A true Merdeka! In a few moments, it will be the 31st of August and this date in 1957 was the day when the British formally relinquished control of Malaya in 1957. It has been 49 years since our nation's leaders stood up and made a sacred promise to work with a patchwork of communities - Malay, Chinese, Indian, Eurasians, Indigenous people - and in due time, help forge this polyglot of people into a great independent nation. 49 years later, despite the best efforts of our founding fathers, Malaysia is still a nascent work in progress - neither great nor independent. Let me clarify the latter; what I mean by independence has nothing to do with physical independence from an external colonial power. Independence in this context has all to do with the opening up of the mind on issues that really, mould a progressive, modern, confident nation state that can compete in the economic realities of the 21st century.

In this arena, we are far away from Merdeka than what the historical date states otherwise. Flying the flag automatically, unthinkingly, may be appreciated gleefully by some politicians but the end result will just amplify the feeling that nothing has really changed if the goal to change Malaysia into a confident, capable country for the 21st century remains manacled. The challenges that will face this nation will get even more tenuous; issues which will not be solved by the act of a million flags fluttering from cars, apartment blocks, government offices and private offices.

Really, there is no need for me to outline the challenges; anyone who picks up a newspaper or surfs the Internet can discern the increasingly difficult task this nation is going to confront in the coming years. The external environment has changed so drastically from the golden age of the Asian Tigers in the 1990s. Investors have ample choices to park their money in and the heat is already impacting the administration. In the last few months, I have noticed a rash of foreign articles commenting on Malaysia's increasingly strident step into Islamicization, the focal point being the Lina Joy apostacy case - other contentious issues explored include the Hindu temple demolitions by overzealous minor government officials as well as the decades-old affirmation policy and whether it's pertinent in the new economic environment. The discomfort of knowing that such widely read articles will further dent Malaysia's attractiveness as an investment destination must have reached the highest level of government. The normally steady and pragmatic Minister for International Trade Datuk Paduka Rafidah Aziz must be regretting her choice of words when she recently spewed that foreign investors can go look elsewhere if they cannot set aside a 30 percent equity to the Bumiputeras in some ventures. And elsewhere they will look, not to mention more fodder for the foreign media to write about.

And so, Merdeka beckons but in our minds, we may as well be decades towards reaching true Merdeka. The polyglot of people of this potentially great nation are still living separate and parallel lives, with barely any interaction between them. This is not truly Merdeka is it? I think not. But I will still light a candle in my heart, praying for a progressive, modern and confident nation state to rise.  ¶ 4:53 PM 0 Comments

  Will the SME Bank listen to the Prime Minister? Yesterday's headlines in the Star caught my attention and prompted me to read the entire news piece. The venerable Prime Minister, the most powerful man in the country, appealed to the SME Bank to process loan applications without a racial bias. Apparently Chinese businessmen were being systematically denied loans based primarily on their ethnicity. While I cannot say for certain this was the reason, for the Prime Minister to come out and ask the bank to play fair, what other reasons can there be? And shouldn't heads roll seeing that this shameful practice was being perpetuated right under the nose of the big man himself? But it won't. Because that's not the Malaysian way you see. Perhaps under the current scrutiny of the media, the bank may grudgingly allow some Chinese businessmen (hey, maybe even an Indian or two) some access to much-needed capital. In a few months or so, the cyle will recommence. I have lived long enough in this country to think otherwise. And pretty soon, in a few months, the Prime Minister will have to appeal again to the SME Bank to drop its racial bias. Can one blame the SMEs which are largely Chinese, if they find ways not to repatriate their foreign exchange earnings back into the country, when the government entrusted with a sacred promise to help all Malaysian businesses continues to disappoint them with racist behaviour which would make the South African apartheid regime of the past proud?

The days of 8 percent annual growth is unlikely to happen again. Malaysia's manufacturing prowess is still somewhat intact due to the SME community. The irony of this entire episode screams out. A nimble group of capable, resourceful businessmen who may answer Malaysia's call to forge a competitive niche in the global market, is being systematically undermined by a government unit.

The crux of the matter is institutional racism, which has no place in an increasingly globalised world. A lot of our government-run institutions are wracked by this malaise, but I fear in the next decade or so, Malaysia will pay a terrible price for this extremely short-sighted, repugnant policy. I think the effect of the globalising world is already biting at our heels. Malaysia used to be a top destination for foreign direct investment in ASEAN just a decade ago; now we are a measly fourth behind Indonesia and Thailand. We may be fifth in line pretty soon by the looks of a booming Vietnam by next year.

