The Bold and The Predictable - Exchanges with Din Merican
The Bold and The Predictable: Exchanges with Din Merican
A Reaction to Brendan Pereira
Dear Bakri:
I am sure you have read Brendan Pereira’s latest weekend column, “Plain Talk” (The New Sunday Times, March 5, 2006). He asserted that “…Malaysians saw the bold and the predictable take center stage.” That was just too much for me. Frankly, I am tired of the endless spin and lack of candor in our public discourse, as exemplified by Brendan’s latest piece.
In his usual sycophantic mode, he praises our Prime Minister for being “bold” in choosing “a politically punishing path.” The reality is that over the nearly three years of his Administration, Abdullah is anything but bold. He has yet to demonstrate any sense of direction or urgency about where he wants to take our nation. To Brendan, that is bold, but I call it “chicken.” Just look at the recent Cabinet reshuffle.
We are all fully aware that the era of cheap oil is over. Raising the oil price is therefore not the issue. What surprises Malaysians is the timing, as well as the magnitude of the increase (up 30 cents). Brendan characterizes it as “… Abdullah going down the path of most resistance.” On the contrary, it is foolhardy. The Prime Minister is squandering the massive political capital he garnered in the last general (2004) elections.
The Prime Minister justified his decision by saying that the RM 4 billion in savings would be allocated towards improving public transportation. Will it? Think again.
He also promised Malaysians that there would be no more price hikes for the remainder of this year. He would have to break that promise if crude oil prices, now at USD64+ per barrel, were to increase again. The economic dynamics are there, with the voracious demands from the rapidly expanding economies of China and India, as well the recovering economies of Europe. Combine these with the uncertainties over the political situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, the unrest in Nigeria, and the mounting tensions between the US and the European Union on one side and the Islamic Republic of Iran on the other over that country’s desire to develop nuclear power.
Imagine what would happen if crude oil prices were to rise to USD70-80 per barrel. The savings of RM4 billion would be wiped out, and additional subsidies would be required to maintain the pump prices at current levels. To avoid that, he would have to raise prices again. That would be the only realistic option for him.
Brendan’s profile in courage (as it were) has a very low threshold. He extols Abdullah’s courage, but the man would not dare face the public on TV to explain his decision. He had to defer to his Deputy Prime Minister. Thanks to the persuasive powers of Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak, we were spared massive street protests and civil unrest.
The timing of the Prime Minister’s decision is totally out of sync, what with our economy slowing down, and both inflation and unemployment rising. Malaysians would have tolerated the increase better had the economy been expanding. This price hike will fuel a fresh round of increases in the price of essential goods and services, with the burden borne disproportionately, as usual, by the low income and rural folks.
Brendan cites the example of Japan where “the economic powerhouse did not hit the panic button until after the 1970s oil crisis.” He conveniently ignores the fact that although oil prices quadrupled then, it started from a very low base. Consequently it was nowhere near the present level of USD64+ per barrel. He continues, “[T]he country embarked on a major effort to wean itself off oil. Japan imports 16 percent less oil [in 1974] than it did in 1973 although the economy has more than doubled. Billions of (USD) dollars were invested in converting in oil-reliant electricity-generation systems into those powered by natural gas, coal, nuclear energy or alternative fuels …. Today, it has turned energy efficiency into an art.”
That is fine, but he forgets to mention that Malaysia exports its natural gas to Japan on a long term contract basis, and thus guarantees Japan of stable pricing.
What happened to our energy diversification policy that was initiated under Tun Dr. Mahathir’s Administration? It was a practical and far sighted policy. Why was it not implemented? Minister Lim Keng Yaik and Tenaga Nasional under Leo Moggie must answer this.
Investing to improve public transportation (little success thus far) alone will not help us if we continue to be an oil-driven economy. What happened to the Bakun hydropower plant and the rural electrification projects using palm kernel, methane gas, and related wastes? There is an urgent need to have alternative sources of energy and the better utilization and management of our utilities. We should move away from ad hoc approaches and piecemeal solutions.
If Japan can be “Cemerlang, Gemilang dan Terbilang,” Malaysia too can be likewise. What is needed is a clear vision and political will, both sadly lacking with the present Administration.
Brendan took issue with the opposition parties. Why criticize PAS for holding the demonstrations? The Opposition is always looking for opportunities to criticize the ruling party. PAS politicians have been doing that for years and as long as I can remember. That is in the nature of democratic politics. The recent oil price hike gives them and their supporters the excuse to go back to the streets. I am not surprised.
I agree that “The PM knows that he is being savaged on the ground because of the price hike. In recent days, he [PM] told aides that this is the price that must be paid.”
I would add that the real price is yet to come as he continues to show a lack of strategic and economic leadership. Abdullah is engaging in gostand economics with his emphasis on agriculture to propel our country into the 21st century. In the universe of our balance of payments, the cost for food imports pales to the huge invisibles deficit in the form of our service payments. We should be focusing on upgrading the skills and knowledge of our people so they could be productive in this age of the K-economy. Instead, our Prime Minister wants us all to be amateur farmers. Even if all of us were to plaster our backyards with kacang panjang, that would still not make a dent on the nation’s balance of payment. So get real!
Abdullah’s “edible landscape” and “community gardens” campaigns smell of Chairman Mao’s back-to the-earth movement of the Cultural Revolution era. Thank God, Abdullah does not have Mao’s charisma; otherwise our nation would be wrecked. We should be encouraging our farmers to modernize and to benefit maximally from the economy of scale; not turn urbanites into backyard gardeners. Pol Pot tried the same trick in Cambodia not too long ago, and forced city dwellers into the fields. We all know what happened to that piece of silly social engineering. Naive schemes produce equally naive results; in some instances, disaster.
