Singapore - Friend or Foe?

Mariam Mokhtar

May 13, 2013

Malaysiakini

The greatest fear of the Singapore government is a Malaysia that is better governed and less corrupt. The extraordinary events in Malaysia over the past few years, plus the courageous stand of her citizens in the last few days, has been closely monitored from across the causeway.

If the infection spreads, the pent up feelings of Singaporeans may be unleashed. The two nations have a shared history. 

Singapore may be a first world nation, but when it comes to an outpouring of feelings, the Singaporeans still look up to their cousins in Malaysia.   

Dictatorship could be described as the new democracy in our neck of the woods; Umno Baru’s Najib Abdul Razak together with his Singaporean counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong, have every reason to be rattled by the ‘Anwar Ibrahim phenomenon’. 

Not since independence has Malaysia been rocked by a political force which has captured the rakyat’s sense of frustration at the nation’s archaic order. 

The older generation are weary of the wanton waste of resources, the lack of discipline shown by its leaders and the disintegration of society. The young yearn for a new order where their contributions are acknowledged, where everyone is treated as equals and where they are rewarded for hard work, rather than their connections. 

Anwar has articulated their needs and galvanised the rakyat into action. Two weeks ago, some Malaysians residing in Singapore were cautioned by the Singapore police for reminding Malaysians to return home to vote. A few days ago, some were arrested in Merlion Park for protesting about the fraud perpetrated during GE13. The Singaporean government does not like its citizens to have a mind of their own. 

Najib wants Malaysia to be “the best democracy in the world”, but the hallmarks of his version of democracy are cheating, intimidation and bribery. In Singapore, the authorities also intimidate and take legal action against anyone who dares besmirch the characters of its leaders. 

In Malaysia, insecure Malays reject the DAP because of the implied threat that Malaysia will be swallowed up by Singapore. Their fears are enhanced by some Chinese Malaysians, who look up to an idealised version of Singapore. Singapore absorbed many of them into learning institutions, gave them scholarships and jobs. These Malaysians forget that the price paid for Singapore’s transformation into a first world nation has been high. 

'Soulless inhabitants'

What use are towers that reach up to the sky when deep down, its inhabitants lack a soul?  Children suffer from mental health issues because of academic pressures. Adults complain of a poor work-life balance. Many Singaporeans are unhappy and a number of them have migrated.

When Anwar held a talk at the London School of Economics a few years ago, the event was oversubscribed and several hundred participants were accommodated in an adjoining lecture theatre to listen to him via video link.

The audience were mainly young adults in their early twenties, but the most amazing thing, was that a sizeable proportion were Singaporeans. 

Many people disagreed with me, when in an article, I mentioned the possibility that Singapore feared a strong, successful and less corrupt Malaysia, and that the People's Action Party (PAP) would prefer Umno Baru to govern Malaysia, rather than an Anwar-led administration. 

Without a doubt, Singapore is clean, its public transport is efficient, the entertainment and the promotion of the arts is good, English is widely spoken, it is safe, local and international cuisines are easily available, and the island state is an international transport hub. 

In many ways, Singapore is like Malaysia. Both have state-controlled media, its armed forces are dominated by one race, and they are ruled by autocratic governments. The cost of living is high, housing and car ownership are expensive. 

Both Malaysia’s Umno Baru government and the Singapore PAP have alienated themselves from the population. 

Although change is within the grasp of the ordinary Malaysian, change in the near future is only a dream for many Singaporeans. Wasn’t it Lee Kuan Yew (left) who once said, “...I spent a whole lifetime building this, and as long as I am in charge, nobody is going to knock it down.” 

Like Dr Mahathir Mohamad, will Lee ever relinquish his hold on the island? Last month’s Global Witness exposé highlighted the flip-side of the financial world of Singapore. It appears that dodgy South-East Asian governments and drug barons find Singapore a convenient place to launder money. 

To add to Singapore’s woes, there are the worldwide syndicated football rigging and sex scandals which have rocked the world. Only the naive would think that corruption does not exist in Singapore - they are simply better at concealing their underhanded practices. An acquaintance who handled the Malaysian side of business for a Singapore firm, alleged that he was given a sizeable allocation to sweeten any business deals in Malaysia. 

The Singaporeans like to project a clean image, but it is the Malaysians who gets the bad  reputation. The government of Singapore is concerned by the moral awakening in their people, but they fear most the economic repercussions if Umno Baru were to be replaced. If Anwar’s administration gave Malaysians meritocracy, and excellent learning institutions were open to all, the majority of Malaysians would not need to go to Singapore to study. 

No more brain drain?

There are tales of children being woken up at 4am to travel to Singapore to go to school because their parents could not enrol them in a local Malaysian school. Bright children are deprived of scholarships because they belong to the wrong race or religion. Families are broken up when some family members moved to Singapore for employment. 

Singapore has every right to be scared if Umno Baru were ousted. The brain drain would stop. If working conditions in Malaysia were improved, the daily migration of workers to Singapore would be stemmed and Singapore might suffer a shortage of workers. If corruption was reduced, Malaysia would attract more foreign investment. 

The feeling of xenophobia is high in Singapore, and is mostly directed at the Chinese from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Singaporeans consider them to be loud, brash, arrogant and lacking in culture. They are wary of their government’s desire to attract more people from the PRC to increase the dwindling population, to take care of the elderly and to bolster the economy. 

