Monday, August 18, 2008

Money Politics Vs Division One Team

A Kadir Jasin

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WE have discussed enough about the sex-, scandal- and money-filled Malaysian politics. As a result, we had worked ourselves up. So let’s take a respite and talk about other people for a change.

Let’s talk about our neighbour, Singapore in particular, about the capacity and penchant of its de facto supreme leader, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, to take a regular jab at its neighbours in order to keep the Singaporeans in line.

It doesn’t matter much whether we agree or disagree with Mr Lee. A lot of people disagree with him but he prevails for more than half a century.

But I am inclined to agree with him when he said “no money politics in Singapore.” The Malaysian National News Agency, Bernama, on Aug 14, quoted Lee as saying that political problems faced by many countries in Asia are due to money politics but the problem did not take root in Singapore because "we have a Division One team in charge."

Yes, I have to agree that there’s no money politics in Singapore. In Singapore, all that they have is money. They have a lot of it stacked up in their banks. It’s not necessarily theirs. It can be money for people around South East Asia who are using Singapore as save haven for their wealth.

Each time there’s an economic or political crisis in any of the South East Asian countries, money flows to Singapore for permanent and temporary refuge.

As I have repeatedly state here and in the Malaysian Business magazine, in the last two or three years, more Malaysian FDI flowed to Singapore than the other way round. In another word, the poorer Malaysia is doing more to boost Singapore’s economy than it should otherwise be.

In Singapore, about the only time when money politics plays a role is when Mr Lee, his Prime Minister son Lee Shien Loong and the People’s Action Party use it to kill the opposition parties. And that happens pretty often.

It is almost a rule that every single opposition leader in Singapore is taken to court for allegedly defaming Lee and his PAP colleagues or is portrayed as bankrupt, drunkard and tax evader.

Bernama quoted Lee as saying that in many Asian countries, money politics was simply the "code word" for buying votes to gain power and after that was done, “to recover your expenses plus some profit for the next round of vote-buying."

"One of the big problems they now face, in other countries, is the people in power want to reserve the money, keep it for themselves. So, they exclude young able people who wants to join their team.

"The result is, there is no talent inside the existing parties," Lee, who is Minister Mentor, was quoted by the local newspaper, Today as saying at a gathering of his Tanjong Pagar constituents Wednesday night in celebration of Singapore's 43rd National Day which was last Saturday.

"In other countries, elections do not put up a Division One team. They are a Division Three, either a B team or a C team in charge. In Singapore, we carefully select our candidates," the newspaper quoted him as saying.

Singapore is all about money and very little politics that even the ever talkative, inquisitive taxi drivers seldom bring up the subject of Singapore politics. But they are just too happy to talk about Malaysian politics.

Each time I took a ride with them, I am surprised to learn just how much they know about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Anwar Ibrahim, Samy Vellu and other Malaysian politicians.

The answer is obvious. Because there’s no politics but only money in Singapore, the Singaporeans “adopted” the Malaysian politics as theirs. They know quiet a lot about our politics from reading their newspapers.

Because there’s not much politics to report in Singapore and whatever little they have is monopolized by the DAP, the Singapore newspapers rely on political news from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand to spice up their otherwise dull pages.

So for the Singaporean newspapers and their readers, Malaysian politics is their “adoptive politics.” I have a sneaky feeling that if they can, they would like the Singapore politics to be a little bit like Malaysian politics.

Incidentally, many of the former Malaysian correspondents of Singapore newspapers and foreign news agencies are today holding important jobs in key Malaysian media organizations and propaganda outfits.

In fact, if we Malaysians want to read about the juicier stuff in the Malaysian politics that are not reported by our party-controlled mainstream newspapers, we can read them in the Singapore Straits Times, Business Times and other Singapore newspapers. We can now read them online.

Praising Singapore’s political system (read the PAP system) Mr Lee said: "Over the years, with each election, we see the quality of the MPs, their education levels, their competence, their abilities, their energy. Their youthfulness is renewed and we have a leadership that’s able to meet the rising standards of the population."

Mr Lee lamented that today’s younger generation did not understand all this. They say, oh, let’s have multiparty politics. Let’s have different parties and be in charge of the Government.

"Is it that simple? You vote in a Division Three government, not a Division One government, and the whole economy will just subside within three, four years. Finished!" he said.

Mr Lee wanted the people proposing such a change to study Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines, where rotating party governments had led to more mismanagement. Bernama did not say if Mr Lee mentioned Malaysia too.

He might not have because we are not quite a two-party system yet although the results of the March 8 general polls suggested that the proposed Pakatan Rakyat could pose a long- term challenge to the Barisan Nasional if it succeeds in keeping its solidarity alive.

But ongoing Permatang Pauh by-election and the sodomy charge against Anwar Ibrahim, who is representing the People’s Alliance, could put the solidarity among the Democratic Action Party (an offshoot of the PAP), the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (Pas) and People’s Justice Party (PKR) to test.

Pas, at its recently ended annual general assembly in Ipoh, has temporarily withheld its endorsement of Anwar and the shadow Prime Minister of the Pakatan Rakyat.

Back to Singapore, I wonder what “low hanging fruits” – to borrow Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s famous quote – can we now plug given the fact that our much-touted team to the Court of International Justice in the Hague, had lost Pedra Branca to the Republic.

If we are not careful – this includes listening to the same losing negotiating team – we may lose in further negotiations to resolve the remaining issues concerning the ownership and economic applications of the remaining “rocks” in the disputed seas.

Maybe we should put aside our pride and take Mr Lee’s pointer by having a “Division One” team leading us.

And while we are struggling to show some coherence in managing the looming global economic problems, Mr Lee was full of confidence that “even in the face of a global recession, Singapore had enough long-term investments to buffer the setbacks.”

"Why are we on top of our problem? Because there’s a government that is planning ahead, seeing ahead, calculating ahead, making the right decision," said Master Lee.

For me, I rest my case, and apologize to all of you for not updating this blog as regularly as I should.

49 comments:

Quantum Metal Consultant said...

Kita sudahpun ke tahap itu, malah lebih tinggi lagi dalam beberapa hal termasuk demokrasi dan kebebasan bersuara sepanjang Tun menjadi PM.

Seperti juga Lee, Tun juga tidak disukai miniroti oleh rakyatnya sendiri tentang cara dan pendekatannya dalam memerintah Malaysia, baaimanapun kita harus jujur dan akur, pada keseluruhannya tun telah meletakkan satu status negara 'duduk sama rendah, berdiri sama tinggi, dengan negara negara lain termasuk singapura hingga menimbulkan cemburu.

Kebanggan kita membawa nama Malaysia di luar negara adalah di atas nama tun, tidak mudah disangkal.

Tetapi..sekarang ?!

kucau said...

Lets face the fact. Division one politic will only work IF there are sincerity, intelligence and fast forward thinking among the leaders.That`s what lacking in our Division One particularly after Dr M left the gov. Some said 2 scholars would never mutually agree on a principal. Hate to say this but the way Mr Lee continuously leading singapore even after "retiring" proved to be much better option than Dr M`s idea.

Anonymous said...

salam dato,

other than the ongoing focus on the bye-election at Permatang pauh, I don't see our 51st Independence Celebration in Malaysia taking the same centre-stage.

wake up people; it will almost be 31st August 2008 where the nation as one should celebrate.

cre8tive.

Ahmad A Talib said...

Sdra Scribe,

I want to share a story of an old gardener. This fellow, age closer to 70 than 60, is a Msian expert on plants. In his nursery, he has thousands of plants, including those you no longer find easily elsewhere. His expertise is such that he was often consulted by Govt leaders. If i recall correctly, he was often consulted by the previous Govt for landscaping and tree planting work.

He was also invited to Singapore to "teach" university professors on various aspects of tree planting, tree growing etc. I met him a few months ago and he said: "I'm just an old gardener. I have no university degrees. But I know a little bit about plants. And that's why the Singapore people called me to give some guidance there."

In LKY's case, he's also an old gardener for the island state. But instead of tending to his private garden, he's also tasked with tending and guiding the young gardeners on how to continue to make the island state flourish. I interviewed him about four years ago in his office, and found him him to be as sharp as ever.

Anonymous said...

Sdr. A Kadir JAsin,

I must first state that I am not a fan of Singapore. In fact I am really at the brink of hating it but since I never love it in the first place therefore I cannot hate it. Nonethless I really dislike Singapore and Singaporeans.

Despite all the negative feelings, I admire how they manage their resources and how they objective they are when it comes to managing their country. For a small country with minimal (if not none) natural resources, they managed to prosper and prosper well.