Of course making sure that our schools and universities produce graduates prepared for the demands of globalization is much more challenging. That requires great thought and courageous actions, not mindless sloganeering.
I keep hoping but recognize that it is wishful thinking on my part to expect Brendan and his ilk in the mainstream media to have the courage to speak the “truth to power.”
Din Merican
Reply:
Dear Din:
Yes, I read Brendan’s piece, as well as an earlier one by Razak Baginda on the same topic. Read is not quite the right word, more like scan. It takes me less than a few minutes to finish NST and The Star. There is nothing substantive there, and poorly written to boot.
Even the Sun has overtaken NST in circulation numbers. The Star is not much better. Witness its editors chickening out on Marina’s recent piece.
These commentators are serving our nation poorly. At a time when we need sober and serious analyses, they are content with cheerleading. Then they wonder why they lose their credibility.
Years ago NST published my essay, “More Than A Malay Dilemma,” in which I posited that the greatest threat facing Malaysia was not interracial strife but intra-Malay conflict. It was the inaugural piece for its millennium series. The editor praised me profusely saying that my piece had caused a “buzz” among the establishment.
A few days later I was in Malaysia visiting. I was aching to hear comments on my supposedly “buzzing” piece. No one had read it! Yes, they subscribed to NST, but mainly for show as they never bothered reading them as they are full of unabashed propaganda. NST is now nothing more than an UMNO Newsletter.
All these newsmen and commentators have is their credibility; once they lose that, they might as well quit and be speech writers or write advertising copies. The pay is better.
As for the oil subsidy crisis, if Abdullah could not handle this 30-sen reduction, good luck in his endeavor to remove the crutches of the NEP and create the “Towering Personality” among Malays!
Bakri Musa
March 12th, 2006 at 8:37 pm
There is no real direction in this country. It is amazing when the government increased the price of oil but yet prohibiting the small time businessman citizens from doing the same.
No reason for me or anyone to read the newspaper when all the things that you can read are just ass-kissing rubbish. It is the same with the prime-time news, lately you can see TV3 going all out to kill off Khir Toyo bringing news after news about environment issue in Selangor. RTM - don’t even think of watching the news in that channel… UMNO is the best…. Pas is a total failure..that is their news of the day.
I remember a comment made by one of the MBM regular emphasising the fact that we’re the one who choose the leader of this country and we can do something about the Leaders. I’m loosing hope…all we can do is just talk and shout without any action or result…reading the latest article by Raja Petra on the spending during elections and the amazing impossibles of BN being out of the office conclude my doubts on the possibility of changes i.e the impossibles.
Revolution is needed, but a real revolutionist is a vacancies that is hard to fill up if the people is still living in the fantasy of the past. Maybe we hate Mahathir but Pak Lah’s decisions lately is making Mahathir more and more likable.
March 12th, 2006 at 9:33 pm
Very good. PM is telling us not to worry. The RM4.4 billion savings will be used to improve public transportation and the Government is still THINKING as to how to do it. My God! Still “THINKING”? That shows PM is not even prepared at all. How can he then be credited for taking the so-called “uncharted territory” and being bold in making such unpopular decision for the greater interest of the nation? He don’t even know the potential far-reaching implications of his decision let alone any countermeasures to mitigate the petrol hike.
If indeed, the petrol hike is a strategically or tactically planned move, why can the endearing PM forewarn the people, give enough notice and substantiate it with his well planned strategies before actual announcement. Isn’t this the basic 101 of Change Management? Why wait until the 11th hour (to be more precise, its 10.30pm) in announcing the hike?
Cemerlang, Gemilang, Terbilang indeed! From now on, it is more of Temberang and Tradisi Membela Rakyat has now become Tradisi Dibela Oleh Rakyat. Good luck Mr PM…..Dahulu, Kini & Selamanya!
March 12th, 2006 at 10:16 pm
Oil prices are beyond the control and comprehension of the Malaysian leaders. Oil prices are strictly based on supply and demand. No one can safely say there will be no increase in oil prices. All it takes is just a small incident which will spook the oil traders and we will see a price increase. Recently there was reports of insurgents attacking Nigerian oil facilities. Oil prices goes up. Then threats were made on saudi oil installations. So prices go up. Now Iran threaten to use oil as a bargaining tool in its desire to acquire nuclear technology. If that happens oil prices will go up further.
If the world oil prices goes up and up, can the Malaysian goverment still afford the subsidy. The government should just stop the subsidy and let the market determine the price. Instead of the subsidy use the funds for other badly needed social projects such as improving the education standards in Malaysia by equipping schools better, pay teachers more and providing more scholarships and loans to deserving students.
Malaysians on the other hand should also stop blaming the government for increase in petroluem prices. If you can’t afford to gas up your car then use alternative transport like commuter trains or public transport. In the US with the recent increase in oil prices, more commuters are riding the trains or travelling by bus. trust me the public transportation in some parts of the US are not much better than that in KL. Malaysians have been spoiled and won’t give up their toys. Workers in major cities around the world cram in trains each morning to go to work. Take London, Tokyo, New York and other major cities. These are developed countries but because the cost of owning and maintaining a car is too expensive, workers use public transport to go to work.
Preemptive comment. I use public transport to go to work. My wife rides the train and I use the bus.
March 12th, 2006 at 10:48 pm
Teman Org Perak, you said:
“Revolution is needed, but a real revolutionist is a vacancies that is hard to fill up if the people is still living in the fantasy of the past. Maybe we hate Mahathir but Pak Lah’s decisions lately is making Mahathir more and more likable. ”
I hate to say this, I tend to agree with you and in some ways. I must admit I’m beginning to miss Mahathir but at the same time, I just cannot forgive that selfish guy who doesn’t care a damn if Malaysia rots when he reluctantly retired.
