Sunday 23 August 2009

The Dumbing-Down of Bolehsia.

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Whatever Mahathir's lazy and myopic Vision 2020 may say, it is my belief that a "first-world " nation is built on the foundation of viable philosophical ideas nurtured by their intellectuals and politicians - and not the physical attributes as in KLCC, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya etc. Rather than investing in intellectual growth, the myopic authorities we have would rather spend our limited resources at their disposal, to create physical monstrosities in their pursuit of material wealth. As a result, we have the common man gawking at the physical progress, with little spiritual/intellectual growth that makes such physical growth sustainable.

New ideas are more often than not, demonized and dismissed even before it is discussed in a civilized manner. Mob mentality is subtly encouraged by the authorities, to prevent discussions or forums that highlight progressive ideas or the failures of the Umno warlords in ruling the country. A free Media and Democracy which is the saving grace of the nation, are subverted by fascists who reason that religious bigotry, racial dominance and racism has to remain the paramount priority.

The ruling elite, through the Information and Education ministries however believe otherwise - and as such, indulge in the systematic emasculation of the electorate which surrenders itself to them (read Umno). Unknown to many Malaysians, the real target of this dumbing-down, is non other than the Malay people themselves - so that they are easily hoodwinked into submission to the "glorious Umno leadership". This group of Malay elite have managed to successfully indoctrinate a clueless people that they, and only they can be and will be the sole guardians of the Malay people - and as such, are indispensable. The basic simplistic "philosophy" that they propagate is this - "Malay dominance under the Umno elite - at any cost". It doesn't matter if they are corrupt and plunder the country's resources. Never mind if, a generation of unthinking graduates are created. Never mind if we have a nation of pseudo-intellectual "basket-weavers" and rempits. Never mind the numerous bogus degree/ PhD holders. Never mind the refusal of PR status for the numerous professionals (and/or spouses). What matters is that we have Umno to represent a people satisfied with their own mediocre standards of "Cemerlang, Gemilang and Terbilang".

Today, you have the moronic Muhyiddin and Khairy defending a disbarred Rohaizat (who also denies having an unregistered second spouse), as a worthy candidate, while saying that it matters not if he has a credible past, and all that matters is that he can "bring development" under the BN banner.
We also have the Malay MSM/tabloid propagating fascist ideas like - "Democracy is meaningless if Malays were to lose political dominance" and that Malays are cowards for not "rising up against the boldness of the non-Malays". There was once a commenter on MalaysiaToday (long before the March 8 "tsunami"), who even said that he "would rather swing from tree to tree in the jungles with the comfort of knowing that Malays rule the the country, than achieve progress while living under the political dominance of 'pendatangs'"! The strangest part of it all is the fact that we have a cadre of political midgets who strive to defend mindless remarks such as these, by regarding them as "Malay nationalists"!

There is this "lazy" habit which is adopted and encouraged by the BN elite - that of seeking the easy way out and neglecting the use of clear, definite and precise expressions to articulate complex ideas that abound. Simplistic understanding of complex problems coupled with ideas that pander to the lowest social denominator appear to be the standard response in all that come to light - and the rest are just swept under the carpet. It is as clear as daylight that there is an “impediment” in their ability to conceive philosophical problems in a clear and unambiguous manner, or to articulate their response to it in a coherent manner. This "lazy" attitude is also seen in many of the projects undertaken by the ruling elite of this country. They are more concerned about the propagation of simplistic ideas, that highlight the differences between communities, so as to create confusion and mutual suspicion among the people - to make their role of "peacemakers", indispensable.

