Listen all you people who have been flinging the ‘Racist’ label at Hindraf – if the 25 November 2007 uprising organized by Hindraf had not happened, we would not have had a political tsunami on 8 March 2008!
We can flail our arms and criticize the Hindraf leadership all we want but let us be “politically correct” about racism and who the racists are in Malaysia. Yes! It’s important to be politically correct on this issue because otherwise our political analysis becomes erroneous, leading to incorrect practice and more importantly, we let off the real villains!
Indians a Specially Oppressed Section
Hindraf happened because the marginalized Indians in this country are a specially oppressed section of the working class. It is an oppression that has taken on a racist character through the years, so much so that even middle class Indians; especially the youth have also become the victims of police brutality.
The Indian working class is among the poorest in the country and they do not have the benefit of affirmative action because they have been classified as “Non-bumiputera” . Indians are a minority in this country but they form the majority when it comes to statistics on deaths in police custody or police killings.
We should be glad the Hindraf uprising happened and the political ripple it created after the 2008 general elections. Credit should be given to their leaders for achieving this feat and for breaking the decades of MIC patronage and pacifism.
The uprising certainly did not happen through the MIC nor did it happen through the other political parties in this country no matter what they say now. It is pointless being wise after the event or to advertise your pristine party – the fact is, HINDRAF succeeded where the other political parties failed to do, namely, to mobilize the Indian masses to come out in revolt on 25 November 2007.
Right to Separate Organisation
Being a specially oppressed and marginalized section of the masses, it is the right of the Indian masses to organize separately just as the Black Movement developed in the West during the sixties. Similarly, women have the right to organize separately through their special circumstances as an oppressed section of the population.
But to then say that Indians or Blacks are “racist” or that feminists are “sexist” is to expose your own shortcoming and more importantly, to let off the culprits who cause racial oppression and gender oppression in our society.
Racism and Racial Discrimination in Malaysia
Racism or more specifically, “Bumiputeraism” has been the dominant ideology of the Malay capitalist class ever since May 13, 1969. It has been practiced under the guise of the “New Economic Policy” and that racism has been covertly disseminated through state institutions such as the Biro TataNegara all these years. It is a marvel that it has taken so long for this racist garbage perpetrated through the BTN to be exposed! Before long, we will hear of racist propaganda in other state institutions especially schools and hostels since the seventies.
In 1986, this racism was flagrantly espoused by Abdullah Ahmad in his infamous “Malay Dominance” speech in Singapore but the cat was let out of the bag when Mahathir had a spat with Nazri recently and they were calling each other ‘Racist’…
More recently, we have seen the formation of Perkasa, which is none other than UMNO’s alter-ego. It has been delegated the role of the racist lobbyist traditionally played by UMNO Youth while UMNO tries desperately to change its spots to win over the Nons after the 2008 debacle.
The stereotypes created by this “Bumiputraist” racism to justify the New Economic Policy remain in circulation: We recently heard Perkasa shouting the old refrain that “the Chinese” still dominate the Malaysian economy. It was a cue for UMNO to continue the NEP in another guise, the New Economic Model. While this has populist appeal to win over the Malay voters, the main beneficiaries are the well-connected capitalists of diverse ethnicities under UMNO hegemony.
The marginalized Indians who make up some of the poorest and most oppressed sections among West Malaysians have been portrayed in a racist light. Thus Indians have been the main victims of racial killings such as at Kampong Medan in 2001, deaths in police custody as well as trigger happy police shootings. (See Policing the Malaysian Police, SUARAM 2005)
Our indigenous peoples and migrant workers have also been portrayed in a racist light and the recent historic uprising by our Orang Asli community was truly uplifting.
WHITHER HINDRAF?
Having a separate organization does not of course guarantee that its leadership will be necessarily progressive. Since 2008, we have seen the Hindraf leadership split into various factions.
It is in the common interest of all communities to fight racism on a class basis. In this day and age, affirmative action is not justifiable for any ethnic community which has undergone class differentiation. Thus, I would think that neither the Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazanmurut nor Iban communities can justify any affirmative action. However, communities that are not yet class differentiated such as the Orang Asli and Penan communities may justify affirmative action as a particular community.
The best non-racist approach to progress is still affirmative action based on class or sector.
All progressive Malaysians must unite around their struggles and stop flinging the ‘racist’ label about. The racists are the Umnoputras who control the Malaysian state.
We hope that the true Hindraf leaders will stay faithful to their just cause and correctly identify the primary role of capitalism and the state in causing racial oppression suffered by the Indian masses. The struggle against the Malaysian state can only succeed if it is anti-racist.
At the same time, Hindraf must also work alongside other campaigns for justice, democracy and human rights. We can only mobilize the whole masses if we fight on all fronts, against all oppressions and against the divisions within the masses. As the Black Panthers said in the sixties:
“We do not fight racism with racism…
We fight racism with solidarity”.
Dr Kua Kia Soong
Director of SUARAM
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Malaysia's Disastrous Capital Flight
Money leaves the country on an unprecedented scale
Churches are not the only thing to have been going up in flames in Malaysia. Take a look at the nation's foreign exchange reserves. They fell by close to 25 percent during 2009 according to investment bank UBS even though the country continued to run a huge surplus on the current account of its balance of payments.
Says UBS: "Question: which Asian country had the biggest FX losses in 2009?" The answer is Malaysia and by a very large margin; we estimate that official reserves fell by well more than one quarter on a valuation-adjusted basis". It describes the situation as "bizarre" and contrasts Malaysia with other countries with large current account surpluses – Thailand, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong – which have seen their reserves increase – as should be expected.
In short there has been an exodus of money from Malaysia on a scale which surpasses that which occurred during the Asian crisis. Nor is this just a mirage. The decline is also reflected in a sudden decline in base money supply – even while, thanks to Bank Negara, broader M2 has continued to grow modestly.
Who is responsible for this massive outflow? And where has it gone? The questions cannot be answered from the data and probably will not be by a government that knows its own state-controlled enterprises, headed by Petronas, may probably be responsible for part of it. The more certain reason however is the outflow of local private capital has been taking place on an unprecedented scale in response to political instability, massive official corruption and discrimination against non-Malays.
This capital bloodletting has as yet attracted little attention because Malaysia's foreign debt levels had declined dramatically since the Asian crisis and its reserves reached very healthy levels. So the outflow has not disturbed the financial markets, and Bank Negara has easily been able to keep interest rates low and the currency strong.
But unlike 1998, when the exodus of hot foreign money was a major contributor to the crisis, foreigners cannot be blamed. There is little speculative interest in the ringgit and the Malaysian bourse has rather fallen off the map as far as foreign institutional money is concerned. The BRICs, India, China, Russia, Brazil have taken the merging market lead once dominated by Southeast Asia.
Nor is there much evidence that the Middle East money which was supposed to be flowing into Muslim Malaysia, into holiday apartments or Johor's massive Iskandar development zone, has been much in evidence. Malaysia's one recent success, the development of its sukuk (Islamic bond) market may have caused more capital outflow than inflow. At any rate any overall net inflow of foreign capital whether into bonds, equities, factories or real estate has been dwarfed by the exodus of Malaysian money.
The latter is reflected in the weakness of private sector investment, which now trails public investment. Indeed it explains why the economy remains weak despite very healthy prices for most of Malaysia's commodity exports. The nation has been running a current account surplus of more than 10 percent of gross domestic product for the past decade and hit about 17 percent of GDP in the year just ended. Initially this surplus was needed to pay down debt accumulated during the mid-1990s Mahathir boom years and to rebuild foreign exchange reserves to healthy levels.
But subsequently it became simply a consequence of the weakness of private investment. Domestic investors were discouraged by the corrupt and warped system and foreigners moved to China and elsewhere. GDP growth has become ever reliant on government stimulus – again racially biased in its allocation -- financed by a persistently large budget deficit.
Meanwhile, publicly controlled capital has been rushing overseas. Petronas has been spending its billions in profits around the world as it attempts to become a major global player – at the expense of Malaysian citizenry in general and the oil and gas producing states in particular. Other government-controlled entities such as Malayan Banking Bhd have been bidding top dollar for foreign assets – such as Bank Internasional Indonesia.
Often with the exodus of money goes an exodus of talent as highly skilled persons disadvantaged by race or, as in the case of some Malays, disgusted by local corruption or primitive religious authorities, take themselves and their capital to Australia, Canada, India, China, etc.
