Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- The Rot Started With UMNO
- Shame, Shame On Malaysia
- The Malaysian mindset: No money, no talk
- Does Malaysia need millionaires?
| Posted: 16 Jun 2011 03:22 PM PDT One begins to wonder how the individual interests of Malaysian private businessmen for 1 day is tied up with the national interests of the whole country or whether they are just trying to stop reforms in Malaysia? By batsman When the US got into deep financial trouble under the Republicans, they elected a Democrat to be President and sort out the problem, since Democrats are supposed to be more people friendly. Now tent cities (no doubt better looking than the ones in the 3rd World) are springing up in California, the US unemployment rate is dangerously high and the Chinese are getting very worried the US will default on its loans. But guess what? The US is still employing drones to bomb Libya and Pakistan, but I suppose they can't help it since the US is the policeman of the world (if only the blurry and confused US When Greece got into trouble and needed bail outs, a Socialist who is supposed to be people friendly was elected to sort out the mess. But it looks like the mess is bigger than his ability to solve it, so Greece is now in danger of finally and officially going bankrupt, not being governable with people rioting in the streets and the whole of Europe is worried the contagion will spread. Even the Malaysian government is worried that the planned peaceful Bersih 2.0 demonstration will turn into a Greek-style riot and while the Home Minister and his police force say they are neutral, Perkasa and UMNO Youth seem to have tasked themselves to ensure all goes well and that national security is well protected from any peaceful rioters. Malaysians are saying that planned peaceful demonstrations to demand clean elections and reforms to put Malaysia on a healthier footing are threats to national security and public safety. Crony businessmen are drummed up to cry foul that the peaceful demonstrations will affect their business of the day. They don't want anything like Greece to occur here. Unfortunately for Greece, it is already too late and the rot started a long time ago. The riots are only an angry expression that the rot that started a long time ago is now turning their lives into one long misery. So one begins to wonder how the individual interests of Malaysian private businessmen for 1 day is tied up with the national interests of the whole country or whether they are just trying to stop reforms in Malaysia? Looks like Malaysians are playing patriot games. Who are actually the patriots and who are the traitors? There is a lot of deafening name calling for sure. Lets go back to the beginning. Even RPK likes to go back to the beginning to show that UMNO was created on the back of street demonstrations in spite of the fact they claim Malay culture frowns upon street demonstrations. The British who ruled Malaya then was world famous for the practice of divide and rule. This colonial policy enabled them to rule Ireland for 700 years and allowed them to conquer the whole of India with just a few thousand soldiers. So of course the British used divide and rule in Malaya. But they were an external power and the people who comprised Malays, Chinese and Indians had excellent relations amongst themselves. Many old timers still remember how good race relations were then even in spite of the fact that the British used divide and rule tactics. Unfortunately when the British handed over power to UMNO, UMNO continued to use divide and rule tactics. The big difference was that UMNO is now the internal independant government not an external colonial power. Given this situation there is no chance for Malaya to become a peaceful united country. There is no chance for healthy Malayan and subsequently Malaysian nationalism to thrive. UMNO lives only on Malay nationalism and practices divide and rule. When UMNO promotes Malay nationalism in the context of a multi-racial country like Malaysia, it acts as a splittist trend. This splittist trend has subsequently turned into a divisive racist style Ketuanan Melayu ideology. The rot started from UMNO. When UMNO subverts true Malaysian nationalism in favour of narrow divisive Malay nationalism, it cannot be said to be working for the interests of the whole country anymore, even when it tries to cover this up by cobbling itself together with the MCA UMNO therefore stays in power by racist force and abuse of power and it retains its power through massive corruption and wasteful spending to win votes and turn race against race and religion against religion through favouritism (i.e divide and rule). In the meantime the country is running up massive debts – just like Greece and just like the US. The rot started with UMNO. So when RPK says he cannot understand the Malay mind, I am suggesting he start with UMNO. Money, not loyalty or patriotism is the key factor in Malay minds. In fact, it is the key factor in Chinese and Indian minds too. (Fortunately for me, my friends say I have only sex on my mind. Fortunate too that I have an obedient wife). "Loyalty" and "patriotism" is now dependant on money. There is no longer any outlet for true ideals and honesty except in faith – everything else is money. Malaysia has turned into a country of mercenaries obsessed with money (the same way businessmen are worried about their miserable day's takings) and the rot started with UMNO. Bersih 2.0 is only trying to make small changes by demanding clean elections in a peaceful demonstration. Even this is seen as a threat to public order and national security. I guess the operative word here is not "demonstration" but "demand". UMNO cannot tolerate any demands since it rules by force and abuse of power, but where does that leave the people? And democracy? |
