Dotmyhome’s Weblog

Recently, it was reported in Utusan Malaysia and Bernama that Lim Guan Eng had mentioned the May 13 incident. In actual fact, it was Utusan Malaysia and Bernama that had pitted Malays against non-Malays.

While I do agree that the opposition are WELL-MEANING a series of missteps have squandered them a lot of goodwill. I am referring to Lim Guan Eng’s “scrapping” of the NEP. It could have been spun more carefully. And of course Lim Kit Siang’s “order” to the Perak Assemblyman not to attend the swearing in ceremony.

Contrast that with how Tan Sri Khalid has handled the transition as well as his PR coups of visiting the Indian temple and the statement about renegotiating the water rights.

Read Jeff Ooi’s entry of 15 Mar 2008.
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Looking at the full cabinet list it looks like business as usual. Some cosmetic changes were included. Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is the de facto Law Minister in charge of judicial reforms. How far he will be allowed to go will be interesting. He’s said things which actually sound very much like what voters want.

Datuk Amirsham is another professional brought in, I speculate, to calm the markets.

However, I doubt that the top leaders have learnt their lesson or heard the message of the voters.

While Datuk Shahrir Samad is a principled politician, and there are few enough of those in government today, most of the other appointments seem designed to reward political parties rather than to fulfill the roles of actually lifting the country out of the malaise and to deal with voter discontent.

Some of the old guard were dropped. But oh dear, SENATOR Muhammad Muhammad Taib of illegal money smuggling to Australia fame? How many million was it? And to have him made a cabinet minister through the backdoor.

And no one’s made mention of April 15 yet; when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be eligible to contest again.

You know, this really looks like a case of the Prime Minister being on a different planet than the reality on the ground.

Hmmm…

From Malaysiakini

Breaking news Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today announced his new cabinet.

During a 20-minute press conference at his office in Putrajaya, Abdullah said he has decided not to appoint any parliamentary secretaries – bringing the number of appointments to 68.

He has also dropped many notable veterans and roped in new faces, who now make up half of the cabinet.

Those axed are veteran leaders Rafidah Aziz, Jamaluddin Jarjis, Azmi Khalid and Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, who is known to be close to the prime minister.

Abdullah would not comment on the departure of Rafidah. “I don’t discuss why. I think she should make way for someone new,” he said when quizzed on this.

The premier has dropped his portfolio of internal security and outgoing foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar will run a newly merged home affairs and internal security ministry.

Abdullah retained his finance portfolio and Nor Mohamed Yakcop will continue to serve as second finance minister.

Ministries slashed

The number of ministries have also been slashed from 32 to 27. Among the interesting new faces are Zaid Ibrahim, who has been appointed minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of legal affairs and Shahrir Samad who is appointed domestic trade and consumer affairs minister.

According to Abdullah, Zaid will be put in charge of legal affairs and oversee reforms in the judiciary.

Abdullah’s previous cabinet had a whopping 32 ministers, 39 deputy ministers and 20 parliamentary secretaries, with jobs handed out to many of the 14 race-based parties that make up the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

Only 17 of the 32 ministers in the previous cabinet have been retained – with five keeping their old posts while 12 moved to new profolios.

Among them are Dr Rais Yatim, who has been named foreign minister and Ong Tee Keat (transport minister).

Other interesting new faces are Muhammad Muhd Taib (rural development minister) and Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s son Sulaiman, who has been appointed deputy tourism minister.

Khairy not in the line-up

Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin was not named in the cabinet line up announced by his father-in-law.

Prior to the elections, it was speculated that Khairy – the 32-year-old Oxford graduate – will be given an important post.

However, the March 8 polls reversed his fortunes. Many blamed the young politician for BN’s disastrous performance.

Since then, pressure had mounted on the prime minister not to include his son-in-law in the line-up.

MIC loses works ministry

MIC failed to retain its control over the works ministry and party’s secretary-general Dr S Subramaniam has been appointed human resources minister.

The previous works minister was MIC president S Samy Vellu. The party suffered heavy losses in the March 8 polls, losing six out of nine parliamentary seats and 12 out of 19 state seats.