In addition, over the years they managed to "steal" our most prized resources from right under our noses! HUMAN RESOURCES are stolen each year from Malaysia and this has been going on for decades while we continue to squabble amongst ourselves (READ as amongst the ruling elite). Students that do well are offered aids to scholarships and upon graduating offered jobs in Singapore.

In Malaysia, we are only interested in giving aids and scholarships to well-connectd politicians (READ as UMNO members) and senior civil servants.

After doing all those, we accuse those we ignore (but done well overseas, particularly Singapore) as not patriotic! Then we shout about brain drain just to please ourselves that we recognise the problems.

Recognising problems and doing something to rectify it are two separate matters altogether. In Malaysia we are only good at recognising it not never good at rectifying it. Why? Because it affects our own pockets!

Take the public transport system as an example. We could have done 3 or 4 times more with the same amount of money. In return effeciencies would be 400% or 500% better. But we chose to fatten our own individual wallets so we some thing have to give way!

That is Malaysia that we are "so proud" of! Screwed by the very people we vote to power!

Sekian.
Dari Borneo ke Minang

Nostradamus said...

Which one is 1st Class?

This one? or

Permatang Pauh Voters decide for Nation?
Pengundi Permatang Pauh tentukan untuk Negara?

1. Voters of Permatang Pauh will vote come 26 August 2008. Who to vote for and What to vote for? (Man of Honour in Nostradamus Quatrains on Wag the Dog?)

Pengundi-pengundi Permatang Pauh akan undi menjelang 26 Ogos 2008. Mengundi Siapa and mengundi untuk Apa? (Man of Honour di Nostradamus Quatrains Wag the Dog?)

2. 50 Questions to test your Conscience at Jeyklls and Hydes in Malaysia – Are You?

50 Soalan untuk menguji Suara Hati anda di Jeyklls and Hydes di Malaysia. Adakah Anda?



This one? or

The next PM of Malaysia will follow R.A.H.M.A.N theory?
1. The next PM of Malaysia will follow R.A.H.M.A.N theory? (Fact).
PM Malaysia yang berikutnya akan mengikuti teori R.A.H.M.A.N? (Fakta).


http://Patek1472.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

Dato'

Apa yang tidak ada di Singapura?... money politics? mungkin tidak ada tapi yang pasti ada ialah money court dimana keputusan hakim sentiasa mengikut telunjuk kerajaan. Parti politik dan pembangkang akan dihukum membayar jutaan dolar bayaran 'malu' kepada pemimpin kerajaan. Jika LKY mengatakan tiada money court maka pasti hakim di Singapura bukan 'dibeli' tapi 'diugut'!!. Jadi saya berpendapat bahawa kita tidak perlu melayan LKY kerana dia seperti pemimpin yang gagal dengan misi hidup dia iaitu menguasai Malaysia. Dia akan menghabiskan sisa hidup terakhir dengan mengenang kegagalan tersebut lalu 'mencecei' dan 'meracau' bagi 'membuang tabiat'. Biarkan...biarkan...

Tapi jika kita terus membiarkan pemimpin sekarang meneruskan dasar2 yang sama dengan Singapura, tidak mustahil misi LKY akan tercapai.... Semoga kita dilindungi Allah

Bye/rotiplanta

Mohd Radzian said...

Salam Dato,

I had a dinner with Dr. Tatsuki Okamoto last Friday. We do talk about system and people, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia.

Some point that I got from the discussions :-

a) If quality of life is high, people wont bother about politics , how cruel it may be - Evidenced by the shogun era - Ieyasu Tokugawa. On the other hand , it means, if quality of life is low or people do not enjoy their life, then politic may turn to violence - evidence as in Indonesia , India and other countries.

b) In Japan, the bureaucrats are in power - They set up the procedures and rules. Of course, this means that the bureaucrats are accepted by the Japanese citizens as having excellent courtesy,fair , clean, good customer service and superb administration skill. Malaysia ?

c) It is utmost important for a leader to have knowledge to enable him to decide.(For a Prime Minister he has to have knowledge in almost everything, or else he cant decide). An analogy of this - when a conference is made to gather ideas or debate on certain ways going forward regarding an issue, if the leader have knowledge about the issue then he cant decide the way forward. On the other hand, even when ideas are gathered and debated, if the leader is lack of knowledge, it is almost impossible for him to decide

d) I do think that we are lack of quality leaders . In Malaysia, once a leader try to move very fast, the most likely road that he chose to move up is by stepping on other's feet. Of course this invite other to react. How can a leader be seen to be excellent if he follows this road ?

Moreso, the news medium sensationalise the issue even the Singaporean knows it better. What does the Singapore do about news medium ? They suppress the opposition medium, suppress the internet medium and suppress everything that could likely project the good image of the opposition. Still we think and tought that they are greater than us because of something that they do and something that we dont do . (We have the MSC bill of guarantee , aint we ?)

Nostradamus said...

Nostrdamus Predictions on Possibilities In Malaysia.
Ramalan Nostradamus atas Kemungkinan-kemungkinan di Malaysia.

1. Is it possible that DSAI wins the Permatang Pauh elections and become the next Chief Minister of Penang as a stepping stone to becoming Prime Minister?
Adakah mungkinnya DSAI memenangi pilihan raya Permatang Pauh dan menjadi Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang sebelum menjadi Perdana Menteri?

2. Is it possible that DSAB resign as PM of Malaysia after the Permatang Pauh elections and handover to DSNTR earlier than expected?
Adakah mungkinnya DSAB meletak jawatan sebagai PM Malaysia selepas pilihan raya Permatang Pauh dan menyerahkannya kepada DSNTR lebih awal dari jangkaan?

3. Is it possible that UMNO and PKR will combine to form a new party?
Adakah mungkinnya UMNO dan PKR akan bergabung untuk membentuk sebuah parti baru?

4. Is it possible that all other component parties of BN without UMNO will combine with PKR to form a new party?
Adakah mungkinnya parti-parti komponen BN lain kecuali UMNO akan bergabung dengan PKR untuk membentuk sebuah parti baru?

5. Is it possible that PKR and PAS will combine to form a new party?
Adakah mungkinnya PKR dan PAS akan bergabung untuk membentuk sebuah parti baru?

6. Is it possible that PKR, DAP and HINDRAF will combine to form a new party?
Adakah mungkinnya PKR,DAP dan HINDRAF akan bergabung untuk membentuk sebuah parti baru.

7. Is it possible that TDM and all other Little Napoleons knows of these possibilities and are preparing to migrate?
Adakah mungkinnya TDM dan semua “Little Napoleons” mengetahui kemungkinan-kemungkinan ini dan sedang bersedia untuk berhijrah?

To be continued…….
Akan disambung……

http://patek1472.wordpress.com

anakbuah said...

Salam Dato',

"...Because there’s a government that is planning ahead, seeing ahead, calculating ahead, making the right decision," said Master Lee.

# We've "very good brains" up there, doing "planning", "seeing" and "calculating" but unfortunately, they (top executives) finally making wrong decisions, after wrong decisions! How could all these translate into good results? Very simple logic: garbage in, garbage out!

Anakbuah

I swear said...

Lee Kuan Yew once commented that Singapore cannot sink. That's because if it does, many foreigner's money will sink with it. So no matter what Singapore must prosper and for it to prosper, there should be minimal corruption, minimal red tape, free and fair trading rules must apply, efficieny and effective are important.

While many do not agree with Lee Kuan Yew but have to give the man credit for transforming a third world zero resources island into a first world very rich resort island in 30 years.

Look what Singapore's neighbour, Malaysia achieved in 50 years with plenty of resources. Imagine what Malaysia can achieve in 50 years with so much resources if Malaysia had managed its resources properly.

ketam said...

Just wonder why as a MUSLIM,Anwar and family and supporters BERMATI-MATI when Raja Petra,BAla and Dr Mynamar make a PERAKAUAN BERSUMPAH but accused Saiful a liar when he make a PERAKAUN BERSUMPAH WITH HIS GOD'S NAME?? Why?? Maybe he doesnt believe god's way..

Samuel Goh Kim Eng said...

Many countries also claim to be free from money politics
They only indulge in a bit of 'charity' with biased clarity
Regardless of the amount actually stirred up as polemics
Since what's done is with their own sense of chastity

(C)Samuel Goh Kim Eng - 180808
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Mon. 18th Aug. 2008.

sawit futures trader said...

Salam Dato',

Obviously, according to Mr. Lee, Singapore is doing better than their neighbours. As always.

Such a typical kiasu.

He claims Singapore as a democratic republic and yet lamented to the fact that multi-party system does not work in practical.

During Saddam Hussein reign in Iraq, Iraq offered among the best of social benefits to the people. But he kills people who did not agree with him. By the hundreds or perhaps thousands.

