Archive for category nation building
I’m 25, Malaysian. Should I give up on Malaysia?
Posted by Kit in Letters, nation building on Friday, 28 October 2011
by Alex Lee
Friday, 28 October 2011
My recent trip back to Malaysia made me realise the lack of political awareness in the country. Business owners, working individuals, family and friends have virtually given up trying, or simply not want to court unnecessary trouble. They continue to complain of our government’s incompetence. But simply complaining will take us nowhere.
Only abusers and authoritarians, who do not want to hear the truth and how we feel want us to be silent, allowing them to continue squandering our nation’s coffers and they be left unpunished. Countless loopholes in the legislations are making the rich even richer, and the poor to continue to suffer. Read the rest of this entry »
Ladies & Gentlemen, we have safely landed…
Posted by Kit in nation building on Wednesday, 19 October 2011
By Art Harun
Ding dong…a very good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, we have safely landed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Welcome to Malaysia.
The local time is 5.35pm. The weather is slightly cloudy with the usual monsoon rain expected in about 30 minutes time and the current temperature is 34 degrees Celcius. For those who think that the rain in Malaysia is similar to the rain in Paris, London or New York, please note that our monsoon drains are 8 feet deep and 4 feet wide and run for hundreds of kilometres. They cost 30,000 Malaysian Ringgit per foot to build and 30 million Malaysian Ringgit to maintain per month. We take our rain very seriously, Ladies & Gentlemen. And you would be well advised that our rain is nothing, repeat, nothing compared to the rain in your country.
Read the rest of this entry »
My dream Malaysia Part 1 – Home Front
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, nation building on Friday, 7 October 2011
by Richard Loh
October 5, 2011
My dream comes true in a dream within a dream. I woke up to find a total different Malaysia that most Malaysians have been waiting for even though we have yet to attain the developed status. But, is being a developed nation that important when the rakyat are just as happy and living a peaceful and prosperous life with a matured democracy?
Home Front
My daily routine after waking up is to stand at the balcony of my 900 SF apartment, breathing some fresh air generated from the greenery’s not far away. This apartment was bought by my daughter who can afford to do so because it was reasonably priced and an income that allows her to do so.
On my breakfast table there were three newspapers, Utusan, NST and The Star. I read through them one at a time and feel happy reading them. Utusan headlines “Timbalan Perdana Mentri, XYZ, di- arah ka MACC untuk siasatan korupsi”, The Star front page news ‘A top NGO leader was sentenced to five years imprisonment for calling other ethnic groups ‘pendatang’ while NST reported that an opposition MP was disqualified after he was declared a bankrupt. All the papers were reporting exactly what is happening around us and I could not find a report about religion or racial conflict.
After breakfast I took a drive to the market,(usually I would take the MRT, which is nearby and directly stop at destinations where I wanted to go) about 10km away to test my new 1.6 Protonsia. This Protonsia is 100% Malaysian make, body and engine designed by local engineers and safety test approved by the international automobile association. This car model was even exported to the United States with the same price tag as other imported cars like Toyota, Nissan or Mazda of the same engine capacity. Read the rest of this entry »
Remembering 500 years of colonialism
Posted by Kit in History, nation building on Thursday, 6 October 2011
— Tommy Thomas
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 05, 2011
OCT 5 — The Malay Peninsula was colonised 500 years ago this year, and its significance in our history should be marked in some way by universities and scholars. We should be having public seminars and academic conferences to remember and discuss this aspect of our history in its 500th anniversary. I am surprised that nearly half a year has passed, and no university has publicly announced any such initiative.
Remembering that the Malay Peninsula was colonised half a millennium ago is one way to remind the post-independence generation of Malaysians to be grateful for Merdeka. It is critical to teach the present generation about the dangers of empire and colonialism so that we can celebrate what independence means and pay tribute to the people who fought for it. Parts of the Malay Peninsula have only experienced 54 years of self-governance since 1511 when the Portuguese invaded and colonised Malacca. Soon after the founding of Malacca by Parameswara in 1403, it rapidly developed into a major entrepot in Southeast Asia, with traders from the Indonesian archipelago, China, India and Arabia crowding its marketplace. Admiral Cheng Ho led the then greatest naval expedition to Malacca and could have easily taken Malacca by force. The Chinese did not do that; instead, they were content to allow Malacca to govern itself through the Malacca Sultanate. Hence, throughout the 15th century, no foreign power colonised Malacca. Read the rest of this entry »
From Merdeka to Malaysia
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, nation building on Sunday, 25 September 2011
KJ John
Malaysiakini
Sep 20, 11
When Malaya gained Independence, I was only seven years old and in Standard One. It was a repeat year for me, as my Dad had emplaced me in the primary one class with my older brother in 1956, but I could not be technically promoted.