The 2009 reserves loss may have had some specific cause which will not be repeated. But it has merely served to underline a dismal trend which has been in evidence for the best part of a decade. Malaysia has so far been saved from itself by the commodity price gains of the past five years – with even the late 2008 collapse now largely reversed. Oil and palm oil may be off their peaks but both are now double their prices of five years ago.
It is better not to imagine what will happen to Malaysia if prices collapse to 2004 levels and stay there. Better now to address the real reasons behind capital outflow and lack of private investment.
AsiaSentinel.com
Churches are not the only thing to have been going up in flames in Malaysia. Take a look at the nation's foreign exchange reserves. They fell by close to 25 percent during 2009 according to investment bank UBS even though the country continued to run a huge surplus on the current account of its balance of payments.
Says UBS: "Question: which Asian country had the biggest FX losses in 2009?" The answer is Malaysia and by a very large margin; we estimate that official reserves fell by well more than one quarter on a valuation-adjusted basis". It describes the situation as "bizarre" and contrasts Malaysia with other countries with large current account surpluses – Thailand, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong – which have seen their reserves increase – as should be expected.
In short there has been an exodus of money from Malaysia on a scale which surpasses that which occurred during the Asian crisis. Nor is this just a mirage. The decline is also reflected in a sudden decline in base money supply – even while, thanks to Bank Negara, broader M2 has continued to grow modestly.
Who is responsible for this massive outflow? And where has it gone? The questions cannot be answered from the data and probably will not be by a government that knows its own state-controlled enterprises, headed by Petronas, may probably be responsible for part of it. The more certain reason however is the outflow of local private capital has been taking place on an unprecedented scale in response to political instability, massive official corruption and discrimination against non-Malays.
This capital bloodletting has as yet attracted little attention because Malaysia's foreign debt levels had declined dramatically since the Asian crisis and its reserves reached very healthy levels. So the outflow has not disturbed the financial markets, and Bank Negara has easily been able to keep interest rates low and the currency strong.
But unlike 1998, when the exodus of hot foreign money was a major contributor to the crisis, foreigners cannot be blamed. There is little speculative interest in the ringgit and the Malaysian bourse has rather fallen off the map as far as foreign institutional money is concerned. The BRICs, India, China, Russia, Brazil have taken the merging market lead once dominated by Southeast Asia.
Nor is there much evidence that the Middle East money which was supposed to be flowing into Muslim Malaysia, into holiday apartments or Johor's massive Iskandar development zone, has been much in evidence. Malaysia's one recent success, the development of its sukuk (Islamic bond) market may have caused more capital outflow than inflow. At any rate any overall net inflow of foreign capital whether into bonds, equities, factories or real estate has been dwarfed by the exodus of Malaysian money.
The latter is reflected in the weakness of private sector investment, which now trails public investment. Indeed it explains why the economy remains weak despite very healthy prices for most of Malaysia's commodity exports. The nation has been running a current account surplus of more than 10 percent of gross domestic product for the past decade and hit about 17 percent of GDP in the year just ended. Initially this surplus was needed to pay down debt accumulated during the mid-1990s Mahathir boom years and to rebuild foreign exchange reserves to healthy levels.
But subsequently it became simply a consequence of the weakness of private investment. Domestic investors were discouraged by the corrupt and warped system and foreigners moved to China and elsewhere. GDP growth has become ever reliant on government stimulus – again racially biased in its allocation -- financed by a persistently large budget deficit.
Meanwhile, publicly controlled capital has been rushing overseas. Petronas has been spending its billions in profits around the world as it attempts to become a major global player – at the expense of Malaysian citizenry in general and the oil and gas producing states in particular. Other government-controlled entities such as Malayan Banking Bhd have been bidding top dollar for foreign assets – such as Bank Internasional Indonesia.
Often with the exodus of money goes an exodus of talent as highly skilled persons disadvantaged by race or, as in the case of some Malays, disgusted by local corruption or primitive religious authorities, take themselves and their capital to Australia, Canada, India, China, etc.
The 2009 reserves loss may have had some specific cause which will not be repeated. But it has merely served to underline a dismal trend which has been in evidence for the best part of a decade. Malaysia has so far been saved from itself by the commodity price gains of the past five years – with even the late 2008 collapse now largely reversed. Oil and palm oil may be off their peaks but both are now double their prices of five years ago.
It is better not to imagine what will happen to Malaysia if prices collapse to 2004 levels and stay there. Better now to address the real reasons behind capital outflow and lack of private investment.
AsiaSentinel.com
Malaysia's Pussycats in the Year of the Tiger
The country's women need some empowering.
While around the world women's achievements in fields such as medicine, the arts, politics and film are celebrated, in Malaysia women are apparently a problem for men. The secretary-general of the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Service (Cuepacs), Ahmad Shah Mohd Zin, complained recently that too many women were in decision-making roles in the administrative and diplomatic service. Is Ahmad Shah afraid his own job might be taken over by the fairer sex?
Incredibly, the National Population and Family Development Board's message, reported in mainstream papers on March 11, was to make more babies and not put off marriage. Apparently, fertility rates had dropped from 3.4 in 1995 to 2.2 in 2007. Why is Malaysia obsessed with quantity and not quality? Or rather, why are men fascinated with size? Has it to do with what's in their pants? Are women only good for procreating? If those in senior civil-service positions perform well, then does it matter if they wear a skirt or wear trousers? If smaller families enjoy a good standard of living, are happier, can communicate better, have children with access to education, then are these of little or no consequence? If a woman delays marriage to grab opportunities that will eventually benefit her family, is that wrong? Maybe men have greater difficulty in appreciating women's capabilities and determination? Stories of the abuse of women -- sexual assaults, low pay and abandoned wives, feature in the news daily.
Women may have made their presence felt in the public sector, but contrary to what the Cuepacs secretary-general says, they do not dominate it. Statistics on Women, Family and Social Welfare 2009 show that there are only two female secretaries-general out of 24 ministries (8.3 percent), 12 female director-generals out of 70 departments (17.1 percent) and 11 female chief-executives out of 71 federal statutory bodies (15.5 percent).
In politics, males have been acting with increasing incompetence and immaturity. Men like Zulkifli Nordin and Ibrahim Ali, the leaders of Malay nationalist organizations, feel the need to inflame, incite and instigate with their racist rhetoric. One hopes a capable woman in a similar situation would have appealed to a person's innate good qualities, to inform, improve and inspire.
Where women are concerned, a dichotomy exists. They are told of the need to breed more, and yet more babies are abandoned. In reported cases of illicit sex, the women are whipped and humiliated in the national press, but the men's role is diminished and hardly mentioned. In high profile divorce cases, the women are portrayed as gold-diggers but the thousands of men who fail to pay maintenance to their ex-wives and children escape justice.
A Women's Aid Organization survey revealed in 1989 that 1.8 million or 39 percent of women over 15 were beaten by their husbands or boyfriends. Yet, only 909 women made a police report.
Modern Malaysia has more educated women who are also major or sole breadwinners. Although it ranks 77th in terms of gender gap in educational attainment, there exists a wide chasm in economic participation and political empowerment. Cultural upbringing digs deep into women's psyche and they have difficulty extricating themselves from outdated beliefs. They cling to the notion that husbands or boyfriends automatically qualify as the head of the household, to bully, dominate and control them.
Gender-equality is rarely practiced in Malaysia. When Manohara Odelia Pinot, the royal Indonesian teenage bride, sought refuge in Singapore, alleging abuse at the hands of her husband, her pleas for help were ignored. The Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, said that the Malaysian government "did not want to get involved." or "be dragged into this", and "to leave it as it is".
Any allegation of violence has to be investigated. No one is above the law. Nor should there be two sets of rules to cover royalty and the masses. The DPM's conflicting messages only encourage discrimination against women. His statements contradict the Government of Malaysia's stand on women's equality. (National Policy on Women 1989, UN Fourth World Conference on Women 1995, Action Plan for Women in Development 1997, formation of Women's Affairs Ministry 2001).
Both palace and politicians have devalued the role of women in the home and in politics. Violence against women is a crime and laws do exist to protect the rights of vulnerable women. But the laws that promote gender equality are few and the ones that guarantee protection against discrimination are weak.