Chief among those are attempts at creating an academic community of politically enslaved intellectual amoebas, whose job is to twist and spin ideas that perpetuate the narrow & fascistic agenda of politicians, who seek to consolidate their grip on power.
One significantly lazy idea (among others), was the "formula for the short-cut to success" which was masterminded by none other than our dear Tun Dr. Mahathir - the introduction of PPSMI. He even went on to claim that Malaysians (especially the Malays) will be stupid if they did not accept PPSMI!!
(**Excuse me, TDM sir, but I don't think Umno needs any help in achieving the “Stupid” status – you got them there long ago - even with the English education which you had).
This myopic idea was mooted with total disregard for the necessity to develop scientific/literary/commercial progress in the Malay language, which remains the one identifying and unifying factor of the Malay majority and the nation as a whole. The fact that the emasculation of the language would affect its role as a tool of progress for the vast majority of Malaysians who are now more well-versed in Malay than English, was totally ignored. The linguistic disconnect which the vast majority of under-privileged may suffer would also be a serious destabilizing factor in the long run.
This is not to imply that English is to be disregarded or ignored - on the contrary, proficiency in English has to be developed in tandem with that of Malay as a tool of communication in society, trade, research and in literature – through increased utilization.
One more new "lazy" idea that has come out (of Mahathir too?) of late is the idea of having the Chinese media translate themselves into Malay- for the benefit of those who are too lazy to learn and translate the language themselves!

One can also see the lack of reading material (original or translated) in the Malay language when it comes to higher levels of knowledge in any and all fields - be it the arts/ literature, Law, science, mathematics, politics, philosophy, religion. No effort is also made on part of the authorities to encourage the translation of classics in foreign languages. Almost all of the educated class (except for the vast majority of the half-baked academics) are forced to do their thinking in English, and due to the limited nature of the Malay language, are unable to translate complex ideas coherently into Malay.

It is quite clear that the Umno elite chooses by design, to systematically paralyze the minds of ordinary Malaysians (mainly the Malay community), while appearing to strive for excellence and progress. Unknown to many, the truth is exactly the opposite of what they claim. Contrary to what many of their followers believe, it is in Umno's interest that they make the “Myth of the Lazy Malaysian”, become reality. What they want is none other than the dumbing-down of Malaysians, to create a community rich with graduate "basket-weavers", who take pride in their ability to be unthinking pseudo-intellectual zombies. To do otherwise, would spell doom to the future of UMNO as we know it. It is just to bad that Umno has miscalculated in its arrogance, and so BN is now on shaky ground - and as such, its days are numbered.

With the control over the mainstream media it had for propaganda, it did not figure the internet in the equation - they realized too late that they cannot have a monopoly on the media, unless it wishes to go back to the stone age. They do not control knowledge or information any longer, as the internet has "liberated" the media to a certain extent. Using the Police and the MACC, no matter what they do to subvert Pakatan state governments and Democracy for now - (which they may very well succeed, considering Umno's power, bigoted/racist mindsets and PR's poor "planning, organization & teething problems")- it is just a matter of time before Malaysians rise up once again to emancipate themselves, and throw these Umno warlords out of the corridors of power for good.

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"I say, let these powers be abused, and you will see
how the people in the country will rise against it.”

- Tun Dr. Ismail, debating the ISA

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18 comments:

  1. Ah yes. The 1Malaysia concept is apparently: Rakyat didahulukan, pencapaian diutamakan. Nothing could possibly be further from the truth.

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  2. Excellent piece, Cruz. Puts the essential facts down nicely in place here.

    ~ wits0 ~

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  3. Great piece! You got it right down to the T. Now if only we can propagate this to the masses...sigh

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  4. The malay is intellectually lazy, literal and superficial. we don't need philosophy or to think critically because we have Islam to do all that for us.we only need to be subservient to those who claim to represent the old arab moon diety and not to question too much.an excellent example of a malay "intellectual" is that clown Rais Yatim.