I was then moved to Ibrahim Primary School where my Dad symbolically gave the Independence Day speech on behalf of the Sultan of Kedah, although I missed hearing it as I was only in primary one. That was Merdeka and Malaya.
The 48th Malaysia Day was observed last Friday and, this year, we move toward a new era of democratisation, if we can take the prime minister seriously.
We can become 1Bangsa Malaysia or 1United Malaysia if he is serious. We can move slowly but surely towards democratic maturity, after half a century of stunted growth because of the ‘Melayu-first’ agenda that has been abused. Read the rest of this entry »
Continuity and discontinuity: Prof Zainal Kling and Malaysian history
Posted by Kit in History, nation building on Tuesday, 13 September 2011
— Clive Kessler
The Malaysian Insider
Sept 13, 2011
SEPT 13 — It is not my objective to argue the historical facts of this issue, to take sides.
On the facts, Farish Noor and Art Harun are clearly right and Prof Zainal Kling, however ingenious the hair-splitting technicalities that he invokes, is wrong.
But that is not the end, or even the heart, of the matter.
We must ask, what is the purpose, and what are the practical effects, of Prof Zainal now making his seemingly fanciful argument?
Prof Zainal’s argument is simply wrong, marvellously eccentric and absurdly counterfactual historically. But it is wonderfully clever, cunning and “very strategic”, politically. Read the rest of this entry »
Freeing the Malays and Muslims from religious mind control
Posted by Kit in Islam, nation building, Religion on Monday, 12 September 2011
— Pak Sako
The Malaysian Insider
Sep 12, 2011
SEPT 12 — There appears to be a Malay-Islamic Inquisition in Malaysia.
It does not involve burnings at the stake.
It comes as ostracism at school, the workplace and in the community for failing to comply with rigid parameters. Not wearing a headscarf is frowned upon. Transgenders are institutional pariahs.
Religious arrogance and zealotry are norms. Muslim leaders can assuredly rebuff equal partnership on inter-religious discussion panels. The Islamic moral police is free to raid churches and insult the Malay person’s dignity and autonomy.
Refusal to play along with another community’s passion for its customs is condemned as chauvinistic or unconstitutional — the fate of elected representatives in Sarawak who chose the customary suit and tie over expensive uniforms and songkoks for a state assembly opening.
Closing the gap with South Korea or Singapore at the top of quality-of-life indicators such as the UN Human Development Index is a minor national concern. Read the rest of this entry »
The haze and the malaise
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, nation building, UMNO on Friday, 9 September 2011
Ethnic politics makes Malaysia’s transition to a contested democracy fraught and ugly
Sep 10th 2011
Banyan | The Economist
SKYSCRAPERS and lampposts in Kuala Lumpur are still festooned with flags left over from independence day festivities at the end of August. Fittingly, this week they were shrouded in the annual “haze” of smog from forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Malaysia’s politicians are not in the mood to celebrate nationhood and unity. Rather, with an election in the offing, everything is a chance for political point-scoring.
That includes independence itself. One huge banner in the centre of the capital shows the country’s six prime ministers since the British left in 1957, with the incumbent, Najib Razak, in the foreground, gazing into a visionary future. All six hailed from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which has led the “Barisan Nasional” (BN) coalition government ever since 1957. Some opposition politicians now complain that the official narrative of Malaysia’s history ignores the role of non-UMNO freedom fighters. Since the most recent general election, in March 2008, the opposition has had a real chance of winning power. For the first time since independence in 1957, the BN lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament that allowed it to amend the constitution on its own. No longer a one-coalition state, the opposition argues, Malaysia has to rethink its own history.
Read the rest of this entry »
Is Proton a ‘Malaysian’ car?
Posted by Kit in nation building, Transport on Tuesday, 6 September 2011
By KJ John | Aug 30, 11
Malaysiakini
Ahmad Talib is a mainstream media personality having served as the former managing editor of the NST. I first met him when I gave a lecture at the Ministry of Information about the National IT Agenda.
Ahmad Talib wrote a recent column where he talked about a conversation he had with Proton CEO Syed Zainal about the story of a Proton taxi-cab which Syed Zainal took from KLIA to go home.
During the trip, twice the taxi driver did not open the power windows to pay his toll but instead opened the entire door. When asked why, the driver complained that he was told that if he used the power window too often, it could easily get spoilt. Therefore, he chose to do it the more difficult way.
Read the rest of this entry »
Merdeka! Are we truly free?
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Bersih, Corruption, nation building, Teoh Beng Hock, UMNO on Thursday, 1 September 2011
Jeswan Kaur
Free Malaysia Today
August 31, 2011
Corruption, nepotism, cronyism and the abuse of the judiciary and legislation have marred the significance of Aug 31.
COMMENT
Aug 31 is a day of reflection, of taking cognisance of the fact that the country’s independence or Merdeka can no longer be taken for granted, that too by the “keepers” of this nation.
