"Some 28 per cent of eligible voters – or 4.39 million Malaysians over the age of 21 – have yet to register as voters as of the end of last year, Election Commission (EC) Deputy Chairman Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said.
Of the total, Selangor has the highest number at 787,000, followed by Johor (605,000), Perak (526,000) and Sarawak (473,000)."
Do Malaysians deserve the government they are getting or what?! Why don' they even register to be voters to determine their own future and those of their children?
Friday, March 12, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
夢醒時分 Time to Wake Up from the Dream!
Good article - published in Sin Chew Jit Poh column (English translation is below)
鄭丁賢 • 夢醒時分
你是否和我一樣，發覺身邊的親戚和朋友，似乎少了許多。
以往接近過年時，各種聚餐排得滿滿的，而今年，似乎沒聲沒息。
即使是平常日子，電話少了，與大家見面也少了。
也許，大家各忙各的；或者，目前流行“宅生活”，儘量避免出門。
也不盡然如此。再想一想，很多老友和親戚，已經不在了。嗟！大吉利是，他們都還好好的，只是離開了馬來西亞。
去了中國大陸開工廠；王子不做工程師，移民到澳洲開小食檔；阿風離開本地大學，去香港做講師；青蛙去了台灣，開展事業第二春；還有的到了美國、 英國，唔，還有去印尼的……。
起初，以為這只是個別現象，逐漸的，旁人也有同樣發現；原來，這不是個別現象，而是社會現象；這不是少數，而是相當大的數目。
外交部早前披露了一個數字，說明這個現象是多麼真實，多麼貼近。
從去年3月到今年9月，已經有30萬大馬人移民他國；其中20萬人是今年1月到8月出走的數目。累積下來，已經有超過200萬大馬人移民，接近今天印尼外勞在大馬的人口。
不同的是，移居他國的大馬人，多是專業人士、中產階級。
他們有很多出走的理由，追求事業發展，為了孩子前途，尋找個人更大空間……，概括一句：對馬來西亞失望。
50年前，大家說，馬來西亞真好，好過香港，甚至日本。
30年前，大家說，馬來西亞還不錯，比得上韓國、台灣（不提香港和日本了）。
20年前，大家說，馬來西亞還可以，至少超越中國、泰國（不能和台、韓比了）。
10年前，大家說，馬來西亞再差，還不至於像越南、印尼（中國已是不同級別）。
今日，越南和印尼的經濟成長率遙遙領先大馬，社會活力和知識發展也勝過一籌；距離愈來愈近了。
怕甚麼，還有菲律賓和柬埔寨、緬甸。
但是，一位經濟學家最近到菲律賓考察之後，認為再過20年，大馬可以取代菲律賓，出口馬籍女傭到全世界了。
半個世紀以來，馬來西亞是在大宅院裡，用封建方式，分配祖宗家業，消耗社會資源，浪費和逼走人才；不談競爭力，忽略生產力，討厭績效制。
亞洲金融風暴來襲時，大馬把門關起來，以為避過一劫，有人還自我陶醉，自以為是天才策略。
然而，其它國家面對風暴，走出風暴，進行體質改革，跨步向前，登上另一個水平；大馬卻還在原地踏步。
馬來西亞，該醒一醒了。
Time to Wake Up from the Dream!
I wonder if you feel the same as me, all of a sudden I realised friends and relatives around me seems to get less and less.
Those years when the New Year drew near, all sorts of gathering appointments almost completely filled the diaries, but this year seems so quiet.
Even in normal time, phone calls become less and less, face to face meet up also become much less.
Perhaps, everybody is busy with their own things, or perhaps, nowadays people prefer just to stay in.
However, it is not entirely like this, thinking further, actually old friends and relatives are not around anymore. God bless, they are still alive and well, they just left the country, Malaysia.
They have gone to China to set up factories; ah Wang quit his engineer job and migrated to Australia to set up his little food store business, ah Fong left the local University and went to Hong Kong as a lecturer. 'Frog' went to Taiwan to pursue his second career life.
