Wawasan 2020.

[devious17]

Agreed, no one justice system is perfect. Anything that has to do with humans will never be perfect. No paradise in the field next door too BUT grass is greener.

Its the degree of imperfection that we the rakyat has to face and accept with both arms forced open. From a grid of ten some countries fare 8 some fare only 1 and you dont need me to continue lah.

so many X files from so many years back has not and most definately will never be explained,NEVER.

Can anyone tell me if gomen has given information let alone explanation to 2004's X files? yelek! This year is just a few days left and the X files has once again being written and written off for good.

To the mudah lupa's ,ignorance is bliss. To those who are tidak mudah terlupa, apa mau bikiiiin??!!

I always look to both sides of the coin and also along its ridges for silver lining on the cloud but for my beloved country.........I see none and either side of the coin is slowly fading..........it's just going to be a plain ol metal washer soon.

Sad, why didnt my forefather be more vigilant and travel further!

 

[si|verfish]

Amen to that, brother...

 

[si|verfish]

More food for thought.

Source: http://www.mggpillai.com/article.php3?sid=2190

The NEP and Malay Dominance is why the non-Malay does not join the government or uniformed services

THE NATIONAL FRONT MPs are in a bind. They have been told to set up blogs, to be with the people. But those who have not done so will have to think twice. The blog is a double-edged weapon. The MPs do not articulate the people's concern, busy making money, rarely visit their constituencies, do what they like, or what they are told to do. They allowed the Muslim women to be disadvantaged, but this aggravates the problem. As the men at the top view it, the law applies to the women at the top. That law was meant only for the Federal Territory, but it is the Islam the National Front prefer for the whole country. When it comes to Islam, no MP dare to speak, the Muslim MPs because they do not know Islam well enough, the non-Muslim MPs do not speak. But UMNO should realise that it was Dato' Sir Onn bin Jaffar who got the Malay women into opposing the British proposal that would have reduced the sultans to ciphers, and Kaum Ibu had a political aim. It is the Kaum Ibu which often pushed UMNO along. But the men are in collision course, in which they can lose.

In the present scandals, the non-Muslim parties in the National Front, should have been in the forefront, but have said nothing. The leaders of the Malaysian Chinese Association, the Malaysian Indian Congress, Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, People's Progressive Party will talk strongly on peripheral matters, but not on issues that affect the people they represent. It is wrong to assume that Malaysians would remain quiet for all time. It is only the Muslim women and the Hindu who continue to articulate the 'injustices' in a Hindu being buried as a Muslim. Similarly, the Muslim women are het up about their denigrtion in Malaysian society. The newspapers and the internet have registered their anger, but the fact remains that the Hindu. Buddhist or Chritisian spouse of a man who has secretly converted to Islam has no legal rights. The courts have declared that she cannot come to the civil courts for justice, and the Sharia courts have said it would only hear cases brought by Muslims. There has been instances were Chinese have been so treated, but that is forgotten now.

But Islam is used to push Dominance. The former Inspector-General of Police, in his column in the Star, has repeated the canard that the non-Malay does not join the government services because of better prospects outside. But the New Economic Polict and Malay Dominance ensured that non-Malays would not, if possible, join the government services. In the early 1970s, when both these policies were implemented. the police only took one Indian inspector and two Chinese inspectors. All lthree have retired, rising to assistant superintendent of police, if he is lucky, and told bluntly they would not go higher. A non-Malay in government services or the uniform branch cannot rise high in his services so they would order Malays around. The non-Malay chief clerks or matrons still in service were appointed before this was in force, and the few that exist would retire soon.

The Malay would make sure of that. I knew an Indian who had been promoted second in charge, but he never acted, for that was given to his junior, who was of course a Malay. In the army, he does not get to be higher than lieutenant colonel, which he is given as a retirement rank, perhaps two years before. A doctor in the ultra-modern Selayang Hospital, who was weaned from the US, went back after he could not work: his Malay assistants, who included doctors, would not take orders from him. He found himself doing all the work himself, arriving at 6.00 am to prepare for his first patient three hours later. And he had excellent references: the then prime minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamed, and the then health minister, a class mate of his father.