Regrettably, it is the “powers that be” that have marred the meaning of Merdeka. Corruption, nepotism, cronyism and the abuse of the judiciary and legislation have marred the significance of Merdeka, especially for the younger generation.
Instead of imparting profound meaning to Malaysians, Aug 31 had been reduced from the sublime to the ridiculous by the power-hungry and “self-first” politicians-leaders of this country.
The fact is Malaysia is “independent” but only in name, not in act. The existence of draconian laws that are continuously abused by the “powers that be” to safeguard its position have turned the understanding of Merdeka into a laughing stock. Read the rest of this entry »
Quo Vadis Malaysia
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Bersih, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak, nation building on Thursday, 1 September 2011
Never in recent decades had Merdeka Day on August 31 been marked with a greater sense of angst and disquiet by Malaysians than yesterday because of incessant disunifying developments not only over the past several months but also the past few days.
Malaysians flew the national flag yesterday but most of them have a common disquieting question – Quo Vadis Malaysia?
The third National Day of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should have been celebrated as a high-water point of his administration, coinciding with Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivities, but this was not the case.
In actual fact, many of National Day messages intended to inspire greater national unity and to exhort moderation and tolerance among Malaysians fell flat, failing not only to inspire the people but merely achieved the opposite of evoking alienation and disaffection because they were so empty and hollow, shouting out the loud contrast between word and deed of those in power. Read the rest of this entry »
What is Merdeka without free and fair elections?
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, nation building on Thursday, 1 September 2011
by Ashvin Raj
Malaysiakini
Aug 26, 11
As we draw near to Merdeka Day, I begin to reflect on the real meaning of Merdeka. We may have gained independence from the British in 1957 but have we gained true freedom from our colonial masters?
Have we grown as a nation united with one common goal or vision? Or have we become more disunited since 1957, having lost our direction as to where we are heading to as an independent nation.
Despite 54 years of independence, are we really free when we have oppressive laws in place, such as the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Emergency Ordinance and The University and University Colleges Act (UUCA)?
For me, the real meaning of Merdeka is achieved when we have freedom to determine our destiny through a free and fair electoral system. As a young Malaysian, I realise the importance of being an agent of change, not because we want change for the sake of change, but because we want real change that will transform this nation to be an Asian tiger once again. Read the rest of this entry »
50+4 Malaysia: Malaysia, I Still Love You..
Posted by Kit in nation building on Thursday, 1 September 2011
by QuaChee
(As per my previous years, I’m continuing my writings for beloved Malaysia this 2011.. in conjunction with her 54th birthday.)
Dear Malaysia
You seem so cool when I was younger
You seem near perfect when from abroad
But now that we are together
The imperfections are clear
Racism
The antics of politicians
Rising cost of living
The 3 main things preventing from making you wholesome
Plus a few more..
All these easily blind me
From the beauty that you have inside
It takes more (effort)
To find those beauty now Read the rest of this entry »
The myopic Malaysian
Posted by Kit in Mariam Mokhtar, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak, nation building on Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Mariam Mokhtar | Aug 15, 11
Malaysiakini
If we are not happy with our car, we fix it or change to a better model. If we are dissatisfied with our clothing, we change tailors or buy another dress. If the restaurant food which is served is rubbish, we demand a refund or send it back to the kitchen. Some of us are even prepared to marry another woman if the current one(s) are unsatisfactory. So why not political parties?
Various people have urged Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to resign but some people are hesitant because they fear that Najib’s deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin would take over.
To think that Muhyiddin (right) is the only choice means that Malaysians are still in a coma, or are too lazy to exercise their grey cells, or perhaps cannot see beyond their noses. Have these myopic Malaysians forgotten that Malaysia does have an opposition? And that they have a choice?
Read the rest of this entry »
You are no better than a thug
Posted by Kit in Islam, nation building on Tuesday, 16 August 2011
— Azrul Mohd Khalib
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 16, 2011
AUG 16 — I read with much disappointment and irritation at Senator Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor’s behaviour as reported in “Ezam threatens ‘jihad’ against those proselytising Muslims” (August 12). Malaysians should reject the politics of intimidation, scare mongering and violence which appears to be espoused by Ezam.
He has also misrepresented the Jais raid situation as one where Islam is under attack. Let us be clear: Islam in Malaysia is not and has not been under attack. Both Hasan Ali and Ezam know it.
It is not necessary to play the martyr (Hasan Ali) or the defender of the faith (Ezam). The latter’s threats to wage war and to burn the offices of both Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider are criminal in nature and I call upon the necessary authorities to address them appropriately.
