Najib wants Malaysians to just read government-sanctioned news The government has once again come out and urged the public to refer to the mainstream media for information and perspectives instead of Internet news blogs as such sites, in the words of the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, are “uncontrolled”. He argues that a controlled media environment is more beneficial for Malaysians. “There is no control when it comes to the Internet as it is a different world altogether. What is important is control of the print media, especially the mainstream newspapers,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama. I wonder what the mainstream editors were thinking when they ran through his comments prior to printing. But then, I am sure they were not, as they are expected to operate within this controlled framework determined by the government, and ensure Najib’s comments, (which under close examination, carried little or no value) are given prominence in the next edition. Thinking is essentially frowned upon as duty to the newspapers’ political masters is paramount. Loyalty has its rewards in the form of promotions, status and titles, and can help stave off the dreaded “cold storage” treatment, a condition of extreme deep freeze that one has virtually no chance of resuscitating one’s career. Parroting the official line is highly recommended.

So the government is now openly admitting that it will continue to control the mainstream media. If the government is wondering why more and more people are resorting to cyberspace for expert analysis, that is because the mainstream media continues to be selective in its coverage of topics close to the people’s heart, namely corruption, political abuse of power i.e the control that Najib was talking about. The public can finally find succor in cyberspace where they can share their sentiments and feelings about many subject matters. Ironically, this is one aspect of civil society that Malaysia has been promoting for a long time. People like Najib of all people, should be happy that society are becoming more discerning and sophisticated, seeing that a thinking population is an asset to the country.

Najib’s dismissal of blogs is not the first time a high ranking government official has attacked news blogs. The Prime Minister and his son-in-law have also engaged in such action. The timing of Najib’s statements may have something to do with the flurry of comment and biting analysis in cyberspace following the disastrous UMNO general assembly. The government is feeling the heat and they are powerless to clamp down on cyberspace dissent. So even the so-called highly-educated Khairy Jamaludin sees it fit to take a swipe or two at alternative media sites, in order to shore up his appeal to his mainly Malay support base. Will blogs continue to grow in strength? You bet. The government will be hard pressed to monitor the upcoming explosion in political content in cyberspace come the next elections. Perhaps Najib’s statement is a sign that the people in power are a little nervous about this prospect. Hence, the need to keep people dependent on controlled media channels.  ¶ 5:16 PM 0 Comments

  Flawed democracy stamp not good for business So now Malaysia has been categorized as a “flawed democracy” by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Just when we thought we just had to worry about the Transparency International annual corruption index, the Reader’s Digest rudeness poll, the United States’s annual human rights country report, the highly respected EIU will begin to keep a close eye on the state of democracy in Malaysia. Apparently, this new index will look at 167 countries out of 192 independent states and gauge their level of democracy. Categories such as the electoral process, political participation, civil liberties will be scrutinized. Why would the EIU start such an index? The simple truth is that investor criteria is getting sophisticated by the day and every minute detail about a country will be picked apart, prodded and analyzed to gauge the degree of investor friendliness of that nation. Investors will pay good money for such an index. Economic growth for most nations can only be fed by foreign investment and Malaysia is heavily dependent on FDIs to sustain the kind of growth which can ensure UMNOputeras are taken care off. Malaysia will have a serious problem with this new EIU index. We have started at nearly the bottom of the list with countries like Mongolia, Timor Leste for company. And our foreign direct investment has begun to dry up as it is. Just ten years ago, we were giving Singapore sleepless nights with our ambitions of being a hub for finance, transportation and information technology. In the mid-1990s, Malaysia even ranked sixth in the world as a beacon for foreign investments – the combined value of shares on the stock market was only below Japan and Hong Kong in Asia. Now, we have the worst performing stock market. Today, the country's ranking as a destination for foreign capital has slipped to the 62nd spot, according to a recent survey by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. A “flawed democracy” stamp on our foreheads is not going to get us out of this rut. Will the government now find excuses, with its spin doctors wriggling and twisting to put a façade of non-interest in this new EIU index, as how the Prime Minister waved off the TI index with a disdainful flick of his hand?  ¶ 10:05 AM 0 Comments

