Will the circle be unbroken?

Hi! I went off line to sort out a few personal matters, I am back now. During my absence in the cyberspace, I notice life goes on as usual.The sun rises and the sun sets, you know that kind of thing. If you think something is important, then it becomes a priority to you, life has more meaning. Otherwise, it can be one big void.

Enough of philosophy, let’s get real. It’s the time of the year where the excitement is bigger than all the festivals combined together in the country. It happens every four or five years, so, everybody is into it. You know I am talking about the general elections due on 8th March.

Malaysians love elections, they will vote for the same government, then later curse the politicians they vote in to death. It’s the same old, boring story.

Sabahans have the reputation for being the boldest voters in the country, we dare go against the mainstream thinking by voting in a very unexpected manner. Ever since the coming of UMNO into the state, we have been very sober.

Are we going to maintain the status quo this time around?

Personally, I don’t see any new government being formed in the country. The government will probably not get the kind of support they received four years ago. So what? They will still form the government.

Some of my friends are adamant that the BN government in the state will fall. If we can vote solid opposition in,some even talking of denying the incumbents the two thirds majority, then we all can sleep well at night, I’d say.

The average Joe voter is upset what he perceives to be an indifferent attitude of the government in tackling a series of issues, for Sabahans it’s the illegals, enough said. Then, like anybody else the rising costs of essential items bothers him,which means his ringgit cannot stretch that far.

I think,what’s of concern to most of us is the perception that local politicians and other big guns are too busy lining their pockets at the expense of everything and everybody else, and they seem to be above the law.

We have become mere spectators at this cynical abuse of power, there is no check and balance. There is real anger and frustration amongst the better informed citizens. There does not seem to be a way out of this.

In the urban areas, the anti-government sentiment is very high,but, since when the government relies on the urban voters?

The real battle is in the rural areas, where sentiments and emotions are worked up to make sure the government is returned to power. And , the rural people will be kept in the dark and remain poor, so that they can turn to the government for hand outs, in exchange for votes.

Will the circle be unbroken?

It’s a bit boring reminding people to vote wisely. I like the American Presidential hopeful Barrack Obama’s tag line “CHANGE we can really believe in”.

Instead of being shortchanged by our greedy politicians forever and ever, the whole country needs a change for the better.

Is there someone in the country who can actually initiate change we all can believe in?

Let me know if you know of one, ok?

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Not again

I expected it. Then, what’s new? I am talking about the decision made by the Education Ministry that future Science and Maths examinations are to be in dual languages.

After producing a generation of graduates who are not proficient in the English language making them almost unemployable in the private sector; when the former Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir, announced that the two subjects would be taught in English, many parents were hopeful.

As a direct result, my primary school going nephews and nieces have improved their English tremendously with this policy change, and are very comfortable in speaking the language now. Children do learn very fast.

Unfortunately, in this country it is ever so common to see policies reversed in mid-stream because of political consideration.There is no commitment to see them through once obstacles surface. While the politicians score points , only God knows the damage done to future generations.

I understand the plight of our rural children, some of them can’t even speak Bahasa properly, what more English? This should be seen as a challenge actually.Many members of the older generation only knew “yes” or “no” when they first started learning English, because of the persistence of the colonial authorities, over time they became fluent in the language.

Instead of the usual flip flop approach, we should stay the course. Why didn’t we do it progressively in the first place?

Give the urban schools an earlier target , while the rural schools a slightly longer time frame. However, by certain time, all schools must do the two subjects totally in English. Period.

By giving this dual language option, many teachers will take the easy way out by teaching the subjects in their own mother tongue, this defeats the purpose and a step backward.

There is no point in screaming about having a good command of the English language to be competitive in the globalised market place . It’s understood. The Education Minister himself knows this very well by sending his daughter to study in Australia.

If he has faith in the English language education, he should also share this with all Malaysians, especially with the rural parents. We are only talking about two subjects here!

The parents only want their children to have a good job, and they know a good command of English or Mandarin will help them towards this.

Even little Brunei knows that only the English language can prepare their young to be competitive by teaching most of the subjects in the language. Now, their young citizens tend to have a better command of the language than our young people.

While we have gone to space, we can’t ignore our own planet. We need to move on fast into the globalised market place of the 21st century. To do this we must stay focused.

Rasa Sayang

My heart was in my mouth, a little prayer was said for a safe journey.When he finally docked and emerged with a smile,most people just like me felt relieved.

Compared to the others, our first Malaysian astronaut Sheik Muzaphar looks very happy to be in space. He keeps saying he wants to stay longer . Now, the time has come for him to come back, we wish him a safe trip home so that he can share with us his experience up there.

With the interest in science generated, hopefully, Malaysians will be more rational and scientific in their approach and not to be too dependent on mumbo -jumbo and what have you.

I know this is not the end of our space programme, I am sure more astronauts will be sent up there, maybe, our young people should start dreaming of being the first Malaysian on Mars.

Back on earth, what I find intriguing is the debate with our Indonesian neighbours as who actually owns the popular folksong “Rasa Sayang”.The slinging match started when Malaysian tourist officials use the song as part of our tourist promotion on TV.

The Indonesians say it’s theirs, we concur and it’s ours as well, after all we share the same ancestry. Many Malaysians have their roots in what’s now Indonesia, so it’s not only natural to share similar language but also to share many things like satay, batik, soto, kebaya and folksongs.

Who owns what can’t be determined strictly as people moved from one island to another.Those days they had no sense of international boundaries, and there were no immigration outposts either, and even now,some ethnic groups straddle both sides of the border. We even share the Sebatik island off Tawau together and this big island called Borneo.

The trouble, I think, is with the Indonesian media . They have suddenly discovered their new found freedom, so in the name of freedom, they write what they want. I suspect there is even an element of jealousy amongst the elites in Jakarta.

Why not?They are bigger and richer than us, yet the country that should be the leading light in the region finds it hard to accept the fact that their people have to come here to earn a decent living. We are also the first to help every time natural disasters hit them. So, when some of our officers go overboard in discharging their duties, especially when dealing with their citizens, they get very sensitive.

What to us is normal, after all, our officials are only doing their job, to Jakarta elites , it’s like rubbing salt into the wounds. A double whammy for them. Some people are saying only the Javanese elites in Jakarta are offended by all the incidents as they show them in bad light for not running the country well, the other Indonesians like the Bugis, Acheh,the Kalimantan and the Sumatran peoples are not so taken up with Jakarta’s emotional outburst as they closely identify with Malaysia and its achievements.

Some Indonesians in Malaysia do give their countrymen a bad name for breaking the laws of the country too often. On the other hand, our officers should be more tactful and they must also learn to respect the human rights of other people , because, too many of them tend to be too pompous and over-bearing. Power must be tempered with civility.

Say what you want, as far as people-to-people relations are concerned, we are still singing the “Rasa Sayang” together.

Beyonce and Burma

If you watch TV or read the newspapers, what you get is nothing but news that really get you upset most of the time. Bad news sell big time, good news are nothing but a big yawn. Funny how the world operates. You do feel like switching off sometimes.