As the prime minister, he failed the nation he led for 22 years, miserably, in his inability to nuture and appoint a smart able successor. His repugnance towards smart people around him truly reveal his dictatorial characteristics, and he felt more comfortable appointing Ghafar Baba and Abdullah Badawi as his deputies. For him, it was self above nation. Can we call him a statesman?
March 12th, 2006 at 10:53 pm
Spelling correction:
para 3, line 2 - “in his inability to nurture and appoint…”
sorry.
March 12th, 2006 at 10:54 pm
Ogre,
Are you here in Malaysia? Kudos to you if you are, coz it is not easy commuting on a public transportation in this country. It use to be ok when the Mini buses and other private company were still in operation.
To Najib Tun Razak,
I work in S. Alam but I’m living in Tmn Tun. Please tell me how to get to the office at 8.30 am everyday. I really hope the 4 billion ringgit can solved this problem.
Bro Din Merican,
Day by day, public own lands and wealth are distributed among the choosen few private people, the existence of poor people are more and more becoming irrelevant and loosing their say in the society.
Help me because I’m starting to love communism, I’m the poor proletarian working for the greedy bourgeoisie…
March 12th, 2006 at 11:04 pm
Teman Orang Perak
Teman used to work in KL for 9 years and teman commute by LRT, Star, KTM Komuter and even ERL when teman needs to go to Bukit Jalil, Nilai and Sepang. It takes a lot of effort but once you know your way around, it is faster and less stressful. Yes Bas Mini was a great system but the government bought the ideas of the late Yahya Ahmad and decided to do away with the small enterprenuers and instead gave the public transport to Intrakota. So what Sri Jaya couldn’t make a success of the government think Intrakota can.
March 13th, 2006 at 12:41 am
teman org perak,
You say that: “…real revolutionist is a vacancies that is hard to fill up if the people is still living in the fantasy of the past….”
Another point on the dearth of revolutionaries:
History have shown that societies (and countries) most of the time consume their revolutionaries….. many revolutionaries die figthting, or spent long periods in prison. And, even though the revolutionary may be able to ignite a revolution his or her safety may not be guaranteed; even though the revolution is a success. Look at the French, Russian, and Iranian revoltions to name a few.
To become a true revolutionary, one has to give up the comforts of the present for the uncertain and dangerous paths and events of the future.
No wonder !
So, any body here who dares to become the next national hero?
March 13th, 2006 at 1:07 am
Teman Orang Perak dan Jong,
Meka tak tahu apa nasihat yang meka patut beri kepada komme. Apa macam kalau balik kita semua balik kampung tanam ubi, dah? Tetapi kalau kita semua buat demikian, “supply will exceed demand” dan harga turun pula. Susah lah macam tu kerana harga minyak sudah tinggi, dan kita semua akan rugi.
Apa yang Pak Lah boleh buat untuk menolong kita selain daripada membangun semula ekonomi negara? Buat masa sekarang Pak Lah pening kepala tentang hal ini. Di harap Rancangan Malaysia ke-9 boleh tolong rakyat melalui ahli-ahlu politik UMNO,MCA dan MIC (orang kuatnya Pak Samy Velu,the Indian Robber) dan kroni kroni mereka. Apa kata kommer?
Mahathir hebat, Jong. Dia melantik pengganti yang hanya boleh tembak wap saja le. Tetapi kita semua yang salah kerana kita lah yang memberi mandat yang luar biasa kepada Pak Lah. Mungkin kita tertarik dengan slogan dia, “Do not work for me, but work with me”.
Meka cadang slogan baru,”Pak Lah, work for us”. Biar dia betambah pening kerana mengurus negara bukan mudah. Takat jadi “Sultan” tak cukup.
Tk.
March 13th, 2006 at 1:32 am
Teman Orang Perak dan Ex-MU,
Saya ada satu cadangan yang mungkin lebih baik. Biar Pak Lah pencen saja. Kita beri dia Darjah SMN dengan gelaran “Tun”. Dia boleh balik ke Kepala Batas untuk berehat. Dia sudah penat dengan temberang.
Dengan masa lapang yang banyak itu, Pak Lah boleh tanam ubi dan main golf di Kelab Golf Bertam dan Bukit Jambul. Tak payah pening kepala untuk kita. Kalau dia tak pening kepala kita, itu pun Alhamdullilah Syukur.
March 13th, 2006 at 3:16 am
Ex-MU:
Idea komme memang baik; apa salah-nya tanam ubi. Tau tak, harga ubi sekarang, tinggi. Komme memang ‘out of touch’ dengan harga pasar. Jika negeri jepun boleh tanam dan expot ubi, malu-lah bagaimana kami ta’boleh? Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin mesti gembira sangat kalau kami semua balik kampung tanam dan jagong. Dia boleh hantar Pak Lah balik Kepala Batas dan Najib Razak ke Pekan; bini-nya kaya tanah, beribu-ribu ekar tau tak ?!
Ahmadi Hassan:
Bagaimana Pak Lah main golf ? Dr Bakri dah komen, “He’s like a golfer who has good swings but there is no follow through, ….and he’s good at blurting out headlines”! Lebeh baik dia tanam ubi, diam diam pencen.
March 13th, 2006 at 3:19 am
Oops, correction:
para 1, line 5 “…balik kampung tanam ubi dan jagong.”
sorry.
March 13th, 2006 at 5:46 am
Since when are public projects undertaken to benefit the rakyat in Bolehland? You have the legion of parasitic, politically connected contractors swarming to their political masters for the juicy bits. And even then, the projects get subbed, and subbed, and subbed …. and the rakyat end up getting shoddy pieces of work! How much money was wasted when, after spending billions, all we get are useless, cracking supports for highways!
