The need for more confidence

The annual UMNO general assembly ended yesterday. It is a time when fiery communal speeches on Malay rights and privileges were made by UMNO leaders. The call for the 'ketuanan Melayu' were aired live over television and not made behind closed doors. The general assembly was concluded with a call by the Prime Minister to return to moderation and tolerance. He attempted to justify such racial rhetorics by saying that "... the other component parties – just like Umno too – had to serve their own communities which had their own set of demands."

I find this annual affair of fiery communal speeches followed by calls for reconciliation and tolerance rather absurd. No doubt, any leaders or aspiring leaders has to maintain some support and what better way than to play the race card. However, by doing so, this will only serve to destroy what had been done to try to bring the various races together. Why undo what had or seemed to have been achieved in the last 360 days, just for a 5-day session which will only serve the self-interest of the leaders? Why create an atmosphere of tension only to be reminded again that UMNO also serves a country with different ethnic background? Luckily, the 'rules' of the country does not allow the other ethnic component parties to use the same yardstick when it comes to make 'fiery' racial speeches. I cannot imagine what would happen if MCA, MIC or the PBS make the same-styled fiery communal speeches in their general assemblies.

Probably there is a better way than this. Instead of destroying a healthy racial climate, why not abstained from making such speeches that "is always hot but under control. It is hot but does not burn, angry but without coming to blows." After all, heat and anger are very subjective. Heat maybe intolerable to some but not to others. Some can contain anger better than the others. In short, no matter how controlled the heat or the anger is, there is always a risk that some in the community might not be able to handle them. The end result is that some will get burned or come to blows. I am sure nobody in Malaysia wants to see this tragic incident.

Next year we will be celebrating the 50th year of independence. Most of the people in the country has accepted that UMNO will always form the backbone of the governement and that Islam will be the official religion in the country. And in Malaysia, Islam is constitutionally synonymous with Malay and hence UMNO. The coalition of ethnic-based political party that is the Barisan Nasional, is the only way to maintain a stable government and any thoughts of an ethnic-based coalition without a Malay-based party being able to form a stable government is just wishful thinking. Given these facts it sometimes it surprises me how insecure UMNO is.

UMNO's insecurity is reflected by the speeches made. There are many instances but the few important ones are the followings:

1. The questioning by Johor UMNO on the creation of Bangsa Malaysia. I have blogged on this previously. By rejecting the notion of Bangsa Malaysia, he had essentially rejected the possibility where race becomes subservient to the country. The concept of Bangsa Malaysia can also provide the starting point where communal politics becomes irrelevant and the catch phrase shifts from racial tolerance to racial integration. This would surely reduce a potential flash point. To be sure, even without the communal component party, the true power will still be in the hands of the Malays, being the largest majority in the country with their interest protected by the constitution.

2. The call for extension of NEP beyond 2020. This was revealed by the Deputy Prime Minister in his speech when he said that there is no time limit to the Malay agenda. Unfortunately this will surely reinforce the 'crutch' mentality that UMNO leaders had been saying from time to time. It is surprising that after nearly 50 years of independence and 30 years of affirmative actions, the Malays are still not confident enough to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the other ethnic groups. There are many entrepreneural Malays and multimillionaire Malays in Malaysia and I am sure they definitely would like to be perceived as equals among their peers; that their success is from their own ability and not from the perennial help that they get from the government. The NEP, if to be extended, should be tweaked so that the poor majority and not just the privileged few will benefit.

3. The refusal on the setting up of Inter-Faith Council. The call by non-Muslims to set up the IFC is not to question the status of Islam but create a channel where sensitive issues of religion can be discussed, something akin to the spirit of Barisan National. By having such a council, it removes the risk of confusions that may arise from negative reportings and rumours. This will reduce potential conflicts in the country. I am sure Islam is strong enough to withstand any perceived threat from the setting up of the IFC. After all Islam had been through worse times in its history and is currently experiencing a revival. With IFC, touchy issues like those controversy involving conversion to Islam among non-Muslim family can be addressed without any emotional rhethorics and help further reducing potential flashpoints. With Muslims leaders sitting together with leaders of other faiths, will not diminished the status of Islam, but on the contrary enhance its status as a modern tolerant religion. This is especiall pertinent in the current political climate when Islam is viewed in the negative light by most Western governments.