  Too little, too late The government may be realizing a little belatedly about the high price the country will have to pay for the self-inflicted damage caused by UMNO hot heads in their “battle” against their imaginary external enemies. While it may be exhilarating to play to the gallery and lap up all the mob applause, the hangover the morning after, is likely to plague the government for some time to come. Investor confidence would have definitely plummeted even further after the UMNO shenanigans. Any global investor road shows organized by ECM Libra will be laughed off the stage. The façade, which was not properly constructed in the first place, is cracking. The very real possibility of Malaysia being marginalized is not so far-fetched anymore. While the Prime Minister is blissfully unaware or unwilling to see the real world, he will at least be aghast at the possibility that even his Singapore friends may now be reluctant to pour billions of dollars into his much-touted South Johor development proposal. People have long memories and the pogrom against the Chinese in Indonesia was a mere eight years ago. Singapore will particularly sit up and take note of what was talked about during the UMNO general assembly. No amount of papering over the cracks by this questionable government is going to convince them otherwise. Commentators are already counting the cost of UMNO’s irrational behavior to the country’s economy. Indeed, the price that we Malaysians may have to pay is not likely to be light. The Deputy Prime Minister has feebly gone on record to state that the authorities may take action against party delegates who may have made seditious speeches. So what, many Malaysians will ask. In a country where the rule of law is undermined in order that certain larger-than-life personalities can escape unscathed, the chances of any real punitive action against these culprits who have damaged Malaysia are low indeed. UMNO, a party which only has a miniscule number of members compared to the Bumiputera population of about 16 million, is losing grip on power after its ugly face was laid bare for all the world to see. The incompatibility of its position as a self-proclaimed defender of Islam, its naked affinity for corruption and willingness to use the ugly, outdated theme of racial superiority will spell its doom. The Malays will increasingly look to PAS as a viable alternative.  ¶ 7:53 PM 0 Comments

  The growing irrelevancy of UMNO The UMNO general assembly ended last week and the bitter aftertaste of the proceedings will remain in the hearts of many Malaysians who are deeply concerned about the fate of the nation. Speeches bordering on sedition were made by party delegates without an ounce of reason and logic, with the audience blindly cheering and raving in approval. Malaysians of Chinese descent were vilified and made into an object of hatred. Yes, hatred is the right word and as a Malaysian, I remain disgusted by our purported leaders’ paralysis, sitting in silence while the party’s little Napoleons go up to the stage and make a mockery of themselves and further validating a growing conclusion amongst the intelligentsia that UMNO is a party incapable of reason and logic with no strategic understanding of the fast changing world.

That the irrelevancy of the party is looming just around the corner, continues to be ignored by UMNO i.e our leaders. UMNO is a party that offers no well-thought out solutions to the many ills afflicting the community it claims to look after. Year after year, lamentation of helplessness and rage against external entities or peoples are enunciated by UMNO, in order to mask its internal weaknesses and the inability to rectify the growing social and intellectual afflictions plaguing the community. No serious research is conducted by UMNO to find solutions to the growing social ills such as incest, rape, drug addiction, unemployment and the weakening status of Bahasa Malaysia vis a vis the main languages of business, English and Mandarin. The general assembly is the perfect platform to highlight to the world, how the party finds real lasting solutions for the benefits of the Malays. At the very least, an effort by the party’s delegates to acknowledge the new economic realities would have been reassuring.