Of course, I did not say that Iraqis nowadays are better of now than then.

Power can do wonders, given to the right person. Powers can do a whole lot of damages too, if held by the wrong people.

Division One is just a term. It is the judgements of the appointers and appointees that counts. And these judgements will results in a better or worse scenario for the public interest.

Singapore had their moments of bad judgement like the Shanghai Industrial Park saga.

I was made to understand from my reading that Singapore "swallowed" the fact that Shanghai local goverment is more kiasu than them as they found themselves being back-stabbed.

Sound familiar (or rather similar) with the Singapore-Malaysia story?

Well, Mr. Lee, do you believe in Karma?

Unlike Mr. Lee, I believe in the system. My belief is just lacking in the people that are currently in the system.

And I do believe in Karma. As I do believe that God is just. What comes around, goes around.

Mohd Nadzri Kamsin said...

Who is the founding father of Sinagpore?

Lee Kuan Yew, Stamford Raffles or....?

eddy said...

Salam Dato'. I longed for the great old days when we had a Division One Team ably lead first by Tunku Abdul Rahman then Tun Razak then Tun Hussein and finally Tun Mahathir. Unfortunately for Malaysia our Division One Team led by the current Prime Minister and after too many flip-flop and poor decisions making, has now been relegated to the Fourth division. If Mr Lee took a jab at us we should just take it in the face as we deserved the leadership we elect into office.

I am not a great fan of Mr Lee but I pray that the next Prime Minister after Abdullah should take seriously what Mr Lee said as quoted by you Dato', as it is wisdom and makes a great deal of sense: "Why are we on top of our problem? Because there’s a government that is planning ahead, seeing ahead, calculating ahead, making the right decision,".

zool said...

assalamulaikum dato

thnks for answering my question on your last entry.i'm trying to gather all the ngo's here...if i could and try to break the istana Johor wall and they said it may take times to break it..how long??even i don't have the answer..i agree with you dato that singaporean doesn't have their own political scene..even the singaporeans didn't dare to talk about their government..i remember when i used to work in KOMTAR JB there will be this one "pak cik" who come to my friend stall each week talking about the political scene in malaysia and remind me that don't let malaysia be like singapore..where all the malays rights are denied..."habis lah melayu kat malaysia nï" and he said to watch out for malaysia PAP brother.....if a typical singaporean "pak cik" can realize this...when the ppl in UMNO n the government will realize their wrong doing???"Ya Allah selamatkan agama,bangsa dan negaraku ini..Amin"

Anonymous said...

YgBhg. Dato

Its not a jab Dato, its a low blow. Its more disgusting when a heavyweight like Master Lee use low blow to defend his tittle as a supreme Kiasu.

Sure Dato, me too have to Kootow to Mr Lee anak beranak. They have put little Singapore at the top of the world. They have strong mind. And strong claws too.

They are Division one team. They have won many international tournement. When the season closed, they lifted Batu Putih Throphy and kept as theirs forever.

They are Division one too in the island polical arena. But they have no leauge to play. The is no other team because they are too smart to put other team behind bar. (Speaking of bar , remind me unsettled dispute in Malaysian Bar Council. Should we put Bar behind bars)

A Singapore opposition leader who is among a rare few to publicly challenge the country's rulers was sentenced in June to 12 days' jail for contempt, in the latest legal ruling against him .A judge ruled Chee Soon Juan, 45, secretary general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), had been in contempt because he said justice had been "raped" and "kicked" during a defamation case filed by Singapore's leaders against him. ( I dont write this lines. I pickup from AFP)

Another good things about Singapore is thet they dont spend money on politic. In Singapore they make money in politic. Master Lee anak beranak have already won hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages from past lawsuits against members of the country's opposition and say that they need to protect their reputations from unfounded attacks.

Another lesson that we can learn from Master Lee anak beranak is about handling public gathering. In singapore, gathering more than 4person in public is not allowed. Just got them and wack them. That what they do in Singapore.

Here we cannot do that. We are scared of US. US said that is against human right. We sould allow freedom of speech. So, we practice what Moa has said .. let flowers of many kinds bloom and diverse school of thought contend.

Master Lee anak beranak are true Kiasu. They jailed US citizen for being rude to the civil servant. You must write good notes about Singapore.

Gopalan Nair, a former Singapore lawyer who is now a US citizen, was arrested and charged insulting a public servant.
Nair allegedly wrote an email to Supreme Court Justice Belinda Ang Saw Ean, the solicitor general, and attorney general essentially repeating comments he made in a recent blog about the defamation case.

The other good lesson that we must learn from seberang tambak is that we do not quarell among ourselves.
We have put in our mind that a country must have strong opposition in order to develop. Haw many opposition did Master Lee anak beranak have to face in their parliment? And yet they cruise non stop.

So lets not envy Master Lee anak beranak. Let him speaks in the pinacle of Bukit Timah with his arm beating his chest. The last we saw this type of scene was in King Kong movie.

Its hard to be humble when you are great. That was what Muhammad Ali the undisputed boxing champion of all time. So master Lee anak beranak is flying like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

Anonymous said...

Salam Dato',

Kita boleh bersetuju atau tidak bersetuju dengan stail Mr Lee KY. Apa yang penting ialah hasil (result). Yang jelas ialah Singapura jauh lebih maju dpd Malaysia, malah kalau nak diambil mana-mana negeri dlm Malaysia pun tak ada yg dapat mengatasi Singapura. Pulau Pinang yg diperintah oleh saudara sedarah sedaging dgn Lee KY pun tak maju mcm Singapura. Kenapa? Allow me to borrow your line Sir, the answer is obvious. Lee KY lebih komited untuk memajukan Singapura demi bangsanya daripada pemimpin kita di sini (lebih-lebih pada masa ini). Rasuah politik yang menjadi amalan UMNO sekarang menghasilkan barisan pemimpin yang rasuah. Mana mungkin kemajuan akan tercapai jika kita ada penyakit rasuah? The so-called "pemimimpin pelapis" sekarang ni kebanyakannya adalah waris dan suku sakat kepimpimpinan yang sedia ada. Najib dan Hishamudin adalah contoh terbaik bagi menggambarkan senario ini. Malah lebih teruk lagi apabila Khairi Jamaluddin diangkat jadi "pemimpin pelapis". Hanya politik yang bergelumang rasuah saja yang mengizinkan ini berlaku...

Pk Hj JB.

Anonymous said...

Singapura sebagai negara yg kecil dan majoriti adalah dari satu bangsa mungkin boleh memerintah tanpa memerlukan dokongan bangsa lain.

Sistem dua parti mereka juga agak sukar kerana isu yg tiada dek kerana keteguhan ekonomi mereka dan sistem sosial.

Oleh kerana sistem mereka tidak korup (mungkin ada kukubesi) mereka tidak perlu kepada pertukaran parti.

Tidak seperti dinegara lain seperti Malaysia yg selama 50 tahun lebih parti BN bukan membawa kemakmuran bahkan kehancuran secara perlahan lahan kepada sistem ekonomi, politik dan sosial Malaysia.

Ini kerana duit menjadi raja dan minyak pelincir untuk apa sahaja kerja dan sudah tentulah golongan yg third class division berpeluang kerana duit yg menjadi taruhan.

Apa yg pasti sekarang golongan first class division ada di Malaysia tapi berada di kalangan dan bersimpati kepada Pakatan Rakyat.

Ketandusan mereka didalam BN kerana disekat kerana golongan lama takut terjejas dan juga kejelakan majoriti mencampuri politik wang yg berleluasa didalam BN/UMNO.

Yahya Ahmad

azlishukri said...

pada hari ini, di cawangan sahaja sudah menular politik wang yang amat dahsyat..

abe MIE 'TERJAH' said...

http://pkrpasdap.blogspot.com

Tapi PAS tak ada cakap pasal money buat masa sekarang. dia pentingkan perjuangan. namun perjuangan tanpa money tak ke mana. ramai rakyat kelantan berhijrah ke Singapura untuk bekerja di sana kerana MONEY lebih.

Anonymous said...

Scribe,

Good points:

"One of the big problems they now face, in other countries, is the people in power want to reserve the money, keep it for themselves. So, they exclude young able people who wants to join their team. The result is, there is no talent inside the existing parties"; and

"Why are we on top of our problem? Because there’s a government that is planning ahead, seeing ahead, calculating ahead, making the right decision"

Question: Do you think Malaysia has the aptitude and talents to come up with a 'Division One' team to run the government?

Of course we need to follow the model of Singapore and kill the opposition parties. And that must happen pretty often so today’s younger generation will understand all this.