Women's representation in parliament falls short of the 30 percent target in the 1995 Global Platform for Action, although women comprise half the total population and 40 percent of the workforce. When it comes to formulating laws pertaining to women (eg divorce, property, and tax), men neither want to accommodate women's views nor relinquish power. They possibly fear working with women. Instead of striving for the common good of women and society as a whole, men demand that decision-making be left to them.
Malaysian female politicians are allowed to debate a proposed bill in parliament, but are banned from voting for what they feel is the right decision, or what their conscience dictates. They are forced to toe the party line and act subservient. Incredibly, politicians like Bung Radin who insult them in parliament, are not censured.
Malaysia's current female politicians are disappointingly of the wrong calibre and range from timid to tainted. The Perak BN senior exco member, Hamidah Osman said that females could not become chief ministers because the minister, in the course of her duties, would have to meet religious officers and the Sultan. Hamidah's other claim to fame is her derogatory comparison of Indians and snakes that earned her the pseudonym ‘snake woman'. But women can just as easily betray their party. When Hee Yit Foong defected from the Pakatan Rakyat party, her action helped precipitate the downfall of the Perak government. She remains one of the most reviled women in Malaysia today and is also known as ‘frog' or ‘traitor'.
The list is not limited to peninsular Malaysia either. In Sarawak, Fatimah Abdullah, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Department, failed to speak up for Penan girls who were raped and sexually exploited by the timber loggers. Nor is the list exclusive to politicians. Wives of senior politicians have also been known further their husbands' careers using creative methods.
While it is the responsibility of all politicians to advance the rights of women, the female representatives themselves need to be prickly to promote equality and justice for their sex. They need to demonstrate commitment and passion. And women in Malaysia, regardless of their race or religion, must show their determination to save this nation by making a stand. Sometimes it is not the other sex that we have to worry about but one's own. Women's contribution can have tremendous impact on progress and growth. But then, where are the women of note in Malaysia?
Might Malaysia's problems be solved by a woman's long-term vision? If a mother is the glue that holds a family together, why can't a woman be the person that cements communities together? A mother usually considers all her children, with their different foibles, equally deserving of her love. So why can't a woman lead Malaysia out of its depressing state?
It won't be an overnight transition as the resistance to the leadership of women would be fierce. But few people realize that the windscreen wiper was invented by a woman named Mary Anderson in 1905. It was probably her predilection for clear vision through glass, or her fastidiousness with clean windows, that made her invent them.
AsiaSentinel.com
While around the world women's achievements in fields such as medicine, the arts, politics and film are celebrated, in Malaysia women are apparently a problem for men. The secretary-general of the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Service (Cuepacs), Ahmad Shah Mohd Zin, complained recently that too many women were in decision-making roles in the administrative and diplomatic service. Is Ahmad Shah afraid his own job might be taken over by the fairer sex?
Incredibly, the National Population and Family Development Board's message, reported in mainstream papers on March 11, was to make more babies and not put off marriage. Apparently, fertility rates had dropped from 3.4 in 1995 to 2.2 in 2007. Why is Malaysia obsessed with quantity and not quality? Or rather, why are men fascinated with size? Has it to do with what's in their pants? Are women only good for procreating? If those in senior civil-service positions perform well, then does it matter if they wear a skirt or wear trousers? If smaller families enjoy a good standard of living, are happier, can communicate better, have children with access to education, then are these of little or no consequence? If a woman delays marriage to grab opportunities that will eventually benefit her family, is that wrong? Maybe men have greater difficulty in appreciating women's capabilities and determination? Stories of the abuse of women -- sexual assaults, low pay and abandoned wives, feature in the news daily.
Women may have made their presence felt in the public sector, but contrary to what the Cuepacs secretary-general says, they do not dominate it. Statistics on Women, Family and Social Welfare 2009 show that there are only two female secretaries-general out of 24 ministries (8.3 percent), 12 female director-generals out of 70 departments (17.1 percent) and 11 female chief-executives out of 71 federal statutory bodies (15.5 percent).
In politics, males have been acting with increasing incompetence and immaturity. Men like Zulkifli Nordin and Ibrahim Ali, the leaders of Malay nationalist organizations, feel the need to inflame, incite and instigate with their racist rhetoric. One hopes a capable woman in a similar situation would have appealed to a person's innate good qualities, to inform, improve and inspire.
Where women are concerned, a dichotomy exists. They are told of the need to breed more, and yet more babies are abandoned. In reported cases of illicit sex, the women are whipped and humiliated in the national press, but the men's role is diminished and hardly mentioned. In high profile divorce cases, the women are portrayed as gold-diggers but the thousands of men who fail to pay maintenance to their ex-wives and children escape justice.
A Women's Aid Organization survey revealed in 1989 that 1.8 million or 39 percent of women over 15 were beaten by their husbands or boyfriends. Yet, only 909 women made a police report.
Modern Malaysia has more educated women who are also major or sole breadwinners. Although it ranks 77th in terms of gender gap in educational attainment, there exists a wide chasm in economic participation and political empowerment. Cultural upbringing digs deep into women's psyche and they have difficulty extricating themselves from outdated beliefs. They cling to the notion that husbands or boyfriends automatically qualify as the head of the household, to bully, dominate and control them.
Gender-equality is rarely practiced in Malaysia. When Manohara Odelia Pinot, the royal Indonesian teenage bride, sought refuge in Singapore, alleging abuse at the hands of her husband, her pleas for help were ignored. The Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, said that the Malaysian government "did not want to get involved." or "be dragged into this", and "to leave it as it is".
Any allegation of violence has to be investigated. No one is above the law. Nor should there be two sets of rules to cover royalty and the masses. The DPM's conflicting messages only encourage discrimination against women. His statements contradict the Government of Malaysia's stand on women's equality. (National Policy on Women 1989, UN Fourth World Conference on Women 1995, Action Plan for Women in Development 1997, formation of Women's Affairs Ministry 2001).
Both palace and politicians have devalued the role of women in the home and in politics. Violence against women is a crime and laws do exist to protect the rights of vulnerable women. But the laws that promote gender equality are few and the ones that guarantee protection against discrimination are weak.
Women's representation in parliament falls short of the 30 percent target in the 1995 Global Platform for Action, although women comprise half the total population and 40 percent of the workforce. When it comes to formulating laws pertaining to women (eg divorce, property, and tax), men neither want to accommodate women's views nor relinquish power. They possibly fear working with women. Instead of striving for the common good of women and society as a whole, men demand that decision-making be left to them.
Malaysian female politicians are allowed to debate a proposed bill in parliament, but are banned from voting for what they feel is the right decision, or what their conscience dictates. They are forced to toe the party line and act subservient. Incredibly, politicians like Bung Radin who insult them in parliament, are not censured.
Malaysia's current female politicians are disappointingly of the wrong calibre and range from timid to tainted. The Perak BN senior exco member, Hamidah Osman said that females could not become chief ministers because the minister, in the course of her duties, would have to meet religious officers and the Sultan. Hamidah's other claim to fame is her derogatory comparison of Indians and snakes that earned her the pseudonym ‘snake woman'. But women can just as easily betray their party. When Hee Yit Foong defected from the Pakatan Rakyat party, her action helped precipitate the downfall of the Perak government. She remains one of the most reviled women in Malaysia today and is also known as ‘frog' or ‘traitor'.
The list is not limited to peninsular Malaysia either. In Sarawak, Fatimah Abdullah, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Department, failed to speak up for Penan girls who were raped and sexually exploited by the timber loggers. Nor is the list exclusive to politicians. Wives of senior politicians have also been known further their husbands' careers using creative methods.
While it is the responsibility of all politicians to advance the rights of women, the female representatives themselves need to be prickly to promote equality and justice for their sex. They need to demonstrate commitment and passion. And women in Malaysia, regardless of their race or religion, must show their determination to save this nation by making a stand. Sometimes it is not the other sex that we have to worry about but one's own. Women's contribution can have tremendous impact on progress and growth. But then, where are the women of note in Malaysia?
Might Malaysia's problems be solved by a woman's long-term vision? If a mother is the glue that holds a family together, why can't a woman be the person that cements communities together? A mother usually considers all her children, with their different foibles, equally deserving of her love. So why can't a woman lead Malaysia out of its depressing state?
