Thursday, 18 March 2010
The immovable 10pc
The immovable 10pc 
MARCH 18 — The math does not work, does it? There is this obsolete, cruel and more importantly crude government, and despite its single-minded intention to self-destruct, it stays in power.
Malaysia is an anathema to all countries in our wealth, infrastructure and education group. We are close to being unexplainable. The government has tried to be more obsolete, crueller and cruder in the past two years, yet it is not met with any further rejection. Why?
The answer lies in the vote-base securing power for the Barisan Nasional (BN) — the immovable 10 per cent.
In the general, you have your traditional BN supporters, those who are immune to critique and sworn to the perpetuation of the present system, irrespective of its pending collapse. I have several family members and close friends in it, and they want to walk that path indefinitely.
At the other end, the non-BN guys. Those equally sworn to the end of BN rule and have stayed that course through all reincarnations of opposition — Independence of Malaysia Party, The Socialist Front, Gagasan Rakyat, Barisan Alternatif and now Pakatan Rakyat.
I’ve less family members and close friends in that side of the pitch. But in the last three years, the spike in support for them guarantees irrespective of how much longer BN stays in power it will always be confronted by a sizeable opponent, not a token one anymore. A true nemesis, not a kid with a wooden bat.
Which leads to the — equally divided between the ever-effervescent and extremely dull — undecided voters. The ones deciding whether BN wins by a landslide or if PAS or DAP rotate leadership of a bigger than small Opposition MP total in Parliament. In 2008 they turned their backs on BN.
However, that does not change the Federal government
You need the real king-makers, the immovable 10 per cent. Let me tell you about them.
The group has one characteristic, they vote BN even if they personally don’t have that much love for the ruling coalition. They vote BN because despite everything life in Malaysia is ok for them. That’s it. Life is ok. There are no sexy reasons, just an extremely cautious and cynical outlook to life. (Hey, blame it on our Asian genes.)
They keep BN in power, and help them stay there.
The number 10 is arbitrary, mostly guesswork — to show them being substantial, while being small enough to be an under-serviced group. The group is disparate and they don’t have an active effort to gather themselves under an umbrella. There is no “We really, really don’t care that much for the BN, but we vote for them all the time Club”.
It is important to know them, so that the arguments made to them apply to them, and have a chance to convince them.
What do they want? They want good. They want the good without having to endure any growing pains. This is where they falsely associate the BN government as the purveyor of reasonable good, because they have been in the power position infinitum.
They are willing to settle for good not coming through, as long as bad (for them) does not rise.
So much of what the BN decides, launches or offends does not irk them.
They’ll politely listen to you when you repeat your rehearsed lines about the mystery surrounding the death of a model or in a lock-up or at the bottom of a government building. They’ll nod away when you express your disdain with human rights openly abused and elections lacking the honesty one must surely wish for. They’ll buy you drinks when you admonish the nepotism, the xenophobia and the denigration of the human spirit. You’ll almost go blue exasperated about the brain drain, and they’ll comfort you with an arm over you while the other hand strokes the “green card” tucked inside their wallet.
Moral imperatives are not going to win their votes.
They are not interested in the process which the good prevails or develops from, they just want good.
Who are they? Some of the commentators in this website. The middle manager who needs his firm to be stable as he makes his career surge. The sub-contractor who hates the system, but has a life made from him compromising himself and the system. The school teacher who thinks all governments are inherently flawed which is a fair reason to back this one.
They are all around us. Your voting record (or lack thereof) will tell you if you are one of them.
My own personal favourite is my batch-mate — the good doctor in Putrajaya. He is cynical of everything, and builds his reputation on just being disagreeable and cocky about his intellect. You should see him justifying bad government, it is the closest as you will get to see a square peg being forcibly but successfully pressed into a round hole.
When you have made your mind, and possess a decent intellect you can always justify your world-view.