Officials in the government repeat the canard like Tun Haniff Omar. But they are not believed no longer. The non-Malays know they face a glass ceiling if they join the government or the uniformed branch, so early in life their parents tell them to find a career in public service. My sons decided, still in school, not to join the uniformed or government services; and they have not. Not all can reach the top, but like to think they can. But when impediments are put in the way, they would find other avenues. The government and uniformed services are now shortchanged because of the policies three decades ago. What they are seeing now is the after-effects of the policies laid down then. It takes thirty years for a policy to fruition, and the government is caught flat footed.

No government GLCs are not successful any more. None are headed by a non-Malay. They would rather employ a white man than a non-Malay. Some, like Bank Bumiputra, has been revamped four times, each time the government putting in millions or ringgit, if not billions, to keep it afloat. Yet no official has been penalised for running the GLCs to ground. The latest is MAS, but there are others. In one GLC, a Malay is threatening to sue. Rather than face him in court, the GLC would rather give him one of its companies than face him in court. The Malay culture of 'tidak apa' continues to dominate.

This is not to say that Indians and Chinese do not reach the top. They do. But the Chinese and Indian civil servant gets to be secretary-general of the Housing and Local Government, and of the National Unity Ministry. Sometimes, the head of another irrelevant ministry is not a Malay. But these gentlemen are the favoured non-Malays, who will look after Malay interests, and are neutered, as it were, before they reach the top. There will be no change to the system, unless relatively junior Malay civil servants stop questioning why a non-Malay has been promoted. The senior Malays, knowing which way their bread if buttered, follow the majority. In addition, a Malay is promoted for pushing the Malay and Muslim agenda. The rules of the civil service is swept aside. The man in charge when he goes on leave do not tell his stand-in where they are. But this was not who it was like. But a man in the Immigration Department, an Indian, was arrested under the Internal Security Act because he was too efficient. Is it any wonder it is so lethargic?

But who should stop this go along? The non-Malay political parties in government will not lift their arm. Their leaders are more interested in being in the cabinet, and if that means stepping on the people they represent, then so be it. They do not service their constituences – a singular exception is Dato' Seri S, Samy Vellu – but the people vote them in every time. They see nothing, speak nothing, hear nothing. That is their defensive mechanism to stay in the cabinet. The local councils would not be elected, for this gives the National Front jobs for the boys. They much it up as expected, and get shocked when news of their shenanigans make the front pages of newspapers. But politics in this country has reached the stage where the racial groups do not support their leaders, but unite among themselves to oppose them. It will be a while, perhaps 2012, before they are a force. But the policies initated in the early 1970s has brought this about.

M.G.G. Pillai
[email protected]

 

[si|verfish]

More.

Source: http://www.mggpillai.com/article.php3?sid=2189

Pak Lah and the Ali Baba firm

THE PRIME MINISTER'S SON-IN-LAW, Mr Khairy Jamaluddin, has bought into that Ali Baba concern, ECM Libra, for RM9.2 million. How did he get that money in his thirties when he has no known jobs or business that would earn him that much in so short a time. He has threatened to sue any one, including me, for bringing out these to the general public. But threatening to sue is a way of life with people at the top, when when they cannot or rather not explain. Look at the chairman of MAS, who would threaten or lodge police reports to stop the emails against him. Mr Husam Musa, a PAS MP, has asked how Mr Khairy got the money to buy into ECM Libra, whether it came from commissions he received for selling off Malaysian government assets to Singapore.