It won't be an overnight transition as the resistance to the leadership of women would be fierce. But few people realize that the windscreen wiper was invented by a woman named Mary Anderson in 1905. It was probably her predilection for clear vision through glass, or her fastidiousness with clean windows, that made her invent them.
AsiaSentinel.com
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Malaysia's Brain Drain - It's Not Just Politics and Racial Discrimination.
Malaysia's brain drain appears to be picking up speed. According to a recent parliamentary report, 140,000 left the country, probably for good, in 2007. Between March 2008 and August 2009, that figure more than doubled to 305,000 as talented people pulled up stakes, apparently disillusioned by rising crime, a tainted judiciary, human rights abuses, an outmoded education system and other concerns.
The general assumption is that Chinese and Indians form the majority of those abandoning the country of their birth because ethnic Malays consider them pendatang – aliens in a Malay land, regardless of how long they have been in the country. However, increasing numbers of Malays have already emigrated as well, or are seriously thinking it, dismayed by corrupt practices as well as the rigid confines of Islam and the rise of fundamentalism embodied in the revelation on Wednesday by Home Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein that three women had been caned in Kajang Prison in Selangor on Feb. 9 for having had illicit sex under shariah law.
In 2000, according to figures compiled in 2007, 40 percent of Malaysian emigrants headed for Singapore – at the same time Singaporeans are headed somewhere else. By one estimate, (Singaporeans Seek Asylum Elsewhere, Asia Sentinel, Jan. 7) the number who put the Lion City behind them is as high as 15 percent of annual births. In 2006, the Transport Minister, Raymond Lim, expressed concern that 53 percent of Singaporean teens would consider emigration. One website survey put Singapore's average outflow at 26.11 migrants per 1,000 citizens, the second highest in the world - next only to East Timor (51.07).
Of the other émigrés, 30 percent go to OECD countries (Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and Britain) 20 percent to Asian countries (Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia) and the rest of the world (10 percent). Malaysian Employers Federation executive director, Shamsuddin Bardan, said in an interview that 785,000 Malaysians are working overseas. Unofficially, the figure is well over 1 million.
Nor are people all that is leaving. Asia Sentinel reported on Jan.11 (Malaysia's Disastrous Capital Flight) that there has been an exodus of money from Malaysia on a scale which surpasses that which occurred during the Asian crisis. The decline is also reflected in a sudden decline in base money supply – even while, thanks to Bank Negara, broader M2 has continued to grow modestly.
A major problem is the flight of graduates. As early as 2004, former Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was becoming concerned, pointing out that as many as many as 30,000 thought to be working in foreign countries, many of whom had held scholarships in top universities from the Malaysian government but chose to stay overseas at the end of their studies. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad demanded that other countries pay Malaysia for having seduced them to stay, " since, by right, the graduates' training and knowledge should be called intellectual property."
The typical reasons are well-documented: improved employment and business prospects, higher salaries, better working environments, greater chances of promotion and a relatively superior quality of life.
Three Malay women put a personal face on statistics in conversation with Asia Sentinel, sharing their decisions to emigrate. Two are graduates of overseas universities, the third is from a local school. Their decisions to leave were made, they say, after a lot of soul searching. But for these women, money and economic incentives were not the end-all. Their names have been changed to protect them.
Anita claims to have left because of her sexuality. She graduated from a university in the United Kingdom but continued with a post-graduate degree course. At the end of her studies, she worked in a multinational corporation in London and is now a department head. She was recently married, in a civil ceremony, in the UK. A Malay, Anita is naturally Muslim. Her partner is another woman, Nadia, an Iraqi Jew. They met as undergraduates.
For a decade, the two made the annual pilgrimage to Malaysia to visit Anita's ageing parents, Anita says. When in Kuala Lumpur, they are regular patrons of lesbian joints in Bangsar. After the Malaysian National Fatwa Council issued an edict banning lesbianism in 2008, Anita travelled alone. Nadia dislikes the risk of being 'caught,' The clues to their sexuality are their short cropped hair, Doc Marten shoes, preponderance of masculine clothes and, on closer inspection, their identical wedding rings with each other's names inscribed. Anita is in self-imposed exile because her partner will not be allowed to reside in Malaysia.
Although male homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and sodomy incurs a punishment of 20 years jail, Malaysia's civil code does not ban lesbianism. Malaysian men are just so big-headed that they cannot imagine any woman not wanting to sleep with a man.
"It is unacceptable to see women who love the male lifestyle including dressing in the clothes men wear," said Abdul Shukor Husin, the Fatwa Council chairman. Harussani Idris Zakaria, the mufti of Perak, says that the council's ruling was not legally binding as it had not been passed into law. He wants tomboys to be banned because their actions are immoral. "It doesn't matter if it's a law or not," he says,
In 2000, Malaysia had around 80,000 official expatriates. By 2008, this figure had shrunk to 38,000 as the collapsing global economy cut into trade and thus trade and Malaysian exports. When Bibi worked in an electronics factory in north Perak, little did she foresee marrying her expatriate quality control engineer. After his conversion to Islam and their subsequent marriage, he attempted unsuccessfully to gain permanent residence. He claims to have spent a small fortune on lawyers, on 'proof' and photographs for the application process, and several trips to the immigration offices to be 'verified'. He claims that one low ranking government official even offered him a birth certificate for RM60,000, as a pre-cursor to a 'red' identity card, which would help facilitate the PR status.
When Bibi's husband's work permit expired, he attempted to form a trading company. He travelled to the border every few months to renew his immigration-social visit pass, while he explored this avenue. He was ineligible for a sole proprietorship and although he could form a limited company with 51 percent bumiputra ownership, he found that for one reason or another, it was not viable. Local partners wanted maximum profits for little or no work. A Caucasian, he was seen as a cash cow, he says.
In addition, the Perak town they lived in was very provincial. Had he lived in Kuala Lumpur or Penang, he could be anonymous, like the expatriates married to Malay women in these cities. As an expat convert in his local town, the Malays expected him to uphold Malay values and scrutinized his every move, right down to his religious obligations. He was disillusioned with living in a goldfish bowl and both he and Bibi left for Europe.
According to one local daily, the number of Malaysian researchers, scientists and engineers working overseas exceeds 20,000 with 40 percent of them in the United States and 10 percent in Australia. When Ida graduated from Australia with a chemical engineering degree, she worked in a chemical plant in Selangor. Her friendship with a chemist blossomed into love, with talk of marriage. There was one problem - Anthony was a Catholic. He dutifully presented himself at the mosque for agama lessons in preparation for his conversion. The imam never appeared for their pre-arranged appointments. Frustrated with being let down repeatedly, he stopped going. His lucky break came when he was offered a job in a neighboring country. Ida joined him. She was free from parental and family pressures, he from the religious zealots. They married. He retained his faith, she remained a Muslim. They started a family and have since emigrated to New Zealand. Recently, she embraced Catholicism.
Malaysian emigration has critical policy implications. There are questions over what will happen when overseas students receive employment offers in the country where they are studying, when skilled people leave Malaysia, when pensioners retire abroad (the silver economy) and the nation registers an increase in unskilled foreign workers but a decrease in skilled expatriates.
The challenge for policymakers is to harness the economic and political potential of this largely ignored diaspora. There is no point pretending Malaysia does not have a serious problem. The incentives to reverse the brain drain and attract those who are abroad must be reviewed, as they are currently ineffective. For many like Anita, Bibi and Ida, it is not just politics and racial discrimination but also religious and social pressures that drive them away.
By Mariam Mokhtar
Asia Sentinel.com
The general assumption is that Chinese and Indians form the majority of those abandoning the country of their birth because ethnic Malays consider them pendatang – aliens in a Malay land, regardless of how long they have been in the country. However, increasing numbers of Malays have already emigrated as well, or are seriously thinking it, dismayed by corrupt practices as well as the rigid confines of Islam and the rise of fundamentalism embodied in the revelation on Wednesday by Home Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein that three women had been caned in Kajang Prison in Selangor on Feb. 9 for having had illicit sex under shariah law.
In 2000, according to figures compiled in 2007, 40 percent of Malaysian emigrants headed for Singapore – at the same time Singaporeans are headed somewhere else. By one estimate, (Singaporeans Seek Asylum Elsewhere, Asia Sentinel, Jan. 7) the number who put the Lion City behind them is as high as 15 percent of annual births. In 2006, the Transport Minister, Raymond Lim, expressed concern that 53 percent of Singaporean teens would consider emigration. One website survey put Singapore's average outflow at 26.11 migrants per 1,000 citizens, the second highest in the world - next only to East Timor (51.07).