Instead, rabid cries of bathing the keris in blood and warning unnamed groups of threatening racial unity became the rallying call of the party, while party delegates freely threaten the very idea of Malaysia. No ideas are offered on how to grow the economic pie but rather to take more of it at the expense of the other communities that actually generated a large chunk of that pie in the first place. UMNO has not an ounce of intellectual vigor but rather it is a classic example of a political party on the verge of moral bankruptcy. All its exhortation of a great Malay revival is just an illusion, if UMNO remains deluded that its pivotal place in Malaysia is for infinity.  ¶ 9:51 AM 0 Comments

  It's that time of the year to be loud and raucous It is that time of the year when UMNO gathers in numbers to reassure itself of the pivotal place the party occupies in Malaysia. It is an exercise designed for an internal audience rather than for the rest of the population which is barred from the party membership on account of race. To casual observers, the energized shouts of “hidup Melayu”, may seem raucous and mildly threatening to non-Malays, particularly the Chinese community. But in reality, the bawls of race supremacy often heard during the annual UMNO general assembly is solely for the ears and hearts of UMNO’s raison d’etre – the Malay ground. Naturally, there will be talk of the grave consequence awaiting any group who may dare to unsettle the order of the day. Never mind if the threats articulated by the party delegates including the leadership is imagined at best. This year, it’s the turn of proponents of inter-faith dialogue to be labeled as the spectre.

A siege mentality is assumed by politicians. It is a perfect prop to help advance careers. No matter, if the rest of the country is left numb by the absurdity of it all. It is natural for all Malaysians to keep an eye on proceedings – as UMNO is an extension of government, and the government actions impact all facets of society. In a siege situation, there must be a hero. This hero is UMNO, the knight in shining armor, which will be lead the lost people to salvation and control of their destiny. After nearly 50 years of promises, UMNO is still faced with issues such as pervasive poverty within the Malay community, under-skilled graduates who cannot find work in the private sector, the shrinking role of Bahasa Malaysia in commerce and education, the rising number of Malay school drop-outs. And if that isn’t enough, Malay businesses are lamenting the lack of direction and execution from Government agencies which are actually supposed to take care of them. If a sobering analysis of the state of the Malay condition is accepted by UMNO, the party will take responsibility for the failings afflicting the community. But that will only happen in a perfect world devoid of fantasy. UMNO is not prepared to be blamed. Now the enemy of the failing of the Malay is globalization and other Malaysians who have the God-given right to love this nation.

The world is slowly walking away from Malaysia. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister refuses to see it and insist on the tired formula of spoon-feeding the UMNO kin. How long will this go on? His Deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has put a new twist to the exercise to uplift the status of the Malays. He says it is impossible to correct the 446 years Malays were under oppression by colonial masters, in just a few decades. Rhetoric abound of honorable goals that continue to elude the Malays – that of academic excellence, resilience in the face of adversity and outstanding on the world stage. But rhetoric is just that – empty words unless the shackles of crutches are crushed and the Malay is let out into the real world to excel. The time for free lunches is nearing an end and the country is at a critical crossword. Najib, at the UMNO general assembly, said: “Let it never happen that when the dawn of January 1, 2020 arrives, the Malays will wail in protest against any proclamation that Malaysia is a developed nation because they have not advanced.” Then by Najib’s unfathomable logic, Malays will continue to be weak and will remain so for another 400 years. That the Malays will wail in despair when the clock strikes at midnight on 2020, is indeed a sobering possibility, as long as UMNO does not the moral fiber to give some tough love to the people it purports to look after. That date is only 14 years away. God bless Malaysia.  ¶ 9:47 AM 0 Comments

  Tun in hospital; Malaysians are waiting anxiously Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is in hospital after suffering a mild heart attack. Malaysians of all ages and races are waiting anxiously for the latest news about the country’s most famous son. Tun is one individual who is indeed larger than life and by far, one of the most visible statesmen of the 20th century. While UMNO is clinging on to cheap rhetoric about how the Malays will make an impact in the world, Tun made many of his dreams a reality in his 22 years as Prime Minister of Malaysia. Before the UMNO spin doctors created words such as “towering Malays”, Tun was and still is a giant among men (never mind that he was not of full Malay stock- his Indian genes cannot be disputed).