But first things first. ECM Libra is encouraged by Pak Lah's government and the Chinese running the firm knows that. Of the the three Malays on its board, two are close to Pak Lah – his son-in-law and the former group editor in chief of the New Straits Times, Dato' Khalimullah Hassan. It came into prominence after Pak Lah was sure of becoming prime minister. With so many impediments for non-Malays in this country, they take steps so that their firms can flourish. Otherwise it would be just a ho-hum firm. Look around you, and the firms that succeed are those with connections. The Malays on its board is well connected, the close they are to the centre of power, the better placed the firm is.

The Malaysian media, all owned by National Front or its members, have described ECM Libra as a boutique investment firm in which, it is alleged, the Malay investors are on the driving seat. It is far from the truth as possible. Companies get into difficulties once their patron prime minister leaves the scene. As has happened to companies owned by business men close to the former prime minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamed. It gave the companies a fillip, the x factor (if you like), during the premiership and difficultures when the great man departs. ECM Libra did not make it to the top before Pak Lah and revels in that relationship. But ECM Libra is someway involved in foreign, particularly Singapore, firms taking key states in Malaysian government firms.

But it still does not explain how Mr Khairy got his money. His father-in-law encouraged transparence, but the man does not believe in it. He got a PPE (politics, philosophy, economics) from Oxford and took a masters elsewhere for the Oxford degree was not good enough. He knew how to marry well. He was squiring Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim' s daughter, but switched attentions to Pak Lah's daughter, and married her. when the former deputy prime minister was arrested. There is talk of Dato' Seri Anwar would rejoin UMNO. But that is unlikely. UMNO politicis would not allow it. He had risen to the top the first time around, by discarding those whose backs he used to be deputy prime minister. When he was arrested, others moved in in the vacuum, and would have to vacate if that happened.

The UMNO leaders are against him. Tun Mahathir, who had him arrested, is no more in office, but, active in retirement, runs a campaign not to allow Dato' Seri Anwar to rejoin UMNO. For all the changes to Malaysia he has presided over in his 22 years are prime minister, he will known now as the man who arrested Dato' Seri Anwar. Pak Lah, when he became foreign minister, was intent on one thing: remove the man from his perch as deputy prime minister. Though distantly related, he did not want Dato' Seri Anwar around: both are from neighbouring constituencies in Penang, and dangerous to the other's future if one is top.

But Dato' Seri Anwar rejoining UMNO is spread by Mr Khairy and his acolytes. His future in politics is finished if Dato' Seri Anwar is not in UMNO. But Dato' Seri Anwar has ruled out rejoing UMNO. The man who succeeds Pak Lah as Prime Minister, most probably deputy prime minister Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak, would not want him around when he became prime minister. There is already anger that without any experience and with connections he has risen to the top. When he has to stand for election, as for the UMNO Youth deputy head, the opponents know why way their bread is buttered, and he was returned unopposed. After all, his father-in-law is Prime Minister, whom he meets regularly and thinks the world of him.

The UMNO leadership is in shambles, bought to that position by a man who bought his way to the top. He is said to be a political and business genius. Dross becomes gold whenever he touches it. So he attracts UMNO members who hope to make a profit, in politics and/or business. His drumbeaters in the Malaysian press, who cannot ignore the prime minister's son-in-law, tells Malaysians he is a figure to be reckoned with. The Pengkalen Pasir byelection in Kelantan was described as Khairy's triumph. But he should remember what happened to that other UMNO's rising star, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Mr Khairy Jamaluddin did not start life a rich man. He was the son of a diplomat, educated at government expense, even in Oxford. He tried too fast to be in Parliament, but he stumbled badly. He was not an UMNO candidate for elections to Parliament from Rembau. He has too many enemies in the state, one of whom is the former mentri besar and federal cabinet minister, Dato' Isa Samad. His behind-the-scenes work enabled that man to be removed from the cabinet, but he remains a power in the state. But he does not know the Malay or Malaysian ground. But he believes he can survive at the top by his connections and his less-than-honest acquisition of wealth. It has led to questions on how he got that much in so short a time. He believes he can get to the top without explaining anything, threatening legal action against those who has a contrarian view, and by being close to those in power. But he cannot, unless he explains himself as a politician, business man, and what he does for a living, and how he came to all that wealth.