All this talk about pouring money into public transport is just sheer nonsense. Where I used to live, thousands of cars head to the industrial heartland of Selangor for work, and yet there is not a single bus line connecting a vast residential area directly to the work place. You have to go all the way down to town, and then change buses again. How much sense does that make? Oh… ok, in that way the bus companies (controlled by you know who) get to make more profits huh … Even when companies llike Intrakota and Cityliner get to monopolize the bus routes, they are making losses! I don’t know how one does it, but one must be damn ’smart’ to get a monopoly and still lose money!
And yes Din’s analysis is true - the government will be forced to break its promise if something bad happens in the middle east. But look at our cabinet lineup - org biasa macam saya hanya boleh geleng kepala! Are we going to let them navigate this nation to disaster?
March 13th, 2006 at 5:49 pm
MrDespair:
Well, you have me for company in your despair. And I believe there are many others, too. Right in front of our eyes they are robbing and plundering and we can only watch hopelessly and helplessly, not being able to do anything. Now they are talking about building that crooked bridge in the south. I wonder whether you have read Dr. Bakri’s article in the Sun - it not only makes a lot of sense but as he points out, the bridge is about making money. Of course, the UMNO guys would slander him as an “outsider” but we know the substance in him and how earnestly he is trying to reverse the already pathetic situation.
While the rakyat are sound asleep, the robbers are having a field day. Of course, both the rakyat and the govt will learn their lessons, when it is too late. By the time they wake up from the slumber, the world would have gone far from our reach, thanks to a govt (and controlled by UMNO) more interested in driving posh cars, living in porsh bungalows and pushing for laws that will endow them with additional wives and mistresses and chasing titles in Datos and Tan Sris. But when you try to tell them something to bring them to their senses, they get angry.
Look at Mohd Taib, Tengku Adnan, Samy Velu, Lim Keng Yaik, Ong Ka Ting - do they all look like saving this country? They want to save their wealth and continue robbing the country and at the same time laughing at our naivety.
March 13th, 2006 at 8:39 pm
No NEP version 3.1415926… is going to succeed if the majority of the wealth is going to get redistributed to only politically connected people.
Talking about the scenic bridge, why the urgency in building this bridge? The nation has more important matters to deal with than building a crooked bridge! But I guess the (politically connected) contractors are getting impatient… If work does not start they are not getting money, are they? There we go again! It does not matter if at the end, the bridge gets no where, as long as the contractors get the job done they get their money. To hell with the people!
March 14th, 2006 at 12:24 am
Saudara Din and others,
I am sure you must have received an email parable some time ago on the boat race by our Malaysian Team versus the Japanese Team. It succinctly portrays one of the many dis eases that is haunting our Malaysian organisational environment.
We are definitely no lack of consultants, advisers, experts on papers, armchair managers, armchair supervisors, etc, etc. What we need and urgently need are hands-on manager, people of action, people who can get the job done. The jumbo size cabinet is but a musical chair for spinning the “avoidance”(hope this word is still fresh with you) of responsibilities.
Every day we are bombarded with uncontrollable outbursts from angry people in the streets who are both fed up with the lack of deliveries by the civil service, local councils, GLC’s and even corporations. You and many commentators both in this blog and others, have often time expressed both anger and frustrations and eventually brewed into bitterness due to lack of progress and responses to our complaints and occasional outbursts.
From your writings here, I have known you to be a strong supporter of TM’s policies and leadership over the last 22 years. I do respect and appreciate his strong leadership style. One of the traits of his leadership is quick and responsive actions and as a result many years of aggressive economic growth. However there is one very glaring flaw in his overly strong leadership. And that is, it breeds docility and, to quote your often cited word, ‘botekism’. This phenomenon coupled with the coexistence of a system of cosy cronyism stymied both politcal and corporate leadership development across the nation.
AAB today is but a result of TM’s strong leadership. Brendan Pereira and many more like him in the mainstream media, is also but a continuation of the ‘botekism’ learned over the years during TM’s leadership. We human has an extremely effective adaptable system for survival. They, like many citizenry worldwide have acquired the necessary skills for survival. So, would it be normal to dish out what they believe are traits required to survive in a hostile environment created as a result of numerous contenders jostling for favours from the people in the corridors of power.
Well, I must cut short here now lest I be guilty of putting into gear the consultant mode. TM’s leadership is already water under the bridge.
I am sure they are many amongst us here who are able to come out with actionable solutions. All it need is implementation. That’s the difficult part.
My two cents worth here is let us reward more for the implementors, more than the people who write and talk. In short, as a counter to our talk and consultant mania in Malaysia, I like to see people who can carry out the job be paid more than people who do the talking or the writing.
Shhhhhh. One cranky idea. Hope I have not offended many with this suggestion.
March 14th, 2006 at 4:50 pm
I have recently just started reading this blog, and I must say that I am very impressed. Nevertheless, correct me if I’m wrong, but hasn’t there been massive protests near KLCC the past couple of fridays? Seems like our DPM isn’t so persuasive after all, and our everyday Malaysians joined in the protests although they were arguably led by political parties.
Video clips available at
http://asylum60.blogspot.com/2006/03/videoblog-klcc-2nd-oil-hike-protest.html
March 14th, 2006 at 6:01 pm
Kgboy,
True, I admire Tun Dr. M for his intellectualism, strategic vision, strong leadership, decisiveness and risk taking, but I am not blind to some of the problems his style may have created for our country. The “kipas-bodek” culture, for example, got worse under Tun Dr. M. But on balance, and let history be the final arbiter, our former PM left an indelible mark on our national landscape, transforming our country from a colonial agricultural backwater into a modern industrialised country.
I know a number of outstanding young civil servants and heads of GLCs. These guys know what they are talking about and are very hands-on. But there is too much political interference in their work. The outspoken ones are marginalized, removed or have resigned because of poison pen letters and scapegoating. The smart ones, unlike cream, never rise to the top.
