default, whatever arguments such people forward become disqualified as they do not have the decency to discuss any matter with respect and ethics.
When Din says that the NEP was formulated to address poverty, irrespective of race and religion I have no doubts in its spirit, but I have to point out that its implementation seemed somewhat murky and perhaps there should be this emphasis as we move towards global challenges, which if we are going to face as a divided nation, our children are not going to be better off than what we are today.
TRUE MALAYSIAN
September 7th, 2005 at 3:49 am
My take on the matter:
1. NEP was not a total failure, but it enriched a handful of people closely related to the ruling elites. If we look carefully, the cronies are a very multiracial bunch indeed. I disagree with the commonplace notion that cronies are automatically bad news, but I want to stress that NEP resulted in the concentration of massive wealth in a select few. That’s why it has to go in my book.
2. We should not bear any grudge on the basis of a person’s ethnicity, whether it is the “dependence” of the Malays or the “wealth” of the Chinese. These are irrational stereotypes. In particularly, I would like to point out that many have condemned the Malays and bumiputeras if they are unsuccessful (wasted resources and squandered opportunities), and equally condemned too if they are successful (beneficiaries of hand-outs and subsidies) - a classic example of “damned if they do, damned if they don’t”. This applies to many other irrational arguments that perpetuates hostile interracial sentiments.
3. Ketuanan Melayu is no longer tenable. There is no such thing. The special position of the Malays and Bumiputera? Yes, and it is enshrined in the Constitution. In particularly, we need to revive the royalty as guardian of the Malays and Islam. The monarchs have to get their act together and the people must. The Malays, however, has to come to terms with the fact that communal politics is on their way out. For those who disagree with Hishamuddin’s keris act but supports ketuanan Melayu and is a devout muslim at the same time, the three are not reconciliable at multiple levels. As long as ketuanan Melayu lives, there will be politicians who will pander to the crowd as champions of the Malay Agenda. In other countries, they do not separate their women from direct competition with men in politics, but Malaysian political parties do. What started out to ensure female representation became a ceiling that limits their role. Similarly, instead of encouraging the best man to come forth and capture the hearts and minds of Malaysians, we have factional representatives on the basis of race. The abilities of a politician became secondary to the colour of his skin.
4. The Constitution is supreme. There is nothing higher than the Constitution in this land, not the Quran, not Islam and certainly not the Prime Minister. We need a strong judiciary and a functional Parliament. I disagree that there is anything is non-negotiable. The very basis of a democracy and constitutional parliament has in it the room for new social consensus. The social contract is not written in stone, and generations to come will renew their oath as Malaysians. UMNO and BN has raped the Constitution far too often, and the spirit of the Constitution has been distorted. I am a supporter of the original spirit of the Constitution, but we must acknowledge that it is not a static document. Since 1969, so much has changed and so did the Constitution, with all kinds of amendments that has been proven mostly to be detrimental to the common citizens. We do not and should not fear change. What we should fear is our inability to find a common ground. In that case, the old social contract must be honoured, until we find majority consensus for a new one through the democratic process, i.e. referendums.
5. Malaysians must mature and be educated to retake the public sphere. They cannot rely on the elite bargaining system and they must partake in determining their own future. It is a form of civic empowerment. We cannot, in the pretext and excuse of being better-informed, to deny the average Joe a voice in national affairs. For what’s worth, paternalistic governance no longer holds water, and Malaysians have to demonstrate that they are able to reign in the extremist factions by refusing support, not by silencing dissent.
6. We have to acknowledge the fact that the country has prospered in the past. We simply cannot deny that. What we have enjoyed in economic growth however, is at the expense of other equally critical areas. Always start with the education of the masses, and there should no compromise to quality for Malaysians. We need a strong and good public education, and we shouldn’t tolerate challenges towards the national education system. Educate the masses to be thinkers. Prize ingenuity and dilligence, not obedience. Work out a more equitable manner for the Bumiputera agenda, in tandem with getting the poor out of the vicious cycle through tertiary education opportunities. Let the majority compete on merit and set aside a minority that fulfils our social agenda. That way, the students do not compete on a communal/race basis but with their peers.
Many charged that NEP failed because of short-comings in its implementation. Perhaps, if by implementation you also mean the mentality that goes with the perception of non-Malays as “bangsa asing”. I have no where to go back to except Seremban, and I will be damned if anyone tries to deny my birthright. I am confident a time will come where the term bumiputera and non-bumiputera will become largely irrelevant, and national policies will be more equitable and be fair to reward those who intend to serve their country.
September 7th, 2005 at 5:41 am
Brother Dean Merican, you are like P. Ramlee as Lieutenant Hassan. I am happy to be your point man. The first volleys caught me in a cross fire. We need back up here. Where is our radio operator, Sgt. Berahim?
September 7th, 2005 at 6:35 am
Saudara Din Merican and Keris_Always
I’m still here but maintaining radio silence especially in enemy territory. I’ve decided to comment only when the contributors can engage in gentlemanly, scholarly discourse with civility and dignity. I have very little tolerance for profanity, rude and crude remarks and painting whole races with a wide brush for the failures of a few. I agree with Keris_Alway about the commentators especially those at Screenshot using profanity freely and also the racial slant of some of the comments.
Like Saudara Din says, not all Malays are stupid. There are ample examples of smart intellectual and successful Malays. It’s just the actions of some of the leaders that have tainted the Malay race.
So till then 10-4.
September 7th, 2005 at 7:51 am
Fair Malaysian says,
“I am sorry if you had perceived a particular phrase as threatening….. I referred to the globalisation effects sweeping and how the two economic giants, India and China, could swallow us.”
If you substitute the word “us” with the word “Malays” and read it in the context of your earlier statement, it will be nearer to what you really want to say. I think.
You see “globalization” means different things to different people. It is good. It is bad. Seen from my perspective, it can only be good. It should make short shrift of the UMNOputras and their lackeys from within organizations like the MCA – with their vested interests in various businesses in which they hold stocks “in trust” for the Malays, in businesses others built and they prospered riding on the back of the bumiputra policy.
It should force the UMNO led government to face reality – which is that the days when they can hide behind tariff barriers for protection to ensure the survival of their businesses are numbered. But are we to allow for the full impact of the laws of comparative advantage? The economists among you will know what I am talking about. Are we to resign ourselves to being a nation of rubber tappers, oil palm growers and the like? Forget being a nation of rice farmers. Thailand has the comparative advantage in rice cultivation.
But Malaysia is not alone. The policy makers in the U.S. are facing similar difficulties. The U.S. is losing out to China and India and the country is being forced to close some of its factories as we speak – those less technologically advanced. The outsourcing of jobs to these two countries is but an aspect of globalization. The fallout from the short run effects of globalization is serious enough for Malaysia to come out with studies of its own. It affects different countries differently, different industries differently – but no country is spared or insulated from the short run effects of globalization like unemployment in some of its industries, loss in foreign exchange etc. – as the country is forced to make structural adjustments. But I am not sure what economists really mean when they speak of the “long run” and “long run analysis” as opposed to “short run analysis.” In the long run we are all dead.
Coming back to the issue of Malay special privileges as provided under our Federal Malaysian Constitution 1957. No one in his or her right mind – Malay or non-Malay - can honestly say, that this constitutional provision will one day be deleted without more. It will one day be replaced by a similar provision. To say that the Malays are used to having crutches and that the handout mentality among the Malays today is too ingrained in their psyche for politicians among them to be able to remove it, is to miss the point.
The point is the UMNO led government has failed to implement the NEP the way it should have been implemented. So far there is consensus over this issue – and that is important because it provides the staging point for our journey towards an egalitarian society. The point is there are a growing number of Malays today who are convinced they can no longer depend on the UMNO led government to correct the imbalances, the anomalies over implementation and execution of what appears to be a racist policy.
This so-called “racist policy” has its roots in our Constitution – which forms the Social Contract. Any student of political history and science will tell you to go read Jean Jacques Rosseau’s Social Contract 1762. The Constitution by its very nature is a sacred document – unlike your lease agreement which could be amended if all parties agree, or the agreement you struck with your mother-in-law. I therefore disagree with Chez1978.
How many times have our Constitution been amended? How many times have the U.S. the world’s leading democracy amended its Constitution? It is wrong to refer to our Constitution as a document which can go obsolete, a document which has to be amended to keep up with the changing times. Viewed that way, it will not survive even the less stringent form of social contract analysis referred to by Jean Jacques Rosseau who is known for his now famous statement, “ Man is born free, yet he is everywhere in chains.”
September 7th, 2005 at 9:53 am
To understand what I mean just visit the blog by Jeff Ooi. This blogger is encouraging racial bigots to dominate his blog.
I would not really describe it that way. If you think his blog’s comments are bigotry, just wait till you visit cari.com.my or malaysia-today.net. The people there are vile - Malay or Chinese, they have no worries about slinging insults at one another. On Malaysia Today, it’s regular to comment about another poster not getting enough sex from his wife, and therefore getting high-tempered. Those places are really barbaric; Screenshots almost appears tame compared to them.
I am of course aware that Screenshots’ commentors often gloss over the shortcomings of the Chinese and Indians. I am not afraid to call Chinese and Indians out on their own mistakes when I see them. Even so, I think what most commentors’ at Screenshots are doing is not outright bigotry - they have just avoided commenting on their own faults; they have not outright insulted Malays as being incompetent fools as some people on cari.com.my have been doing.
I think that Malaysia Today has a good mix of fair and even-handed folks (Rhan, moonabovemalaya, possibly bat8 and maybe even myself) with some nutcases thrown in (check out Daeng Sulu, Gate Pintu and magic miror; on a bad day, even Truth himself can sound incoherent). Unfortunately, the latter group are making it harder for the former to debate.
You are questioning Art. 153 of the Federal Malaysian Constitution 1957. This provision is inserted in the Constitution in the first place, in order to level the playing field, a field which is not level to begin with – so that we could say to the British that we have an action plan to resolve the race issue. Otherwise, we would not have been able to convince the British that we deserved to be given independence.
keris_always, please refer to the Reid Commission’s findings. The quotas recommended and the comments from Tunku and the Sultans imply that the affirmative action scheme would be nowhere near the scale it is on today.
Even presuming that the Malays did need dire help (which they did; much of the Malay citizenry were devastated by poverty in the kampungs), why should the welfare policy be directed only to the Malays? What harm is done if instead of giving discounts on cars and houses to all Bumiputras (regardless of wealth), we give these discounts to all Malaysians below a certain income level? If most of the poor indeed are Malays, would the programme not benefit them just as well as it would as it is being run now? As a matter of fact, I imagine things would improve a lot. A discount on a new BMW may be enough to pay for a whole new Kancil!
