Of Western Democracies

Dear Friends,

I am currently reading the biography of John Howard, former Prime Minister of Australia.

I have reached the point in his life where, after quickly rising in stature to be the Treasurer (which in Australia, is held by the PM heir-apparent), the Coalition government he belongs to has lost the general election to the re-energized Labor Party which is itself under new leadership in the figure of Bob Hawke.

After covering 1/3 of the book, any Malaysian cannot but envy the openness and freedom Australians enjoy in politics.

This is particularly apparent when one looks at the issues at hand today. Three in particular, would be unthinkable for it to happen in Australia, or any other Western democracies for that matter:

1. Possibility of suspension of printing permit for The Star newspaper. This is due to it having publish a picture of Erykah Badu with a tattoo of the word "Allah" on her chest.
2. Cancellation of Erykah Badu's concert on 29 February 2012 in light of the published photos. This was announced through the Twitter account of the Information Minister, Rais Yatim. Just considering the manner in which it was announced, surely a milestone in Malaysia's cultural history.
3. Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS)'s Research Head, Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad, announcing PAS' stand that it may accept non-Muslims as leaders in the party, even up to Deputy-President. Not only that is it a religious-based party, but this is the same party that once declared that it is against Islam for any political party to be co-operating with another party which involves non-Muslims.
4. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's personnel appointment will be separate and independent from the centralised Public Service Department -- if, the current government is returned in the next election with a 2/3 majority in Parliament. Opposition MPs have stated they would support this move to be implemented now, as it does not require a 2/3 majority in Parliament to be implemented.

All the four news items above touch on three of the freedoms that the Western democracies seemingly enjoy: freedom of speech/expression, separation of church and government/politics, and independence of the anti-corruption agency.

All these freedoms are supposed to ensure that individuals need not fear speaking out, practicing their beliefs and whistleblow corrupt acts.

All of these freedoms are tempered in Malaysia as we are believed to be a conservative society that cannot accept "acts of aggression" or against the official religion, Islam. There is also a belief that too much information about corruption or financial disclosures of elected officials will result in undue harm to be directed towards them or their families.

The question is: how much longer should we stand the unsavoury elements in our society and temper these freedoms? Can we not uphold the sanctity of the official religion and protect our citizens from harm at the same time?

The newspaper in question has apologised for the pictures. Are we not better Muslims to forgive and advice, rather than to hate and punish? If we were to take the higher ground, would it not show Ms. Badu the beauty of Islam and the emphasis this religion gives to forgiveness and repentance rather than fire and brimstone?

More financial disclosures in the public realm will only result in more good than harm, as it puts elected officials to account on their worth before and during their time in office. This will greatly lessen any chance for anyone to be involved in corrupt practices while in office. Contrary to many of my fellow Malaysians, I have a high regard for our police force and believe that they are well-equipped to protect any politician or their family members from undue harm in light of their published financial position.

Of course, no freedom should be absolute and nor will these freedoms guarantee more open and corruption-less society. The recent police-bribing scandal by reputable newspapers in the United Kingdom is a good example of how people can still get away with corruption despite having these freedoms. Despite this, imagine the hanky-panky that occurs in closed-society. Or rather than imagine, look around.

Suffice it to say, a sober cost-benefit analysis on the issues we face daily will prove that more freedom of expression and information in Malaysia will only be better for all.


Godspeed,
Fadli

Writing Well Re-Redux

Dear Friends,

Yet again, I have failed to fulfill my own pledge. Discipline is sorely needed, both in doing this as well as in maintaining my fitness.

I shall strive to improve on both, God willing.

Godspeed,
Fadli

Writing Well Redux

Fellow comrades,

I write upon pondering my laughable pledge more than four years ago to write everyday. Clearly, that did not happen. I am now pledging again to write everyday. So, here goes.


Godspeed,

Fadli

Trying to get bad writing out of my system

Norman Mailer died a few days ago. Although I've never read a single book he's written, I came across his name countless times. However, I cannot remember exactly when or where I did. Nevertheless, when I read that he had died, I pored over several articles singing his praises in lieu of his passing. Something in one of those articles, published in the New York Times, caught my eye. It was a description of what Mr. Mailer did during his sophomore years. He changed his major from aeronautical engineering to literature, because he found it to be more of his liking. What was more interesting though, he "set himself a daily quota of 3,000 words of his own, on the theory that this was the way to get bad writing out of his system". So, seeing that he became a great writer because of or at least in part due to what he did, I'll try and do so too. Maybe not 3,000 words, but some words definitely on things I find out everyday that make me think. I don't intend to be a professional writer, just being a good one will suffice. Hopefully this works out well. Here's to Mr. Norman Mailer, who continues to inspire even after death.