Of the other émigrés, 30 percent go to OECD countries (Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and Britain) 20 percent to Asian countries (Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia) and the rest of the world (10 percent). Malaysian Employers Federation executive director, Shamsuddin Bardan, said in an interview that 785,000 Malaysians are working overseas. Unofficially, the figure is well over 1 million.
Nor are people all that is leaving. Asia Sentinel reported on Jan.11 (Malaysia's Disastrous Capital Flight) that there has been an exodus of money from Malaysia on a scale which surpasses that which occurred during the Asian crisis. The decline is also reflected in a sudden decline in base money supply – even while, thanks to Bank Negara, broader M2 has continued to grow modestly.
A major problem is the flight of graduates. As early as 2004, former Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was becoming concerned, pointing out that as many as many as 30,000 thought to be working in foreign countries, many of whom had held scholarships in top universities from the Malaysian government but chose to stay overseas at the end of their studies. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad demanded that other countries pay Malaysia for having seduced them to stay, " since, by right, the graduates' training and knowledge should be called intellectual property."
The typical reasons are well-documented: improved employment and business prospects, higher salaries, better working environments, greater chances of promotion and a relatively superior quality of life.
Three Malay women put a personal face on statistics in conversation with Asia Sentinel, sharing their decisions to emigrate. Two are graduates of overseas universities, the third is from a local school. Their decisions to leave were made, they say, after a lot of soul searching. But for these women, money and economic incentives were not the end-all. Their names have been changed to protect them.
Anita claims to have left because of her sexuality. She graduated from a university in the United Kingdom but continued with a post-graduate degree course. At the end of her studies, she worked in a multinational corporation in London and is now a department head. She was recently married, in a civil ceremony, in the UK. A Malay, Anita is naturally Muslim. Her partner is another woman, Nadia, an Iraqi Jew. They met as undergraduates.
For a decade, the two made the annual pilgrimage to Malaysia to visit Anita's ageing parents, Anita says. When in Kuala Lumpur, they are regular patrons of lesbian joints in Bangsar. After the Malaysian National Fatwa Council issued an edict banning lesbianism in 2008, Anita travelled alone. Nadia dislikes the risk of being 'caught,' The clues to their sexuality are their short cropped hair, Doc Marten shoes, preponderance of masculine clothes and, on closer inspection, their identical wedding rings with each other's names inscribed. Anita is in self-imposed exile because her partner will not be allowed to reside in Malaysia.
Although male homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and sodomy incurs a punishment of 20 years jail, Malaysia's civil code does not ban lesbianism. Malaysian men are just so big-headed that they cannot imagine any woman not wanting to sleep with a man.
"It is unacceptable to see women who love the male lifestyle including dressing in the clothes men wear," said Abdul Shukor Husin, the Fatwa Council chairman. Harussani Idris Zakaria, the mufti of Perak, says that the council's ruling was not legally binding as it had not been passed into law. He wants tomboys to be banned because their actions are immoral. "It doesn't matter if it's a law or not," he says,
In 2000, Malaysia had around 80,000 official expatriates. By 2008, this figure had shrunk to 38,000 as the collapsing global economy cut into trade and thus trade and Malaysian exports. When Bibi worked in an electronics factory in north Perak, little did she foresee marrying her expatriate quality control engineer. After his conversion to Islam and their subsequent marriage, he attempted unsuccessfully to gain permanent residence. He claims to have spent a small fortune on lawyers, on 'proof' and photographs for the application process, and several trips to the immigration offices to be 'verified'. He claims that one low ranking government official even offered him a birth certificate for RM60,000, as a pre-cursor to a 'red' identity card, which would help facilitate the PR status.
When Bibi's husband's work permit expired, he attempted to form a trading company. He travelled to the border every few months to renew his immigration-social visit pass, while he explored this avenue. He was ineligible for a sole proprietorship and although he could form a limited company with 51 percent bumiputra ownership, he found that for one reason or another, it was not viable. Local partners wanted maximum profits for little or no work. A Caucasian, he was seen as a cash cow, he says.
In addition, the Perak town they lived in was very provincial. Had he lived in Kuala Lumpur or Penang, he could be anonymous, like the expatriates married to Malay women in these cities. As an expat convert in his local town, the Malays expected him to uphold Malay values and scrutinized his every move, right down to his religious obligations. He was disillusioned with living in a goldfish bowl and both he and Bibi left for Europe.
According to one local daily, the number of Malaysian researchers, scientists and engineers working overseas exceeds 20,000 with 40 percent of them in the United States and 10 percent in Australia. When Ida graduated from Australia with a chemical engineering degree, she worked in a chemical plant in Selangor. Her friendship with a chemist blossomed into love, with talk of marriage. There was one problem - Anthony was a Catholic. He dutifully presented himself at the mosque for agama lessons in preparation for his conversion. The imam never appeared for their pre-arranged appointments. Frustrated with being let down repeatedly, he stopped going. His lucky break came when he was offered a job in a neighboring country. Ida joined him. She was free from parental and family pressures, he from the religious zealots. They married. He retained his faith, she remained a Muslim. They started a family and have since emigrated to New Zealand. Recently, she embraced Catholicism.
Malaysian emigration has critical policy implications. There are questions over what will happen when overseas students receive employment offers in the country where they are studying, when skilled people leave Malaysia, when pensioners retire abroad (the silver economy) and the nation registers an increase in unskilled foreign workers but a decrease in skilled expatriates.
The challenge for policymakers is to harness the economic and political potential of this largely ignored diaspora. There is no point pretending Malaysia does not have a serious problem. The incentives to reverse the brain drain and attract those who are abroad must be reviewed, as they are currently ineffective. For many like Anita, Bibi and Ida, it is not just politics and racial discrimination but also religious and social pressures that drive them away.
By Mariam Mokhtar
Asia Sentinel.com
Friday, February 19, 2010
Malaysians are Stupid
For 53 solid years, we have successfully managed to septumize the races. For 53 good years, we changed-our-mode enough times, so that the rakyat stayed confused and dumb enough NOT to challenge us. We have ensured that the peasants stayed poor and stupid enough so that they did not know of any alternatives, and were fighting hard just to feed themselves just to survive. The “clang” of your mental Ball-and-Chains delight us with orgasmic thrill.
We habitually showcase over TV all the poor Orang Aslis to reassert that “malays” are poor, even though they are NOT “malay”. Then we dump them back into deep Jungle and tell them to wait “Insyallah” for another 53 years maybe for us to provide them with electricity. They believe us. We also made it illegal for anyone to talk to them, to guarantee that they remain that way; so that we can showcase them on TV again, the next time we need to show poor people.
We successfully told the rakyat that PAS is an Extremist Party. And you silly serfs believed us. You are so dumb. You are also dumb enough to believe that your “gods” are powerful enough to defeat us. Trust me. Your “gods” are useless. They are useless against our Ketuanan. You can scream. You can shout. You can even Parade the streets. Yet, Ketuanan UMNO wins everytime. Why? Because you won't lift a finger against us. You peasants sit trembling in an operculum instead, dribbling in your pitiful, dank, rickety cribs, while we, the Ketuanans, live in opulent, opportunistic grandeur. Fed by your tax dollars and your Oil Money. Terima Kasih.
We have ensured that we have enough “ball-lickers” amongst you. Your exigency at this juncture has left you bemused. But it is a mere trinket of unequivocal enthuse for the opulent “us”. We defile your adytum, demolish them with fire and brimstone. Yet, you delusional mongrels call it “Fate and Destiny”. How wonderful. “Sit, beg, paw and roll-over....” is all you know to do. And you do it well. Here, have a biscuit. We have ensured that we remain “The Hand that Feeds”. Do you dare bite us?
“Give to Caesar....”, your good books tell you. We have read them well. We know how to manupilate your simple minds. Hence, you readily bequeath your gold, silver and your young nubile virgin daughters to our eminent entablatures. We are at liberty to rape, plunder, sodomize and C4 anyone, at will. Yet, you roll out the Red Carpets for us each and every time.
