Minister for Information Communication and Culture Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim announced yesterday that the 53rd National Day theme from August 1 to September 16 is “1Malaysia Transforming the Nation”.
At present the 1Malaysia logo has flooded the country but it does not add one iota to the nation-building process.
Adding one sentence “1Malaysia Transforming the Nation” to the ubiquitous 1Malaysia logo also does not make any meaningful contribution to the nation-building process.
If the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is serious about the 1Malaysia policy – with the officially-stated objective to create a Malaysia where every Malaysian regards himself or herself as Malaysian first and race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic group second, the government must go beyond slogan, logo and other publicity stunts.
As a first step, it should introduce a 1Malaysia pledge on the occasion of the 53rd National Day celebrations from August 1 to September 16 for all participants to pledge to become “Malaysian first and race, religion, region or group second”.
This 1Malaysia pledge to be “Malaysian first and race, religion, region or group second” should be officially endorsed by the Cabinet and Parliament, and should be extended to the schools, universities both public and private, as well to 1.2 million civil servants.
If Ministers, MPs and civil servants are not prepared to set an example of striving to be “Malaysian first and race, religion, region or group second”, and if the schools and universities do not actively promote this 1Malaysia pledge, then the 1Malaysia mantra has not much meaning beyond the slogan, logo and publicity stunt stages.
This is a test as to whether the National Day theme of “1Malaysia Transforming the Nation” is going to be a meaningful or meaningless exercise.
#1 by DAP man on Friday, 9 July 2010 - 7:57 pm
“1Malaysia Transforming the Nation”
Yes, correct, correct, correct.
It transforms 1 Malaysia to 2 Malaysia.
Two for the price of One.
#2 by Jeffrey on Friday, 9 July 2010 - 9:17 pm
2 Malaysia’s incidences – examples, severed cow’s head in protest at the building of a Hindu temple in Aug 2009, the eruption of Allah controversy leading to arson of places of worship, proliferation of pro Malay NGOs like Perkasa – happened after 1 Malaysia was espoused.
It is legitimate for DAP man in #2 to wonder if 1 Malaysia accelerates (ironically) the opposite 2 Malaysia!
In Malaysia there are (roughly) two audiences: those who favour Change from communal political architecture in line with 1 Malaysia (Unity within Diversity) and those conservative and reactionary opposed against it.
The political slogan is effective only if those who claim to espouse and implement it are relentless and determined to defend its underlying precepts against detractors. One can’t be allied to both opposing sides over this divide of Change. Just like you can’t have the cake and yet eat it without taking a position grounded on principles!
When one appeases the detractors of the slogan by apologizing for that they do and say that is against the spirit of the Slogan, then it will only serve to encourage the detractors to pose and repeat more challenges by conduct and speech against it – whilst the original audience that the slogan is targeting for convincing, lose entire faith in the slogan….
The foreign conceptualisers of the slogan – APCO – have proceeded on the slogan as if it were some simple marketing/advertising/PR promotion gambit to win back non Malays and the younger set of Malay voters in urban areas that have given their votes to the opposition in 308 tsunami. They have forgotten that their client is also not prepared to alienate support from the other audience opposed to this change. Perhaps they have not grasped in depth local conditions or expected the spirited backlash from conservative and reactionary segments and vested interests that feel threatened by the 1 Malaysia change and their client’s lack of political will or support within his own party to counter detractors.
The disconnect between what the slogan 1 Malaysia espouses and the reality of how little its proposers are prepared to defend it comes to the head when, as what Kit says, none of the Ministers in leadership position are prepared to lead by example by declaring Malaysian nationality first in priority over ethnicity/race in tandem with the stated aspiration of 1 Malaysia Government Transformation Programme Roadmap!
The convergence of media whether written, spoken, sung, recited, posted, whether online or in print – and now integrated with the 53rd National Day theme – with the political objective to convince the targeted audience of the Ruling Party’s commitment to the Slogan is ironically neutralized and rendered ineffective by the very same convergence of media that brings to forefront of national consciousness the lack of political will to counter the acts and voices of its detractors.