As for the non-Malays feeling that they are but second class citizens, I would invite them to come live in the United States – a place where to discriminate along any line – racial, sexual etc – is illegal and there are laws which you could rely on to seek redress if you have the resources. You will find being a Malaysian living in the world’s leading democracy is not much different. You are many rungs below the African Americans, the Hispanics, the Koreans, the Vietnamese, the Middle Eastern, the Indians and even the Pakistanis. You are at the bottom of the “food chain” so to speak. Racism still rules and racial discrimination is a fact of life. Non-Malays who make a bee line to the United States to find work when times are hard in Malaysia somehow find reasons to return. I ask myself why and I keep getting the same answer: Malaysia is still the best place to make a living, to live – and die.
I think it all depends on how hard you work and a bit of luck. A Malaysian in America with a green card is not much different from a Chinese national with a green card. True, there exists a lot of bias against immigrants, particularly in the Deep South, but there is no serious overt discrimination. Certainly, nobody is taxing the immigrants to pay for discounts on new homes belonging to the Whites.
“Fair Malaysian” calls himself Anak Malaysia. How can there be Anak Malaysia when there is no such thing as Bangsa Malaysia. Bangsa Malaysia is but a figment of the imagination. There can only be anak Melayu, Cina and India etc. It is an excuse by the liberals among Malaysians to promote an agenda of their own. I pride myself as being a realist – not an idealist.
Bangsa in Malay has two meanings - race, or nation. In English, nation has two connotations - one implies a country. Another implies a group of people who are affiliated with one another as brothers/sisters, or more traditionally, a race.
I believe a Malaysian race is impractical as of now, but not entirely impossible a few centuries down the road. The world is increasingly coming together as one; already, I have friends and family who are a pastiche of all sorts of cultures and localities. I have some distant cousins in the US who are Jewish. I have French-Filipino cousins in France. I know of a few other cousins residing down under. I have a friend who is half Chinese Taiwanese and half French. I have another who spent her early years in the US, and now stays in Singapore. Yet another friend is a mix of Native American, Black, White and a whole lot of other things. Intermarrying between races is growing more and more - I myself am a product of such a union.
I am reminded of a quote from a book I just borrowed from the MPPJ Library on the subject of Chinese culture that states that Chinese culture has always been changing and adapting; it has many splintered branches so that, for example, in Malaysia, we carry on practices long ago discarded in the mainland. The author states that that is the hallmark of a living and vibrant culture - a culture that absorbs the best of all it comes in contact with. Chinese believe that any culture capable of producing good and productive citizens (this is almost verbatim from the book) is a good culture. That is the attitude to be taken when dealing with the inescapable fact that the world is slowly becoming more and more mixed.
Does this mean we will be having a Malaysian race any time soon? Not bloody likely. But can we have a Malaysian nation? Almost certainly, if we really want to. We must work together to break the bonds that keep us apart - to tear down vernacular schools, and remove certain distinctions between Bumiputra and non-Bumiputra. That a Bumiputra drug addict who contributes nothing to society is more Malaysian than a taxpaying, law-abiding Chinese or Indian is simply disgraceful to the name of Malaysia.
Din Merican:
But I have no tolerance whatsoever when it comes to challenging the integrity, honour, and dignity of my race, and inciting racial hatred with stereotypes and caricatures. Here I draw the line. There are limits to what I can take.
I absolutely agree. However, some people seem to take the questioning of privileges (such as when a Malay tycoon gets a discount on his third mansion) as a challenge to their race. I hope you are not one of them. There is a huge difference between rights and privileges; rights are something you can naturally engage in without harming another person; privileges are rights given to you that do harm other people. On some occasions, the harm is minimal, as with the NEP. On others, it can be lethal, as with the Holocaust or Apartheid.
It is a non-negotiable matter. Period.
Unfortunately, the supreme law of the land, the constitution, never names the social contract. It does maintain that the Bumiputra are the natives of Malaya/Malaysia, but otherwise, makes no mention of a social contract. The problem with this social contract is that it is far too easily abused to stake a claim on the non-Bumiputra Malaysian citizens.
When will the non-Bumiputra have his debt paid in full? A century from independence? Two centuries? There is no sunset clause on the social contract, because it was never set out in writing. Nobody has ever presented proof of the contract’s existence beyond some vague mumblings on Tunku and other members of the Alliance hashing things out. That many of the Malaysians now subject to the contract were not represented at the meeting to set the social contract out but are still subjected to its terms is illogical.
You can hardly argue that I am less Malaysian than the Menteri Besar of my state, Khir Toyo, when his father himself was an immigrant from Indonesia. Yet according to the constitution and the tacked-on social contract, such a statement makes perfect sense! (I have written a longer version of this argument in response to some extremists on Malaysia Today.)
I believe that when it comes to much else of your statements, we are in perfect agreement. I have written a topic in a public forum on the weaknesses of the opposition, as well as opened another to discuss toppling UMNO/BN with a more principled political opposition, if you care to discuss these subjects with me. Well wishes to all of you.
September 7th, 2005 at 9:54 am
If we have the spirit and courage to engage ourselves in a cohesive discussion with mutual respect, we do really have quite a lot in common. To saudara Ibrahim, Keris_always and Din Merican, I am very pleased to have known you better through this column.
Of course, one common and distasteful streak I have found is the tendency to dwell on indecent remarks as Ibrahim has rightly pointed out and it is a shame that these people can engage in such crude remarks. The articulate way that you gentlemen have written your views is praiseworthy and hopefully we can still share for what we are common in and respect our divergent views with humility. Thank you gentlemen and may we meet again.
September 7th, 2005 at 12:18 pm
fair malaysian and true malaysian. i think you ought to do something about your split personalities. i am not confused but i cant speak for the others. they may be having a splitting headache as we speak - on your account.
it is time you talk to a merchant bank to handle your merger. brother dean merican has been on the other side of the negotiating table with leading banking institutions once upon time. he once worked for a leading sogo sosha.
September 7th, 2005 at 9:40 pm
Keris_always, Fair Malaysian, Chez1978 and 10-4 Ibrahim,
I am extremely pleased with the way we exchange views on this website. We are encouraging others to see that we can discuss matters of mutual interest and concern in a “civilised” manner. It is alright to disagree, or to have another point of view.
I know Dr. Bakri will not allow profanities and infantile arguments to appear on his blog/website. It is his intention to make sure that his readers add value to the ongoing debate on the directions our country should take in the future as we face the challenges of globalisation. We want to be listened to, and taken seriously by our leaders, and policy makers and wonks.
keris_always, I am not Sg. Hassan as depicted in P. Ramlee’s movie. I have no enemies like the militaristic Japanese to fight. Time are changing. Old models won’t work. I am trying to promote change and lifelong learning, starting with my own self. Even at a personal level, I find it extremely difficult as I am still a captive of my time, my society, and my education. That does not mean I must stop taking action towards continuous self improvement.
I agree. Nothing is cast in stone. Our Constitution too can be subject to change depending on “circumstances”. This argument often has been used by the Barisan Nasional, which has with two thirds majority in Parliament, to change its provisions. In fact, it has happened before so that today the Executive Branch has almost absolute power to do whatever it likes. Our eloquent Culture Minister, Dato’ Seri Dr. Rais Yatim, wrote an excellent book on this subject when he was with Tunku Razaleigh in the now defunct Semangat 46.
Our public institutions like the Judiciary, the Legislative Branch and the Civil Service are subject to the awesome power of the Prime Minister. How can we forget what happened to the Lord President Tun Salleh Abbas in the late 1980s, or the Malay rulers. The less we temper with the Constitution the better it will be for all of us. It has to remain intact. It must be respected and upheld.
There is another reason why it is not opportune for us to temper with the Constitution: we have not realised our original constitutional vision, that is, the social contract made by Tunku Abdul Rahman and his MCA and MIC colleagues at the time of Independence in 1957. So, there is still unfinished business in nation building. There is nothing wrong about Article 153 and related provisions, in my view. Let these provisions stay. Our debate on this must end, as we have very important tasks ahead.
Our challenges are not constitutional or legal in a nature. We need to build a more open and civic society. In such a society, citizens are well educated, can engage in clear and rational thinking, and are empowered to give off their best. Elites in whatever form or shape, be they politicians, ulama and Islamic scholars, corporate elites, and the so-called public intellectuals cannot impose their views and beliefs on others in a society which can think for itself.
Yet this is happening in our country. The Malays are victims of such treatment by our religious mullahs working in cahoots with UMNO-PAS politicians. They want the Malays to be a bunch of conformists, encouraging us to leave the thinking to them.
On September 10, 2005 I am going to attend a forum titled “Liberal Islam: A Clear and Present Danger?”. It is being organized by a group which calls itself Muslim Professionals Association. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say. As far as I am concerned, it is not Islam or Liberal Islam which is the danger. It is Malay-Muslim myopia and obscurantism in a plural Malaysia.
In short, we want to build an open society, one in which there is no such thing as “dictatorship over the mind of the individual” by any group or sectarian interest. We can take comfort that Malaysia, and in fact most countries, even mature democracies, has yet to reach that stage of human development.
The strong still dominate the weak, and the weak cannot rely on their Governments to provide the necessary protection. The experiences of Africa are a case in point. The Congolese, for example, could not count on Mobutu and his elite. Of course, we are better off. But we must be careful and not take things for granted.
We must review our education system comprehensively so that we can over time pursue educational excellence in earnest. Mental preparation is vital if we are to face the challenges of globalisation. Our leaders and the rest of us recognise the importance of human/intellectual capital development (”pembangunan modal insan”); we must now take concrete measures to start the process. We are still at the “cakap, cakap saja stage”.
In my own view, we should undertake a major revamp of our public universities starting with the appointments of outstanding Vice Chancellors and professional administrators. It would be great, if we can separate the day to day running from the academic side of the University.
The private ones and our university colleges should also be monitored and subject to annual review. It is also time to put an end to the mushrooming of tertiary institutions in our country, and devote scarce resources to improving standards in existing ones.
We should review the existing Universities and Colleges Act so that we encourage academic freedom and genuine scholarship. Only highly qualified professors and lecturers should be appointed and rewarded. There should be a proper balance between research and teaching so that these academics can publish.
A system of tenure based on their achievements in research and excellence in teaching can be introduced and strictly enforced, including early retirement of those who are academic “dead woods.” We cannot do these things if we make life difficult for academics like outstanding Professors Jomo, Terrence Gomez, Ramasamy, Sivalingam, and Dr. Azly Rahman and his wife, Dr Mutiara Rahman. Let us put an end to the AKUJANJI stuff, which seeks to regulate academic conduct. During my days at University, academic freedom is respected.
We cannot expect to change things overnight, but can begin in critical areas. That is why I suggest we start looking at our universities. I am quite happy to see changes in the private sector with new initiatives in the area of corporate governance.