M.G.G. Pillai
[email protected]

 

[Duke Red]

The way things are going we're going to have a less and less middle class citizens. There will be the rich and on the other end of the spectrum, the poor.

Wawasan 2020? The general rules is this, "for things to change, we must first change". If the same bunch of lazy, ignorant fools run things, nothing positive can be expected in the future.

 

[jeffblazed]

More.

Source: http://www.mggpillai.com/article.php3?sid=2189

this stuff is just written to get attention ..how true is it.......conspiracy..interest us all just to past our time...like my favourite
www.malaysia-today.net

 

[si|verfish]

No smoke without fire. And the people in question aren't exactly being upfront about their hanky panky (or none). So much for transparency. Instead of coming out with proof and explanations, they threaten to sue.

PS: Dude, please stop using big red fonts. It's annoying.

 

[gtishadowfax]

what the heck....

always remember, friends and bros....YOU WILL NEVER EVER SATISFY EVERYBODY'S NEEDS AND WANTS...

yes, our gomen is one of the dirtiest in the whole world...
but, i dont think our oppositions ideologies are acceptable to every individual...

see, bro....this is an endless sad story that will continue on and on...and no matter how angry we are, no matter how fucked up the situation is...who can do anything?

a few tried and failed...terribly...

and if the govt is fucked up and the opposition is dua kali lima...to whom then we rely on...to make some drastic changes to our dear country?

if you have the power...can u promise that there will be no self interest act, at all times...not a single cent..??

being human...i sincerely admit that i can't and i dont think anybody can...
and please, dont be like those monkeys and say u can....

i am an angry man. i am not happy with this and that. i am not satisfied with certain policies...but i can still rationally think - BE IT ANYONE IN THOSE MONKEYS' POSITION, SAME STORY WILL REPEAT AGAIN AND AGAIN...COZ TO BE IN THE MONKEY'S CAGE WHO WOULD YOU HAVE TO BECOME, RATHER THAN THE MONKEY ITSELF..???!!!

anywhere else in the world that i can call "brother" to and indian/chinese chap?
anywhere else that i can celebrate x'mas with my fellow christian friends?
anywhere else that my chinese neighbour can come and have some ketupat and lemang at my place during hari raya?
anywhere else that we can happily dance bhangra with our sikh brothers?
anywhere else that my daughter can walk to school hand in hand with mrs devi's daughter?
anywhere else that we, ZTHians can sit down and have a nive teh tarik not worrying that some crazy idiot will come running into us with C4 strapped to his body?

alhamdulillah.....semoga negara kita terus makmur, biar siapa pun yang duduk di takhta.
alhamdulillah....kita masih boleh sembahyang jumaat tanpa ada bimbang sesiapa akan sabotaj masjid kesayangan kita..
alhamdulillah juga...masih ramai antara kita yang celik dan dengar dan selagi ada kita yang celik dan dengar...this country will be ok...

just "OK" would be fine....mana lagi tempat yang ok macam kita?????

on how they use or misuse their power, they will answer to god on judgement day...and i believe god wont just sit and let these monkeys jump up and down as they wish...their time will definitely come..!

just my 2 cents.
peace!

