Fear and loathing in Malaysia
By WONG WAI SENG
I fear going home.
I fear my fellow Malaysians who do not see me as a fellow Malaysian because of the colour of my skin.
I fear the collective paranoia besieging all sides, as a standoff has been created by differing viewpoints on religion and religious freedom.
I fear I am no longer allowed to speak my mind, even online.
I fear how some Malaysians are so intolerant of diversity. When will they turn to violent means to shut us up?
I fear I can no longer decide what is wrong and right, or what is good or bad for myself by myself.
I fear I will only hear good news in the newspapers, not knowing the risks and challenges we are actually facing out there.
I fear leaders who play the racial card whenever the chips are down for them.
I fear the followers who respond to those leaders.
I fear politicians who can’t seem to debate logically and intelligently, and who vote along partisan lines, rather than in our best interest.
I fear those who think they are above the law, asking law enforcement to look away so that nothing happens to them.
I fear leaders who think of nothing but themselves, squandering the wealth of the nation and lining their own pockets.
I fear I may not be protected by the law and the mechanism of law. The law enforcement agencies are underpaid and temptations abound.
I fear the lack of quality in my fellow Malaysians in terms of knowledge, skills and language mastery.
I fear the lack of opportunities to follow my dreams.
I fear the lack of opportunities for the young ones to do what they want in the life, as the path to tertiary education seems so convoluted.
I fear more and more fellow Malaysians will feel alienated and discontented, and turn to crime and drugs as they are left behind in terms of progress and education.
I fear for fellow Malaysians who still cannot find a roof over their heads. Will they survive another day?
I fear for fellow Malaysians who don’t have enough food and nutrition. It hurts to be hungry when we are supposed to be a wealthy nation, with a wealth of resources at our disposal. Where has it all gone?
I fear for the Malaysian children who have to cross bridges and rivers and hills to go to school. Some have only a single uniform. Some will stop school sometime as money becomes an issue. How long can they sustain it?
I fear things may escalate out of control, where hatred blinds my fellow Malaysians, who are divided along racial and religious lines. The gap widens between the rich and the poor. My fellow Malaysians seem to tolerate – if not accept – the lame rhetoric of our leaders. There is distrust, stereotyping, discrimination and shortsightedness.
I fear for my home, my country.
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WONG WAI SENG is a contributing writer for theCICAK.
Wai Seng is a 26-year-old who dreamt of covering stories of humanity as a foreign correspondent when he was a wee boy. He is now a corporate warrior on holiday, undertaking his postgraduate studies in the United States.
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Part 1: Creating a new manifesto for Malaysia
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How far would you go if your lover cheated on you? Be honest.
Comment of the week
I defend my right as a Malaysian to talk about anything that concerns Malaysia.
So much fear.
Where is the hope? Dead already?
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You know what?
I fear for our so-called YOUTH who are like you.
I fear the future of MY country when I know there are millions of youth like you out there.
Get a grip. I stay in this country too. I haven’t been racially abused, I haven’t been beaten up, I haven’t been thrown in jail, I haven’t been assaulted by police.
Heck, my life is beautiful indeed. Stop whining, will you?
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vincent: I am glad nothing of such has befallen you yet. However, I urge you not to close your mind and heart from those who have been sidelined along the way as we march forward. Just because all is well for you and I does not mean we should ignore our shortcomings as a nation and as Malaysians.
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Andreas: Oh there is always hope
Hope will come when we stand together and look after each other with no malice, no conceit. For example, many of my peers are brought up to see ourselves as Malaysians first, plus many are involved in big and small ways to bring change and to improve lives.
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ya la, what say do u you have
just keep quiet lah a malaysian who talks a lot yet lives abroad
and pls dont rip of Hunter S thompson, there are those who know about the Gonzo, and yet again another malaysian thing to rip of everything you see and claim as your own.
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prakash: Who is Hunter S Thompson? Hmm. Let me Google that later. I wrote this piece on my own, so please save me the judgemental attitude of yours. By the way, it’s ‘rip off’, not ‘rip of’. And please have a bit more respect for my right to express my feelings rather than asking me to keep quiet. Unless of course, you have strong justification on why I should be silent.
