A Small Joke
I have been busy, and slow in catching up on news. However, in the course of my readings, I found this dialogue particularly humourous and thought it was quite befitting of the Police State. This is a conversation between German sociologist, Max Weber and his interlocutor:
Ludendorf: What is your idea of democracy, then?
Weber: In a democracy, the people choose the leader whom they trust. Then the chosen man says, "Now shut your mouths and obey me!" The people and the parties are no longer free to interfere in the leader's business.
Ludendorf: I could like such a 'democracy'!
Weber: Later the people can sit in judgment. If the leader has made mistakes - to the gallows with him!...
Well, let's hope the last bit comes true, eh?
Ludendorf: What is your idea of democracy, then?
Weber: In a democracy, the people choose the leader whom they trust. Then the chosen man says, "Now shut your mouths and obey me!" The people and the parties are no longer free to interfere in the leader's business.
Ludendorf: I could like such a 'democracy'!
Weber: Later the people can sit in judgment. If the leader has made mistakes - to the gallows with him!...
Well, let's hope the last bit comes true, eh?
posted by Douglas Evans at 10:07 AM
14 Comments:
Hey dude,
In civilised societies, I hope that won't happen without at least a fair and open trial, and the charges and penalty considered based on the severity of his mistakes, and nothing more or less.
Indeed, I have no doubts about that.
Of course, the problem always comes in judging a "fair" penalty for someone of such power.
Then if people like you and I ever come into power, we've got a lot of work ahead of us. :)
Read it all. In Mahathir's Malaysia, over 40% of the population lives under Constitutionally mandated and perpetual state sanctioned racism. It is verging on illegality to even bring up the subject - even in parliament.
Non-bumis live under widespread and considerable electoral, educational, economic and even religious restrictions and also have to live with the risk of racially motivated stirring from malay politicians who could put one nation to shame. And don't ask about illegal aliens, they're safely locked up in detention centres.
Unsurprisingly, some malay policies have played upon resultant fears of racial tensions and the difficulties non-bumis face in creating their own political voice to shore up a captive vote in the ethnic electorate.
Starting up a company or even purchasing land and property is harder and more expensive for non-bumis. The only way to alleviate their permanent designation as a second-class citizen is to convert to Islam and thus enjoy partial legal acceptance as a bumis.
This Malaysia, a land where racism is used to justify racism, is Mahathir's creation and if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black, then I need a new palette.
Perhaps you may have heard of the axiom making its rounds among the Malaysian bloggers:
"If it is a malay issue, it is a national issue. If it is an Indian issue, it is not an issue. If it is a Chinese issue, it is a racial issue."
That is the problem with Malaysia. The Chinese and Indians are made to feel as if Malaysia is for the malays, and not for the citizens of Malaysia. Even the textbooks are often written as if addressing the malays instead of Malaysians, with references to Islam and other malay cultural aspects.
Just look at Singapore. In spite of their being a multiracial society completely lacking in national resources, they are now a developed country. Why?
Because the people there are united. There is no presumption that the average citizen is a Chinese or any serious programme giving a particular race special rights.
The presumption that greed, dishonesty, and betrayal are innate qualities of a Chinese is simply as abhorrent as the presumption by some Chinese that malays smell bad, are lazy, and are extremely religious to the point of martyrdom. Such stereotyping accomplishes nothing.
If Chinese kids won't die for Malaysia, we should not jump to the conclusion that Chinese cannot be trusted. Instead, we should consider it equally among other possibilities, such as the government's policies creating a feeling of unfair treatment despite the premise that we are all equal as citizens of Malaysia.
We know what the original intentions of the malay special privileges provision in the Merdeka Constitution were, but to maintain that it is a carte blanche for all manner of discrimination based on the bumi/non-bumi divide is certainly straining credibility.
Now that the commanding heights of the Malaysian economy have fallen into the hands of malay capitalists 48 years after independence, is it wrong to appeal for a new consensus based on social sector and need instead of race?
From the above, it is clear that the question of the constitutionality of the quota system as it has been practised since 1971 especially in totally bumi institutions has never been tested.
Because the government imposes racial quota in education and government departments, therefore Singapore and other countries take fortune at the tide. For years, there has been brain drain to our neighbour.
