Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Strength of the Malays, PAS co-operating with UMNO & of Biotech competition in the south

Had an intellectual chat with a senior OP whom I highly respect. When I was 17, he was actually the first person lecturing my peers and I about the history of the Malacca sultanate, the special rights of the Malays and that we should not be ashamed of having that constitutional provision. He also instilled a sense of nationalism in our head and continuously reminded us that we have the responsibility to the nation to serve to lead.

Fast forward to 11 years later, I still see the same spirit in him when talking about the present political landscape. We both agreed that the provision in Article 153 of the Constitution has been opened to abuse by people driven by greed and lust of power. He agreed that race-based politics was by design not intention, that the colonial masters had established the system in such a way that the basis of politics is racial background. I personally think that we would see this trend diminish in the urban areas.

On the sensitivities among the non-Malays about Article 153, he argued that the non-Malays should not feel threatened as long as the policy is administered well. The Malays should be the ones protecting not only their interests but also ensuring that the entitlement for others is not compromised (with power comes great responsibility).

Malays who have been offered scholarships and have completed their studies must fulfill their contractual obligations. Those who were offered loans and defaulted should be punished severely for abusing the privilege. Same goes with leaders who flaunt openly with their wealth and mansions. The decline of moral in leaders and the Malaysian citizens is apparent. The respect of law and order has also diminished extensively. Mat rempits should be taken off the streets and forced to conduct community service or be sent to jail for rehab or labor work (this would reduce the need for foreign workers by 5% in the construction industry).

We also talked about our alma mater and the merits of relocation. He did convince me that relocation made some sense. First of all, the buildings that we have were not meant to last long. The walls of the dormitories are made of asbestos and the whole structure is slowly falling apart. The relocation would enable us to build something more resilient and relevant to current times. This should be a permanent feature and we must ensure that the construction is solid to avoid another relocation in 50 years. It should reflect the greatness of RMC but not too much that it pampers the boys too much. I'm just worried about the close proximity of the power lines. The old buildings should remain in the hands of RMC, not NDU. Allocation should also be put aside for the International Baccalaureate program. MCKK and TKC are the other 2 schools intending to implement the same system within the next few years.

On the poor participation among the young ones to give back, he agreed that youths are typically highly-driven and energetic. They should focus their energies and ideas into actions and also listen to wise old men for advice.

Other news:
  • PAS cannot be taken lightly. With 83 seats compared to DAP's 73 and PKR's 40, it is the actual backbone of PR with 2 states under its belt. Why is it consulting with UMNO? Another crack in the coalition? Even Selangor PAS youths are giving the subtle hints.
  • Meanwhile, is Malaysia Biotech Corp ready to take on Singapore? "One ground-breaking proposal is to let promising biotech firms list even if they do not have a financial track record. The move could make Singapore the first stop for such firms in Asia". That is a very bold and competitive move. How will we counter this and continue to attract investors?
  • On food price increase: Even religious ceremonies were not spared.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your discussion is a neutral and somewhat informed one and is the ideal. However, it is NOT happening in reality to the ideal. And who bears the brunt of the irresponsibility of power and suffers the most, and fears the most? The non-Malays.

1) Malays keep saying non-Malays have wealth. This is racist and a big LIE. Do you see every Indian driving a Bentley? It's only a select few Malays, Chinese and Indians who have all the wealth! Go to Damansara Heights. So many filthy rich Malays there! The rest of the Chinese and Indians still sell vegetables at markets or newspapers! Bloody racist lie.

2) Malays keep saying non-Malay businesses don't hire Malays. WELL, because
2a) Malays are a pampered lot - they expect job security while taking a lot of sick leave and tea breaks - an attitude encouraged by the civil service
2b) ALL the government departments, including GLCs like Petronas have highly discriminatory polices towards non-Malays when it comes to hiring and promotion. The jobs from these agencies are much more than those available from private businesses. Who are the racist ones now???

bats said...

sounds like you had a good chat la...

eh, on the canned pork shortage in the little red dot, i suggest we export la. Federal livestock agency advising farmers to cut production, tapi down south, ada shortage of sorts apa.. can make money maa. it might be a simplistic suggestion la, but i'm sure there is some shortage that can be filled.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/15/nation/21825316&sec=nation

opcharlie said...

thanks for the comments. can't argue that all the Malays are righteous, likewise all Chinese, Indians, etc. My modus operandi is to work within the system. The fact of life is that we can't beat the system, whether it's politics, working in multinationals, civil service etc. I didnt say it was easy or it will take a fortnight to fix it. It is a continuous process. It may take 4 more generations to fix it. The key is to ensure continuity. thanks again for the comments.

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opcharlie said...

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