If you are a music lover, how do you feel now that Beyonce decided not to proceed with her concert in Kuala Lumpur? Of course, there are many spins to this, from tight scheduling to other reasons. Basically if you ask me, she does not want her art to be compromised by all the funny rulings about dressing and all that.

If I were her, I wouldn’t come either, you accept my art in its complete package or you can forget about me helping your visit Malaysia Year.

Malaysians are well informed enough to know that you only need to turn on MTV or surf the internet to see sexier things than Beyonce’s exposed tanned skin or beautiful figure! So what’s the big deal about the dress rulings for visiting Western female singers? It’s not like they are dying to come here. Beggars should never be choosers.

It’s bad manners to force people from other cultures to comply with our way of doing things. What is happening to our own upbringing? Please don’t do unto others what we don’t wish to be done to ourselves.

I wish some of our people would get their moral compass more focussed, with corruption, drug abuse, HIV carriers, and others, there are more things more important in this country than somebody’s flesh or the way they dance on stage.

Now, what must be the biggest upset for me is definitely the way the Burmese junta handled their own people.They even butchered their own unarmed Buddhist monks for leading peaceful demonstrations. How cruel can you get?

It’s very hard to digest their ruthlessness and their desire to stop democracy from being established in the country.The fact they look so entrenched and the people there are suffering enough to make any human being despair.

If it helps the Burmese people’s cause, just expel the country from ASEAN. All this buddy- buddy talk of non-interference in member’s country is a waste of time. Put our foot down and teach the rogue member a lesson, kick them all the way to hell.

It is also sad to note that influential Asian countries like China and India can close one eye on the Burmese people’s sufferings. I don’t expect much from China but from the biggest democracy in the world, I expect some principled leadership . Maybe, I expect too much.

Then, in this world , there is no such thing as free lunch.

For Beyonce’s fans, cry your heart out.

And, as for the Burmese people though life is nothing but suffering as taught by Lord Buddha, however, I believe there is light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe, Nirvana is just across the road!

Can we switch off from this world, when we are very much a part of the total sum?

True or not?

My good friend,Bobby, brought it to my attention,and I tend to agree with him.

I am talking about the general myth that we Malaysians are a friendly and polite people. Are we? On the surface, yes, we seem to be polite and even friendly. Looks can be deceiving. If you say we are almost as polite as the Japanese, that must be the joke of the century!

Some of us are badly brought up.

I was in the cinema the other night, there was this young girl who thought it was part of her ticket price to give a running commentary on what was going on the screen to her friend at the end of the hand phone! I am sure you have met the types. Very irritating, with no consideration whatsoever for other people.

Now, this hand phone business can be a real pain. Notice how some boarding passengers on the plane find it necessary to talk on their hand phone even when they are about to sit. If told by the cabin crew to switch it off, do they welcome the gentle reminder with a friendly gesture?Their body language tells you everything you need to know.

When was the last time a front counter staff in the private sector said “Have a good day” to you? They don’t even bother to say “Thank You”, even after you have given them some business. As for smiles, they are too expensive to go around!

Does a government department ever answer the phone on the third ring? I personally dread the idea of going to a government department. Not only the front counter staff can be indifferent, but, they don’t often give you the correct information which means running around the department looking for someone to help you. Nobody seems to know anything, unless, you happen to know somebody personally.

Is this is not rude, I don’t know what is?

I go to a suburban post office every now and then, this counter staff who used to serve me for almost two years there never smiled, not even once . No common courtesy at all, not even to a regular customer!Thank God, he is no longer there, the current staff is a lot friendlier.

I don’t even want to talk about driving habits.

Some of you who travel often will know the level of service provided in countries like Australia, Japan or even Singapore; helping customers is part of their working culture. Not only the staff there are courteous, but, they bend backwards to be helpful .They do leave a good impression on you.

Is it difficult to be friendly and greet customers with a smile?

I think when you have an education system that stresses on the academic side alone and not much on the soft skills, the whole country can even forget its own beautiful, traditional values!

What a shame!

Malaysia Day

Yesterday,16 the September, was the 44th anniversary of the formation of our country when Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah, and Singapore got together to form Malaysia.

Compared to the 31st August celebrations, Malaysia Day is rather muted. In Sabah, the date is the official birthday of the State Governor. This year because the date falls in the month of Ramadan, official celebrations have now been postponed to next month.

It does make sense that we as a nation should focus on one date, but, we must also acknowledge the date when the nation was officially born. We can’t pretend like it never happened.

Those who tend to get upset over this are the older generation who lived through the events which led to the formation of Malaysia. They still remember Sukarno’s ‘Konfrontasi ‘and the Manila claim over Sabah.The intentions of these two countries were obvious. And, they argue, if more emphasis is given on the early hardships, maybe, the younger generation will become more appreciative of the country as citizens.

Manila’s refusal to drop the Sabah claim up to now, and the recent Jakarta’s attempt to include Sipadan as part of its territories can be construed as reminders of these unfulfilled ambitions.Though we are married to someone else, true love knows no bounds!

As for the younger generation, do they care?

Before the new country came into being, there were those who were in favour of it and those who did not like the idea. At the end of the day because of the then communist threat and the geo-political realities , the idea of Malaysia was too big to be ignored and everybody came around to accept it as the only way out if Sabah were ever to be independent and her security assured.

On balance,we have made a tremendous progress, physical developments have been rapid, many who came back after a 44 year absence could hardly recognise the place.

However, on the flip side of the coin , our political development has not been so orderly, and the political leadership has been rather poor.

Generally speaking, some of the leaders have not paid back the voters who have placed their trust in them. While urban areas are said to have progressed, the rural areas have not been so fortunate.

Many native Sabahans have not benefited their fair share of the cake. Owing to poor infrastructure, access to some remote areas is next to impossible, many isolated communities do not have schools, health centres, electricity or clean water.

This is despite the representational system that is practised in the country. Elected representatives do not take pride in teaching the villagers how to fish, as their own priorities seem to only secure votes during elections. As a result, these communities have become too dependent on hand-outs and are not self reliant.

Despite the diversity and the complexity of our state, if we have contributed anything useful to the nation, it is our approach in handling our exemplary race relations, which seems to be so elusive to the other half of the country.

Then, we can’t ever be too complacent, we have a long way to go before we sleep.

Happy Malaysia Day!

A better way…

The recent announcement by the government of the three pronged strategy to transform our higher education into world class must be commended.

Some of the key strategies include apex university-where only the best academic staff and students will be admitted, autonomy-public universities to be self governing in funding and research and development and audit panel will be introduced, where standard of all universities to be assessed by independent committee comprising of only experts.

The revamping of our education system is long overdue.There have been talks of our schooling system is to be less exam oriented, our children who go through the system will be more all rounded in terms of their self development.

I think it is a good idea to spell this out clearly to the public, so that when we talk about our education system, we, as the stakeholders, understand the direction it is taking.

As it stands, I really don’t know what new things are being introduced to make our children more competitive on the world stage. Everything to me is still being done on a piece-meal basis.The whole thing is still hazy, what is clear is that our politicians simply love to experiment with the education of our children.