MIC information chief M Saravanan has been appointed deputy federal territories minister while central working committee (CWC) member S Devamany is deputy natural resources and mining minister.

Prime Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Umno)

Deputy Prime Minister
Najib Razak (Umno)

Finance Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Umno)

Second Finance Minister
Nor Mohamed Yakcop (Umno)

Deputies: Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah (Umno), Kong Cho Ha (MCA)

Defence Minister
Najib Razak (Umno)

Deputy: Abu Seman Yusop (Umno)

Housing and Local Government Minister
Ong Ka Chuan (MCA)

Deputy: Robert Lau Hoi Chew (Supp), Hamzah Zainuddin (Umno)
Works Minister
Mohd Zin Mohamed (Umno)

Deputy: Yong Khoon Seng (Supp)

Energy, Water and Communications Minister
Shaziman Abu Mansor

Deputy: Joseph Salang Gandum

Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister
Mustapa Mohamad (Umno)

Deputy: Rohani Abdul Karim (Umno)

International Trade and Industry Minister
Muhyiddin Yassin (Umno)

Deputy: Leow Wei Keong (LDP), Yaakob Dungau Sagan

Foreign Minister
Rais Yatim

Deputy: Sultan Azlan Abu Bakar (Umno)

Education Minister
Hishammuddin Hussein (Umno)

Deputies: Dr Wee Ka Siong (MCA), Razali Ismail (Umno)

Transport Minister
Ong Tee Keat (MCA)

Deputy: Anifah Aman

Health Minister
Liow Tiong Lai (MCA)

Deputy: Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad (Umno)

Human Resources Minister
S Subramaniam (MIC)

Deputy: Noraini Ahmad (Umno)

Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister
Syed Hamid Albar (Umno)

Deputies: Chor Chee Heung (MCA), Wan Ahmad Farid (Umno)

Women, Family and Community Development Minister

Dr Ng Yen Yen (MCA)

Deputy: Norliah Kasmon

Culture, Arts, Heritage and National Unity Minister
Shafie Apdal (Umno)

Deputy: Teng Boon Soon (MCA)

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister
Dr Maximum Ongkili

Deputy: Fadillah Yusof

Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development Minister
Noh Omar (Umno)

Deputy: Saifudin Abdullah

Higher Education Minister
Khaled Nordin (Umno)

Deputies: Idris Haron (Umno), Dr Hou Kok Chung (MCA)

Information Minister
Ahmad Shabery Cheek (Umno)

Deputy: Tan Lian Hoe (Gerakan)

Natural Resources and Environment Minister
Douglas Uggah Embas (PPB)

Deputy: Abdul Ghapur Salleh (Umno)

Rural and Regional Development Minister
Senator Muhammad Muhammad Taib (Umno)

Deputy: Joseph Entulu

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister
Abdul Shahrir Samad (Umno)

Deputy: Jelaing Mersat

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister
Peter Chin Fah Kui (Supp)

Deputy: Kohilan Pillay (Gerakan)

Youth and Sports Minister
Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Umno)

Deputy: Wee Jack Seng (MCA)

Tourism Minister
Azalina Othman Said (Umno)

Deputy: Sulaiman Abu Taib (PBB)

Federal Territories Minister
Zulhasnan Rafique (Umno)

Deputy: M Saravanan (MIC)

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department

Zaid Ibrahim (Umno, to be appointed senator) – legal affairs
Zahid Hamidi (Umno)
Bernard Dompok (Upko)
Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (Umno)
Dr Abdullah Md Zin (Umno)

8 pm News Flash – Anwar’s double whammy: New rival plan to replace bumiputra policy, Opposition to form formal alliance – signals 2-party system is here

• New plan called, Malaysian Economic Agenda, will replace NEP, keep Malay agenda, draw up new agenda for Chinese, Indians

• Opposition leaders continue to throw govt off-balance with bold moves – Selangor chief minister visits site of demolished Hindu temple

KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 – Anwar Ibrahim and the Opposition continued to throw the government off-balance with bold pronouncements yesterday.

The de-facto Opposition leader told Singapore’s only Malay-language newspaper, Berita Harian, that the PKR-DAP-PAS will formalise their alliance in a few days and will then replace the New Economic Policy with a landmark Malaysian Economic Agenda (MEA), a colour-blind initiative aimed at lifting the fortunes of all Malaysians.