If it makes Lee feel any better, we do not eat non-halal fruits even when they are low-hanging. In Malaysia they say when Mahathir was around as PM a dictator Mahafir'aun: perhaps they are deluded nations that see Malaysia as a workable model for a developing countries.

What Lee said made me think if PR is needed in Malaysia?

slyderrose said...

To me the whole pak lah cabinet like lembu cucuk hidung. Unable to to think by themselves. Dare not speak the truth. Most of the times ampu sana ampu sini. Only think how to position themselves in umno(baru) and maintain their position. Nine for me one to rakyat. So no surprising if Malaysia is going down the drain. Papua New Guinea fast catching up with us.

Anonymous said...

Salam Dato',
Sampai hari ini kita masih lagi merindui zaman "kegemilangan" era TDM sambil kita gusar dengan kegoyahan era PM AAAB. Kita lupa sebenarnya zaman dan cara TDM sudah lepas manakala era PM AAB adalah bagasi yang ditinggalkan oleh TDM. Cabaran sekarang adalah cabaran globalisasi yang menuntut rakyat negara ini celik mata melihat dunia luar. TDM berjaya memerangkap minda rakyat negara ini, terutama Melayu, percaya bahawa kita sudah duduk sama rendah berdiri sama tinggi dengan orang lain sedangkan statistiknya tidak begitu. Tidak wujud ketelusan total dalam zaman TDM maka begitulah juga dlm zaman PM AAB. Minda rakyat telah dikepung oleh jentera propaganda kerajaan, dulu dan sekarang. Hasilnya ialah barisan pemimpin dgn minda kelas dua yang terus menerus diraikan sebagai pemimpin tulen.
TDM berjaya melekakan rakyat, terutama Melayu dgn slogan "Malaysia Boleh" spt, with due respect, pendaki Everest, perenang Selat Inggeris, Petronas Twin Tower, pelayar solo mengelilingi dunia, penganjur dan hos F1, LIMA, dst dst. Dari kiraan ekonomi, berbaloikah semua tu? Dari segi % pegangan ekonomi Melayu vs. Bukan Melayu, besarkah sumbangannya semua tu? Kenapa sampai hari ini tiada kedai hardware / kedai spare part / gedung supermarket / gudang barang runcit milik Melayu dalam setiap daerah? Macamana pulak org Melayu rasa kita dudk sama rendah berdiri sama tinggi kalau semuas tu tak ada? What's the matter with us?

Pak Hj JB

Anonymous said...

Dear Kadir.

Saya setuju 100% apa yang di sarankan oleh Lee Kuan yew.He Kuan Yew bukan saja dapat outsmart Tungku Abdul Ranman tapi Tu Mahathir yang kita anggap pintar dan ahli fikir.

Kalau nak tahu betul tidak apa yang di cakapkan oleh Lee,sdr di jemput ka Permatang pauh Sekarang.Lihat sendiri" how money politik at work."

Hampir seluroh jentera kerajaan di kerahkan untok ka Ptg Pauh untok mengalahkan.Timbalan IGP pergi bermalam dua hari di Kubang Semang di rumah ketua PEKEDA,Hj Halim untok menyakinkannya megembeling tenaga PEKEDA(Gangster Melayu) untok mengalahkan Anwar.Dato Sri Najib,Mahayuddin,Ali Rustam ,Muhamad Taib,Sharizat,Noh Mohamad Rais yatim,Syed hamid,Zaid Hamidi,Timbalan2 Menteri,Setia usaha Politik semuanya berkampong di PTG Pauh untok mengalahkan Anwar.Mari2 lah kita tengok keputusanya pada 26 Aug ini.

Sabenarnya,mereka ini semuanya tak faham akan scenorio politik PTG Pauh.Orang2 Ptg Pauh in macam orang Yahudi dan semua jentera Kerajaan,BN dan UMNO macam orang Arab.

Ini lah nasib orang Melayu dan UMNO.Tak pernah belajar dari sejarah.Macam ayam jantan bila berkokok berderai derai tapi jubornya penoh tahi.Salam.

Anonymous said...

Apa pulak ko cakap takde orang politik division satu lepas Dr. M bersara??

Kebanyakan orang politik sekarang semua orang zaman Dr. M ler wei!

2x5, 5x2. Dr. M lah yang tinggalkan warisan UMNO/BN yang penuh korupsi. Abdullah Badawi cuma meneruskan saja warisan haprak itu. Bukak la mata luas-luas skit, saudara!

Anonymous said...

Dato,

Bank-bank di Singapura bebas dan tidak dikawal sepertimana bank-bank di Malaysia. Pemegangan saham-saham perbankan di Singapura juga tidak terhad dan sesiapa pun boleh memiliki 100% pegangan dalam sesuatu bank, tidak seperti di Malaysia. Andai bank-bank di Singapura bankrup, semua duit2 pendeposit akan turut hangus tidak seperti di Malaysia yang mana duit2 pendeposit adalah dijamin selamat oleh kerajaan.

Oleh itu, bank-bank di Singapura bebas mengambil deposit daripada sesiapa sahaja termasuklah penyamun2, pengedar2 dadah, diktator2 terhormat, boneka2 agen pengintipan, spekulator2, kumpulan2 samseng, mafia dan lain2. Sebab itu, apabila rampasan kuasa berlaku di Thailand baru2 ini, negara pertama Thaksin kunjungi ialah Singapura. Kenapa?

Singapura boleh dabik dada konon2nya menjadi pusat kewangan antarabangsa. Tetapi apa ertinya semua itu andai maruah diri dan negara diletak begitu rendah semata-mata untuk tarik duit. Apa bezanya dengan pelacur?


-sinbad-

Anonymous said...

Dato and blogers,

To know better about S'pore politic .....@ PAP's @ LKY politic is to read FONG CHOONG PIK @ THE PLEN - The memoirs of a malayan communist revolutionary.

Then you'll know who is LKY and how he control S'pore and S'poreans.

You can also find more details in PAP's book "battle for merger" but unfortunately the book have either been ban or vanished from the shelf.

affendi hussain said...

Dato' AKJ

IMHO Singapore should not brag so much about their historical achievement. They are the lucky one to have what was leftover by the British Empire just like Hong Kong of China...but still credit should goes to Mr. LKY for being able to maintain, upgrade & nurture S'pore to what they are today.

Malaysia on the other hand as the ex-colony, had to start all over from scratches to where we are now..

The tiny island was the ex-centre of British admin in South East Asia, commercial entraport & collection centre of resources sucked without consent of the owner in Tanah Melayu..
Such advantage to be envy of for 'inherited' handicapped to start a race from the 1st row just like in F1 compared to last row racers..

Malaya was a place where the real challenge really exist in building a nation . Adding to the root problem was the leftover multiracial 'divide & rule' policy molded by the ex-colonial- Such a tough task put on the shoulders of our forefathers....something to be proud of as a Malaysian at least.

Never a doubt we do need a
Division One Team badly more than S'pore do, to lead this country to the righteous path. Unfortunately, the quality suddenly reciprocated in Pak Lah time..

This dummy Captain going to sink us all in deep blue sea while the rest of the crew & not to mention the 1st Officer, just holding their balls.. these people deserve to be marooned on Koro island & starved to death..bloody useless living carcass!

Bloody afraid to commit mutiny in fear of the 'caption's advisor' at the expense of the ship & its contents?

These bunch of losers team do not deserve to compete in any division at all. Lost!

Salam Kemerdekaan yg ke-51..maybe we do need another half century more to be like USA unless we have a messiah perhaps!

...Dan Melayu tipikal masih terus hidup dlm dilema & mimpinya.. Terawang2 di antara jati diri & agamanya..

Da Real Deal said...

He's right about there being no money politics in Singapore. But is Singapore money backing lame horses in a highly active monetary politics in Malaysia? That is the Billion Singapore Dollar question.

Anonymous said...

YBhg Scribe,

What's up?
Are you in P44 or on a obligatory vacation?

Take care.

Anonymous said...

Sdr. A Kadir Jasin & para pengomen sekalian,

Pilihanraya kecil Permatang Pauh akan dijalankan pada 26 Ogos 2008.

Tiga orang calon telah menawarkan diri untuk mewakili PP dalam Parlimen. Diantara ketiga-tiga ini siapakah yang akan dipilih? Kita tunggu dan lihat keputusannya minggu depan.

Jikalay (a BIG if) saya sebagai seorang individu ada kuasa untuk menentukan keputusan minggu depan, maka saya tidak mahu melihat Anwar ataupun BN menang! Biarlah AKIM yang menang!