The recent wave of xenophobia in Malaysia was generated by Umno Baru because it gave away identity cards (ICs) to foreigners - like the Filipinos and Indonesians - in exchange for votes to stay in power. 

Leaders in Umno Baru have lost valuable Malaysian land to the Singaporeans, such as the Pedra Banca island off Johor and the land swap deal involving Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) land in Singapore. 

To increase their land mass, Singaporeans have obtained sand from Malaysia, through legal and illegal means. The buying power of the Singapore currency means that they can buy property cheaply in Malaysia and in some places, have priced the locals out of the housing market.   

In Ipoh, Singaporeans have built skyscrapers beside limestone hills and many locals fear that this has set a precedent and before long, the natural beauty of Ipoh will be marred forever. The Perak Umno Baru seem oblivious to the concerns of the locals. 

A clean and efficient government can improve our economy, but Umno Baru will continue to hamper our progress. Without cronyism and corruption, Malaysia will emerge a stronger, richer nation, no longer the poor relation of Singapore.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak', this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

鄭丁賢‧洋蔥剝出的悖論

以東姑阿都拉曼來和馬哈迪比較，唔，恕我直言，是對東姑不敬。然而，又怎麼會將兩位前首相扯在一起，進行比較？

話說，沙巴非法移民皇家調查庭開始剝洋蔥，每剝一層，都透露許多機密；當然，一些所謂的機密，早已為人所知，只是如今在皇家調查庭公開，意義不同凡響。

洋蔥終於剝到核心，有當事人供證，馬哈迪任內批准了20萬公民權，讓非法移民登堂入室，成為大馬公民。這一下，馬哈迪被嗆到了；但是，狡黠如他者，自然能夠編造出一套悖論，藉以脫圍。

且聽他怎麼說：“我建議成立另一個皇家調查庭，去調查東姑阿都拉曼，何以在獨立前，提供公民權給100萬外來移民。＂

馬爺爺的言下之意：既然東姑當年提供公民權給華人和印裔移民，我馬哈迪為甚麼不能提供公民權給菲律賓非法移民？能夠提出這種悖論，除了腦袋要靈活，而且臉皮也要有厚度。否則，又怎能玩弄歷史，有辱先賢！說它是悖論，在於表面上似乎能夠自圓其說，實質上並不能通過邏輯和真相的驗證。

東姑年代100萬公民權，有法律依據，獲得各方認同，且是公開透明的進行。

其出發點在於偉大而無私的目標，就是爭取國家獨立，成立馬來亞聯合邦，讓各族和平團結的共同建立一個家國。獨立之前，獲得國際認可，英國政府和馬來亞人民支持的李特制憲團（Reid Commission）對成立馬來亞聯合邦進行研究和調查，它在報告中建議，華人和印裔等居民，已經是馬來亞不可分割的一部份，因此，若成立獨立國家，應該給予他們公民權。

有了李特制憲團的報告，爾後才有馬來亞憲法；這部憲法提供華印裔公民權，與此同時，也交換馬來人在某些領域擁有特殊權利。這是當年的社會契約，以憲法和契約為基礎，才有馬來亞聯合邦，以及後來的馬來西亞聯邦。

東姑並不是憑個人的喜好，或是私人的利益，而發出100萬公民權；東姑只是一個執行者，他依照合法途徑，在各族人民認可之下，以公開和透明的方式，發出公民權。而馬哈迪任內，又是如何發出數十萬公民權給菲律賓非法移民？

這個計劃是暗中進行，沒有經過國會辯論和批准，甚至沒有在內閣通過，而只是幾個掌權者的個人意願。這個計劃也不符合國家的需要，它加重了政府的財政負擔，加劇社會問題，也破壞了原有的人口和政治平衡。而它造成的衝擊，是為馬哈迪，或是當時的政權提供選票，以便得到執政沙巴的優勢。這是基於個人和黨派的利益，而不是為了國家和人民的利益。

馬哈迪顛倒的不僅是歷史，也是正義。皇家調查庭要挺住，繼續剝洋蔥，即使未能挽回歷史，也要還社會一個公道。

鄭丁賢‧國陣（和民聯）要擔心的事

或許，國陣並沒有預料，112大集會能夠掀起熱潮。

過去的紀錄顯示，不包括淨選盟大集會，如果是民聯號召的集會，一般上，出席者在萬人以內；即使是大規模動員，也很難突破2、3萬人。1萬到3萬人上街，可以理解是民聯的中堅分子，也是積極的反對者；不管民聯是否有表現，也不管國陣有否改變，他們都是吃了秤砣鐵了心，跟定了民聯。這樣的一個數目，是國陣能夠消化的數目；只要能夠控制在這個數目以內，對國陣的衝擊就有限。

國陣的期望，在於沉默的多數，如果更多人民保持觀望態度，就還有爭取他們的機會。國陣手上有各種的資源，民聯也會犯下錯誤；等待和爭取，這也是納吉遲遲不解散國會的原因。但是，112的人群，遠遠超過了國陣的預估，也翻轉了國陣的棋盤。不管是警方估計的5萬人，民聯稱的10萬人，甚至外界機構評估的15萬人，都比國陣預估的人數，翻了倍。多了好幾萬人，這些人是哪兒來的？他們為何會響應民聯的號召？是否政府和警方採取溫和姿態，鼓勵了更多人走上街？