I called my newfound friend earlier who works in Singapore. Somehow, the conversation ended up on Malaysians holding top positions in Singapore.
Well, I have a good friend who is currently working with a top-notch investment company in Singapore. When my new friend found out, immediately said, "No wonder that Pak Lah person was mentioning about the brain drain in Malaysia!"
Well, I know a lot of doctors and scientists are working overseas. A number of my school alumni are actually working overseas and not in Malaysia. Some are doing well in Boston, London, to name a few. It's even funnier to hear stories of some of my school alumni to accidentally meet each other when they are overseas. Yes, my school is guilty for contributing to the brain drain……….
Closer to home, I wonder if Pak Lah knows about our own Malaysian companies that are also contributing to the brain drain. No name mentioned, but I know of one company, due to the change in business process has forced a number of the disgruntled staff to leave the company.
The worse thing, these staff left and joined the competitors that are not Malaysian owned. And even worse, some staff actually decided to leave Malaysia and work at greener pastures.
They could have stayed in Malaysia, but no company in Malaysia could afford to pay the expected salary due to the staff being former scholars and studied overseas during the economic crisis.
Sad really. Now wonder why Pak Lah has an uphill task.
Clearly, there has always been movement of highly skilled people in and out of a country. If there is brain drain from a particular country, it can scarcely develop. On the other hand, if it can keep its talents and successfully attract its skilled citizens to return as well as foreign talents to come, it will prosper.
I was shocked when I read "The Malay Archipelago" by Alfred Russel Wallace in my late teens. Read it to find out how Wallace described the malay race. Not the most best comment ever……….You will also find out that the malays are not the original race in Malaysia. The original races are the natives living in Malaysia.
If you take this fact into consideration, then you might come to the conclusion that the malays do not have a right to whatever they have claimed to be theirs "because of their original right".
They are not the original people, so the deserving people to receive the special privileges are the natives, including the natives from Sabah and Sarawak. It is a joke that these real people of the land have to apply for their 'bumis' rights whereas malays are born into it.
If you take this fact into account, it will change the history of Malaysia. For instance, Islam should no longer be considered the official religion because the malays are not the original people.
The only way to develop a great nation is one that's based on merits. Any other way is degrading and disappointing to the people involved. Until Malaysia is able to solve this problem, we will continue to suffer from brain drain, which in my opinion is definitely the deserving result. If your country cannot protect and nurture you, why should you slog and slave after your country?
I am Malaysian, still work and live in Malaysia. I however, am self-employed and my personal stance is that I will not work for the government nor offer my knowledge to the government. I work with children in the private sector.
The day our politics mature is the day when:
1. We scrap away political parties based on races and racial interest. In its place, we have parties and manifestos that outline what they will do for the people based on good conduct and good achievements.
2. We do away with forms which require us to fill "Chinese", "Indian", "Malay", or "others". Instead we will fill in forms stating that we are Malaysians.
We cannot blame the malay politicians for everything. (I respect our current prime minister and I believe that he can bring the nation a step forward.) It is well acknowledged that the Chinese are great businessmen and the one thing that malays excel in is politics. Which explains why the Chinese are financially rich but poor in human rights. The Chinese (and the other Malaysian races) did not fight for their rights. They spend their lives and energy gathering earthly possessions.
The malays, on the other hand, while not financially superior, have done all they could to secure their rights and for what they believed in. One has to praise and applaud the malays for that. And so while in the pass, the malays started out as poor, they are now prospering.
What is important now is to educate them that these rights are not forever and after sometime, they will have to stop depending on the government for aid and help. And they will have to fight on equal ground as everyone, or they will never have the respect of people of the world.
My suggestion is that the malay rights be withdrawn at Malaysia's 50th Merdeka celebration. The nation has given the malays 50 years to catch up and be on equal ground as the rest of the races. It equals to 2 generations of 25 year olds and in my opinion, is more than sufficient time for anyone to learn grow strong.
I would like to point out that the Americans took less than 20 years (if I am not mistaken) to develop technology to take the human race to the moon. They went to the moon in less than 20 years, starting from scratch.
50 years of malay rights and quota is more than sufficient.