Corporate leaders tend to be more sensitive to the pressures of global competition. They know that they cannot afford to blink, and they must develop new strategies and seek new markets for their products and services. Only those who can ride the waves of globalisation can survive and prosper.
My worry is the state of our insular Civil Service, where the inertia is greatest. Civil Servants are not subject to the discipline of the market place. They are assured of lifetime employment with paychecks at the end of each month and bonuses at year end, even in trying economic circumstances.
It will take a special kind of Prime Minister who can break the nexus between politicians and Civil Service elites. But what incentives are there for him to change the existing cosy relationships between politics and public administration? None, I think. As a result, we can only continue to hear about efforts to improve the public service delivery system, and KPIs for civil servants. But it is an enormous task to get the job done.
So our second task after the universities to fix the Civil Service. This has to be done so that the NEP implementation failures can be avoided. The best plans are known to have faltered due to bad execution. Yet the Civil Service has yet to be severely taken to task for policy failures. We are in part to blame because our apathy is appalling.
Thanks.
September 7th, 2005 at 9:49 pm
Here’s my two cents worth. Life is like a video camera, the scene changes with each minute. History is a snapshot in time. It freezes the scene and in this instance the decision made by the founding fathers of Malaya when crafting and drafting the Constitution. I am sure the founding fathers had thought long and hard and considered all information and did their due diligence before arriving at a decision on Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.. The decision was the best for it’s time based on the information available to them at that time.
Now 48 years later we have new information, new scenes, new lifestyle, new economic prowess and new technology and we find that the decision made by the founding fathers is not the best. But let’s not dwell on the decision. We can’t blame the founding fathers as they can’t tell the future. Let the decision stay and respect it, but we can also move forward and craft a new policy to take us into the future. Maybe the future generation will find our ideas obsolete and not suitable with the situation and time. A good example is music, my dad likes asli and ranggam which i find boring. Now my sons find rock and roll boring.
Let’s not be fooled by what we see in the Malay population in KL. They don’t reflect the true Malay population both in terms of economic well being and earning capacity and capability. The majority of Malays still living in the kampungs and small towns are living below poverty levels. I personally witness these when I was in Malaysia a couple of years back. We had to interview candidates for entry into a college. We had gone to the smaller towns to conduct the interview as we felt that few could afford to travel to Kl for the interview. we had students coming from the outlying areas and had to travel by bus the previous night or spent the night at the bus station or mosque just to be on time for the interview. They come from poor family where the monthly income is about RM 500 per month. Tell me how do you support a family of 5 or 6 on RM 500 per month. At that time it would require them to produce and sell 5 kilos of rubber to buy one kilo of rice.
At the college often at lunchtime I will see several students not eating but sleeping in the surau. Upon inquiry I was told they are fasting. I asked how come you are fasting everyday. Their reply was they can only afford one meal a day and that is dinner. The government gives them RM 3 per day for meals. I cried that day, insaf with what I see happening to my people. I made arrangements with the canteen to feed these students and I will pay the canteen. Yet the politicians in KL don’t see all this and continue in their free spending ways.
However today I am happy to say that these poor students have made it and they are now working and earning a decent income and supporting their parents. Most of them have come up to me to say thanks and that alone gives me so much satisfaction.
The world is not perfect and there is never a level playing field not even in the US. Don’t get me wrong, i harbor no ill feelings towards the other races in Malaysia. Yes I feel sorry for them not getting their fair share of what their tax dollars paid for. The government must pay attention to these issues and handle them appropriately before it becomes the straw that broke the camels back. While the Malays can enjoy the privileges the other races should also be given an opportunity to share in the wealth of the nation as not all Chinese or Indians are rich. I hope the NNA will address this issue and be better implemented. Malaysia is one small country and if the citizens are not united we will be thrown adrift and no one will be the winner..
September 8th, 2005 at 7:22 am
brother dean merican and pfc(radio operator) berahim,
i think you are too much of an idealist here. i need the both of you to have your feet back on the ground.
as the wise among the chinese say, a journey with a thousand steps begins with but a small single step (or something like that). the paraphrasing is mine, sorry. berahim can radio out for help with this one.
contrary to what brother dean merican says, sgt. hassan aka ramlee bin puteh, is not totally different from the average malay today - instead of a beret some of them sport skull caps and instead of clean shaven faces, have their salt and pepper beards. some are in neckties and briefcases, westernised individuals - but the similarities stop there. they have grandiose ideas and plans and visions and some may even hear voices ( no, they are not schizophrenic. what do you expect if you starve yourself and have sleepness nights?) about changing the world - and rejecting everything western and westernization.
at the other end of the spectrum, we have those whose traditions do not originate in this country. their response is against the perceived injustices of race and racial discrimination, and their preoccupation is with the effects of racial discrimination on their pursuits of earthly gains and pleasures. you cannot see a much more stark contrast in personalities.
while academicians may afford to dwell daily on the issues relating to what they call the clash of civilizations, the mordenists among the MalayMuslims (they are few in number) and their nemesis, the traditionalists, the liberals against the conservatives etc, and have public debates even, the average malaysian like sgt hassan needs answers. not in the after life but today, tommorrow.
that brings us back to the maxim, a journey of a thousand steps start with but a single small step. and that single step is this:
1. take away the right of parliament to amend the federal constitution with just a 2/3 majority;
2. appoint a commission to make a study of our educational system and come out with recommendations. politicians must be prevented from interfering with our educational system. they must leave it to the professionals - unless they want to bring back their sons and daughters currently overseas and have them attend local schools which they as politicians help to build and mould.
3. civil service neutrality. we must return to the days of civil service neutrality ( the subject of my thesis in my undergrad days).
4. judicial independence. the appointments of judges must be made without interferance from the prime minister. a return to the tenets of natural justice. you cannot have a disciplinary tribunal headed by someone who stands to benefit from any disciplinary action against the accused.
there are more…
September 8th, 2005 at 7:34 am
message to rais yatim
rais yatim,
remember the time when we had to push your old mg to bugis street? i meant to ask you whose idea was it that we had to go to bugis street to sample the night life in singapore?
September 8th, 2005 at 7:50 am
Din, I could not agree with you more and it really touches me that how civil and comforting we can be with both our covergent and divergent views, and the way you have presented your views, I cannot see any differing views at all. It is indeed heartening to learn that the likes of you, Ibrahim and Keris_always are fair and honest in your beliefs and views and it makes me immensely happly to be part of a family that lives by understanding and respect.
Thanks to you too, Bakri for providing us this platform.
September 8th, 2005 at 11:38 am
Brother Keris_always
Both my feet are securely on the ground. Yes I am an idealist but you must have dreams and work to make these dreams become reality. MLKing “I have a dream” is the best example.
Since this discourse is on Merdeka and its significance to us Malaysians, what does Merdeka means to each and everyone of us? Is it free from colonial rule or does it goes beyond that? To me Merdeka means not only freedom from colonial rule but the freedom to determine the nations future, free to develop the natural resources of the country for the benefit and enjoyment by all citizens. Merdeka is to have freedom of expression (of course within certain limits, ethically, morally and legally), free flow of ideas, a just and caring society and an equal opportunity for all its citizen to shine and contribute to the development of the nation. Merdeka also means that poverty will be eradicated, a sound education system, an equally fair justice system and a government that will take care of its citizen.
The first twenty years after independence saw the country progress very well in all areas so much so it becomes the model state for newly independent countries. Then Malaysia became a nation in a hurry; in a hurry to be a developed nation and materialistic pursuit and throwing away old tried and true values. Along with these pursuits comes the growing pains, unemployment, straying youth, drugs usage, crime increase and the loss of personal and social values.
The family unit is now so disenfranchised with both parents working and children left to fend for themselves. The larger family unit get together only during festive seasons or balek kampong sojourn. Gone were the days of gotong royong where whole villages get together for a project or even helping out during marriages. We have lost that caring feeling, we are too busy to visit the elderly, the sick and the dead.
As you said we have mortgaged our house, our water buffalos and our gerek all in the name of progress. Are we independent? My grandfather owns a small house and a rusting gerek but it is his, in his name and not owned by some banks or finance companies.
Tomorrow is Friday, let’s pray and say a do’a for all and maybe I’ll see you at the mesjid and you can buy me lunch afterwards.
September 8th, 2005 at 1:50 pm
“Tomorrow is Friday, let’s pray and say a do’a for all and maybe I’ll see you at the mesjid and you can buy me lunch afterwards. ”
Huh…?? i am on unemployment benefit, disability etc. so no can afford to buy you lunch. but i would do it if i can buy nasi kandar along farquhar road, burmah road, the esplanade. where i am i can only buy burger king, macdonald, chinese take-out (instead of chinese take away).
i cant even buy nasi lemak with ikan bilis and sotong - a poor man’s breakfast/lunch/dinner.
so brother berahim, do think of me when you next have your lunch.
cheers
September 8th, 2005 at 2:06 pm
by the way, brother berahim, that man in black, in tengkolok screaming merdeka, merdeka and merdeka (three times) with his hand raised in as many times, 48 years ago was my grandmother’s cousin.
so in his memory…merdeka, merdeka, merdeka!
September 8th, 2005 at 2:56 pm
Saudara Keris_Always
Why merendahkan diri sebegini? A retired HE couldn’t be that bad. How about if i buy you lunch, nothing fancy but nice to celebrate Merdeka our way. I was not invited to celebrate the recent Merdeka and to renew my vows and pledge loyalty to our beloved country.
You are retired, not on disability. You’ve contributed to Malaysia in many ways in your past colourful careers (a military officer, a reporter and a PTD. I shouldn’t mention in which ministry should I? This is another Melayu character flaw, humility to a fault. Be proud of what you have achieved and done and where you are today. You have been recognized by the government and awarded a title. Stand tall Private Citizen No one can take away your contributions to the nation.
I know the small man in black tengkolok. His daughter and son in law was here many many years ago 1982 to be exact, nice couple and I still call her Mak Engku. So you must be half siamlah.
September 8th, 2005 at 6:20 pm
Hello!
An idealist is concerned about creating utopias. There are no utopias. It died with Sir Thomas More. We are talking about development, basic human values, and concerns in the here and now. Modernisation is not a threat.
I am not going to lose sleep about the hereafter since there are already plenty of guys worrying about this. I have delegated, not abdicated, that responsibility to them. I will do my own thing.
I have no serious disagreements with either of you, keris_always or 10-4 Ibrahim. You guys can’t do much directly about the ordinary Malays and Malaysians here, if you are in some distant MacDonald or fish ‘n” chips land, voluntarily out of action.
Let us, however, take comfort that whatever we and our other Malaysian friends say on this website is being read and monitored by officialdom. Maybe, they will see some merit in our ideas, and start taking concrete action.