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  5. .. and what you have described fits Islam perfectly.
    But try to get any truly indoctrinated muslim to accept the fact that the roots of all Malaysia's problems are to be found in Islam and you might as well try to turn Lenin into a capitalist

    The problem is not with malays, its with muslims.. who else would benefit from the dumbing down of Malaysia

    The whole world ( apart from Malaysia) knows that if there is to be any future it lies in education

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  6. Good article Cruz. Worthy thots to ponder. Just chanced upon your blogsite - keep it up macha
    -Exmanipalite

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  7. Dr.Mahathir Muhammad has been suffering for identity crisis for long time and he has been projecting these phenomenon in "iconic material" things like those mentioned above.AS a matter of fact, He did a disservice to Malaysians by an accelerated development for this country by over stressing consumerism economics, ignoring the poor but all out to create a wierd ruling class.Dr.MM needs a professional psychiatric help .Gazans of Palestine should be more careful with this man ,as he is doing a disservice for them.

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  8. There is one point which I wouldn't agree to - that this phenomenon has anything to do with "Malays" or "Islam". Let's not get started on stereotyping, guys - everybody has plenty to say about all stereotypes, and it only breeds resentment.

    If anything, this dumbing-down only illustrates the greed that the leadership represents, by promoting ignorance based on racist/fascist ideas, using "Islam-as-I-say-tion" as a tool - not Islam per se.
    It has nothing to do with the race/religion factor - despite all that they say, and want you to believe.

    This is simply because, I have seen pretty industrious and lazy fellas among all communities.
    The fact that the Malays figure prominently is simply because of the system that encourages it and that they are the majority.

    Moreover, despite the odds stacked against them, this phenomenon isn't isolated to the Malays - we see the same phenomenon among those who defend vernacular education like as if the world will end without it, even if the substandard education and the ghetto mindset it provided was harmful to their development.

    So let's stop the stereotyping even if there may be an element of truth to it in generalizations. It pays more dividends for us to focus on the cause of this problem - the selfish and greedy leadership represented by the BN/ Alliance - it is they who encourage this culture of racial chauvinism, sloth and ignorance among Malaysians.

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  9. Hi "exmanipalite",
    Thanks for dropping by.
    Why don't you email me (it's there on my profile).

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  10. Cruziero... but dont you see that Islam wants to stereotype all muslims... that's the reason for their chosen method of indoctrination, that's the philosophy of their dogma, that's the reason for all their rules and regulations and restrictions

    You sure got it right when you said"The fact that the Malays figure prominently is simply because of the system that encourages it"

    Look around... its not only the Malays, but the Indonesians the Nigerians the Pakistanis the Afghans the Arabs and the list goes on. They have all been stereotyped by religious indoctrination and they are predominantly "lazy" (your word, I prefer to call them confused... they simply dont know what to do next unless someone tells them)
    The perpetuaters of Islam hate education, they hate the concept of thinking muslims, because once muslims start to think for themselves they will see that Islam is not the infallible religion that its made out to be

    There can be no other explanation for the decline in the Malaysian education system. Dont blame UMNO because UMNO is only using the techniques of Islam... they arent bright enough to think of their own

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  11. Hey Denso,
    you're so on the ball mate; it's exactly (or nearly) the response i wanted to post back to cruzy's last posting. Islam or the cult of mohamad (once you join you can never leave!)does not entertain any debate or criticism. they like to hark back to the so-called golden age of islam during the ottoman and the abbasid reign, to show that muslims are or were not intellectually or culturally challenged. but the intellectuals of those periods were mostly free thinkers like umar khayam or Averroes, and except for their mathematical and medical treatises, most if not all of their philosophical and religious writings were destroyed because they challenged islamic orthodoxy. Cheers anon 09.10.09

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  12. Sounds a bit like 'Hotel California'

    Its interesting that muslims place so much emphasis on the mathematical skills of the Islam of the Golden age. Mathematical skills are innate to a person and no amount of indoctrination can change that

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  13. Dense,
    There is truth in what you say about "Muslims" in general (stereotyping lah) - but I wouldn't say the same about Islam as I have understood it (which may differ from what the ulamas say).

    It's true what you say about Islam as it is enforced by the orthodox clerics - the same goes for any religion, whether it is Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism or whatever.
    The clerics by the nature of their work, tend to have a voracious appetite for political power. If they could they would all acquire political power for themselves, and legislate to control society & consolidate that power.