Kenapa?
(1) Anwar memang berkarisma dan pandai bercakap tetapi setakat tu sahaja. Anwar tidak berkebolihan untuk mentadbir negara dengan baik dan berkesan.
(2) Kemenangan untuk BN akan menyebabkan orang seperti Najib, Pak Lah, KJ dsb mendabik dada dengan lebih angkuh lagi. Para "spin doctors" mereka akan bekerja 48 jam sehari untuk memukul gendang seraya mengatakan sokongan BN dah pulih. Mereka dengan angkuh akan memutarbelitkan setiap fakta seraya terus memperkosakan serta merompak negara.
(3) Jika AKIM menang, maka kedua-dua Anwar dan BN tidak bolih bersikap terlalu angkuh kerana sokongan tidak sehebat yang dilaung-laungkan.

Jika Sdr. AKJ sudi untuk menyiarkan komen saya ini, maka saya syorkan agar para pengundi PP memilih AKIM dan BUKAN Anwar maupun BN.

Sekian.
Dari Borneo ke Minang

Anonymous said...

Well Sir,

I'm sure you heard the old saying of "you pay peanuts you get monkeys".

sutanpane

sawit futures trader said...

Salam Dato',

Kepada Dari Borneo Ke Minang, saya nak tanya. Anda mengesyorkan supaya undi AKIM, jangan Anwar mahupun BN.

Saya rasa pelik. Seolah-olah anda kata BN tak bagus. Tetapi kita "terpaksa" kekal status quo kerana Anwar sebagai alternatif juga tak bagus.

Kalau begitu, kita rakyat terpaksa menanggung sajalah apa sahaja yang dilemparkan kepada kita.

Itu ke yang saudara mahukan? Jika benar, terima kasih sajalah. Saya tak sudi.

Lagipun, entah kenapa saya dapat ilham yang AKIM ini bertanding sebagai proksi BN untuk memecahkan undi melayu di P44. Yang ini, tak setuju tak apa, sekadar lahir dari daya imaginasi saya sahaja.

Berbalik kepada cerita Lee Kuan Yew.

Dalam bahasa mudah, kaedah pentadbiran dan politik beliau boleh disimpulkan dengan mudah kepada prinsip berikut : HASIL MENGHALALKAN CARA.

Untuk mendapatkan hasil yang dikehendaki, tidak salah menggunakan apa cara usaha sekalipun.

Pernah dengar prinsip pentadbiran dan politik begini? Bagi yang berumur 30 keatas tentunya pernah. Sebab ia begitu meluas dibincangkan dahulu.

Yang saya nampak prinsip begini masih digunapakai secara meluas di Malaysia.

Malangnya, tidak seperti di Singapura, hasil yang mahu dicapai tidak difokuskan kepada kepentingan rakyat.

Ini tidak bermakna saya setuju dengan prinsip tersebut, sekadar menyatakan realiti.

Dato',

Izinkan saya mencelah sedikit tentang IPTA. Begitu ramai yang memberi perbandingan UiTM dengan lain-lain IPTA.

UTM laku graduan kejuruteraannya. UiTM pula menjadi pilihan bagi majikan dalam industri penyiaran dan media massa. UPM pula mempunyai pusat penyelidikan bertaraf dunia di dalam bidang bio-kimia.

Masing-masing ada kelebihannya. Masing-masing juga ada kelemahannya.

Yang nyata, peluang mendapatkan kerja adalah terhad.

Sepatutnya kualiti graduan sebagai sumber baru tenaga kerja ditingkatkan dengan multiple working skill. Bukankah pekerja yang produktif adalah pekerja yang mampu melakukan multi-tasking?

Malangnya kerajaan lebih berminat untuk mendedahkan pelajar kepada aspek social skill.(Contohnya Tamadun Islam lebih fokus kepada kajian tentang Islam Hadhari dan bukan kajian fokus tentang aspek ekonomi, sosial dan politik zaman Rasulullah (SAW) atau sebagainya.

Inilah hasilnya apabila proksi politik disuntik kedalam pengurusan IPTA.

Nak cari kerja, kita minta sedekah endorsement di sana-sini.

Nasib baik ada alumni dan nilai sentimental bekas pelajar.

Mohd Radzian said...

Gimmicks of Lee Kuan Yew's Division One Genetics

I do not agree with money politics and I do not agree with Lee Kuan Yew statement of "his division one" sort of leaders. If we read his speeches, the creation of his sort of leaders excludes the Malay, and by all mean is racially biased.

Please allow me to explain what LKY meant by "Division One Genetics" through his own writings and words.

LKY (The difference between a Chinese and a Malay, 1965)

"One(Read : The Chinese) is a product of a civilization that has gone through all it's up and down, of flood and femine and pestilence, breeding a people with intense culture, with a belief of high performance in sustained effort, in thrift and industry"
"And the other people (Read : The Malay) - more fortunately endowed by nature, with warm sunshine, bananas and coconuts, an therefore with the same need to strive so hard. Now these two societies really move at two different speed ahead. It is like a difference between a high revolution engine and low revolution engine"

My thought: I am a malay and am now studying for my PhD. I dont agree with the above statement. Today's Malay is moving as fast or even faster than other races in the world

LKY praised other races such as Jew and Japanese.He said(1982) " .... exceptional number of nobel prize winners are Jews and about 50% of faculty members of Top American Universitis are Jews and the number of total percentage of Japanese academics, professionals and businss executives is proportion to the number of Japanese in American population"

My thought : If LKY look at Jew and Japanese, as a Malaysian, we shall not look at Singapore as our example. We shall look at directly at Japan or Jews (ypassingthe Singapore) in how they think, or else our "contracts" and "contacts" may be middled by Singapore but actually end up in Israel or Japan. Isnt it a waste of money to pay to these middle man ?


LKY like to quote the bell curve. He said, "... Th black on average has an IQ score of 85, the white IQ score of 100 and Asian ...IQ score of 110.."

My thought : This is all based on the samples that were choosen and the samples may not potray the true picutre about the population. Perhaps, in 1965 he is also hinting that the sample of the Asians does not includes the Malay

On Genetics, LKY ("The man and his Ideas", 1998) said that the catholics absorb good genes as it's priest but the priests are under the vow of celibacy. So the future produce less bright children for Catholic world. On the other hand, according to him ( referring to Hong Lau Meng and Jin Peng Mei) the successful merchant of the Mandarin (Read : Chinese) picks the rich man daughters with up to 10 wives and concubines and have many childrens , whilst the dumb and slow labourer are neutered and does not pass down his genes, in a way a smarter population emerges in China."

My thought : This lead to the idea of LKY's division one genetics by introducing marriage between those who are exceptionally clever and smart and abandoning those who are perceived to be dumb. This idea leads to social disarray and produce a generation of "Andartu" (Read : Anak dara tua) in Singapore, as in normal case there is higher population of female who are academically better than male ( not because of genes superiority but because of character's which is less playful compared to male counter-part).

I once asked a Chinese who is biased with Singapore's idea. He said that the Chinese ( read: Singaporean) prefer the white as their mating partner, next Chinese and see Malay as of lower genetics.
Regadless of it, I consistently see that in our Kanji (Chinese character's lesson), an Iranian (Asian arab), an Algerian (african) consistently beat the Chinese in the examination.

I think we need to believe in ourselves. We do not want money politics. But we also do not want , this masuk bakul angkat sendiri type of behaviour of Lee Kuan Yew. We should mold our own thinking based on our own "acuan", in many cases to get far ahead, we have to bypass Singapore way of thinking and go direct to the source of intellectuals.

The Botak Man said...

Sdr. Sinbad,

Satu pembetulan...

Duit pendeposit di Malaysia hanya dijamin (insured) sehingga RM60,000 bagi setiap akaun. Jaminan diberi olih PIDM (Perbadanan Insuran Deposit Malaysia) dan bukan directly olih kerajaan.

Dulu semua (tiada had) duit dalam akaun bank dijamin olih kerajaan tetapi telah dihentikan beberapa tahun yang lalu melalui penubuhan PIDM.

Bila Sdr pergi mana-mana cawangan bank, akan terlekat sticker PIDM di cermin/glass pintu bank tersebut. Untuk maklumat lanjut sila layari www.pidm.gov.my. Sila ambil maklum.

Sekian.

m r said...

Mufti Perlis tegur Pak Lah letak kalungan bunga Tugu Peringatan
01-08-2008 06:42:21 PM

Oleh ZIEMAN
PETALING JAYA: Perbuatan bertafakur, meletakkan kalungan bunga atau tabik hormat yang dilakukan untuk Tugu Negara adalah bercanggah dengan prinsip-prinsip akidah Islam yang anti kepada sebarang unsur keberhalaan.