Others went to America, England, even Indonesia...
At first, I thought these are individual cases, but gradually, people around me realized the same, these are not individual cases but a general symptoms of our society. They are not small numbers but the pretty big numbers indeed.
The Department of Foreign Affairs released the figures earlier, it confirmed that the situation is real.
From March 2008 through to September 2009, a total of 300,000 Malaysians migrated to other Countries, among them 200,000 left between Jan - Aug 2009. (in 8 months)
Cumulatively, 2 million Malaysians have migrated; this figure is close to the number of Indonesian workers in Malaysia today.
The difference being, those migrated are mostly professionals and middle class people.
They have many reasons to leave: pursue career development, for the future of their children, in search of better life and environment... In one sentence, they all lost hope in Malaysia.
50 years ago people said: Malaysia is very good, better than Hong Kong and even Japan.
30 years ago people said: Malaysia is not bad, comparable to South Korea and Taiwan. (No mention of Hong Kong and Japan any more).
20 years ago people said: Malaysia can do la, at least better than China and Thailand (Cannot compare with Taiwan and Korea lah).
10 years ago people said: No matter how bad Malaysia is, cannot be worse than Vietnam and Indonesia. (China is already in a different category).
Today, the economic growth rate of Vietnam and Indonesia already far exceeded Malaysia’s. Social activity and intellectual development of these Country are also better, the gap between us and them is closing up.
Why worry? there are still the Philippines, Cambodia and Myanmar behind us.
However, an economist who recently surveyed the Philippines thinks that in 20 years' time, Malaysia can replace Philippines to become the World exporter of Malaysian maids.
Over half a century, Malaysians live in this big old imperial housing complex, closed up and survived on properties left behind by their ancestors; continue to consume up social resources, wasteful, and drive away talents; they never talk
about competitiveness, totally neglect productivity, and hate meritocracy.
When the Asia economic storm hit in 1997, Malaysia closed its doors, thinking we beautifully avoided a disaster, they even think of themselves as geniuses, being able to handle the situation so well.
However, just look at other Countries in our neighbourhood, they stand up, face the storm, and walk out of the storm.
They overhaul the system, improve the processes and march forward, they moved up to a new level. And Malaysia, still "marking time", walking on the same spot.
Dear Malaysia, it's time to wake up! We are already very very late now!
鄭丁賢 • 夢醒時分
你是否和我一樣，發覺身邊的親戚和朋友，似乎少了許多。
以往接近過年時，各種聚餐排得滿滿的，而今年，似乎沒聲沒息。
即使是平常日子，電話少了，與大家見面也少了。
也許，大家各忙各的；或者，目前流行“宅生活”，儘量避免出門。
也不盡然如此。再想一想，很多老友和親戚，已經不在了。嗟！大吉利是，他們都還好好的，只是離開了馬來西亞。
去了中國大陸開工廠；王子不做工程師，移民到澳洲開小食檔；阿風離開本地大學，去香港做講師；青蛙去了台灣，開展事業第二春；還有的到了美國、 英國，唔，還有去印尼的……。
起初，以為這只是個別現象，逐漸的，旁人也有同樣發現；原來，這不是個別現象，而是社會現象；這不是少數，而是相當大的數目。
外交部早前披露了一個數字，說明這個現象是多麼真實，多麼貼近。
從去年3月到今年9月，已經有30萬大馬人移民他國；其中20萬人是今年1月到8月出走的數目。累積下來，已經有超過200萬大馬人移民，接近今天印尼外勞在大馬的人口。
不同的是，移居他國的大馬人，多是專業人士、中產階級。
他們有很多出走的理由，追求事業發展，為了孩子前途，尋找個人更大空間……，概括一句：對馬來西亞失望。
50年前，大家說，馬來西亞真好，好過香港，甚至日本。
30年前，大家說，馬來西亞還不錯，比得上韓國、台灣（不提香港和日本了）。
20年前，大家說，馬來西亞還可以，至少超越中國、泰國（不能和台、韓比了）。
10年前，大家說，馬來西亞再差，還不至於像越南、印尼（中國已是不同級別）。
今日，越南和印尼的經濟成長率遙遙領先大馬，社會活力和知識發展也勝過一籌；距離愈來愈近了。
怕甚麼，還有菲律賓和柬埔寨、緬甸。
但是，一位經濟學家最近到菲律賓考察之後，認為再過20年，大馬可以取代菲律賓，出口馬籍女傭到全世界了。
半個世紀以來，馬來西亞是在大宅院裡，用封建方式，分配祖宗家業，消耗社會資源，浪費和逼走人才；不談競爭力，忽略生產力，討厭績效制。
亞洲金融風暴來襲時，大馬把門關起來，以為避過一劫，有人還自我陶醉，自以為是天才策略。
然而，其它國家面對風暴，走出風暴，進行體質改革，跨步向前，登上另一個水平；大馬卻還在原地踏步。
馬來西亞，該醒一醒了。
Time to Wake Up from the Dream!