His hospitalization will be viewed by many Malaysians with distress. It has come at a most inopportune time, when a growing number of Malaysians are turning to Tun to help articulate their private concerns about a variety of current issues impacting our nation. It does not matter if we agreed with him or not when he was in power, but in his 22 years in power, Tun drove and cajoled this nation to do better than many thought possible. It is now irrelevant to debate the numerous negatives about his rule. There will be ample time in the future for this soul-searching exercise, which will inevitably chip away at his legacy. Malaysians now fervently hope that he recovers from this latest health threat and remains relevant for the foreseeable future. We need his voice, his intellect, his political mastery, and most of all his passion for Malaysia, to continue to give voice and structure to many Malaysians’ collective concern about the direction this country is taking under the current leadership. Tun is an extremely fit man despite his advancing age and Malaysians hope he can successfully overcome this latest health scare.  ¶ 10:06 AM 0 Comments

  Tun keeps up the fight to oust the Prime Minister Talk of the Prime Minister falling asleep in Cabinet meetings and not understanding weighty issues critical to the country’s interests have been making its rounds in cyberspace of late. The noise have grown sufficiently louder that even the foreign press have been writing about the Prime Minister’s alleged inability to keep awake at critical moments. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in an interview with the International Herald Tribune, did not dance around the issue (as he’s never prone to do), clearly stating that the Prime Minister literally sleeps on the job and is unfit for lead the country. This latest proclamation by Abdullah’s outspoken predecessor is clearly aimed at the UMNO ground which will scrutinize the Prime Minister’s words and actions at the party’s general assembly this month. Tun hopes to accelerate the process with interviews with high-profile regional media titles like the IHT.

Tun also gave examples of some of the Prime Minister’s son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin’s alleged wrong doings in this interview – from the doling out of business contracts to people of his choice including his mother, to his intimate involvement in government affairs. The report is damaging to Abdullah. It certainly does not paint a flattering picture of the Prime Minister. His spin doctors should be worried. Three years in the hot seat and a lot of Malaysians are talking about what Abdullah’s legacy might be. His anti-graft campaign is as good as dead; he recently shot down suggestions that his relatives declare their assets, claiming privacy rights. Such statements will only further alienate Malaysians who once voted for him. At the rate his term is progressing, historians will be unkind to him. History is motivating Tun, despite his age and his blocked arteries, to do all that he can to set things right, in the few short years of life that he may still have in him. Abdullah on the other hand, seems oblivious about what his place in history might be like. But one thing is certain – he will find Malaysians more critical towards him next year, if the economy does not move as fast as he had promised.  ¶ 11:08 AM 0 Comments

  Malaysia deemed a haven for poor privacy protection A few days before Malaysia was unceremoniously tarred with the wide brush of corruption by Transparency International, the Associated Press carried a report revealing Malaysia as being one of the worst nations in providing privacy protection for its citizens. While the little-known Privacy International, which carried out this study is little-known, Malaysia should not dismiss this survey, because, foreign investor perceptions will be inevitably shaped by international studies of this nature. Malaysia should not be grouped together with China, well-known for its harsh treatment of its citizens and which freely censors the Internet. But this survey has done just that, and the government, without being defensive and dismissive of the results, should find ways to counter this negative perception. Perception is a tricky creature; it has this annoying habit of being bigger than it truly is, if left to fester on its own.

Singapore was also identified as one of the worst culprits in giving only lip service to privacy protection to its people but Singapore has assiduously cultivated a positive image amongst foreign investors, doing all the right things to ensure precious investment inflows continues to flow like an open tap. Malaysia in contrast, seems to be moving in the other direction. And so, coupled with a higher perception of graft as a way of life in Malaysia as well as vivid images of the people in Malaysia being watched by men lurking in shadows and cyberspace, the country will have a higher mountain to climb, in order to tell the world that Malaysia is not a sinister destination. It is a fallacy, of course, to even imagine a utopia-like environment, unshackled by the burdens of control – every nation practices some form of mechanism to keep track of what its citizens are up to.

Malaysia is miles ahead of countries such as Singapore, which does not allow any dissent even in cyberspace on pain of severe retribution. We are a more mature society than we give ourselves credit. Malaysians are allowed to write and criticize the powers that be – if this wasn’t so, my late father, writer MGG Pillai, would have been locked up long time ago. Even during the major ISA round-up of dissidents, orchestrated by UMNO in the mid-1970s and in 1987, my father was unscathed when he already had a reputation as a fiery, erudite writer who pulled no punches.