It’s fine to experiment if it works to our advantage,what we have seen is the deterioration of the standard instead, which makes us less competitive in the world market.

If the authorities cannot decide what to call our national language, whether it is Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Malaysia, what hope do we have in seeing our children getting good education in their own country? The people in charge don’t know whether they are coming or going!

Our students should be schooled to face the issues and challenges facing the 21st century head on, and they should also be trained to take advantage of future scenarios.

Education should be about producing individuals with good values like integrity and trust besides the necessary knowledge and skills. In the words of Raja Muda Perak, Raja Nazrin, we should not be producing “robots” .

I would think a better way to prepare the nation is to focus more on the pre-tertiary level education, when you build a house, you want to make sure your foundations are solid first, then everything will fall in place.

With quality students being produced at the primary and secondary schools, the apex universities will never be short of world class students later.

For a start, why don’t we go back to teaching in English?

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Merdeka!

Without a common culture,we have come a long a way. Many had written us off, but, we are still up and about. We are a nation that is still in the making, there are still many shortcomings that need to be worked on.

Watching the just concluded Merdeka celebrations beamed live from Kuala Lumpur , my impression was that it wasn’t an all-embracing Malaysian affair, it looked very much like an UMNO show to me.

To be honest, I half expected it, after all Sabah came on board only six years later, the focus was more on Malaya Merdeka celebrations . Do I get the feeling that the caste system of the mind is alive and well in this country?

I saw this article in the Sunday Star written by Dzof Azmi on how Malaysia is now known the world over. He considers himself as a citizen of the world and proud to be Malaysian.

Let me quote him , “One thing I have seen over the years in reaction to Malaysia change from “Whazzat?” to”Ah..Twin Towers”. I remember as a young teenager having to explain to my friends in school where Malaysia was.”You know Singapore? It’s that really tiny bit at the tip of Malaysia.No..the southern tip”.

He was young then, now, he’s fully grown, you’d think he’d improved on his history and geography! For God’s sake,Malaysia came into being on 16 th September 1963, the new country now consists of the two Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak together with Malaya, after Singapore was booted out.Remember?

Need I say more?

Many people are cheesed off with this display of historical ignorance to put it mildly, but, it’s repeated over and over again.I think we need to be more precise when we talk about our own country’s history and geography so that we don’t send conflicting signals to the outside world.

As I thought this was a mindset problem prevalent in one part of the country, the Sabah Archives Director, Datu Tigabelas Datu Zainal Abidin,according to a news report has decided not to display the general broadmindedness and tolerance generally associated with Sabahans either.

When asked why the archives focused on the contributions of Tun Mustapha alone in the upcoming exhibition, and excluded the enormous contributions made by other Sabah leaders like Tun Fuad Stephens. Datu Tigabelas was quoted as saying because Fuad was half white!

Fuad had European ancestry, so what? To exclude him on that basis and to sideline the contributions he had made to Sabah is like saying Malaysia came into being in 1957.I don’t think we should be in the business of distorting historical facts.

There is the tendency to play God especially by those who have power in this country,we need to be more open and inclusive,after all, the country belongs to all of us. We are all Malaysians, aren’t we?Or, could it be that some people think they are more Malaysian than others?

Merdeka!

City Living

I have been taking her for granted. When I decided to look around, I realised the city has changed somewhat.There are more people and more buildings.There are more things to do.

It deserves to be called a city. But,many friends in the property market do scratch their heads at the number of the shopping complexes coming up. Can the spaces be filled up with retailers, they wonder? There are some who think that we are overbuilding.

Do we have that many people with high disposable incomes?Or, are they being snapped up by the same people over and over again?

Whatever, the case maybe, Kota Kinabalu has grown up, at least in the city centre.Every available space is being developed. The city has an air of modernity about it.Then, a friend said he noticed that there are too many eating places around!

The city is well situated too, it has the islands nearby, and the mountains a bit further up. You take your pick if you have some time to kill.

It is not overcrowded,in fact, it’s a pleasant city, furthermore, it’s generally friendly minus the callousness of a big city living.

Some foreigners I talked to liked the unhurried pace, the high cultural tolerance displayed by the people, and some might even consider coming back to stay under” Malaysia My Second Home Programme.”

Well and good.

What I think is missing is that city planners need to make the city a lot more noisier with music, and other cultural activities as part and parcel of our city living.

Designate certain spots for buskers, clowns and other street performers, and get the management of some of the complexes to organise concerts or to provide live music on a more regular basis.

The recent well attended Jazz Festival at Jesselton Point tells us that city folks do appreciate good music. Introduce as many musical genres as possible. I know it costs money, I am sure with planning, it is not impossible.

I understand the old Hone Place Padang in Tanjung Aru is being turned into a park, I hope a stage can also be built by the contractor so that the people can enjoy public concerts there.

A city needs plenty of soul to make it a place worth living and for outsiders to want to stay put.

What’s happening?

As 31st August approaches, there are many disconcerting happenings in the country that make you sit up and take notice.

Let’s recap some of the recent headlines from our newspapers.

The Bukit Gantang Bus Crash Tragedy which claimed 20 lives and injured nine throws up more questions than answers.The bus driver had two warrants of arrest against him and 13 outstanding summonses.Yet,he was still driving buses.The bus had 19 summonses on it , it was still ferrying passengers.

Here at home, the State Forestry Director said that the logs seized by the Anti Corruption Agency (ACA) found on 20 logging trucks in Keningau last week were legally felled from licensed logging areas.

The ACA insisted that during their operations the 5,000 logs seized were believed untaxed, and the 22 logging trucks seized did not have valid documents. Also, the trucks were found to be transporting above the permitted weight.

Another baffling story is about the Johore Crime King at the centre of allegations against the Inspector General of the Police (IGP); the Secret Society,Vice and Gaming Division of Bukit
Aman and the ACA cleared him; but, the Commercial Crimes Division banished him to Jeli, Kelantan under the Restricted Residence Act. And, the ACA wants to know why?

Recently, there have been many alleged cases of police shoddy investigations of criminal cases resulting in the acquittal of the alleged killers. Can the police alone to be blamed? Many in the legal fraternity hold the view that the A-G’s Chambers must also take the blame, for the decision to prosecute lies with them depending on the strength of evidence.

Why are things so gloomy?You would think after all these years the government agencies would have sorted things out among themselves.

The former IGP, Hanif Omar, writing in his Sunday column in the Star under the heading “The Fence That Eats The Rice”, sums it well when he writes that the police force and the ACA-two crucial institutions leading the fight against malpractises and corruption.Yet they are sadly disappointing in their inability to even clean up their own backyards.

“I briefed the Royal Commission that police corruption was so extensive that a very senior ACA officer had confided in me and another top retired police officer that 40% of the senior officers could be arrested without further investigations-strictly on the basis of their lifestyles.One state police chief had a net worth of RM 18 millions”, he writes.

What’s really happening?

To the Malaysian public this “fence that eats the rice” syndrome is very worrying to say the least.If we cannot trust people entrusted to look after our well being and security,who do we turn to?