Malays and UMNO has come a long way since independence. They had proven that they can be as advanced as the other races. Given such impressive track record, they should be more confident in trying to remove the crutch mentality that had been directed at them because of the affirmative policy of the government. To truly achieve the status of Ketuanan Melayu, it is imperative that UMNO show more confidence and magnanimity and accept other races as equals. By so doing, the defensive postures the other races take will be reduced and the magnanimity reciprocated. This can only serve to enhance the status of the Malays and UMNO.

Whose fault is it?

SINGAPORE: Much had been said after 2 children were hurt by the escalator in 2 days. The first case happened after a 3-year old lost her toes and the second when a 2-year old had her foot caught between the escalator stairs. In both cases, the initial reaction was that the imitation croc shoes may be a cause for the accidents because both child were wearing them when the accident happened. Then the focus was shifted to the maintainance of the escalator by a reader who wrote to Today newspaper.

I find it strange that people should react and point fingers squarely at the croc shoes and the escalator as the possible cause of the accident. No doubt the croc shoes and the escalator played a role in the accident but can the human factor be excluded?

It is not too difficult to see children place their feet against the brush of the skirting panel when they used the escalator. Very few of them got reprimanded by their parents or guardians. This may be because escalator accidents are not highlighted and this makes parents complacent. They had forgotten the simple principle that shoes that give the most friction are more likely to make them get caught between the space of the stairs and the sides; unfortunately this is the type of shoes that provide the most fun for the child.

Like Mr Tan, the reader who wrote to Today said, adults should practice more diligence when using the escalator with their children. The statistic is telling, the majority of escalator accidents involved those under 10 years of age. If there is no human factor involved, then such accidents should not be skewed towards young children. The most likely cause is because such children, being more playful, tends to play while on escalators. And we as adult, has to supervise them. If we failed in this basic parenting, then no matter how safe the shoes or escalators are, accidents will still happen. This is because escalators, like all things, have inherent danger - dangers that are ever present no matter how much safety precautions used. Anything machine with a moving part is dangerous if not used properly. It is just like the car. Despite having all sorts of safety features, accident and death still occurs, not because of poor design but because of poor handling.

Of course, like Mr Tan suggested, escalators can be made safer. With better safety features, accidents are less likely to happen and even if it happens, the injury less severe. However, at the end of the day, the only more fullproof way of preventing such accidents from happening is more diligence and supervisions on the part of the parents.

Lastly, I once saw a child in the A&E department. He was accompanied by the father and a younger brother. After I saw the child, the father told me that the hospital glass door was "no good" because his younger son's hand was caught by the door. After a pause, I told the father that the door may not be the problem. After some thought, he said, "I think you are right" and he left.

A barometer of UMNO's thinking?

Two news report from Malaysia this week throw some light as to the future of race relations in Malaysia. These reports quash any hopes to anyone who had hope for a more Malaysian Malaysia where ethnicity is secondary to the country and every citizen is viewed as equal.

The first report originated from the state UMNO convention in Johor, the birthplace of Malay nationalism. Its leader, the Mentri Besar, Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, questioned the concept of Bangsa Malaysia or the Malaysian race. His final message is simple, even if there should be a Malaysian race, "it should be limited to the definition of the people of Malaysia with the Malays as the main race." This comment can be seen as a barometer of the sentiment of the UMNO on the race relation in Malaysia. What is implied in his comment is that Malays will always have a special position in the country. Those non-Malay citizens will forever be lesser Malaysians.

The second report touches on the methodology used to calculate the equity distribution between the bumiputras and non-bumiputras. What is pertinent is that there don't seemed to be a standard way of calculating the equity distribution. Even the Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin, acknowledge this fact when he said: “You should avoid judging which methodology is the correct one. You should just say different bases of methodology produce different results." By making the statement, it suggests that there is no correct or agreed way of calculating the equity, and hence, the question of equity distribution will be opened ended.