And no, I do not ‘live’ abroad. I studied all my life in Malaysia, lived and worked in Malaysia till the past year. And will probably be back next year. And even if Malaysians who live overseas have something to say, do you reckon we should shut them up?
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vincent - our country is not moving forward where human rights is concerned. in fact it is regressing. for goodness sake we can’t even sit down and debate like matured adults without the goverment barking at our shoulders, so of course we’re worried.
i’ve lived in malaysia all my life and i find i have the very same fears as Wai Seng, especially in the light of events unfolding over the last two years. the rights granted to us as malaysian citizens are being taken away from us very subtly.
i’ll give you a simple recent example. your statement reminded me of this. a father was with his family on a sunday shopping outing to klcc. he sees a big crowd at the entrance. curious, he walked towards them to see what’s going on.
and what was going on is this - malaysian citizens came together for a peaceful protest to show their disatisfaction about the recent petrol price hike. Act 10 of the federal constitution states that we as citizens of malaysia have the right to assemble peaceably without arms. it is legal and lawful.
the fru who stood guard decided to disperse the crowd who assembled for only 10 minutes. how did they do this? they started to beat innocent people up. the father i was talking about earlier, who was merely a spectator got brutally manhandled. his daughter cried and wife screamed as they watched the fru crack his skull and kicked him to ground.
he was not the only one who sustained injury from the protest. if you search for videos online you can see how the fru acted like gangsters.
naturally the press was all over it. two days later the official statement came out - the fru were merely defending themselves when they inflicted the above mentioned injury. the fru, who wielded weapons, were merely DEFENDING themselves from the crowd who only had bare hands. does this make sense?
till today no justice was served - no one was reprimanded nor arrested for executing the violence. the wrong was never righted.
is this a pill you can swallow? is this fair?
the example i’ve given is a mild one. there are more grave injustices that has unfolded in malaysia.
in light of this, shouldn’t we be afraid?
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I’ll explain that one behalf on Prakash.
Malaysians living overseas have no right to complain about things going on at home, because if they really did care about things back home, they would be here like the rest of us trying to fix the leaking roof.
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Do you reckon, by the mere fact that one is staying back in Malaysia, he/she is fixing the leaking roof?
Do you then equate people who follow their dreams and ambitions in areas which entail leaving Malaysia as uncaring towards the nation?
How about those who leave home to seek more financial opportunities to support their families back home? Not trying to fix things, are they?
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[…] ional Revolution. Please elect me as member of advisory board for education development. A “fear” post in the Cicak caught my attention and I’ve decided to weekly write a reason: Why to m […]
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No, I do not equate people who follow their dreams and ambitions as unpatriotic or whatever the government says about them.
Everybody has a right to do as they please to follow their aspirations, even if that takes them overseas. I personally wanted to worked overseas after my studies (and I would be the first to admit that it was purely for monetary reasons ONLY).
What I am saying is that you have NO right to complain once you step out of the country. Praising it is a different matter as long as you don’t take credit for it. Complaining just means that you want someone to fix that problem so your life would be nice and dandy when you do decide to return one day.
And seriously, who are you kidding? Seek financial opportunities to support their families back home?! Are you saying that people working here can’t earn money to support their families?
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What you fear are just some of the challenges that any country with a diverse population has to face. Isn’t it the same in the US? Isn’t it the same how some blacks have to strive harder to achieve what they can in a country dominated by the caucations.
Perhaps the fears that you speak of is already in the minds of many people but I believe it that it is more important that we face those fears and do our best everyday to try to overcome or avoid deliberate actions that could create misunderstandings or hatred.
Race, religion, skin colour etc might be barriers but it should not be allowed to hinder us from communicating with each other in a civil manner. I think it is important that we achieve mutual understanding despite the obstacles.