I wonder if you feel the same as me, all of a sudden I realised friends and relatives around me seems to get less and less.
Those years when the New Year drew near, all sorts of gathering appointments almost completely filled the diaries, but this year seems so quiet.
Even in normal time, phone calls become less and less, face to face meet up also become much less.
Perhaps, everybody is busy with their own things, or perhaps, nowadays people prefer just to stay in.
However, it is not entirely like this, thinking further, actually old friends and relatives are not around anymore. God bless, they are still alive and well, they just left the country, Malaysia.
They have gone to China to set up factories; ah Wang quit his engineer job and migrated to Australia to set up his little food store business, ah Fong left the local University and went to Hong Kong as a lecturer. 'Frog' went to Taiwan to pursue his second career life.
Others went to America, England, even Indonesia...
At first, I thought these are individual cases, but gradually, people around me realized the same, these are not individual cases but a general symptoms of our society. They are not small numbers but the pretty big numbers indeed.
The Department of Foreign Affairs released the figures earlier, it confirmed that the situation is real.
From March 2008 through to September 2009, a total of 300,000 Malaysians migrated to other Countries, among them 200,000 left between Jan - Aug 2009. (in 8 months)
Cumulatively, 2 million Malaysians have migrated; this figure is close to the number of Indonesian workers in Malaysia today.
The difference being, those migrated are mostly professionals and middle class people.
They have many reasons to leave: pursue career development, for the future of their children, in search of better life and environment... In one sentence, they all lost hope in Malaysia.
50 years ago people said: Malaysia is very good, better than Hong Kong and even Japan.
30 years ago people said: Malaysia is not bad, comparable to South Korea and Taiwan. (No mention of Hong Kong and Japan any more).
20 years ago people said: Malaysia can do la, at least better than China and Thailand (Cannot compare with Taiwan and Korea lah).
10 years ago people said: No matter how bad Malaysia is, cannot be worse than Vietnam and Indonesia. (China is already in a different category).
Today, the economic growth rate of Vietnam and Indonesia already far exceeded Malaysia’s. Social activity and intellectual development of these Country are also better, the gap between us and them is closing up.
Why worry? there are still the Philippines, Cambodia and Myanmar behind us.
However, an economist who recently surveyed the Philippines thinks that in 20 years' time, Malaysia can replace Philippines to become the World exporter of Malaysian maids.
Over half a century, Malaysians live in this big old imperial housing complex, closed up and survived on properties left behind by their ancestors; continue to consume up social resources, wasteful, and drive away talents; they never talk
about competitiveness, totally neglect productivity, and hate meritocracy.
When the Asia economic storm hit in 1997, Malaysia closed its doors, thinking we beautifully avoided a disaster, they even think of themselves as geniuses, being able to handle the situation so well.
However, just look at other Countries in our neighbourhood, they stand up, face the storm, and walk out of the storm.