Mufti Perlis, Dr Asri Zainul Abidin membuat kenyataan ini ketika mengulas tentang istiadat meletak kalungan bunga di Tugu Peringatan Negara sempena sambutan Hari Pahlawan semalam yang dilakukan oleh Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Abdullah memulakan upacara meletakkan kalungan bunga itu, diikuti Panglima Angkatan Tentera, Jeneral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal; Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Musa Hassan; Panglima Tentera Darat, Jeneral Tan Sri Muhammad Ismail Jamaluddin; Panglima Tentera Laut, Laksamana Datuk Abdul Aziz Jaafar dan Panglima Tentera Udara, Jeneral Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin.

Terdahulu, Abdullah menerima tabik hormat dan memeriksa kawalan penghormatan membabitkan 103 anggota dan pegawai Askar Melayu Diraja.

“Perbuatan mana-mana individu muslim sama ada pemimpin atau rakyat yang meletakkan kalungan bunga, tabik hormat dan bertafakur yang dilakukan untuk Tugu Negara adalah bercanggah dengan prinsip-prinsip akidah Islam yang anti kepada sebarang unsur keberhalaan," jelas Dr Asri.

Kata beliau lagi, perbuatan seperti itu seakan menjadikan tugu berkenaan berhala yang dihormati.

"Sekiranya pun pelakunya tidak mempunyai sebarang iktikad bahawa itu semua memberi manfaat dan mudarat, maka perbuatan itu adalah sia-sia dan bodoh. Ia tetap haram kerana meniru perbuatan musyrikin," jelas Dr Asri.

Menurut Dr Asri, jika pelaku beriktikad itu memberikan kemanfaatan kepada keamanan, kedamaian ruh mereka yang telah meninggal dunia, maka itu adalah perbuatan syirik yang jelas.

"Akidah Islam menentang sebarang unsur keberhalaan. Pemimpin atau sesiapa sahaja yang terlibat dalam perbuatan ini hendaklah bertaubat kepada Allah dan kembali kepada akidah Islam yang sebenar," katanya.

Firman Allah: (maksudnya) “Dan demi sesungguhnya, Kami telah memberi kepada Ibrahim sebelum itu jalan yang benar (dalam bertauhid), dan Kami mengetahui akan halnya. Ketika dia berkata kepada bapanya dan kaumnya: “Apakah patung-patung ini yang kamu berdiri di hadapannya (memujanya)? Mereka menjawab: “Kami dapati datuk nenek kami selalu menyembahnya. Ibrahim berkata: “Sesungguhnya kamu dan datuk-nenek kamu adalah dalam kesesatan yang nyata”. (Surah al-Anbiya 50-54)”

Perbuatan menyempurnakan istiadat meletak kalungan bunga di Tugu Peringatan Negara ini juga difahamkan melanggar Fatwa Mufti (Edisi 2008).

Di bawah SubSeksyen 36(1) Enakmen Pentadbiran Undang-Undang Islam 1991 setelah diluluskan oleh Jawatankuasa Perundingan Hukum Syarak mengikut SubSeksyen 39(6) Enakmen menyatakan, " Meletakkan kalungan bunga di Tugu Negara sempena upacara sambutan Hari Pahlawan dan upacara-upacara lain adalah haram dan hendaklah ditinggalkan"

- ends -

Dtk, kalau mufti Asri dah kata lagu tu..elok la PakLah insaf...arwahnya bekas Tokoh Agama yg dikagumi

Sebabtulah Asri ni tak nak jadi orang politik mcm Fidaus (bekas imam)... Kalau Asri jd orang politik BN sure tak leh nak hentam PakLah...PM kita.

Asri ni bagus sebab ada pendirian - tak takut waima PM sekali pun.

p/s: Harap dtk main isu ini...sy pun dah lari tajuk - sumber berita: mstar.com.my (terbitan The Star)

m r said...

Isu bersumpah Mohd. Saiful Bukhari Azlan berhubung kes liwat dengan bekas majikannya, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim manfaatkan parti politik?



Barisan Nasional: 39.9%


Pakatan Rakyat: 60.1%






sumber: mstar.com.my

UMNO PARTI PENJARA said...

Kalau kita dengar berita org meletupkan dirinya dgn bom. Dulu bom ini bahaya dan kita dpt dikesan. Skrg yg bahaya bukan bom, tetapi bagaimana org ini boleh dipengaruhi pemikirannya untuk meletupkan diri. Kuasa minda sgt besar, ini boleh memberi kesan kpd negara, malah jajahan minda senjatanya ialah pemikiran, bukan lagi bom atau wang :)


Jangan lupa sertai forum bersama saya ;)

Layari
http://TeamPemudaUMNO.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

We are not comparable with Singapore. They are developed nation and yet we are still struggling with Wawasan 2020. Our Ministers can be HP6 but their Ministers are PHD in technical and business. Senang kata cina pandai, melayu bodoh (sombong)......itu pun Pak Lah tak insaf lagi....

Anonymous said...

Singapore's and/or LKY's first class govt is what it is because :

1. It is over 70% Chinese and the Malays and Indians are just little flies in the ointment. The Indians tend to be more favoured because they can easily blend and be integrated with the Chinese and pose no threat. The Malays have the misfortune of being culturally close to the Malays of SE Asia and because of their religion do not assimilate easily. An Indian that marries a Chinese has more doors opened to them than a Malay who marries a Chinese.

2. Fortress Singapore can keep out undesirables i.e. foreigners (unless they're well educated at the expense of their home countries). They don't have to suffer internal migrations from the rural areas like Manila and Jakarta. Even the inhabitants from the Outer Islands have been easily transferred to high rise flats without a whimper from those affected. Remember the outcry when the Chinese were re-settled to the New Villages during the Emergency?

3. Singapore was constructed by that most perfidious Albion, called Great Britain as a middleman to rope in the wealth and resources of the Nusantara. The PAP inherited this built-in superstructure of this leech economy and with such a foundation it would impossible not to succeed. Ask any taukeh or corporate boss how not to fail. Money begets money and more money. That's the beginning of LKY's super govt.

4. LKY once described his little island as a small fish surrounded by big fish (i.e. the Malay Archipelago). Place a school of small piranhas in a large pond like the waters of the Malay Archipelago and they will slowly but surely eliminate the local fish, albeit with the help of the locals and the breed similar to the piranhas.

Next time LKY or any Singaporean or any disgruntled Malaysian wax lyrical about Sinopore, think about the Big Picture - not just the exchange rate and the cold, calculating efficiency.

From Catwoman

Anonymous said...

Salaam, Datuk

Please allow me to address the comments posted by Catwoman 10:26 PM.

It has been repeated time and again that the British made the port of Singapore the entrepot centre of the region. There's absolutely wrong with that because the pragmatic British colonial authorities recognised the inherent natural advantages of Singapore - like extensive deep-water anchorages and a strategic position on major trade and shipping routes.

Penang, Malacca or any port on the east coast of British Malaya did not have these advantages.

So, too, any ports on the coasts of British Borneo and Sarawak.

It should also be pointed out that Singapore at that time, and even now, has no natural resources - no oil, no natural gas, no rubber, no palm oil, no tin and no rice production.

All the British colonial authorities left as their legacy was a functioning bureaucracy, legal and banking environment and a mercantile community that had extensive trading and business links with the South East Asian region. Plus of course the a big naval base and a couple of air bases that were used by the RAF.

What Lee Kuan Yew and his colleagues achieved was to build on the basic infrastructure left by the British colonial authorities. This they did brilliantly.

To the point that, without oil, Singapore has become the 3rd largest oil refining centre and the 3rd largest oil trading centre in the world, a preferred location for MNC's to base their regional headquarters, a regional education and medical hub, a major centre for private banking, asset management and wealth management as well as the best sea port and airport in the world.

Everything that Singapore has achieved, Malaysia could have done also, if successive Malaysian governments and policy makers had formulated the right policies and implemented them transparently and rigorously, without hidden agendas and corruption.

What could Malaysia have done since the clock started ticking on August 31, 1957?

- it could have retained English as the medium of instruction in the national education system.

- it could have invited foreign companies to set up factories in Malaysia in order to get industrialisation going.

- it could have built on the relatively strong and efficient bureaucracy and legal system left by the British.

- it could have made itself completely open and transparent to foreign investments, without quotas and agendas.

- it could have got the national education system right by making sure that every child had a chance to go to school and get a good education.

- it could have selected the best and brightest of each graduating cohort from the then University of Malaya and given them scholarships to pursue their studies overseas, with bonds attached so that they would return to the country.

- to pursue a policy of meritocracy, openness and transparency from Day One of independence.