It is not necessary to resort to such bullying tactics and to bring down the level of engagement to that of thugs, samsengs and Ah Longs in a back alley. Such a person is surely morally bankrupt. Read the rest of this entry »
History or Soviet-style propaganda? That is the question
Posted by Kit in Education, History, nation building on Monday, 15 August 2011
by Andrew Aeria
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 15, 2011
AUG 15 — If anyone from the Ministry of Education held an honest, open and non-patronising discussion with our secondary schoolchildren on the subject of history as it is presently taught in school, they would discover that a huge majority of students view it as a painfully boring and utterly worthless subject.
They would also discover that students learn practically nothing from the subject. Instead, students only force themselves to memorise vacuous facts about people and events merely to pass their exams; an indoctrination exercise that defeats the whole purpose of why we educate our children in the first place.
I should know. I taught an introductory-level university course, “Malaysian Social History” to undergraduates for a few years. And to my astonishment, I discovered how intellectually and emotionally impoverished my undergraduates were about history. Not that they had not studied and even passed the subject with flying colours in their SPM/STPM exams, but because what they had previously memorised in school was simply not worth remembering! Stunned by their lack of interest in the subject, I examined the current school history syllabus and its teaching methods. I discovered to my horror and dismay that it is presently more predisposed to Soviet-style propaganda instead of being a subject that nurtures a passionate appreciation of our rich heritage and common humanity. Read the rest of this entry »
Mainstreaming the lunatic fringe?
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, nation building on Sunday, 14 August 2011
— Mustafa K Anuar
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 14, 2011
AUGUST 14 — In the recent past, middle-ground Malaysia has borne witness to a series of disturbing public expressions by certain groups and individuals that border on ethnic slurring, slander and rabid racism.
And many a time, these public expressions have without exception insulted the intelligence of the average Malaysians, irrespective of ethnic and religious backgrounds.
What’s equally disturbing is that such articulation has caused hurt, pain and even outrage among the people who have been subjected to these irrational outbursts from the lunatic fringe. ‘Lunatic fringe’ here refers to the fanatical, extremist or irrational members of society who seem to be on the rise lately. Perkasa and other groups of similar disposition come to mind immediately. Read the rest of this entry »
Still dreaming of a Malaysia to call Home
Posted by Kit in Farish Noor, nation building on Friday, 12 August 2011
By Farish A. Noor | August 12, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
AUG 12 — A Malaysian ambassador once asked me if, after living and working abroad for more than 2½ decades, I still kept my Malaysian citizenship. And I answered yes. He was surprised somewhat and added: “Thank God, at least we haven’t lost you as well.” I replied: “Well, we have lost so many good academics and professionals by now I’m not sure if that makes any difference by this stage…”
Yet out of some naïveté on my part I would still state that I believe in the Malaysian project, for all its quirks and shortcomings. And now, as Malaysia looks ahead at a decade that will undoubtedly transform the face of Southeast Asia and will witness the gradual decline of American influence and the rise of China’s in Asean, we hold fast to the ship of state that is due for a severe battering as never before.
Read the rest of this entry »
Inter-faith group says Jais raid an attempt to create religious strife
Posted by Kit in Islam, nation building, Religion, Selangor on Tuesday, 9 August 2011
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 09, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 — A non-Muslim inter-faith group said last week’s raid on a church dinner was part of a “systematic and deliberate attempt by many of those who walk the national corridors of power” to create conflict among the different races and religions in Malaysia.
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) also urged the federal government to investigate the fiasco including reports by Umno-linked Berita Harian and Harian Metro that “Muslims questioned that night confirmed that they had been asked to convert.”
The MCCBCHST said the Jais raid on the DUMC (picture) ‘sets a dangerous precedent and makes a mockery of the sanctity and inviolability of all religious places.’ — File pic
“These reports… did not identify the claimants nor state the basis for their making such statements. Such witnesses must be made available to an independent inquiry, which must be instituted immediately… to corroborate such evidence and to verify it.
“If the newspapers in question are found to have published false statements likely, or meant, to incite religious or racial hatred between Malaysians, the authorities must initiate the necessary action to punish them to the full extent provided for in our laws,” it said. Read the rest of this entry »
How unprincipled and low can you go, Chua Soi Lek, as MCA President?
Posted by Kit in MCA, Media, nation building on Monday, 8 August 2011
Any Malaysian given three answers to the question: Who made the allegation that DAP wants to create a “little China” in Malaysia would invariably name Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian and UMNO although not necessarily in the same order.
Nobody would have named the MCA let alone the MCA President, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek as it is so wild, absurd and irresponsible a charge no sane or reasonable person would make.
One could disagree with Chua Soi Lek to date but so far he has kept to certain standards in his public statements and speeches.
But Chua Soi Lek’s allegation in Kota Kinabalu yesterday that DAP wants to create a “little China” in Malaysia must rank as among the most despicable and dastardly of lies in Malaysian politics designed to help UMNO ultras to scare Malay voters. Read the rest of this entry »
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