They overhaul the system, improve the processes and march forward, they moved up to a new level. And Malaysia, still "marking time", walking on the same spot.
Dear Malaysia, it's time to wake up! We are already very very late now!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Extract from a speech by Lim Kit Siang in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
...2013 in three years’ time mark Sabah’s 50th anniversary in the formation of Malaysia. It is appropriate in preparing for the occasion to seriously assess whether the dreams of Sabahans in 1963 to form Malaysia together with Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia had been fulfilled or betrayed.
Have the people of Sabah been granted their full citizenship rights as Malaysians in the past five decades?
Let the debate and soul-searching begin as to how one of the richest states in Sabah had been reduced in five decades to become the poorest state in the federation.
In the nineties, the Barisan Nasional promised Sabahans that poverty in Sabah would be eradicated in the year 2,000. However, instead of abolishing poverty in 2000, Sabah’s poverty rate became the worst in the whole of the country.
Barisan Nasional next promised that hard-core poverty in Sabah would be abolished in 2010. This is another candidate heading for the mountainous dump heap of Barisan Nasional broken promises, in Sabah and in Malaysia!
Sabahans and Malaysians remember that to topple the PBS Sabah government, Umno and Barisan Nasional pledged that if they come to power in Sabah, they would be genuine power-sharing through the rotation of the post of Sabah Chief Minister among the three major communities in the state.
What is the Umno/Barisan Nasional record of their rule of Sabah in the past 16 years since 1994?
UMNO/BN had betrayed their pledge of power-sharing by rotation of Sabah Chief Minister’s post as in the past 16 years, the Chief Minister’s post was held by a Kadazan native for 9 months, Chinese for 4 years and Umno for more than 11 years!
Nothing could be more eloquent than this episode to highlight the enormity of the breach of faith and betrayal of pledge of Umno/Barisan Nasional to the people of Sabah in the past 16 years of their rule of Sabah.
This is a far cry from the great promises shared by Sabahans in the early decades of nationhood.
...2013 in three years’ time mark Sabah’s 50th anniversary in the formation of Malaysia. It is appropriate in preparing for the occasion to seriously assess whether the dreams of Sabahans in 1963 to form Malaysia together with Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia had been fulfilled or betrayed.
Have the people of Sabah been granted their full citizenship rights as Malaysians in the past five decades?
Let the debate and soul-searching begin as to how one of the richest states in Sabah had been reduced in five decades to become the poorest state in the federation.
In the nineties, the Barisan Nasional promised Sabahans that poverty in Sabah would be eradicated in the year 2,000. However, instead of abolishing poverty in 2000, Sabah’s poverty rate became the worst in the whole of the country.
Barisan Nasional next promised that hard-core poverty in Sabah would be abolished in 2010. This is another candidate heading for the mountainous dump heap of Barisan Nasional broken promises, in Sabah and in Malaysia!
Sabahans and Malaysians remember that to topple the PBS Sabah government, Umno and Barisan Nasional pledged that if they come to power in Sabah, they would be genuine power-sharing through the rotation of the post of Sabah Chief Minister among the three major communities in the state.
What is the Umno/Barisan Nasional record of their rule of Sabah in the past 16 years since 1994?
UMNO/BN had betrayed their pledge of power-sharing by rotation of Sabah Chief Minister’s post as in the past 16 years, the Chief Minister’s post was held by a Kadazan native for 9 months, Chinese for 4 years and Umno for more than 11 years!
Nothing could be more eloquent than this episode to highlight the enormity of the breach of faith and betrayal of pledge of Umno/Barisan Nasional to the people of Sabah in the past 16 years of their rule of Sabah.
This is a far cry from the great promises shared by Sabahans in the early decades of nationhood.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Why Australia Did Not Respond?
These UMNO goons protesting against the 50 Australian MP's - couldn't even bother to get spelling checked by google?
Saturday, February 20, 2010
An Unhappy Chinese New Year?