From that point, the right is no longer a right. It will be history. In its place, we will have a system that awards intelligence, hard work and good work. We will help the poor and award scholarships to children of all races, who deserve it because they worked hard and strived hard.
That is the only way Malaysia can grow. To continue to keep the companies, products, students and nation in a cocoon nest of comfort and false security will be fatal for Malaysia in the long run.
Malaysia has so much to offer in diversity of the land, people and resources. Maybe it is time for us to jump out of the nest and learn to fly.
My argument in favor of the multi-faceted approach initiated by the Malaysian prime minister would repeat the contention that corruption permeates every level of society and transcends all existing social boundaries.
Transparency International Malaysia's statement on corruption as the root cause of road accidents has hit the nail on the head, echoing what I have felt for many years as a citizen of Malaysia. Corruption affects the rakyat in more ways than we care to realize.
What about driving licences? We often hear the term 'kopi-o licence' used in reference to a person who obtained their driver's licence by palming out 'kopi-o' money (bribe). It is a pervasive problem, but unfortunately not easily proven because not always do we carry a tape recorder when stopped by the police, or when passing through immigration checkpoints, or when applying for permits. The public knows and lives with it. Will Pak Lah be able to free us from the shackles of corruption and graft?
The Anti-Corruption Agency should be the kingpin in the drive to rid us of corruption. Unfortunately, it is a caged lame duck. Nay, worse than that - it has not only failed to fight corruption but has actually promoted corruption, in the sense that it has provided camouflage to shield the corrupt leaders in the ruling clique from prosecution.
Sad to say, the Malaysian press is world-renowned for its total subservience and sycophancy to the ruling party, brought about by repressive laws and regulations. If Abdullah is serious about wiping out corruption, the minimum he should do is abolish or amend the Official Secrets Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act. At least then, journalists can at least honestly report misdeeds in high places without fearing arbitrary reprisals.
It is not difficult to implement this idea. Though it is only a small step towards transparency, it will nevertheless be an encouraging gesture if elected representatives make an honest effort to comply. Is there any reason why the prime minister should not take up this suggestion?
The 12 realities ---
1. On paper, citizenship is secure - in reality, they say if you don't like it here, you can go away
2. On paper, we solve inter-community issues by win-win consultation - in reality, issues are silenced by subtle threats of unrest made on grounds of the supremacy, of one community's master and their unquestionable agenda
3. On paper, Malaysia can be great - in reality, 'Malaysia Boleh' remains just a word, an empty cry, devoid of any spirit and life to ensure the nation's survival
4. On paper, we have the meritocracy system - in reality, quota system is still running
5. On paper, we are a multiracial country - in reality, we have one community which is more equal than other communities
6. On paper, we have the national agenda - in reality, it is the malay agenda
7. On paper, even the NEP is good - in reality, it sucks
8. On paper, Pak Lah is fighting corruption - in reality, no Umno member is standing together with him
9. On paper, we have parliamentarians - in reality, we have a zoo, and only a few are ministers, the majority being exhibited specimens
10. On paper, we are a peaceful country - in reality, the absence of conflict is superficial, very fragile
11. On paper, we have a police force to look after our security - in reality, we need some protection from the police
12. On paper, we had the report, and 125 recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Police - in reality, we have just a book, non-act upon
The shameful incident of Chinese detainee being asked to ear squats in the nude is just the tip of the iceberg.
When the former IGP inflicted the infamous black eye on Anwar, he knew at that time that his political master would protect him. Until the international press highlighted it.
When the police harassed the Indian IT expatriates, the Indian government retaliated. When the mistreated Chinese tourists protested, the Chinese government backed them up.
All in all, Malaysia only backtracked when a Big Brother country came into the picture.
What happens to the thousands of Bangladeshis, Indonesians, Thais, etc who are harassed daily? Nobody bothered. Why? Because there would be no political or economic fallout.
The root cause of police brutality is simply explained by famous words, "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Added to this dilemma, Malaysia has not seen a change of government since independence in 1957.
This country has been and continues to head in the wrong direction, setting it further back from developed countries and undoing the good work of others in the last four decades.