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vincent: Let me briefly address your latest message, which I believe is full of contradictions. I don’t see the difference between praising and criticising/complaining. Do you only want to hear the sweet nothings? Plus, that is a sweeping generalization on those who live/work overseas. Many are concerned not because they want it nice and dandy later on when/if they do return. It’s only natural to be concerned about things at home, especially if you have family and friends back home. We all have our reasons to be away or to be at home. It could financial, it could be personal (I know of people who left many years ago who put their younger siblings through college and buy homes for their families), but that’s not really the point. To cut it short, I disagree with the notion of having no right to speak up due to geographical reasons. Anyhow, we have digressed.
The question is, can you surely, convincingly say we have nothing to fear? This applies for both the Malaysians abroad and at home.
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Nice summation of what we should look upon in this beloved land..
There are lots of things we should be look upon, but hopefully we should not fear of them.. coz we are the generations who should change the situation.. Rather than making it as something to be scared of, let us make it as a challange for our generation to face ‘em and repair ‘em.. and make a better Malaysia..
Something for us to ponder:
“fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering” - yoda
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hey folks,
I think some of you should give Wai Seng a chance to express his “Fears” without jumping to a conclusion that he is abandoning his country! The very fact that he is ‘fearing’ for his country and country men shows that at least he cares. If you all dont know, he is merely expressing his thoughts descriptively …as if he really is soooo fearful of returning to Malaysia !!
Come on guys, I think you need some lessons in literature and critical appreciation of the English Language!!
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Actually, Wai Seng, the more appropriate question is - what do you plan to achieve by telling the whole world what you fear about your ‘beloved’ homeland?
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i couldnt agree more with wai seng..dont get me wrong..im no less patriotic compared to my peers of different colours and religion..im malaysian educated..but yet i could feel that in this pieces echoes the thoughts of many msians..not only of a particular race or religion..not only those abroad…there’s too much to fear and to lose hope for in our country..which is sad because approximately 50 years ago the very foundations of this country was carefully constructed and worked on by men who call themselves true msians..now in just 50 years from those days..we have a breed of malaysians who despair for the fate of their country in the light of globalization and economic colonization…trust me..there’s so much to achieve by telling the whole world how we truly are today..rather than depicting a skin deep false projectory of our nation..like how we always do..
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I don’t know what Wai Seng was trying to achieve by writing this piece - it could be anything simple from wanting to give words to his thoughts, to something more purposeful like wanting to trigger the readers to think; but this I do know - his words have made me think about this beloved country of ours and made me want to be more aware of what is going on around me. And some of my own worries, he has succinctly put across.
And, weki, well put.
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i “fear” people who leave hatred-inciting, childish comments. the writers who contribute to thecicak work hard to put forth their views in a civil, intelligent manner, and deserve the same in return.
okay i lied. i don’t fear them, i just hope they will grow up. if not, the next generation will complain about you… the very “leaders” we complain about, who carry their attitude and unhelpful comments wherever they go.
wai seng, thanks for sharing, your articles is a first step for many who may decide to find their role in relieving those fears you mentioned.
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how can u live with so much fear,huh? by the way, i have the same fear but never let it effects my life… why don’t we work it out to make a new Malaysia… if we, the Malaysian youth only living in fear nothing changed right? I believe we can make it.
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we can only make a new malaysia if ppl are willing to come out of their cocoons n accept the reality. no amount of denying will make things right for us. fix it even if it means we have to swallow our pride. our pride as a nation means nothing if social inequality remains a fixture of our daily lives.
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Leen quoted:
“by the way, i have the same fear but never let it effects my life…”
hmm, i wonder how to never let it affects my life…
Do u never fear walking alone in the street, even if in bright daylight?
Do u never fear for ur family n friends, especially when u r far away from them?
Do u never fear how our country might become if the current situation continues?
Ignorance is bliss. Bull.
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eh wong wai seng,
Many things in malaysia are not right and is discriminatory on many levels. We know the problems we face but many choose to turn a blind eye, depend on people like Lim Kit Siang and many opposition leaders to slog all his life to keep the government in check. We must bear the burden together. Capable “fearing” Malaysian like you should come back and do something about the situation and maybe one day your children wont be as “fearful” towards their own country. We “youth” have to come together, be proactive about it. You took the first step by creating awareness.