By Martin Jalleh
At a CHINESE NEW YEAR function, the Prime Minister declares that Malaysian Chinese should be daring to help build a more dynamic 1Malaysia.
Such a dramatic invitation by Najib Abdul Razak is made against the dark and depressing background of discordant voices by Umnoputras which the drums and deafening firecrackers fail to drown out and exorcise.
We hear the disturbing insult of all the Ahmad Ismails labelling the Malaysian Chinese "immigrants" and "squatters" and adding that they have no right to equal treatment with the Umnoputras – who just happened to migrate here a little earlier than the rest of us.
Lost in translation
We hear the deranged Nasir Safars spitting on us in 1Malaysia seminars with their vile claim that our mothers and grandmothers came here to sell their bodies, whilst never mentioning how the Umnoputras sell their principles, souls and even the country away.
We hear the devious speeches of Umno “intellectuals” in the Biro Tatanegara such as the ridiculous claim of a Chinese conspiracy with Singapore, when the Malays are disunited, to topple the Malay government, when very obviously the BTN courses are meant “to promote certain government leaders” (Nazri Aziz) and to protect, perpetuate and preserve their political power!
We hear the disgraceful racist rant of all the Abdul Rauf Yusohs in closed-door Umno functions abroad and at home calling non-Malays “‘bangsa asing” and accusing them of “trampling on the Malays in ''Tanah Melayu'', when the glaring reality is that of Umnoputras trampling on each other and on ordinary Malays to grab and gobble the largest piece possible of ‘Tanah Melayu’ that is left!
We hear the despicable and highly racist hysteria of Perkasa whose president Ibrahim Ali has hopped back as the saviour of the hapless Malay by waging war against the supposedly avaricious Chinese, whilst hiding the fact that the real enemy of the Malays are people like him and his cohorts who have been Umno’s self-serving sycophants who suck up to the powers that be to satisfy their insatiable greed.
We hear the views of Dr M claiming (without any substantiation, solid evidence or statistics) that the Chinese are the real masters of the country – when in reality it is he, his cronies and a few Chinese capitalists whom he had created who are the real “tuans”. He is also the real mastermind of Umno’s racist policies – the “Father of all racists” as Nazri Aziz has crowned him!
The real culprits
We hear the disgusting attempts to make the Chinese the scapegoat of Malay poverty when for the last 39 years of the NEP it was the Umnoputras who have squeezed and bled this country dry, siphoned and stashed their ill-gotten gains overseas and sent their children abroad to study in premier schools, whilst deceiving, denying and depriving the poor Malay of what was due to them.
We hear the deafening silence of the Umnoputras on the many bail-outs, buy-outs and the mind-boggling billions wasted and still more which went missing without being accounted for or anyone held responsible for, especially during the Mahathir years, and which goes on unabated till today, whilst the Chinese are accused of getting richer at the expense of the Malays!
We hear the derogatory remarks of Umnoputras against the Chinese newspapers while Umno-owned English and Malay papers, especially the Utusan Malaysia, are allowed to go on a spree of spinning falsehood, spouting lies, spewing seditious articles and spreading what Nazri Aziz calls “outdated racist propaganda” with impunity and immunity by the Umno Home Minister.
We hear the diabolical voices in Umno who politicise religion for the party’s survival by creating unfounded fears and insecurities amongst Muslims, deepening distrust of adherents of other religions and derailing sincere efforts at inter-religious dialogue whilst declaring those who detest their devious ways as anti-Islam and anti-Malay.
We hear the desperate attempts by Umnoputras to manufacture imaginary threats and bogeymen such as the Chinese wanting to conquer this country from the Malays, the Christians hell-bent on confusing and converting every Muslim and even the CIA having covert operations here! Alas, Umno can only survive with a siege mentality which Khairy Jamaluddin had urged it to abandon.