What’s very apparent with all these examples is the lack of enforcement, indifference, ignorance and inefficiency of the parties responsible. The uncaring attitude and “what’s in there for me” mentality tend to dominate. We may have the best laws and the best policies in the world, if they are not enforced in a fair and just manner, or without fear or favour, we only have ourselves to blame.

Politicians must be serious in guiding this country on the right path for the sake of our future generations. This is the only country, we all call home. Talk is cheap, just walk the talk.

Get everybody to be committed to the cause of a fantastic Malaysia!

I rest my case.

Self help

In any self improvement seminar, affirmations such as- if it’s to be , it’s up to me,heaven helps those who help themselves are usually bandied about. We are told with enough self belief, these affirmations will help us to be successful.

The problem is we forget them as soon as we leave the seminar room. If only we would put into practise half of what we have learned, the chances of us being successful would be greater.

I was happy that the participants at the recent inaugural Sabah non-Malay Natives
Economic Congress were thrilled by the promises made by the Finance Minister 11, Nor Mohamad Yakcop.

There was a loud applause when he announced that there would an immediate grant of RM500,000 from his ministry to the Kadazandusun Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) to assist in its training programme to members and entrepreneurs from the community.

I could not help thinking, though.

Compare this with the news item about the two Dutch women who raised about RM 174,000 through their own initiative to help the conservation efforts being done at the Sandakan Sepilok Urang Utan Rehabilition Centre, we are poles apart in thinking and attitude. They are basically givers, while we are more than happy to be takers.

People say in life, the satisfaction is in giving and not in taking.

Ask any successful people they will tell you that you get luckier if you work harder. While some of us do work hard, there is still this prevailing culture of waiting for goodies to be given out by Santa Claus. Otherwise, nothing appears to move.

We have been spoiled rotten.

Some of us also take the view that by being highly educated , we are automatically capable of being successful in business. It helps, but, life is not as simple as that.

Robert Kiyosaki’s in his best seller” Rich Dad, Poor Dad”, postulates that while academic credentials are useful, but, the ability to apply whatever knowledge to generate wealth is more important.

Even though his real father has a Phd, he has to rely on his monthly salary to survive. To him, this is his poor dad. His other dad is not so highly qualified academically , but he knows how to generate wealth . No prize for guessing who is his real hero!

The world does not reward with what you know,but, with what you do.

We can see for ourselves how some semi-literate Chinese succeed in business with little or no help from the government initially. They prove themselves first, once, they are established in their field, they only get bigger with government help.

They hardly squander the opportunities given to them. Look at the Genting Group, YTL Corp,Ting Pek Khing and many others.

The operative word here is self help, and the passion to want to be successful whatever it takes.

Virgin super boss, Richard Branson who was in Kuala Lumpur recently is a dyslexic. I remember reading somewhere that he is not so familiar with accounting terms, yet, he is a great success because he is passionate about turning ideas into money.And, he knows how to market his products as his name is a brand unto itself.

While the Bumiputras are the rightful owners of the country, because of our political arrogance, government dependence , we are still crawling after all these years.

I don’t think the Chinese are supermen in business, it’s their survival instinct, their passion for money- making, as well as their do- or- die attitude that make them successful.

Maybe, it’s their Taoist philosophy that says be like water, somehow it will find its own level if one keeps on pushing.

So, hard work, perseverance and the right attitude can’t be divorced from success.

Sure, it’s good to know people and to net work, especially to rub shoulders with those with clout, this is business reality. But, I think we must tell ourselves, at the end of the day we can only rely on our own hard work and determination if we want to go far.

Get the help, but, move on your own after that. Don’t keep asking for more. If your are good and have proven yourself to be reliable, the government will automatically look for you.

If I were to draw up a programme for the business wannabes, I would focus among others, on basic accounting and marketing, by understanding free market forces, the big, wide world becomes your market. Handouts will be a thing of the past, hopefully.

We must also ask ourselves, are willing to work as hard as the Mamak restaurant people? 24/7?

If the answer is yes, then, we deserve to live happily ever after. Otherwise, we just have to wait for Santa Claus to come this way again next year.

What’s in a name?

A little news item caught my attention recently.

China with more than a billion people are now sharing just 100 surnames.Chinese law states children are allowed to take the surname from either their mother or father.

This lack of variety means 93 million people share the name Wang, 92 million Lis and 88million Zhangs , Chen, Zhou and Lin have 20 million members each.

Under a new draft regulation released by the Ministry of Public Security, parents will be able to combine their surnames for their children, a move that could open up 1.28 million possibilities.

For example, a father named Zhou and mother named Zhu could choose to call their child either Zhou, Zhu, Zhouzhu or Zhuzhou.

Members from the ethnic minority groups are encouraged to use traditional surnames. Many have adopted those of the Hans,which harms their cultural heritage.

In Korea, where more than half the people are either Kim, Lee, Park or Choi, and where two thirds of the population share 10 surnames, having a rare surname such as Bing and Who can be very inconvenient at the least and downright hassle when no one believes that is your real name.

The Koreans pay a lot of attention to surnames, marriage between Kim and Kim is prohibited unless they can prove they are from different branches of Kims.

With the exception of the Chinese and the Eurasians, generally speaking, other Malaysians namely the Bumiputras and the Indians do not have surnames. Over time family history or ancestral heritage because of the mixing of genes can disappear into the black hole of no return.

In this country anyone with a Muslim name is a Malay. Are these names Muslim or Arabic? Christian Arabs also use such names as Fuad, Bashir, Samir, Amin and even Osama! .

Bumiputras need to question themselves, and it’s the same with the Filipinos who use Spanish names, who they really are.

It appears that we have been trapped in this bird cage to the point we can’t be true to our own ethnic identity, and we need external help to define who we are.

Names should reflect our identity. Shakespeare’s Juliet asked what’s in a name? To me it’s everything in the context of who you are and your cultural heritage.

Kamal Mustapha of Turkey created surnames for the Turks, he is known as Kamal Attaturk (The Father of the Turks).The Congolese now Zaire have adopted surnames for easier identification and national pride. The Arabs too have surnames like Al-Sabah,Albar and so on.

In this part of the world, it is easier to identify Javanese sounding names. Can we identify, for example, a Malay Malaysian from his name if we read the newspapers? While we are in the country, we can make the assumption, then, some non-Malay Muslims too have similar names. There is little to show in terms of the person’s cultural or racial identity.

The beauty of having surnames is that it records a historical continuity and a bond with the bigger world. A Malaysian Ong can relate to other Ongs even if they are of different nationalities. There is a mental hook up or even a spiritual one because of common surnames.

If we don’t have surnames, and say we live in a different country, can we tell who our own relatives are in our country of origin especially if you haven’t seen them for years, and your parents have passed on to tell you who is who? We can even fall in love and marry our own blood relatives which is not on, genetically speaking.

How do the Bataks of Sumatra bond even though they are Christian and Muslim among them? It’s their clan names or their marga names like Nasution, Lubis, Sihaan, Siregar ,Tobeng etc besides language that gel them. By looking at their clan names,they know who they are, and there is a sense of belonging and brotherhood immediately.