Because, with the country's natural resources, and the infrastructure left by the British, there is no reason why Malaysia should not have been a developed country by now.

51 years after independence, the country has less than US$200 billion in foreign reserves.

In a shorter period, Singapore has built up foreign reserves and assets in excess of US$300 billion managed by GIC and a S$185 billion portfolio of assets held by Temasek Holdings.

Plus the fact that Singapore regularly features in the top rankings of international competitiveness.

If that's not the achievement of a Division One team, then I don't know what is.

Anonymous said...

Salaam, Datuk

My apologies for a typo in the second paragraph of my posting o5 12:34 PM.

The line should read:

"There's absolutely NOTHING wrong with that......."

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Scribe,

Gadis Brunei, Dara Melayu
(gadis temasik, gundik tuanku)

Would Sdr Thegreatteadrinker agree that the sultans and the rajahs have something to do with the way things went then and in which part of the nation developement formula equation would he input the Emergency and the Vietnam war? -the introduction of morphine in Penang was blamed on the visiting US sevicemen on their leave by the local there.

Why did rubber and tin have to count so much instead of our leaders then thinking of industrialization to keep out communism from out of out homes as the White Rajah would have loved it and petroleum sold for peanuts?

Sdr Thegreatteadrinker, for one having such an excellent taste in analytical thoughts would you demonstrate the future that awaits the Malaysia fifty years from now? I do believe you are a Division One mind. Try being in the Premier League as Tun DrMahathir.

Terima kasih YBhg Scribe and Sdr TheGreatTeaDrinkerDownSouth.

Mika Angel-0 said...

Scribe,

Dengan Izin.

U.S. and Global Economies Slipping in Unison
By PETER S. GOODMAN
August 24, 2008

Economic trouble has spread far beyond the United States to major countries in Europe and Asia, threatening American businesses with the loss of foreign sales and investment that have become increasingly vital to their sustenance.

Only a few months ago, some economists still offered hope that robust expansion could continue in much of the world even as the United States slowed. Foreign investment was expected to keep replenishing American banks still bleeding from their disastrous bets on real estate and to provide money for companies looking to expand. Overseas demand for American goods and services was supposed to continue compensating for waning demand in the States.

Now, high energy prices, financial systems crippled by fear, and the decline of trading partners have combined to choke growth in many major economies. The International Monetary Fund expects global growth to slow significantly through the end of this year, dipping to 4.1 percent from 5 percent in 2007.

“The global economy is in a tough spot, caught between sharply slowing demand in many advanced economies and rising inflation everywhere,” the I.M.F. declared last month in its official World Economic Outlook.

All this means that economic troubles in the United States could intensify into the presidential election season and beyond. It could also make it harder for financial companies like Lehman Brothers — which has been seeking fresh investment in South Korea — and the government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to attract much-needed capital from abroad.

As the United States and many other large economies slip in unison, the reality of integrated markets is being underscored: just as globalization spreads prosperity — linking cotton farmers in Texas to textile mills in China — the same forces spread hurt when times go bad.

“The slowdown has reached such a wide range of countries that they’re now feeding on one another,” said Alan Ruskin, chief international strategist at RBS Greenwich Capital.

The impact of the downturn is reflected by the experience of the Vermeer Corporation in Pella, Iowa. The company, which manufactures farming and construction equipment, has become accustomed to looking abroad for growth as the real estate bust in the United States has crimped purchases of its gear by American home builders. Its overseas sales have doubled in the last five years as a percentage of its total business and now make up nearly a third of its revenue, the company’s senior director of international sales, Steve Heap, said.

But in recent months, even as growth has continued over all, some parts of the world have sunk into malaise.

“The U.K. has been really soft for the last six months,” Mr. Heap said. “Western Europe overall has been flat. We’ve not seen the growth we’ve seen in the last few years.”

Many other major economies are either stagnant or shrinking as well. Japan, whose fortunes are tethered to exports, saw its economy contract at a 2.4 percent annual rate from April through June after accounting for inflation. Germany, another export power, slid at a 2 percent clip. France and Italy slipped slightly.

Spain and the United Kingdom — both grappling with hangovers from their own real estate binges — were both flat amid talk that they have already slipped into recession. The festivity of easy money has given way to recriminations over bad loans, unemployment and inflation.

“The year 2009 in Europe is going to look significantly worse than 2008,” said Marco Annunziata, chief economist at the Italian bank UniCredit.

Even China and India, whose swift growth has occasioned talk of a new global order, have been cooling in recent months, though still expanding at rates that would bring envy in nearly any other land.

“We had buoyant world growth for a few years,” said William R. Cline, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. “It was too hot not to cool down, as the song goes.”

There is a potentially significant upside to the downturn under way: it could knock down rising prices for food and energy, which have been driven higher by swelling demand in a swiftly expanding world economy.

The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben S. Bernanke, has been betting on that very scenario as he has rejected calls for higher interest rates to suffocate inflation.

The recent drop in commodity prices, combined with “a pace of growth that is likely to fall short of potential for a time, should lead inflation to moderate later this year and next year,” Mr. Bernanke said Friday at the Fed’s annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

Still, concern centers on the possibility that slowing global growth could hurt sales of American goods and services overseas. Exports have been a conspicuous bright spot in an economy colored by falling home prices and declining consumer spending.

The dollar has been strengthening against many currencies in recent weeks — not because of a newfound belief in American prospects, economists say, but because investors are edging out of markets that are weakening, like Britain and other parts of Europe, sending down the pound and the euro.

“It’s the rest of the world going down, not the United States going up,” said Kenneth S. Rogoff, a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund and now a professor at Harvard.

A stronger dollar makes American goods more expensive on world markets. If the dollar keeps strengthening, it could pinch sales.

“Exports have been sort of holding us out of the graveyard,” said Martin N. Baily, a former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Clinton administration, and now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. “That may begin to peter out a little bit if the dollar continues to climb.”

Some economists argue that the dollar’s recent strengthening is a correction after six years of declines that have sapped it of one-fourth of its value against the currencies of major trading partners. Others maintain that the dollar has further to fall, noting that the United States remains on the short of end of a lopsided balance of trade, with imports outstripping exports by nearly $800 billion at the end of last year.

Regardless of the dollar’s value, sales of American goods may be eroded by a more decisive force: a global loss of appetite for goods. “If the rest of the world economy slows, the demand just isn’t going to be there,” Mr. Ruskin said.

That could be painful for American companies that rely on overseas markets. In 2001, large American companies that disclosed foreign revenues logged about a third of their sales abroad, according to an analysis by Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at Standard & Poor’s. By last year, the foreign take had climbed to 46 percent. Europe made up 29 percent of the total.

Some American businesses say it is too early to worry about a global downturn.

“When I see the headlines, I worry, but when I look at my order book, I stop worrying,” said James W. Griffith, president and chief executive of the Timken Company, a Canton, Ohio, manufacturer of industrial bearings and power transmission equipment with operations in 27 countries.

Roughly half of Timken’s bearing business is overseas, cushioning the company against the loss of sales in the American auto industry — a trend Mr. Griffith says he is confident will continue.

“When China decides they want to build a car, somebody runs a steel mill with coal and iron ore out of Australia, and they mine it with Caterpillar dump trucks which are full of Timken bearings,” Mr. Griffith said. “What is driving our success is the globalization of markets.”

Still, the transformation of foreign shores from a refuge for American business into a source of anxiety is a testament to how swiftly trouble can proliferate in the global economy.

India’s customer service call centers — heavily dependent on American demand — are now girding for cuts.

In China, the pace of growth has dipped from an annual rate exceeding 12 percent as recently as last year to something closer to 9 or 10 percent, according to most economists.

China’s leaders have become concerned about flagging exports, recently altering priorities from seeking to squelch inflation to instead sustaining economic growth. The government is easing restrictions on bank lending, which were imposed to put the brakes on the economy.

When China makes fewer computers, it needs fewer computer chips forged in Taiwan and designed in the United States. It needs less steel, and so less iron ore from Brazil and Australia. Which means those countries need less construction equipment made in Germany, Japan or Ohio.

“The global slowdown is going to create some headwind for the United States,” said Stephen Jen, an economist at Morgan Stanley in London.

Keith Bradsher, Carter Dougherty and Heather Timmons contributed reporting.


Nota:

MoF2 did mention decoupling of the economy. Krugmann's take:

Synchronized sinking

So much for decoupling. I do, however, have a small gripe with this NYT article. It suggests that the linkages of international markets via exports and imports make a synchronized world business cycle inevitable. Actually, there’s a problem with that. You can do international linkages quite easily in a simple Keynesian model, and economists have been doing that since 1952. But when you try to run the numbers, they’re never big enough to explain the actual degree of synchronization. (A bit on that here.)

