Sorry, off-topic
From chedet.co.cc

THE LESSON FROM JAPAN
By Dr. Mahathir Mohamad on September 11, 2009 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

///1. The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan which had ruled the country since World War II has been trounced by the Democratic Party of Japan in the recent election.

2. This follows the trend which many political parties which had struggled and achieved independence had undergone. The Mashumi Party of Indonesia, the Muslim League of Pakistan, the parties which wrested independence for numerous African countries have all but disappeared.

3. It seems as if the people no longer cared for the struggles and the sacrifices that had been made by those parties and their leaders. It seems as if the beneficiaries of these struggles do not know how to be grateful.///– TDM

The Muslim league of Pakistan and the numerous parties that ushered in independence in numerous African countries did not wrest independence but had independence granted them, just like in Malaysia. The colonial masters had to decolonise after the Second World War. In many instances the persons who struggled and made sacrifices in their fight against the colonial masters were not the persons who had been given opportunities to implement self rule for the benefit of the people.

The former colonies of the British received assistance from their former colonial master for administering the country based on the rule of law, and in upholding the constitution of the country. In some countries, the rule of law breaks down, and the people could not even enjoy peace and safety in public places, as was taken for granted during the British rule. Should the people who cannot even be said to be beneficiaries be grateful to those who plunder the nation in the name of governing it?

In the colony-turned democratic countries, citizens offered their services and stood for election on their own volition. They should know that they offered their services for the betterment of the countries, and they should be grateful to the people for allowing them the opportunities to display their talents, if they had any. The question of the citizens having to feel grateful to government leaders should not arise. If one harbours such thought, he must have been convinced that he took the position of authority to dispense largesse to those he favoured on a divide and rule basis. Leaders with that mentality are a liability rather than an asset to the nation.

///4. But is it true that they are ungrateful? There is some truth but if we care to examine we will find that the independence fighters, and their successors, the builders of the countries after independence have changed almost completely.///– TDM

We can certainly say that in the case of UMNO, the successor to, differed from, the one who negotiated Malayan independence in their sense of obligation to the other partners, the leaders of MIC and MCA and hence the communities they represented thereof to honour their mutual understanding in the so-called social contract. Tun Razak removed the provision of a review in Article 153, and introduced a 20-year NEP in its stead. Subsequent UMNO leaders utilised NEP to make Malays of their choice fabulously rich, and distorted the raison d’etre of Article 153. Since NEP and Article 153 are made eternal, racial polarisation has no chance of easing. As the preferential race is depended on religion where 1.4 billion Muslims in the world are potential Malays, religion has become the point of departure. As a proof a religious superiority, areas said to have Malays in majority are intolerant of the presence of a Hindu temple, though the people, under the constitution, are free to practice any religion of their choice, certainly at the place of their choice. The quality of government leaders has changed possibly because of their outlook; they are there to profit from the position they hold, at the expense of the nation and the people.

///5. They have almost all become greedy and arrogant. They no longer care for the country or the people. They are almost invariably preoccupied with their status and their selfish needs. They have lost touch with their followers or the descendants of their followers. The spirit which had moved their founders seem no longer to be there./// TDM

That seems to be an apt description of the present BN leaders, and more so about UMNO leaders. But that was made possible by non other than Mahathir. Mahathir has emasculated the Judiciary, and the results are seen in the court judgement on cases involving the Perak coup d’etat. The Police serve the interest of the PM just like it was in 1998 when Anwar got his black eyes. The contract through non-tender ended up with negotiated transfer of public fund to private accounts, and now a claim of up to RM 1.5 billion for work-not-done. All these are possible because NEP was not intended for the needed but for the greedy, as initiated by Mahathir.

///6. Will UMNO and the BN – the successors of the Alliance which had wrested independence for Malaysia escape the fate that had befallen all these pioneer parties? From present showing it is likely that they would share the same fate.///– TDM

It would be Malaysia renaissance if UMNO could be defeated. There might have been a smooth changer for the better had AAB been allowed to be Prime Minister for all Malaysians. But Mahathir said that AAB had not done enough for Malays. Mahathir has only recently insisted that NEP have succeeded in achieving the twin objectives, but nonetheless should continue.

///7. That the rot has set in there can be no doubt. Corruption is now rampant in UMNO and the other component parties. Power struggles have emasculated them. Leaders have a strong desire to stay in office even though they have outlived their usefulness.///– TDM

A 22 years reign has not been surpassed yet the person who enjoyed the long tenure knew others’ faults but not his own. It was his quota-qualification in party selection that made a mess in the leadership quality in UMNO and by extension the government. Corruption in UMNO was only possible because it was financed by corruption in government procurements, projects, licensing and land allocation. Corruption began in a big way since TDM became PM.