I stand ready to help, ever willing to get my feet and hands wet and soiled again. I know where I came from, where I am now, and where I am heading. I have not given up yet. Remember, I am still that die hard optimist.
Thanks.
September 9th, 2005 at 7:38 am
“Let us, however, take comfort that whatever we and our other Malaysian friends say on this website is being read and monitored by officialdom. Maybe, they will see some merit in our ideas, and start taking concrete action”
“… they will see some merit in our ideas.?” Let us not be naïve, Brother Dean Merican. The politicians know what they are doing. What they are doing is good for them. If it is also good for the ordinary Malaysians like Sgt Hassan aka Ramlee bin Puteh, well and good. If it is not, I can almost hear them saying, “Let us package it correctly, in a form palatable to the masses and sell it to them so that they will buy the idea and think it is good for them.”
The ideas which are being aired on this website are nothing new. Perhaps we give a new perspective to it. To the ordinary Malaysians, the electorate who put them into power in the first place, perhaps we all can learn something from such Latin terms as “caveat emptor” - which is normally applied to commercial situations but can be applied with equal force to politics and elections.
Also - you get what you ask for.
How else could you explain projects like Perwaja, Proton etc. Why is necessary to open Letters of Credit to shell companies with a desk and a phone somewhere in downtown Hong Kong? Where is the need for back to back LCs – unless it is to cater for the interest of the “middleman.” Trace the flow of funds to the source and you will find someone at a desk and a phone and a fax machine who will say without hesitation, “I am acting for UMNO. We need the funds to fund our operations during national elections etc” - when perhaps what he should be saying is “Hey, I am only acting for my boss. What he does with the rest of the money is not my business. I am paid not to ask questions.” This man manning a solitary desk somewhere in a different part of the world – probably in a mansion he occupies with the boss’s mistress, while waiting for him, has a choice to say in his defense. What choice do we have?
The massiveness of some of these projects and the massive losses that resulted speak for themselves. Don’t tell me the mistresses of these corrupt politicians didn’t tell them that, “Not everything big is good – and not everything good is big.”?
Privatization, as an economic concept is faultless in itself, but when applied to benefit a few and the bailouts which follow as these projects resulted in massive losses, quickly becomes a dirty word. It is a money spinner for the UMNO politicians acting in collusion with Chinese capitalist elements to the detriment of all of us.
We all know that. The question is, “What do we do to stop it.” What do we do with the people who perpetrated this crime on us.
Are we prepared to ask the right questions? Are we prepared to accept what we will find – and then let the consequences take over from there? That briefly is where Malays find themselves today – at the cross roads. If we have to destroy one generation of UMNO Malay leadership and their lackeys in the process, so be it. At least we will die knowing that our children’s children will be better off. With inaction, we are betraying the interest of our children and our children’s children whose future have been mortgaged.
Mahathir has destroyed whatever confidence we once had with the Judiciary. You need to re-establish the rule of law. How many times have we heard that we need to have checks and balances and that “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The Mahathir years provide very good material in the study of the working of this oft repeated maxim if you like. That said, I believe any serious reform would have to start from the Judiciary. Don’t rely on the politicians to do that.
The Malay intelligentsia, to which you belong Brother Dean Merican, will need to get off your asses and do something instead of just paying lip service. If you are going to wipe out elements of the Malay leadership, you must be prepared to fill in the void. Nature abhors anything empty - as my physics teacher once said.
As for me, I am already riding (on horseback, not a water buffalo) into the sunset with my morals and integrity intact - with my six shooter iaround my saddle, no longer around my waist.
September 9th, 2005 at 7:56 am
P.S.
unfortunately, brother dean, you and i belong to a fast dying breed. we cannot look to cloning to have ourselves replaced - not without dealing first with the religious ramifications.
September 9th, 2005 at 1:23 pm
I sincerely cannot fathom a Parliament that acts to make constitutional amendments more difficult. There is no percentage in it atm for BN as enjoys the impunity, and to be objective, our constitution was made as a working document. Its level of detail means that the framers believed in timely reworks of certain provisions to keep pace with change.
Thus said, I personally believe that it is easier to deal with complications arising from excessive capitalism than blind ideologies built on irrational premises. With the crooked helping themselves to the public cookie jar, we can still hold it to a minimum through good governance. What I fear, however, is the state of perpetual Emergency that has been declared and used to justify extraordinary laws that do not fit with the spirit of the constitution during normal times.
If we want a strong basis to set things right, we have to look at the emergency ordinance and determine whether there is still justification for the perpetuation of some laws that were invoked in the name of national security and public threat. Laws that are used to foil communists are now used to silence dissent, and deny the right to trial. The sedition act, through the Emergency Ordinance, has forcibly kept Malaysians in check from having a clear and open exchange on key matters. Politicians are free to exploit the same issues, but the masses are denied the education and discussion of it.
I still harbor hope for the civil service. I believe that the pass-the-bucket mentality is a gradual habit that is acquired, not innate. Most people, in particular for those who work, take pride in being able to solve problems and be of useful assistance. However, many in the civil service don’t move unless prodded, and in some cases, both top management and the support level staff have no conviction or passion in what they do. A job with the government becomes a disability package, you turn up for work you don’t believe should get done the right way, and expect a paycheck every month because by God you deserve it like everyone else. That becomes a huge bane, and when you have one or two in the office, the mentality spreads. Afterall, why work so hard when one gets paid the same like another, and he/she gets away with less work?
Itis tempting to fall into that line of attitude in the civil service, and the only thing that sustains us is the passion. Civil servants are entasked to duty by the public to serve, and if we cannot make a meaningful contributin in return, however small, then perhaps we should not take a salary that your fellow Malaysians have paid for through taxes. You can have your petty squabbles, but the civil service must be a professional force with a strong sense of mission, not another massive hand-out scheme. The amount of deadwood that clocks in and then disappear, or to chatter, to gossip, to idle and to run a second career elsewhere - once removed, will serve to remind civil servants that they have a job to DO, not to KEEP.
September 10th, 2005 at 1:03 am
keris_always,
Just a good weekend with the family. Our politicians will eventually self destruct. How long do you think they can fool the rakyat?
September 10th, 2005 at 4:24 am
true, bro dean
but without a catalyst like yourself where would the rakyat be? do we need to wait for a crisis of national proportions to happen like the one we saw 97/98 before discontent with the leadership could be transformed into a popular movement for reforms and change?
what happened then was an opportunity for people like yourself to organise such popular discontent into a popular movement for change. but that didnt happen and malays and malaysians missed an opportunity which comes around what once in every 20 years?
its ok to talk about change having to come in organized fashion, from within etc. but i would say certain types of reforms need certain types of change. in malaysia, serious reforms can only come at the tail end of a popular movement for change. we are done talking about change.
now is the time to act. malays need to look for the che quevera among them, to lead. hang tuah is done with and done for. we need more hang jebats among us - prepared to challenge the establishment, tradition etc whatever it takes, who look not towards his own immediate well being but rather towards the well being of the community and the nation.
tough words, eh?
if you dont have a national crisis in the making right now, perhaps you should engineer one.
September 10th, 2005 at 4:31 am
P.S.
waiting for the current corrupt leadership to self destruct, bro dean? do the malays have the luxury of time on their side? even if the answer is in the affirmative, will that bring in the type of reforms needed? or will it replace one generation of corrupt leaders by another?
September 10th, 2005 at 4:37 am
bro dean,
will you please pursuade my good friend (and classmate) chandra muzaffar (if that is the name he goes by nowadays) president of JUST, aka chandrasekhran pillai, to join in the discourse?
we need his ideas here.
September 10th, 2005 at 6:54 am
Bro dean,
Mahathir at the invitation of suhakam (Malaysia’s human rights organization), made some statements and some western diplomats walked out. What’s the big deal here?
Mahathir is a study in contradictions - as if that is not already obvious. Diplomats who were there as observers and having been invited by suhakam, have every right to walk out. Talk about human rights. The Tun can give his speech to an empty auditorium. If it comes to that, that’s that. There is a small problem here though - with the organizers. What are they (those invitees who walked out in protest to inflammatory statements by a former PM) saying to the host who organized the conference?
Had they not walked out, these representatives of foreign governments, there in the first place merely as observers (correct me if I am wrong or were they also speakers?), would have been duty bound to rebut the statements made by a former PM. Apparently they did not want to do that out of respect for the organizers who invited them.
Were there demonstrators outside, demonstrating against Mahathir as he walked into the meeting? Where were the self-styled reform oriented activists and other political activists and pressure groups you speak of. This is one opportunity to demonstrate to Dollah, the sitting PM, to take heed of the popular discontent among Malaysians about the continued existence of such draconian laws as the ISA, Official Secrets Act etc. of which Mahathir relied on in a major way during his time as PM to stifle opposition to his policies?
Where were you bro Dean? If the leadership is bound to self-destruct itself, your role is to go help make that happen.
September 10th, 2005 at 7:07 am
P.S.
Joke of the Year
Mahathir says he used the ISA sparingly. Are Malaysians supposed to be grateful that he did’nt use it more times? We all know that he was strongly opposed to the ISA during the time of the Tunku (who perhaps should have used the ISA on him). And what did he do when he came to power? He not only retained it but used it to stifle all opposition to his policies, his position as PM etc. He in fact amended the ISA in the mid ’80s to remove any judicial review of the decision of the Home Minister, the writ of harbeus corpus.
September 10th, 2005 at 8:12 pm
Keris_always,
I do not have to engineer a crisis. It is already starring in the faces of Malaysians given the rising oil price, slowdown in exports, and loss in consumer confidence. Yet our national leadership and our bureaucrats are still in a state of denial/hubris. We are conditioned not to be proactive.
Ad hoc measures were been introduced recently to stamp rising frustration in the heartland of our economy. These are, however, politically motivated moves by our Prime Minister who seems to be paralysed most of the time by deeply personal concerns. He likes to think that he is a futurist and a visionary, no harm, but he has yet to show that he has the leadership qualities to solve real structural problems in the economy.
Badawi has been neglecting the domestic economy. But he is, for example, beginning to realise that sudden cutbacks in public spending are hurting growth. Our economy is public sector-led because the statist development policies of the Mahathir Era. I am waiting to see what policies will be introduced in the 2005/2006 Budget at the end of this month.
Now let me comment on Mahathir at Suhakam Conference. I feel that there is no harm to allow Mahathir to speak out on issues like human rights, rule of law and weak public institutions. Indirectly, he could be admitting that excesses of his Administration need to be corrected. He should be given a chance to recant and “repent” for his past actions, and explain to us what he did what he had done. As a private citizen, he has his rights, something he may have forgotten when he was in power.