We burn a few more churches; toss a few more boar-heads, and you scamper away, like frightened cockroaches. Your spirits have been quashed. You are domiciled. We have proudly toilet-trained you. We indiscriminately defecate on you; yet, you vehemently thank us. You have become the perfect slaves. A herd of unquestioning imbeciles. Those disenchanted saurians have either been circumscribed while other sagacious savages have embarked on their magniloquent exodus.
The only thorn in our side is the deviant RPK. We loathe him! He has balls of steel. He takes not our money. He dares to expose truth! He dares to expose our diabolical misdeeds! He is a traitor! And now we cannot find him, despite our best efforts. People acknowledge him to be the Deus-ex-Machina. We tremble at his popularity. He will be our undoing. That simply cannot happen.
The rakyat cannot be educated at all costs! Despite already laying out the Fibre Optic cables for 4Mbps. We are stalling! Our Ketuanan Multimedia-Snail-Corridor is only 2Mbps. It is humiliating that Singapore already has 500Mbps. Even their handphones are capable of 100Mbps!!!
The less “smart” the peasants are, the better. Best of all, you don't even know that you are deteriorated squabs. The less you know, the better. We have crippled your ability to speak to foreigners. We happily built vernacular schools specifically for that purpose. We simply cannot lord over those with brains.
And don't you dare tell anyone about this .... Our Ketuanan depends on Stupid Malaysians.
By John Doe
We habitually showcase over TV all the poor Orang Aslis to reassert that “malays” are poor, even though they are NOT “malay”. Then we dump them back into deep Jungle and tell them to wait “Insyallah” for another 53 years maybe for us to provide them with electricity. They believe us. We also made it illegal for anyone to talk to them, to guarantee that they remain that way; so that we can showcase them on TV again, the next time we need to show poor people.
We successfully told the rakyat that PAS is an Extremist Party. And you silly serfs believed us. You are so dumb. You are also dumb enough to believe that your “gods” are powerful enough to defeat us. Trust me. Your “gods” are useless. They are useless against our Ketuanan. You can scream. You can shout. You can even Parade the streets. Yet, Ketuanan UMNO wins everytime. Why? Because you won't lift a finger against us. You peasants sit trembling in an operculum instead, dribbling in your pitiful, dank, rickety cribs, while we, the Ketuanans, live in opulent, opportunistic grandeur. Fed by your tax dollars and your Oil Money. Terima Kasih.
We have ensured that we have enough “ball-lickers” amongst you. Your exigency at this juncture has left you bemused. But it is a mere trinket of unequivocal enthuse for the opulent “us”. We defile your adytum, demolish them with fire and brimstone. Yet, you delusional mongrels call it “Fate and Destiny”. How wonderful. “Sit, beg, paw and roll-over....” is all you know to do. And you do it well. Here, have a biscuit. We have ensured that we remain “The Hand that Feeds”. Do you dare bite us?
“Give to Caesar....”, your good books tell you. We have read them well. We know how to manupilate your simple minds. Hence, you readily bequeath your gold, silver and your young nubile virgin daughters to our eminent entablatures. We are at liberty to rape, plunder, sodomize and C4 anyone, at will. Yet, you roll out the Red Carpets for us each and every time.
We burn a few more churches; toss a few more boar-heads, and you scamper away, like frightened cockroaches. Your spirits have been quashed. You are domiciled. We have proudly toilet-trained you. We indiscriminately defecate on you; yet, you vehemently thank us. You have become the perfect slaves. A herd of unquestioning imbeciles. Those disenchanted saurians have either been circumscribed while other sagacious savages have embarked on their magniloquent exodus.
The only thorn in our side is the deviant RPK. We loathe him! He has balls of steel. He takes not our money. He dares to expose truth! He dares to expose our diabolical misdeeds! He is a traitor! And now we cannot find him, despite our best efforts. People acknowledge him to be the Deus-ex-Machina. We tremble at his popularity. He will be our undoing. That simply cannot happen.
The rakyat cannot be educated at all costs! Despite already laying out the Fibre Optic cables for 4Mbps. We are stalling! Our Ketuanan Multimedia-Snail-Corridor is only 2Mbps. It is humiliating that Singapore already has 500Mbps. Even their handphones are capable of 100Mbps!!!
The less “smart” the peasants are, the better. Best of all, you don't even know that you are deteriorated squabs. The less you know, the better. We have crippled your ability to speak to foreigners. We happily built vernacular schools specifically for that purpose. We simply cannot lord over those with brains.
And don't you dare tell anyone about this .... Our Ketuanan depends on Stupid Malaysians.
By John Doe
Sunday, January 10, 2010
What's next after church attacks in Malaysia?
He could lose votes in the states of Sabah and Sarawak which have larger Christian populations. Sarawak has 31 MPs and Sabah 25, home to just two opposition MPs. The government has 137 seats in a 222-member parliament.
Malaysian Muslims rallied on Friday to protest against Christians using the word "Allah" for God after a spate of attacks on churches which threatened to stoke racial and religious tensions.
Following are some questions and answers on what lies ahead in this majority Muslim Southeast Asian country of 28 million.
IS THERE A RISK OF ETHNIC CLASHES?
The risk is small but analysts do not discount tensions coming to a boil between the majority Malays who are Muslim and ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities who practice a range of faiths such as Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.
It mostly depends on whether Prime Minister Najib Razak's government comes down hard on the arsonists who attacked the churches. Usually at any sign of trouble the government uses the Internal Security Act that allows detention without trial.
The government says the attacks have been carried out by disaffected or criminal youths and that they are not coordinated.
What may hold back ethnic clashes is the memory of the bloody 1969 riots that divided the country.
Protests on Friday at mosques against the non-Muslim use of the word Allah have been peaceful although the language on banners and speeches suggests growing anger.
ARE RELIGIOUS TENSIONS IN MALAYSIA AN INVESTMENT RISK?
After the arson attempts against the churches, possibly. Religious disputes are a risk mostly in their potential to increase ethnic tensions, making it important for investors to see how the government handles the issue.
Investors have been avoiding Malaysia due to the lacklustre government of Najib's predecessor and Najib is working hard to implement economic reforms to win back investment.
Malaysia was one of the worst-performing stock markets in Asia in 2009, ranked fourth from the bottom. Malaysia's benchmark share index rose 45 percent in 2009.
During a meeting with investors in New York last year, Najib was asked about the government's stand over the caning sentence meted out to a Muslim woman for drinking beer under rarely-enforced Islamic criminal laws.
An escalation of religious tensions in Malaysia could weaken Najib's ability to push through economic reforms.
WHAT COULD HAVE SPARKED THE PROTESTS, CHURCH ATTACKS?
The issue stems from a Malaysian Catholic newspaper's successful legal bid last week to overturn a government ban against the paper's use of the word "Allah" to describe the Christian God in its Malay language edition.
Their argument is that use of the word Allah has been common among non-English speaking Malaysian Christians in the Borneo island states of Sabah and Sarawak for decades.
The government since has obtained a stay of execution on the judgment this week amid growing Malay-Muslim anger. The case is also before the Appeal's court and the verdict there can still be challenged at the Federal Court, Malaysia's top court.
It is illegal for non-Muslims to proselytise to Muslims but freedom of worship for the mainly Buddhist, Christian and Hindu religious minorities, who make up 40 percent of the country's population, is guaranteed under the constitution.
WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT'S STANCE?
The coalition, which ruled Malaysia for 52 years, suffered its worst-ever setbacks in national and state elections in 2008 after being abandoned by non-Malays in part due to unease over an increasing Islamisation.
Religious tensions will jeopardise Prime Minister Najib Razak's ability to win back ethnic Chinese and Indian voters in the next general election, which must be held by 2013. The opposition and some political commentators say that Najib failed to show leadership on the church issue.
He could lose votes in the states of Sabah and Sarawak which have larger Christian populations. Sarawak has 31 MPs and Sabah 25, home to just two opposition MPs. The government has 137 seats in a 222-member parliament.
AND THE OPPOSITION?
The three-party opposition People's Alliance led by former Deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim is regarded as having played the religious row much more skilfully than the government.
While stressing its Muslim credentials, the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) has appealed for tolerance as has Anwar. PAS has also managed to keep its Islamic credentials intact.
Malaysian Muslims rallied on Friday to protest against Christians using the word "Allah" for God after a spate of attacks on churches which threatened to stoke racial and religious tensions.
Following are some questions and answers on what lies ahead in this majority Muslim Southeast Asian country of 28 million.