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yeah… i do feel all that fear but what’s the point of only getting fear… you should do something to overcome that fear… it’s not an ignorance
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summer,
you said,
hmm, i wonder how to never let it affects my life…
Do u never fear walking alone in the street, even if in bright daylight?
Do u never fear for ur family n friends, especially when u r far away from them?
Do u never fear how our country might become if the current situation continues?
Ignorance is bliss. Bull.
Leen has a point there. Everybody has a certain degree of fear in them. The argument posted by leen is we must not let fear dictate our lives. Are you going to stay home all the time because THE STAR newsapaper reported an increase in snatch theft? And step out of the house only when they crime has decreased? yeah, i thought so too. Everybody has fears, its wether they use their fear positively to enact change which is of main concern. Btw, you only live once(im excluding religion from the equation), you=one life=).Therefore, dont let fear prevent you from living the life you want. Take it from Sir William Wallace….”Every man dies, but not every man lives”
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one more thing to add…
ignorance in this case is having fear, not doing anything about it, and letting it dictate your life.
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i fear seeing ppl who are so sensitive when others speak out. for it’s when ppl speak out when society’s wrongs will be known, and hopefully corrected. we cannot keep going on saying everything is fine, and papering over the cracks appearing on the surface.
i, too, fear much about malaysia, and her future… these are dangerous times we live in, not just because of the physical dangers, but the more subtle ones.
for all those who deny as much, remove that blindfold and just observe. it’s not hard to see…
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good point tht we should not let fear dictate our lives. but how many ppl actually do tht? i do wish tht more ppl will become more aware. discarding the ignorant mentality will do a world of good for us.a majority of us fear changes. we talk alot n yet do nothing about it. instead we let politicians erode our rights and privacy day by day. we are afraid tht changes will be for the worse. so we rather do nothing. malaysians should vote in the elections with their balls and brains. wishful thinking? i hope not.
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yeah wai hong… i realized that not so many youth are really aware about what really happen in our country… there are but just a few… i’m a college student and also a scholar… most of my friends now are also scholars… but what shocked me is juat a few of them who really know the situtation and most of them know nothing and just agreeing what the politician said and done… they only know the books and exams… i think the youth nowadays are unaware about other things happen outside their class… not like in the past… today’s youth did not have their own mind and thinking… not all but most of them
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i noe of many of my frens who don’t gv 2 hoots about politics in malaysia. their understanding is limited about the current situation. i don’t blame them. i try very hard to tell them wht’s going on n be aware bcos as citizens we have the responsibility to know more. maybe it’s our education system n the way we always try to put the blame somewhere else. i’ve been to a local uni for 3 weeks and have met quite a number of lecturers who bash the so called immoral western countries the moment they get their chance. fix our own country before we start bashing others. politicians here thrive by playing the racial card and many of us play along with them. we have to realise and admit our own shortcomings. fix it. only then will we have the right to say something about other nations without us being a laughing stock.
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I reckon that the main reason our peers dont give “2 hoots” about the current political situation are due to the limitations in mainstream media imposed by the govenment. Newspapers report peaceful political events like MCA and MIC giving their undivided support to the PM (more than 10 times a year), leaving out corruption and nepotism(khairy jammaludin is the new term for nepotism just like google is for websearching…dont lock me up under ISA, i just joking lah). We cant blame those citizens who think we are are living in utopia when they get all the news from THE STAR newsapaper!