這是國陣急著要找出的答案。

如果以10萬人作為一個參照數，代表著過去許多消極的民聯支持者，以及政治中立者，如今改變了態度；他們放棄了沉默的立場，投向民聯，成為積極的民聯支持者。這些人當中，過去沒有固定或堅定的政黨傾向；然而，他們是政治醒覺的一代，關心社會課題，重視國家的發展。他們被許多課題所牽引，從政府的施政、經濟發展的差距、環保的爭議，政界和公共服務界的貪腐，乃至選舉的公正透明等等，在在激發他們的關注。他們要一個有前途的國家，希望擁有一個更美好的社會；這也是公民社會的期盼。

當他們認為政府不能滿足這些期盼，或是政府的改革速度太慢，他們就站了出來，以行動表達意願。一旦民聯的訴求和他們契合，他們就走出沉默，放棄被動姿態，認同民聯的立場。

他們成為積極的反對者之後，會造成滾雪球的效應，影響更多的人群。當更多原來的沉默者放棄國陣，就是國陣要擔心的事。

至於問說，如果當局採取高壓方式，是否會阻止人們上街抗議？

我的答案是否定的。人們依然會走出來，如果遭到打壓，他們會更加憤怒；這股情緒，會發酵得更快，更遠。

國陣做對的事，就是以和平姿態回應，贏回了一些聲譽；否則結果會更糟。擔心之外，國陣能做的，就是加速改革，挽回其他沉默者的信心；至於民聯，要維持這種聲勢和動力，就應該避免犯錯。

伊斯蘭黨吉打州政府的措施，對民聯是一種傷害；“阿拉＂字眼的挑起和內鬨，也使民聯受挫；兩者處理不好，會是它滑下坡的開始。


Tay Tian Yan, Sin Chew Daily (English translation)

Barisan Nasional (BN) probably had not anticipated that the January 12 rally could cause a stir at all. Past records show that rallies initiated by Pakatan Rakyat, other than the Bersih rallies, could only manage under-10,000 attendance, at best 20,000 to 30,000 on full mobilisation.

The 10,000 to 30,000 that took to the streets could be easily seen as diehard supporters of the opposition pact that would remain loyal whether Pakatan had performed up to the mark or BN had put in any effort to change. Such a figure could be easily digested by BN and so long as the attendance was placed within this bracket, the impact it would leave on the ruling coalition would be minimal. BN laid its hopes on the silent majority. So long as these people adopted a wait-and-watch attitude, BN should be able to bring them into its fold.

BN has vast resources at its disposal and Pakatan can make mistakes at times. That explains why Najib prefers to wait instead of rushing to dissolve the Parliament.

The attendance of last weekend’s rally far exceeded the estimates of the BN government. Whether it was the 50,000 estimated by the police, the 100,000 claimed by BN, or even the 150,000 some others have estimated, the figure was way higher than what the BN had anticipated. Where did these additional participants come from? Why had so many answered Pakatan’s call? Could the moderate stance adopted by the police and government embolden the masses to take to the streets?

This is what BN was eager to find out.

If we take 100,000 as a reference, it shows that many erstwhile passive Pakatan supporters and political neutrals have indeed changed their minds. They refused to stay silent and chose to throw their arms around Pakatan. Some of them did not have a firm or solid political inclination in the past but have now begun to care about social issues and national development.

They were led there by a plethora of factors ranging from dismal government policies, discrepancies in economic development, environmental concerns, widespread public sector corruption and lack of transparency in electoral procedures, among others. They want a country with a bright future, a more promising society. When they felt the government had failed them, or the government had slackened in implementing its reform agenda, they rose up to demonstrate their feelings.

The moment Pakatan’s appeals met with their aspirations, they would walk out of their passivity and silent past to embrace Pakatan.

When they have become active opponents to the government, a snowballing effect would ensue, enticing more people to their camp. BN should become truly worried when more and more people have chosen to drop their silence, and the ruling coalition.

As for whether a tough crackdown could stop the people from going to the street, I would say no. People would still pour out onto the streets and if subjected to oppressive operations from the government, will be more enraged, bringing the anti-government sentiment way further and broader than anyone could cope with.

What BN did right was to respond with a peaceful gesture which has spared it from much more horrible eventualities. Something that BN can do now is to expedite reforms to win over the rest of the silent majority.

As for Pakatan, it has to make sure not to commit even the slightest mistakes to sustain the momentum. The policies of PAS-led Kedah state government have dealt a blow to the integrity of Pakatan Rakyat; so have the controversies over the use of the word “Allah.” Improper handling of either could signal the start of its downfall.

People's Uprising Rally - Why Are We Here Today?

Today is 12 Jan 2013, why we are here?

Around 100,000 people in and outside of Stadium Merdeka gathering today,  for  the 'Uprising' rally - to express dissatisfaction to our Government. 

"Enough is enough, the people must rise up. This corrupt regime must be dropped. We must remove the corrupt government! We will come together in the next general election, we will choose a good government that will listen to the people, the choice is in our hands.” 

- Wang Tack, one of the NGO leaders gave the speech during the rally.

Yes, that is the reason why we are here today!

This is NOT a rubbish bag, but a donation bag! 

Anwar of PKR

Lim Guan Eng of DAP.

Ambiga of Bersih

The following is the speech of Ambiga Sreenevasan.

