Walla on the Malay response to low culture

Here is a very worthy riposte on my article on UMNO and its low culture. It is a piece written by the very cerebral Walla whose identity remains elusive save to the few. He answers I think, the challenge posed to the Malay which invites his appropriate response. How will the Malay meet the challenge? Here is Walla:-

'Muhyidin is addressing the low culture when talking in combative tones. He talks about the basic beliefs and basic things closest to the Malays.'

Therein lies the dilemma of UMNO - are the basic beliefs of the Malays heartland not amenable to change? Are all to think the Malays have been so secluded from the world that they cannot accept new ways of doing old things, new measures of what will make for success, new yardsticks of acceptable governance behaviour, and most important of all, be able to unflinchingly accept enough of reality as it is spelled out so that they will stridently make the necessary effort to improve themselves?

Or does having a monthly thousand ringgit free allowance be considered without further thought to suffice for a carefree life in a country of weakening currency, depleting resources, irrelevant skills and reducing subsidies?

Yet there are other Malays. They are no different from the non-Malays. They can hold court with anyone else of the world. They can exercise new mobility, engage in intelligent discourse based on rationale and reason, and keep their minds open to new possibilities and interpretations even while their eyes stay focused on the direction of their thoughts.

The difference between the first and the second is that the first stay rooted in their dashed hopes and static surroundings while the second accept reality as it is, embrace change as it comes, make the sacrifices as are required, take the risks as they are coined, and sink or swim as everyone else does in a world of tides. Thereby, living more.

It remains to add the dilemma of UMNO can lead to the dilemma of Malaysia - but only if UMNO is the one that continues to lead by the temperature, perceived or real, of low culture. Because it will be the blind leading the blind.

For instance, Muhyiddin can't be blind to the fact there are no extensive science and math references in bahasa after the student finishes school. And since he also knows that a high income economy has to be innovative which in the modern world at least means more know-how of science and maths, how will the students out from school cope better in the next phases of their studies or even when they are on their own working to research new products for use, evaluation or marketing?

A simple solution would be to let the parents decide which medium of instruction should apply for their children's' education, and provide the requisite national support.

By applying a blanket approach and taking the vote box route, he has shown he doesn't lead for national interest but he only leads based on the perceived interest of low-culture ignorance, thereby putting the future of the nation at risk, what more the objectives of the national plans and visions which his administration has painted.

How different will it then be from starting a mega million enterprise and then pulling the first guy from the street to lead it?

There is something else to bear in mind. Inherent in a low-culture setting is its own seed of self-destruction. It doesn't have escalating notions of standards. Standards which develop from one rank to another manifest progress away from triviality, reducing mistakes and waste, increasing productivity and performance, yielding higher returns and more prosperity. They are the signposts to map out new pathways to improving one's own destiny. After all, the world owes one a living but one has to work hard to collect it.

Those who have developed standards will balk when someone says it's alright to blow a few hundred million on a new fishing technique which fails. Because, having standards, they will constantly remember the money wasn't theirs to play pucks with in the first place.

That's how countries can become richer or at least not poorer, so poor that that subsidies have to be removed, even when their governments can meanwhile spend needless millions on frivolities like a twenty five million ornamental rod to remember their leaders who have neglected to nurse low cultures away from illusions.