More important issues like reviving RUKUN TETANGGA are reported in the press, leaving out foreign exchange losses occured by bank negara during the 90’s, etc. A few of us have given up hope on politically owned newspapers like THE STAR in search of fair and unbiased news. We should encourage our peers to resort to the information on the internet where “almost free” press is practised. However, we should analyse and criticise the information before consumption. Lastly, in search of democracy, and since we are on the topic of “fear”, we should keep in mind that
“People shouldnt fear the government, its the government who should fear the people”
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have to agree with u there. newspapers here are about kissing the @$$es of the ruling coalition. n sad to say many ppl accept at face value wht is published in our newspapers. the newspapers here gv the impression tht all is well and rosy with our country but the fact is this country is ailing. promote informational websites and educate ur frens and family not to accept things without thinking and analyzing the situation. even stuff available on the internet are heavily biased most of the time. but then on the internet at least we have a choice. i usually skip the 1st few pages of the star cos it’s all bull most of the time.
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weeeee…
all u guys said are FIX IT DEAL WITH IT FACE IT
but how?!
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if you skip the fist few pages of the star, all you get after that is mostly advertisements, gossip about siti nurhaliza, mawi….and the Dear Thelma column on sundays….just jokingla. On a more serious note, i urge all of you to read the star! I still do, but only when i take a crap=). Commonla(the way KRU says it), its a good way to improve your grammar and vocabulary.
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You think it is JUST the youth of today who are so ignorant?
Really, if all the generation of our parents were really so AWARE and ENLIGHTENED, they wouldn’t have let Mahathir (and cohort) do the following:
1. clamp down on the press in 1987 (the Star)
2. destroy the judiciary in 1987 and 1988
3. use the media, police and his kangaroo court to destroy his potential political challenger in such a humilifying manner in 1998
4. use the so-many cronies of his (bumi AND non-bumi) to do “national service” and them bailing them out
5. suggesting that it is OKAY, and in fact our RIGHT to build a jambatan bengkok to Singapore
6. deceive us into thinking that a modern Malaysia is all about Mega Projects (while it is still okay to have 3rd world mentality)
7. to declare Malaysia and Islamic State
So please get your facts right: our parents are also the ignorant ones who let Mahathir reign unrestrained. If we are not careful, we ourselves will also be guilty of that same sin.
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Think I fear for YOUTH like Vincent who are living in a Utopian world of his own… yeah we may not have been racially abused, beaten up,thrown in jail or assaulted by police but u may have been “programmed” to think so…
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vincent was still high from sniffing his own crap when he said this…
Malaysians living overseas have no right to complain about things going on at home, because if they really did care about things back home, they would be here like the rest of us trying to fix the leaking roof.
To Vincent,
Why cant people go overseas to get education, share ideologies, experience a different political climate and come back to malaysia as a better “plumber”. Malaysia is very much of their concern as of yours. Having experienced a difference of both worlds would give them a different, if not, better perspective in “fixing the leaking roof”. We are all Malaysians nonetheless, overseas or not. I’ll give you the benefit of doubt that you are doing your part….just dont sniff cow crap while you are at it, cuz you are already widening the cracks, and your a$$hole…hahaha
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I am posting in regards with what Koala Bear has said. And i quote:
“5. suggesting that it is OKAY, and in fact our RIGHT to build a jambatan bengkok to Singapore
6. deceive us into thinking that a modern Malaysia is all about Mega Projects (while it is still okay to have 3rd world mentality)
7. to declare Malaysia and Islamic State”
About number 5. It is our right to build a bridge on OUR land and OUR waterways. We in no way were planing to build on Singapore’s side. It was meant to be a ‘half bridge’ before it got stopped. Have you considered the economic benifits Johor would get if we had done it?
About number 6. This is merely called ambition. Something you may be unfamiliar with. It is the reason why some ‘malaysian foreigners’ study abroad. You muppets. If our founding father did not get exposed to the outside world, (he studied in the UK) do you think we would have gained independence in such a dignified manner?
About 7. Malaysia is an Islamic State. I am a Hindu of Sri Lankan ethnic origin an am proud to be a practicing Hindu in the Islamic State called Malaysia. There are many countries with ‘official religions’. There is no harm in this. The fact we are a Islamic state and people can practice very freely their own beliefs is an example to the rest of the world. So what if the country is an Islamic state? So what if the Bumis get priveledges. I know there is abuse to this, but you talk about poverty and how we need to eradicate this, aren’t Bumi’s the most hard up people in the counry? Look at the east coast of the peninsular. Look at the indigineos people in Sabah & Sarawak. (Yes they are Bumi’s too!).
