Looking for Tun Razak and Tun Ismail's Clones

People become hypocrites when they write on someone who is already dead. Then, you can use the dead for any purposes that you desire. You exaggerate and embellish. And you can be excused for that.

The dead cannot answer and Malaysians in general hold deep respect for the departed. They are mostly inclined to remember the good parts and are forgiving about shortcomings. Certainly criticising them, is taboo. We are circumspect about making reference to the dead. Perhaps that’s part of our Malaysian psyche of deference for the dearly departed.

That is how I see the adulation given by a writer in The Malaysian Insider. He declares pompously:- WANTED A STATESMAN IN THE CLASS OF TUN RAZAK AND TUN DR ISMAIL.

Both died a long time ago. What’s left are perhaps our over generous interpretations of what they accomplished. Or think they had accomplished. He of course dismisses the existence of the greatest statesman that ever lived in Malaysia- Tun Dr Mahathir.

Indeed, it has become fashionable for all and sundry, to run down Tun Mahathir. Understandably that’s because the Tun is no longer the PM. Otherwise, these very same people will sing like canaries smothering the Tun with lavish praises.

I am not sure, when making the comparison, the writer is not behaving in the same manner as Malaysians treating the departed. We have no stomach defiling the dead and we rush quickly to speak only of good deeds. Hence, using the dead, we conveniently use them as yardstick by which to measure the worth of a political leader.

Not too long ago, wasn’t it Abdullah who said, that he was the ideological progeny of Tun Razak while Dato Najib was the biological progeny? That was said in one seminar on the Legacy of Tun Razak. Thus by that measurement, considering what Pak Lah failed to accomplish, then he is an abject failure?

So really, this piece by the Malaysian insider, needles not Tun Mahathir, but poor Pak Lah.

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Ka Chuan huffs and puffs

If I were writing my short essay using a fountain pen, the ink will not have dried out, when Ong Ka Chuan did a volte face.

He was all sound and fury, thunder and lightning demanding the hide of Ahmad Ismail.

Just as suddenly, he awakens from his not Rip Van Winkle sleep to sheepishly say, no reason for MCA to quit BN.

Betul tu towkay. Why let this verbal diarrhoea from one UMNO mamat from Penang upset MCA’s position? And BN’s?

Brickbats of the worse kind are exchanged daily between the races in Malaysia. Some are made for grandstanding purposes. Others are made purely arising from personal sentiments. So let go lah, towkay.

In any case, I knew at the end the day, the towkay in Ka Chuan will come out.

Haiya-nanti gua tak boleh niaga lo…

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Mukhriz Mahathir vs. Adnan Yaakob?

Dato Mukhriz Mahathir has announced he is going for the ketua pergerakan pemuda post. We wish him the best of luck. His journey till this December will be a long and arduous one.

Yb Mukhriz is a pleasant fellow, mild mannered and a true gentleman. Perhaps that can be attributed to his lineage. He is the youngest son of Tun Mahathir.

He appears to have the temperament to accommodate a wide spectrum of the UMNO crowd. From the dangdut types to the serious intellectual types. Naturally he has the qualifications to make a good leader. If I am not mistaken he also worked with Shell Malaysia, unfortunately we have never met each other while in Shell.

In vying for this post, he will be facing formidable hurdles. The senior leaders in UMNO are gunning after him. Nazri Aziz will waste no time in lynching him.

If khairi has his way, he would love to offer himself as the Ketua Pemuda. But in this climate where anything associated with Pak Lah is looked upon as a liability, he dares not. Moreover, he is not oblivious to the feelings on the ground that hold him accountable for the many ills in the UMNO leadership. Many view him as the Malaysian Rasputin to Pak Lah’s Czar Nicholas. So he wont enter the fray.

But he will support a rook as a pawn in his political game. I hate to say this, but his Chess Game seems to point to the Pahang MB.

Mukhriz need not worry about the other contenders. He must keep a watchful eye over Adnan Yaakob, should the Pahang MB enters the race.

Adnan’s Yaakob intention to vie for the Ketua Pemuda’s post defies logic. He is at an age not suitable to helm the gila bola types of Pemuda UMNO. His bearings and mindset are at variance with the Pemuda mindset. Would anyone imagine Adnan Yaakob acting as leader of a pressure group confronting his mentor Pak Lah?

So why will Adnan Yaakob want to be the KP? For no other reason than allowing himself to a be a seat warmer for someone else. And if he is asked to by other people he looks up. That could only be the UMNO president. And where does the UMNO president get his ideas from? Why, from Malaysia’s prince Rasputin, of course.

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Ong Ka Chuan imparts his wisdom

I am glad Ong Ka Chuan told everyone that Chinese died defending this country. That was during the Japanese occupation. Most of the Chinese then were not given citizenship yet.

I hope Ka Chuan does not forget his history. If the a large section of the Chinese then did not have citizenship, then technically they were China’s citizens. Naturally the invading Japanese will view the Chinese in Malaya then as extended enemies.

So don’t go on to lecture us that the Chinese then died defending this country. By saying this I am not trivialising the sacrifices of the Malaysian Chinese. I for one, would not want to acquire the Palestinian syndrome of wishing for the impossible- total annihilation of the Israelis. But that is another issue, next time. We accept Chinese as our Malaysian brothers. We cant change history for instance by wishing the British did not bring in Indian and Chinese coolies. They did and that is the fact as it stands.

The MCA politicians will not want to miss any opportunities to grandstand each other. Many would like to see who’s more Chinese than Chinese. Each one wants to out-chinese the other. The convenient way to do this is exploit one insignificant issue started by one samseng kampong dusun in Penang.

