RealWorld Says:

October 5th, 2007 at 18: 34.28

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Ok, pertaining to that climate you are advocating, I must say Malaysia is a young nation. We are only 50 years old. We should not be comparing ourselves to the democracies in the West. Of course, our system is not perfect. But then again, is there ever a perfect system or a perfect government? But one thing I do know is that, we have no famine, civil wars, poverty here in Msia. Our nation have progressed steadily over the years. Education is available for everyone. Employment and business opportunities are there for the rakyat.

And brother, what are the alternatives out there? PKR DAP PAS, what do they have? Some marriage of convenience? They dont even contest under one banner? What about PAS’s Islamic state stand? Say if the Opposition wins the next GE, who will be PM etc etc? How can they govern and administer the country when they are not in agreement? And lastly, what is this Msian Malaysia when there are very few or no indians/malays in DAP leadership?

Ahhh…. the tape. My opinion is that let the tape be authenticated first and let the authorities do their investigations.

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Whether a nation is 50 year young or 2000 years old, the quest to be perfect should never stop. To be perfect is an unattainable goal but that is not a excuse not to try. And I am not comparing Malaysia with the west. While I do agree with you that Malaysia has made progress in certain areas, I do not agree that it has made any progress in the area of social development. As a matter of fact, I fear that it has regressed and that has hampered growth in other areas – all these discussions and preoccupation about NEP is a dead weight loss activity as the economists would put it. Moreover, the lack of meritocracy in the system compromises the system’s competitive edge.

Regardless of the alternatives, as a rakyat I think that one has to criticize the government if things are wrong cos’ I would think that we all want to see improvements. And for that matter, it also really does not matter if BN has 91% of the majority vote. If certain BN policy sucks, they sucks regardless of the majority. By the same token if the policies are good, they are good. I think one has to use whatever mental faculty given to decide what is good and what is bad quite independently and not blindly agree with the government simply because the alternatives are not there or the govt has a large majority. And BTW, I am of the opinion that a strong opposition can be good for any country just to keep the govt honest, maintaining the proper check and balance.

On that note, what has the govt really done about corruption and abuse of power? What is the ACA track record for stopping corruption and who has been charged and successfully prosecuted so far? Perhaps the answer is no one cos’ there is little or no corruption in Malaysia but I really doubt that is the case. I would therefore say that the track record is dismal and I am being kind. All the hoopla about Zakaria, Jasin and vehicle import duties has come to naught. Forget about political alliance for a brief moment, as a rakyat, are you not outraged by the Govt’s handling of these events/cases?

Back to the tape – Yes, I agree, let’s check the tape for authenticity. Like quite a few others, I, however do not understand the fixation of getting hold of the whistler blower at this juncture. And for that matter, I do not have quite the same faith as you in the ability of the govt to get to the bottom of this fairly. My reason is simple – it is in the govt’s rational self interest that this matter to go away as quietly as possible. I therefore would not trust the govt blindly on this. Hence the need for the opposition to keep the govt honest by raising the right questions and pointing out the deficiencies if any.

RealWorld Says:

October 6th, 2007 at 21: 37.59

…. you are mistaken if you think Malaysia is standing still. We are all working towards that ‘perfect country’ goal. The issue is the defination ‘perfect country’ differs for everyone, I believe. To me, Malaysia is perfect because we have never experienced famine, poverty, never deprived of education or employment/business opportunities, no civil strife or ethnic cleansing or wars etc etc. For example 25 years ago, my kampung didnt even have running water. We had to draw our water from the village well. And today, every house in my kampung has internet connection. Is that not progress? And the NEP, whats wrong with giving assistance to those who are behind socially and economically?? Even in the US, they have affirmative action programs.

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First of all, I did not say that Malaysia has not made any progress in the past 50 years. As far as infrastructure goes, I agree that Malaysia has made progress. What I did say is that Malaysia has not made any progress in social development and I am of the opinion that it has regressed in this area.

Also you were asking – And the NEP, whats wrong with giving assistance to those who are behind socially and economically?? My opinion is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with helping these that are socially and economically deprieved. In fact, I would even go further – doing so is absolutely correct. There are a few things wrong with NEP though. Here are a few to begin with . 1. It is targetted at certain race(s). To achieve its’ noble objective it has to help everyone in need of help regardless of race. There are poor non-bumis as well, let’s not forget them 2. Why are rich bumi benefiting from the NEP scheme given that the intent is to help those that are socially and financially deprived? Surely the intent of NEP is not to help rich bumis get richer or is it? 3. How long has the NEP been going on and is it still called the “NEW Economic Policy”? How is it doing relative to the original goals? We should have made significant progress relative to the original goals if they are not already achieved? That being the case, isn’t it time for the Govt to make some credible committment to end this single most highly divisive policy amongst the races?

The US practice of affirmative action is very different from NEP. The aim of affirmative action in the US is to ensure that visible minority groups are not being unfairly discriminated. It is still based on meritocracy.

I can certainly see why you would consider Malaysia perfect. Likewise, I can certainly see why most non-bumis especially those in forum are frustrated with the system. I am also confident that most non-bumis would not have a problem with helping those that are socially and economically behind. So why are they having issues with the Govt’s NEP?

You also mentioned that the ACA is doing its’ job? Can you please provide some good examples? Regarding the tape, the govt and the ACA’s assymetric gestures to both the parties in the tape and the whistle blower is disturbing. This issue is about the govt’s handling of the case and little to do with the GE per se.

Regarding the GE, I am actually sure that BN will return to power. But again, this does not mean that what the govt is doing is correct. It also does not mean that we, regardless of political alliance, should not speak up if the Govt is wrong. Are the rakyat of Malaysia mature and intellectually honest enough to do so? If yes, then Malaysia will progress nicely. You and I have reasons to be optimistic.