Ferdinand Marcos, Mobutu Sese Seko, Nicolae Ceausescu and Robert Mugabe are all frowned upon today, but in the heights of their power the very people who turned their backs on them were cheering them in stadiums and long parades.
The “immovable 10 per cent” will in a distant future disassociate their support for historically denounced characters. Which is why I try to commit to memory all my friends who are “Facebook fans” of a certain former prime minister.
So you see, now you can understand why the BN can and has made decisions that make your blood boil, but which do not ruffle them. They only care about appeasing their supporters, and keeping a portion of the undecided. The ‘immovable 10 per cent’ will find their own way to crossing the name of the BN candidate.
I’ll meet my quiz-mate in two hours, and he’ll run through for me all the nasty things the government is up to, mostly what was carried by The Malaysian Insider. As usual I’ll smile and tell him, the government does not care for him, since they can’t lose his vote twice in any given election.
I will tell him, as I tell my readers if you want the change you desire, identify those around you who are. If you bother to let listen and not moralise, they will share with you their misgivings about a life without BN. Listen and engage on their terms.
Don’t pour facts down their throats, you’ll only make them withdraw into their shells. Don’t force a responsibility they have never felt for others. Don’t insist they change, because it suits you.
You never win them in the conversation. You only have a chance if they consider the conversation long after it has ended.
That they realise as Edmund Burke put it: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
And maybe you can start by putting that as a bumper sticker on your car.
* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.
Praba Ganesan is a Hulu Langat boy with a penchant for durians and debate. He is part of balairakyat, an NGO promoting ideas exchange. More of him at prabaganesan.wordpress.com
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Orang Asli land policy: planned poverty? — Yogeswaran Subramaniam
Orang Asli land policy: planned poverty? — Yogeswaran Subramaniam
MARCH 17 — The obvious starting point for Orang Asli empowerment would be their exercise of control over their customary lands, says Yogeswaran Subramaniam.
The recent policy granting land titles to the Orang Asli has far-reaching consequences for the 150,000-strong Orang Asli community. It appears to be limited in economic utility and, more importantly, in flat contradiction of the 1Malaysia concept.
In short, the proposed policy involves the granting of two to six acres of plantation lands and up to a quarter of an acre for housing to each Orang Asli head of household. The policy is subject to two main qualifications that impact upon its economic utility.
First, land forming part of this policy is subject to availability. This means that the land is not available as of right and depends on state discretion. If past records are anything to go by, the states’ performance for gazetting Orang Asli reserves has been nothing short of dismal.
Second, Orang Asli households would have to reimburse the appointed developer for all costs in relation to the development of the land from proceeds gained from the plantation. Other than the obvious room for abuse in the development process itself, Orang Asli would additionally have to start their ‘new’ life in the market economy under the burden of debt.
Sources also indicate that the estimated 50,000 hectares allocated under the proposed policy is well short of the 140,000 hectares of customary land currently occupied by the Orang Asli. Have we not taken enough of their land?
The policy does not recognise Orang Asli customary lands. To compound matters, Orang Asli who accept the deal will not be able to bring any claims to the courts for customary lands or loss of such lands.
Subject to further elaboration of the amending law, Orang Asli are left to either accept the policy where they lose their customary lands or chance their arm in court for recognition of their customary lands. If the latter course of action is taken, Orang Asli can expect the governments (except maybe for Selangor state) to contest such claims to the hilt.
The Orang Asli community is unique compared to other ethnic groups in Malaysia. Unlike other communities, Orang Asli culture, identity and nationhood is inextricably linked to their customary lands. Land is central to the identity of an Orang Asli person, providing, physical, cultural, economic and spiritual nourishment.
Top-down policies that change the face of Orang Asli land into plantations are devastating and traumatic to Orang Asli culture and identity. Ironically, the 1Malaysia concept regards ethnic diversity as an asset and explicitly rejects the concept of assimilation where ethnic identity vanishes.