 

[Duke Red]

I understand where you're coming from with this 'count your blessings' post. Indeed we have a lot to be thankful but if it is indeed our vision to maintain a steady progress, we have to make improvements. We have to understand that we never stagnate, as things around us are constantly changing. We either improve or get left behind. This cannot be achieved when those that lead us display zero traits required of a strong leader. Their lack of mentality never fails to astound me. People are content with sitting back as long as there's something in it for them. Because of this, we are dished out with mediocrity at every level. We have bridges that collapse, inferior cars, lousy public transportation, lax law enforcement and so on. The worst thing is that the majority of us accept this mediocrity and as such, this appears acceptable. No need to change lah, what for? NO. Having seen developed countries and knowing it is our vision to go there, I do not accept this level of mediocrity. I will complain when I see fit though it may only fall on deaf ears. If everyone thought the way I did, our voice may then be strong enough to be heard. If every continues to compare how good we've got it in comparison with third world countries, we will still have third world mentality.

We should strive to be on par with those above us and not be happy to be above those beneath us. This is the mental strength we need that so many lack. Look at our footballers who have been given the golden opportunity to train abroad but end up wanting to come back because they miss the food and cannot stand the weather. Poor mental strength. Lack of ambition. Able to accept the fact that they gave up something better for something familiar.

 

[si|verfish]

Duke, I've said that many times over here and at other places. Time and again they fall on deaf ears and there will STILL be people with the "bersyukur" tagline coming in.

Being thankful and grateful is one thing. Quite another to be happy and content with how things are until you rest on your laurels and do nothing to improve. Regardless of how good or bad things are, there should always be a general attitude to get better.

Frankly this continued presence of people who use the "bersyukur" mentality to think that everything is OK and everything is fine, and do not care or dare to change is frightening. This means there are loads of Malaysians who think the same way. And as long as they think "Ok lar...", "Boleh tahan lar...", "It's alright...", "We're better than Afghanistan...", being happy with mediocrity, we will stand still as a country as others whizz past us on both sides or even worse, slide back down again.

The attitude is all wrong and I don't know why is that. I want to be better, to be as good or more than the ones ahead of me. That's how you get ahead in life and not get left behind. Being grateful is not an excuse. God does not help those who don't help themselves. Life is brutal and harsh, it is a survival of the fittest. It's a race and if you have the sort of mentality that goes, "Oh I'm in third place...that's good enough...", what happens is that the guy in 4th place will overtake you because he has the mental edge and he wants to get better. That's what has been happening to Malaysia. As we bask in our own mediocrity, others are racing ahead.

 

[Duke Red]

I fully embrace your words brother silver. It would have been at least acceptable had our Vision 2020 goal been to remain as we are. The vision sold to us however does not seem to match with what we are seeing and thus, there is a cause for concern.

I can't accept this mediocity by virtue of is being so obvious. I walk into a gas station and see the staff taking their time and talking to one another while I'm waiting furiously at the counter. In walks a man who just walks right in front of me, shoves his 5 ringgit in the cashiers face and asks for a pack of smokes. Passing my boiling point, I direct my fury not at the patron but at the cashier. I asked him if he saw who came first and when he agreed it was I, it became clear to me that he took no pride in his work. He was just passing through the motions of life and taking what he got. He didn't feel the need to put in more quality work so that he may one day himself, manage a gas station. Life was more about getting by than it was about achievements.

 

[gtishadowfax]

bro...

see wat i mean?

too many of them....in fact those on top positions are also one of them, but in different masks i think...

then how?how are we ...the so called, intelligent ones are going to change this?

yes...i do stand up for my rights...even landed in lock up once!
yes...like u, bro duke i do complaint, i do fucked those fuel pump attendants that "kerja macam sukati mak bapak dia...", i do give those who cut q's a word or two...

the thing is...we have this strong will power to strive towards excellence...we have a very noble ambition to see our beloved country stands at par with US, Japan, UK watsoeva..........but............that's it, i guess. the best i can do is, tell my daughter and teach her values of life, so that she will not grow up and become one of those monkeys...

someone who tried a few years back failed terribly...and he's my father's good friend. yes, he's released recently, but i dont think he's got the guts to japordice his life again.pity old man....