I propose a national independent commission to investigate and publicly report on the alleged widespread abuse and corruption in the police force. The police should not be allowed to investigate itself. This idea seems simply ridiculous.
The lack of any sense of discernment and the shameless politicisation of the issue is a bigger shame and even more incorrigible than the abuse itself!
Abuses of police power are just the symptoms of a sick government elected by an equally sick society. We need the cure. Change must be holistic and in a total package.
Ideally, we need a change of government with a two-party system.
Unfortunately, many don't trust PAS with its Taliban leanings. It appears strategic that Anwar should lead a moderate coalition comprising Keadilan and DAP as the pillars that will include parties representing the minorities.
Undoubtedly this will be difficult to achieve but it needs to start now.
There is no more room for such nonsense for this country is collapsing under the burgeoning weight of all these fat and waste.
One of the more important conclusions that we can draw from this unraveling episode is that there are policemen who are willing to lie, even when they are under oath to tell the truth in a public hearing, and even when the eyes of the entire nation are focused on them.
Let us improve in every aspect to build our Malaysia Boleh tag - which will not be fulfilled in the next hundred years if we continue like this.
Many of my family and friends were top scorers in their respective classes and schools and many were from some of the best schools in the country. But when my eldest brother and his friends applied to local universities, almost none of them got their choice of courses.
When it came to my turn in the mid 1980s, I was already prepared to go overseas and did not even attempt to apply to local varsities. But many top scorers I knew not only did not get the courses of their choice, they were given courses that was beneath their intelligence.
A person capable of being a doctor was asked to go into agriculture. A person who wanted to do law was asked to study social science. A person who wanted to do economics was asked to do education.
In a number of cases I am personally aware of, those who also had appealed against not being given their choice of course were scolded by officers of the Education Ministry for ‘being ungrateful’.
This is the hidden story that has not been told supposedly due to our ‘social bargain’. There is no doubt in my mind there was near-fascist thinking within the Education Ministry for a number of years. My own personal guess is that it is still happening.
How is it possible that given the severe shortage of doctors in this country, only 779 places are available for medical studies in public universities? How is it possible that given the expansion of the number of hospitals in this country - both public and private - there has been not anything even near a corresponding increase in medical students intake?
My family and friends have almost all moved overseas and have not looked back since our school days. Many of us ended becoming IT engineers and doctors.
When we tell our growing children of the things we went through, they are aghast. As much as they suffer discrimination in our adopted countries, they are horrified when they discover the things that went on in Malaysian - and are still going on.
Forty-eight years after independence, the people of Malaysia are still searching for an identity. Are they malays or muslims first; are they Chinese, Indians or Malaysians first?
This identity crisis is a result of the failure of the BN government, which has ruled Malaysia since independence in 1957, later as the expanded Barisan Nasional.
The truth is that the malays of this country partly owe their independence to the non-malays. The reason was that the British refused to give independence without an agreement from the non-malays.
Another argument put forth by the pro-malay special rights group is that, they made a compromise by giving the non-malays their citizenship and in exchange the malays must be given their special privileges.
This argument is the most ridiculous I have heard thus far but in their ignorance some Malaysians still think that citizenship is for a certain race to give. This logic would mean that the minorities will always be seen as foreigners who will never be equal to the malay bumis.
Well, special rights are for the equitable share of bumi wealth.
The kampung people remain poor. They continue to eke out a living farming rice and fishing. They are kept shackled by their religion with their lives resigned to fate.
I know that the bumis in Sabah and Sarawak are not equal to those in the peninsula.
There can never be equal footing - not even among people of the same race.
Why is it that after 48 years of independence we need to perpetuate these special rights for special people?
It saddens me to see the country I was born in and raised stagnating in so many ways - ideologically, sociologically and technologically.
My dad is a racist; so is my mom. Similarly racists are my brother, sister and relatives. All the Malaysian friends I now have are, and those I had were or at the least had been, racists too. Well, perhaps thanks to all these people, I have become - and remain - a racist as well.
You see, we are the members of a much larger community: Malaysia - the racist nation!
The term community is somewhat misleading. We are not united as such as a nation should be. We are only united by the fact that all of us - at one time or other - had been are or will become, racists......