If we can accept perceived outlandishness of cultures and practices of the three main ethnic groups in Peninsular Malaysia, it should not to be too difficult to ‘tolerate’ the unique relationship between Orang Asli and their lands. 1Malaysia demands that we do so.
It is thus puzzling that the proposed land policy disregards Orang Asli customary lands. Whilst it is true that economic independence is vital to Orang Asli well-being, it should not be toyed with at the expense of their identity.
The answer lies in empowerment, where Orang Asli, with technical assistance from all parties concerned, are empowered to determine their own priorities in their cultural, social, political and development. Experiences in Australia, Canada and United States have shown that there is a direct link between enabling an Aboriginal community to exercise control over its own affairs and improved social and economic outcomes.
The obvious starting point for such empowerment would be the exercise of control over Orang Asli customary lands. Unfortunately, this is not at all apparent from the proposed land policy. If diversity of culture is to be celebrated as an asset, it is time for the government to rethink the land policy. — www.aliran.com
* Yogeswaran Subramaniam, an Aliran member, is pursing a doctoral thesis in the Reform of Orang Asli Land rights at the Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales, Sydney.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or the newspaper. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.
Anwar paints gloomy outlook for Malaysian economy
Anwar paints gloomy outlook for Malaysian economy
By Clara Chooi
KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (picture) today expounded on weaknesses in the Malaysian economy, blaming it on the government’s dependency for pump priming measures, over reliance on petro dollars, the widening public-private investments
The Permatang Pauh MP told Parliament that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s optimism to say the “worst is over” was a stark contrast to the bleakness of the country’s present economic status.
The opposition leader pointed out that although the economy seemed on the mend in the fourth quarter of last year, Malaysia still continued to fall behind other nations in terms of competitive edge and attraction of foreign direct investments.
“At the same time, too much pre-occupation has been given to plans to upgrade the economy into a high value economy that we risk putting aside key economic issues concerning social justice; that should always take centre stage in any economic development agenda in Malaysia,” he told the House.
The former deputy prime minister also said that the government’s efforts to eradicate poverty had borne little fruit, and what was worse, figures from the UN Human Development Report in 2009 showed that Malaysia ranked 66 in terms of economic inequality, behind Singapore (ranked 23), Hong Kong (24), South Korea (26), Brunei (30) and Cuba (51), among others.
He said that despite the government’s incessant dependency on pump priming between the years of 2002 and 2004, the poverty rate still rose 12 per cent in the period.
“This should baffle everyone because this is a period of pump priming when a lot of state financial resources were diverted into the economy. Alas, only cronies and connected people benefit while the poor continued to suffer,” he said.
MORE TO COME
Bangkitlah Malaysia!
Bangkitlah Malaysia!
Crunch this.
There are 15 million eligible voters in Malaysia.
There are only 11 million registered voters in Malaysia. (73%)
Last General Election (March 8, 2008), only 8 million voters exercised their votes. (73% of registered voters)
7 million voters, missing in action. (47% of eligible voters)
What the heck? The fate of this nation, the choice of who we want to run this country was decided by just a little more than 50% of all who have the duty to do so ? That is not even substantial or convincing majority!
Please, don’t be part of the 7 million apathetic, lazy, irresponsible citizen. Wait, if you don’t vote, please don’t consider yourself as a citizen of the country. You have no right to bitch or to complain when idiots like #yorais made it to the office, because of your (in)action.
To register as a voter, get your ass to the nearest Post Office, just bring your Identity Card. There is an initiative going on to register voters called EPIC for UNITY. So lend your support to do something EPIC!
The Flaccid Mind is proud to pimp this cool project by Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM) -- BANGKIT!
Dear fellow Malaysians,
Are you happy with the state of our country today? Is our country and her people truly living up to their potential? What do you think of Malaysian society today? Should “race” be a major factor in how Malaysian citizens relate to each other? What unites Malaysians? What divides Malaysians? Do you think Malaysia needs to change? Why or why not? What are your dreams/aspirations for yourself? Your country?