I am not pro Mahathir, and i do have my criticisms to his records as well. But right now, to me he is a man trying to open fellow Malaysians eyes to possibilities. He is questioning the govnmt. Why are they always right in our eyes? Yes, his methods are questionable, but i think the intention is right.
One last thing, there will be people disagreeing with me, and I welcome this as a healthy thing, but please do not include my grammar and spelling mistakes as part of your argument. Trust me, you look like a muppet! I am typing fast and can’t be bothered to check what I have written. Don’t like it tough! Just argue the CASE!
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big w,
You have to understand the concept of an Islamic State. If Malaysia were or became an Islamic state, most of the goverment’s reasoning and policies would be wholely based on the Quran. Our day to day life and parliamentary rights would have to be in line with Islam. The issues of rape, theft, and other social ills have to be dealt the islamic way. Our constitution still stands(for now), and at the moment malaysia is still regarded as a secular state. Secularism is still practised in malaysia, to a certain extent.
However, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad made a unilateral, arbitrary and unconstitutional declaration on Sept. 29, 2001 that Malaysia was an Islamic State – the “929 Declaration� – which was endorsed by the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council the following month. We are indeed moving in a direction towards a true Islamic state(umno is pushing for it). The signs are there, with our prime minister stating that he would check wether certain policies were in line with islamic principles before approving them. Most notably on the issue of free distribution of needles to drug addicts.
Islamic state? not yet, not now
Secular state? fading (check out the case of lina joy)
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An Islamic state is not just about the freedom of practising one’s religion. Nor is it about the distribution of wealth to bumiputras.
error *parliamentary rights = parliamentary acts
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I would agree if you said malaysia is an islamic country were the majority are muslims….but an islamic state, not yet cuz we aint feeling the force of it.
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Some of you are speaking of fixing the leaking roof. The question I pose to you is “How do we fix it?”. And by “we”, I mean “we who fear our country’s future”. I do not speak on behalf of those who are already satisfied with what they have, nor do I speak on behalf of those who couldn’t be bothered.
So how do we fix it?
I myself do not know the answer to the question I ask. But what I do know is, there will never be a country where each and every one of its citizens is happy with its government. We became subjects the day we put someone else in charge to lead us.
Yes, our government has flaws but which government doesn’t? Our government has done good for us, why are we not bringing those up? Be thankful for what we have, and what other countries lack. It’s always too easy to point out the bad things, you have to look a little harder to find the good things.
Someone above commented that going overseas gives a different, if not, better perspective in fixing problems back home. Does going to a country who has less problems than us really help? You learn nothing except the course you are undertaking. The only thing you can do, is use your education, come back, and work for Malaysia. Yes, it might not fix the roof, but staying overseas definitely does not help.
For those who want a perfect life with a perfect country and a perfect government, you should go back to sleep and dream about it. Vincent is not living in an utopia, you all are.
P.S. I would greatly appreciate any personal attacks directed towards me.
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viv said:
“Someone above commented that going overseas gives a different, if not, better perspective in fixing problems back home. Does going to a country who has less problems than us really help? YOU LEARN NOTHING EXCEPT THE COURSE YOU ARE UNDERTAKING”
Some people like you choose to learn nothing(except the course you are undertaking).
Some people choose to learn and experience more than that.
Take Ghandi as an example, studied in britain, and went back to india to bring about change for a better society. Read up.
No use attacking you, i dont think anybody would.
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kar bui kun!!!
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OK. If indeed Malaysia is an Islamic State and Islam is the “official Religion”, this means that I, as a Malaysian, eventhough I am a non-Muslim, have a right to discuss and debate Islam.
But no. According to the powers that be, because I am a non-Muslim, I have no right to question issues regarding Islam. I shouldn’t interfere.
So, that means I am a second tier, second class citizen?
You see the impossibility and contradiction here?
As far as I am concerned, Malaysia is a secular state with secular laws with a secular government and secular ruling coalition.