so ask ourselves...are we willing to go that far - oppose everything that is not right, because we are the good guys and good guys always win...hahah..not here my friend.
even at the position of my father's friend....2nd man in the country at that time...he's not safe...and the things they do to him.....
so, if it is that easy.....what will happen to us...?..they will vanish us just like a snap...

we can take care of those around us....my wife, my daughter...yes they share the same thoughts, then maybe i can share this kind of thinking with a few good friends...but then, that's it....

i've been IN there once, just because i oppose a law enforcement officer, who found "something" under the passenger's seat of my car, that i didnt bring. where does this "thing" come from?...u tell me..
of course b4 that, there's something that i've done, that pissed them off, but u think its right to do such thing to an innocent citizen?

after a few punches and kicks and being "pau"ed RM10 for dunhill kecik sekotak + roti canai sekeping...they let me out...

but that was then, when i was single.
imagine if it happened now...my wife, my daughter...how?

yes, we have to stand up for what's right, but we must also know when to back off when we know how ugly things are gonna get if we proceed...

just my 2 cents though...peace!

 

[phat7]

excellent posts from both sides of the fence as i see it. If the authority is given the freehand to "plant" something thats not your's and be let off scott free, this is not the country that i want my children to grow up in. granted, we should count our blessings, we could be like some terror bound third world country where if you are not connected you dont get anything...hang on, what am i saying, that sounds awfully like malaysia doesn't it? Grass will always be greener on the other side. but this is not about comparision. we, the people, the taxpayers, the voters, would like to see changes in many quarters in sectors that play an integral part in the growth of the country in terms of monetary which will lead to better socio-economic balance. most all earnings in the country is filtered "top heavy" and we as the general population receive little or none benefits.

 

[Saga Continue]

...i always thank god what have been given to me....but that doesnt meen i dont strived to be better....

ill take first thing first....where my priority lies....where my loyalty belong....where my soul stand......what can i do for this country to make it better.....some people think u need to fight in big front to make a contribution....nope....simple simple stuff also will have the same effect....for an example...dont throw ya ciggarete butts out of the car....make our country cleaner....recycle ya household thrash and rubbish...help the environment......my point here....even small small thing like this does help our country to be better....any of us doing this..??

my thought is simple....as long we called ourselv as malay, chinese or indian or whatever....as long we see people in with their skin color.....as long we dont acknowledge people around us as "mankind"...we can never have another "jerussalem"...

 

[Glocker]

With a pen in your hand, you can tell the higher ups what exactly you thought of their job performance. You can tell them that their mediocre performance is no longer tolerated, you can tell them that their buck stops here, you can tell them to get the f**k off that Parliament seat because they are wasting your tax money.

You can tell them that you are sick and tired of all this bullsh*t, tell them scandals and exposures will no longer be forgotten in 3 weeks' time, tell them that they are NOT going to get rich at the expense of your living standards and safety.

Tell them that their inefficiency is no longer tolerated, tell them our rights will no longer be abused, tell them that we will no longer be trampled upon, tell them we are not the mindless sheep who voted for them 3 years ago. We're going to tell them this time experience triumphs over hope, we're going to tell them their 30 years' old propaganda no longer works on us and we are going to tell them that they can't bluff us any more. We're gonna show them that we can no longer take their sheit, and we're going to show them that they are no longer indispensible.

We are going to vote them out, in a year's time.

 

[si|verfish]

Fellas, yes it is difficult to make changes and to voice out, because of obvious reasons. What we can do is generate awareness. When you are one or two they can easily make you dissappear. But when the majority of the people's voices are one, then we can make a difference. The internet is our tool. Our local media are political lap dogs that cannot be counted upon to voice the truth. We must do so ourselves. Make our voices heard. A country is built upon the backs of the common folk. We are the ones that determine the rise and fall of a nation. All of us can definitely make a difference. To push for changes. If only we stood the same ground and fought the same cause.

Long have they tried to divide and conquer. Trying to separate the non-bumis from the bumis by painting a veneer of lies that they are fighting for the cause of the bumis when in fact they are fighting to keep on to the mantle of power.