Most people lobby hard for their jobs and are after the perks and privileges of high office, but they forget the responsibility and accountability bit. I am impressed by people like modest Dato Azman Mokhtar and his team of outstanding and highly motivated colleagues at Khazanah, and Dato Dr. Munir Majid and Idris Jala at MAS. But I hope they have security of tenure with clear mandate and KPIs (to be implemented in 2006 according to Finance Minister No 2, after 3 years since AAB took office) to enable them to perform and complete their work. They should be properly remunerated for their work and rewarded for performance.
Why we can’t we make such types the norm, rather than the exception? Unfortunately, because of politics, we have a situation in our country which can aptly described as “sekali air bah, sekali pantai berubah”. Politics, politics, politics, too much of it. We are now constipated with it.
Your comments welcome. Thanks.
March 14th, 2006 at 7:01 pm
Dear Mr Din Merican,
Re : Munir Majid/MAS
As a regular visitor to this site, I couldn’t help noticing yr regular compliments on Dr Munir Majid (for the gazilllionth time!). So where/what was his “hands-on” leadership at MAS again, or whether office renovation or buying expensive artworks, or fake Brit accent, count for such ? So, do come clean, jis there really anything more than the Penang Nasi Kandar connection at work here ?
March 14th, 2006 at 10:18 pm
Saudar Din and Baker-tgh-boring,
Either we are missing something or you are missing something here. I like to join Banker-tgh-boing to invite you may be to reveal to us some of Dato Dr. Munir Majid’s past achievement and hands-on track record. I am surprised that you mentioned him in the same breadth with this Idris Jala guy.
A father who continues to tell his children that he works very hard for the family but fails to put food on the table does not count.
March 14th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
Oooppp!
Saudara Din and Bnker-tgh-boring,
March 14th, 2006 at 10:39 pm
Banker-tgh-boring,
I detect a tinge of envy in your response.
There are no nasi kandar links between Munir and me, although we are from Penang. He is a personal friend. As a banker, you ought to know him better. Yes, I have been complimentary about him but certainly not for a “gazilllionth time.” Obviously, you are prone to exaggeration.
Since he was an investment banker (I first knew him when he was with Pertanian Baring Sanwa Multinational), I have occasions to deal with him as a professional when I was in Sime Darby in the 1980s. After that, I followed his career progression over many years, including his tenure as Securities Commission Chairman. I find him to be a competent, smart and well read individual with a Phd. from one of Britain’s top institutions, The London School of Economics. That is my opinion. I also exchange email with Munir from time to time, although we have different viewpoints on many issues.
I do not judge a man by his accent and peculiarities. I am sure you too have own strengths and weaknesses. Have you visited his office? I have not. So I do not know about his office. Has he stolen those paintings? I don’t think so. Companies do collect works of art.
Do you know the real background behind the MAS mess? It is far more complex than we as outsiders realise, given its long history. If you don’t know, you should not judge him and others in the present MAS team harshly.
If I can be critical at all about the man, it is that Munir tends to micromanage things. Otherwise, in my view, he has integrity and substance. But with the appointment of Idris Jala as Managing Director, he can now stand back and play his role as MAS Chairman.
Thanks.
March 14th, 2006 at 10:45 pm
Kgboy,
I have responded above.
It is too early for me to make a judgement on Idris Jala. I do not know him. But his vast experience in Shell should count for something, and I am sure he is going to perform to the best of his ability without undue political interference, and with the cooperation of the Pilots and the MAS Union.
Thanks.
March 15th, 2006 at 12:22 am
Dear Mr Din,
Thanks for your sober, undefensive, response although it certainly failed to highlight Mr Munir’s “hands-on leadership” qualities in the few month’s window at MAS prior to Idris Jala’s appointment. Better yet, he should have acted his Chairman role, instead of his natural tendency of sidestepping CEO (as per his previous Telekom stint). Anyways, I’m not one to pick-up long arguments with you. Only that we’d had better start cherry-picking who are the good ones (GLC CEOs) for compliments and who aren’t, for open rebuke. I’d spare my good words on Tan Sri Hassan of Petronas, or Dato Amirsham of Maybank anytime; Dato Azman, perhaps. Once we start lumping the goodies and baddies Tan Sri Hassan/Mr munir/Tg Mahaleel etc. together, (and add in the race factor), then we have the unkind criticisms against GLCs.
p/s: no offence meant on the nasi kandar thingy, altho I prefer nasi dagang anyday.
March 15th, 2006 at 3:28 am
Saudara Din,
The position of Dato Dr Munir Majid in MAS is non-executive one. His tenure with MAS perhaps is still too short to be of conclusive evaluation of his performance. However, the current losses of MAS does not reflect well on him especially when the quantum is so massive. There are presently lots of controversies surrounding his position (especially when there are a few emails circulating along the electronic grapevine regarding his decision for non production expenditure and lack of transparency relating to fees paid to an expatriate consultant together with huge amount of money being spent outsourcing their IT while they already have consultants paid working on the same processes), I am not so sure if I could describe his contribution as hands-on. To be fair, it should be Idris Jala’s performance that need to be hands-on to turn around this massive vehicle, MAS.
In contrast, if you examine Tony Fernandez performance and his high profile frontline appearances in driving the revenue of the company into profitability. It is exactly what an organisation, espcially an illing one, is in dire need for one such personality. I remember during a seminar, Tony was relating an incident where he needed a hanger for Air Asia, qoutations from the conventional contractor was way beyond Air Asia could afford. He went into his ‘out of the box’ thinking and swang into action and eventually gave the job to the contractor who built his house and in the porcess saving Air Asia millions. Saudara Din, in our Malaysian environment, I believe it may not be uncommon for these decision makers to even demand that contract price be raised to cover for their kickbacks.