IS THERE A RISK OF ETHNIC CLASHES?
The risk is small but analysts do not discount tensions coming to a boil between the majority Malays who are Muslim and ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities who practice a range of faiths such as Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.
It mostly depends on whether Prime Minister Najib Razak's government comes down hard on the arsonists who attacked the churches. Usually at any sign of trouble the government uses the Internal Security Act that allows detention without trial.
The government says the attacks have been carried out by disaffected or criminal youths and that they are not coordinated.
What may hold back ethnic clashes is the memory of the bloody 1969 riots that divided the country.
Protests on Friday at mosques against the non-Muslim use of the word Allah have been peaceful although the language on banners and speeches suggests growing anger.
ARE RELIGIOUS TENSIONS IN MALAYSIA AN INVESTMENT RISK?
After the arson attempts against the churches, possibly. Religious disputes are a risk mostly in their potential to increase ethnic tensions, making it important for investors to see how the government handles the issue.
Investors have been avoiding Malaysia due to the lacklustre government of Najib's predecessor and Najib is working hard to implement economic reforms to win back investment.
Malaysia was one of the worst-performing stock markets in Asia in 2009, ranked fourth from the bottom. Malaysia's benchmark share index rose 45 percent in 2009.
During a meeting with investors in New York last year, Najib was asked about the government's stand over the caning sentence meted out to a Muslim woman for drinking beer under rarely-enforced Islamic criminal laws.
An escalation of religious tensions in Malaysia could weaken Najib's ability to push through economic reforms.
WHAT COULD HAVE SPARKED THE PROTESTS, CHURCH ATTACKS?
The issue stems from a Malaysian Catholic newspaper's successful legal bid last week to overturn a government ban against the paper's use of the word "Allah" to describe the Christian God in its Malay language edition.
Their argument is that use of the word Allah has been common among non-English speaking Malaysian Christians in the Borneo island states of Sabah and Sarawak for decades.
The government since has obtained a stay of execution on the judgment this week amid growing Malay-Muslim anger. The case is also before the Appeal's court and the verdict there can still be challenged at the Federal Court, Malaysia's top court.
It is illegal for non-Muslims to proselytise to Muslims but freedom of worship for the mainly Buddhist, Christian and Hindu religious minorities, who make up 40 percent of the country's population, is guaranteed under the constitution.
WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT'S STANCE?
The coalition, which ruled Malaysia for 52 years, suffered its worst-ever setbacks in national and state elections in 2008 after being abandoned by non-Malays in part due to unease over an increasing Islamisation.
Religious tensions will jeopardise Prime Minister Najib Razak's ability to win back ethnic Chinese and Indian voters in the next general election, which must be held by 2013. The opposition and some political commentators say that Najib failed to show leadership on the church issue.
He could lose votes in the states of Sabah and Sarawak which have larger Christian populations. Sarawak has 31 MPs and Sabah 25, home to just two opposition MPs. The government has 137 seats in a 222-member parliament.
AND THE OPPOSITION?
The three-party opposition People's Alliance led by former Deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim is regarded as having played the religious row much more skilfully than the government.
While stressing its Muslim credentials, the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) has appealed for tolerance as has Anwar. PAS has also managed to keep its Islamic credentials intact.
By Niluksi Koswanage, Reuters
(Reporting by Razak Ahmad, Niluksi Koswanage and Soo Ai Peng; Editing by David Chance and Sugita Katyal)
Kelantan 1977 revisited: to understand Selangor 2010
ABIM, TERAS, PERKASA, PPIM, PKPIM, PEWARIS, KIMMA, PEKIDA, etc. What do all these NGOs, associations and movements have in common?
Well, they all serve the Umno agenda under the guise of ‘protecting’ Islam.To understand Umno's agenda you have to take a walk down memory lane, all the way back to Kelantan in 1977.
In 1977, Umno wanted to bring down the PAS state government of Kelantan. So Hussein Ahmad ‘imported’ some gangsters from across the border town of Golok, Thailand, and paid them to burn Chinese shops, houses and cars.(Hussein Ahmad used to be a rice smuggler in Rantau Panjang before he became a Cabinet Minister so he had good links with the Thai underworld in Golok).
Kota Bharu was in utter chaos so the federal government had ‘no choice’ but to declare an emergency in Kelantan and suspend the Kelantan State Assembly for a few months. Then, fresh state elections were held in March 1978 (only for the State Assembly and not for the Parliament seats) ahead of the 1978 General Election.
Invariably, Umno swept Kelantan and PAS was kicked out where it remained in the opposition until Umno split into two (Umno Baru and Semangat 46), which enabled PAS, in ‘joint venture’ with Semangat 46, to take back the state in the 1990 General Election.Read: Kelantan Emergency of December 1977 (http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/echoes_of_the_past/kelantan_emergency_of_december_1977.html)
Remember Malaysia Today wrote some months ago that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak plans to take back Selangor around January 2010? Pakatan Rakyat of course denied that this would happen. Maybe they thought Najib was going to pull off another Perak exercise by buying over some Pakatan Rakyat State Assemblypersons.Of course, in Perak this was possible because of the narrow three-seat majority that Pakatan Rakyat had whereas Pakatan Rakyat has a much larger majority in Selangor.
So it is not that easy.But there is more than one way to skin a feline and who better than Najib when it comes to skinning pussies? In fact, he can even make the fairer sex and their immigration records disappear if he wants to.
That is how good he is with pussies.And another way of skinning felines of any kind is to do a repeat of Kelantan 1977. Trigger another chaos in the state, declare an emergency, suspend the State Assembly, and a few months later call for new state elections with maybe an ‘Operasi Lalang 2’ thrown in for good measure.
Notice that the church burnings and car smashing are only in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur? Kelantan and Terengganu have a Muslim population of more than 97%. And there are churches in these predominantly Muslim states as well. Why are there no problems there?
In fact, other than Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, there are no problems in any other parts of Malaysia.Simple, really -- the target is Selangor, the jewel in Pakatan Rakyat's crown. Najib wants back Selangor and he wants it back this month.
So Umno has to do a Kelantan December 1977’ revisited to get back Selangor in January 2010. And that is why Umno paid its goons to burn churches just in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur but not in any other area in Malaysia.
Yes, I know, they are now going to make another police report against me for this article. But with about 15 or 20 police reports made against me over the last year alone, does one more make any difference?Now let’s all sing the song ‘Get me to the church on time’! (See video on Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScSd03OjVx4)
Malay rights group Perkasa has lodged a police report against Malaysiakini over a comment posted by a reader in the online news daily.The report, which was made by Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali late yesterday, said that the comment could offend the sensitivities of the Muslim community.
The National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students (PKPIM) lodged a police report against Herald for its usage of 'Allah' in its Catholic publication.The report was lodged at the Dang Wangi police station today at 3.30 pm following a protest at the Kampung Baru Mosque earlier today.
Abu Qasim Nurazmi, the deputy president of PKPIM accompanied by Muhamad Raimi Abdul Rahim, the secretary-general of ABIM filed the report.They alleged that The Herald is using 'Allah' in their publication with malicious intent and that their action is mala fide."We urge the police to conduct a through investigation on the motive of The Herald for insisting on using 'Allah' in their publication," said Abu Qasim said.
In the police report, the Muslim group said The Herald should respect Article 11 (4) of Federal Constitution and not try to confuse the Muslim community.Article 11 (4) states that State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.
According to Muhamad Raimi, state Islamic departments in 10 states have issued a fatwa against propagation of other religions to Muslims."Thus, we feel that The Herald is disregarding the provisions of the Federal Constitution and disrespecting Islam, creating disharmony among Malaysians," he said. Abu Qasim agreed and felt it could lead to further chaos in the country if The Herald does not respect that Islam is the official religion in the country.
Earlier, cries of 'Allahu Akbar!' and 'Takbir' were heard moments after Friday prayers concluded in the Kampung Baru mosque.About 50 people gathered within the compounds to protest against the usage of the word 'Allah' by non-Muslims.Calling it a "Youth Awareness Campaign", the group proceeded with their speeches despite calls to "go home" by other Muslims who were leaving the mosque."
The churches have already been blown up, and now you want to 'blow up' here as well? Just go home!" said one man. However, the group's leaders were quick to add that they condemned the incidents of arson on the three churches.