- Co-chairperson of Bersih (Bersih is a non-partisan NGO fighting for the people and safeguard the people’s rights in the coming general election): 

My friends, why are we here today?

Why have we chosen to give up our Saturday to gather here? Together. Again.

The answer is, we love our country. We care about Malaysia. We care about Malaysians. Our children, our parents, their future, our future.

And more importantly we are here because we have hope. We think that a better Malaysia is within our grasp. We know it is. I know it is. And it is all because of you ! A rakyat that cares enough to do something about achieving a bright future for our country .

As far as Bersih 2.0 is concerned, we just want clean and fair elections. If there is to be change in the leadership, we want to do it through the ballot box. Our objectives are clear and clean and fair. Our message to all the political parties is: Respect our rights as citizens, honor our vote, and, give us clean and fair elections!

Yet I have unhappy news ! By all accounts, GE 13 will be far from clean and fair. I will not go into the details, many of you know them. The recent fiasco with the over- seas voters is yet another example. The suggested process is not clean, not transparent and the conditions that have been imposed on overseas voters are not, in my view, constitutional.

So why am I so sure the election will not be clean and fair? Well, one of the easiest demands to fulfill is to give free and fair access to the media to all parties. It takes just a phone call. Yet we see no move towards that and the mainstream media continues with its skewed and often dishonest reports. It shows a complete lack of political will to even the playing field between the parties.

Does that mean, however, that we throw in the towel? That we walk away in despair? On the contrary, Bersih has two important projects that we have launched which we believe will make a difference in the next elections.

The first is our project called PEMANTAU, a citizens’ observer mission. This is not a new concept as it has been carried out in numerous countries. Studies have found that citizen observer missions can reduce political violence and fraud.

We are excited about this project and we are looking out for approximately 10,000 volunteers to help us cover 30-40 per cent of the total number of constituencies.

The second project is to bring out the vote. (Keluar mengundi, lawan penipuan). Although our voter turnout is high, a higher turnout will help to mitigate fraud to some extent. Both these projects need your help and your input. Both are projects of the people, for the people and by the people.

So there is much work to be done. And we can all be involved to ensure as far as possible, that fraud and discrepancies can be minimised in the 13th GE. Knowing the rakyat I know you will rise to the occasion as the nation calls to you to take part in its future.

As that famous song goes, my fellow Malaysians, “This is it”!!

The Price of Vision

RPK.... Man of Vision

Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”

Those who were standing near Paul said, “You dare to insult God’s high priest?”

How dare I insult the system? Where do I come off insulting the powers that be, the traditional leading influences of the day? Where do I get the audacity to speak up and demand change?

I do it, as Paul, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and others did, because of my conscience. Conscience is literally calling me out to proclaim a higher reality. Conscience has attacked my moral amnesia and caused me to remember that we were all created in the image and likeness of God and that anything else is an impersonation, an illusion, and an outright deception.

Truth demands expression, and its call is irresistible. In scripture, the word conscience is the Greek word suneidesis, which means “co-perception” -- that is “accompanying moral consciousness and awareness.”

Conscience is, in effect, to have uncommon knowledge or awareness. It is the consciousness and awareness of the soul. It is not only what you know but what you undeniably are.

THE PRICE OF VISION

People like the Apostle Paul, Dr. King, Rosa Parks and Gandhi had this common awareness. They saw what others either didn’t see or refused to acknowledge. The mystical or metaphorical meaning of the word conscience is to see as God perceives, to see things as they can become. Or perhaps as they are in another reality, rather than as they appear.

Mind you, I do not flatter myself with comparisons to these giants. I humbly submit that I can only hope to capture some small shadow of the light of their greatness and courage. I bring them up only to illustrate that to perceive things outside the box and to try to bring about both spiritual and practical evolution and revolution inevitably comes with a great price.

Visionary minds are always met with violent opposition born of fear. Higher knowledge is costly. It cost Galileo, Dr. King, Gandhi, Paul the Apostle, Jesus, and scores of lesser knowns their lives or livelihoods. People who hear the call to conscience follow what they know inwardly -- what they know in consciousness or at higher levels of awareness. I call this irresistible knowing. It is a form of divinely transcendent memory.

Dr. King remembered his vision of a world “where my four little children…will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character” from another consciousness. He recalled the innate knowledge we all share as our birthright: that we are all safe with God and that we all participate in the fullness of the Divine and the continuing creation and evolution of this world.

Somehow, in our very human failure, we forgot this truth.

Perhaps we buried it beneath the strata of dogma, politics, legalism and lust for power. But Dr. King reminded the world that indeed all people were and are created equal.

This is the message of Jesus and all Hs true disciples, both Christian and non-Christian (Abraham, Prophet Muhammad, Buddha, etc. included). The call of my conscience is to hear and herald this same powerful truth to my generation.

Such resolution can cost you. You can lose things, people, friends, family, reputation, position, and even your life, simply because of what you profess to know and how you see things, especially if it is different from what others see or will admit.

My vision initially cost me dearly in terms of finances and possessions, status and relationships, and my self-imposed illusions about how loving and tolerant many of my Christian brethren and friends were.

It turns out that many of them were loving and tolerant so long as they believed I thought as they did. Once I did not, I became to them a heretic, rebel, or radical, and to some a perceived adversary.

1Choice for Malaysia

Mariam Mokhtar - A True Malaysian!

