Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Striving for equal though separate in Malaysia

Posted: 06 Dec 2011 11:17 AM PST

An election is coming in Malaysia. The Prime Minister, Najib Razak, was quoted a few days ago urging Malaysians to go beyond tolerance to acceptance. It was a fine thought, though it came with a statement that the Malay preferences shall remain. Najib has also ended a state of emergency, which has allowed detention without trial. He has done this because he wants to win the coming election.

By Bruce Ramsey, The Seattle Times

It was a sultry November evening in Kuala Lumpur, and Rehman Rashid was explaining the contradictions of Malaysia. "Homosexuality is illegal here," he said. "But sitting behind me is not a woman."

I craned my neck. A cross-dresser in an Islam-majority state.

Rashid chuckled. His country is not always what it seems. The former columnist for the New Straits Times and author of "A Malaysian Journey" was explaining his country's contradictions, including the "national myth," he said, of racial unity.

Malaysia is mainly peopled by Malays, Chinese, and Indians. All over Malaysia are billboards showing a child of each group with the slogan, "1 Malaysia." Americans would recognize the message instantly: E Pluribus Unum. From many, one. But Malaysia has also had 40 years of affirmative action, in which the state favors Malays in jobs and the use of the Malay language.

The aim of this policy is to close the gap in wealth with the Chinese. It was a large gap when the policy started, because the Chinese were an urban, commercial people. The Malays were farmers — "a gentle, tractable people," Rashid says in his book.

They are different peoples. "The Malay wants to work so that he can live and pray and go to heaven," Rashid told me. "The Chinese works as long as he breathes."

The preference policy has boosted the Malays, though a Malay lawyer told me that the rich ones have taken the most advantage of it. As a young beneficiary of the policy, Rashid resented it. He felt it undercut his achievements, and he says now that the Malays have become dependent on it.

How do you end a policy like that? You have a political fight.

Since independence in 1957, essentially the same coalition has run Malaysia's government. It has held to power partly by appealing to racial solidarity and fear of chaos, partly by muzzling the opposition and partly by taking credit for Malaysia's economic success. That success is real. Still there are issues to be settled.

The opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, heads a party that wants a race-neutral policy. His party made big gains in the 2008 elections and hopes for more. The government has charged Anwar with sodomy. It did this before and convicted him, also at a politically opportune time.

I asked Rashid whether the charge is true. He shrugged: How would you know?

What he did know, he said, was that in Malaysia, where the three races have kept their separate languages, religions, political parties and primary schools, E Pluribus Unum is not going to happen. After years of writing about the issue, he has concluded that even with a policy of race neutrality, which he favors, some degree of separatism is necessary for social peace.

For example, pork. The Malays, who are Muslim, have conceded the right of the Chinese to raise pigs and eat pork — "and it is a very great concession," he said.

But as a result, he said,. "We cannot eat off the same plates. We know that."

Is the Deputy IGP whitewashing a misappropriation?

Posted: 06 Dec 2011 08:22 AM PST

From the allegations, it would appear that there has been blatant abuse and mismanagement of public funds suggesting corruption. This overwhelming and glaring evidence cannot be simply overlooked or covered-up or pushed under the carpet.

P. Ramakrishnan, The Malaysian Insider

Thinking Malaysians are perturbed by the unbecoming conduct of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar. He was clearly trying to cover up for the Umno Wanita leader Shahrizat Jalil during the Umno General Assembly.

Shahrizat is under intense scrutiny over the scandalous beef-breeding project, which was undertaken by her husband through their company, National Feedlot Corporation (NFC), with a soft-loan of RM250 million from the government.

Following the Auditor-General's damning disclosure that this project is in a "mess", many startling and disturbing "fishy" details have been unearthed by the Opposition. All these allegations of impropriety involve funds meant for a national livestock project to provide a cheap supply of beef to Malaysians.

Khalid's contention that "investigations have so far not revealed any element of corruption in the RM250 million NFC" debacle is far-fetched, absolutely without merit and cannot be believed.

It has been alleged in no uncertain terms with regard to the abuse of the funds:

• That Shahrizat's family bought two super luxury condos in Bangsar for RM6.9 million each;

• That RM3 million discount was given to a family-owned company;

• That RM3.3 million was used to buy a Mercedes CLS350 and residential land in Putrajaya;

• That half a million was channelled to a family firm in Singapore;

• That huge sums of money were paid to a tour agency for family "holidays";

• That the loan was released even before the agreement was signed.

The above allegations clearly establish that the money was not used for the purpose the loan was granted. That being the case, evidently the money was mismanaged and misappropriated, suggesting wrong-doing.

Is it possible that this aspect of the abuse of the loan could have gone unnoticed and without being investigated? Didn't alarm bells ring while the investigation was ongoing?

READ MORE HERE

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Rabu, 7 Disember 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

0 ulasan:

Catat Ulasan