///8. With such leaders the country and the people have been neglected. In the last decade despite talks of billions of Ringgit being allocated for corridors etc. there is no visible or tangible evidence. There is nothing to show for the 250 billion Ringgit extra that Petronas had paid to the Government.///– TDM

If the last decade began from November 2003, it is not quite ten years. Working backwards, it started in 1999, and the government owes the country a full accounting of how the money was spent. But the people also want to know the cash flow and investments of Petronas before they made a net transfer to the government. Why did Petronas take over some ships in 1997 when shipping was not its core business?

///9. It is strange to find that Malaysia has been outstripped by its neighbours. It is no longer the leading nation in the region. Certainly it is no longer regarded as a model.///– TDM

The world enters into knowledge based economy before the third millennium, and as the name suggests, the economy depended on human resources. Since 1970 some two million Chinese and half a million Indians and unknown number of Malays, who did not consider their success dependent on NEP, left Malaysian shores. When most of the best and brightest are competing against the country, it would be a wonder if Malaysia could best their neighbours.

TDM had the chance to end NEP and the baggage it carries. But he chooses to blame the current government leaders for the wrongs he committed, and for preventing the required reform in its discriminatory policies.

///10. Malaysia’s voters, especially the Malays have always been strongly loyal. Yet there is evidence that in 2008 many of these loyalists had voted for the opposition. States which had been Barisan Nasional strongholds are now ruled by the opposition.///– TDM

The Malays voters have been led to believe that despite corruption where the UMNO leaders had the lion share of the spoils, they get a preferential treatment over non-Malays by playing along with the age-old UMNO game of divide and rule. Some among them have come to the realisation that it was corruption that has made Malaysia a low-income country. They realise too that whatever largesse the Malays now enjoy, they can continue to do so with the resources of the country, even if shared equally with non-Malays, and more if there is no leakages through corruption. Those who have worked hard and are capable of university education realise too that they would have been able to compete in a truly meritocratic environment and yet have to bear the stigma of NEP-abled for whatever success they achieve in life. They might be able to stomach the indignity for a while so that the less capable of the Malays might avail of the opportunity for university education. But they realise too that they have indirectly caused the creation of 60,000 unemployable graduates, and counting by keeping quiet. More importantly NEP is against the teaching of Islam. It creates moral hazards in bringing in more humans to cast votes while hoping that the state and the society would bear the consequence of their irresponsibility, so as to achieve the divide-and–rule objective of UMNO.

///11. Will the next election see the same phenomenon as in Japan? It is not entirely impossible. The younger voters are said to be disenchanted by the party that won the independence. That was history and it has less meaning for the young./// — TDM

The young Malays have benefited from education and are able to think for themselves. It would be meaningless for them to insist that they should be entitled to special treatment just because of accident of the birth of others’ ancestors. They have also weighed the cost benefit analysis of a lifetime stigma of being crutch-dependants against the unfair advantage they obtain. They are willing to abide by the decision of the founding fathers whereby special assistance was given based on needs, on the initial 15-year period. That special favour had gone on more than three times the length of time originally envisaged.

///12. The only thing that would save the BN is the lack-luster performance of the opposition. The alternative is not a real alternative. But if the performance of the BN Government and parties fails to gain confidence, the frustrated voters might just do what the Japanese voters did – dump the party they had supported for more than half a century.///– TDM

It is time that the country moves on to a two party rule. That might only happen if BN lose in the next election, for the good of the country. It is not an issue of which politicians lose the life tenure as minister, but it is the real opportunity for politicians to display their talents and to be voted based on their performances rather than the organization of the political parties.

When politicians have only the job of government rather than having to ensure election success at party level, they are free from having to play money politics. The temporary political workers, those who depend on party elections for living would be reduced. The country would gain labour force for real outputs. There would certainly be fewer conflicts when politicians do not have to masquerade as race champions and give blessing to their supporters in that regard.

///13. It behoves the BN to take notice of the inevitability of the demise of the party which had gained independence for the country. It had staved off the fate before. Can it do so again?///–TDM

It would be blessing in disguise if they lose the election, and end in the demise of the race-based political parties. It is racism that has retarded the country. The almost impunity free corrupt opportunity through the political set up of the past half a century is too tempting not to be pursued. What good is it to be a government leader when the country joins the leagues of Myanmar and Zimbabwe? But the possibility of enjoying fabulous wealth overseas as a foreigner was tempting too. Only when BN collapse would their politicians pursue an honest objective to be leaders of a promising nation.

///14. In just three years’ time the new elections will be held. Time is obviously running short. Unless some drastic change is shown in the way the country is run and the people are served, the BN will join the other grand old party in the rubbish heap of history. ///– TDM

If that happens, we have a rebirth of Malaysia.