A better Malaysia, a Far-Fetch Dream?

I am delighted every time I bump into Malaysian in Brisbane Australia. I guess due to our small population, we are more bonded and united than we might be back in home country. We love a chat about life and somehow our conversation will always drift to discussion about current situation in Malaysia and how we miss the great Malaysian food that we used to take for granted.

                I can reassure the government officials that are so paranoid about the situation of brain drain that Malaysian in Australia still loves our country of origin.  I can also say with deep conviction that, no matter how hard we try to act like Aussie or mask our identity by changing our accent, deep inside our heart we are still a Malaysian. Put it this way, we are proud to be a Malaysian, but many would hesitate to say that they are proud of the situation in Malaysia and the direction the country is heading.

                The conversation always circulating around a few issues:

aa)      The corruption in our country

Even though we are far away, we can still glean from the news that corruption is still somehow rampant in Malaysia. This ranges from the ‘cows issues’ which saw billion being embezzled from the original purpose for which it is allocated; the submarine case where again billions of dollars are ‘lost’ in the process of acquiring the submarine which turn out to be malfunction; the 40 million that was paid to SABAH political party with no legitimate purpose other than so called political donation; millions spent for so called ‘ lawatan sambil belajar’ to overseas, and the lists go on…

bb)      The increased tension and confrontation between BN and Pakatan Rakyat

Many will tell me that they are sick of the way both side across the political divide try to polarise every issues. BN will always try to paint a rosy picture by saying how successful is the government 

 transformation program and the Opposition will always find fault with whatever the government is doing. Many I spoke to will asked , ‘ why must they argue over every issues and why can’t they all sit down and discuss , after all, whatever they do is supposed to be in the best interest of the rakyat .’

There are also many who voice their frustration over how some quarters use violent tactics to assert their political dominance. There have been numerous interests of violence used by certain political party’s supporters against the people who turn up for ceramah or political gathering of opposition. 

There are also distrust against Pakatan Rakyat government and many would view them in cynical. Many will also say that Pakatan will tend to be corrupt just like BN one day and what is a point of change ?

cc)       The economic problem

One of the perennial problem that are haunting all Malaysian are the increasing cost of living. Many will feel the heat of price hikes even though the government try to deny that inflation is a problem facing the country. This happens against the backdrop of reduced rate of subsidies by the government. This problem is intensified by low wages. Malaysian in Australia will always cite the minimum wages system. 

Even though things are expensive in Australia and inflation is also a problem, at least the wages could cope with the rising living cost. For example, a blue collar worker will earn like AUD 20 -25 per hour. This is in stark contrast with minimum wage system in Malaysia where ordinary Malaysian blue collar worker who are mandated to be paid RM 900 minimum each months.

Many are also disenchanted by the BR1M which are perceived as short term ‘sweat’ given out by the government. I cannot deny that RM 500 might be helpful for many families but the lingering question is whether this is sustainable.  Malaysian overseas is more concern about the large national debt approaching 54 % of the GDP. Our budget has been in deficit for over a decade and we are spending more that we can afford. 

dd)      The standard of living in Malaysia

We are all grateful for the effective transport system in Australia. Public transport and regular and reliable.  This seems to be in stark contrast to Malaysia public transport where punctuality and reliability is a big problem.  This results in Malaysian having to buy cars and this cause constant traffic jam and air pollution.

In addition, many will tell me how safe they will in Australia compared to Malaysia. At least we can walk safely in night and along the road in Australia without being worry of the snatch thief. However, this is only true to a certain extent as there are certain areas in Australia that have higher crime rate but at least we know that we are generally safe.

We can lament over and over again about the problem plaguing our country. However, very often we are only interested in complaining without thinking of how to solve the problem. Often I have to endured long-winded complain from fellow Malaysian and when I asked them for solution to the problem, they either look at me with a  blank face or reply with a sigh , ‘ its always like that lah, there is no hope la.’

Being me, I start to think why are we at the situation where we are now? We used to be more advance than countries like korea and Japan. We even beat them in Football. I always ask myself how we could have been different. After some serious contemplation and research, I have identified the cause of the problem and how they can make a different:

a1)      Institution

In Australia, the judiciary system has to be independent from other arm of government. This is necessary to provide check and balances against arbitrary use of power by the government. In Mabo v Queensland  , the High Court invalidated the legislation enacted by the Queensland government that invalidated all land claim by the aboriginal people. The court held in Mabo (NO 2) that aboriginal people hold a native title and the extinguishment of their land rights are subject to the racial discrimination act 1975. 

