When we were young, the most enjoyable games we played were "Cowboys and Indians" and Tarzan. There could be many cowboys, of course, and equal number of Indians, so splitting a dozen of 5- to 12-year-olds was easy enough. But being Tarzan there was just one role, with the privilege of him choosing the prettiest gal as Jane. This was indeed problematic. It's often overcome by picking a "lucky number". The "victor" gets to act tough and finally "slays" all the villains after they tried to seduce and ravage the "heroine" Jane, but of course, failing all the time, because Tarzan always prevailed.
Now we have many Malaysain leaders playing self-anointed "hero". Nobody asked them but they claim they act and speak on our behalf. See if you discern the hero from the villains. I am only the messenger. But if you like, I can also play Referee. But get the consent of those "self-acclaimed heroes", OK!
From The Star Oct 9, 2006, page N12 (Note the Highlights are Desi's, (BOLDED THUS)~~
Lim calls to focus on wealth creation, not equity dispute
PANTAI REMIS: Stop arguing over racial equity and wealth distribution and concentrate instead on wealth creation and transparency, said Gerakan president Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik.
He said that the rich were merely squabbling amongst themselves as to who had more shares.
“The rich are arguing over what they have. What about those who don’t have anything?
“In my 30 years of political experience, the issue of racial equity usually crops up only when the country approaches a recession,” he told reporters after distributing Deepavali hampers in Pengkalan Baru here yesterday.
Lim, who is Energy, Water and Communications Minister, was commenting on the dispute over the figure cited by Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) that Bumiputras owned 45% of the country’s business equity.
He also urged leaders to stop challenging Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew over his remark that Chinese in Malaysia were being systematically marginalised.
“Stop worrying over racial equity as it will not solve the matter at hand – an impending recession and the lack of wealth creation for the country,” he said.
“We cannot afford any more wastage and leakage. What we need is a new system and more transparency. If you have the figures proving that the Bumiputras do not own 45% of equity, then show those figures and end the debate,” he said.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was recently quoted as saying that Asli’s 45% Bumiputra equity ownership result was wrong as it was based on a survey involving 1,000 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia, while the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) had surveyed 600,000 companies to come up with its 18.9% figure for the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
Lim said that debates like these only fuel the perceptions that Malays always felt they did not have enough, the Chinese felt they had sacrificed too much, while the Indians felt that they did not have anything at all.
DESI: Mr Minister Lim, don't you think the two issues are closely related? You cannot expect the Malaysian populace to all focus on wealth creation when a large portion of this commonly created wealth" is siphoned off or distributed largely into privileged hands, a select group of UMNOputras and Yes-Men among the BN component parties.
Your pertinent point which I concur, Mr Minister Lim: ~~"Lim said that debates like these only fuel the perceptions that Malays always felt they did not have enough, the Chinese felt they had sacrificed too much, while the Indians felt that they did not have anything at all. The key question is that:
IS THIS QUANDARY SO WELL DISCERNED BY YOU LARGELY CREATED BY THE GOVERNMENT?
Do we want to accept the key weaknesses in Government policies and take remedial measures? OR
Let's keep on playing "HEROES" and quietly behave like Ostriches burying their heads ... where, my Dear ER, you choose the answers for Desi!
And aren't Barian Nasional leaders guilty as accomplices by perpetuating the MYTH of NEP's goals being not met when the Bumiputra equities total had far exceeded the 30%-target as several authoritative quarters, besides ALSI, had found in their studies? Maybe for a start, Pak Lah should disclose all the parameters and statistics the Goverbnment had been using that arrived at the finding the Bumiputra equity stakes ahd stayed stagnant at around 20% for the past two decades?
No, Mr Minister Lim (and the PM Pak Lah too), you can't play Tarzan and leave behind Jane.
Can there be the "Hero" Cowboys without the "Villain" Injuns?
PS: and When we finally grow up, the WWW citizens know that Not All the Cowboys are Heroes, and Not ALL the Indians are Villains.
From The Star, page N21~~
Clubs to woo brains back
KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA will use its network of overseas clubs to encourage Malaysians working abroad to return home in a move to help reverse the brain drain, its international affairs bureau chief Datuk Lee Hwa Beng said.