I do not expect him to say sorry, but I am sure he can assist in correcting past mistakes and guide his successor who is unable to act on his own. I will not deny him his achievements, but at the same time I am aware that there were serious policy failures during his time in office. We need to put things in a proper perspective.
I do not think that the United States and Britain are free from blame for invading Iraq on the basis of fabricated intelligence to justify regime change. Both the Americans and the British have pursued pro-Israel policies. The Americans are imperialists, blatantly so under George W. Bush, with Britain as the willing poodle.
Don’t forget the Balfour Declaration (if that is not British, then it can only be an American-inspired move) that started the mess in the Middle East. Britain tolerated the Haganah terrorists, yet they suppressed the IRA in the name of fighting terrorism. The Americans tried to bomb Vietnam into the Stone Age. The CIA destroyed the landscape of little Laos. The West is always feeling guilty about the Holocast, but it conveniently ignores genocide in Cambodia, Bosnia and other places.
It is time that we from the developing world spoke up. We must accept that the West practises double standards. The sooner we recognise this the better it is for all of us. It makes us less naive. We can then acknowledge that freedom, democracy and human rights are often weapons used by hegemons.
Talk about ISA, we forget the Patriots Act and new laws against terrorism in the UK. We ignore the killing of an innocent Brazillian citizen by the London Metropolitan Police and its subsequent cover-up. What about Abu Ghai’rib and Guantanamo? They are free, but the rest of us are only free when we kiss their feet and toe their line. Ask Castro and Hugo Chevez.
So I do not understand why the British High Commissioner, Cleghorn, and the Hungarian Ambassador should walk out of the Suhakam Conference. At the least, the American Ambassador showed some class by not attending the morning session to listen to Mahathir.
Walking out when someone is speaking is a sure sign of poor upbringing, bad manners, or a lack of common courtesy. Yet it was the British teachers who taught me good manners and civics. Talk about freedom of speech, and then you walk out because you do not agree with the views of the speaker. Why not respond during the Question and Answer session?
In stead, we have infantile behavour by Ambassadors. Both the British and Hungarian Governments should be more careful about who they send to represent them in our country. Both incumbents are a disgrace. I may not agree with the former Prime Minister all the time, but I always respected him as my duly elected leader, and now as an elder stateman and senior citizen.
Thanks.
September 10th, 2005 at 11:41 pm
Bro Dean,
Yes I agree that the basis of our belief is to respect individual rights within the allowed and recognised parameters and in that respect when Mahatir spoke his piece, it was blatant disrespect and ill-mannered attitude of those who walked out. As you rightly say, the Americans and British are more than guilty of the complicit abuses around the world, particularly in the way Iraq was invaded on trumped-up accusations.
Having said that, I have to chide Suhakam for allowing the platform in the first place for Mahatir to continue his abusive attitude unabated. Of course, we belief and hope that as we mature we realise our mistakes and transit into a more consuming personality but expecting Mahatir to repent is to expect the unexpected. We are not Ghandi or Mandela but we do have in our reserves the humanity to “let go” but as we are witnessing recent events as a testimony of a wounded tiger. My fervent hope is that he does not end up like Augutus Pinochett who at the twiligh of his years had to wake up every morning to face dilemmas, one after another.
For Mahatir, saying sorry is to expect the sun to rise from the west. When Clinton recently visited Rwanda he apologised for his inaction to prevent the genocide there although he could have done so. Of course, he did say sorry but I find it hard to accept such a retribution. We credit and respect those who did what they could while they were able to and not when they are not able to. Rwanda has moved on and we Malaysians would move, too, from the Mahatir era but giving a man who trampled and raped justice the right to speak at a forum by a body that was in actuality set-up to voice concern at the very man at the time does not bode well at all. Suhakam should have known better but alas with Abu Talib at its helm, what else can be expected.
September 11th, 2005 at 1:02 am
Din Merican, keris_always, Anakmalaysia (FAIR MALAYSIAN), chez1978, Fair Malaysian (TRUE MALAYSIAN) and Ibrahim not forgetting BB.
In Atuk’s humble way, first of all, I have to apologise because I could not express as freely as all of you in this Big Brother (Bakri) weblog, due to my lack of skill in the language. I have read and noted how beautiful the way all of you express yourselves critically and intellectually. I wish I have that ability. I am pretty sure many ordinary Malay surfers and bloggers, as much as they want to participate, could not do so because of this shortcomings. I am sure they can understand mostly whatever is written, but to participate, it is a different and difficult matter. A lot of them especially those having their SPM/MCE after 1971, nowadays are holding middle or senior managerial posts come from the Malay medium curricular instructions. My SC/MCE was in 1968, but my primary school days was fully in BM. Even though I attended a full English instructional secondary school, we rarely spoke English among ourselves, as all of Atuk’s schoolmates were Malays. The standard of English in my writings thus become erratic, short of hanging in betweens. I hope it can make some sense.
Atuk was 7 years old when we got our independence in August 1957 and it is of no great shock to me when I read the ensuing arguments between bloggers. The potential of another damaging race riot in Malaysia is very real indeed and nobody is doing anything about it. The education system is in total disarray. Did you all know that, the Ministery of Education is upgrading the teachers’ colleges to that of higher institutions in 2006, and related NGOs especially pertaining to race relations are not invited in formulating the curriculum?
In my humble way of seeing things as an ordinary kampung people, I perceive race relations in Malaysia as two icebergs seeing each other, not knowing what lie underneaths. Screenshots’ way of arguing the validity of MB Khir Toyo against Jeffooi’s father birth’s place is a stark example. Let go back to early 20th century, when there was no boundaries and immigration checkpoints existed. These restraints were the artworks of European empirialists, but then they too agreed to the name of the Malay Archipelago. The Nusantara people travel freely between Tanah Melayu and thousands of Islands in the archipelago. So Songket really is from Trengganu? Check again. Please visit South Sulawesi. Songket is worn at every festivals and weddings. Most womenfolks over there are songket weavers (?). Even the males wear batiks and a head scarves and are fishermen, and pronounce the word “makan” as “makang”. Atuk would not want to go into details on how close the Malays of Nusantara then and now, but enough to say that if the Japanese were not bombed and had they not leave us in such a haste, we are in a Nusantara right now.
When I was a small boy, the kampung folks were all seemed happy and contented to live the way they were. Everythings were in-place and at-hand as to how to carry on living as a happy rakyat. The ricefields, the jungles and the rivers with plentiful of fishes. It was really shameful indeed to stand by the roadsides to sell something, as though you and your family was on the brink of starvation! The evenings were then filled with silats, dances and story-tellings. Tops spinnings and kites were favourite pastimes. Never ever had to stop and to think about moneys and bills. The British rulers then knew the way of the Malays, their way of lives and their sensitivities and even added the word amuk in their vocabulary. They could not recruit the happy and contented Malays to work in rubber estates or on road buildings, and they would not even touch them (especially on the heads :)). The British knew and acknowledge the special position of the Malay and their Kings even before Jus Soli! Jus Soli was a redundant issue put forward by UMNO.
How could the present non-malays especially those having their early education at SJKs know whatever lays underneath the Malay icebergs. They perceive the petty squabling and smiling, ignorant looking Malays as morons that are good for nothing! What the British did that was very terribly wrong, was to bring in loads of immigrants for satisfying their greeds. They should have instead persuaded the reluctant Malays slowly and patiently into their folds, and I believe right now we are in a very happy big family.
I have said much friends. Just a point to ponder. While driving your car, just take a peep at your left, who is most likely to overtak you on the kurb? Or for that matter at a long que? Nowadays, the Malays learned fast, and become the meanest of road bulleys of them all. Right so? It was a catastrophic cultural shock that confronted the Malays having to compete with people of a housand years of civilisations behind them.
September 11th, 2005 at 5:04 am
“Walking out when someone is speaking is a sure sign of poor upbringing, bad manners, or a lack of common courtesy. Yet it was the British teachers who taught me good manners and civics. Talk about freedom of speech, and then you walk out because you do not agree with the views of the speaker. Why not respond during the Question and Answer session?” says Brother Dean Merican.
Freedom of speech
Right now we are exercising our right to freedom of speech – free to disagree, free to express ourselves - which is good. Not the situation we see in Jeff Ooi’s blog. Screenshot has become a gathering of infantile minds and Jeff Ooi’s attempt at self censorship is skewed to accommodate those of a particular racial strand, if you will. But that is another matter.
The problem with Malaysians is that we have lived for far too long under an authoritarian regime which has interpreted “freedom of speech” to mean freedom only when you speak in support of those who make public policies, and in praise of those who implement them. It is no exaggeration to say that today Malaysians are experiencing difficulties in grasping the true meaning of “freedom of speech” and in how to handle it. This is not surprising for a people in transition.
Now what is wrong with delegates walking out of a conference in protest - kurang ajar, uncouth and ill-mannered? Yes certainly – particularly when you apply Malay tradition and Malay sensitivities. Was anybody stopping Mahathir, a former PM, from exercising his right to freedom of speech? Then why are you saying these delegates cannot walk out in protest? Isn’t that freedom of speech? I believed Rose Chan, during her years with her python and as contortionist on stage, was exercising her freedom of speech just as she did each time she shook her booties. Maybe we all could learn something from the late Rose Chan.
Bro dean, you shocked me when you said it was the British who taught us Malays good manners. Perhaps what you really wanted to say was: it was the British who taught us what constituted good western manners. The Malays are a people who are well mannered by nature, given to following tradition to the letter, respect for the elderly etc - and that did not start when Stamford Raffles set foot on the island of Singa Pura or when Francis Light reached the shores of an island and saw what the Pinang tree looked like for the first time in his life. These are universal values which should be encouraged. In fact Malays are too well mannered, and history has shown repeatedly that their almost uncompromising adherence to “good (native) manners” in fact worked against them.
Don’t forget Mahathir is educated at the University of Malaya in Singapore – hardly a “pondok” type education. Remember at the peak of his bout with schizophrenia and in the book “Malay Dilemma” he took the Malays to task for being too Malay. Like I said before Mahathir is a study in contradictions, but here he is being consistent.
He accused the West of double standards but when he decided to be rude to his host SUHAKAM -whose invitation he accepted not without controversy - by insulting some of their guests, he did so in complete disregard to the very values you and I have credited the Malays with.
I believe Mahathir is as much a Malay as the Tunku was even though he chose to adopt impoverished Bangladeshi children instead of those from his own community. Much as I like to say that his vision of himself as a visionary leader is as clear as the vision 2020 he envisaged for his people, I cannot. I can only say that he is a bundle of contradictions, a man still troubled by the excess baggage he still carries with him – a left over from the colonial days.