In Malaysia, the judiciary system has been undermined by the sacking of 5 judges in 1988 including the Chief justice.  Constitutional amendment was also pass to amend article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution that undermine the independence of the judiciary system. 

Moreover, there are many independent bodies and agencies that check on the exercise of power by the government officials. For example, the police commission will be checking on the conduct of the police and complaints can be made by the public against misconduct by police officials. In addition, independent body are often instituted to look into certain matter. For example, the Fitzgerald inquiry reveals much misconduct by Queensland police officials and many recommendations were adopted by the government at that time.

In addition, Attorney general Chamber ( AG) and Anti –corruption agency are independent from the executive power. We have seen prosecution of many government officials. The most recent prosecution of Craig Thompson who are in charge of union and fair work Australia was charged with Fair Work Australia alleges the federal NSW MP misused union funds when he was the Health Services Union national secretary between 2002 and 2007, by using credit cards to spend thousands of dollars on personal expenses, including prostitutes.

So far we have not seen Government minister being charged for ‘cow’s scandal’ nor have we see prosecution of top government officials involving in the purchase of the faulty submarine.

This is the main cause of the corruption problem that we have in Malaysia. Moreover, the lack of institutional check and balances also cause misuse of power by law enforcer particularly the police forces. When we look at the problem further, ineffective fight against crime has its root in the lack of checks on police power. Very often we are informed that many police officers are stuck with administrative work and only very few detective and police that go around enforcing the law. If a police commission was instituted, at least the commission can look into ways of improving the efficiency of the police officers and prevent them from misusing the power

If the MACC is more effective and independent in fighting corruption, more money will be spent on improving the life of the people and we will not be stuck with poor economy.

Hence, the first way to make Malaysia a better country is to ensure that we have independent agency that check on executive power.

bb)      Cultural Norm

In Malaysia, we are so used to bribery that we seem to tolerate it and accept it as part of the ways ‘things are done’. We even think that it is legitimate for government officials to take in bribe as long as it is not too obvious or too much. 

Our ‘ taka apa’ attitude has caused us a great deal in legitimizing the taking of bribery. There is once a New Zealand Minister that is forced to resign for using the tax payer money to pay for the expenses of her husband when they travel overseas for work. This might see preposterous for Malaysian who may say , ‘alah, tak apa la, sikit je.’ 

We need to change the way we think by saying NO for any form of bribery and corruption. We must insist that no mean no and there are no leeway for getting around it.

cd)       Accountability and Transparency

Very often, government officials are not accountable to the people for their actions. As any government’s action and policies will have potential big impact on rakyat, the government must take responsibility for its mistakes. For example, we have stadium and bridges that collapse and no government officials are penalized for their mistake. 

In addition, the government are not transparent in its operation. In this regard, the government often formulated and implemented policies without consultation with the people. For example, development and acquisition of land in PENGERANG was carried out without consulting the locals.

As a result of lack of accountability and transparency, many of the policies were against the interest of the people and this result in economic inefficiency in the form of wastage.  

Government must start to recognise the need to be accountable to the people and take responsibility for any poor policies

de)       Deliberative Democracy

Winston Churchil once said that ‘democracy is the worst form of government except all those other system of governance that had been tried.’

It is true that democracy can lead to confrontation and polarise the society. However mature democracy with two party system provides the necessary checks and balances against government’s action.

Believe me or not, human nature tends to be greedy and our desire and thirst for power are never quenched. The failure of other system such as monarchy and communism is rooted in the weakness of human nature. This happens when a man has the supreme power and there are no one to check his exercise of power. As a result, we have Stalin, Mao Tze Dong, Hitler who are seen as great leader with supreme power but tend to misuse their power for self-glory, greed and desire.  They either become too overzealous in their pursuit of glory at the expense of the people or blinded by power and lost sight of their original aim to the betterment of the people.

To prevent overzealous exercise of power and to curb weakness of human nature, democracy provide two party systems where the government will be checked by the opposition to ensure the government does not neglect the interest of the people.

Democracy also provide a platform for the people to voice their opinion . Even though we might see confrontation among political party across the divide, we can view it positively as a way to ensure that the problem are not swept under the carpet and that the government cannot do whatever it wishes. 