'Accept the fact, Islam is the official religion'
Representing 38 NGOs including Abim, PPKIM and Sahabat Insan dan Iman, the group presented a declaration titled: "Declaration for Harmony between Religions".
It said all must "understand and respect sensitivities of Muslims, and accept that Islam is the official religion of Malaysia and that the constitution was written based on this fact."It also said society must "realise that the consitution has placed Islam in a special place and this has been agreed upon by those of different religions and races in Malaysia.
"Thus, the NGOs called for "a halt on all claims on matters pertaining to Islam that disrupts and hurt the feelings of Muslims, and undermines national safety".They also said matters like the 'Allah' issue must be "handled out of court".
However, Muhammad Raimi said they supported the Home Ministry's decision to appeal the lift of the ban on the usage of the word 'Allah' by the The Herald.He stressed that they respected the court's decision, but are gathering to show their dissatisfaction regarding the issue.
'Don't test our patience'"We want to send a message that this is a sensitive issue. Leave 'Allah' for the Muslims," he said, matching banners which read: "The word 'Allah' is only for us".Others who spoke included Zaim Shaari from Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia who said: "We don't want our land to be colonised."
"There is a limit to our patience; don't challenge us or try to incite our anger. We do not want to invite altercations. If we can respect other religions then why can't they respect us and not try to mix everything in one bag?" he asked.PKPIM president Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz called on all Muslims leaders in the country to produce a joint statement "to defend the word 'Allah'".
"This is not a political issue, so I urge the leaders to overcome the political divide and to unite in the name of 'Allah'," he said.Despite what the group claimed that the use of 'Allah' by non-Muslims offends all Muslims, members of the faith appear divided on the matter.
Groups like the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) supported the lifting of the ban.
Muhammad Raimi said: "Perhaps they have this view because they are a minority (in North America). They are entitled to their own views but we don't agree with them."
by Malaysiakini
Well, they all serve the Umno agenda under the guise of ‘protecting’ Islam.To understand Umno's agenda you have to take a walk down memory lane, all the way back to Kelantan in 1977.
In 1977, Umno wanted to bring down the PAS state government of Kelantan. So Hussein Ahmad ‘imported’ some gangsters from across the border town of Golok, Thailand, and paid them to burn Chinese shops, houses and cars.(Hussein Ahmad used to be a rice smuggler in Rantau Panjang before he became a Cabinet Minister so he had good links with the Thai underworld in Golok).
Kota Bharu was in utter chaos so the federal government had ‘no choice’ but to declare an emergency in Kelantan and suspend the Kelantan State Assembly for a few months. Then, fresh state elections were held in March 1978 (only for the State Assembly and not for the Parliament seats) ahead of the 1978 General Election.
Invariably, Umno swept Kelantan and PAS was kicked out where it remained in the opposition until Umno split into two (Umno Baru and Semangat 46), which enabled PAS, in ‘joint venture’ with Semangat 46, to take back the state in the 1990 General Election.Read: Kelantan Emergency of December 1977 (http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/echoes_of_the_past/kelantan_emergency_of_december_1977.html)
Remember Malaysia Today wrote some months ago that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak plans to take back Selangor around January 2010? Pakatan Rakyat of course denied that this would happen. Maybe they thought Najib was going to pull off another Perak exercise by buying over some Pakatan Rakyat State Assemblypersons.Of course, in Perak this was possible because of the narrow three-seat majority that Pakatan Rakyat had whereas Pakatan Rakyat has a much larger majority in Selangor.
So it is not that easy.But there is more than one way to skin a feline and who better than Najib when it comes to skinning pussies? In fact, he can even make the fairer sex and their immigration records disappear if he wants to.
That is how good he is with pussies.And another way of skinning felines of any kind is to do a repeat of Kelantan 1977. Trigger another chaos in the state, declare an emergency, suspend the State Assembly, and a few months later call for new state elections with maybe an ‘Operasi Lalang 2’ thrown in for good measure.
Notice that the church burnings and car smashing are only in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur? Kelantan and Terengganu have a Muslim population of more than 97%. And there are churches in these predominantly Muslim states as well. Why are there no problems there?
In fact, other than Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, there are no problems in any other parts of Malaysia.Simple, really -- the target is Selangor, the jewel in Pakatan Rakyat's crown. Najib wants back Selangor and he wants it back this month.
So Umno has to do a Kelantan December 1977’ revisited to get back Selangor in January 2010. And that is why Umno paid its goons to burn churches just in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur but not in any other area in Malaysia.
Yes, I know, they are now going to make another police report against me for this article. But with about 15 or 20 police reports made against me over the last year alone, does one more make any difference?Now let’s all sing the song ‘Get me to the church on time’! (See video on Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScSd03OjVx4)
Malay rights group Perkasa has lodged a police report against Malaysiakini over a comment posted by a reader in the online news daily.The report, which was made by Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali late yesterday, said that the comment could offend the sensitivities of the Muslim community.
The National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students (PKPIM) lodged a police report against Herald for its usage of 'Allah' in its Catholic publication.The report was lodged at the Dang Wangi police station today at 3.30 pm following a protest at the Kampung Baru Mosque earlier today.
Abu Qasim Nurazmi, the deputy president of PKPIM accompanied by Muhamad Raimi Abdul Rahim, the secretary-general of ABIM filed the report.They alleged that The Herald is using 'Allah' in their publication with malicious intent and that their action is mala fide."We urge the police to conduct a through investigation on the motive of The Herald for insisting on using 'Allah' in their publication," said Abu Qasim said.
In the police report, the Muslim group said The Herald should respect Article 11 (4) of Federal Constitution and not try to confuse the Muslim community.Article 11 (4) states that State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam.
According to Muhamad Raimi, state Islamic departments in 10 states have issued a fatwa against propagation of other religions to Muslims."Thus, we feel that The Herald is disregarding the provisions of the Federal Constitution and disrespecting Islam, creating disharmony among Malaysians," he said. Abu Qasim agreed and felt it could lead to further chaos in the country if The Herald does not respect that Islam is the official religion in the country.
Earlier, cries of 'Allahu Akbar!' and 'Takbir' were heard moments after Friday prayers concluded in the Kampung Baru mosque.About 50 people gathered within the compounds to protest against the usage of the word 'Allah' by non-Muslims.Calling it a "Youth Awareness Campaign", the group proceeded with their speeches despite calls to "go home" by other Muslims who were leaving the mosque."
The churches have already been blown up, and now you want to 'blow up' here as well? Just go home!" said one man. However, the group's leaders were quick to add that they condemned the incidents of arson on the three churches.
'Accept the fact, Islam is the official religion'
Representing 38 NGOs including Abim, PPKIM and Sahabat Insan dan Iman, the group presented a declaration titled: "Declaration for Harmony between Religions".
It said all must "understand and respect sensitivities of Muslims, and accept that Islam is the official religion of Malaysia and that the constitution was written based on this fact."It also said society must "realise that the consitution has placed Islam in a special place and this has been agreed upon by those of different religions and races in Malaysia.
"Thus, the NGOs called for "a halt on all claims on matters pertaining to Islam that disrupts and hurt the feelings of Muslims, and undermines national safety".They also said matters like the 'Allah' issue must be "handled out of court".
However, Muhammad Raimi said they supported the Home Ministry's decision to appeal the lift of the ban on the usage of the word 'Allah' by the The Herald.He stressed that they respected the court's decision, but are gathering to show their dissatisfaction regarding the issue.
'Don't test our patience'"We want to send a message that this is a sensitive issue. Leave 'Allah' for the Muslims," he said, matching banners which read: "The word 'Allah' is only for us".Others who spoke included Zaim Shaari from Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia who said: "We don't want our land to be colonised."
"There is a limit to our patience; don't challenge us or try to incite our anger. We do not want to invite altercations. If we can respect other religions then why can't they respect us and not try to mix everything in one bag?" he asked.PKPIM president Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz called on all Muslims leaders in the country to produce a joint statement "to defend the word 'Allah'".
"This is not a political issue, so I urge the leaders to overcome the political divide and to unite in the name of 'Allah'," he said.Despite what the group claimed that the use of 'Allah' by non-Muslims offends all Muslims, members of the faith appear divided on the matter.
Groups like the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) supported the lifting of the ban.
Muhammad Raimi said: "Perhaps they have this view because they are a minority (in North America). They are entitled to their own views but we don't agree with them."
by Malaysiakini
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