He said this could be done via the MCA overseas clubs in Australia, Japan and Britain, which has a total membership of 1,000.
Australia MCA Club chairman Chan Wei Ming said that a “clearer picture” of the country’s political landscape would help some overseas Malaysians decide whether to return home.
He welcomed the party leadership’s move to allow MCA overseas club members to attend the annual general assembly (AGM) from next year, and to take part in the debates at the AGM.
“By taking part in the debates, we can get first-hand information and not just secondary information via the media or internet,” he said.
Lee, who is Subang Jaya assemblyman, said the party’s central committee had agreed in principle to this move, which would be included in the party’s constitution.
:
:
:
DESI: I have written on this issue before; in gist, it's a case of "Bolting the stable's door after the horse has boilted."Why can't the Government prevent brain-drain by respecting their own nations and treat them as as ASSET and not like asses, driving them away with discriminative policies (including the first case cited here on the NEP-Wealth Creation issue?
The Science Ministry had had campaigned for scientists, academics, and specialist doctors to return, and in a certain batch of returnees, after a year or two, all but one went back overseas. You think these MCA "heroes" are realy interested in tackling the "core" issue? Or are they acting like Heroes?
PS: Thinking aloud, why is it Barisan Nasional components like UMNO and MCA can allow their parties to recruit students as members? I thought it's prohibited under the Universities and University Colleges Act? I am not a supporter of this repressive piece of legislation, but while it exists, can there be NO DOUBLE STANDARDS in enforcement?
12 comments:
I just got back from Malaysia Today and after reading RPK's post, I can only feel how marginalized I am. 250million is like sap sap sooi and hubby and I were having sleepless nights trying to work out a peanut loan for an investment.
Brain drain? Look at the stats. How many percentage of our graduates are jumping off to another country? I doubt the number is significant. The brains from our local U is not going anywhere. The ones that got away are mostly those who did not even secure a place in our local U. Wait, is someone implying the local graduated brains are not as good as those brains who studied overseas? I thought most of these people who had to go overseas did not meet over local 'high standard' and therefore not offered a place in our local U? Doesnt sound logical hor?
It's good to want to woo bright brains back to their homeland. The big question is to woo with what? Whither a grain of sand awaits to discomfort the eyes, and a bed of thorns to prick a sleeper in his slumber, which intelligent soul would be so gullible to believe those little minnows of some political parties on a road show, and return - lest he or she be like modern day Gulliver to be confined by small-minded politicians of a present day Lilliput.
Politicians who just know how to talk, but forget what they are elected for, should remember that "words pay no debt" (William Shakespeare) to their supporters, and that " talking much is a sign of vanity, for the one who is lavish with words is cheap in deeds" (Sir Walter Raleigh).
Robert Southey said it right "All deception in the course of life is indeed nothing else but a lie reduced to practice, and falsehood passing from words into things"....does this sounds familiar?....think of a policy based on falsehood to materialise and APpreciate into a substance like wealth ....sigh and sigh, money drop from sky......
Desi, I agree 120% on your statement:
[Quote]"You cannot expect the Malaysian populace to all focus on wealth creation when a large portion of this commonly created wealth" is siphoned off or distributed largely into privileged hands, a select group of UMNOputras and Yes-Men among the BN component parties."[Unquote]
Have you got wiser or visor?
*sigh* What has become of home?
If everything was equal in the first place, we wouldn't be disputing over something silly now would we? Sometimes, it's better to keep quiet if there are skeletons in the closet.
Btw, there are good local grads, it's just the quality of education that is deteriorating.
Definition: A "brain drain" or "human capital flight" is an emigration of trained and talented individuals ("human capital") to other nations or jurisdictions, due to conflicts, lack of opportunity, or health hazards where they are living.
By definition, if you can't justify the equality of all races, you have nothing to stop brain drain. Our government did try very hard to stop brain drain by upgrading MARA into UiTM and downgrading our examination standards from SPM to PMR. Now, even the worst fraction of the community is graduating as degree holders. When everyone becomes brainless in the community, there is nothing to drain right? Good move.