Malaysia's upcoming general election offers the country its most significant choice for several decades. The political tsunami of 2008 was an eye-opener. At the second Pakatan Rakyat convention in Kepala Batas, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang acknowledged the weaknesses in the opposition pact and urged party member to unite and remain focused. The nation faces enormous challenges in the years to come. The economic demands are tremendous. The next government needs to stabilise the economy and stimulate growth in the private sector. It has to deal with its burgeoning debt, cut subsidies and rein in borrowings if it does not want to risk bankruptcy.

Our problems are not just economic. We are faced with a rising tide of extremism from Malay groups, borders which are porous, a rise in Islamic fundamentalism, a rise in racist incidents, problems in our schools and hospitals, the destruction of the police and judiciary, babies being abandoned, high levels of corruption and a weakening of civic society. These problems demand a robust solution and a strong government to tackle them. The burning question is: Which party is best suited to lead us out of this quagmire? PKR recently held elections, whilst BN and the other component parties have deferred theirs. DAP and Gerakan have followed suit. This is indicative of the pressures these political parties face. All want to mount a strong challenge when the country goes to the polls. The parties have resolved to capture the imagination of the voters and the differences between them are obvious. BN believes that only it can solve the country's economic and social ills. Its slogan 1Malaysia remains just that - a slogan because in practice, certain races are held back by an invisible wall - the ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) concept.

In contrast, the Pakatan coalition believes that it can do a better job. It realises that the public mindset is changing. Race-based politics is a thing of the past. It is convinced that Malaysia is an increasing enlightened nation which believes in justice, the recognition of the rights of everyone regardless of race and that each Malaysian desires to be a part of the nation and be able to contribute towards its future. The future of Malaysia, according to the BN administration, is to capitalise on mega-projects to boost the economy, just as during the Mahathir era.

In his Budget 2011 debate, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said the BN's obsession with “grandeur” will presage its fall. He said: “This rush for symbolic mega-projects, supposedly to portray pride for the country, is being repeated now under the present prime minister. Here I would like to question the wisdom of Permodalan Nasional Bhd's order from the government to involve itself in mega projects.” One of these is the 100-storey Warisan Merdeka skyscraper which is expected to cost over RM5 billion. When completed, it will be the tallest building in Malaysia.

Risky strategy PM Najib Abdul Razak's plans for mega-projects to stimulate the economy is risky as it fails to consider the country's current economic standing and the need to lower the budget deficit and improve competitiveness. Minister in the PrimeMinister's Department Idris Jala has said that Malaysia's debt would rise to 100 percent of GDP by 2019 from the current 54% if the government does not cut subsidies. He said: “We do not want to be another Greece. We do not want to end up like Greece with a total debt of EUR300 billion. Our deficit rose to record high of RM47 billion last year.” Malaysia's foreign direct investment (FDI), he said, dropped 81 per cent from RM23.47 billion in 2008 to RM4.43 billion in 2009, in comparison with Thailand which recorded an FDI of RM19.01 billion and Indonesia with RM19.08 billion.

Pakatan has warned of an economic crisis due to crony capitalism and corruption; a social crisis due to narrow racial policies; and a political crisis due to democratic fatigue arising from the BN's abuses of power. Corrupt practices only bring benefits to cronies and hefty losses to the people. Malaysia's failure to attract foreign investment shows a desperate need for change in the management of the economy. Both good governance and a need to improve its competitive edge are vital. Pakatan has decided to uphold a joint policy and welfare programme to defend the people based on four basic principles:

• A transparent and real democracy
• A high and stable economic performance
• Social justice and human development
• A close relationship between state-federal and international policies

Armed with these principles, Pakatan is determined to make Malaysia a better place. The three parties may have their roots in different ideologies – PAS (Islamic credentials), DAP (social ideology) and PKR (liberal ideals).

Perhaps you would prefer to have a government which relies on the Internal Security Act to stifle criticism, one in which corruption goes unchecked and where the judiciary and police are mere stooges of the state. In order to make the necessary changes to this country, Anwar and his coalition must have a clear mandate to govern. The best choice for Malaysia is in your hands.

Vote wisely! May all your wishes come true - Happy Christmas!

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

This is my home. I care....

Winds of Change (1of2)

We cannot afford to have crooks or prima donnas represent us. We need those men and women of unquestionable good character to step forward and present themselves. We need to outnumber the baddies at least 2 to 1. We need to provide the average voter with a choice he or she has no trouble making.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Americk Sidhu

In my naivety I have often wondered why people choose to become politicians. It is a seemingly thankless task. Thankless because you are theoretically representing thousands of people and there is no way you can please them all. You have to deal with disgruntlement almost every day. This can be quite soul destroying, especially when your salary is not commensurate with the headaches associated with the job. A job that actually takes up 24 hours of each day, 7 days a week and no one ever says ‘thank you’. You would have to be a masochist to want to be a politician.

But people do become politicians. Few are driven by a sense of sincere altruism and a desire to be part of the guiding process that brings about necessary improvement and change for the better. Unfortunately these few are fast becoming an endangered species. They are the ones who get left behind. They are the ones who are laughed at by the rest. And because of the ‘system’ in place, they don’t last very long. If they want to survive past the next election they have to either beat the system or become part of it. It is easier to swim with the tide than against it, especially if you are a novice in this game and are awestruck by the endless possibilities that access to power delivers to your doorstep via a code of unwritten convention.