Yes, the alternatives look unpromising. But for a start, we have to remove their smugness. Don't let them do whatever they want unopposed. We are the ones who determine who runs the show. We should be the ones who determine who can do a job for the people and when. Sure the opposition might just be the same old story, but they won't be able to do what they want if they don't have absolute power. Which is what we are giving to you know who. We practically handed the country and its riches on a silver platter to the monkeys. We cannot do that anymore. People must wise up and smell the foul air of truth. They must make the right choices as and when. ANd that can only be achieved if we spread the word. Create awareness. Don't sit down and admit defeat. Do something, even the tiniest of effort counts for something.

 

[Saga Continue]

....We are going to vote them out, in a year's time.

vote who?...the PAS candidate at my constituencies..??

bah...the national front is like a ship running out of fuel....the opposition is like sampan with a hole as big as a ball.....i stick with the ship...at least its float...anyway...i like my current parliment and state assemblyment since they are doing good job for my kampung....lots of development been brought in since they won back the set from pas 4 years ago....im gratefull for that....and my gratefullness is due where it belongs...

 

[si|verfish]

More from MGGPillai.

Source: http://www.mggpillai.com/article.php3?sid=2194

The National Front is in trouble, as always, but it had better watch out

THE NATIONAL FRONT IS caught in a cleft stick. It idoes not know how to solve the problems within. The political scene has changed, what measures it takes would be known. And it needs the secrecy if it is remain a viable political party. No one in the party, from the Prime Minister, who is its president as of its major party, UMNO, down, would talk about the crisis within or outside. It has always ruled by stealth, creeping on the people often against their will. The latest crisis – that of Corporal Moorthy and of Muslim women – grips Malaysians at the moment, but Malaysians had always woken up to be shortchanged, often by the National Front government. But it has always had a solid majority, usually two-thirds, in Parliament; it now has about 90 per cent of the house.

The May 1969 racial riots is a good starting point. That was, contrary to the spin, an UMNO coup to remain in power for all time. The New Economic Policy and Malay Dominance followed. It could not stomach the fact that in Selangor and Perak, it had the same seats in the state assembly as the oppposition. In Penang, an opposition coalition led by Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia has captured the state. Parliament was suspended after the riots, and the NOC, of which the secretary was the present prime minister, ruled. and PAS had ruled Kelantan since 1959.. Before Parliament was restored, the NEP and Malay Dominance was in place. The National Front was formed, its early members included PAS and Gerakan, and replaced the Alliance that brought the country indepedence in 1957.

The non-Malay ministers lost their policy-making powers, helped by the MCA pulling out of the Alliance after the election, believing it had failed the Chinese. As then, the MCA defers to UMNO, which is why the National Front government gets its pledges the way UMNO wants it. After the 1969 riots, it therefore put in place a government in which the Chinese, Indian and other non-Malay races did not have a policy making role. It was left to individuals to make that change. Over the years, UMNO got more arrogant, and got laws passed because it thought them necessary. It did not care what the non-Malays in National Front thought. It took decisions unilaterally. The non-Malay parties put their tail behind their tails and joined the Natioanal Front as irrelevant junior partners.

It is in trouble now because it takes a generation, about 30 years, for policies to fruit. The NEP and Malay Dominance of those days is only now being tested. It was made clear then non-Malays would be looked upon with disfavour in the government and uniformed services. In 1973, only two Chinese and one Indian inspectors were taken in. They have retired, but no one has a higher rank than assistant superintendent of police. A non-Malay chief inspector is studying law, because he does not want to, as he put it, salute those he had helped train. Today, there are hardly non-Malays in either service, when they are needed the most.