Taking this slippery road of the concept of lesser Malaysian and the non-standardised way of calculating the equity distribution, raises many concerns. The most important of these is the ever present of a constant fractured point in the society. This can easily be exploited by anyone who wants to use the discontent to further their own ambitions; as seen with Khairy when he claimed that the Malays in Penang is marginalised under the leadership of a Chinese BN leader. Whether one is a bumiputra or otherwise, I am sure nobody wants a repeat of May 13, 1969. It will be sad if the current policy of affirmative action, a policy to address the cause of the racial riots and to prevent future strives, becomes the very reason for another racial conflict. No Malaysians should experience another racial conflict in their lives.

By rejecting the concept of Bangsa Malaysia, and perpetuating the communal politics, Malaysia runs the risk of having an unhealthy climate where the oppositions will be mainly of the minority group. This trend is unfortunately emerging. Although the National Front is a coalition of 14 component parties, representing nearly all ethnic and shades of political persuasions, the real power is in the hands of UMNO. The main opposition, the DAP, although claimed to be multiracial-based, is mainly a Chinese-based party. This created a situation where the government is perceived to be a Malay government and the opposition perceived to be of ethnic Chinese. Removing the political equations, it risks being perceived as the Malays against the Chinese and vice versa. This is certainly not true because although the government is pro-Malay, it still has to moderate its Malay policy to cater to the feedbacks from its non-Malay partners. This is because no communal party can form the government without the support of the others.

By perpetuating the concept of lesser Malaysians, the minorities in Malaysia run the risk of giving up their struggle for Malaysia. Since the is no place for them in Malaysia, why should they continue to struggle for Malaysia? When the world is getting flatter, with globalisation the reality, there is nothing to stop the more abled minorities to migrating to other countries. If the concept of lesser Malaysians is to continue, the push factor may tip the scale and work in concert with the pull-factors of globalisation, resulting in Malaysia losing out in the form of talent drain.

On the reverse, by knowing that they will always have special privilege and affirmative policy, the bumiputras's will to succeed and hence rise above negative perception of being a weak race will always be blunted. This make it difficult for them to withstand any competition that globalisation present to them. In the long run, the crutch mentality will perpetuate, making it difficult to free themselves from the very thing they fight for - standing as equals with the other minority races of the country. The former PM Tun Mahathir had foreseen such a problem and tried to rectify it when he announced in 2004 that he will reserve 10% of places in MARA so as to increase some competition to uplift the overall standards in the school.

Looks like after nearly 50 years of independence, Malaysia still do not have the will to create a real multiracial Malaysia where every citizen is equal and able to stand side-by-side as equal with pride and without prejudice. It is good that national leaders had come out in support of the concept of Bangsa Malaysia. It should be viewed as a starting common point on the long and arduous road towards a better Malaysia. It should served as the basis of closing the unfinished social contract that started when the British granted Malaysia its independance 49 years ago.

Johor giving up sovereignty to Singapore?

MALAYSIA: It seems that the size of Singapore may be getting bigger. No, not by way of more land reclaim but because Johor may be "giving" Singapore a piece of their land to be located in the Johor Baharu city centre and the Second Malaysia-Singapore Link. The plan is that these areas, termed Free Access Zones (FAZ) will enable foreigners to stay and work there without the need for travel documents. The aim was reported to increase tourism in Johor and to promote the South Johor Economic Region (SJER). The idea was mooted by Kazanah Nasional Bhd. Of course nothing is finalised, and I suspect it will never be.

Whoever comes up with this idea is probably too desperate to boost tourism in Johor, to the extend that he is willing to "surrender" a piece of Malaysia's sovereign to another country. By opening up Johor unilaterally to enable foreigners (in this case, for all intend and purposes, Singaporeans) to live and work without travel documents, is as good as giving up land to Singapore. Tun Mahathir will flip. He is already on a war path with Badawi because the current PM had cancelled the building of the Scenic Bridge, a bridge Tun Mahathir said will be build even without the need for Singapore's agreement. Furthermore, if the sale of sand to Singapore had been equated with selling Malaysia's sovereignty to Singapore, even when this was strictly a business transactions, allowing Singaporeans to live and work in Johor without the need for travel documents surely is tantamout to "surrendering" the sovereign.

Sovereignty aside, there is the problem of logistics. How is the Johor government going to delineate the FAZ? Currently there are numerous roads in and out of Johor Bahru city centre. If indeed the city centre is made FAZ, how to regulate the flow of Singaporeans beyond the FAZ? It is definitely not possible to build immigration point at all exit point. The most likely way is to revamp the traffic flow which will mean major redevelopment of Johor Bahru city itself. This is highly unlikely given that the building of the new administrative city of Nusa Jaya is underway as well as the cost involved.

