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Sakmongkol ak 47

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Friday 24 October 2014

Leadership and the Malaysian eCONomy-part 1



I hope not everyone-and I further hope, not the majority of us are mesmerised by Najb’s PR gimmicks. His presentation of the yearly budget is fast becoming a yearly singsong. He is repeating some same stuff over and over again.

The more important issues like income distribution, the worsening level of education, the deterioration of domestic and external security, the scourge of corruption were hardly mentioned. He took time to sound silly by prodding the opposition. His budget speech is one boring rendition of some economists extended essay.

We saw the video clip of Najib being elbowed by Rosmah during Jokowi’s inauguration. If that is true, this country is doomed.  The clip however looked suspicious.

He is now compared to president Jokowi of Indonesia and is seen as inadequate. That’s humbling to us Malaysians. Jokowi was a furniture trader. Najib is a scion of an aristocratic family, the product of British education, yet pales in comparison with wak Jokowi?

There you are- all this time one compares him with the milieu composed of pedestrian village folks, or people coming from less privileged family background who are crude in mannerisms, less cosmopolitan- he on the other hand coming from a pedigreed background; that alone made him appear ‘special’. But once he is compared among equals, not linked to the same cultural background, the real Najib stands out. Ineffectual, intellectually less rigorous, muddled thinker.

While Indonesia is adopting openness and meritocracy and more democracy, Malaysia is reversing. Malaysia is introverted, becoming more tight-fisted, and petty. The main reason for this reversal is the weak leadership of Najib. He is assertive on the wrong things and not on the fundamentals of nation building. He is expansive on the petty things and not on the factors that really contribute to the nation‘s advancement.

In 2009, he became the PM with pomp and splendour liked by any member of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie.  He declared all the acronymic initiatives- a series of marketing gimmicks to inform the public that he is serous about transforming this nation. He also declared the age of big brother government is over.

After 5 years, the country has not transformed into what the various acronyms promised. The country is divided along racial, religious, and social lines; the security of this country breached so many times. We have millions of foreign paid security workers guarding our housing estates and commercial premises; the economy has grown at non extraordinary rates, public debt has risen, household debt has grown to astronomical levels, religious bigotry and pettiness are on the rise. What has Najib done?

Nothing.

Just what are the things crucial to nation building? I would say things like having leadership, the rule of law, security of the nation both domestically and externally, social cohesiveness, economic governance, education and skilling the people, income distribution, adoption of live and let live attitude.

Leadership deficit slackens the country.

What is it that Najib lacks first? He is not a thoughtful person. Now when I say being thoughtful it means being intellectually rigorous. Najib is only slightly better than his cousin Hishamudin upstairs there. The only leader thus far displaying that trait is that ’evil dictator’ Mahathir. We can say all the evil things about him, but lack of intelligence and wide knowledge isn’t one of them.

Perhaps that is a reflection of a less intellectually rigorous youthful life. He doesn’t have the quality of mind that differentiates him from the rest of his cabinet members. We all suspect that many of his speeches written in books were not his and ask him to expand on the ideas he will look askance. The slack in youthful life that could have been corrected and compensated by rigorous education has finally shown itself in the present day Najib.

So? So he can’t grasp the bigger picture of nation building which requires more democracy where it is needed, order when it is appropriately required, corruption free civil service, the absence of which has created a group of government-rich coterie. Ever wonder how some ex high civil servants after retirement can own houses costing RM7-8 million?

Some tough measures are needed to tackle things like open defiance of the supremacy of the nation’s laws. For example when JAKIM people refused order from our civil laws which stemmed from the supreme laws of this nation, Najib should have these people arrested. Not doing so, has created uncertainty over the laws of this nation. This is not an Islamic state- I am sorry to say this to my Muslim brothers in Malaysia.

We don’t need an Islamic Constitution say the objectors- the institution of Islamic principles, is in in the hearts. Well, good- then that is the more reason why we don’t need an oversight organisation that makes a mockery of the constitution of Malaysia. Islam rules by gentle persuasion- acceptance by way of conviction is more lasting than acceptance by force.

6 comments:

Anonymous,  24 October 2014 at 18:18  

Dato this is by far the best article you have written. Most things that many of us has been saying are put into a nutshell in it. And how right you are. If someone has gone comatose 5 years ago and jut woke up this morning, he would probably think that he was out for a day or two when if he watched RTM,TV7, or read the mainstream papers because during that time nothing has changed except prices of fuel prices and essential have gone through the roof. The bigots and the racists are still running around threatening peaceful citizens and corrupt politicians are totally engrossed in negotiated tenders and burning the midnight oil to see how much commission they can raked in for themselves. Is there hope for us, Dato?

Anonymous,  24 October 2014 at 23:53  

narendra modi was a Tea seller... yet now he is challenging to beat China....

education is not important...just ability...

dukuhead 25 October 2014 at 20:36  

an excellent article. During these troubling times, we need strong leadership with vision that unites the nation and not one that seeks to perpetuate its hold on power by resorting to crude divide-and-rule tactics. Politics is inherently dirty, but surely those who are in the business of politics can see beyond the narrow confines of party politics and practise a better quality of politics than we have witnessed so far? I have great hopes in politicians such as yourself, saudara Khalid Samad, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, and many other Malay leaders who exhibit moderation and examplary integrity but it's also sad that oftentimes their voices are drowned out by the shouts of the extremists. How has Malaysia come to this today? Do we Malaysians deserve a better government? Or are we condemned to forever be victims of our own communal narrow-mindedness? God have mercy on all of us.

SUBASHCHANDRA P MUNIANDY,  25 October 2014 at 20:53  

There are four ingredients to an intellectually inspired article. One is the departing of acquired wide read knowledge, Ability to analyse about what is Right and Wrong.And disseminating it to the right channel with boldness and brevity.All these factors are ever present in your article. We not only enjoy reading them, but at the same time inundated with wisdom bearing the truth of the matter.This article,[like many others] is but one GOOD one with clarity -Keep up the good work.If I may say , you are a towering, anointed Malaysian- a PM material to cut short.

Greenbug 26 October 2014 at 00:51  

Pak Sak, in Indonesia if you look at the efforts to combat corruption there has been concrete results. 2 ministers have been convicted ie Andy Mallarangeng and Nazaruddin, one Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah of Banten in West Java, Chief of Traffic Police, 2 Chairmen of political parties, Chief Judge Akil Mokhtar, and 2 more ministers waiting ie Suryadharma Ali (Religious Affairs) and Jero Wacik (Energy & Mining) besides dozens of senior government officers being nabbed, charged and convicted.

The anti-corruption body KPK reports to parliament and nobody else and the head Abraham Samad is chosen through special interviews by a panel of lawmakers...

Compare that to Malaysia, we are going backward...

flyer168 27 October 2014 at 02:11  

"Indeed most of the counties ruled by Muslims are economically backward, corrupt, decadent, dictatorial, repressive and oppressive."

Dato',

Yes indeed.

Just to share this...

http://ibnmahadi.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/why-are-the-jews-so-powerful-by-dr-farrukh-saleem-the-writer-is-a-pakistani-an-islamabad-based-freelance-columnist/

Conclusion: The Muslim world is failing to apply knowledge.

Why are Muslims powerless? Because we aren’t producing knowledge.

Why are Muslims powerless? Because we aren’t diffusing knowledge.

Why are Muslims powerless? Because we aren’t applying knowledge.

And, the future belongs to knowledge-based societies.

You be the judge.

Cheers.

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