Let us look at the possible reasons why a semi decent human being gets derailed once he or she becomes a politician. This is contrast to those whose aspirations are far less than commendable a long time before they embark on the road to stardom but are nevertheless honed in to the current and relevant methodology. In other words, there are those who know exactly what they are doing and what they expect out of it.

The first reason would have to be a lack of stamina when it comes to the financial implications of being a YB. One would be forgiven for thinking an ADUN or an Ahli Parlimen would be rewarded handsomely for their efforts. This is not the case. Let’s just study the current salary scale of our elected members of Parliament.

Prime Minister : RM 22,826.56

Deputy Prime Minister: RM 18,168.50

Minister : RM 14,168.50

Deputy Minister : RM 10,847.56

MP (Dewan Rakyat) : RM 6,580.59

MP (Dewan Negara) : RM 4,112.79

Now who on earth is able to survive on these figures and yet afford to lead the type of lifestyle expected of our elected representatives? You cannot possibly be a ‘Yang Berhormat’ without a Mercedes, Lexus, BMW or a combination of all three, a home to put ‘Southfork’ to shame, Gucci suits, a wife and a couple of mistresses or a couple of wives and a mistress, apartments in London, New York and Monaco, Swiss bank accounts, children educated in expensive English boarding schools and Ivy League Universities and drinking copious quantities of ridiculously priced red wine every night.

If you didn’t do all this you would lose respect. The ordinary rakyat is expected to honour and admire an elected representative who is able to portray this air of prosperity, ill defined elegance, bad taste and excessiveness. The ordinary man in the street has been programmed to expect and accept all this without question.

How do these YBs afford all this on their miserable stipends?

This query becomes even more relevant when one considers the extra and necessary expense incurred in the handouts any elected representative is expected to dish out to members of his or her constituency who request one for a variety of reasons ranging from having to purchase school books for the kids to having to pay overdue electric bills.

There has to be a fund set aside to appease the potential voter, who, of course, has been indoctrinated to assume that his YB is a man of means and can therefore afford to pay his bills for him. This voter is playing the system. He knows he will get money if he asks for it. He knows YB cannot refuse him because YB needs his vote to perpetuate his own political existence. He knows old YB is scamming on the side so why not ask for a few bucks? After all, they are only the crumbs.

Therefore, the YB not only has to pay for his mistresses, expensive clothing, financially debilitating education fees, his BMWs, overseas property, Chateau de Rothschild Cabernet but also the everyday expenses of his constituents.

All this on RM 6,000.00 a month?

Winds of Change (2of2)

Now let’s get real. That’s not the way it works. That RM 6,000.00 a month is not even pocket money. It is merely a token gesture. The real bucks come from all those side deals. This is the real reason why the YB is in politics. Lucrative contracts for the company set up in his wife’s or sister’s name. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. That’s when the money pours in. Everyone wants a piece of the action because there is a never ending supply of money. You just turn the tap on and leave it dripping forever. The problem is the water supply is coming from Sungai Rakyat.

What happens when this river runs dry? Well YB et famille will be fine. They would have stored all this water for a rainy day. The chaps on the river bank will die of thirst. It wouldn’t matter anymore whether they could vote or not. The heist would have been complete. The victims would be left in a stupor, stunned and bewildered. They kept their peace during the robbery and chose not to be involved. It was best then not to rock the boat. Live and let live. After all we still had our rice to eat. Status quo was hunky dory. Everyone knew YB was amassing great reserves but no one cared because that’s what YBs do. Par for the course. That was the system. Why would we want to get involved. Money is power and vice versa. Our station in life was to sit by the banks of that river and watch the waters flow away. It was not our culture to complain, or at least that was what we were led to believe. Damage now done. What to do next?

Rant, rave, sulk, criticise, condemn and remonstrate? But it will be too late for all this. Hindsight would be as useful as an ice cube in an oven. The horse would have bolted so forget about closing the stable door. You brought this upon yourselves. You wouldn’t listen. You had the choice but you chose instant gratification instead. You were too spell bound by hollow rhetoric to be able to think. You were too mesmerised by talk of grandeur and prosperity to see the bigger picture. You were hoodwinked and now you feel pretty silly. It was a scam from the start. You gave your vote to the wrong guy. You sold your soul to the devil and the devil fed off your weaknesses. You are now up the creek without a paddle…… but take solace in the fact that there will be many many more joining you. You are not the only sucker. Hallelujah.

It all boils down to the issue of corruption and enough has been said and written on the topic to make any further attempt to do so a precursor to mass boredom.

Suffice to say you reap what you sow If you can live with a corruptible politician then so be it. Vote for him or her. It is your choice. That’s what a democracy is all about. Yes, it is you, the ‘member of the rakyat’ who charts the course of this nation. It is you who is going to be responsible for the nation sinking or swimming. You are the owners of the ship and you get to choose the crew.

Don’t you think it is therefore imperative that you pick the correct crew members? A captain of impeccable pedigree and learning who can be relied upon not to sail the ship into rocks. A first mate of the highest caliber responsible for ensuring navigation is precise. Dedicated sailors who won’t jump ship at the slightest opportunity and no chance of any mutiny lest we all end up as inbred misfits on the Pitcairn Islands in the middle of nowhere with only a very bleak future to look forward to. (Remember Mutiny on the Bounty?).