For the Malaysian Bumiputras to have a sense of true identity,clan names should be drawn up by members of the family,thus,guaranteeing ethnic identity in perpetuity.

The current Bumiputra practice of having names like Joe Thomas or Ali Amir can be very misleading, by having a surname, or a clan name in addition to these personal names common identification and ethnic bond can be further established.

The Malaysian Bumiputra ethnic identity needs a new work over to ensure that it lives for another thousand years!

Mustapha’s house

The state government has not said anything about our former Chief Minister, Tun Mustapha’s house in Tanjung Aru , which had been bought over by a West Malaysian buyer with the intention of turning it into a restaurant.

There have been many suggestions in the local press whether the State Government should do something about it.

Some people think the State Government should let it be, because they still hold grudges against the late Mustapha for some of his policies.

Some are quite open to the idea of saving the house.

UPKO Putatan Member of Parliament, Dr Marcus Mojigoh, was quoted as saying the house is worth saving as Mustapha played an important role in the early days of independence.

“If nothing is done, the intrinsic historical value related to Tun Mustapha and his heydays as among the earliest leaders and independent Sabah would be lost forever,” he said.

Those who grew up during the Mustapha’s era would remember the house as a hive of activities. The same could be said of the other Chief Minister, Fuad Stephens’ residence in Kampung Likas.

Simply put, Mustapha’s house is so rich in historical value that it will be a waste to let it turn into a restaurant.

By restoring it, the future generations will have some understanding and a sense of their own early history .

Countries abroad generally preserve former homes of their famous historical figures to honour their contributions or to educate their people.

When Cory Aquino was the President of the Philippines, she opened to public a section of the Malacanang Palace to show the world the extravagant life styles of the Marcos family. Imelda Marcos’ shoes were a big hit with the visitors!

England is so full of history that it is virtually a living museum. Everywhere you go, you are reminded of their great historical figures.

Even little Brunei has a Churchill museum!

The current Sabah administration must have a sense of history, and take the necessary action to preserve not only Mustapha’s house, but other assets associated with the early politicians like Stephens and many others and convert them into living museums.

Sabah Museum must be the driver in preserving our political heritage now that Rais Yatim, the Federal Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage has said in collaboration with the National Heritage Department will be submitting a proposal to the state government to consider setting up mini museums in several strategic areas.

If Agnes Keith house in Sandakan can be restored by the Musuem in collaboration with the Federal Department of Museums and Antiquities, and considered as a heritage house and a tourist product, why not Mustapha’s house?

I might not agree with some of his policies, but, Mustapha was a native son who played a crucial role in our history.

They don’t make politicians like him any more.

National disaster

Besides making money, there are two other things that can get Malaysians all worked up-politics and football.

In this soccer crazy nation, it is ironical that the Malaysian national team can’t play the beautiful game that can bring glory and pride to the nation. what gives?

Corruption, cronyism,and nepotism many fans will tell you. Ha, that mantra again. The cynics will tell you it’s part of our general malaise, the standard of English, the quality of our local graduates and now, football, everything is going south. What’s new? they ask.

The jury is out, as far as the angry fans are concerned all the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) officials should be hanged, drawn and quartered.

The drubbing by China (5-1), Uzbekistan (5-0) and Iran (2-0) in the qualifying rounds of the current Asian Cup competition have even got the cabinet worked up calling it a” national disaster”, and they have demanded for an explanation from FAM for the pathetic performances by the national team.

You don’t need a degree in soccer studies to know that it has been a disaster waiting to happen.

The current FAM headed by the Sultan of Pahang has failed miserably for over the last 20 years to lift up the standard of soccer in the country. In fact the standard has gone way down beyond the expected level. To be fair to them ,they have achieved many things like introducing the professional league and bringing funds to the coffers of the FAM. But, are these enough?

They have failed one thing every Malaysian soccer fan has been hungry for,success at the regional and international level competitions .

In terms of world rankings we are even behind Singapore! Neighbours like Thailand, Indonesia and even Vietnam can hold their heads high, while we have to keep our tail between our legs. Just imagine we are in the same league as Laos and the Philppines now!

Way back we used to be one of the top teams in Asia having qualified for two Olympics,and as for Korea and Japan, they used to fear us.

I remember my visit to Korea a long time ago, the immigration officer at the airport counter could even name all our national players then, like James Wong, Hassan Sani, Mokhtar Dahari, Santokh Singh, Soh Chin Aun and the rest . Was I proud to be a Malaysian!

Now,you name me the current national players?

I think what we have neglected is the development aspects of the game. For a river to flow to the sea with the necessary volume of water, you need many tributaries. Build the infrastructure nationwide and get the young people involved, many people suggest.

The Deputy President, Tengku Abdullah, the Sultan’s son, has resigned , and even the Secretary General Dr. Ibrahim Saad, is said not to be renewing his contract which is due to expire in September.What about the rest? The Sultan himself has said that he would stay on.

To the fans , many think that as long as the Sultan stays on, they don’t believe that further progress can be made to improve the standard of soccer because of our culture of respect and deference especially to members of the royalty.

One fan told me he couldn’t imagine anyone saying “no” to the Sultan.

“I remember a consultant group recommended that the FAM should be run professionally sometime back, and the Secretary-General post should be opened to the best candidate in the country. Half way through the interviewing process, a decision was made to appoint the current officer”, he said.”And, everybody went along without a murmur”, he added disappointed.

“Furthermore, must politicians be involved? he asked. They are supposed to be running the country,do they have time to run football associations as well? If they can’t run a football organisation well, they have no business running the country either”.he opined.

What is the way out,then? I asked.

“We have many football talents, be more inclusive. Turn the team into a real multi racial unit, play to the racial strengths of the players.The Chinese are strategic in their thinking, they make good mid-fielders. The Indians are generally taller and have good work ethics on the field, use them wisely, the Bumis like to dribble, use them as goal poachers. I am merely suggesting that our football officials should think strategically . I am not saying this is the end all approach.

“Why can’t we get people like Paul Mony, Prof Khoo Kay Kim, Shebby Singh and other ex-national players to be involved in FAM? Pick their brains, I am sure we will improve soon enough.

“The players also need to be motivated to show self-belief and aggression, they look too pampered now, I don’t think they can even last two days in the National Service programme! And, do you think only politicians have all the answers?” he asked again.

Everyone will have their own take on the state of our football. While FAM is waiting for reports and all that, the Education Ministry says they will start a programme at the school level to bring back glory to the sport.

Earlier the coach,Norizan Bakar was reported to have been sacked, and another report said he was still the coach until his report comes in explaining the debacle. Are you confused?

And who makes the decision on the fate of the FAM council itself?

This is exactly the state of our soccer, one big ball of direction-less confusion!

To get back on the right track, FAM must stop the blame game, take the punch in the chin like a real man, and make way for professional people to run the show and chop off all the politicians and others who should be focusing on other urgent matters of the country. Tell me, which politicians or Lord Mayors run successful English or European football clubs?