#3 by habis on Friday, 9 July 2010 - 10:17 pm
I Malaysia will only be meaningful if All the Ministers starting with the PM, DPM etc down to the heads of All civil service, the Police and Arm Forces to openly swear and declare that All of them are Malaysians First and nothing more or less.Forget about Racial origin. This applies Especially to our Moo DPM and all heads of the component parties of BN and the Opposition parties. It serves no purpose and Will Not transform our people into Malaysians First if Leaders are not Sincere and Commited.Mere Slogans is just a publicity stunt to gain Short term political mileage.Be Brave and Lead by Example and the people will surely get the message But until Now we have yet to Hear from all Ministers to solemnly Declare they are Malaysian First. This clearly reflects on their their failure and sincerity in the First test of Nationhood.
#4 by frankyapp on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 12:43 am
Malaysian politicians especially from the ruling parties in their effort to promote 1malaysia should emulate the americian to separate state and race/religion from their policy in order to be fair to the multi races in the country. I think this’s the only best way to unite the malaysian people . For example in the US,everyone will call himself or herself an american first,irespective of whether he/she is black,white,hispanic,asiaian,arab etc. I am of the opinion that if top leaders/politicians from UMNO insisted that race should come first before nationality,then 1malaysia has no meaning at all. Frankly what’s 1malaysia when people automatically calling himself/herself such as malays,chinese,indian,dayak and kadazan etc. And to make it worst each race is identified by its religion officially by the NRD. Can’t we just leave race and religion aside and concentrate mainly on making and developing a united malaysia ?
#5 by monsterball on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 4:10 am
Even a survey made by an independent group of people found there is a 2Malaysia…where all details are published in Malaysiakini blog.
I am glad so many have said “1Malaysia” is a politic stunt..in the survey…and a great percentage do not trust Najib at all.
After the Sibu miracle that shamed him…I wonder does he have any sense of dignity to feel any shame a all.
#6 by Bigjoe on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 8:00 am
I think Malaysiakini headline is highly succinct. What the survey showed was that there was 2Malaysia, not 1Malaysia, not 3Malaysia, not 4Malaysia. Its 2. The likes of Hindraf, Sabahan and Sarawakians, independent groups, women group, even those still harbouring quick Islamic state in PAS and want to work with UMNO.
Like it or not, You are either with PR or with UMNO/BN, there is no in between, there is no third alternative. In the future, after PR gets into power and reform, there is possible more choices but for the moment, there is none. Like it or not that is that is the reality. You vote for change or you don’t – you don’t get to say you don’t trust either one, you don’t get to say you want better than both. Look at the numbers, its straight down the middle and especially for UMNO/BN side, without this other side being united, change is just not going to happen for any third or more alternate wishes.
For the coming merdeka, the slogan should be ‘Change OR NOT – There is no other choice for now.
#7 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 10:01 am
When Govt (Koh Tsu Koon) said APCO engaged at great cost to boost its image overseas and had no role of any kind in creating the ‘1Malaysia’ concept, which was fully formed, and made public prior to APCO’s engagement, this, (true or not) basically exculpated APCO from what, to many people, the failure of this Slogan! The interesting part is who takes the blame for conceiving this Slogan.
The Slogan was intended to recover lost support for BN from those desirous of change. It not only fails to convince those desirous of change but has alienated and galvanised those traditional supporters resistant against change to actively oppose it.
And when right wing conservative and reactionary NGOs like Perkasa patronised by TDM purportedly representing the latter group vehemently protested against the Slogan’s implications (in last Bumiputra Congress), the govt acceded with alacrity to their demands to reinstate NEP’s 30% quota back to the NEM, with the PM even apologising for them that what they said and demanded, in relation to 1 Malaysia, was not extreme.
Which of course further alienates the first intended target group, undermining their belief of any sincerity in or commitment to that Slogan.
In trying to be all things to all people – to attract those who have long left the BN’s fold for Change to return and yet at the same time appease the conservatives and right wing against Change, the Slogan ends up ‘satisfying no side and in fact alienates both sides!
It becomes a failure when instead of neutralising the Opposition, it has, on the contrary, provided the Opposition more political fodder/ammunition to probe at inconsistencies between words and deeds in 1 Malaysia’s implementation as evinced by Kit’s incessant battering of the Ministers for a declaration of which is first – Malaysian or race – with the No 2 saying its Race first.
To compound the slogan’s problems the numero ono’s special officer made allegedly racist, nay, “Un –1 Malaysia” statements that Chinese and Indian Malaysians were mere “pendatangs” (immigrants) and that Chinese women came to Malaysia to indulge in the “flesh trade” over which he resigned.
