Quick Comment: Malaysia Boleh or Malaysia Bodoh?

I am sure by now many would have read the latest article by Michael Backman, which was published by TheAge Australia. It is without a doubt the reality that Malaysians should wake up and face. Every Malaysian must read the article because that is the sad truth. According to the article, "Few countries are as good at wasting money". That is the truth.

According to the article, "Most Malaysians are convinced that the eyes of the world are on their country and that their leaders are world figures but few people on the streets of London or New York could point to Malaysia on a map much less name its prime minister or capital city". That is the truth. According to the article, "Malaysia's oil will run out in about 19 years and will become a net oil importer in 2011 - that's just five years away". Some friends in the oil and gas industry verified that it could be true.

According to the article, "Next year, a Malaysian astronaut will go into space aboard a Russian rocket - the first Malay - in space and the cost of $RM95 million ($A34.3 million) will be footed by Malaysian taxpayers but it's not their space program". That is the truth. The list goes on and on. And what was the response of our top politicians?

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz responded by saying “What do we care? Obviously, this person doesn’t know Malaysia. He is an outsider and he can say what he likes. I don’t really care about what others say – as long as it is not a Malaysian saying it". To me, that is sheer arrogance and stupidity. It is an insult to all Malaysians.

I am a Malaysian but even if I write such an article, I am sure she won't care as well. In fact, it will not get published at all. The chances of me being charged under ISA is higher than the chances of the article getting published if I write such an article. Maybe that is why she would care if the writer is a Malaysian. ISA can be misused to arrest the writer. The ISA cannot be applied to someone in Australia.

Malaysian leaders cannot be criticised. A little dispute or complain and everyone in BN or UMNO will start 'showing their support' to their peers. Tun Mahathir criticised Pak Lah and the response was shocking. Hardly anyone admitted Pak Lah has been performing poorly. Almost everyone hit out at Mahathir. Now, Tun Mahathir's son criticised Pak Lah's address at the UMNO annual assembly saying that his address is similar to the one last year.

The response was very typical of the local politicians. Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir was asked to review his position in UMNO if he cannot share the view of Pak Lah. Are there only two people in the whole of UMNO who dares to question Pak Lah? Are the rest just followers with no principles, hoping for some goodies from Pak Lah?

I doubt anyone can argue that Pak Lah has done close to nothing in the last 3 years. Corruption is still as bad if not worse. Economic conditions is not getting any better even though Malaysia should enjoy the benefit of high oil prices. Instead, we have to pay more for our fuel! Our stock market is languishing low even though others have hit record after record. FDI has dropped tremendously. What has been achieved?

What are Pak Lah's plans to revive the economy? His emphasis on agriculture is one step back. We should be looking at high valued added products. There should be no place for low margin manufacturing or agriculture. Our labor market is not as competitive as China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia or Cambodia. Malaysia is also fast running out of land for agriculture. As a proof, plantation companies like ASIATIC, KLK and UTDPLT are expanding into Indonesia.

The education system in Malaysia is so poor that the graduates produced have a hard time securing a job. Creating more graduates by increasing the number of universities will not help. Little effort is carried out to stem the brain drain. Well-qualified professionals prefer to migrate overseas for better futures because of the poor prospects in Malaysia. In Malaysia, nothing is based on merit. Connection is everything.

Timber concessions are given to cronies for close to nothing. Government projects are awarded without tender. In many cases, contracts are given to RM2 companies only to be tendered out again by these companies at a handsome profit. The sad truth is that Malaysians respect and look up to these rich people who are actually sucking the country dry. Those that deserves more respect are people such as Nicol David and Datuk Tony Fernandes. Why should we care about the astronaut who spends our money to take a Russian taxi to space?

The country is now in a limbo. That is for sure. Some are incensed at Michael Backman for his comments 'Malaysia Bodoh' because they claim that it is the politicians who are bodoh. In my opinion, the politicians are the clever ones whereas the rakyat including myself is bodoh. That is because we are not doing anything while they are busy gathering their wealth at our expense. In other words, we are allowing them to do anything they want while listening to their excuses such as NEP.

NEP only benefits a handful of people. I pity the normal bumiputera. The Dayaks live as poor as ever. A lot of Malays are still living in poverty. But the NEP won't help them at all. As an example, the NEP requires 30% of each listed company to be allocated to bumiputeras but these poor bumiputeras do not buy shares. It is only the rich and influential who will get allocated the shares.

It is really time all of us wake up. From my understanding, many of the younger generation do not cast their vote in elections. I believe many of this blog readers are young savvy Malaysians. Please get yourselves registered and use your votes wisely. The country's future lies in your hands. Every vote counts. Even if the opposition does not win, it should at least have some voice. The government performs best when opposition is strong enough to keep the balance. For that to happen, we must not be bodoh anymore. Let's all wake up for a better future for all Malaysians. The country belong to us all. We should not let the few priveleged people monopolise it.

Disclaimer: This report is brought to you by Investssmart, an unlicensed investment adviser. Please exercise your own judgment or seek professional advice from your remisiers. By law, they are the experts. I am not responsible for your investment decisions.