RealWorld Says:

October 6th, 2007 at 23: 34.14

… What about those affirmative actions programs in the US? Are they wrong as well?

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The US practice of affirmative action is very different from NEP. The aim of affirmative action in the US is to ensure that visible minority groups are not being unfairly discriminated. It is still based on meritocracy.

In North America, for most job vacancies where there is an under representation of people from the visible minority group, the posting will state that “XYZ company is an equal opportunity employer …. Applicants from visible minority groups including women and people with disability are encouraged to apply….” The keywords being “equal” and “minority”. Equal meaning that people from the visible minority groups will be given a fair chance. It does not mean lowering of requirements or standard i.e. a successful visible minority applicant must also meet the usual requirements. If a less qualified applicant is successful simply because s/he is from a visible minority group, then the most qualified person can sue for discrimation. However, data has shown that this is not likely the case and the opposite is true i.e. visible minority persons are more likely to be marginalised by the majority, hence the need for affirmative action.

In North America, the approach to affirmative action is much more of a soft sell and it is done thru’ building awareness and education. It is rooted in the belief that diversity is a good thing and having a group of people with similar background/experience making an important decision can run the real risk of “Group Think”.

If we have US style affirmative action in Malaysia, it would be something like ” XYZ Sdr Bhd is an equal opportunity employer … People from the visible minority groups such as Non-Bumis, people with disability and women are encourage to apply”. I doubt such a job ad has ever appear in Malaysia and I have my doubts that it ever will. Hence US affimative action is in many ways the complete opposite of NEP. If one thinks that US affirmative action is a good thing, then NEP is bad not good. Bringing up the fact that US has affirmative action does not support the argument for NEP. In fact, it is quite the contrary.

RealWorld Says:

October 7th, 2007 at 20: 34.12
Can you please provide me some examples where Malaysia have regressed in the social development area?

…even in today’s papers, our PM has called on all politicians and community leaders to face racial issues and own up in a serious manner….

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Sure and we don’t have to look far cos’ you even provided an example when you mentioned the PM calling on all politicians …. Why is this necessary after 50 years of independence? He also mentioned in that article that there were several occasions when we were at the brink of disaster. So even the PM is acknowledging it.

BTW, the PM taking the time to hear the rakyat out is a great start but where is the action? Talk is cheap. Listening is even cheaper. What is the use of good intentions when there is no real intent to do anything? Where is the credible commitment to be fair?

Sure, I agree with you that there are unhappy bumis in Malaysia. But if what you are trying to do is to proof by induction that because there are unhappy bumis and there are also unhappy non-bumis, some people from all races have issues with the govt at any point in time, this is normal and everything is as hunky dory as can be then I am afraid I have to seriously disagree with you. This is a flawed argument.

I think you are giving Godfather too much credit if you think that it is people like him that is creating racial discord. I have been in the net long enough and have see and read a lot worse. At the end of the day, a vast majority of people will discard drivels out there and believe only things that are moderate.

I am glad that you honestly think that NEP is not evergreen. Do you honestly believe that help is going to the right people and the govt is implementing this policy in an effective manner?

Regarding your example on the ACA. Who is this police inspector and have they charged him? Is it acceptable that s/he is worth millions before they investigate? Is this yet another crime committed by yet another nameless person? Even if I grant you this example, I am sure that there are at least 2 other blatant examples of the ACA failing to do anything. When I asked for examples, I am asking for examples where the ACA has been successful in closing a case – charging, prosecuting and convicting. Any examples?

RealWorld Says:

October 8th, 2007 at 11: 16.42

…. the US, after 231 years of Independence have numerous on going racial issues. In Nov 2006 for example, at John Hopkins University there were racial tensions due to an invitation for some Halloween party initated by a Fraternity that invoked racial stereotyping. If this can happen at an Institute of higher learning in a country that has been independent 231 years, dont you agree that Msia being only 50 years young will have its own issues??

How do you know the PM is not doing anything?

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OK. since you bring up the US again – granted there is still racial tension in the US. The big difference, however, is that the US govt is not actively pushing policies that divide. Quite the contrary. Malaysia on the other hand has been polarizing the races for the past 50 years – big difference.

Moreover, since Malaysia is relatively younger compared to the US as you have correctly pointed out, Malaysia has the benefit of learning from mistakes made by the US. As they say – a fool never learns from his own mistakes. A wise man learns from his own mistakes. An even wiser man learns from the mistakes of others. Is Malaysia in the fool, wise man or the even wiser man category? Or maybe the better question to ask is which category do you want Malaysia to be in?

If the PM is sincere about reprimanding extremists within the BN, he should at least censure his education minister if not sack him.

OK, good for you that you benefited from NEP and it is good that you are grateful for the help that you and your family received. Just as you should be grateful, you should not be blind. There are others, just like you except that they are non-bumis, that needed help. Who do you think is more deserving of help – a rich bumi or a poor non-bumi? I hope that this is a rhetorical question to you cos’ the answer should be plain obvious.

So why is the govt helping the rich bumis? Quite simple – the govt consists of many rich bumis. The conspiracy theorists will say that the rich bumis will want to ensure that a certain percentage of poor bumis remain poor, thereby ensuring that NEP continues and they can continue reaping the benefits of NEP.

RealWorld Says:

October 9th, 2007 at 10: 54.21
Dear cto,

Malaysia is only 50 years young, while for example US is 231 years old. If we look back, the US after 50 years of independence, a lot of things werent right then. I am sorry, I dont agree with you on the current US government not ‘actively pushing policies that divide’. If you go to Hampton, Virginia you will see the …..

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Transferred to the latest posting on the tape. See you there.