However, focusing on the part of confrontation and clashes of ideas in democracy totally miss the greater benefit that democracy can bring. At the core of the idea of democracy is that people must come first and the interest of the people must always be prioritized. Hence, in mature democracy, deliberation become a norm where political across the political divide and put aside all their differences in the interest of the rakyat and try to seek consensus. The opposition will not oppose for the sake of opposing and will support the great idea proposed by the government. The government , on the other hand, will not dismiss whatever proposed or opposed by the government with contempt and will tend to listen to the voice of the dissent. 

However, looking at how things are in Malaysia, I believe we still have a long way to go to achieve mature democracy and discard confrontation in favour of deliberation and collaboration. Hence, we must not lose hope when we see the tension between BN and Pakatan Rakyat. Instead, we must hold true to the belief that this is a transition process and hopefully one day we can have both sides working together for the betterment of the rakyat. However, what Malaysia now need is a two party system which provides an alternative for the people. 

I cannot deny the fact that Pakatan Rakyat might be corrupted and incompetent one day. After all, power tend to corrupt. However, we must also bear in mind that absolute power corrupt absolutely . The beauty of democracy with two party system is that beside providing check and balances, it provide an alternative to the rakyat to choose who to govern them. For example, if one day Pakatan Rakyat is really corrupted, at least the people has an option to choose BN to govern them back.

In conclusion, I still love Malaysia and I believe we are going to be a better country in the future. But until then, let us not lost faith. No matter how bad things are back in Malaysia, we must be proud that we are Malaysian we bear the hope for a better future for our children. The wost thing that can happen to anyone is to be apathetic and lost hope. Remember always to look at the sun and you will never see the shadow.

               

The chain effect : Malaysian Version

Written by Rockettan “Keep your face to the sunlight and you will never see the shadow”. This is one of my favourite quote and reminded me the need to focus on good things around me and remain positive in the face of any adverse situation.

However, every morning, browsing through the websites that feature Malaysian news, I could not help but wonder whether I can still remain positive and overlook the negativities portrayed.

Besides petty and dirty politics, the recurring theme of the news revolve around crimes , some too horrendous that took me awhile to regain my composure. I ask myself and try to convince myself that no matter how bad things are, there is still a better future for Malaysia. No matter how hard I try, pessimism always seeps in. I could not overlook the fact that snatch theft, rape cases, murder and all sorts or crimes are so rampant in Malaysia.

Contrary to the claim by the authority that crime rates are reducing, the general sentiments are clouded by fear and worry. As if it is not bad enough, high crime rates is just one of the multifaceted and multifarious problems that are facing Malaysia. Further compounding my worry are the entrenched problems of corruption, inflation, bad public transport, high debt amounting to 53% of GDP, failing education, gutter politics, racial and religious polarisation…

Against these backdrops, the critical question is how did we arrive at the dire state that we are now? Trailing down the memory lane, Malaysia used to me more developed than other Asia countries such and we are even ahead of South Korea and Japan. We used to have the most robust economy, world class University and even our football team can compete on international level. We are endowed with rich natural resources from palm oil, rubber tree, god to petroleum. Put it simply: What went wrong in the past and what continue to go wrong in the present?

Some will point out that high rate of corruption and inefficiency is the real cause. Others will argue that the main reason is our racial policies than shun meritocracy and stymied the economic and social progress of our nation. Even though these are good reasons that shed the light on our predicament; the root of the problem, in my opinion, is the lack of check and balances on the system of governance. This can be gleaned from institutional and normative perspectives and the chain effects that subsequently follow.

The chain effect theory is first propounded from an observation that the tiny swing of the wing by a butterfly may cause a hurricane in faraway place. I will try to illustrate the chain effect of the lack of check and balances from institutional and normative perspective. From the institutional perspective, due to weak opposition, the government in the past can decide and implement any policies at its whims and fancies. Further, there is a lack of independence among many institutions that are supposed to function to check on the government. The Anti-Corruption agency, Attorney General Chambers and the police force are perceived to be dictated by the executive and engaged in selective prosecution. The judiciary system was weakened in the 1988 judicial crisis which ended in sacking of five judges and since then is seen as paying deference to the executive. As a result, corruption is rampant.