Instead of uniting Malaysians, it has unfortunately exacerbated the pre-existing deep fault-lines of race and religion that have beleaquered the nation for too as the latest survey by independent pollster Merdeka Centre shows in its findings of 2 Malaysia instead of 1 Malaysia (reference, Malaysiakini Jul 9).
#8 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 10:03 am
Part of the problems of this Slogan is its inherent inability to juggle, balance and reconcile between 2 conflicting realities and refusal to acknowledge another one!
The 2 conflicting realities it is unable to reconcile and balance are:-:
(1) the reality that the nation has always been divided by 50 years of ethnocentric politics of BN buttressed by the communal structure of its 3 main parties, UMNO, MCA & MIC, not to mention the lackj of shared norms (Farish Noor knew better long ago with his catch phrase “Malaysia and The Other Malaysia”.
(2) the new reality of an increasing number of Malaysians gravitating towards New Politics of Change – which envisages not an immediate but progressive deconstruction of race politics and a concomitant strong stand against corruption and patronage politics that transcends the divisions – that resulted in Opposition scoring unprecedented victories in 12th General Election. The “Middle Malaysia” approach seems to be good things are added onto the old rather than replacing the old at one go. The old things may continue so long as they are not dysfunctional and positively bad.
And the other reality that the crafters of the Slogan have failed to acknowledged at their own peril is that Malaysians generally are now better educated, and thanks to Internet, in position to communicate truths to one another faster.
A growing segment of the electorate is simply too savvy, sick of spin, and basically too cynical to imbibe simplistic and slick Slogans with lofty appeals detached from realities, honored more in breach than adherance by its maker!
This segment will reward by votes sincerity and commitment to what is espoused and similarly punish, by withdrawal of votes, hypocrisy or slogans and political language, in George Orwell’s famous description, “designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable and to give the appearance of solidity to pure wind”!
What would have been in light of these realities, from BN’s angle, a more effective political slogan that ‘1 Malaysia’?
I don’t know: I have not been paid like ASPCO to think for it. Off the cuff (besides Big Joe’s “Change or Not” in #9), maybe:-
· “Malaysians, Don’t Switch Dicks in the Middle of being Scr*wed, Vote BN in ’10.”;
· “Fight Corruption to Save the Economy and Malaysia!
At least they would have sounded more realistic and achievable.
#9 by son of perpaduan on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 10:08 am
APCO doesn’t know what Malaysian need the most, therefore, Rais Yatim another huge dissapointment owe to Malaysian. I know what our rakyat the most at this time to bring back pur perpaduan spirit. APCO idea are from someone who know nothing about “Adat Resam” and cultural eating with right hand. Bodoh punya menteri penerangan. Even RTM1 and RTM2 broadcast programme not even suit our young and old rakyat mentality. Nothing Rais Yatim can proof to our younger generation a better and more innovative attraction to bring us together except wasting tax payer money. [DELETED]
#10 by limkamput on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 11:51 am
Sdr Lim, be careful of you asked for again. If you want them to pledge, they will pledge, what is so difficult. Does pledging mean anything to you, given the context and the moral decay that the country is experiencing? If PM wants everybody to pledge, tomorrow the whole administration (and all schools and universities) will pledge, then what?
Since when was there the spirit and the true intention of 1Malaysia? What is 1Malaysia anyway? Has it ever occurred to you that 1Malaysia was coined to mean different things to different group of people? I must say this is the master stroke. It does not matter the concept is contradictory and irrational. Who care, gullible Malaysians will buy it, stock and barrel.
I have said it all along, after March 2008, there was a double track strategy being practised to galvanise the support of the Malays and the non Malays. BN know UMNO-led policies have marginalised the majority of the non-Malays and the sizeable portion of the Malays. But what choice does BN have? They know the policies no longer work but they still want the goodies to line their own pockets and those of their cronies. So what better strategy than exploiting the fear and the insecurity of the Malays and providing some lip service of inclusiveness to the non Malays. This strategy has worked when they dealt with LKY when Singapore was part of Malaysia. It was also successful after the May 13, 1969 – remember restructuring the society and eradication of poverty IRRESPECTIVE of race. We all know neither the society was restructured nor the poverty eradicated. What they have created is a super rich class of cronies and ruling elites. Now they are using the same strategy again. Yes 1Malaysia – everybody is included, but only the ruling elites and their cronies are getting rich and the rest, you and I the suckers are asked to support it.