The religion of the Federation is Islam, but that is of no consequence to me, a non-Muslim. The constitution provides some special provisions with regards to this (rulers being the guardians, syariah system etc), but that’s it.
It is only in Malaysia where people confuse terms and concepts:
e.g. Government forms:
Agama:
i. Islam
ii. Buddha
iii. Kristian
iv. Hindu
v. Sikhism
vi. dll tiada etc.
How about Taoism? To a lot of uninformed (either lazy or ignorant), Taoism = Buddha.
Then to some other people, Melayu = Islam = Bumiputera.
To others, Malaysia = Kerajaan = BN = UMNO.
You also have bangsa = kaum = agama.
Then you have those who don’t understand English and think that State = Negeri all the time, when in English the State refers to the government sometimes. (see how we are all being fooled by this “Islamic State” thing).
The point here: the Constitution has always said what it says. We have let opportunistic politicians putar-belit, change and interchange definitions to suit their conveniences to fool us.
Malaysia is a secular state.
Kita sudah Merdeka dari British. Tapi otak dan minda masih dijajah.
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Regarding the bridge, I will argue it from the side of practicality.
Suppose, indeed Malaysia DID have the RIGHT to build that bridge on our side WITHOUT Singapore’s AGREEMENT.
You talk about economic benefits:
1. Suppose the Jambatan Bengkok has one extra lane on each side. When they meet Singapore’s causeway, the lanes will have to merge. Where is the extra capacity? All I see is a bottle neck.
2. Even if Singapore widens their end of the Causeway, if our Immigration and Customs remain slow, there will be a hold up and traffic jam on the causeway. (First World Hardware, Third World Work Ethic).
3. Even if they widen the causeway/Jambatan Bengkok and increase lanes and efficiency at JB and Woodlands CIQ, how about the roads through JB? Another bottleneck?
I am not saying that it is not our right to do so. But I am saying it is stupid to go ahead while Singapore doesn’t. I want a new (complete and straight) bridge to Singapore.
I am not disputing our right to do so. You know, we have the right to change our road systems from driving on the left side of the road to the left, no? We also have the right to stop trading in the US dollar, no? We can also drop the Roman alphabet and use Jawi, no? We have the right to stop using the metric system and resume using kati, depa, hasta etc.
But should we? There are probably some benefits from driving on the right hand side of the road. And the same with avoiding the US dollar. etc. But as long as our neighbours and trading partners don’t, we will be only hurting ourselves.
No body is saying tak boleh. It’s just that when we have this arrogant attitude of an unconditional Malaysia Boleh, we are only shooting ourselves.
Mahathir talks about sovereignity as if it is all about sand and airspace. We sell sand to Singapore so that they can reclaim more land. And they build factories and research institutes on those reclaimed land. But who works in those factories? Malaysians.
We let Malacca reclaim land. If you head to Malacca, head to Pulau Melaka and see what a Satu Lagi Projek Terbengkalai Kerajaan Barisan Nasional looks like. Look at that wasteland eyesore and massive environmental destruction.
And they say that knocking down the causeway will improve the environmental condition of the Tebrau Straits.
You want to talk about economic development? How about eradicating corruption first and opening up the tender for all these projects? How about housing all the poor first? How about ensuring a clean water supply into our homes?
How about taking some time to learn how Singapore has gone ahead of us? How about letting trade and investment between both countries increase? (look at this Singapore-bashing Pantai-Parkway thing). How about Singapore letting AirAsia fly into Changi and Tiger Air into KLIA?
Mahathir is a bitter old man who is angry that the people are now more sophisticated. No need to have biggest, longest, tallest, fastest.
Meanwhile Badawi is a cakap tak serupa bikin man. Spineless. But at least I can see him trying (very poorly).
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Ambition? This reminds me of the story of Mat Jenin.
http://w3.spancity.com/yosri/HikayatMatJenin.htm
I hope we are not Mat Jenin.
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Wai Seng, Thanks for sharing your “Fears”. Well expressed and written, for some of those fears do pass my thoughts at one time or another.