In addition, the media are controlled by the government. From a normative perspective, this resulted in low level of civic consciousness among the public. In short, the public did not dare to rise up and voice their opposition on many government policies. Apathetic and inaction become the prevailing norm of the society

Correspondingly, much government’s action such as bringing in foreign workers, white elephant project, and race-based policies went unopposed.As a result, economic progress stalled.80% of Malaysian households live below RM 4000 per month and 30% live below RM 1500. Many felt the heat of rising cost of living and the difficulty to make ends meet. Coupled with the rise in number of foreign worker, is there any surprise that many will resort to committing crime to make a living? Due to the lack of effective opposition against the failing education system and policies, many younger generations lack the moral guidance and hence stumble into seedy underworld or vice. As a staunch Buddhist, I believe in the concept of cause and effect. We only reap what we sow.

However, all is not lost .There are now signs that things are beginning to improve. This started with the political tsunami in previous election which saw the opposition rose to power in five states and portrayed itself as a rivalry to the federal government. This provides much needed checks and balances on government policies. Alternative policies as evidenced by Buku Jingga have been provided by the opposition. This spurs the government to initiate the transformation program (even though it yields minimal effects). The judiciary system starts to regain its rightful role and assert its independence. This can be demonstrated by the ruling by the court that the University and University College act that prohibited students from involving in politics is unconstitutional followed by the dismissal of sodomy charges brought against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the de facto leader of the opposition.

The rise in alternative media has spurred a new level of civic consciousness.The people are no longer solely relying on government controlled media for information. The public now dare to rise up against any injustice and bad policies as evidenced by the success of Bersih demonstration and the mass opposition against Lynas .Many youngsters also involve themselves in politics such as Ong Kian Ming , Aspan Alias and many more.

I find myself titillating between pessimism and optimism at times. I now realise that this is not the right thing to do. I guess the right mind-set for me is to be mindful of the problems facing our countries but at the same time remain optimistic that things are getting better. For my own good and the well-being of many around me, I chose to be positive and believe that there is a better future for Malaysia. Let’s hope that I am right. Finger crossed for the next election.

when law goes wrong

I would commence my article by a fictitious illustration : "We all know that students have to hand up their homework to teachers. There is a boy who handed up his homework as usual. When he got his homework back, he found out that there are scribbles of coarse language and drawing depicting the teachers as ' fat lady who like to wear expensive hand bag despite her ugly look' . The teacher required the student to come in front of class and to prove that she is 'fair and just', she required the student to prove that he did not write and draw on the pages'. The bewildered student could not go back to time to recollect evidence . Further, being a young student with limited knowledge, and his timid nature in face of the 'all-mighty' teacher, there are no way he could prove his innocence and hence he has to admit that he is guilty , albeit innocent at heart".

Since the inception of world wide web (WWW) , the world has been caught in a paradigm shift in term of the lifting the floodgates of information and citizens mobilisation and interconnection. In other words, every ordinary citizens can now access to a wide variety source of news and information and thereby formulating his or her own perspectives regarding certain issues. In particular, a person can share his ideas and information with the public with minimal restraints, at least until recently. The proposed amendment to the evidence act set off a firestorm of controversy. Under the new section 114 A, a person who publish, facilitate the publishing, or whose name appear in the publication is presumed to publish the contents until 'the contrary is proven'. Not only that, even a person who registered or subscribed to a network service provider on which the publication originates from is presumed to be he person who publish or republish. In the same vein, her or she has to prove the contrary. What this mean in lay man term is that you have to prove that you did not do something.

A fictitious example will illustrate this :This fictitious example, even though is not entirely accurate, serve to illustrate the helplessness of normal citizens when facing with the state's prosecution which is equipped with wide resources. Just how a person could prove his innocence, under such harsh circumstances - even republish or subscription to network provider is enough to implicate someone- is unknown to many. Worse of all, the amendment come in the ' speed of light' without any formal public consultation and debate within the parliament. This not only undermines the accountability and principle of representative democracy, but also contradicts the statement by the prime minister that ' the era where government know best is over'. Already we have seen mass opposition from the public with one of the activist groups proposing massive internet blackout.

In possible fear of further backlash from the public, the prime minister had asked the cabinet to review the law. Even though this direction from prime minister shows that he is concerned with the plight of the people, this direction come a bit too late. If proper consultation has been carried out before the proposed amendment, the government will not need to carry out such damage control when the damaged had already been done.