We hear the deceiving hypocrisy of Umnoputras who portray themselves as the protectors of the Malays to revive their comatosed political careers, and when in actuality Malay rights have always been outlined, stated and guaranteed clearly by the Federal Constitution (Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari), i.e., the Malays do not need further protection from Umno or the likes of Ibrahim Ali!
We hear the Umnoputras’ drummed-up danger of the Malays losing their rights – when they in fact control all the (Malay) institutions, dictate all laws and policies, own all the state-owned companies, GLCs (Petronas), banks and national assets and resources and are accorded priorities and privileges when it comes to properties, public contracts and scholarships! If indeed the Malays do lose their rights – it is to the Umno elite!
Pervasive delirium
We hear the delirium of the Umno warlords who are drunk with power, warning non-Malays not to push the Malays too far (who is pushing?) or they would go amok, create a bloodbath and start another May 13 “or Feb. 13”, when it is obvious that such intimidating threats of thuggery and mob violence are meant to defend “the most corrupt institution in this country” (Lim Kit Siang), Umno!
We hear Najib’s voice spurring the country towards oneness, but will it be silenced by Umno’s cacophony of racism? Will the PM show spine, substance and nerves of steel and stop the mounting dissonance by the Umno warlords, government officials and extremist groups like Perkasa or will he be satisfied in being a sloganeer and somnolent PM and meet the same tragic fate as his predecessor?
We hear Najib’s invitation to the Malaysian Chinese to be more courageous, committed and to contribute to a more dynamic 1Malaysia.
At the same time, Umnoputras are allowed to gamble away the country by playing the racist card to the hilt!
Is this part of Najib’s charade and chicanery of “concrete change” on Chinese New Year’s Day? If it is, he and Umno will not last very long.
At a CHINESE NEW YEAR function, the Prime Minister declares that Malaysian Chinese should be daring to help build a more dynamic 1Malaysia.
Such a dramatic invitation by Najib Abdul Razak is made against the dark and depressing background of discordant voices by Umnoputras which the drums and deafening firecrackers fail to drown out and exorcise.
We hear the disturbing insult of all the Ahmad Ismails labelling the Malaysian Chinese "immigrants" and "squatters" and adding that they have no right to equal treatment with the Umnoputras – who just happened to migrate here a little earlier than the rest of us.
Lost in translation
We hear the deranged Nasir Safars spitting on us in 1Malaysia seminars with their vile claim that our mothers and grandmothers came here to sell their bodies, whilst never mentioning how the Umnoputras sell their principles, souls and even the country away.
We hear the devious speeches of Umno “intellectuals” in the Biro Tatanegara such as the ridiculous claim of a Chinese conspiracy with Singapore, when the Malays are disunited, to topple the Malay government, when very obviously the BTN courses are meant “to promote certain government leaders” (Nazri Aziz) and to protect, perpetuate and preserve their political power!
We hear the disgraceful racist rant of all the Abdul Rauf Yusohs in closed-door Umno functions abroad and at home calling non-Malays “‘bangsa asing” and accusing them of “trampling on the Malays in ''Tanah Melayu'', when the glaring reality is that of Umnoputras trampling on each other and on ordinary Malays to grab and gobble the largest piece possible of ‘Tanah Melayu’ that is left!
We hear the despicable and highly racist hysteria of Perkasa whose president Ibrahim Ali has hopped back as the saviour of the hapless Malay by waging war against the supposedly avaricious Chinese, whilst hiding the fact that the real enemy of the Malays are people like him and his cohorts who have been Umno’s self-serving sycophants who suck up to the powers that be to satisfy their insatiable greed.
We hear the views of Dr M claiming (without any substantiation, solid evidence or statistics) that the Chinese are the real masters of the country – when in reality it is he, his cronies and a few Chinese capitalists whom he had created who are the real “tuans”. He is also the real mastermind of Umno’s racist policies – the “Father of all racists” as Nazri Aziz has crowned him!