    The "holy roman empire" under the popes were just like this at one time - in restricting the flow of information, until Gutenberg. They then tried to ban the printing of bibles, as a means of restricting debate & the dissemination of knowledge. They called the printing press "evil" - much like many clerics who today call the internet evil.

    The fault lies with an ignorant public who willingly surrender their minds & rights to the clerics, and the clerics who are more often than not, 3rd rate minds. These unthinking clerics, would of course deny the people the freedom to think - simply because they don't (or cannot).
    Many accept it simply because "ignorance is bliss".

    It may be wishful thinking, but I think the time will come (not in my lifetime) when a "Martin Luther" will be born among the Muslim clerics, and herald the revolution in thought among them.

    Anyways - if you were to say that "Muslims" have a certain attitude in general, just as other communities do - I agree. But if you say that "Islam" expects you to be that way - I would agree to that.

    At least that's what I think from what I know of Islam, (when it is understood within the historical/ socio-political context in which the scriptures were written).

    This political empowerment of the clerics can only be arrested by a law that separate "church" from state - clerics need to be barred from using religion in politics. They should only remain as moral advisers and educationists to society.
    Only then can a society progress through a secular government.
    (That, I suppose, would be wishful thinking- for now).

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  14. And "Hotel California" it is - at least for now in Malaysia and many other authoritarian "Islamic" states.

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  15. Anon 25/08/09 10:09,
    Yes - many so called Malay/Muslim pseudo-intellectuals do think like that. It is the easy way out for them - the "lazy" way.
    They then like to ride the moral high-horse for referring to "scriptures" instead of using their God-given minds. It is what has led to the stagnation of the "Muslim world" and peoples.

    Little do they realize that it is what the powerful politician wants (and not God)- that they just stop thinking.

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  16. Cruz, it's very precise for you to pin-point the laziness(cum crass) factor in the governance of Bolehland.

    The 'great leaders' are lazy and don't like problem. Saw that in MahaKutty after Memali and the Ops Lallang after that.

    He didn't like problems after enjoying his overseas trips. So he used a bulldozer.

    These 'leaders' have taken for granted that there must be no disturbance to their wealth accumulation efforts and enjoyment of self alloted perks. How dare anyone divert their focus and time away from their own self serving efforts!

    ~ wits0 ~

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  17. Cruziero, I do agree with much of what you have written.. especially the bit where you wrote "The fault lies with an ignorant public who willingly surrender their minds & rights to the clerics, and the clerics who are more often than not, 3rd rate minds."

    The problem as I see it is that they dont surrender their minds, they sacrifice the minds of their children to religious dogma and dubious clerics. I think that is the most tragic thing a parent could do to their child. If they want a religious upbringing for their children then show it by example in the home, and if they want their children to be indoctrinated then leave it until the child is of an age where he/she is able to reason for themselves

    At the moment children are sacrificed then entrapped by fear to absorb doctrine via constant repetition

    Witso, you wrote "Cruz, it's very precise for you to pin-point the laziness(cum crass) factor in the governance of Bolehland"

    I really do think you are all wrong about this laziness factor... like so much relating to Islam you go for the simplistic answer. Politicians are not lazy, just look at the way they pursue their ill gotten gains. Politicians like most malays have been dumbed down by the system. Why think for yourself when Islam/the imam/your parents have all the answers for you. Soon you lose the ability to think logically, you lose the ability to plan into the future...Therein lies the Malaysia you see today. Malaysia 2020 is a naive attempt at planning to the future but has dribbled away to nothing because long term planning is non existent... governance is ad hoc, and usually ten years ( or more) behind the rest of the world. Just look at the way malays drive... they cannot foresee even the most simple consequences of their actions

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  18. Dense,
    As you said, it is indeed very tragic that many parents do that these days - you see many sending intelligent children for a very dogmatic education for reasons known only to themselves.
    In some cases it is due to the "feel good" factor ....

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