One of the possible justifications by the government in amending the law is to tighten the control over political dissent on the web. The more the government try to exert grip over possible dissent, the sooner it will lose power. This can be understood from a simple analogy: When there is imminent flood, the best way is not to block the water and it will eventually break the blockage, but to channel the water to other area. Similarly, government can best hold on to power by allowing freedom of speech and respecting human rights. This will channel the dissent and resentment into useful public participation in decision making.In the end, the common law presumption of innocence until proven guilty must be upheld to ensure sufficient protection to human right. The prosecution always carry the burden to prove that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

In the word of Lord Sankey the golden thread in English Criminal Law is that the burden of proof always fall on the prosecution. It is really heart- warming to see that the public has taken proactive role in opposing the draconian law. Long live people’s power.

when law goes wrong

I would commence my article by a fictitious illustration : "We all know that students have to hand up their homework to teachers. There is a boy who handed up his homework as usual. When he got his homework back, he found out that there are scribbles of coarse language and drawing depicting the teachers as ' fat lady who like to wear expensive hand bag despite her ugly look' . The teacher required the student to come in front of class and to prove that she is 'fair and just', she required the student to prove that he did not write and draw on the pages'. The bewildered student could not go back to time to recollect evidence . Further, being a young student with limited knowledge, and his timid nature in face of the 'all-mighty' teacher, there are no way he could prove his innocence and hence he has to admit that he is guilty , albeit innocent at heart". Since the inception of world wide web (WWW) , the world has been caught in a paradigm shift in term of the lifting the floodgates of information and citizens mobilisation and interconnection. In other words, every ordinary citizens can now access to a wide variety source of news and information and thereby formulating his or her own perspectives regarding certain issues. In particular, a person can share his ideas and information with the public with minimal restraints, at least until recently. The proposed amendment to the evidence act set off a firestorm of controversy. Under the new section 114 A, a person who publish, facilitate the publishing, or whose name appear in the publication is presumed to publish the contents until 'the contrary is proven'. Not only that, even a person who registered or subscribed to a network service provider on which the publication originates from is presumed to be he person who publish or republish. In the same vein, her or she has to prove the contrary. What this mean in lay man term is that you have to prove that you did not do something.A fictitious example will illustrate this : This fictitious example, even though is not entirely accurate, serve to illustrate the helplessness of normal citizens when facing with the state's prosecution which is equipped with wide resources. Just how a person could prove his innocence, under such harsh circumstances - even republish or subscription to network provider is enough to implicate someone- is unknown to many. Worse of all, the amendment come in the ' speed of light' without any formal public consultation and debate within the parliament. This not only undermines the accountability and principle of representative democracy, but also contradicts the statement by the prime minister that ' the era where government know best is over'. Already we have seen mass opposition from the public with one of the activist groups proposing massive internet blackout. In possible fear of further backlash from the public, the prime minister had asked the cabinet to review the law. Even though this direction from prime minister shows that he is concerned with the plight of the people, this direction come a bit too late. If proper consultation has been carried out before the proposed amendment, the government will not need to carry out such damage control when the damaged had already been done. One of the possible justifications by the government in amending the law is to tighten the control over political dissent on the web. The more the government try to exert grip over possible dissent, the sooner it will lose power. This can be understood from a simple analogy: When there is imminent flood, the best way is not to block the water and it will eventually break the blockage, but to channel the water to other area. Similarly, government can best hold on to power by allowing freedom of speech and respecting human rights. This will channel the dissent and resentment into useful public participation in decision making. In the end, the common law presumption of innocence until proven guilty must be upheld to ensure sufficient protection to human right. The prosecution always carry the burden to prove that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt. In the word of Lord Sankey the golden thread in English Criminal Law is that the burden of proof always fall on the prosecution. It is really heart- warming to see that the public has taken proactive role in opposing the draconian law. Long live people’s power.

Schools Kill Creativity

By rockettan 

Study week before semester final exam can be dull and boring. I was trying to find ways to relieve myself from such boredom when I stumbled across an interesting talk by Ken Robinson on Ted.com. The title of the talk ‘schools kill creativity’ captured my attention and what he said resonate well with my perception of current predicament facing Malaysian education system.

Ken Robinson observed that a child has no fear of making a mistake. To illustrate his point, he told a story of a girl as having learning disorder by her teacher due to her inability to concentrate in class. However, she seems to be able to concentrate by preoccupying herself with drawing. Hence, one day, the teacher decides to ask her what she is drawing all these while and the girl replied that she is trying to draw the face of god. The teacher finds it amusing and told her that no one knows the face of god and it is pointless to try to sketch it. She was awestruck when the girl replied: ‘you will know when I finished in a short while.’ 