The dynamism he brought with him to tha company has won many hearts including mine. During the infancy of the company, he even personally went to Carrefour to purchase food for passengers when he could have just pointed his figures. That’s hands-on to me man!
Perhaps Saudara Din you could point us to examples of time in which Dato Dr Munir was/is hands-on. He may be an accomplished administrator or perhaps even a good PR figure head, but being on the driver seat to drive the revenue and profitability of the company is perhaps an entirely different kettle of fish.
My business experiences have convinced me that the difference between spending and earning is not only huge but its heaven and hell. In an organisation, it requires extraordinary tenacity to earn and sustain earnings over time when people around you are addicted to spending.
My own perspective.
Thanks.
March 15th, 2006 at 5:21 am
Speaking of oil prices at the top of the comments list, I once read an Economist survey about oil and if I remember correctly, speculators who “goreng” the market for oil cause something like $20 premium on the actual price (real supply & demand, without speculators) of oil. So why don’t we blame speculators too?
Thanks.
March 15th, 2006 at 7:27 pm
Banker tgh Boring and Kgboy,
Thanks for your comments. To me, the goodies and baddies paradigm is too simplistic and can be very subjective. My comments are far from completely objective since I know most of the top corporate boys in our country. Being one of them years ago, I understand the challenges they face. I am also loyal to professionals in management.
I agree that based on the perfomance of Maybank and Petronas, Dato Amirsham and Tan Sri Hassan Marican take pole positions among the top corporates. I also have tremendous admiration and respect for one time Bank Negara and Malayan Banking man turned entrepreneur, Tan Sri Azman Hashim of AMBank Group. It was my privilege to know all of them.
Tony Fernandez of Air Asia is, of course, much talked about these days. Here the among the new boys in the management game. I agree that Air Asia is marketing savvy. I use Air Asia to travel to Phnom Penh since that service was launched.But my experience is that their flights are never on time, and the aircraft is not clean. This is probably the price you pay when you travel on low cost carriers. I wonder why it must be that way.
There is no doubt that Tony is an innovator and a great lateral thinker, but he alone does not make an airline. If Air Asia is to be in the big league with the other regional carriers, then its flights must be on time and its cabin cleanliness must improve. Its brand may be at risk if what I have personally observed is not dealt with quickly.
Yes, Banker-tgh-Boring and Kgboy, I belong to the school of MBWA (Management By Wandering Around). If you both have the time, I recommend the lastest book on SIA by 3 academics titled “Flying High……” and former SAS CEO Jan Carlsson’s “Moments of Truth”. Idris Jala could be our man of the moment in MAS, because like all Shell executives I have known and met like the current MAXIS Chairman, and my close buddy, Dato Jaffar Endot, he is someone who has a “helicopter view” of things (to borrow from Lee Kuan Yew). Shell’s executive selection criteria is very rigorous, and its top management training programme is second to none.
Getting to the top, in my personal experience, is the simple part of a professional man’s career progression, but staying at the top is most challenging, especially in Malaysia where politics is everything. Poison pen letters, beware!!
Thanks.
March 15th, 2006 at 7:32 pm
P.S.
I enjoy nasi kandar, laksa assam, mee rebus, nasi lemak and tea tarik; all these items are becoming expensive, given the rapidly declining purchasing power of the ringgit.
March 15th, 2006 at 7:36 pm
correction: “He is among the new boys in the management game”. Sorry about that.
March 15th, 2006 at 7:49 pm
Bro Din
Talking about Shell and its executive recruitment and selection criteria makes me laugh. I was once recruited by Scallop Corporation or now known as Shell International for a position in Malaysia. My disappointment was that Shell Malaysia’s Director of HR couldn’t find a position for me. Sadly the Shell International executive recruiter confided in me that sending me to Malaysia will misplace several senior Malaysian executives and not to upset the apple cart Shell Malaysia said they couldn’t find a place for me. Imagine my disappointment in my country and countrymen.
March 16th, 2006 at 2:18 am
Hi DIN MERICAN:
Thanks for your thoughts, I think this is my first engagement with thee, tho I have had several times conversed with suadra Bakri.
First, I refer to your pOint that:
“Brendan’s profile in courage (as it were) has a very low threshold. He extols Abdullah’s courage, but the man would not dare face the public on TV to explain his decision. He had to defer to his Deputy Prime Minister. Thanks to the persuasive powers of Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak, we were spared massive street protests and civil unrest.”
I wonder if you’re aware the protest are continuing, though the IGP had threatned those involved and planners TO STOP IT! So does this not go against your premise that DPM’s “persuasive powers” had pre-empted such groundsweel prottests continuiing? OtherWISE, why the IGP’s threats? Using the ISA again?
I had last June/july written an essay following the Govt’s fuel price increase where I posited that the Govt had created a MYTH of this need to raise pump prices in tandem with world oil prices rising.
In gist, I reproduce the relevant portion of what I said in my own blog just days ago, here seeking Readers’ indulgence:
”
This is an article circulating on the net:
Harga minyak sepanjang zaman..
(dalam masa 16 tahun - sejak 1990)
sebelum 90 - RM 0.89
tahun 1990 - RM 1.10 (kenaikan RM 0.21)
01/10/2000 - RM 1.20 (kenaikan RM 0.10)
20/10/2001 - RM 1.30 (kenaikan RM 0.10)
01/05/2002 - RM 1.32 (kenaikan RM 0.02)
31/10/2002 - RM 1.33 (kenaikan RM 0.01)
01/03/2003 - RM 1.35 (kenaikan RM 0.02)
01/05/2004 - RM 1.37 (kenaikan RM 0.02)
01/10/2004 - RM 1.42 (kenaikan RM 0.05)
05/05/2005 - RM 1.52 (kenaikan RM 0.10)
31/07/2005 - RM 1..62 (kenaikan RM 0.10)
28/02/2006 - RM 1.92 (kenaikan RM 0.30)
:
:
:
Di Thailand tak ada rasuah AP. Harga kereta Honda Civic 1.5 di Thailand tak sampai RM40,000. Lebih murah daripada harga kereta Perodua Kelisa 1.0 di Malaysia. Inilah kelebihannya di Thailand - tak ada AP di sana.