Invasion of privacy does occur in Malaysia; my father shrugged off the inconvenience of his telephone being under surveillance in the 1970s and more recently in the 1990s. He also had his fair share of “observers” watching his movements to find out who his friends are. This was of course, before 9-11, when the whole world, including Malaysia got a gift-wrapped excuse to step up the monitoring of private emails and telephones, to fight the “real” enemy – terrorism.  ¶ 8:49 PM 0 Comments

  We are more corrupt than last year The Prime Minister's electoral promise of wiping out graft in society has gone up in smoke after the latest Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 2006 condemmed Malaysia to 44th spot - a drop of five rungs from last year's 39th position. It is no wonder he has pleaded for more time to turn things around, as this is strong evidence that he has essentially, failed to keep his 2003 electoral promise to Malaysians. UMNO newspaper, the New Straits Times, has given this new TI survey ample coverage. The problems are mounting for Abdullah Ahmad Badawi so soon to the much-awaited UMNO General Assembly later this month. While the New Straits Times is controlled by Abdullah's people, it is not too inconceivable to imagine that efforts to undermine his leadership has already begun, by influential UMNO members unhappy with his performance as Prime Minister. In recent days, people linked to the Prime Minister such as the influential Brendan Peirera and head honcho Kalimullah Hassan have taken a beating from within - first with Brendan's faux pas involving a certain article written about the September 11 terrorist attacks, and then the harsh UMNO attacks mounted on Kali's new Malay Mail after it resorted to a "smut-fest" in its recent weekend edition, to hold up its sagging circulation.

The Deputy Prime Minister, no less, came out leading the attacks on the Malay Mail, indirectly gunning for Abdullah's media proxy. Can we assume that the night of the long knives are just around the corner? I do not yet think that, but if the Prime Minister continues to vaccilate and gives more attention to his overseas trips rather than take a deep interest in the running of the country, that day could be sooner than later.

Meanwhile, as the domestic battles pick up, Malaysia's attitude towards corruption is, as always, closely monitored by foreign investors. A drop in Malaysia's international ranking, which also condems us to a lowly 10th spot amongst 25 Asia Pacific countries, complicates the Prime Minister's assurances that he has the economy under control. Going by this latest TI results, he does not.

TI Malaysia president Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam expressed his disappointment about the latest finding, adding that TI is highly regarded by foreign investors, and that it does have a noticable impact on the country's economic and political interests. Will UMNO delegates bring this issue up during the General Assembly? If the economy continues to be sluggish, UMNO will be the first to feel the pain. The bottom line is, that the Prime Minister has failed in battling corruption. Enough time has been afforded him. Now, how will UMNO deal with him?  ¶ 10:38 AM 0 Comments

  We just have to wait and see if the Prime Minister keeps his latest promise The Prime Minister has suddenly seen it fit to announce that the public will see the results of the government’s “hard work” by the middle of next year. He said in reports attributed to Associated Press and Bernama that three years in power is simply not enough time for him and his team to deliver on his election promises. With Malaysians already divided about the quality of his leadership thus far, the Prime Minister would do well to deliver on his latest promise, even if it’s a little late in the game. I would like to venture a thought that what can he possible achieve by the middle of next year that would so astound and amaze Malaysians that his under-achieving lean years of the first three years, could magically become a tiny footnote in history? Well, we have no choice but to take the Prime Minister’s word on this. I wish him luck.

While I am the first to give the Prime Minister credit to give the perception that there is more press freedom, which has given our once meek mainstream media a little more “testicular fortitude” (as a dear friend puts it), there are no other notable achievements he can boast of. His biotechnology dreams so hyped up in the first year seemed to have shriveled up in a quiet spot somewhere out of the public limelight to die. The financial sector seems to be in limbo, with nary a word about how Malaysia’s much-touted Capital Master Plan launched in 2002 is progressing. Indeed, the Prime Minister who is also the Finance Minister has adroitly remained discreet about how he intended to develop the country’s finance sector. It is no wonder that the capital market is still direction-less. Agriculture is another sector where a lot were written about how the Prime Minister is going to revitalize this high-potential sector and drag it kicking and screaming into the 21st century. To date, the sector remains sluggish, with no news of the much-promised dramatic developments which can help the nation cut its substantial food import bill.