There is no way of determining the truth of the story. But the important message that it conveys is that our education system discourages our students to be creative or try something unprecedented. This is reflected in our examination systems which penalized students for making mistakes in exams or homework. I remembered being chided by teachers for not getting the right answer in class and feel bad for it. It is the fear of making mistakes; imbued by our education system; that will prove to the stumbling block towards creativity and innovation.

It should be borne in mind that the great inventors in history had to go through many failures before their invention become successful. I could not imagine what will happen if Thomas Edison give up when he failed in his experiments. We could be still living in darkness if not for his perseverance and courage in pursuing his dream.

In the context of Malaysian Education system, it is common knowledge that our students are bogged down by route memorization of subjects that bear little relevance to real life. Out teachers do not encourage independent learning or questioning in class. Students are expected to be passive and obedient recipient of what is being conveyed by the teachers. To make matter worse, students often confine themselves to learning what in the textbooks, particularly only to what will potentially be in exams. As a result, they are oblivious to what happens around them, be that national or global issues. This is a worrying sign in light of globalization which make the world more interconnected. Our students are not able to be ‘ global citizens’ who can engage in people around the world confidently.

I am not trying to generalize that all students are shortchanged by the falling education standard. I am sure there are bright students who are able to defy all obstacles and shine in their own ways. My only concern is for the majority students who are unable to cope with the rapid changes around the world due to their limited general knowledge and myopic views. 

The failure of Malaysian Students to gain admission into Harvard University is perhaps a testament to the abovementioned. I believe many of us are wondering what are the main reasons for this failure .The interview conducted by BFM (Business radio station) with Malaysian Harvard Alumni and interviewers shed some light on these issues. One of the Harvard Alumni and interviewers lamented about the lack of critical thinking skills and general knowledge among our students. She mentioned that our students are not used to question things around them and are very likely to accept the status quo. She observed that maybe this is due to the lack of flexibility in the choice of subjects in high school and tertiary education. It is common that our bright students are automatically being placed into science stream with no chance whatsoever to choose art subjects. As a result, they are not able to think or see things from different perspectives. 

Besides, the other reason is the applicants’ lack of communication skill and their inability to form their own opinions or engage in general discourse confidently. She suggested a revamp of the whole education system which focuses on allowing our students to explore a wide range of subjects according to their own interests without any pressure to conform to the majority. She used the example of how Harvard students are given two years to explore any subjects before making a decision on their major. 

It is my greatest hope that Malaysian Education system will be modeled on the basis of fostering creativity, soft skills, and dynamism. However, my hope was dashed when the Education Ministry of Malaysia announced a new scheme to increase the lessons for Malay in schools at the expense of subjects like physical education and music. Moreover, ‘kemahiran hidup and geography in primary school will be scrapped and will be replaced by history subject. . I am not trying to be a doomsayers or naysayers and I am not trying to be cynical. However, in the age of innovation, creativity grounded in practical skills rather than academic knowledge, our students will be severely disadvantaged by the current changes in the syllabus

Perhaps we will have a deep conviction in what Ken Robinson said if we view them in Malaysian context.

Striking a balance

Written by Rockettan

It is said that monotonous and repetitive event in everyday lives can sometimes be a source of inspiration ; if we bother to pay close attention to details and things around us. Surprisingly, my source of inspiration comes from my predicament from taking my shower . In Australia- at least in my house- there are two control knob for adjusting the temperature of the water. It takes delicate skills and patience to adjust the two knob together for the right temperature of the water to get warm shower, something I still could not fully grasp even in my second year in this foreign country. Turning either one of the knob more than the other one will surely get you jumping out from boiling hot water or shiver from the cold .

In this sense, against the backdrop of the initiation of Government Transformation Program spearheaded by PEMANDU, I believe it is imperative to get the right blend of policy planned and implemented to achieve the objective of transforming Malaysia into a high income country. Taking too extreme a policy is analogical to too much a turning to the hot shower knob and vice versa.

In the political context, with the emergence of strong opposition coalition under Pakatan Rakyat, the government needs to be able to allow space for dissent. I believe democracy work best when there are checks and balances among various government institutions as well as strong monitoring and criticism from the opposition. People must be given the basic freedom of expression through various channels. Stifling and clamping down opposition and people’s voice with full force will only backfire whereby anger and dissatisfaction among the public will risk boiling over. In a similar fashion as the boiling hot shower , the government risk hurting its credibility and legitimacy from taking too extreme a measure .

