I used to see dozens of men from TM surround a telecom exchange box next to my house “repairing” the lines and just days after their disappearance, another group of guys comes around to open up the exchange box. In fact, with too frequent openings of these boxes, the locks are spoilted and most of these exchange boxes cannot be locked.

And most of the time, on the pretence of testing the repaired lines, these people will make phone calls and have long conversations with “god knows who”.

To be sure, the government does not in principle disagree with the DAP/Opposition that Malaysia should develop its human capital to harness best its bountiful natural resources.

Everyone agrees on the methods of how to do it : new methodologies, blue prints and programmes for education ; more funding for education, R&D, more emphasis on science, engineering, biotechnology, ICT – improvement of infrastructure by more universities, technology parks and all kinds of “jayas” from Cyberjaya to InventQJaya etc

Everyone also agrees on the objectives of human capital development : to move the country up the economic/technological value chain in providing both products and services at global level, failing which we languish in economic doldrums before fading to irrelevance and oblivion.

Now who would dispute these sensible objectives and grudge such aspirations?

But lets be realistic. Such laudable objectives are conceived by men, have to be implemented by men and equally have been and will be thwarted and frustrated by men – especially in the latter case, the politicians.

I may be naïve but to me we are skirting the peripherals and not addressing the fundamental obstacle to everything – our political baggage, race factor and the NEP!

For Malaysia to move up the value chain Malaysians at the personal individual level and at the group level (together as a team, a company, an organization, a society and a nation) must unite together based on common acceptable benchmarks conductive to creation of value – ie competitiveness, an ethos of work as title deed of integrity, the standard of excellence measured on basis of meritocracy, and of course whilst we unite under the national language cultivate a high standard of English, the international language….

Politicians can still leverage on race and religion because at the constituency level the mindset emphasizing on race and religion that keep Malaysians separate have not changed and if anything have become more polarized by the politicians’ rhetoric.

Instead of dismantling the NEP that is an antithesis to meritocracy, competitiveness and ethos of hard work and excellence that are prerequisites of human development, the 9th Malaysia Plan sees the NEP extended in tenure and scope of application!

What competitive spirit on basis of merits are we talking about when apart from the Iskandar region the rest of Malaysia has all kinds of FIC rules, quotas and licensing rules marginalising foreigners from competing?

Even amongst locals, wher is the competition when politically favoured rent seekers are given monopoly to make money without value add, and you know what I’m talking about!

There is no open tender for government contracts : those negotiated culminate, as in PKFZ case, in a RM4.6 billion bailout!

YB Kit himself has said under the thread of Economic Prospects – dangerous Times Ahead : “One section in the budget – tucked under the Corporate Social Responsibility section – is likely to further alarm the private sector. The budget proposes from next year, that all public-listed companies will have to disclose their employment composition by race and gender, and list program to develop local and Malay partners. This surprising section is only one sentence long, but it will reinforce the idea of a stronger Malay, rather than a national agenda”.

Apa ini? ‘Cakap’ of human development is senang but ‘bikin’ is susah!

The greatest obstacle is not that we do not know what is right for us in terms of objectives and aspirations. Neither has it anything to do with deficient infrastructure or financial resources.

The obstacle is feudal parochial mindset and culture preoccupied with considerations of separateness of race, colour, creed and religion all the time as if we were all in a sum zero game, a mindset that stubbornly refuses to change and staunchly underpinning a political system based on patronage and wallowing in systemic corruption and failure.

And even as we speak of how best to turn Malaysia from its present role of a ‘nett importer’ of ICT to that of a ‘nett producer’, we are experiencing at ground level a net import of brawn and semi skilled from surrounding countries and a net export of our brains due to the prevailing policies!

Why are we wasting time talking of lofty aspirations when the intangible prerequisites of a fair and equitable society in which all may be united for a common aim of driving Malaysia up the value chain by embracing shared norms of meritocracy, competitiveness and work ethos and excellence are just not there?

Get priority right and talk of baby steps first before the ultimate destination of a journey of 6000 miles, as Mao Tze Tung would say!

The Raub welfare department disbursed RM101,765 to 33 people who had died while its Bentong counterpart parted with RM11,279 to three who had passed on.
The auditor-general said this was totally unacceptable. He said corruption was involved as the money could not be disbursed to the dead….”The recipients are dead but still received aid as their names were not removed from the department’s list”

Singapore is short of natural resources (oil, gas, palm oil, rubber etc) and yet able to achieve first world status. Why? Think about it. Look at what they have done since 1965 and under the leadership of LKY. Find out how many great scientiests reside in this small country. Get a list of world famous universities that had set up branch campus in this country. How much efforts they have placed in biotechnology & pharmaceutical research and development. How much efforts this government has encourged their people to learn standard English (not Singlish) and even master Chinese? Look at their cabinet ministers’ academic qualifications and compare to Malaysia counterpart, you will wonder how could such a small country produces so much of talented people. We have a lots to learn from Singapore. Never shy about it.

So this idea of taking the candu off the Petronas money pump is a pipe dream…