Here's something that made me think today. An article in Counterpunch.com written by Alan Gresh, the editor of Le Monde Diplomatique. It was about the United States' new backyard: the Middle East. From what I understand, being the U.S.' backyard means that the focus of their worries are on you. Previously, Latin America was the worry because of its close geographical proximity. Nowadays, with the great advance in technology, distance supposedly means less. People, or more specifically terrorists, are now able to cross borders much faster, which makes the Middle East, where supposedly most of the terrorists come from, a region to be very much concerned about. However, the Middle East differs from Latin America because the latter was "never a crucial battlefield in a third world war". Europe was. It's the Middle East now. It's where the "crucial ideological battle" is being fought. So, the Middle East in the 21st Century is of much greater concern because it is the new U.S.' backyard and it's where all the action is. Hence, be sure to check in on your local news channel later. They might mention something about this.

Malaysia: The 120th State Most Likely To Fail

Fellow comrades,

Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace has released its annual Failed States Index for 2007. Malaysia has managed to rank 120th out of 177 states. Quite an achievement, I must say. The states were ranked based on 12 indicators comprising Social, Economic and Political aspects.

Our lowest score was 3.6/10 for "Chronic and Sustained Human Flight", meaning "Brain Drain" and voluntary emigration of the middle class. Being in Australia, and witnessing first hand the arrivals of these "Brains" and emigrants, I'd have to agree with this one. The are so many (ex) Malaysians who are living in Australia today, and more of them keep coming every year to study and apply for PR and settle down here after they graduate. This mindset is becoming the norm, rather than the exception among students.

Our highest score was 6.6/10 for "Uneven Economic Development along Group Lines". That's our highest score and we barely passed? Given that it means that we still have "group based inequality", "group based impoverishment" and "rise of communal nationalism based on real or perceived group inequalities", I'd say they were pretty lenient on marking us for this particular indicator. The "rise of communal nationalism" part is getting worryingly starker, particularly among young Malays. There seems to be a rise in the number of what I'd call neo-UltraMalays. They're pro-Malay, in the same style as Tun Mahathir was, but are different in their reasons for being so. Rather than supporting affirmative actions such as the New Economic Policy for the advantages that it gives to the Malays who were deprived of significant economic participation under the colonial masters, they're suppoting such policies because they believe Malaysia belongs to the Malays and as such government policies should benefit the Malays only. To say that these people are misguided would be an understatement. Probably a history lesson or two would help. I guess Tun Mahathir himself said it best: "Melayu Mudah Lupa".

Godspeed,
Fadli

You will find that the State is the kind of organization which, though it does big things badly, does small things badly, too - John Kenneth Galbraith

Long Live P. Ramlee

Fellow comrades,


On Tuesday, we marked the 34th anniversary of P. Ramlee's passing. The brilliant/legendary/genius composer/actor/director/musician has entertained millions of Malaysians and others around the world with his acting/songs/movies and continues to do so ever since his untimely death on 29 May 1973 at the age of 44. He was, is and will always be loved by everyone especially Malaysians and particularly for his wonderful movies. My earliest memories are of the funny scenes and catchlines from Bujang Lapok, Madu Tiga, Tiga Abdul, Ahmad Albab, and many, many more. His shows remain fresh and hilarious, despite being rerun every year by the RTM1. And I do mean EVERY year. His dramas touched on the hardships of life faced by the ordinary bloke in the days of yore Malaya and even today the problems he showcased can still be related to.

I only realised the moral messages hidden among the quips and wisecracks in his movies a few years ago when I bought a whole bunch of his movies on VCD to bring to Canberra. As I sat in the Burton & Garran Hall computer lab watching Pendekar Bujang Lapok, trying my best not to burst out laughing at almost every sentence uttered by Ramlee, Sudin and Ajis, I began to realise the lessons that P. Ramlee was trying to convey. Ethnic relations, marital problems, post-colonial development, familial ties, religion, et cetera. All these issues were touched upon one way or another in his movies. Be it in the witty remarks (e.g. Apa oi oi oi oi. Lu taktau ka bahasa melambangkan bangsa?) or the more dramatic ones (e.g. Mengapa tidak kau dilahirkan sebagai binatang?) every sentence had its purpose and beckons the audience to think. If I were a lecturer, doesn't matter what or where I teach, I'll be sure to include a scene or two from one of his movies. I'm sure we can all learn more on how to be a better person watching his movies than listening to a lecture on Neo-Cons for an hour.

Oddly enough, I find a divergence among my peers on the level of interest that they have on P. Ramlee's works. There are those who say his flicks belong to the era that they were made; that we can no longer subscribe to any of the message that his movies bring, regardless of whether they've actually watched a single scene. Although they seem to be able to appreciate the works of Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward and Beethoven. Budget modern/Western laa konon.

Yet, thankfully, there are still those who are wise enough to appreciate P. Ramlee's oeuvre and the gems that are hidden in every scene in his movies and every line in his songs. Although most of those who do are from P. Ramlee's generation, I do hope that his works will continue to inspire and engender greater understanding among Malaysians in the future. Probably continuing to rerun his movies every year and/or naming an airport after him will do the trick. Heck, if it was up to me, when I go back to Malaysia this year, I'll be landing at P. Ramlee International.

For more insights into his personal life, here's a very recent interview with his son, Nasir. Also, transcripts of his movies are currently being compiled and kept for future references. I'd love to see it be made public on a website or sold as a book. I'll be first in line on the day it's released. Sadly, I'll never be able to get it signed by the author.