The real culprits
We hear the disgusting attempts to make the Chinese the scapegoat of Malay poverty when for the last 39 years of the NEP it was the Umnoputras who have squeezed and bled this country dry, siphoned and stashed their ill-gotten gains overseas and sent their children abroad to study in premier schools, whilst deceiving, denying and depriving the poor Malay of what was due to them.
We hear the deafening silence of the Umnoputras on the many bail-outs, buy-outs and the mind-boggling billions wasted and still more which went missing without being accounted for or anyone held responsible for, especially during the Mahathir years, and which goes on unabated till today, whilst the Chinese are accused of getting richer at the expense of the Malays!
We hear the derogatory remarks of Umnoputras against the Chinese newspapers while Umno-owned English and Malay papers, especially the Utusan Malaysia, are allowed to go on a spree of spinning falsehood, spouting lies, spewing seditious articles and spreading what Nazri Aziz calls “outdated racist propaganda” with impunity and immunity by the Umno Home Minister.
We hear the diabolical voices in Umno who politicise religion for the party’s survival by creating unfounded fears and insecurities amongst Muslims, deepening distrust of adherents of other religions and derailing sincere efforts at inter-religious dialogue whilst declaring those who detest their devious ways as anti-Islam and anti-Malay.
We hear the desperate attempts by Umnoputras to manufacture imaginary threats and bogeymen such as the Chinese wanting to conquer this country from the Malays, the Christians hell-bent on confusing and converting every Muslim and even the CIA having covert operations here! Alas, Umno can only survive with a siege mentality which Khairy Jamaluddin had urged it to abandon.
We hear the deceiving hypocrisy of Umnoputras who portray themselves as the protectors of the Malays to revive their comatosed political careers, and when in actuality Malay rights have always been outlined, stated and guaranteed clearly by the Federal Constitution (Professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari), i.e., the Malays do not need further protection from Umno or the likes of Ibrahim Ali!
We hear the Umnoputras’ drummed-up danger of the Malays losing their rights – when they in fact control all the (Malay) institutions, dictate all laws and policies, own all the state-owned companies, GLCs (Petronas), banks and national assets and resources and are accorded priorities and privileges when it comes to properties, public contracts and scholarships! If indeed the Malays do lose their rights – it is to the Umno elite!
Pervasive delirium
We hear the delirium of the Umno warlords who are drunk with power, warning non-Malays not to push the Malays too far (who is pushing?) or they would go amok, create a bloodbath and start another May 13 “or Feb. 13”, when it is obvious that such intimidating threats of thuggery and mob violence are meant to defend “the most corrupt institution in this country” (Lim Kit Siang), Umno!
We hear Najib’s voice spurring the country towards oneness, but will it be silenced by Umno’s cacophony of racism? Will the PM show spine, substance and nerves of steel and stop the mounting dissonance by the Umno warlords, government officials and extremist groups like Perkasa or will he be satisfied in being a sloganeer and somnolent PM and meet the same tragic fate as his predecessor?
We hear Najib’s invitation to the Malaysian Chinese to be more courageous, committed and to contribute to a more dynamic 1Malaysia.
At the same time, Umnoputras are allowed to gamble away the country by playing the racist card to the hilt!
Is this part of Najib’s charade and chicanery of “concrete change” on Chinese New Year’s Day? If it is, he and Umno will not last very long.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Purposeful Inconvenience or Voluntary Neglect?
By Disappointed Dr
I am a medical doctor who was educated overseas and worked in Australia for several years and recently decided to return to Malaysia to serve the country.
As a professional working overseas I heard about the 'Program bagi mengalakkan warganegara Malaysia yang berpakaran yang bekerja di luar negara pulang ke Malaysia' and therefore applied for it. I was very disappointed when they rejected my application on the grounds that it was sent after I returned to Malaysia. Apparently it was meant to be sent whilst I was still in Australia.
I find this a very poor excuse given the fact that Malaysia is trying to lure back its citizens to work for them. It discourages professionals such as me from having to bear the burden to return but not have any perks or encouraging incentives. Furthermore, my parents bore my exorbitant medical tuition fees and I did not receive any governmental loans whatsoever. The “least” is something anyone would expect.