On the other hand, allowing too much dissent and unmonitored freedom of expression might risk inciting racial and sectional dispute. It is instructive to bear in mind the racial and religious sensitivities when expressing one’s view as Malaysia has a complicated social demography made up of different races with diverse cultural and religious practices. Hence, The right balance has to be struck whereby people must be given the rights to express their view regard to various issues without touching on religion and cultural sensitive areas.


In the economical context, the economic transformation program ( ETP) has been instrumental in striking a balance between government and private investment to boost the economy of the country. Through extensive collaboration with the private sector, the 12 NKEAs were determined and receive prioritized public investment and policy support. In this regard, the ETP is designed to be led by the private sector while the Government will primarily play the role of facilitator. This is perhaps a good way of rectifying the weaknesses of Keynesian economy theory – which encourage government intervention in the economy – which is seen to be crowding out private investment while at the same time also prevent free market system advocated by classical economy from jeopardizing consumer and ordinary folks’ interests

In addition, in the midst of encouraging private investment, there is a need to control the level of inflation rate that are at risk from spiking due to ‘ overheating ‘ the economy , by controlling and setting appropriate interest rate. In this regard, it is commendable that one of the NKRA’s aims is to address the cost of living. However, the government should not be too overzealous in cutting cost of living by providing higher subsidy or giving money to the poor. This measure will only fuel more demand in the economy and lead to higher inflation rates. The best way is to control the price level at appropriate level by curbing speculation among business and investors. In addition, the 1 Malaysia grocery shop is a right measure to help to tackle the rising cost of living, provided that the quality and safety of the groceries and food sold are monitored.

Besides, the New Economic Model ( NEM) had been unveiled by the prime minister which aims to replace the new economy policy and shift affirmative action from being ethnically-based to being need-based hence becoming more competitive, market and investor friendly. Even though this shift in policy should be applauded, there is a need to be cautious that in the attempt to create a level playing field, the Bumiputera economical rights and interest are not phased out altogether. In this regard, I believe the NEM has taken this issue into account in its formulation by attempting to encourage proactive participation by bumiputera business and provide real incentive for them to improve their business performance instead of the old way of handing out cash and business contracts with no string attached.

From social perspective, with the advent of globalization and modernization, there is a need to preserve traditional values from being eroded. Good values such as ‘gotong royong’ kind of community spirit, traditional courtesy need to be preserved from being subsumed by the culture of individualism, materialism and hedonism and uncontrolled sexual freedom propounded by western culture.

Moreover, in the aspect of education, another National key results area is in improving student outcome. Even though there is a need to improve academic excellence and literacy rate among students, students should not be bogged down by excessive workload and pressure to perform well. In addition, students who perform well academically should not be pressured to involve themselves in the science stream. A balance can be struck by encouraging student to think creatively and allow them to explore their interest and innate potentials. In this regard, bright student should be encouraged to take a combination of science and humanity subject in secondary school and university level to allow them to develop into holistic individuals. . Society can only flourish in long run when science and humanity both has an equal place. Moreover, school ranking and reward for top performing school should be done in a moderate manner so that no schools and students are sidelined or suffer from inferiority complex. Society can only flourish in long run when science and humanity both has an equal place.

Besides, the area of social welfare and equality is also one of the National Key result area identified by PEMANDU. Government aims to create a long term system that helps create opportunities for the underprivileged. This will be done through creating job opportunities, increasing basic wage, finding business opportunities and providing welfare assistance. While these initiatives should be applauded, it should be borne in mind that provision of welfare payment should not be too excessive to the extent of burdening the government and fuel the lackadaisical attitude among the underprivileged. We should take heed from the economic turmoil suffered by Greece and Spain from too large social welfare payment and benefits without improving the economic productivity. The underemployed and underprivileged people should be encouraged to improve their skills through various government funded courses and education opportunities. Technical education should be provided for them to allow them to improve their prospect of obtaining better paid jobs.

In conclusion , the ‘ voice of moderation ‘ propounded by the prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak need to be taken seriously and be the pivotal concern to be taken into account in any policy formulation and implementation. I believe that when a right balance has been struck and moderation and objectivity precede extremism and subjectivity , the government transformation program will be able to achieve great success and propel Malaysia to become a high income nation .