The truth is that the synchronization of the world business cycle is something of a mystery.


What will the Budget 2009 be?
Will it be a Division One Budget?
Will it be good enough?

My regards to you and Tun DrM

Anonymous said...

Scribe,

Tun DrM is still in Merdeka Day mood, and it is still a question of Div1 Team.

It is time for Zeti to go. I will miss her pretty face:

No Need For Stimulus Package As Yet, Says Zeti

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- There is no need for a stimulus package to boost the economic growth, said Bank Negara Malaysia Governor, Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz Monday.

"We are not at that stage where we are experiencing a deep economic downturn. I have to emphasize on that," she said.

Zeti said in fact many of the emerging economies, especially in Asia are not experiencing a fundamental economic downturn.

"We are still experiencing a reasonable rate of growth but it is not as high as what we have experienced previously and therefore we must avoid the risk of moving into that kind of economic conditions where it is a deep economic slowdown. We want to avoid that."

However, she said if there is a need for stimulus packages to avoid such deep economic slowdown, then Malaysia has the capacity.

"But right now we don't see it occurring."


Asked if Malaysia was concerned with inflation or growth going forward, Zeti said both represented concerns.

"We don't want to see a generalised price increase. Right now we have seen first round price increases. We would not want to see in particular that translate into higher wages, which is the worse signal of second round effect taking place."

BNM will monitor the situation very closely, she added.
-- BERNAMA

Why?


Japan stimulus package to focus on inflation

Government says measures won't kill balanced-budget goal

By Michael Kitchen, MarketWatch
Last update: 7:57 a.m. EDT
Aug. 11, 2008NEW YORK
(MarketWatch) -- Japan issued an outline for its planned economic stimulus package Monday, indicating that controlling inflation would be a key focus but providing few details on which measures would be included or how they would be paid for.

The outline said the government is concerned about rising prices and would take necessary "comprehensive countermeasures," according to a Kyodo News report.

The final package is slated to be completed by the end of August and is expected to include financial support for small and midsize firms, as well as a discount on expressway tolls and subsidies to help fisheries and agricultural operators buy new and more energy-efficient equipment, Kyodo reported.

"The economy has been in a difficult situation," Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda was quoted saying ahead of the outline's release. "We will employ all fiscal and taxation measures" to stimulate the economy.

Further details on how the package would be funded weren't forthcoming, but newly installed Economic Minister Kaoru Yosanu was quoted by Bloomberg News as saying the government would keep its goal of balancing the budget by 2011.

The release of the policy outline followed a Cabinet shuffle by Fukuda, who has struggled with falling approval ratings for his coalition government.

Japan is scheduled to release its second-quarter gross domestic product estimates Wednesday, with many analysts predicting the figures will show a contraction.

Michael Kitchen is a copy editor for MarketWatch and is based in New York

Japan to introduce $72b stimulus package

Business Desk
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Publication Date: 24-08-2008

The Japanese government and ruling parties are planning to include 8 trillion yen (US$72.72 billion) worth of fiscal stimulus measures in an economic package to be compiled by the end of this month, according to a government draft.

The package will include measures to help small and midsize companies procure funds, energy saving initiatives, and financial assistance for industries that have been hit hard by rising fuel costs, such as farming and fishing.

Beginning Monday, the government will hold discussions with the ruling parties with the aim of finalising the economic stimulus package by the end of this month.

The draft was presented to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Finance Minister Bunmei Ibuki and other Cabinet members by Kaoru Yosano, state minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy.

In addition to measures for small companies, farmers and fishermen, the draft expands discounts on highway tolls and calls for strengthening diplomatic efforts to secure supplies of natural resources to stabilise the nation's economy, which is affected by rising crude oil prices.

The draft also includes employment assistance measures, including steps to help job-hopping part-time workers become regular employees, and measures to improve medical care for the elderly.

The stimulus package is smaller than a stimulus package introduced by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's administration aimed at accelerating economic reform that was drafted in December 2002. That package was worth about 14.8 trillion yen ($134.54 billion).

The planned package is comparatively small because the nation's fiscal state has worsened. Also, in consideration of the Fukuda administration's fiscal discipline policy aimed at putting finances on a sound footing, ministries and agencies tried to cap the size of stimulus projects proposed during the budget request period.

The Finance Ministry aims to use part of fiscal 2008 reserve budget for the package. It will also use net surplus from the fiscal 2007 budget for an extra budget.

If the the size of the economic stimulus package is about 8 trillion yen, those measures may not be able to secure enough funds. But projects in the package likely will include those financed with the fiscal 2008 initial budget and fiscal 2009 budget. Thus, the ministry wants to avoid issuing additional deficit-covering bonds.

The size of an economic stimulus package is calculated by adding the amounts of money in each project. The projects comprise not only those requiring expenditure by the central and local governments such as public works, but also those that do not require a budget allocation, such as expanding the scope of loans that can be extended by government-affiliated financial institutions.

Actual governmental spending for such measures is usually smaller than the size of an economic stimulus package.


Nota:

What does Tun has to say?
(another one bites the dust)

Zeti and MoF2 are starting to become a stale joke.

Anonymous said...

indigo 6:40 PM

I just stated the facts, unpalatable though they may be.

Compare Malaysia which started off in 1957 and Singapore which started off in 1965, and see where the 2 countries are now.

I fail to see where the royalty or natural resources come into the picture.

Of course, Singapore has no royalty or natural resources! But it has a damn good public transport system and 2 world-class sovereign wealth funds.

Whereas Malaysia is most probably heading into a 11th year of federal government budget deficit and a ringgit which is only worth 40-something Singapore cents!

See the difference between Division One and the rest of the field?

Anonymous said...

Scribe,

Freeze It!
(oppourtunity cost)

This would be an old arguement, Scribe, as Singapore and Malaysia should and must we compare is like comparing apple to mangosteen. I like them both - not the bad ones.

Can anybody say the royalty were totally out of the political picture in the early history of Malaysia; the distraction due to the Malayan Communist Party, the outside influence of the superpowers: what are the components of the Malaysian Developement formula as compared to Singapore.

Do we have great minds then that were just as good as those Singaporen now and then? Probably.

What was the vision of the leaders then? There were anglophiles, kaum mudas, socialists - a real mix and potent.

And there are the different economics models to develope a country while the center of commerce and finace was established in Singapore. Did the investors then trust us - a nation with a majority of Muslims - when the rest of the Muslim world was never a really an ally with the western world?

I do see your point.
Perhaps I am grasping at straws understanding the dynamics of karma.

What is the conceptual Malaysia in the minds of her leaders as the world is at the cross-point of trading blocks revival? While Singapore is just a capitalist finace center with the market around her and surrounding her.

This posting of the Scribe is just target practise for me. Do we have the right facts and all the facts laid out on the table?

Division One is Singapore but the mind of Tun Dr Mahathir is of the Premier League if you still see it as how I see it, Sdr TheGreatTeaDrinkerDownSouth. As a matter of fact, I will say the lovely Zizou won France her honors in football as Maradona and Pele for Argentina and Brazil. And what kind of a country are they?(Really this can be construed as a jibe to Abdullah - the posting, Scribe; and thegreatteadrinker came along)

Give me ideas to understand the dynamics of Karma, Scribe and I will tell you the winning lottery number. I never really feel not at home with science.

"Hey Art how go thee?
I got me a black eye
just like the great Anwar

- I do see it.

But I just do not really
appreciate kiatsu trying to poke
my eye listening to the crystals
crying sweetly their growing
pains. Bare knucles knofpled:
(if you want an orator
call anwar
if you want a veledictorian
call dirty hairy
if you want a leader
call Dr Mahathir)"

Ma'a salaam

About Me

My photo
I was born in 1947 in Kedah. I came from a rice farming family. I have been a journalist since 1969. I am the Editor-in-Chief of magazine publishing company, Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd. I was Group Editor NST Sdn Bhd and Group Editor-in-Chief of NSTP Bhd between 1988 and 2000. I write fortnightly column “Other Thots” in the Malaysian Business magazine, Kunta Kinte Original in Berita Harian and A Kadir Jasin Bercerita in Dewan Masyarakat. Books: Biar Putih Tulang (1998), Other Thots – Opinions & Observations 1992-2001 (2001), The Wings of an Eagle (2003), Mencari Dugalia Huso (2006), Damned That Thots (2006), Blogger (2006), PRU 2008-Rakyat Sahut Cabaran (2008), Komedi & Tragedi-Latest in Contemporary Malaysian Politics (2009) and Membangun Bangsa dengan Pena (2009).