Di Malaysia pula ada AP. Sebenarnya harga AP yang perlu di bayar kepada Kerajaan (MITI) tak sampai RM250 sahaja. Tapi AP boleh di jual sehingga RM40,000 sekeping kepada Dato Dato yang kaya yang di kenal sebagai “AP King”. Rasuah AP ini telah berlanjutan selama lebih 30 tahun. Akhir kata rakyat Malaysia yang terpaksa tanggung rasuah AP ini.
Oleh yang demikian kereta Honda Civic 1.5 yang dijual dengan harga RM40,000 di Thailand naik harga sehingga RM110,000 di Malaysia. ”
The above was Posted by: “hinzelmann”
~~~~~~~
I must conserve energy in line with DPM’s call to CHANGE LIFESTYLE!…), hence re-cycling my arugments here:
“MAS itself in announcing the 3Q2005 results says it needs a “govt bailout” of RM2billion. Whether this sum comes out of the RM4.4billion oil subsidy savings, or from another Govt budget allocation, it’s ONE AND THE SAME, the money is from the tax-payers’ money. Our rakyat’s lament is that PEtronas made RM35.5billion for FY ended March 205, which was 50% more than the preceding year. With just this profits increase — AFTER-TAX– whatever world fuel price rise in the period under review, if Petronas had flowed back just a portion for the benefit of the citizenry — hey, oil is a national resource, we the people surely deserve some benefits, NO? — there should be NO NEED FOR ANY PRICE INCREASE IN PUMP PRICES.
I’ve indeed argued in my blog last june/July following another price rise that in fact, there is a case for local pump prices to GO SOUTH (down-lah!) every time there is a world price increase. DA RATIONALE — we export more than we import petroleum. Furthermore, our exports are “sweeter”, and hence command a “premium” price.
BVoth ways we win, and these idiots keep perpetuating the “myth” otherwise.
Anyweay Malaysians like to complain, and complain, yet come the GE, the voters put the cross against the Dacing.Are the general populace suffering MASOCHISM, or wat? And that’s arhetorical Q!
So I believe any “sympathetic” ear extended to the DPM is misplaced — he knows NOT even what’s saying on the petrol price rise, OR his lietenants should be sacked when Najib said in 2005 the local pump prices were raised three times for a total 45sen rise. Look at the Table quoted by Hinzelmann:
The three price increases preceding the latest 30sen were 10+10+5=25sen.
If you add the earlier two, it’s +2+2=29sen.
As typical of Pal Lah’s iKabinet, many members are still living in the last millennium (6-7 years gone-lah!), and think they can get away by talking bull….(I was hesitating whether top use ‘lembu’ but …)
To me, Pak Lah wasted a golden opportunity in “Seizing the day” after socring a massive 90% mandate during GE2004, ” and DID NOT throw out the baggae of Tun Dr Mahathir’s regimented team. Even withthe recent Re0shuffle, as noted by PKR Deputy President (IMHO, highly esteemed Malaysian Opposition leader) Dr Syed Husin Ali- the long shadow of Dr Mahathir still shrouds over Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi by his own IN-action!
Din, i realliYmust beg to differ with you in crediting Najib, especially his totally out-of-this-world adVICE:
“CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE-lah!” — like we Malaysians have a choice of going to Monaco for our annual vacation, and swtiching to Disneyland? Hey, we only stay back in the Cameron Highlands OR Chinoserie like Desi want to try his luck, go for a spin of Lady Luck roulette wheel since the Dacing failed to give some taels of MAS!
Can I venture some guesses where our oil&gas has evaporated before time/dime?
(1) The old regime Fore-sold the petroleum to big buyers like Taiwan and Japan?
(2) Pak Lah’s contradiction of just another FOUR YEARS before Malaysia’s oils run dry contrasted with Dr Mahathir’s time of “lasting some 15 years” implies this bad habit of “futures sales” are still going on ..including the lust TWO YEARS plus under the present PM
(3) The Govt wants to PERPETUATE MORE MYTHS so that further wolrd price increases will be justifiable with local pump prices going up again, and again…
I also thanked Hinzelmann for the point he raised WHY MALAYSIA COULD HAVE EASILY PALACTED THE IRE OF THE RAKYAT BY BRINGING DOWN CAR PRICES … HE GAVE US THE EXAMPLE OF hONDA CAR’S PRICE IN tHAILAND VERSUS IN MALAYSIA AND THE in-FAMOUS “ap” CRYING MINster ISSUE AND HER HapPY KINGS. I WON’T NEED TO BORE MY READERS WITH ANY ELABORATION, EXCEPT A PARTING REQUEST: PLEASE PASS HER SOME TISSUE COS THE “SHOW IS NOT OVER nyet… UNTIL THE FAT LADY SINGS!”
Thanks Bakri, and Din Merican, for hearing me out.
~~~~~~~
March 17th, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Dear ylchong,
I encourage to participate with us on this website. We can learn from each other, and exchange views and information.
The protests could have been worse, if not for Najib’s appearance on TV. I can understand your feelings. There is so much spin since Badawi became the elected Prime Minister that we cannot separate fact from fiction. Because of that, you and I must be careful not to be easily taken in with the so-called official news. We need to be discriminating. It was less during Tun Dr. Mahathir’s time, although he himself, as a politician, was capable of using slogans.
The then Prime Minister was a man of substance who was focused on his agenda for our country, not about what people thought of him. He did not have to remind himself and others of how great he was. See the difference.