Do you love Malaysia?
These are questions that are rarely asked of our country’s youths. But we believe that all of them have a burning answer deep within their hearts. They may not feel at liberty to share it. Or they may feel like even if they did, who would listen? So many of these hushed voices go unheard. It’s the greatest loss to our nation…
Well, not anymore.
We believe that the youth of our nation have outstanding opinions about the issues facing Malaysia today. And we want our nation’s youths to know that they are NOT forgotten, forsaken or frivolous. Because it is their passion that will revive the hope in our nation -- to once again rise up and be a shining example to the world for our peace and prosperity. And this will happen when the youth of our country choose to stand up and speak out.
That’s where BANGKIT comes in.
BANGKIT is a nationwide search for songs written by youths, for youths and representing the aspirations of the youths in our country. We believe that they deserve…no, they NEED to be heard. And we’re going to provide the platform for them in the language that speaks to youths -- music!
And to prove the point that Malaysians DO care about their country, we will be taking a huge step of faith -- because we want to put this entire project together with NO MONEY AT ALL!
No money for salaries or allowances
No money spent on promotions/marketing.
No money spent on design.
No money spent on recording.
No money to hire talents.
No money spent on websites.
No money prizes
No money for prizes.
Tak ada, mei you, eelek, zip nada!
Impossible? Maybe…unless you and I decide to believe that it is NOT IMPOSSIBLE. We can both step out in faith that this project WILL succeed because there will be more than enough people stepping up to contribute their time, talents, facilities and resources FOR FREE, with no other motivation than their passion, creativity and love for country!
Have we got your attention yet?
If you feel inspired to join us, here are the details of BANGKIT:
MECHANISM
- A BANGKIT blog will be set up for this event
- Teasers will be spread throughout the internet (March 15 – 31)
- Selections begin, demo cuts of compositions to be submitted in mp3 format (April 1 – May 15)
- Songs will be featured on the BANGKIT blog for youths to vote on their favourites (April 1 – May 31)
- Professional judges will select 10 songs from the 20 most popular voted songs and results announced (June 7)
- A professionally recorded BANGKIT CD of the 10 selected songs will be released within 3 months of final selection (Target to be launched in September)
- A BANGKIT concert featuring local artistes will be held to showcase the selected songs (to be held either in November or December, in conjunction with SABM’s voter registration carnival)
- No prizes will be offered. Just recognition of participants’ talents and the chance for their song to be recorded.
PUBLICITY
- Primarily through the internet (facebook, youtube, twitter, blogs, websites, etc)
- Flyers and posters to be distributed to universities / colleges nationwide
- Exposure through the Mass Media
- Email, SMS & MMS
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Attach the ‘BANGKIT’ posters/banners/videos to your blog or website and make sure to link it to our blog. We will be releasing a series so that it keeps fresh and exciting
- Tell everyone you know about BANGKIT through word-of-mouth, blogs, facebook, twitter, email, SMS, MMS, etc. We need everyone in Malaysia to know.
- Keep updated at our BANGKIT blog or the SABM website.
- Put us in touch with people who are willing to contribute to BANGKIT’s cause for free.
Please support BANGKIT in our effort to bring the voices of our youth to the nation and the world!
P.S. As BANGKIT is still the pre-launch stage, please don’t reveal too much about us yet. If you feel a need to explain a bit more about BANGKIT, just say something like “something big is brewing in Malaysian cyberspace and everyone under-30 should watch out for the announcement on April 1st”. We will be releasing more promos and information that you can post as the official launch date (April 1) approaches.
If you need more information, please email: jombangkit@gmail.com.
For more info please check out our blog at http://jombangkit.org/
And please do feel free to pass this message to as many people as you know.
Let’s rock Malaysian together!
Regards,
Lai Chee Seng
Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia -- Youth Outreach Project Team Coordinator
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)