The move to formalise the alliance will be cheered by Malaysians who believed that the gains made by the Opposition on March 8 would lead to a two-party system here. It will also shred like wet tissue the argument by the Barisan Nasional that the Opposition alliance is akin to a sham marriage.

Even more important, the MEA will pose a major challenge to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s reform credentials. By proposing to do away with affirmative action for one race, Anwar is setting the bar very high for a coalition which has been allergic to any talk of dismantling the NEP.

In the interview with Singapore BH, Anwar said the Opposition alliance had been working on the MEA for the past one year.

“I would like to assure the Malays that the Malay agenda will remain but we also have to sketch a new agenda for Chinese and Indians,” he said. On his website, Anwar said the MEA can be implemented at state level to reduce race-based affirmative action policies and replace it will a more competitive, merit-based system.

“This will immediately increase foreign investment, improve the state’s tax revenue and begin to promote equity and income parity,” he argued.

Political analysts say that the Chinese and Indian voters deserted BN in droves because they felt that the ruling coalition had turned a deaf ear to their grievances over the NEP. BN’s ability to respond to an imaginative idea like the MEA will be watched closely by the communities.

It is unclear how Malays will react to the removal of NEP from the Malaysian vocabulary.

But Anwar believes that even the Malays will accept that there has been a distortion in implementing the NEP.

Another PKR leader who captured the imagination yesterday was Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

He visited Kampung Rimba Jaya in Shah Alam – the site of Sri Maha Mariamman Temple which was demolished in November last year. This act of pulling down the temple a few days before Deepavali ignited anger among Indians across the country.

Mayor Mazalan Md Noor said the temple would be rebuilt soon on 10,000sq feet of land.

“The developer has been directed by the state government to provide the land and RM40,000, the cost of the building construction. It is up to the temple committee and the developer to decide when to start the temple construction,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Khalid announced that he would propose that every household in the state gets 20 cubic metres of water supply free monthly. It is expected to be implemented starting next month. Based on the estimated one million domestic users in Selangor, an exemption of water rates for usage of up to 20 cubic metres translates to a monthly value of RM11.4 million a month.

At a time when those in the lower-income bracket are groaning under inflation, the savings of RM11 per month per household will be welcomed.

It’s tough as a non-malay to comment on Malay politics or prerogatives.

Most people don’t, for fear of giving offence and for fear of being branded ungrateful or worse. Much worse. I was one of those people. Who feared commenting that is; not that anything has happened to me at all!

Now, from my point of view, it’s not like what I would have to say is that inflammatory. Well, I don’t think so anyway. But not really being a politician (they have their place in our world but it’s not mine) I don’t have the guage of the ground so I erred on the side of caution. We went to the polls on Mar 8, most of us, thinking we were going to elect an “emperor.”

It’s obvious isn’t it.

We’re run by the executive. Our institutions are so eroded that nothing happens without the say so of the Prime Minister or anyone else. OK, nothing substantive.

Our daily lives are governed by patron – client relationships.

To get a liquor licence to open a restaurant would be made “easier” if you “knew” someone.

I know someone who is in constant contact with the police and the amount of petty corruption that goes on is systemic. “I help you, you give me RM50/nice pen/handphone.” It’s so endemic that I don’t think anyone thinks about it anymore. In this instance, the police have the power and the supplicant needs something, hence patron and client.

I don’t think that the “patron and client” even think about it as corruption.

When I was in the corporate world, and business meetings were set up for business transactions, what struck me was how little VALUE was created and how much time was wasted. Instead, what we had were occasions for name dropping. “Oh ya, I know so and so, he can help.” And phone calls were used to continually set up appointments and meetings rather than thrashing out a business model which would create value for the customer.

Don’t get me wrong. Some of these business deals ended up as money spinning exercises for the caller and for those involved in the deal. But should money and who you know be the arbiter of success?

And yes, you got what you needed from the official if the RM50/nice pen/handphone were exchanged.

But again, isn’t that why we have institutions in the first place; to ensure the orderly workings of society and do what is required?