By the way, Malaysia's education standard is no longer deteriorating, cos there is nothing left. A lot of oversea Malaysians, who still left with some brain, do not see the future of their younger generations and it is too great a stake for them to take.
helen: Art thou referring to the robber barons syphoning off Oil MOney again? Terengganu, yes, some UMNOputras and Super-bumi with a Chinoseie plus Western names combo?
Did you see Desi among the AP recipients? I ony want 20mil, nhow DESperate, Rupiah oso cun!
Brain-drain? What brain? the most wanted for TRansplants?
what drain? Monsoon type?
Frankly I think I have had writ enuf every year on this subject -- the MCA heroes can go jump into the South China Sea and no eforts will succeed to winning these brains back if in the first place, THEY are part of the Govt who drove them out!
Are we see-ing crocodiles shedding tears nowadays? Miracles do happen they tell me...BUt I continue to say ISA...; oh Lord, protect me from these Wolves in Sheep's brranded attire...
joepsc: maybe MCA can engage thee as an Adviser?
Can I be thy A=gent - my usual is 30% -- SIN-dollars sumore!:)
mave: I take 30% enufflah, leave thee with 90%!
butt Desi takes XXception to your lust line "Have you got wiser or visor? "...I have always deemed myself on par with Mave, Anak M and Howsy -- as for visors, it's always 2020!
V: for Vendetta, Helen mui-mui?
twisted heels:
Y&A like thee should just come back and do your best to stem the Tide of Erosion, okay?
Make sure you and Sabbie bring back your Qualifications so that I get Free AtenoLOL and flee Dental treatment! Also don't forget the witsgifter or taker chocolat. If Binoche desides to come along for the Xmas Partee, I won't complain.
In fact, grdauates whether trained locally or overseas, depend on the students themselves. Some coals can become Gemstones with much work and some polishing. But You can bring some donkeys to water, the blardy asses steal won't drink!
o2deprivtion:
Thy first visit yes, Let me top thy cuppa up with lots of oxygentated tehtarik. Now BREATHE...
Thanks for thy thoughts on "brain drain" issue -- it's a horse much flogged to death ny MCA/UMNO politikus to gain mileage as self-AP heroes, but nowadays with better eduaction (YES< including overseas!), their medSIN doesn't sell.
as for "By the way, Malaysia's education standard is no longer deteriorating, cos there is nothing left", I think that's a mite EXTREME. WE can arrest the decline, but Malaysians abroad must chip in even with one byte, OK! WE aren't at the bottom, but we are also not at the top! Let's see, let's start with ABC, and the THREE Rs... again!
Desi, Thanks for the extra O2.
"Malaysia's education standard is no longer deteriorating, cos there is nothing left" is not an exaggeration. We are playing in the same league with those less developed countries (which I would group together as the "lowest") and where do you see ourselves when comparing with our neighbours, perhaps like the tiny red dots, Singapore? Their education system is a notch above us and what do we have to compete with them? An empty rifle?
I still remember vividly how I went on to the stage to help my sec 4's Physics teacher for the calculations, and those days in local U when I skipped almost all classes to do self studies since the local lecturers don't even understand what they taught.
With those disappointments, I have been very lenient with my comment. Malaysia's education system is meant to made local "jagung" instead of "jaguh".
02deprived:
I get the core message, but DESPITE everything, Malaysia did produce students who could enrol overseas in Ivy League unis, and produce grads like thee in Physics -- so at the end of the day, IF individuals know this is a GLOBALKISED envronment where copetition comes from even the advanced countries, they will prepare themselves accordingly.
There is no advantage being a 'Katak dibawah tempurung' emergig in becomong Jaguh Kampung -- and we think a Noble prize winner is restricted to the lords and nobles in UK or other weestern kigdom, and UMNOpuras think that be re-naming Mat Rempit as Mat Cemerlang that they can turn Toads into princes and princesses. If you mention Hans Christian Andersen, these sons of the soil think you're trying to cuntvert them. Say ISA with Desi!:(
Post a Comment