Look, Mahathir was free to be rude to his hosts, abusing the privilege given to him as a speaker, disregarding the sensitivities of the guests and turning the forum into an opportunity to air his grievances against the West – as if the world does not already know of the xenophobia which has troubled him even before he assumed political office. In response those western delegates walked out quietly. They do that all the time, during sessions at the United Nations, in New York, for example. Why is it rude for them to do it here? Kuala Lumpur is not New York? After all the Conference is not organized by the Government of Malaysia. Weren’t these western delegates there as observers? Do we not give these people, accredited representatives of foreign governments, the same freedom of speech as given Mahathir, the former prime minister and a private citizen?
Are we not guilty of applying double standards here? It is naïve to think that the West cannot be guilty of applying double standards. They do it all time and whenever it suits them. We are free to protest – and scream until we foam in the mouth. The problem is are there people listening?
September 11th, 2005 at 9:57 am
Dear Din Merican, Keris_always, Tuk Along, Chez 1978, Fair Malaysian and all visitors to Bakri Musa’s site,
We cannot change history so let’s not harp on what the British did to the Malays, bringing in the Chinese and Indians, what our founding fathers did in crafting the Malayan Constitution and what Mahathir did during his tenure as PM dividing the Malaysians by his bogeyman scare tactic playing one race against the other.
There is a place for everyone in Malaysia and we hold the key to make it happen. We have lived in harmony all these years despite what the politicians wants us to believe. Go to any housing estate, kampong or village and you will see children playing with each other oblivious whether they are Malays, Cinese or Indians. So why do we adults make the distinction? We adults are the culprit and we allow our bigoted minds to remind our children of the differences. We are equally guilty by developing the young minds to cast fear and doubt in our children about the other races. We have to stop this. Children needs to be sent to schools where all races can learn side by side and they can learn to respect each other, respect the differences in religion and custom. They need to learn to tolerate and accept.
If we speak our minds on race, we will be thrown the ISA book but if the politicians speak about race and how their political party is protecting the interest of its members against other races, they are deemed as championing the race. This has got to stop. They should also be given the ISA treatment. God has made us all different, different races, different colors, different languages etc.
I agree with all about a revamp in education policy for Malaysia. We need a better system and I am sure all the bright young minds in Malaysia can think of a better way if only they set aside their racial differences and concentrate on giving the children the best education. Malaysia spends more money on education but the results are disappointing.
Politicians should be kept out of this planning committee. Certain politicians are not suited to be the Ministers to handle certain portfolios as they don’t have the credentials nor the education to hold such position. They are appointed because their party won the election. Take for example the Minister of Education and also the Minister of Higher Education. What educational background do these two have apart from attending universities?
Appointment of VC should be open and transparent and based on a National search. Candidates will be nominated and interviewed by a committee from the University comprising of the Faculty Senate, Student Council, Administrative committee and the Board of Governors. The candidate will be asked about his vision for the University, what will he be bringing to the University to further enhance the University and experience for the students. What is his game plan and how will he address the various constituencies of the university. Not like the present system where a VC is appointed through political connection and fail miserably.. A University recently appointed a President by default? Good luck to this University.
Our public university are modeled after the British system where eductaion is for the elite. This should be reviewed and changed. Education is a life long process and should be made available to all and subndry. The Malaysian University are too focussed on awarding a degree and too specialised that graduates find difficulty in getting employment. The program is not balanced with other life experience and does not allow the student to develop maturity of thoughts, critical thinking and appreciation of the arts and culture.
Malaysian universities are turning out too many engineers but not enough technologist. Imagine this, if our car breaks down do we call on an Automotive Engineer to fix the car or do we call a mechanic/technician? The same goes for our air conditioner at home, do we call an Electrical Engineer or do we call the HVAC technician?
The Malaysian parents are also to be held responsible to some extent. Ask any parent and they will say they want their child to go to University. Is University education the only option? Ask the parents what thier child will be doing, immediately they will say engineer, doctor, accountant. Seems the world is centered on these three profession.
The circle has now come back to us the ordinary citizen. Why do we allow certain people to dictate our future? We hold the future in our hands and so make the elected representative understand that we want change and as elected reps they must speak out on our behalf. If they don’t change we will change them. I know most of you will say it is easier said than done but as usual come election time we will be voting the the same people. Pathetic but true. over and out 10-4
September 11th, 2005 at 11:15 am
For the benefit of Tuk Along.
Di ambang kemerdekaan, sentimen perkauman yang tebal berjaya diatasi kerana wujudnya dasar kompromi. Yang pasti, tidak semuanya bersetuju seratus peratus, tetapi permuafakatan dari penghujung 40-an hingga 50-an sesama pemimpin Tanah Melayu disokong oleh golongan majoriti. Sesungguhnya, jalan ke arah pemerintahan sendiri adalah berliku dan berduri, dan ramai yang bertanggapan bahawa pemimpin mereka seperti Tunku Abdul Rahman dan Tun Tan Cheng Lock terlalu banyak memberi laluan kepada tuntutan melampau komuniti masing-masing. Tidak senang untuk menjaga hati semua pihak Tuk Along! Di kala Dato’ Onn yang berkelana di barisan pembangkang, ancaman komunis memaksa pemimpin Tanah Melayu mencari penyelesaian dan persetujuan untuk mempercepat proses kemerdekaan. Itu semuanya sudah menjadi sejarah.
Generasi kami yang lahir selepas laungan keramat “Merdeka” bukan menidakkan kontrak sosial yang telah dipersetujui. Jaminan Tunku ketika pembentukan Malaysia 1963 masih terngiang-ngiang di telinga jua, namun sayang sekali sentimen perkauman masih subur dan kuat dan sukar dirobohkan. Ramai di antara kami yang keturunan Cina, India dan lain-lain tidak minta dilahirkan untuk dipanggil pendatang atau orang asing di tanah tumpahnya sendiri. Seperti yang dikatakan oleh saudara Ibrahim, yang lepas sudah berlalu dan jalan yang ada berada di depan kami.
Akan sentiasa adanya kenyataan yang berbaur perkauman di bumi ini, dan mustahil untuk kita memperbetul dan menangkis perasaan syakwasangka sesama rakyat Malaysia secara total. Apa yang dapat kita lakukan hanyalah mencari titik persamaan dan mencari penyelesaian kepada apa yang dipertikaikan. Saya yakin bahawa semua rakyat Malaysia, tanpa mengira bangsa dan umur, menginginkan kemajuan, kemakmuran dan kesejahteraan buat bumi ini. Atas dasar inilah kita bina asas kerjasama tanpa mengira kaum, agama dan budaya.
Kepentingan berdasarkan kaum tidak harus diberi keutamaan sehingga memudaratkan masa depan negara. Sejauh mana agenda Melayu dapat dikekalkan, wajarlah ia dikekalkan dan diteruskan dengan cara terbaik untuk mengurangkan implikasi negatif terhadap pembangunan dan daya saing Malaysia. Berpaksikan prinsip memberi bantuan kepada yang memerlukannya, sudah pasti nasib rakyat Malaysia keturunan Melayu, Cina, India yang daif dan papa kedana akan terbela. Untuk memastikan kekuatan ekonomi orang Melayu, usaha haruslah dipergiat untuk membantu usahawan Melayu mencari pintu masuk dan tapak berniaga dalam bidang yang dimonopoli oleh satu-satu kaum. Meningkatkan keupayaan bersaing dan membina jaringan kerjasama sesama usahawan dan peniaga Melayu adalah jauh lebih berkesan daripada kuota dan subsidi mudah semata-mata. Sesuatu yang datang bergolek atau melayang sukar dihargai dan dimanfaatkan sepenuhnya. Kerajaan tidak dapat menghapuskan pakatan ekonomi berlandaskan kaum, tetapi kerajaan boleh menggalakkan kerjasama usahawan Melayu dengan usahawan Cina melalui insentif dan pakej kontrak yang memungkinkan usahawan Malaysia berdiri di atas kaki sendiri untuk bersaing di persada dunia.
Berbalik kepada soal pendidikan dan kakitangan sektor awam, janganlah disekat peluang rakyat bukan bumiputera atas dasar perkauman. Yang kuat menyumbang wajar diberi pengiktirafan, dan yang kuat berusaha wajar di beri ganjaran. Janganlah menjulang manusia yang hanya pandai mencari kesempatan melalui saluran politik semasa dan melupakan tanggungjawabnya kepada bangsa Malaysia. Isu pendidikan maha penting untuk masa depan negara, dan sepatutnya bebas daripada sebarang agenda politik atau manipulasi politikus yang melampau. Kekalkan usaha memartabatkan agenda Melayu dalam pendidikan melalui MARA, tetapi bebaskanlah institusi pendidikan awam yang lain daripada cengkaman politikus yang melagukan kuota terselindung di sebalik laungan meritokrasi. Titikberatkan penguasaan ilmu dan pendidikan/pembelajaran sepanjang hayat, bukan belajar semata-mata untuk menghadapi peperiksaan.
Rata-rata preskripsinya ada, doktornya pun ramai. Kalau tak doktor pun, pengamal perubatan tradisionalnya pun jadilah. Namun, jika pesakit gagal mematuhi arahan atau nasihat doktor, penyakit yang sudah lama menjangkiti masyarakat kita ini sukar sekali untuk diubati.
I didn’t realize that my BM has deteriorated that much. Cheers!
September 11th, 2005 at 6:13 pm
Dear Tuk Along,
There is no need for you to apologise for “limited” English language skills. Just write in whatever way you can, and English or Malay as you deem appropriate. As far as I am concerned, I understand where you are coming from.
You have made some interestig comments on contemporary issues. Please keep writing,and over time you will find it easier to get your message across as your confidence grows. None of us have the “right” answers. We all could be wrong. But to me, it is important that we take a position and defend it well. keris_always, my Bakaq Bata buddy, is a good example.
I will respond to your comments and to keris_always, Fair Malaysian, 10-4 Ibrahim and chez1978 later. I must read your latest comments very carefully before I respond.
Thanks.
September 11th, 2005 at 9:20 pm
Bro Ibrahim,
I read yours at least three times. I wish the PM can read what you have written.
September 11th, 2005 at 10:26 pm
Friends in discourse or …?,
I will deal with some of the points you raised in reaction to my earlier comments on an individual basis.
Before that let me give you my impressions on the forum “Liberal Islam: A Clear and Present Danger?” which I attended on September 10 at the National Science Center, Mont Kiara. It was organised by the Muslim Professionals Forum.
I was among the few so-called “liberals” who were there. The rest were, for want of a more appropriate categorisation, the “traditionalists”. It was “them versus us” situation, only that the “them” was in a tiny or thinny minority.
The first speaker, Malaysian-Malay Ustaz (Dr. honoris causa) Muhammad ‘Uthmam El-Muhammady, is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC), very respected member of the Ulama Group, and Tokoh Ma’al Hijrah 2005 winner. He defined “Liberal Islamists” as those who share parallel concerns with western Liberalism: separation of church and state, democracy, the rights of women and minorities, freedom of thought, environment, and human progress.