Ini biasa lah. It’s a game played by conman like Ka Chuan and others. What they actually accomplish, is to expose themselves for what they truly are- hypocrites and laughable MCA politicians.

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MCA and Ahmad Ismail Issue

The star newspaper reported the following. Leaders are upset over Tun Mahathir’s remarks. Even after Tun Mahathir clarified his initial remarks the star upheld its story. The qualification by Tun Mahathir was not important. It was the first statement that needed to be needled. What a welcome relief for our idea-bankrupt leaders.

Who are the leaders who were upset? They were all kichi mayungs from MCA and the almost defunct MIC. Dei tamby, poodah lah. The PKR has more Indian MPs that you have.

Pray tell, when are our current leaders not upset with Tun Mahathir? The whole gangbang is upset with him because he has the capacity and stature to tick these people off.

If the MCA is very upset, why not use this an excuse to get out of Barisan Nasional. If you are hapless, then its better to keep quiet. Please don't reduce yourself to pathetic supplicants with bowl in hand. Malu lah.

It is very pitiful to hear, the DPM pujuk the Chinese by saying they are equal partners. Lu mahu keluar, you keluar. Then let us see what happens. I think the Chinese will go in droves to the opposition. The Malaysian Chinese are pragmatic people anyway- as long as there is peace and they can continue making and milking money, they will be happy.

And the very people who are upset with Tun Mahathir are the same whom they milk their riches from.

At the end of the day- I ask, what can you MCA do? Ahmad Ismail is one insignificant drop in the ocean. His remarks do not make you a lesser and less richer Malaysian.

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Determinants of Performance

When formulating some form of affirmative policies, I hope the framers will remember this. Society’s performance will depend on:

1. Quality leadership
2. The material by which people are made of
3. Their cultural inclinations.

The performance of a country, society, organisation depends on the quality of leadership. If this can be quantified, I would say around 5% of the organisation. For example, in a committee of around 30, only about 6 people are the ones working their butts out. If you are an UMNO division committee member, test it yourself. Therefore large sized committees mean nothing if they cannot perform.

Can the quality of people, i.e. the material by which they are made of be improved? In the first place, the material is made of physical and mental attributes. These are mostly inherited.

But it can be improved by nurture. Hence the culture factor of progress. The natural factor can be improved by better nutrition, better health and medical facilities, training. Our IQ which is fixed can be improved with good environment, education, acquiring knowledge, skills and in the inculcation of values and forming of new habits that fortify and support progress.

But the performance of a team will always depend on the good coach. Given the natural proclivities of people, their nuances and prejudices, it will depend on this slender number called a leader and leadership. That 5% which we spoke of. Its up to the leader to make the population give its best. Up to the coach to make his team give its best.

The leader must create organisational coherence( UMNO now in disarray), and that spirit of keenness and of intensity which are necessary for high performance. When people in leadership positions apply themselves to problems at hand with keenness and are committed to the whole community, then this leadership will have that moral strength to arouse people. That is leadership- to rally people to one’ cause.

When the 98 (assuming 70% of BN MPs) come back from Australia, Pak Lah should remove them. Why? Because we must develop a habit that as a people, we must see a problem through, together. Only by staying and facing whatever is coming, we solve it. When people cabut, I say this- this country can only depend on those who can leave anytime, but choose not to. I would rather have faith in them. Those who abscond, are useless. If they do this now, they can do the same Brutus thing to Pak Lah himself.

We come back again and again to the issue of leadership. One important factor in determining performance is morale. Morale too depends on leadership.

A troop with a low morale is bound to be defeated. Because a troop member does not know what he is fighting for. When a troop or a people is slovenly and disorderly and slothful, it is because of bad leadership. When a people has a strong leadership that keeps everybody perked up, things are on the go.

The framers of affirmative policies must remember this. The differences in performance between groups are a reflection of their differences in brain power and their organisational reflex. Can they voluntarily organise themselves into groups and apply their minds to solve problems on their own first? Have they got the capacity to organise themselves to harness education and knowledge to create a better life for themselves?.

One of the remarkable things Tocqueville noted when travelling through America during his time, was the spontaneity by which social groups voluntarily form themselves into associations and apply themselves to pursue something. This urge to organise I think come from inside.

This brings me to legislation. You can legislate whatever rights that you want. Article 153 and what not. But you cant legislate the urge to work and achieve. This urge and conviction must come from within a people that they must do so and want to give their best. That particular group must form that consciousness of wanting to be co-owners of the society we want to build.

Who ever and what ever we are, it is what we produce that defines who we are, not our race or religion. So do you think, by saying, you are a Muslim first and lawyer second, you are special?

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of Quitters and Stayers

Our future will be decided by the stayers and the quitters. It is reported that 70% of the BN MPs will go for an overseas trip. To Australia, I presume. That’s the nearest. Maybe In Perth.

That means 98 MPs will have a paid holiday to Australia for 10 days. At RM 50,000 each, that’s almost 5 million.

Now, this trip is considered valuable. Its approved says the TPM. Contrast this with the brouhaha raised when the Terengganu government bought Mercedes for their excos. Ignore that fact that those cars are going to be used for the next 5 years.

Now, what can our 98 learn while in Australia? Perhaps they will go sightseeing at Bondi Beach to see how Aussies go around in the nude. Maybe a new tourism venture idea?

We all know our leaders are lying through their teeth. Within a short space of time, the 98 will learn nothing. People like Bung Mokhtar will not want to learn anything. Each day will be preoccupied with shopping and sightseeing.

There is no question of quitting. People stay and stand their ground to fight for what they have secured. If for no other reason, like Lee Kuan Yew said, then, because of the sheer force of good habit.

Can we depend for our future on quitters?

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