Don’t look at the intent of a slogan or policy; look at the actual practice and the actual translation of that slogan or policy. Over the years, we have Rukun Negara, the noble twin objectives of the NEP, the beautifully grafted 5 years plans and long-term prospective plans. If we have looked at all these documents, they are all inclusive and noble in intention. But what happened to the actual outcome? Divisiveness, parochialism, racism, bigotry, corruption and abuse of power. If only we have achieved a quarter of what we have set out to do, this country would not be what it is today.
Of course life must go on and now it is another cycle, the 1Malaysia and NEM cycle. These will give them another 30 years perhaps.
#11 by sheriff singh on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 3:03 pm
1Malaysia, 2Malaysia, 3Malaysia, or 4,
All slogans are merely transitory.
Cemerlang, Terbilang, Gembilang sudah hilang and long gone. So is that hari-hari thingy.
Who remembers Cekap, Bersih and Amanah anymore? And the many, many more that came before it? I just can’t remember any of the old slogans anymore. Do you?
That’s why Muahahadin doesn’t give a hoot about this Najeep slogan because when he takes over soon, he’s gonna come out with his own.
#12 by Loh on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 3:05 pm
///If the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is serious about the 1Malaysia policy – with the officially-stated objective to create a Malaysia where every Malaysian regards himself or herself as Malaysian first and race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic group second, the government must go beyond slogan, logo and other publicity stunts.///
When leaders of the three major political parties, viz., UMNO, MCA and MIC, went to London to seek independence from the British in the 1950s, they had the idea for the creation of the Malayan nation where every very Malayan would be given the protection for them to regard himself or herself as Malayan without regards to race, religion, geographical region or social economic group. Thus a Malayan was a Malayan without any other consideration. Over the years opportunists in UMNO which controlled the Alliance and later Barisan government found the almost perfect criminal ways of dividing the people into race and religion in the name of social and economic re-engineering aimed at maintaining vote bank to ensure perpetual return to political power. Curiously in the process a non-so-Malay mamak was able to masquerade himself as the champion of the Malays and transformed the identity of Malays to the extent that the late Tun Ismail would not be able to recognize the NEWMalays in their midst. Malaysia has been totally disabled with racial polarization. It now ranks among her peers comprising Zimbabwe and Myanmar.
Out of the hope against hope that non-Malays might just be hoodwinked to give BN another victory in the 13th general election Najib now promotes the slogan of 1Malaysia to create a nation where all Malaysians will consider himself or herself Malaysian first and race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic group second. Curiously, when Malaya became independence in 1957 and later when Malaysia was formed in 1963, Malaysians then consider themselves Malaysian, period. They were Malaysians first and last. Now 53 years later, Malaysia finds itself socially worse than the first day it was formed.
The irony is that the PM comes form the same political party which has been ruling this nation ever since its birth. Either the policies followed by the political party were wrong or the leaders of that party can never be trusted. Both these reasons are true. Najib having promoted his 1Malaysia concept has declared that NEP would continue. 1Malaysia as Najib announced would only be meaningful if it equates Malaysian Malaysia where Malaysians are equal. 1Malaysia cannot be viable with the NEP remains in force.
BN government hopes to create wonders, and the foremost is that 1Malaysia is to live with NEP, like a person surviving terminal cancer.
#13 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 3:33 pm
///As a first step, it should introduce a 1Malaysia pledge on the occasion of the 53rd National Day celebrations from August 1 to September 16 for all participants to pledge to become “Malaysian first and race, religion, region or group second”./// – YB Kit
Lim Kam Put says “Sdr Lim, be careful of you asked for again. If you want them to pledge, they will pledge, what is so difficult!”
He could be correct. Pledging as a ‘group’ is neither that ‘personal’ nor ascribable of an individual’s true committment to a supposed cause like being Malaysian first and race second.
Its harder to pin personal responsibility of choice on a person who, in the interest of solidarity of group, follow ritually what the group ( of which he is a part) are doing (appopriately) on National Day (like pledging to 1 Malaysia’s ‘Malaysian first and race second’) and yet acting contrariwise when he is acting in individual capacity of a politician
addressing a race specific audience in a political campaign.
