Malaysiakini article on Najib

‘There are two separate ways to move a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in the upcoming parliamentary sitting, Bersih vice- chairperson Thomas Fann revealed today.

Apart from having MPs table a motion in the Dewan Rakyat, he said the MPs can also opt to vote down Najib’s budget proposal after it has been debated.’

Read this article in Malaysiakini dated 9 Oct. Is this Thomas Fann going to table the motion to move a no confidence vote against Najib? Does he know the consequences of the aborted Red Shirt Protests in Petaling Street and downtown Malacca? The Chinese could breathe a sigh of relief just a couple of weeks back when they were living in fear. Hope this Thomas Fann is not going invite another Red Shirt Protest and risking a bloodbath by tabling such a motion in Parliament. The Chinese minorities just had two narrow escapes. Do not tempt trouble for a third time.

It would be better for the Malay MPs to make such a move if needed. For a non Malay MP to do so is delusional and irresponsible. There is no fight and only inviting disaster to the Chinese minority when violence breaks out. And it would be a one way blood letting, and no Malay leaders will be there to stop it.

Think very carefully. Do not throw eggs against a stone wall. Bilahari is right to warn the Malaysian Chinese to know what they are up against. Let Mahathir and his gang to take the fight to Najib. It is not a fight for the Chinese or Indian minorities. In a way it would be better for the Malaysian Chinese to squabble with Kausikan instead. This would be harmless other than some letting off of verbal diatribes. The goals of fighting for freedom, justice, rules of law and good governance are only good if they could be seen in those context. But the extremists would not and would turn them into another anti Malay issue.  Idealism and aspirations must be tempered with realism. The minorities in Malaysia have very little room to move around.

Mahathir has rounded up his team of Malay leaders to challenge Najib. Let them do battle in their own terms and do not offer yourself as the convenient diversion and scapegoat for a bloodbath waiting to happen. Spend more time engaging with Bilahari. He is doing the Malaysian Chinese a favour as a convenient target to divert their attention and anger from flirting with death and destruction.

Leadership style – Hsien Loong versus LKY

The no nonsense style of LKY is well known by the pioneer generation and those who had worked with him or during his watch. No mistake was tolerated and any major mistake would mean heads would roll. There was little room for kindness and tolerance. When a major mistake was committed, out you go. In a way it worked. Everything was tip top, efficient and everything was expected to work with the push of a button. We were the best in many things, we were clean and green, a model city to be admired and emulated.

We are still good in many things, but some are showing signs of crumbling. The multiple train breakdowns would see heads rolling, but not under Hsien Loong’s watch. Everyone still got paid just as much and happily going about their work as if everything is normal, the breakdown is normal, just work on it to get it better.

The latest hepatitis C breakout when innocent lives were lost is the same. And Hsien Loong said, the important thing is to find out what happened and make sure that it would not happen again and do better the next time. Would there be heads rolling, no, don’t bet on it. This is the new style and new ethos. Work hard and do your best, we understand you are doing your best. No need to worry that you will lose your job if some big mistake is committed. It’s ok, make sure it does not happen again.

Working under this new leadership style of Hsien Loong must be easier and less stressful. The boss understood and would be kinder, would not carry a big stick. The contrasting style is obvious. Would the new leadership style lead to a more efficient Singapore? For sure, it would be a more pleasant work environment, more people oriented and not necessary less task oriented.

 

Make a mistake, admit your mistake, say sorry, apologize and explain. Then move on.

Stockholm Syndrome in Malaysia’s Race Relations

By MIKOspace

“It is Better to be Dominated than to be Victimised.”

The recent spat between Malaysian opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) Tony Pua and Singapore’s Ambassador-at-Large Bilahari Kausikan provides an interesting insight into Malaysian race relations in the mind of some in the “minority” Chinese ethnic group. Kausikan had argued as “delusional” what he saw as efforts by some Malaysian Chinese youths to change the Malaysian political system which has been built around the principle of Malay dominance.  DAP Tony Pua counter-argued that they were not against Malay “dominance” but against Malay “supremacy”.  Tony also accepts that “Malays will dominate Malaysian politics and economy since they comprise the majority”.

Tony is clearly being disingenuous in his feeble attempt to distinguish between Malay “dominance” and Malay “supremacy” in any meaningful manner. He did not elaborate.  Malaysian history bears the undisputed witness to the fact of Malay “dominance” which motivated and led eventually to the imposition of Malay “supremacy” in Malaysian politics, economy and social life.  Today, Malay “dominance” and Malay “supremacy” are in fact the same side on a man-made Malaysian political coin.  It is wishful and politically immature thinking to believe that one can change either “dominance” or “supremacy” without affecting each other.     

By accepting Malay “dominance” simply because “they comprise the majority”, Tony is obviously oblivious of the fact that in 1963 when Malaysia became independent, no one ethnic group, whether Malay, Chinese or Indian, constituted more than 50% of the Malaysian population.  That’s why Malay “dominance” has to embrace the non-Malay indigenous tribes to form the larger concept of “Bumiputra” – or “sons of the soil” – in order for the Malay political elites to claim political legitimacy by virtue of numerical majority. 

Historically, classifying Malays as “sons of the soil” together with the indigenous tribes also create other problems, since most Malays actually arrived in Malaya only from the 14^th Century from Sumatra and Indonesia.  And if one prefer to go even further back in time, the very early Malays actually came with the very early Chinese from the same villages in Southern China, mostly from Yunnan. Truth is the Malaysian Malays are undisputably not the “sons” of the Malaysian soil.

The natural urge in many Malaysian Chinese to deny any “natural” Malay “dominance” or “supremacy” is therefore understandable. The political struggles in the early Malaysian years are between the competing and mutually exclusive visions of a “Malaysian” Malaysia based on multi-racialism and social equality vs a “Malay” Malaysia based on Malay dominance and supremacy. 