Tun Dr. Mahathir did not have to tell his fellow citizens, not “work for me, but work with me”. He just said “work”, as Dr. Bakri once said, for our country, our families, and ourselves. He became the hardest working Prime Minister with excellent time management skills (he would usually arrived at least 10-15 minutes before and completed his appointments on time) and work ethics. He could outpace men many years his junior in age.
I once accompanied him on his Official Visit to South Korea in the mid-1980s. One of my private sector counterparts told me that he was meeting our Prime Minister for breakfast at 6.00 a.m. in his Official suite at Hotel Shila, Seoul. When he came to the suite, my colleague found the Prime Minister ready for work and official engagements on that date.
During the 1997-1998 Economic Crisis, for example, he worked long hours in his capacity as Chairman of MTEN (Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi Negara). He explained his economic policies and decisions directly to us.With Tun Dr. Mahathir, you knew exactly where you stood.
It was my privilege to have worked directly for him in the early 1970s when he was Deputy PM and also Chairman, Kumpulan FIMA Berhad, an integrated Government linked food company with interests in pineapple and cashew nut processing, sugar refining and tin can and cartoon manufacture. I was in awe of his mastery of details, and his intellect.
Thanks.
March 18th, 2006 at 1:12 am
Hi Din MericaN:
Thanks for your response, esp giving insight into Dr Mahathir’s personality traits. I am not detracting he could be the m ost hard-working and whatever superlative personal characteristics accorded him — deserrving or not.
My conversation here concerns the legacy left behind by Dr Mahathir’s 22 years of flagrantly profligate spendings on mega projects which don’t give the commensurate returns on investments — why do you need a Taj Mahal like Putrajaya; why Petronas Twin Towers while Petronas’ billions of annual profits went unaccounted for — otrdinaryu citizens id not see much benefits with fuel prices rising, and rising (even during Dr Mahathir’s time, now continued under Pak Lah..).
My short overall summary of Dr Mahathir’s government is that the first decade saw him truly focused on nation’;s developemnt onwell thought out programmes; but the second decade saw much of the Politics-Business Nexus doing a lot of damage so much so the whole nation had to pay the price of his sons’ and cronies adventurism in mega business — imagine Tajuddin Ramli being bailed out with a RM7.80-RM8 buyback of his MAS shares when the market price was RM3.80-3.90!
Tun Dr Mahathir’s record/achievemnt, IMHO, in a nutshell:
* he made the Executive over-powering, with the PM so over-domineering that the rest of the Cabinet remained totally submissive;
* The Legislature became a mere rubber-stamp
* He emasculated the Judiciary — businessmen going for oversaes holdays with the judges connected with hearing their cases? Sacking of the Lord President and Five Senior Judges by junior panel members?
* You can rely on the 4th Esate to conduct discourses such as now ongoing at BakriMusa’s prvileged Internet platoform? — The Media is rendred completely propaganda sheets (some use a 4-letter word staring also with an ass…, but I refrain…).
It’’s too soon to call a Verdict on Pak Lah’s government — 2years plus with inheriting a lot of useless baggage, like MAS! — so I’ll wait out the next five years, ho[pinh he’d get a second term, with a reduced manadte lah!
But his declared war on Corruption for 2-1/2yaers does NOT seem to yield visible results — mere tokenism here and there.
Of course Dr Mahathir’s famous quote that the Big C had gone from below to above the table would give the impresssion it has gotten worse. He might by partially right — but the ROT STATED A FEW DECADES BACK, and then Pak Lah was merely a miniSter for the main, and in the wilderness for a hiatus, YES?
March 24th, 2006 at 8:32 am
Pak Din,
Putting ylchong’s points aside, I think that the most important metric is not how much effort is put in or how much money is spent, but how beneficial the results are. I think that Tun Dr. Mahathir was — overall — detrimental to Malaysia. This is not to disparage his character or anything of the sort. Like Pak Lah, he probably meant well for the country. But exhortations and hard work do not necessarily mean good results.
To me, things would probably be better if Razaleigh or Musa Hitam had become PM in the 1980s. By the time of the 1987 crisis in UMNO, most of Dr. Mahathir’s ground-breaking policies were already in place. Even when he took over, a lot of the foundation had already been laid by the policies of Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn.
Much of Dr. Mahathir’s great legacy stems from his policies of the early 1980s, and not from the NDP, Wawasan 2020, or other such vague policies. The Multimedia Supercorridor has been a dismal failure. I hardly hear about Wawasan 2020 anymore these days, and its impact on Malaysian history is questionable. It laid out targets, but did not enunciate how these targets were to be achieved.
In my opinion, Dr. Mahathir and the country would both have been better off if he had retired in 1987, or after the NDP at the latest (although this would mean Anwar would be PM — and how trustworthy Anwar is, I cannot guess).
It is not good for one to be at the helm for too long. Even the most visionary of policies will grow stale. A crew once full of youth starts sprouting cobwebs. Dr. Mahathir should have retired much, much earlier than he did. 22 years is far too long to be PM. As Dr. Bakri himself pointed out in The Malay Dilemma Revisited (which I am now rereading for the second or third time), much of Dr. Mahathir’s criticisms of the Tunku in 1969 became applicable to Dr. Mahathir himself in the latter part of his regin.
March 26th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
just to respond to that one comment you made about mahathir being too long at the helm..
no prime minister has ever resigned because he wanted a younger man to take over. tunku was forced to resign. hussein was forced to step down because of poor health - and mahathir had to step down because he knew “it was time” and by so doing annointing his successor at the same time to preserve his “legacy” . this is a better way and he knew it.
perhaps it is time that they put a limit to the term the president of UMNO could serve as prime minister - by limiting the term of his tenure as president of UMNO to two terms.
April 11th, 2006 at 7:29 am
Great blog… really enjoyed the read!
January 18th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
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