| Posted: 16 Jun 2011 03:11 PM PDT By Matthias Chang Hypocrite of the First Order. How can Malaysia withdraw its invitation to the President of Sudan, Omar Hassan Al-Bashir from attending the Langkawi International Dialogue when it condones the visit of War Criminal Blair to Malaysia and to deliver a lecture at the University of Malaya – Shame, shame on Malaysia, a Muslim country! Following the outcry by Amnesty International, the Bar Council of Malaysia and the press statement from the de facto Law Minister Datuk Seri Nazri that he would propose to the Cabinet to withdraw the invitation to President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and President Robert Mugabe to attend the Langkawi International Dialogue, for allegedly violating human rights in their respective countries, the two leaders have been told that they are no longer welcomed to Malaysia.
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| The Malaysian mindset: No money, no talk Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:12 PM PDT We place money before values, ethics, justice, honor and humanity. This is the real liability we are concerned here. By J. D. Lovrenciear Despite the many places of worship that we never stop building; despite the many seemingly ethical-sounding slogans we adopt perennially; despite the many social change campaigns that we profess to support; despite the religious events and festivals that we partake as well as parade to the world that we are a unique experience that is 'Truly Asia'; despite all these, Malaysians appear to have become anchored in a credo that is hard to shake. This permeating credo is that believe in money - a credo of 'money talk first'. In fact, it is no surprise to hear from almost most Malaysians the common adage: No money, no talk. Money has become the central 'god' or 'goddess' for many. They will fight to prove to you that without money you can do nothing. Yes, without the currency of the times, we cannot purchase. We use money to exchange for the goods and services we need to live and even survive in this contemporary world. That is not the problem. The problem is we have reached a point of no return where we keep placing money before everything else. We place money before values, ethics, justice, honor and humanity. This is the real liability we are concerned here. Take the case of the announced Bersih 2.0 rally. The first objection was 'our business will be affected'. Never mind about your higher ideals for the nation's progress. "I need to find my money" is the argument that gets the protection and support instantly. The same goes for a political rally that BN organizes. If there is no money in the offing, you can be rest assured the turnout will be only those who are supposed to be on duty for the event. The money can come in the form of a free makan-makan, free T-shirts, a small 'ang pow' or whatever. But it translates to some gains that can be accounted as monetary incentive. It is plainly, 'no money, no go'. You set up a professional organization. And the first thing on those who clamor to hold office in that institution is, 'how much extra can I make' or 'what added mileage is there for me'. Money, money and more money. No one wants to look at the higher ideals of existence. Forget about the values, the ethical dimension, noble intentions. The question that matters is, "how do I survive mate?" Or "everybody is making money, why can't I". Whether it is the trader, the office bearer at a place of worship, the office boy on errands, the manager at his high desk, the professional, the politicians – whoever; they have all through their conduct that most of us are familiar with, have proven time and time again that money comes first. Today we know that people are prepared to kill for no reason whatsoever but for so long as there is money. Remember the guy who C4-ed the Mongolian national? He said in court that he was promised RM100,000 for a clean job. The case against a former chieftain which also raises eyebrows is yet another example what money can do. Properties are grossly undervalued and sold to someone only because the subsequent business (money) opportunities are not crippled. If you search the annals and recent history pages from the courts, the Parliament, and national archives, we will be inundated with examples that attest to this fact that Malaysians will do anything and everything for money. If there is no money, but mere ideals and principles, ethics and justice, they will tell you they are "busy-lah, sorry eh, maybe next time". This trend is not only dangerous but compounds all future generations of this nation. For as long as man has lost his dreams, visions and hopes for a future built on justice, honor, ethics and principles, that nation of people will remain robbed to the raw bones for eternity. For a nation of people who eagerly put money before business, money before service, money before their very existence, money before their beingness – they are ruined. Strangely, we never were like this in the yester-years especially during the times of Bapa Malaysia. Thank God that are there a few in between who are still willing to give their time, energy, and even money to stand up for the higher and nobler ideals of humanity and nation. But when the larger nation of people put money before all else, we must take inventory. We therefore need to re-orientate. We need to understand, appreciate and endorse that money is only a result of what we do. Money should never be the determinant of what we are willing to do. Now who do we blame for this national malaise that is affecting all Malaysians like a cancer? Your take, please.