I contend, and this is not new, that all this stems from our NEP.

Firstly, I do not deny that Malays AND OTHER marginalised people need help. It doesn’t matter who needs the most help. The marginalised need our help!

Secondly, the NEP’s implementation has been woefully sidetracked. So much so that UMNO itself is now not a party of ideas and ideals anymore, but a means to make money. I’m not going to get into that side of it. There have been a myriad articles out there that cover it better than I ever could.

Thirdly, the way the NEP has been interpreted and implemented has caused race relations to deteriorate and the Malays to be disadvantaged.

Why?

Let’s get back to the roots of the NEP for a bit; the ultimate goal of the NEP was noble. It aimed to “eventually eradicat[e] poverty…irrespective of race.” The framers of the NEP had the greater good in mind. And in those left leaning years, it looked good to redistribute wealth and much of the economic mindset went with a “managed economy.” Somewhat communist in bent.

But the implementation itself lost it’s way. In today’s global society, it’s an anachronism. Not only have the Malays failed to achieve 30% of the economic pie, we now have major racial divisions to show for 30 0dd years of affirmative discrimination or economic apartheid. Yes, apartheid.

How could you have a situation which takes from one group and gives to another, arbitrarily, and not create resentment? Furthermore, how can you give handouts all the time and expect those receiving not to want more? It’s human nature. Yes, it’s morally wrong but let’s put morals aside for now. It’s plain human nature. There would be very few people who would actually say no to more being dished out.

Heck if you gave me some I’d want more. Who wouldn’t?

The thing is, what the NEP failed to take into account is that hardship DOES build character. Cream floats to the top. We, and I mean human beings, the brotherhood of man etc, are best when our backs are to the wall. Some will sink no doubt (and as a compassionate country we need to look into systems to get them back on their feet again) but the others, and I guarantee this, will rise spectacularly to the occasion.

The job of the government is to set the stage. Not to people it with actors. Like the current situation.

Let me draw another analogy; if you have a child you’re trying to raise to be a good, hard working, dutiful child to their parents. What do you do? Multiple choice everyone. Do you

a. Spoil it rotten by giving it all it desires and when it falls down pick it up and say “its ok, we’re here to catch you.”

or

b. Teach it the best you can (education), teach it to be confident, brave, loving, kind, generous, and then let it grow. Let it do it’s own thing, make it’s own mistakes, and learn from them?

Obvious isn’t it? Let’s abandon all pretense of subtlety; a) is your brain on NEP and b) investing in meritocratic education

The NEP isn’t helping the Malays at all. It’s disadvantaging them in this era of globalisation. It’s not giving them a leg up. It’s oppressing them. Tun Dr Ismail said it best; The NEP was like a handicap in golf which “will enable them to be good players, as in golf, and in time the handicap will be removed. The Malays must not think of these privileges as permanent: for then, they will not put effort into their tasks. In fact, it is an insult for Malays to be getting these privileges.”

Can you imagine the indignity that many of our brothers feel when they think that most of the country must be thinking “oh, of course they had a hand up.” I know I would. It’s so sad because those who have truly made it – and there are quite a few – well, their victories are tainted because of this policy. There are even those who’ve made it on the international stage. I know this personally.

Listen, if you need proof, look at the other side of the coin. Non-malays in this country have been the result of 30 odd years of the NEP as well. And where are they today? By hard work yes, but more than that, imagination and creativity, they have somehow still maintained more of the economic pie. Why is that? Because they were richer to start with? Or maybe, just maybe, they had the advantage of being disadvantaged. They had to make it. No ifs ands or buts. They had to. No safety net, no options. So in general, they did.

It’s time to get away from decision making based on motives of fear. Of insecurities and of a zero sum game. The NEP was formulated based on that communal anxiety.

As a non-malay, why would I wish bad things to happen to my brother/sister citizen? I’d want good for my brethren. Yes, I’d compete and may the best person win but I’d want all my brother/sister citizens to make it. At that point, you’ll see Malaysia taking it’s RIGHTFUL place on the world stage.

As a country which is secure and confident in itself. Able to export and import the best in mind power. ALL our citizens contributing to an ever interdependent world.