#14 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 3:46 pm
“Ketuanan Melayu” or “Social contract” is also a political slogan by some quarters. However when these slogans clash with 1 Malaysia, as happened in the last Bumiputra Congress, the champion of 1 Malaysia is widely seen to have given way and conceded the triumph of the first two mantras and defeat of the third as confirmed subsequently by NEM’s incorporating NEP’s main feature of 30% equity quota – the very same feature that the very same 1 Malaysia advocate had, earlier in his speech to the Congress, described in derisive terms that craziness was doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result!
#15 by k1980 on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 3:57 pm
1 Malaysia = 0 Opposition
#16 by k1980 on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 4:59 pm
One little, two little, three little Malaysias
Four little, five little, six little Malaysias
Seven little, eight little, nine little Malaysias
Ten little Malaysias.
Ten little, nine little, eight little Malaysias
Seven little, six little, five little Malaysias
Four little, three little, two little Malaysias
One little Malaysia
#17 by limkamput on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 5:02 pm
Talking of “doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result!” bring to mind the amazing similarity of policies used and re-used since the formation of this nation. If you read the declaration of independence 1957, was there social contract, ketuanan Melayu or religious supremacy of any kind? Yet from day one from the birth of this nation, there was never a genuine sharing of power. Non Malays were always treated with suspicion and must be kept at arm’s length. They kicked LKY and Singapore out precisely because of that. Then come 1969, whatever significant posts that were still in non Malays’ hands were taken away. I remembered Tun Sambathan was removed from a powerful ministry to become the minister of national unity. Since then, the National Unity Department is almost always headed by a senior but powerless non Malay civil servant as if national unity is the responsibility of the non Malays.
The MCA has a long term “contract” to hold four portfolios: housing and local government (powerless because these functions are essentially under the respective state jurisdiction), health, transport (minus licensing for buses, lorries and taxi) and labour (but now tourism). There was not a single post of significance held by MCA since Tun Tan’s finance portfolio.
Fast forward to 2008, same thing happened. KTK was appointed national unity minister and the national unity department is again headed by a non Malay civil servant. The portfolios of MCA are essentially still the same, in fact getting worse because of national land transportation commission. Soon, I think the ministry of transport can close shop. Even though an Indian now heads the human resource ministry, the power to license and import foreign workers is within the Home Affairs. So if they think non Malays can not be trusted with importation of foreign workers, may I ask whether the home affairs ministry has done a better job? It is a fact that this country has been proliferated by foreigners to the point of return.
If they think Idris Jala (a non Malay) is so good, why appoint him as a transformation minister? Why appoint idiots as ministers of important ministries and get Idris Jala to advise them on how to set targets and measure performance. Isn’t it better and more effective to have many Idris Jalas appointed to important ministries?
If we look at the structure and the organisation of the government, whether at the cabinet or civil service level, the substantive power must be in the hand of the Malays come what may. They want the power for what, one may ask? To see that this country is in better hand, i.e. to see more orderly development, faster elevation of Malays’ socio-economic status, and better security and law and order for Malaysians? No, I don’t think that has been the objective. They want power so that they can abuse it to enrich themselves as the example on foreign workers above indicated.
China’s vast potential was stifled for decades under the communism. See China today after they changed the policy and allowed every human being a rightful place under the sun.
I guess the bigots will never see the potential of this country. If only they allow the best and the most capable to manage and run this country, every one will prosper, especially the Malays.
#18 by yhsiew on Saturday, 10 July 2010 - 10:26 pm
How can 1Malaysia be realized if all the time the Malays just take and take from the non-Malays. 1Malaysia will only be meaningful if the Malays are prepared to share what they already have in excess with the non-Malays. In this way the principle of give and take is fulfilled and racial animosity is minimized.
#19 by crapmann on Sunday, 11 July 2010 - 12:15 pm
Anyone remember our dear DPM Muhyiddin “Malay First, Malaysian Second” Yassin?
#20 by johnnypok on Sunday, 11 July 2010 - 12:43 pm
Wait until Hang Jebat, Hang Tuah, Hang Li Po and all the “hantu” are resurrected and run the government.
#21 by tak tahan on Sunday, 11 July 2010 - 2:26 pm
Pledge 1Malaysia?What,how?Follow LKS or moo.hidin declaration????????
LKS:I’m malaysian first,race second
Moo.hidin:I’m malay first,malaysian second
#22 by on cheng on Tuesday, 13 July 2010 - 5:19 pm
Uncle Lim, waste time only lah, want to pledge, pledge lah, apa susah? after that, all forgotten, ketuanan, nep, mara, etc stil same same lah