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| Does Malaysia need millionaires? Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:10 PM PDT For a nation of 28 million with about a third that are gainfully employed, have these glaring and hidden Malaysian millionaires and even billionaires made the life and times of the masses any better? By J. D. Lovrenciear
The government of the day always crows 'Look at the number of multi-millionaires we have created'. On the surface this appears to sound fantastic. How many ranked or rated individual millionaires and billionaires are there amongst Malaysians? How many more undisclosed millionaires are there anyway? For a nation of 28 million with about a third that are gainfully employed, have these glaring and hidden Malaysian millionaires and even billionaires made the life and times of the masses any better? And what about all those who are in service and quietly raking in bagfuls of cash – at least going by the palatial houses they have renovated and the shopping list they discard all so frequently, do we need these filthy rich people? Mind you some in the civil service even arrive in a Rolls Royce to cast their vote in a state election. Would they all add to the wealth of a nation making the standard of living for the man in the street any better? Yes, some may argue that these millionaires set up huge corporations and provide employment for thousands. But the thousands are living off from loan sharks, credit cards, tight-fisted frugal expenditures and hardly any gala holidays don't you know? Not only that, their nightmare is also about getting sacked if they towed the wrong line. The Malaysian economic agenda is unable to cushion the Ahmad, Ah Beng and Muthu and their ordinary families against any economic or financial tide that washes upon our shores. In the wake of such challenges, the government will rescue the billionaires first followed by the millionaires next. The poor employee or self-employed citizen will have to fend for himself, tighten his belt and if need be walk through the corridors of being a bankrupt. How many families do we know in our neighborhood or amongst relatives and friends who are aching, breaking their backs and pockets to expand their shrinking pay packets? Is this an exaggeration or a reality? Why couldn't we have made sure that co-operatives and ex-servicemen's associations and other such similar agentries that are in effect owned by the ordinary rakyat be the millionaire and billionaire organizations of Malaysia? That way we could have ensured that the millions and even billions of profits would have remained for the working rakyat. The rakyat would be able to, amongst other things, send their children to school and higher education of their choice without having to beg for handouts or even fight for such assistance. The nation as a population would be richer and leading a better standard of living. Indeed the government must remember that it is not a servant unto the rich, famous (infamous rather), the singular multi-millionaires. On the contrary the government's duty is to serve the citizens, King and nation. With all the multi-billion (rather trillion) Ringgit that this nation has earned through its oil, tin, rubber, oil palm, as well as trading in rice imports, the APs, IPPs, Concessions, super-structures and multi-billion Ringgit developments and what have you, all Malaysians would be walking tall without debt. Instead, the Great Bapa Moden Malaysia sold us the empty dream of 'privatization' that not only made cronies into mega-rich people but also in the process killed off the household entities like the Water Works Department, the Telecoms, the Tenaga Nasional and others that were well known for their fairly good performance. But we were led to believe that that these agencies are poor performers and that privatization will bring the rakyat greater benefits. It did not. But unfortunately, we are straddled with economic and financial pains while the multi-millionaires float enormous profits. In between they make some handouts under the guise of donations and corporate social responsibility. Does this all make sense? Or is our BN formula flawless? Let the rakyat decide.
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