For the fans, they have no choice but to keep rooting for the English club teams, and at the same time they can only pray that there is a silver lining somewhere.

Amen.

Live Earth

There is life after politics after all. Al Gore, the former American Vice President ,has proved by moving on, you can make a new life and contribute to the world in a significant way too.

By re- inventing himself, he is now the environmentalist icon. Not bad, for a guy who came here and caused a stir by publicly supporting Anwar Ibrahim and his “reformasi” movement, which went nowhere.Of course, Al Gore got all of Malaysia upset. Then, that was in the past.

The recent Al Gore’s Live Earth concerts in some major cities of the world to remind the world of the climate change was a good move, superstar Madonna who provided the finale at the concert was quoted as saying”let’s hope the concerts are not just about entertainment but about starting a revolution”.

How far these concerts will have an impact to revolutionize our daily lives remain to be seen. How genuine are some of the players? Questions have been asked if the performers at the concerts were suitable climate change activists.

Madonna herself has been accused of hypocrisy after allegations were made that she has financial links to some of the world’s biggest polluters like the giant American aluminium plant, Alcoa, the Ford Motor Company and Weyerhaeuser,an international forest products company.

A British act Arctic Monkeys when asked why they were not on the bill at any of the concerts explained that the whole thing was hypocritical as the power used for stage lighting alone enough to power ten houses, and their bass player said ,” we are always jetting off on aeroplanes”.

To save the world, we actually need to get rid of the system or at least modify the system that is in place now. A system that is based on the exploitation of countries, human beings and natural resources in order to maximise profits spells destruction.

A system that works on human greed is bound to destroy everything in its path. As long as the world’s economy is driven by oil, we can do precious little in saving the environment.

While Bush and his neo-conservatives tell you that they invade Iraq because of weapons of mass destruction, the real reason is oil. Iraq has some of the world’s biggest oil reserves, for America , she needs to control these reserves.

With their oil royalties, these countries will have to buy American financial instruments, with interests accrued from these investments, the American companies will then get paid for work modernising these countries. America and the rest of the world can then live happily ever after.

Whether these countries really need all these modern, glittering “toys” is not the issue here. The whole exercise is to maintain this capitalistic-imperialistic system, no matter how destructive or even at the expense of the climatic health of the planet, the show must go on.

Here, in Sabah, it was reported that the rhino population is declining . The exploitation of their natural habitat is obviously the cause. Land alienation for agriculture and other purposes is creating pocket areas and rhinos by nature are solitary animals are definitely affected by all these activities. For them to mate is next to impossible.

We will never agree if international reports say that Malaysia is “the nature destroyer”. Officially we are not, 52 per cent of our land in Sabah is protected. According to the Deputy Director of Wildlife Department, Laurentius Ambu ,we are not destroying our forests, the problem is that the rhinos are at the wrong place at the wrong time?!

Of course, it is never our fault, blame it on the rhinos, even though they have been in the forests longer than us.They cannot talk back, can they?

As long as we cannot control our greed,the planet is hurtling itself towards self destruction. What can we do? Maybe, we need to adopt the middle path development model where Schumacher says” small is beautiful”. We can also adopt the indigenous ways in preserving the environment,then, we do not want it to be too Penan like either. A little bit of country and a little bit of rock and roll, a little bit of native and a little bit of modern approach , that will do fine.

I am entitled to dream, right? Otherwise,what sort of world will we be leaving for our future generations?

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The NEP

Thierry Rommel touched the sacred cow, as a foreign diplomat he was supposed to be more than polished in his approach . He’d so incensed some of the local politicians that a government backbencher had asked him to leave and be barred from the country.

Does he care? He will be leaving the country for good in September anyway, maybe, he saw this was the right time for him to speak .

His sin was to criticise the affirmative action policy of the Malaysian government, generally referred to as the New Economic Policy(NEP)..

The head of the European Commission in Malaysia, was alleged to have said that at a luncheon talk to ambassadors and foreign diplomats that Malaysia should roll back its 37 year old policy.He was quoted as saying that the NEP was discriminatory and amounted to protectionism against foreign companies.

My guess is he wants to go down in history as a straight speaking diplomat, you know, if you have a name like Rommel, it is not easy to match The Rommel of the Desert Fox fame, consciously or subconsciously this Rommel needs to be remembered, if not by the world at least by Malaysians.Or is it just an attitude problem as claimed by Minister For International Trade and Industry Rafidah Aziz? Why then become a diplomat? I suppose we will never know.

By the way, this is the same Rommel in the course of his tour with his Malaysian based European colleagues two years ago,met with an accident in Sabah . He escaped unscathed although several others were injured.

The NEP was created after the bloody Malay-Chinese riots in 1969 with two basic primary goals,to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty and to eliminate racial identification with economic functions.

The policy has been a success in restructuring an inequitable society where the Bumi (indigenious) corporate wealth at that time stood only at 1.5% , in the process a Bumi commercial class was created to spearhead more participation in business .However, the 30% target of Bumi corporate equity ownership has yet to be met. The policy has also been successful in producing more Bumi professionals and entrepreneurs, thus expanding the middle class.

Many critics see the failure of the NEP is in its implementation where certain people close to the ruling party are said to be the main beneficiaries.These UMNOputras got rich beyond their wildest dreams, while many people especially in the rural areas still live without basic amenities.In other words, a few benefit at the expense of the many.

While the policy looks discriminatory to the other non-native races, the policy has also benefited them as it is not a question of robbing Ah Chong to pay Ah mad.Seen as the greatest social engineering ever to restructure society, the defenders of the policy say the idea is to make the cake grow bigger for everyone, in fact, Malaysia’s economic growth has been steady except for some glitches here and there.Generally, Malaysians on the whole have benefited. The NEP is acknowledged and even copied by South Africa .

However,open criticisms of the policy by any quarters are not tolerated, a recent research done by an ethnic Chinese Malaysian for a local think tank ASLI arguing that the NEP goals have been achieved was not taken too kindly by the ruling party.

The reaction over Rommel’s remark must be seen in this defensive posture. Of course, Rommel later explained that he had no intention to meddle in Malaysia’s domestic affairs and that the issue had been blown out of proportion.

Many native groups in Borneo call for the NEP to be maintained, Leo Moggie the Tenaga Nasional Bhd(TNB) chairman was reported to have said at the recent inaugural joint Gawai-Kaamatan Festival in Kota Kinabalu that the Dayak and Kadazandusun communities need special attention in order to give them a fair start in economic development.

This prompted the Secretary General of the United Sabah Bajau Organisation (USBO), Pandikar Mulia to declare that the Bajaus should not be lumped together with the Malays even if they are Muslims , they too need help as they are still poor and lagging in the economic race.Some of these people still live on boats out in the open seas.

While we can agree that the NEP has some good and some bad points depending where you are coming from, maybe, it is time for the government to re- look at the policy and do some soul searching. It’s no fun for any group of people to be labeled as ” handicapped “. At the same time, the different stages of economic development of the various races in the country are real.