He went on to identify liberal Islamic scholars by name according to issues they championed. For example, Amina Wadud-Mushin (US), Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan) and Fatima Mernissi (Morocco) were identified with Rights of Women, Abdolkarim-Soroush (Iran) and Nurcholish Madjid (Indonesia) with democracy and tolerance, progress with Muhammad Iqbal (India) and Fazlur Rahman, and so on with some overlaps.
Dr. El_Muhammady went on to say that “the promotion of secularization is against the conclusion of mainstream Islamic thought because Islam cannot accept the separation of human life from religion, spirituality and the Hereafter; this is the position understood from Revelation, prophethood, and the understanding of sound human intellect as well as intellectual consensus in the Community. Acceptance of secularism amounts to excluding oneself from the sacred community”.
Hence Liberal Islam by his reasoning is a clear and present danger. This Dr. Ustaz went to say said that woman rights yes, provided that “it is within the Sacred Law (Shariah Law) and not in accordance with the ideas of secular liberalism”.
Keris_always, since you and I are very pro-Democracy and Human Rights and hence liberal muslims by definition, we do not belong to the ummah (meaning Islamic community). Are we to be excommunicated (kufur!) from the Sacred Community?
The other two speakers, Dr. Anis Malik Thoha and Sdr. Adnin Armas, Indonesian academics with The International Islamic University of Malaysia, devoted their presentations to debunking the world view and epistemology of “Liberal Islam” ala Indonesia, especially the activities of Jaringan Islam Liberal(JIL-Liberal Islam Network). They argued that JIL activists are advocating “secular-liberal ideas which deify Man and humanize God, equate religious truths with esoterism, and deconstruct the Uthmanic Mushaf and the Shariah” (Armas).
As far as I am concerned, fresh ideas are always are threat to those who cannot adapt to new circumstances. The Romans, for example, feared Christianity which challenged their orthodoxy (Gibbons). Islam is not under threat, the Quran and Sunnah are in tact, but Muslims are under serious threat from globalisation.
The so-called “liberals” have never questioned the authenticity of the Quran and the Sunnah. But since the Shariah Law (fiqh) represents the work of eminent scholars of the past, it should not be cast in stone. In fact, it can be reviewed for the 21st century world.
Tuk Along:
Racial discord is the clear and present danger today. Our leaders and citizens must not fan this fire. People like Jeff Ooi and friends should be careful. Otherwise, we have to ask keris_always to return home in his uniform to restore public order.
Fair Malaysian:
I was not at the Suhakam Conference, and do not have a copy of Mahathir’s speech. But I have attended in the past a number of forums and seminars where Mahathir was the keynote speaker. He was hard hitting, passionate and blunt, but he was never abusive nor abrasive. I, therefore, disagree with your comment.
I wish to add that Ambassadors who were present on those occasions did not walk out. Why? If they did, they would be snubbing the Prime Minister of Malaysia, and their action could constitute a diplomatic row. Now, when Mahathir is just an ordinary citizen with his views basically unchanged, the British High Commissioner, Celghorn and his Hungarian counterpart think they are at liberty to behave the way they did. I just do not buy that. I think Mahathir deserves some respect as Malaysia’s elder statesman, warts and all.
I am also not sure whether Augusto Pinochet and Mahathir are in the same league when it came human rights abuses. However, if we are still intent on apportioning blame, it should go to Suhakam Chairman, Tan Sri Abu Talib and his Commissioners. They should defend their decision.
On Bill Clinton, I can say that he allowed the EU to deal with the Bosnian problem (read David Halberstam’s Book, and Clinton’s Memoirs). And we know that the EU member states suffer from Islamphobia, and were paralyzed when it came to Bosnia. So, American intervention via NATO in the former Yugoslavia came a little too late to prevent the massacre of innocent Muslim men, women and children at Serbrenica(?) (Read General Wesley Clark).
Rwanda was not crucial to American national interest, and after Somalia, Clinton did not have the appetite for another involvement in Africa in order to prevent that Tutsi-Hutu genocide. As far as the UN is concerned on this and other matters, the Security Council is the last place to go whenever you needed help. If you are not careful, the UN staff will take your money away (read the Paul Volcker Report on the Iraqi Oil For Food Programme).
keris_always:
I am not embarassed to admit that my British teachers taught me good manners, how to treat people even when you disagree with them. What I was taught at school, I found reinforcement at home from my late mother who, as a professional nurse, was respectful of the sick and troubled, irrespective of their status, color or religion, and people in general. It is always good to be polite and courteous, according to my Bakaq Bata thinking and upbringing.
It is irrelevant who taught me. If western values are good, I adopt them. So I do not think Mahathir forgot his manners, as he too was brought up by his father who was a strict disciplinarian and respected headmaster. The school you attended in Alor Star was named after Master Iskandar.
keris_always:
True, Mahathir is a man of many contradictions. But then so am I. We are all captives of our time, experiences, education and our environment. You may be exceptional here. Double standards, yes. That is why we should be careful about what we say and do. But politicians be they Bush, Blair, Chirac, John Howard, Mahathir and Badawi are more prone to this than us, ordinary mortals. They are capable of strategic deceptions and double talk. That is politics, and that is diplomacy too.
We cannot blame authoritarianism for our sycophancy. Bodekism is the way to the top in Malaysia. More so now under Badawi. For the ambitious, it is a rational decision to be a “ahli bodek”. We have to make our choices, and live with the consequences. There are very few Mandelas, Dalai Lamas, and Gandhijis.
10-4 Ibrahim:
The Government knows about the state of our Universities, schools and the weaknesses in our education system. But it must have the political will to deal with them. If what happened to the Police Royal Commission is the yardstick, another Royal Commission would not help. I cannot explain the inertia except to say that there are vested interests behind the status quo.
Thanks.
September 13th, 2005 at 3:49 am
Atuk was quite surprised, that some of you do take notice of newbies like me. Even chez1978 wrote for my benefit. Wow! An old kampung boy who is fast leaving this Fana Island, getting the attentions of fellow intellectual bloggers make it worth my while.
I could only wish that I still have the young man’s enthusiasm and ideal like when I was in mid 60s, eager and energetic.
To Din Merican:
Thank you, but as you can see this apologetic trait is one of many that entrenched deep in the Malay culture. This make us Malays a very tolerable people and always willing to accommodate others. To the new Malay, perhaps this apologetic trait may be in a way hinders the new individual Malay-self development. This and many other so-called petty or unwanted attitudes (squabbling, secretives, prying other affair, back-stabbing etc) are hard to eradicate.
To chez1978:
Thanks for dedicating your comment to me. Your ideals are absolutely correct. If I narrate it to the rural kampung folks, everybody will nod in unison. Ever wonder why BN (UMNO) always get a resounding victory? DAP never lack a thing in their manifesto. Even Parti Gerakan could not lure the Malays to become members. To me (as all other old Malay kampung folks) seen DAP and Gerakan as a chinese-based political parties, protecting ONLY the chinese interests. DAP does not project itself as a worthy alternative and is contented to be just a “check and balance” party. Malay with their “petty” traits are misunderstood by the chinese-based parties. The misconceived idea of a Malay man that can be bought just by giving him a pack of cigarettes is the norm guideline when these political parties used to approach the Malay masses. Many a non-malay believes this, but he tends to foget the secretive and reserve nature of the Malay man. A gift (be it from corruption) to the Malay man means friendship, but to a chinese it means money or something to gain. To a Malay friendship means really friendship. To me (in my own opinion only) when a chinese befriends you it means he is trying to gain something from you!
The point is, why not DAP or Gerakan really befriends the Malay kampung folks. I promise you, the second time around (after gaining their trust – not absolute though) they will treat you with their own cookings. That is how the Malays honour people. They do not care about money. They will borrow it if they do not have it!
To Ibrahim
Thank you from a newbie to you too. Yes, we cannot change history nor alter history for political gains like Ronnie has done. People make history and people understand people. This undestanding can be learn only when people of different ethnic groups are close to each other, be it in schools, at works or in anything else they do. We are far from close to each other. Polarisations abound everywhere. Everybody must do something like Din Merican says.
That’s all folks.
September 13th, 2005 at 5:13 am
as for me…..?
i am riding horseback into the sunset with my colt 45 wrapped around my saddle and not around my waist. already my horse is showing signs of old age and may collapse any time now (it should have collapsed from old age a long time ago).
i am attending a seminar on dan brown’s da vinci code. i need to read dan brown again to refresh my memory. i am also reading salman rushdie’s shalimar the clown. everyone remembers rushdie’s satanic verses of course.
want to discuss satanic verses?
September 13th, 2005 at 8:07 pm
Keris_always,
We must respect Badawi and others. But you can discuss Rushdie’s Satanic Verses on private e-mail with me. Then, I will really know your true identity.
September 15th, 2005 at 9:11 am
Hi friends, I was away for a few days and I had quite a bit of catching-up.
Anyway, on the Mahatir-Suhakam issue, I do agree that he has a right to speak his mind but the Suhakam forum was not the right venue for him to vent his anger against the West. If we recall, Suhakam was formed during the heightened days of discontent against the abuses by the Mahatir administration.
Indeed, Suhakam was formed to address the serious human rights abuses in the country. Suhakam’s focus has been and would be on rights abuses in the country. Of all persons, Mahatir should have known that, and I believe he does know that. This is a classic example how the shrewd and cunning politician he is, chose to use the very platform to deflect and divert the confronting issues away from him by going after the West. He, in fact, succeeded in this as can be seen from the “thumbs-up” commendation heaped on him by some for taking on the West. As usual, Mahatir has this uncanning ability to hoodwink us to belief in what he has to say.
Of course, I am against the British and American policies in Iraq, what more that their policies have caused suffering of catastrophic proportions to the Iraqi people, particularly the children. All I am saying is Suhakam was set-up to rein-in rights abuses in THIS COUNTRY and Mahatir had, single-handedly hijacked its principle in a single day, at a single forum, a forum at which he should have addressed his own rights abuses. A man who never, for one-second, admitted his own abuses, can never with a conscience use the very platform to point fingers at others.
September 16th, 2005 at 3:41 am
Dear Johnleemk,
Thanks for your comments of September 7. I missed it, and hence this late response.
Whatever I got, it was through hard work and struggle. I would not have it any other way. I do not even agree that bumiputras should be entitled to 5-10% discount whenever they purchase a house or an apartment. This is because I understand how we can manipulate percentages, and play around with cost and quality of construction. There are no free lunches. I learned that early as an economist. Business is not charity.