There is a glass ceiling for the non-Malays. The Malay would not take orders from a non-Malay. So, even at the lower ranks, the non-Malay is shut out for promotion. No non-Malay becomes chief clerks or matrons. Those seen had held the jobs before it was decided the non-Malay could not be. But there are due to retire. And none of the non-Malays can expect promotion on the same basis as the Malay. The inspector-general of police, Tun Haniff Omar, repeats the canard of the government: that the non-Malay is more interested in the private sector because he would be paid more. It is not true. He has no choice.

The non-Malay knows he cannot get help from the National Front government, His representatives in the government will not fight his case because he prefers to be in the government and would not open his mouth. He will be vocal about extraneous items, but not what concerns his people. There has been no rebuttal to Tun Haniff's statement, and Dato' M. Kayveas is more interested in fighting corruption in local councils. He does not say lthat the Nataional Front controls all local councils. When things are done in secret, corruption festers. The National Front does not allow the local councils to be open.

But the National Front is caught: the women senators brought the denigration of their sex to their notice at the last possible moment. The Lower House of Parliament had passed the Islamic Laws bill in September, so it thought it would bee too in the Senate. As it happened, three cabinet ministers were called in to sort the matter out. Finally the bill was passed after a promise was extracted to have it amended soon. All it needs to shake up an organisation like the National Front is an individual. It blinked when the former deputy prime minister, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, raised the banner of revolt after he was beaten to a pulp by the Inspector-General of Police. It has been downhill ever since.

UMNO said, as usual without discussion or debate, it was not a Malay but an Islamic party, changing its core values to follow the smaller but more focussed Parti Se islam or PAS. It has become used by then to watching over its shoulders before it does anything. And the list grows. First, it was Dato' Seri Anwar, then the party formed to get him out of jail, Keadilan Rakyat Malaysia, PAS, women, and now Islamicists. The National Front, of which UMNO is the main partner, will not discuss important legislation in Parliament or the state assemblies it controls, so it has to assume what the opposition would do. It wants to remain a Malay and Islamic party, but it needs the support of the non-Malays to be that.

But the non-Malays, fed up their political leaders, start groups against them. This is on a small scale at the moment, but pockets of them are being formed throughout the country. In Johore, the Johore Indian Business Association (JIBA) has virtually replaced the MCA in representing the Indians. It has started small, concentrates on the petty traders, but it has got the MIC leaders in the state being more active. The Malays, especially the young, join PAS if they want a political future, and UMNO if they want to be billionaires. But those who want to be in either party join hands with the non-Malays to form an effective political grouping. They may or may not succeed, but it keeps the National Front on its toes.

The National Front hopes it can survive, but keeping its structure intact. But it will have to open up. It wants to reduce the powers of the rulers, the Indians, the Chinese and other non-Malays. Unless there is open discussion within, and without, it cannot hope to. It thinks it is the UMNO view that prevails. The others keep quiet. That is not how it can survive. Nor passing laws with promises of amendments afterwards. It has been in power since 1955, when it first came into power, but it can continue only if it addresses its faults.

[This was my column , but under a different title, in the Harakah, the official organ of PAS, and appears today]

M.G.G. Pillai
[email protected]

I post these things not for you people to believe blindly. In fact don't believe any party blindly. You have eyes, you have ears and you have brains. Use them. Observe for yourself, listen for yourself, think for yourself. The truth and facts are out there and sometimes it is plain obvious, it stares you in the face. Learn to question things around you, learn to think critically. Don't take everything whole and unprocessed.

People tend to show you what they want you to see and hide everything else. As humans we naturally want to believe that everything is fine and dandy. So when they paint a pretty picture we are fast to accept it as the truth. Why? Because it appeals to us. That is not the way. The truth is often much much uglier, which is why people avoid it and prefer lies, which is what politicians pounce on. Seek for your own answers and make your own judgement.

 

[phat7]

judgement came to malaysia in 196# May 1* remember.

 

[si|verfish]

Your point being?

Also, I don't see why you needed to censor the numbers of the date.