And heap praises on our nation and on the ideals that are so central to its psyche: long live, racism! Long live, racist Malaysia - the model racist nation!
It is no wonder our civil participation is as backward as it is.
Do you have any idea why Singapore is almost the first world country or 20 years better than Malaysia?
One could argue every country has its own policies and laws that place prejudice on certain parties - yes, that is true, but none so shamefully as those who (Malaysia) not only boast about it, take the credit for the successes of these people whom they slam their discriminatory abuses on, and have no intention to change it (and that said with a smug look on the face).
Bangsa Malaysia? Bah, humbug!
In the 1980s when Mahathir was asked to comment about the brain drain, he curtly replied that, "If he open the doors of this (Malaysia) country wide, a lot of people would be happy to come in".
His message to the non-malays was leave if you want to, the more the merrier, because for every 1 of you leaving, 10 people from outside would be more willing to come in to replace you.
What Mahathir uttered reflected Umno's agenda of wanting more non-malays to leave, and more Arabs, Indonesians, Pakistanis - in fact anyone Muslim to come in to replace them.
That way they would eventually have a Malay/Muslim country with Ketuanan Melayu being more meaningful, and not a Malaysian country with the playing field being level for all races which they would oppose at all costs!
A Ketuanan Melayu country with all its defects stemming from all kinds of brainless cods is more preferable to them than a progressive Malaysian country, with equal opportunities for all races being able to take its place among the best in the world!
Their warped logic as reflected by Mahathir is why should this country be progressive when the malays do not benefit. Better to have a regressive country with malays benefiting and always dominating the others.
But retribution will come eventually, although not in our lifetime. Maybe a hundred years from now, they will wake up and find that all that pampering, muddling and coddling of the malays would have the ironic effect of making them degenerate into spineless creatures, reflecting a chaotic mess which will hinder them from competing with the best brains in the sweeping era and tide of globalization which knows no borders.
The world is increasing becoming a global village. As the popular saying goes, the world would not care who we are (malays) or what we stand for (Ketuanan Melayu) - only what we can offer to compete with the best.
And going by the future is predictable. By the prophecy "melayu takkan hilang di dunia" will be fulfilled in reverse. An epitaph to Umno!
It is undeniable that malays are stupid, lazy and incapable. Why don't they just humbly admit the facts and repent and learn from other races especially Chinese?
What is the point to argue here and wasting time again?
From the first onwards we were merely telling the truths. It wasn't us who think that way but their own Pak Lah as well.
All malays should go and read the newspaper, even Pak Lah is ashamed of maintaining the NEP after 34 years of implementing it and these malay baboons are still asking for it.
Even Pak Lah wanted them to compete on a level playing field.
So what does all these tell the world? It sends a very clear message that it is malays themselves who are incapable and lazy and they don't even want to admit it and make a change!
That is the biggest shame of all.
Can't you see, it is all back to square one. Year in, year out, some talk for half an hour, some one, some two. Some sing, many belt out their most recent released 'pantun'.
After all. Malays are good at that. Suggestions after suggestions, some good, some impossible to realize.
But, do you see any of these materialised? Hardly. Why, why and why???
Because the malays can never change. Never! Why?
The leaders forgot or were it they simply didn't want to admit and address that the actual disease is the malays and the remedy itself is also, the malays. They can never change. What is it about the malays?
Firstly as you all know, they are a lazy species. Since the beginning of time they have been like that. Even the encyclopedia called them as lazy people. I think those British with their accent tried to call them 'malas', and if you put 'y' in, it becomes 'malays'.
Embracing Islam make them a worse lot. Now they have a license to kill anything that gets into their way.
Malays are ungrateful lot. In reality, they just can't live or open their minds for others. When Mahathir said that they are complacent, they put him in jail. When Mahathir encouraged them to learn English language, they got angry with him, saying it is a 'bahasa penjajah'.
When other races 'maju', they got angry with them too. That was why at the end of Mahathir his regime, he said this, "I have achieved greatness as a PM, but I only fail in one thing, changing the malays."
Well, nothing to be surprised about anyway since Mahathir is not really a malay, and I guess that was why the malays were angry with him.