I think, I sleep better by following my late mother’s advice that “the honest dollar is the sweetest dollar you will ever earn, my son”. My mom was a simple nurse who had to take a 3-year Government loan to buy me a RM150 Raleigh bicycle in the 1950s. I used to cycle to school in the rain, and return home from Penang to Alor Setar by bicycle during school holidays. So I am unhappy when people lump my kind together with other privilege and patronage seeking Malays.
You don’t hear from many Malays who are like me out there in the boondocks of our country. They are not eloquent to take on smart “alexs” of the cyberworld who hide behind pen names, and throw insults at others like cowards. They have to get on with their lives in the best way they can. And that comes through hard work, blood, sweat and tears.
I resent the hectoring we get from Malay politicians and elites and others, who are out of touch with reality. The Malays are not lazy; we are not stupid; we do not lack motivation ; we can compete, and we are not beggars, expecting handouts from others. In short, we are a proud people with a long history. We have face.
We are not the real beneficiaries of the NEP. In fact, politically well connected Chinese and Indians are better off than most of us. Go to the kampongs and small towns and look at the hard working Malays, trying to urk out their daily existence. They are not the ones you see in posh hotels, who own Mercedes Benz and BMW cars, and live in Damansara Heights or Kenny Hills. They are the simple people.
I am more fortunate than they because I had the benefit of a good tertiary education locally and overseas. I was just lucky. Now you understand why I say I draw the line. So people like “Gate Pintu” and others better watch what they say.
September 16th, 2005 at 6:25 am
Bro Din, I do understand your apprehension and the problem with us, non-malays is to categorise all Malays as what you may have mentioned in your note. As you rightly pointed out, the politically connected non-malays, too, are corrupt to the core and they revel on the shifting-blame to the Malays as the cause of their plight. I see more than clear that the problem is certainly not aligned and assigned to one race but to the corrupt govt and politicians, irrespective of race.
In fact, I was in a remote village in Kelantan on a research some two years ago, staying with a kampong family and it was an experience I would never forget. It reminded me of a remark a judge made in the infamous Mokhtar Hashim trial - that kampong folks do not lie. I think he should have gone further, the kampong folks are very simple and very, very kind and hospitable.
In fact, most non-malays understand now that their own politicians, together with other BN politicians, and all the politically-connected are the cause of the ills facing our country on the domestic front. You are a shining example of a MALAYSIAN whom we all can identify with.
As for the likes of “Gate Pintu”, while he seems to revel in his trumpeted eloquency, he has shamed himself by choosing to tread a destructive path and in the process become a laughing stock, not a “hero” as he may want us to belief. It is for this reason that I prefer Bakri’s platform where we can share and discuss in a decent way, even when we choose to disagree. I hope Raja Petra would not allow such people on his blogs as it not only tarnishes the quality and respectability of the site, good and forthcoming discourse may not happen there, and eventually the site may be relegated to more of a gossip blog. Expressing differing issues is not the issue but doing it with respect and civility.
That is why I look forward to what others have to say on this site and I enjoy reading them.
September 17th, 2005 at 12:22 am
Thanks, Bro Fair Malaysian, for your kind remarks.
Last night, I was watching the CNN Connect program in which Bill Clinton and his friends were discussing global issues. Clinton acknowledged how difficult it was for him to get things done when he was President of the United States. There was too much politics and bureaucracy. Governments cannot be part of the solution, since it is often the problem. What is the alternative?
I was struck by what the Queen Rana of Jordan said about the role of civil society in her country ,and how Jordanians were able to do things better and at lower cost. Clinton agreed with her as he himself through his Clinton Foundation was now able to get drugs delivered at substantially reduced cost to those who needed them. So, we must encourage more NGO activity in Malaysia.
Civil society can only develop when people are conscious of, and are willing to exercise their rights. We could be organised into oversight groups, which can hold our Government to account. For that, we also need a free press.
Our problems are public apathy and press self-censorship. As a result, we have allowed our politicians and the friends to do as they please with our national resources. Our Parliamentarians on both sides of the aisle are a pretty tame, and probably indifferent lot.
Of late, we see that the press is coming out with stories of corruption, and abuses of power. But a lot still needs to be done in our country and there must be the political will to fix problems with grassroots participation.
Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank, said that the poor, especially women, are generally more creditworthy and honest than corporate executives in multinationals like Enron and Worldcom. Micro-credit is vital so that the rural poor can create jobs for themselves. Yet the poor in most parts of the world are not able to obtain loans for their business.
They need collateral, and must overcome bureaucracy before they can have access to credit. Hernando de Soto wrote a book, “The Mystery of Capital”, about his experience on urban and rural poverty in his country, Peru. He said that we need a system to make it possible for the poor to unlock the hidden value of their land to raise funds. In this way, we can solve the mystery of capital.
Thanks.
September 20th, 2005 at 7:40 am
Kaum India Muslim yang lahir di negara ini adalah Muslim yang boleh bertutur dalam bahasa Malaysia dan mengamalkan adat Melayu, namun masih tidak digelar sebagai orang Melayu. Kita mengamalkan ketiga-tiga perkara ini dan mengikut Perlembagaan Malaysia, kita berhak mendapat status Melayu. Kita meminta kaum India Muslim diperuntukkan kuota khas dalam pemberian rumah kos rendah, tempat belajar di institusi pengajian tinggi awam, biasiswa, peluang pekerjaan dan melantik dua anggota KIMMA sebagai Senator di Dewan Negara. Walaupun kaum India Muslim berpeluang menjadi ahli Umno, kebanyakan kita telah menolaknya atas dasar ingin mengekalkan kebudayaan dan bahasa ibunda kita.
September 21st, 2005 at 7:24 pm
Dear Muslimjati,
Here we are arguing about removing props and handouts for the Malays, and about finding alternative development models. You and KIMMA are going around with a begging bowl to campaign for inclusion as “special people”.
Your idea is that you can enjoy the benefits of NEP/NDP, which, as you know, did not benefit the Malays in general. Do you think 2 Senatorships (I assume you will want one for yourself), etc can help the Indian Muslim community? How about organising the community into one that can help itself. What are the rich Indian Muslims doing for their own kind?
We need to develop a more rugged and entrepreneurial society that can compete globally, and that can respond to market incentives. My ancestors came from India, and we have survived and prospered through our investment in education of our young, lots of hard work and sacrifice, and strength of character. Now you want quotas. That, to say the least, is most disappointing.
I am embarassed by what you have written. Where is your pride and dignity. I wonder what is so “jati” about people with your mind-set. Don’t get soft. There are no free lunches.
Thanks.
September 22nd, 2005 at 1:06 am
KIMMA and muslimjati,
Cari makan secara lain lah. Din Merican sudah bernasihat yang baik untuk kaum Muslim India. Jangan ikut macam orang Melayu UMNO. Terima kasih.
KIMMA seeks Malay status for Indian Muslims
(Bernama) — The Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (KIMMA) Sunday passed a motion seeking the government to give Malay status to Indian Muslims born in the country.
In the eight-point motion, passed at its 30th annual general meeting, KIMMA cited provisions in the Federal Constitution which stated that a Muslim who could speak Bahasa Malaysia and practised the Malay culture was regarded a Malay.
The contents of the motion, among others, stated; “The Indian Muslims adopt the three elements but still cannot get the Malay status. If there is a problem in doing so, at least give the Bumiputera status as is being done to the Portuguese”.
The motion was handed to the Prime Minister’s Political Secretary Datuk Othman Desa who opened the meeting.
KIMMA is also asking for a special quota for the Indian Muslims in the allocation of low cost houses, places in public institutions of higher learning, scholarships and employment opportunities.
It also wants two of its members to be appointed as Senators.
On the political side, the congress also passed a motion to apply to become a member of the Barisan Nasional component party and would gladly accept to become a coalition party in UMNO.
KIMMA advisor Thasleem Mohd Ibrahim, when met by Bernama, said although the Indian Muslims could be Umno members, many were not keen because they wanted to maintain their culture and mother-tongue.
He said the Indian Muslims played an important role in the setting up of MIC but left the party when religious element seeped in.
He added that there was a great difference in historical background of the Indian Muslims and the Indians who came to work as labourers despite them speaking Tamil and were from Tamil Nadu in India.
Contained in the motion was also a request for the government to simplify the process of visa application and renewal for Muslim teachers from India and to have a KIMMA representative in all the State Religious Council and local government authorities in the country.
September 24th, 2005 at 11:13 pm
Muslimjati,
Why don’t you refute me? Don’t keep quiet. Otherwise, I think I am correct to criticise your approach. Thanks.
September 26th, 2005 at 8:45 am
Muslimjati, I could not believe my eyes when I read what you have written. You say you want to retain your “culture”, citing this as the reason in not joining UMNO. What can I say? Bro Din had aptly ticked you off and quite rightly so. The nation has been debating in the recent past of the many ills plaguing Malaysians, particularly Malays. Whatever you have asked for from the govt are believed to have been the cause (or at least most of it) of the dire straits of the Malays and you beg to be included in that deep trench.
The Indian Muslims, though small in number, have been a vibrant force and have worked hard and well, particulalry in business and it is heartening that they have stood on their own to achieve a great deal. Such a feat by such a small community is commendable and do not fall for the illusive handouts which would eventually destroy what you have worked so hard for and achieved.
September 27th, 2005 at 2:14 am
Dear Fair Malaysian,
Our Indian Muslim champion, muslimjati, cannot defend his position.
There are easy options in life. It is hard work all the way down, up and sideways. As a member of small and self respecting community, he should be proud of his heritage, culture, and identity. He wants to be classified as a Malay. You cannot change a dog into a cat by just changing the definition. It is an act of self or communal delusion. We are not living in a Houdini world.
We need to build a rugged society which respects the dignity of difference, and one which utilises our rich diversity as a critical strategic advantage so that we can compete with the best in the world. We are so fortunate in more ways than one, yet we are blind to these blessings.
We have allowed political Islam to divide the Malays, thanks to our politicians. It is threatening our national solidarity. Malay muslims no longer interact with non-Muslims. As a result, our survival as a nation is under under threat from religious obscurantism.
The silent Malaysian majority must no longer stay on the sidelines and allow the vocal minority to dictate our future. To a future defined by religious bigotry and racial intolerance is no future at all for Malaysians.
Thanks.
September 27th, 2005 at 2:16 am
Sorry, there are no easy options!!
April 9th, 2006 at 8:15 am
Great article. I am just sad I dont know how to reply properly, though, since I want to show my appreciation like many other.
July 10th, 2006 at 6:57 pm
A lot of poets carry a wee notebook in their pockets to jot down ideas and lines and even a verse or two. I never do that.
October 5th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
Jessica M.
I’m sorry for little off-topic, but I want to ask you about design of this site. Did you make this template yourself or got from any templates website? Looks pretty cool for me
October 10th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
I know the top is about i Musa - http://www.bakrimusa.com, but was wondering.