The government can, for example, look at how the policy can be better implemented to prevent abuse and corruption and also to examine to what extent the target groups have benefited instead of just focusing on the equity ownership. The discriminatory clause which favours Malays and other native groups which many object to can be modified by including all Malaysians regardless of race and religion as long as they deserve help.

Every Malaysian needs to be looked after as this will bring stability to the country,nobody should feel marginalised. New mechanisms must also be worked out to see who really deserve help.

An example is to use the median incomes of the family as a yardstick and extend the necessary help if they deserve it, be it scholarship for further studies or business opportunities.

Politicians from the ruling party should not be too emotional when other parties criticise the policy, the spirit of NEP which is based on the moral doctrine of utilitarianism, that is, we should always act to produce the greatest possible of good over bad for everyone is worth defending in a sophisticated and rational manner.

On the other hand, it must be remembered that the longer the policy is allowed to stay, the more the targeted groups will remain complacent which in turn will kill their desire to compete .

Therefore, a balance approach must be adopted,even with our own children, once they reach a certain age, we have to let them go. So, a new look and time line must be drawn up for this policy.
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We do not want the NEP to be called the never ending party, do we?

Majulah Singapura

I have not been to Singapore for quite sometime, my last trip there taught me never to assume anything . Like they say anything is possible in life.

Singapore has done well, it’s a first world metropolis, clean, green and well organised. Even the arts are flourishing there, once you have money, you want to buy culture, right?

Malaysians will always tell you that Singapore is so small, it is easy to manage and furthermore it’s not multi-racial enough because you have one dominant culture . Say what you want, Singapore has evolved into an efficient and dynamic city state.That’s the reality.

Had they stayed in the third world mode, they would have sunk and disappeared in the Straits of Malacca a long time ago.Their achievement is something we can proud of too, after all, we were once in the same family.Their people are our people.

Our rivalry is actually healthy as long as we don’t go overboard, throw in some humour , you can’t go wrong. We Asians tend to take ourselves too seriously, we must laugh at ourselves more. Life is not a zero sum game, you win some and you lose some.

The clearance at Changi was a breeze, on the way to the hotel, the 50 something Chinese taxi driver asked where I came from.

Sabah.

I thought you came from Malaysia.

Sabah is part of Malaysia.And, you happy with young Lee ?

Ok,we are developing casinos and other tourist attractions,many tourists will come and more money for us. Our government is smart what!

Ya lah, instead of one casino, now, you are going to have two, isn’t that kiasu ?And, Chinese people like to gamble, no social problems later?

Never mind, good as long as money comes and government knows how to control things one.

There was silence, then out of the blue he said,actually Singapore is very expensive,we have to work hard to make ends meet. Everything is Pay And Pay (PAP)here.Water bills are expensive, if you have no money, you cannot survive here.

Can you survive anywhere without money?

He continued, actually my wife is from Penang, last time she wanted to become a citizen, then she changed her mind. Good decision, in a few years time, I will be moving back there with her.As I get older, Singapore is too hectic and expensive for me.

What are you going to do in Penang?

My wife has a piece of land, we are already building a house there. We will run a small shop to keep ourselves occupied. Malaysia is more affordable, you need millions to buy a small piece of land in Singapore.

Children?

All grown up already, they do what they want.

Would you still move to Malaysia if your wife had come from somewhere else?

Yes, I think I would, more opportunities there. Can always come back here mah.

Later in the evening I was introduced to a Malay businessman in his early 40s, let’s call him Jeffrey. Singaporean Malays are a different breed, fluent in English and being urbanised, they have different perspectives of the world.

I like the fact that Jeffrey said that nobody owed him a living. It’s up to you to work towards your goals, he said.

I asked him whether with a little help from the government the local Malays would have done much better?

Maybe, he agreed, however, you must learn how to survive on your own, it will develop some kind of resilience in you. You must have the hunger lah.The satisfaction is greater if you make it on your own, he said.

Jeffrey like many other Singaporean Malays I met think that the government preference policy for Malaysian Bumiputras will only stunt their growth.

Drugs and dysfunctional families are some of the social problems faced by the Malays in Singapore amidst rapid development, Jeffrey admitted, and also the lack of confidence, he added.

Jeffrey continued , it is your life , do what you want, at the end of the day if you don’t help yourself,nobody else will, the choice is yours.

Would you move to Malaysia?

No way, this is home. And, there is too much religion over there he said without elaborating.

Walking along Orchard Road the next day, a young lady tried to hassle me into buying some products. From her accent, I knew she was not a local.

I am from China, my husband is Singaporean.

You like Singapore?

I prefer Malaysia.

Huh?

Singaporeans are kiasu people and they look down on China people because our English is not so good, and we also work harder than them.

Why Malaysia?

More opportunities and more people . My husband is starting something and I look forward to moving up there soon.

Hi hi,bye bye Singapura.

The real Malay ?

He came, he saw, he didn’t conquer.He stirred up the pot instead.

Malacca Chief Minister, Ali Rustam’s pronouncement that it was easy to become a Malay didn’t go down well with some sections of our Sabah people, especially with the non-Muslims.

When he made the speech at the recent Malay-Muslim conference in Kota Kinabalu, he actually didn’t say anything new. Infact, he stated the obvious.

Article 160 of the Federal Malaysian constitution states that a Malay is Muslim, who speaks the Malay language and practises Malay adat or customs.

Ali Rustam was right on that score, the question people want to know is whether he was encouraging people to convert? To some people it looked like he was doing exactly that, hence the brickbrats thrown at him.

In Malaysia, there is nothing that is not politicised, be it race, religion, business, education, you name it, there is always a hint of politics in everything. Nothing will be accepted at face value here, because there is none in this country . People are programmed to read in between the lines, especially statements made by politicians.

Now, the constitutional definition of Malay itself is flawed. When the definition was drafted, I wonder whether it was given much thought, because fifty years down the road, it looks like the constitutional experts responsible decided to play God themselves.

Maybe we should forgive them, if we scrutinize the definition closely ,doesn’t it reflect the sociological “masuk melayu”(enter malay) concept? If you become a Muslim in this country, you are said to “masuk melayu” and not a convert to Islam. A way of life is more important than one’s bloodline or a commitment to the religion?! With new information available, surely we can do better.

The first thing you ask is how do you equate religion with race? Race is God given by virtue of genes, language and evolution.One can always change one’s religion, but, can one do that with one’s race?

A person of Malay origin belongs to the Austronesian group of peoples which include the Polynesians. Tagalogs, Bisayas in the Philippines and even Dusuns or Dayaks are all Malays in the wider sense, since they are not generally Muslim, does that make them lesser Malays? The Malagasy people whose language has many similarities with the Maanyan Dayaks in south-east Kalimantan, are they lesser Malays by virtue of the fact that they are overwhelmingly Christian ? Or for that matter, Hindu Balinese?

If we go by our constitution, of course, they are not Malays. But, if an Indian, Pakistani, Arab, a Chinese or an Englishman who is a citizen and a Muslim, speaks Malay habitually, and follows the Malay customs, he is a Malay! It does not make sense, does it?