Even if the exit points can be easily controlled, there is the question of inconvenience to the local populations. They will essentially be living in no-man's-land because they still have to show prove that they are Malaysians when they exit the FAZ and on entering Singapore! Surely this is highly unacceptable.

I find this idea of FAZ is ludicrious. How can any government even think of "surrounding" it land to another country? It only shows how incompetent our policy makers are. They usually tried to score points by saying anything that comes to their mind without giving it too much thought. They are not afraid of being penalised because Malaysia simply lack the culture of accountability. Just say anything you like, if it is not feasible then just forget about it, no harm done. Unfortunately, by coming up with such ludicrious ideas, Malaysia will become the laughing stock. Or may be Kazanah was thinking of a new icon for Malaysia - the Wall of Johor Bahru!

Datuk Zakaria, a scapegoat?

MALAYSIA: Datuk Zakaria had finally gave a press conference to explain his predicament today. It was reported in The Star under the headline "Zakaria: I made a mistake". However, the mistake Datuk Zakaria referred to was not because he had broken the law, but because "he designed a 'house (referring to the mansion) which might have been unsuitable for the low-cost housing estate' in Kampung Idaman." He further claimed that he did not break the law because he had tried to apply for a permit.

I think he had misread the public's unhappiness. No doubt, some in the public may be jealous of his mansion, but the majority is unhappy mainly because he was not penalised despite building his mansion without a proper permit. This is the main issue for the uproar and not the because he had build his mansion in a low-cost housing estate. The public is upset because there seems to be double-standards applied when it comes to the general public. Any illegally built structures will be torn down like the case involving the nasi padang seller; whose stall is only 50 meters away from Zakaria's satay stall which was not bulldozed despite being built without permit.

Further, making attempt to get a permit does not absolve him of the crime. If a permit is not granted that means something has to be rectified; and as long as it is not rectified, then he should not have assumed that a permit will be eventually given. This is especially true for a councillor, one who oversees the running of a municipality. If a councillor cannot understand the law, then how can the councillors expect the public to follow them?

Zakaria has hinted that he had been made a scapegoat in the whole process. I do sympathise with him because now we know that he is not the only councillor who had broken the law. He is a victim of the system; a system that had perpectuated for so long that Malaysians mocked it as "Malaysia boleh!", a slogan started by former PM Tun Mahathir. The system reeks of power abuse, corruption, non-accountability, non-transparency and gross inefficiencies. This state of affairs had been so accepted by the public that it comes as no surprise when another councillor, Faizal, who had also built his house without a proper permit was reported to have said that his architect "told me that he assumed he could start work first without the necessary approvals because I was a councillor and I could get the matter sorted out later”.

Questions abound in this saga. Who oversees the issuance of permit for the erecting of buildings and who ensure that a building has the proper permit? What is the role of the Council president Abd Bakir Zin? He had admitted that he had on few occasions advised Zakaria to submit his building plans which the latter had failed to do. Why then did he not take action by issuing a stop-work order? Why was the construction allowed to continue? So has the Council president himself flouted the law? Furthermore, is this only an isolated incident peculiar to the Klang Municipal Council or a disease that is endemic in all the Municipal councils? What about the fate of the other two councillors caught in the same situation?

The public is certain to follow this incident closely. This is because there are many structures being built without the proper permit in Malaysia. To a certain extent, this will be a test case and precedent setting. How the government resolve this incident will determine how the people and the Opposition will react when the next illegal structure is torn down. If different rules apply to the general public, then the government will be on the defensive, which may translate to loss of votes in local elections. If Zakaria's mansion is not demolished, then the government will have lost the right to demolish other illegal structures erected by the common people. Only the government's action can bring back its credibility.

Badawi's government was elected on the platform of accountability and transparency. This will be a good opportunity to prove to the people that he walks the talks. Having missed the chance with the IPCMC issue and 'close-one-eye' MP, this should provide a good opportunity as the Selangor Sultan had already intervened in the matter, making it easier for Badawi to discipline Zakaria.

Links:
The quality of our municipal councillors
The quality of our municipal councillors II