In the small matter of foreign direct investments inflow, we have slipped below Indonesia for the first time since 1990. For the record, this shocking development happened under the Prime Minister’s watch. Many can also notice the once-formidable Minister for International Trade and Industry Datuk Paduka Rafidah Aziz’s reluctance to appear in the public eye, as Malaysia’s reputation as a investment hub continues to take a beating, with the rise of more hungry nations like Vietnam. Come to think of it, many Ministries seem to be employing this stance – by staying out of the public eye.

It was a starkly different picture when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was in power; every other day, a host of ministries will be talking about initiating this plan and that program. The newspapers were full of such news. This country has a sense of purpose then even if some programs may not have made any sense. I had covered more than my fair share of such news when I was with the newspapers. It is no surprise the Ministers were working; they were terrified of Tun as he was a hard task master, exhorting and demanding his Ministries to keep performing. I am not a fan of Tun, but he was undoubtedly a leader of men. These days, the Ministries seem to be cruising along with no burden of expectations weighing down on its shoulders. Is it any surprise then that people in the corporate sector and my newspaper vendor tell me that the country has no captain?  ¶ 3:48 PM 0 Comments

  Condoning money politics in UMNO “Dalam UMNO kita bagi orang makan. Itu adat bila nak bertanding.” says UMNO Supreme Council member Nazri Azis who coincidentally is also the de-facto Law Minister of Malaysia in an interview with The Star’s Malay-language website. When it comes to UMNO, It’s all about a free lunch isn’t it? Nazri is nakedly condoning money politics if we go by his statement as cited by The Star. In this interview, Nazri categorically stated that the Anti Corruption Agency (ACA) has no powers to take action against any UMNO member accused of bribery and money politics. He was quoted as saying UMNO members need only answer to the party’s disciplinary committee and that they enjoy immunity from anti-corruption laws of the country.

Nazri was further quoted as saying that questionable action, if any, committed by party members have nothing to do with the public interest, and in a perverse twist, ends this statement by claiming the definition of bribery in the context of UMNO is at odds with the laws of Malaysia. What is he implying? That UMNO is above the rule of law and beyond the ambit of decency? Any notion of decency has already been grotesquely warped by supporters of a Selangor UMNO “self-made warlord” blessed with enough money to build an illegal palace, when they publicly declared their admiration and support for their hero Zakaria Deros who is merely standing up for “maruah Melayu” by his vulgar display of wealth. Is “maruah Melayu” also only worth RM200 as claimed by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he was bulldozed out of the way in his attempt to win a seat in the Kubang Pasu UMNO divisional elections?

Nazri’s statements, from no less the acting Law Minister himself and a staunch UMNO man, reveals a shocking nonchalant attitude towards the sanctity of law. The law is the only instrument that determines the success and failure of nations. History is replete with enough examples for a sane person not to conclude otherwise. Malaysia will be in danger of being on the road towards failed state-status if we as a nation do not wake up from this stupor. If Nazri is trying to fool anyone by saying that UMNO is UMNO and the government of Malaysia is a different coloured beast, he is spinning out of any realm of reality. Everybody familiar with Malaysia, knows the opposite is true and no rose-watered comments from the mouths of people purportedly looking after the nation’s interests will change that in this day and era.

So by his logic, we should leave UMNO members alone as they find creative ways to enrich themselves, as such acts do not interfere in the running of the government. Wrong. UMNO IS the government, and the act of graft in any language or circumstance, is a deep stain on the government. And this stain is getting harder to remove and it gets further entrenched and synonymous with government, what with the likes of Zakaria Deros being a symbol of what UMNO has become. More than ever, Malaysia needs a credible, strong Opposition, to help stem the deterioration that has already started eating away at the foundations of our nationhood.  ¶ 11:39 PM 0 Comments