In 1965, Singapore was kicked out of Malaysia for her strong advocacy of a multi-racial and equal Malaysia.  History has proven the superiority of a multi-racial politico-socio-economic approach as practiced in prosperous Singapore instead of the racialist discriminatory model of Malaysia who continues to struggle in the doldrums of a devaluating currency and languishing economy.

For too long, Malaysian Chinese and Indians have been politically enslaved, economically oppressed and socially discriminated. Many non-Malay politicians are also reluctant to escape from the status quo political bondage and few nowadays advocate for a more equal treatment of their non-Malay constituents.  The reality of the political landscape of Malaysia has over the years evolved a class-based society very much in favour of the rich and powerful elites in all the political parties, who have much in common with each other the many privileges and benefits that should have “trickled down” to the poorer and lesser endowed segments in the population.        

For many non-Malay Malaysian politicians, however well-intentioned like Tony, they usually appear quite blinded to the reality of their own political enslavement after more than 50 years of subjugation to the combination of class and racially based political and economic forces.  Such is the Stockholm Syndrome nature in Malaysian race relations. For while they may complain and agitate against the extreme symptoms of her corrupt and racialist political system, the minority ethnic groups (as well as the vast number of poor Malays) seem strangely incapable of comprehending the precise nature of their situation so as to formulate feasible solutions to escape or reform the political-economic and social status quo.      

Related:

Racial Discrimination in Malaysia – A Never Ending Policy

Again, Malays are Lazy, said Dr Mahathir

PANORAMA: A History of Singapore's Battle for Merger

"Flesh and Bone Reunite as One Body" -  Dr Thum Ping Tjin

Singapore's 1962 Battle For Merger ReVisited

PS. Above post by Michael Heng

Authentic Made In Singapore Hospital

The glorious days of Singapore hospitals with an impeccable track record of quality hospital care, great medical professionals from the top to the bottom, to the nurses and the assistants and drivers, all Singaporeans, are dimming. This outbreak of hepatitis C in the SGH is unacceptable, cannot be tolerated, cannot happen, but happened. People admitted to hospitals to be cured and healed, but found dead or infected with hepatitis C they did not bring along.  How to explain this cruel change of fate and medical conditions, and they paid for it with good money, expecting the best, to walk in alive and leaving alive and better?

I think it would be a good marketing theme to market an authentic Singaporean Hospital, all the staff, from the specialists, doctors, nurses, technicians, administrators, supporting services, drivers and assistants, all genuine true blue Singaporeans. That will set a new kind of standard and expectation that paying patients can expect to be care for by the best Singaporeans can do for them.

The Singaporean Brand, the pride of Singapore, needs a revamp, a rebranding, to be true and authentic, not diluted or compromised, to be the deliverer of first class quality services, must be resurrected.

Would there be a hospital to adopt this Brand and policy, to give the patients the best quality of professionalism and services, the Singaporean way, the Singapore Brand, to differentiate from those that put on the Singapore Brand but manned by people from all corners of the world? There is a great difference between a coating and a homogenous product, Singapore on the outside but foreigners, 3^rd World on the inside, or Singapore through and through. You can scratch it, drop it, hammer at it, it is Singaporean thick and through. And Singaporean means quality, dedication, commitment and devotion, to be the very best.

Ignore the fools who think Singaporeans are daft, untalented, no skill sets and needed to be replaced by foreigners.

Let there be a Made In Singapore authentic Singaporean Hospital, to show the rest the difference in being part of the Singapore Brand. And this authentic Made In Singapore Brand is applicable to other services, products and industries as well. The call for this differentiation is necessary and urgent to save the Singapore Brand.

Jokowi to put out fires in two weeks

‘JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo said authorities target to put out forest fires burning in parts of the country in two weeks, with the help of other countries.’ Channel News Asia

Indonesia has found the solution to the fire burning across Sumatra and Kalimantan. The answers will come from 6 countries in the form of big and bigger aircraft that can carry more water to douse the flame. With these aircraft, Jokowi is confident that Indonesia would be able to end the fire in two weeks.

Actually there is no need for such aircraft and fire fighting equipment. The raining season is coming, and the fire will go off by itself just like a bout of flu. But Indonesia is so impressed by the big planes and their capabilities that they are planning to acquire some of them to fight the next fire in the next haze season. And if the planes proved effective, they would probably buy more to continue to fight the fire annually till eternity.

Would it not be cheaper to think of ways and plans to prevent the fire starters from starting the fire? If the fire fighters can be stopped, there is no need for more expensive planes and logistics to fight fires. The present inventory of planes and fire fighting equipment would be more than adequate if there is no fire or only a few fires that could and should be killed in the early stages. Prevention is better than cure.

By the start of the raining season, there will be no more fire. The Indonesian govt only needs to ensure that no one starts the fire in the next season. There could be bush fires started naturally by the heat of the day. I am sure the planners would be able to come up with ways to prevent these fires from starting. The fleet of fire fighting equipment could be deployed to throw water in vulnerable areas even when there is no fire to prevent fire from starting. Oops, apologies for suggesting this weird way of pouring water when there is no fire.

Would it be better, be more cost effective to set up a fire prevention force than a fire fighting force? For a start they can set up a review committee or a BOI. If they did not know how to set up these committees, ask Singapore, we are the experts in setting up BOIs and review committees. We have such committees after every fiasco that occurred in our little island. We just have one for the hepatitis C outbreak. We have had committees for the Little India Riot, the Mt Kinabalu earthquake too. We can even lend them the experienced officers who have sat in such committees as advisors.

What do you think? Chicken and egg problem?