It is therefore imperative that the right choices are made and made fast.

We cannot afford to have crooks or prima donnas represent us. We need those men and women of unquestionable good character to step forward and present themselves. We need to outnumber the baddies at least 2 to 1. We need to provide the average voter with a choice he or she has no trouble making. We need to get our act together right now. There is no time to pussy foot around. We need to identify all those good men and women who are ready, willing and able to sacrifice themselves in both body and soul to this just and noble cause. We need these people to be known and we need them to be known right now.

May I be so bold as to suggest that the first step after the formation of a new Parliament would be to revise these silly salaries and increase them 5 to 10 fold. Yes, we need to pay our representatives a decent wage comparable to the market rate in the private sector. We must ensure there is no excuse to breach the boundaries of your God given responsibility to King and country by participating in nefarious financial deals of self enrichment at the expense of the taxpayer.

At the same time I would also venture to suggest that the Penal Code be amended to make it an extra special offence carrying an extra special sentence in respect of any elected representative caught with his or her hand in the kitty. Hopefully at this stage we will have a brand new AG who will not hesitate to prosecute at the drop of a hat. No more selective closing of files and sham trials only when it becomes politically expedient to have one. You are now being paid a decent salary so there is no excuse.

This relatively small investment will provide huge returns in no time at all with the savings made on unnecessary projects at inflated prices alone. We have yet to mention all the other potential savings in every single government department. Culture shock is the best way to describe the phenomena that will surface from every nook and cranny. It will take time to get used to but it must be adhered to at all costs and this can only happen with the right people in charge.

So there you have it. We are living in a democracy. This means we have the power to choose. Your vote is yours and yours only. No one can interfere with your choice of representative. You know in your heart of hearts the difference between right and wrong. What you decide to do will change the course of history, if that’s what you want. If you are happy with the way things are, then that is also your choice. You will now be given the opportunity to right all past wrongs. You have a very powerful tool in your hands so use it wisely.

You have seen the results of the change already. The seeds were planted in March 2008. Things are beginning to work. Yes, there have been some hiccups, but the sentiment is intact. There are good people out there and this shows. We need more of the Lim Kit Siangs, the Lim Guan Engs, the Yusmadis, the Theresa Koks, Hannah Yeoh, Sivarasa Rasiah, Karpal Singh, Gobind Singh Deo, Dr. Zulkifi Ahmad, Dr. Hatta Ramli and many more elected representatives of impeccable character who have proved to the world at large that you can do the job and do it properly without the need to resort to extracurricular income. OK let’s call a spade a spade. These good men and women have proven that you don’t have to steal from the rakyat to be respected. You can be a politician and still maintain your principles and ideals. God bless these true patriots.

Now all we need is many more like them.

Ketuanan Melayu: A risky experiment

Mariam Mokhtar - A True Malaysian!

I was born Malay and was hardly conscious of my race, either at school or at home. Race hardly cropped up in conversation except when we had form-filling to do – like applying for an identity card. Religion was something sacred and the only time we’d be aware of our racial and religious differences was deciding what to wear for a wedding or whose open house to visit, during the various festivities.

Thus, the recent clamour for “ketuanan Melayu” is destructive and damaging – not just for Malaysia but more so for the Malays, the very people that the “ketuanan Melayu” concept is supposed to protect. It is wrong because “ketuanan Melayu” is a dangerous experiment in social engineering.

Our neighbours were both Chinese and Indian. As children, we studied and played with each other, even hitched lifts to school when necessary, whilst the adults shared garden produce, swopped certain special dishes for the various ‘open houses’ and practiced their own version of ‘neighbourhood watch’.

Today, the Wongs are living out their twilight years away from their children, who have now settled overseas. Their children were willing to pay for them to live in a gated community, but they refused. In gated communities, they said, people hardly know one another and lives are conducted behind high walls and electric fences. The Wongs are unwilling to trade their relative freedom for living in secure isolation.

Mrs Pillai is now a widow, living on her own. Both her son and daughter have emigrated and she is loathe to leave Malaysia. She tells me, her children saw no opportunities in Malaysia. Her daughter is particularly bitter at having to leave her mother and especially angry that she was denied a place at a local college, and denied help by a local political organisation who refused to recommend her for a study loan.

Several thousand non-Malays have left, but many Malays have also gone. Families are torn apart or wrecked by a false belief in so-called superiority. Our country has not benefited from the wasted talent.

Where’s the sense of equality and justice?

When will Malays understand that the call for “ketuanan Melayu” creates antagonism at best, and violence at worst? There is open hatred toward non-Malays. The Malays have become arrogant; and non-Malays have been forced to be compliant. But for how long? Perhaps, it is the Malay who has more need of change. Where is their sense of equality and justice?

If “ketuanan Melayu” is supposed to benefit the Malays, why are the majority of Malays poor? If politicians had genuinely wanted to help Malays, the majority of Malays would now be wealthy, after 53 years of Umno rule. But this is not the case. The majority of Malays are poor.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad warned that the Malays will “lose their power” if Pakatan Rakyat were to come to power. He labeled Pakatan leaders as a bunch of self-serving and racist politicians.

What “power” is he referring to? Is he referring to Umno’s potential loss? Will the loss mean no more abuse of power and enrichment of family, friends and cronies? Is he lamenting the lack of control over the media, police, judiciary and the parliamentary rights and privileges committee? Did he also mean the inability to detain those who dare speak out against injustices?