A weak Prime Minister is not much of a help either with what the media gloriously termed a man who rules by consensus and not fear. The problem is that in the last three years, the Prime Minister has not delivered. Racism continues to fester at all levels of government and is shattering the myth that Malaysia will continue to progress despite any odds. Will the Prime Minister open his eyes?  ¶ 6:15 PM 1 Comments

  When in doubt, brandish the keris about It's remarkable that 49 years into nationhood, I can still pick up the newspaper and read all about kerises being bandied about in public to whip the country into a frenzy for the protection of the "bangsa, agama and negara". I suppose after 49 years of Merdeka, there may be a perfectly logical reason to do so, to reaffirm the dignity of the Malays as politicians so eloquently put it. I really don't have a problem with that except when there is an unspoken meaning laying dormant just below the surface of the act of the keris being brandished. In fact, it wasn't so dormant or opaque when the well-meaning Mentri Besar of Selangor, several years ago, talked about dipping the keris in blood. That created controversy but members of the ruling coalition decided to keep quiet and maintain a "dignified" posture. Wasn't it just three years ago when the Kampung Medan incident happened for all the world to see? I am not drawing any parallels here between what politicans do and what the ground thinks but I am certain some elements are more easily influenced, manipulated to take certain actions, perhaps in the heat of the moment that could spell difficulties that far outweigh any perceived benefits. Apparently all that talking behind closed doors, as BN fondly likes to state, has yet to make calmer heads rule. And so, like a compact disc on automatic replay, talk of the keris being brandished is making headlines again. This time by another politician whom several years ago, I thought would give rise to a breed of far-sighted and reasonable politicians.But the act of brandishing a keris is sexy no? Who can resist a man on a soapbox talking about kerises or even better, brandishing one above his head? This a powerful statement of unbridled machismo. I am sure ,as I write this, a string of ambitious toadies from the ruling party are probably perfecting their scripts for such an act to be unveiled in the not too distant future.

As far as I can recall, my memory of the keris being used as a public statement by politicians was way back in 1987 when I was in high school. I think it was the ambitious and up and coming Umno leader Datuk Najib Tun Razak who led a rally at the Raja Muda Stadium in Kampung Baru, preaching "lessons" to his non-malay brethrens. A lone soldier's rampage in Chow Kit, letting off a few rounds from his M-16, did not help matters. I am pretty sure the keris was mentioned in the script somewhere but my memory fails me at this moment. But I do recall the furore Najib's statements made in the Star which at that time, still had testicles.

These interesting things happened during an economic slowdown when our commodity-dependent economy was taking a battering from a global meltdown. The home-made pie was not getting any larger and doubts especially amongst the Malays were consciously or unconsciously raised. Economic insecurity, I believe, was the ultimate reason for this doubt to appear prominently in the pysche of the Malays, although I dare say that all the people in Malaysia were then apprehensive of the future.

Fast forward to 2006 and the economy has yet to really blossom under the leadership of the current Prime Minister. Foreign investment is sluggish, output is generally nothing much to shout about plus a lot of bad press in the foreign media titles. The economy is not exactly chugging alone nicely. Doubt amongst the Malays are slowly picking up steam as the gravy train slowly grinds to a shuffle. Suddenly there is a sense that there is no need to be nice and polite, and an overpowering urge to bully seems to miraculously appear. And so, there is talk of Umno Youth demanding its "rightful" post of Chief Minister in Penang and unflattering remarks about the Chinese at some Umno meetings (according to Raja Petra Kamaruddin's article in Malaysia Today). Not surprisingly, even the keris had made a comeback.  ¶ 7:29 AM 0 Comments

  Merdeka? We are on the threshold of celebrating our 49th year of freedom from the colonial rulers of yesteryear. When I was much younger, there was much anticipation and excitement in the air about the coming of this great day - August 31st. I still recall the sense of excitement was still palpable amongst many of us during our schooldays. Maybe it was because we were getting a day off from school. Maybe it was truly pride that reverberated in our chests, being part of an entity called Malaysia. The act of getting a nation's independence from the tenterhooks of another nation is no small feat; I still get a rush when I hear Tunku Abdul Rahman (God bless his soul) proclaim independence on the occasion i hear him do that on national TV (which sadly isn't often as I have sworn off free-to-air channels for more than a decade). I wonder how many schoolchildren nowadays view Merdeka? Honestly, i haven't a clue - I should ask around on this point then.

It's just a few days away from this notable day in our history and one can scarcely feel the excitement amongst the population. 49 years into nationhood and all we have to show for it is a divided entity called Malaysia where politicians continue to fondly play the race card with gusto. One half of the population is encouraged to view the other half with suspicion and distrust in a melange of race, religion and the economy. Are we truly Merdeka? Not as long as the zero-sum game continues to be the main currency of the day.  ¶ 6:30 PM 0 Comments

  Greetings to all Hello I am Sreejit Pillai and I have often contemplated starting a blog and of late, i have been reading some of the popular blogs in cyberspace, which explores the going ons of this great nation. By great, i mean, the essence of this country is still intact and still has a capacity to invoke feelings of pure emotion. I love my country even though there are many out there, who doesn't care what I and many others feel for Malaysia. Will this country actually fulfill its potential greatness? Sadly, using current developments as a yardstick, Malaysia will always flatter to deceive. Any change is likely to happen in minute stages; if this is pre-destined, then so be it. But pre-destined or not, change will and must happen. Coming back to the subject of the blogs devoted to the idea that is Malaysia, I am heartened to know that there are many Malaysians out there who share some of the concerns I have been quietly nursing of late. Time waits for no one and sadly many in the corridors of powers, be it the big boys or the little napoleons, are stubbornly clinging on to the old ways (albeit successful in the Mahathir era) of perpetuating "business as usual". It is my fervent hope that we as Malaysians can make changes that can ultimately shape this country for the better.  ¶ 8:02 PM 0 Comments