Besides that, it took me a great deal of an effort to locate the abovementioned application form which was hidden in the catacombic archives of one of the governmental websites. Talk about purposeful inconvenience or perhaps voluntary neglect.
I can see why many of my colleagues are hesitant to return and serve the government given the unimpressive, unattractive attitude and to top it off the obvious suboptimal remuneration and working conditions. Now, thankfully I still have the option to return to Australia and am reconsidering my intentions to continue here thanks to the above. Job well done in luring professionals back.
I am a medical doctor who was educated overseas and worked in Australia for several years and recently decided to return to Malaysia to serve the country.
As a professional working overseas I heard about the 'Program bagi mengalakkan warganegara Malaysia yang berpakaran yang bekerja di luar negara pulang ke Malaysia' and therefore applied for it. I was very disappointed when they rejected my application on the grounds that it was sent after I returned to Malaysia. Apparently it was meant to be sent whilst I was still in Australia.
I find this a very poor excuse given the fact that Malaysia is trying to lure back its citizens to work for them. It discourages professionals such as me from having to bear the burden to return but not have any perks or encouraging incentives. Furthermore, my parents bore my exorbitant medical tuition fees and I did not receive any governmental loans whatsoever. The “least” is something anyone would expect.
Besides that, it took me a great deal of an effort to locate the abovementioned application form which was hidden in the catacombic archives of one of the governmental websites. Talk about purposeful inconvenience or perhaps voluntary neglect.
I can see why many of my colleagues are hesitant to return and serve the government given the unimpressive, unattractive attitude and to top it off the obvious suboptimal remuneration and working conditions. Now, thankfully I still have the option to return to Australia and am reconsidering my intentions to continue here thanks to the above. Job well done in luring professionals back.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
"Don't Come Home, Son"
A true story about emigration.
Sometime in 1980, when I was a final year student in London, I had a very short teleconversation with my father. In those days, there were no call cards, Skype or the like and calls were expensive. He had a very simple message - "Dont come home, Son".
Now almost 30 years on, I see where he was coming from.
He advised me to stay on in the UK or if I found the weather not to my liking, told me to go to Australia - even if it meant that I may eventually marry a "white girl" as he put it. I was 23 and marriage was certainly not on my mind.
29 years on, I view his foresight through the same prism and now agonise as to whether I should tell my children the same. For now, I am allowing my eldest to pursue his tertiary education overseas. Maybe when he finishes, he may not be as short-sighted as I was. Pray God grant him wisdom and vision.
Last year, I resigned from my job, returned the company car and driver, said goodbye to my executive package and moved to Australia where I now live with no maid, no driver, no Audi 2.8, no golf, no teh tarik seessions, no bonus etc but am rediscovering humanity running a humble ice cream shop.
Sometimes we learn very late.
An ice-cream seller
Sometime in 1980, when I was a final year student in London, I had a very short teleconversation with my father. In those days, there were no call cards, Skype or the like and calls were expensive. He had a very simple message - "Dont come home, Son".
Now almost 30 years on, I see where he was coming from.
He advised me to stay on in the UK or if I found the weather not to my liking, told me to go to Australia - even if it meant that I may eventually marry a "white girl" as he put it. I was 23 and marriage was certainly not on my mind.
29 years on, I view his foresight through the same prism and now agonise as to whether I should tell my children the same. For now, I am allowing my eldest to pursue his tertiary education overseas. Maybe when he finishes, he may not be as short-sighted as I was. Pray God grant him wisdom and vision.
Last year, I resigned from my job, returned the company car and driver, said goodbye to my executive package and moved to Australia where I now live with no maid, no driver, no Audi 2.8, no golf, no teh tarik seessions, no bonus etc but am rediscovering humanity running a humble ice cream shop.
Sometimes we learn very late.
An ice-cream seller
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