Drug abuse, hate, incest, liberal extremism (culture of miniskirts and gay marriages), murder, racism, rape, religious fanaticism, parochialism, snatch theft, spoilt-bratty behavior, tribalism, wife abuse, child abuse, all that is associated with the malay race.
To them, malay is the biggest impediment towards building a truly Malaysian nation, and should be chucked into the dustbins of history.
Sad. Sad. Sad.
The question asked by many of my fellow Chinese is this - Why can't you just tell the malay peoples to adopt Chinese culture which is superior?
From research, this peninsular was part of the Siamese empire way before these malays from Indonesia invaded it.
Still so thick skin, don't want to go back to Indonesia!
You see, my family and I have, like one family, decided to leave Malaysia.
Certainly, it is my belief that if I do not take my family out of this country, I will continue to subject my child, and her children after her, to the continuing injustice of this contract.
I often thought the new administration under our new prime minister presents new hopes for fairer treatment.
Alas, just as the previous prime minister was an exciting breath of fresh air some 22 years ago but proved so putrid much later on, I feel I cannot subject my child and her children after her, to the same risk.
That risk being that this prime minister too, may abandon fresh hopes for justice in exchange for immediate gains to himself, his family, his supporters and his race.
If a bright, very well educated, articulate - ruling party - young man espoused thoughts which totally ignored the fundamental injustice of our system, what future does our country hold?
If this is future prime minister material, then I really feel people like one and I are doing the right thing by taking our children out.
Bright people may not be just people. No matter how bright and well educated our future leaders are, if they choose to continue to hold on to an obviously unjust system, we cannot subject our children's future to these leaders.
My father did not have the opportunity to leave. I now have to pay the price of starting anew - abandoning a secured and well-paid job - so that my child escapes the injustice.
Am I enjoying life here in KL? You bet. Like my wife and I draw incomes for lifestyles too painful to sacrifice.
Yet, if we choose to be concerned only with our own job security and comfortable lifestyles, our child may one day be faced with the decision I now face.
What if she does not have the same opportunity to leave for another country? I feel I must leave now, while the window remains open.
Malaysia business community, like that of nearly all East Asian countries except Japan and Korea, is dominated by ethnic Chinese and this have created envy and ethnic tensions in the countries, where the Chinese are a minority of the population yet is a majority of business leaders.
In some countries like Indonesia, this have provoked occasional anti-Chinese pogroms while in Malaysia, the malay majority have given themselves preferences in various ways. Including quotas in universities and companies and even a requirement that companies must distribute a certain proportion of their shares to malays.
In the purported intention to lessen ethnic tension and jealousy from Malaysia ethnic malay majority population and avoid the kind of anti-Chinese pogroms frequently occurring in neighboring Indonesia, the government there has instituted a extensive affirmative action program for the malays (including forcing businesses to hire malays for top jobs).
The policy has been successful in avoiding outbursts of violence, but it has not been successful in terms of getting the malays to be successful on their own.
For 30 years or more, Malaysia has given economic privileges to the malay community to help it win a more proportionate share of the economy.
But even former prime minister Mahathir, the great champion of malay special rights, ended his 22 years as premier frustrated that, rather than develop a work ethic, many malays had simply developed a sense of entitlement.
How astonishing! If people get something for nothing, they get less willing to do work to achieve it. Who could have thought that?
Ethnic Chinese in South East Asia have done a remarkable job of wealth creation and I don't want to belittle it, but we should consider that part of their success was due to the corrupt governments which the Chinese used to further themselves economically.
I am not blaming the Chinese; they simply played the cards they were dealt better than anyone else. In a world without the rule of law and protection of property, the Chinese had to resort to connections and bribes in order to protect themselves.
While the "malay professional class has grown rapidly from a negligible base" on a percentage basis, in real terms the size of the whole of the professional class could have been larger without affirmative action.
Yore analysis of Malaysia racial preferences does not consider their impact on ethnic Chinese emigration. As a scholar in Singapore, I met highly qualified Chinese Malaysians who were refused entry into Malaysia universities and emigrated with little intention of returning.
In a message now reports how this have aside from making malays lazier also created strong discontent among the Chinese. Many are now trying to emigrate to Singapore and other places where they won't be discriminated. This brain drain will of course hurt Malaysia economy.
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