Malay extremists claim that Pakatan’s alternative call for “ketuanan rakyat” goes against the Malay rulers. However, no one objected when Mahathir clipped the wings of the royals.

Mahathir and Najib Abdul Razak have sought to suggest that Umno/BN is a caring party, but despite 1Malaysia, Malaysians probably feel less united today.

Perhaps, the Malay extremist politicians promoting “ketuanan Melayu” can rightly be called “Children of Mahathir”.

Why will the extremists not deal with the social ills that beset the Malay youth – drug abuse, abandoned babies, under-achievement, and Mat Rempit? They have been fed propaganda and expect instant rewards but soon become disillusioned. They then fall further into the trap that ‘non-Malays are robbing them of their rights’. Is it any wonder they are bitter and have little aspiration?

The same group of extremists expects other faiths to respect Islam – but they fail to reciprocate this. It is alleged that in some mosques, the sermons preach unbridled hatred.

Many loopholes and obstacles

Last Saturday, a 14-year-old girl and a 23-year-old teacher were married at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, after a religious syariah court approved the union. The teenager said, “It has been hard trying to juggle two rôles – as a student and a wife – but I am taking it in my stride.”

Can no one else see that this is wrong? How does the state protect children from paedophilia? Has the child’s health and maturity been considered? What about her mental and maternal health, when she undergoes repeated childbearing at a young age? What about her education?

Muslim men can remarry easily. So who will support her should her marriage fail? Or if her husband leaves her for a younger woman or fails to support her when he remarries? Our syariah law and welfare system has many loopholes and obstacles. Some women claim it works against them.

Look at how Malay men perceive of their women. Despite equality in Islam, women are given short shrift. Nurul Izzah Anwar’s request for a debate with Ibrahim Ali was rejected. He called her ‘small fry’ and told her to contact the head of Wiranita, the Perkasa women’s organisation, instead. This demeaning attitude towards women is replicated in many Malay households.

When will the champions of “ketuanan Melayu” talk about success, progress, innovation, creativity, harmony, sharing and excellence instead of alluding to the “only my rights matter” mentality?

We Malays must face up to our insecurities so we can live at peace with ourselves. The non-Malay is a convenient scapegoat for our failures. We need to admit we have problems and face up to them.

Our religious leaders must make a clear stand against polygamy, paedophilia, child-snatching and intolerance of other faiths. Our Malay leaders must learn to respect other non-Malay Malaysians and treat them as equals. Only then do we have the right to ask others to respect us. We must stop the hypocrisy and madness that is called “ketuanan Melayu”.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

緬甸的英雄 - 舒吉的微笑

噢，她是那麼的瘦小，但是，她又是那麼的巨大。

鏡頭前的昂山舒吉，站在住家大門鐵柵前，向群眾揮手，這是她被軟禁7年後，第一次對外展現她的風采。數千名支持者看到她，歡呼喝釆，興奮不已。

舒吉沒有發表激昂的演說，她只是微笑，然後簡單的說幾句話，要人民團結和冷靜。

軍人政權用盡一切方法，禁錮她、詆毀她、壓制她、折磨她，但是，還是不能打倒她。她用微笑來告訴軍人政府，她還是不屈服於強權的昂山舒吉；她也用微笑告訴群眾，她依然是和人民在一起的昂山舒吉。

她的瘦小身軀，背負了一個國家的苦難，也承載了人民的希望。緬甸人幾乎甚麼都沒有，然而，他們擁有昂山舒吉，或許，這是他們的精神財富。

如果不是緬甸軍人政府的暴政，昂山舒吉不須要遭受這些苦難，或許，她也根本不願意成為民族的英雄。

她的前半身，其實過得很平凡；她的志願，也只是想做個平凡的家庭主婦，相夫教子，過一個和樂的生活。

不久前，舒吉在英國的友人，公開了她年輕時代的生活照片。她留了小一撮長髮，騎著腳踏車，在英國的鄉下踏青；微風吹過，秀髮揚起，那張秀氣的臉孔，溢滿了笑容。

另一張照片中，舒吉和大學教授的英國丈夫，以及出身未久的孩子，坐在草地上野餐。她手上抱著孩子，深情款款的看著丈夫；這就是她所有美麗和理想的世界了。

然後，她是緬甸國父昂山將軍的女兒，她身上流的是緬甸的血液。在緬甸遽變的關鍵，她回到緬甸。當時，她以為那只是階段性的任務，一旦完成使命，她可以回到丈夫和孩子的身邊。

出乎意料的是，她領導的全民盟贏得大選，準備從軍人手中接管政府；但是，軍隊否決了選舉，還把她關起來。被囚禁期間，她心愛的丈夫患上癌症；但他離世的那刻，兩人都無法見面，作為一個妻子，這是錐心的遺憾。

而她疼惜的孩子，成長過程中，缺乏母親的照顧和陪伴；對於一個母親，這是最痛心的折磨。

舒吉獲得釋放，但是，作為女人，她的遺憾永遠不能彌補。同樣的，作為政治家，緬甸的民主和自由，她也無法確定，那是另一種遺憾。

但是，為了超越個人和家庭的更高價值，她無怨無悔，經歷了這一切，她微笑以對。

星洲日報／馬荷加尼‧作者：鄭丁賢‧