Godspeed,
Fadli

One who cannot be patient for a moment will have days and months of trouble (Chinese proverb)

Fellow comrades,

An update on the impending Singaporean PM's visit to Malaysia quoted our Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar as saying that another issue that will be discussed won't be as contentious as the others but is just as important: the Iskandar Development Region. Not knowing that much about the IDR, I visited its website. The layout of the webpage was nice although the content was slightly amatuerish. On the right hand corner, the IDR was said to offer investors, among other things, "our resources" and that "we are pro business" (surprisingly blatant). The website seemed up-to-date and had a link to a recently updated (19 April 2007) FAQ section. From the website, I understand that the IDR's main purpose are to fully exploit the logistic triangle: Senai Airport (North), Port of Tanjung Pelepas (South West) and Johor Port (South East) as well as allowing foreign companies to take advantage of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore Growth Triangle (IMS-GT) around it. Having a free trade area of sorts may lure in foreign investors, pretty much like Hong Kong. Nevertheless, prudence is necessary. Already there are discontent among certain sectors of the community, namely the Malays and more particularly Tun Mahathir, when the government decided to make the IDR truly adopt the ideals of a "free trade area" and not have any affirmative action policies in place. The government gave ground and set up a "Social Action Fund" that will be managed by the Iskandar Regional Development Authority. Investors might be a little worried about this and, with the ease of capital flight nowadays, decide to invest elsewhere. Although, "elsewhere" might need 'patient capital' as well.

Godspeed,
Fadli

Eye on Singapore

Fellow comrades,

NST reported today that Pak Lah and Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong have decided on having a cruise together next Tuesday at Langkawi. According to our Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, the "get together" was held because "the Singaporean Prime Minister expressed a desire to visit Malaysia" and Pak Lah decided to invite him over. Considering the current "warm" relations that we're having with the island Republic, the FM suggested that it was pertinent that the "outstanding" issues that we have with Singapore i.e. water sold to Singapore, KTM Berhad land in Singapore and the use of Malaysian airspace by the Singapore Air Force; be resolved. Although he said that no set agenda was planned, the mentioning of these issues seem to suggest that they would be the hot topic during the get-together. It would be hard to expect much from this meeting as PM Lee will only be here for a night. Lets look at the outstanding issues and see how important they are to our interests:

1. Water sold to Singapore - Half of Singapore's water comes from Malaysia through agreements that runs until 2061 and 2061. We've been selling it at $0.007 per 1000 gallons while they've sold treated water back to us for $0.13 per 1000 gallons. Although they've been accused of profiteering from this deal, Singapore has argued that the cost of treating water is much higher and in fact they're the one who's losing money. Most recently, when the crooked/scenic/farcical bridge negotiations were at its peak, Singapore's Second Foreign Minister Raymond Lim mentioned how the demolition and replacement of Malaysia's side of the causeway would result in the disruption of the pipeline that has been used to send our water to Singapore. Pak Lah mentioned back then that they've always been worried about us cutting their water supply although it has never been our policy to do so. I've remember clearly reading in a foreign publication that we've actually been using the water issue as a bullying tactic to force Singapore in submitting to our every wishes. Clearly, our Cabinet's decision to scrap the bridge plan dismisses this suggestion. Singapore has been building water recycling and desalination plants in order to alleviate its dependence on our water supply. We may lose this bargaining chip in a few years since they've been so good at making their own water to the point where they might even be exporting them soon.

2. KTM Berhad land - I remember reading in a foreign publication once that we've removed a sign that said "Selamat Datang ke Malaya" from that plot of land as a nice gesture to the Singaporeans. Now they want us to remove everything else that we own there. This is a very complicated issue that can find its roots from the days of yore when the Brits were still in power. This article has a very detailed explanation in the last few paragraphs. Suffice it to say and if I'm right: we have land there that we may not legally own if we don't use - they want it - they're willing to exchange it for another plot of land that's of equal value - for some reason we don't want to let go of it. Beats me.

3. Use of Malaysian airspace by the Singapore Air Force - this issue probably gained prominence most recently when Singapore wanted it as part of the bridge agreement. Our FM has reportedly said that allowing this won't affect our sovereignty. How that can be justified is unclear to me. Although I would have to say that should the roof on my house be invisible, I'd be a tad worried. And allowing my neighbour to watch me from above while I'm on the throne is the least of my worries.

An additional issue brought up by former Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister today:

4. The return of Central Provident Fund (CPF) to Malaysians who were employed in Singapore - reportedly, Malaysians have contibuted RM$2 billion to Singapore's CPF. Legally, Singapore is on the right as the pensioners agreed to having the CPF taken from their wages before being employed. So, what they actually want is for Singapore to be nice and give them back that money for them to live out the rest of their days in comfort.

Clearly, there have been plenty of mistrust and disagreement between our two countries even before our separation in 1963. Hopefully the future bodes well for us. Our people share a lot of things in common, last of which is hatred for one another. Should our leaders take note of this, maybe the rhetorics can be toned down and the benefits that a closer partneship can bring about, particularly on both our economies, will be realised.


Godspeed,
Fadli