Some people are happy with this classification, some might not be too pleased. To me, if the person has Malay blood in him because he is the product of a mixed marriage, it is all right to be classified as such.Those who have none and don’t look like one physically but want to be considered as one because the constitution says so,that’s another story.

Can someone tell me must Malaysians alone monopolise the term Malay?.Who gives us the God-given right to limit the term Malay to ourselves, when there are Malay stock people all over the world who are not Muslim who have Malay genes but are deprived of this association ?

This is not an easy matter to resolve,there are many Islamised native races in Sabah who would rather be acknowledged by their ethnic names, rather than being called Malay. While, this umbrella term is politically useful in this country, but, it is time for us to look at it from a more wider and sober perspective.

A narrow definition gives rise to narrow minded interpretation, in the light of progress made in the field of DNA by the scientists it would be magnanimous on our part to rephrase the definition of Malays to its truer meaning. Remember, as we evolve, nothing that is man made is ever cast in stone. As it now stands , we don’t look that enlightened, do we?

So, will the real Malays please stand up?

Proton Saga

Sometime back they shut the door on each other, now, they are talking again. Malaysian national car maker, Proton, is holding desperate talks with Volkswagen AG (VW)in order to save itself from the funeral parlour.

A brainchild of the former Prime Minister,Dr.Mahathir, Proton was conceptualised to fast track Malaysia into the ranks of the industrialised nations, the saga of this company has all of Malaysia intrigued worthy of the best soap operas on TV.

When the idea was first mooted in the 80s, many Malaysians were skeptical, and even the then Deputy Prime Minister, Musa Hitam, cited Proton as one of the reasons for him wanting to resign from the post .He didn’t see how it could be a success.

Dr. Mahathir was persistent and he personally saw the idea through. Many Malaysians saw him as the CEO of the company, even overriding the board, but, he was the strong-willed Prime Minister, wasn’t he?

Proton went through some good times initially as Malaysians came around to support the home -made car backed by the war cry of “Malaysia Boleh” (Malaysia Can). Dr. Mahathir showed everything was possible with dedication and hard work.

Proton started off with the play on technology transfer from Japan’s Mitsubishi , later, it flirted with France’s Citroen and Proton even bought into Lotus to try to get the best technological hook-up available. Malaysians cheered, while visiting the United Kingdom, many used to feel extra proud when they saw many Protons on the road there.

There was even a hugely popular Kadazandusun song called “Proton Saga Kalabu” (The grey Proton Saga), this cheeky song tells of a young divorcee who would only show interest in would be suitors if they drove grey Proton Saga. The song was later made into a VCD movie. Our national car has really made a great impression on the people and it has even become a part of our pop culture.

Then, many also asked where the national car-maker was going with the eclectic approach. Where was the technical focus?

Like the wise say all things must pass, and Proton was no exception. As soon as Dr.Mahathir retired, Proton CEO, Tengku Mahaleel was sacked, of course Dr. Mahathir was livid even though he was still Proton’s advisor. Without the political clout, Dr. Mahathir was ignored by the ambitious and repressed people in the company.

Leadership changes were made, left on its own, Proton lost its direction and apathy set in. From a cash rich company, now, it’s bleeding to death.

For the recent fiscal year which ended March 31(FY07), we see revenue dropped 37% to RM4.9billion from RM7.8billion in FY06. Proton posted a whopping net loss of RM591.4 million against a profit of RM46.7million previously. Loss per share stood at 107.7 sen compared with earnings per share of 8.4 sen in FY06.

Many reasons were given for this woeful performance, it was attributed to a challenging operating environment,which saw intense competition compounded by lower used cars value and stringent loan application screening that put credit squeeze on prospective buyers.

Managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin explained that the losses were due to lower sales volume and other factors including one-off expenses and provisions.To put it on the right track, Proton will focus on operational efficiency, cost competitiveness, introduction of new models and more aggressive marketing campaigns, he said.

While all these standard attempts will take time to bear fruits, many are not convinced that Proton, which is owned by the Government’s investment wing, Khazanah, will see the light at the end of the tunnel unless the company is run more professionally.

The government must act fast and do what needs to be done to stem the bleeding. If Proton has to be sold to foreign parties, so be it. One can argue about nation’s interests until the cows come home, at the end of the day it is the bottom line, unless, the government is contemplating a bail-out again.

Nissan was a sick car-maker, by teaming up with Renault, the man sent to sort out the mess, Ghosn, managed to turn it around. If the extra nationalistic and proud Japanese could accept this reality, Malaysians had better do the same.

Proton needs an experienced outsider to run it, a local person tends to spend time pleasing the various political factions, this will not get us anywhere.Tough decisions on factors such as quality and efficiency need to be made. In other words, go the commercial way, you either shape up or ship out.

VW is keen to establish a foothold in South East Asia through Proton, among its numerous strengths, it has the track record of turning ailing Czech based Skoda around. With the famous German clockwork efficiency , hopefully, Proton can look forward to better times once again.

A real winner

Little has been made in the local media of this Malaysian journalist who won the Pulitzer prize, the most prestigious journalistic prize there is. Imagine what this means to your own curriculum vitae.

I hope our local hacks are not envious of her. Fong Foong Mei has only been in the game for ten years, and she has managed to bag this coveted prize.

This 34 year old former Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Bintang Girls school student writes under the byline of Mei Fong, and she is one of the seven members of Wall Street Journal team that won the 2007 Pulitzer international award announced on April 16 for a series of articles on capitalism in China last year.

Fong had written about the terrible conditions of migrant construction workers in Beijing.According to her it took her two months to find someone who would talk, and the workers were so happy that someone was interested in their story.

She co-authored a second piece on a Chinese doctor who was inspired by the”Erin Brokovich” movie starring Julia Roberts,he fought to save his village from environmental pollution in the eastern Fujian province. When doing the story on the doctor,it was difficult as her freedom to travel was restricted and interviews required permission from local officials.

The migrant workers story also earned Fong a first prize in the 2006 Human Rights Press Award given out by the Hong Kong Correspondance Club and Amnesty International earlier this year.

Fong studied at the University of Singapore under a Singapore Press Holdings bursary.She worked with the New Paper there for three years.

Later, she completed her masters in international relations at Columbia University in the United States. When she graduated in 2001 Fong undertook a three month internship with the Wall Street Journal which led to a job offer in the organisation.

There were hardly any commentaries by our local journalists on this world class achievement.I wonder why? Is it because she didn’t go through our system that she only deserves a passing mention in the form of news item?

We must ask ourselves how is that our system is not producing achievers like her? She is after all a local girl. Something is missing somewhere, I think the answer is obvious , our journalists are trained to be the best self-censors in the world , investigative journalism hardly exists in this country. When some of our people make the grade overseas, Malaysia does not get acknowledged, after all their training and the exposure which bring the glory cannot be attributed to us. We make our own bed, so we lie on it .

We have great journalistic talents in this country,we simply have to do more by encouraging them to write the truth.Without the freedom to write, we can’t produce world class achievers to call our own.

Congratulations to Mei Fong, and don’t forget your roots.