Let’s stop bashing one another whether you enjoyed what Wai Seng wrote or just thought it was utter nonsense in your opinion.
Let’s face facts, Malaysia is going through trying times. We must not totally lose faith yet not be complacent. what you and i can do is; whether abroad or in Malaysia, to stand together, voice out and act together against daily injustices, corruption, racism and whatever other fears that we may have as well as uphold the equal rights of everyone born in our beloved Malaysia.
I pray for a better Malaysia. Those who think Malaysia is perfectly fine is living in denial and self deception.
Just sharing my 2 cents.
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Our founding fathers decided that the best way to gain independence was to form a coalition made up of the many ethnically divided parties . At that time , it was probably the best thing to do because those were desperate times where suspicion was rampant in the minds of many Malaysians who had lived trough Japanese occupation ,constant deceit of the British , and the ever present threat of the Communist rebels…the sensible choice to trust would be your own ethnic group as they shared the same culture and belief system as you did . Since everyone would vote for the party that was supposed to look out for thier best interest , uniting the ethnically based parties was a sure fire way to get plenty of support and maintain stability for the crutial early years of our then fledgeling nation .
Fast forward 49 years of progress , peace and relative harmony . Our nation faces a different sort of challenge now . Our leaders given a mandate by the people have set out to achieve a target of being a fully developed nation by the year 2020 . A first world nation if possible . 14 years to go , and some people are saying that we might not achieve it for varying reasons . The present regime has decided to address an issue that no previous regime had tought was important (sometimes purpously stamped out )….the development of the peoples mind set .
Pak Lah’s comment about Malaysia having a first world infrastructure with a 3rd world mentality was a very honest statement from a man who really cares for his country . We are very fond of mega projects and new ventures , but what about maintaining these ventures and projects after they are completed . Everywhere you look , from deplorable public toilets to vandalised public telephones to inefficient public transport… all the way up to missmanaged airline and national car companies . How can we get Malaysians to change thier mind-set and become more responsible and proud of thier jobs ? How about we take a look at some of the countries that have made the transition from developing nation to full blown developed nations …the kind of nations that the former regime encouraged us to emulate…”pandang timur”.
As always , when you think of 1st world Asia …the first country that pops into everyone is the land of the rising sun . Japan , a nation which lost so much after being heavily defeated in world war 2 has made such overwhelming progress in such a short time to become the economic power that they are today . A lot of this is down to thier peoples willingness to do everything in thier power to ensure that Japan reached thier target of “Nippon Ichiban” (Japan #1) . A more recent example would be South Korea , how thier big companies have taken off and the boom in thier economic growth is quite impressive .
How were these nations able to acheive such impressive development when they started in more or less simmilar circumstances as we did ? To me , that reason is quite apparent …national integration . For one thing , the peoples of these 2 countries saw themselves as japanese and koreans first before anything else . If they were unable to perform well , they would bring shame to themselves and thier countrymen …something that was very unacceptable. Now it may be argued that the reason these people were able to get along so easily with thier fellow countrymen was because of thier ethnic homogenity , but i think that after 49 years of independence ….most malaysians should be able to view each other as members of the same “tribe”.
Proper intergration instead of just mere tolerance would do wonders for the progress of our nation . A few months back , the results of a survey were published in a newspaper…it was highly disapointing to read that many Malaysians saw themselves as a member of thier own ethnic group first then only as a Malaysian (one rather interesting result…the malaysian indians saw themselves as malaysian first as opposed to malays who saw themselves as malays first) . When asked to talk about members of other ethnic communities in Malaysia , some of the comments made and results produced were rather poignant . How can we expect to work together to improve our country if all we see in the work place is a “lazy malay” , a “greedy chinese” , or a “untrustworthy indian” ( is it a good thing or a bad thing that the other ethinic groups such as the kadazan dusuns or melanaus are not even mentioned here? ).
The ultimate goal would be to someday achieve a political system which was divided not on an ethnic basis , but on an ideological bassis . Where the charter of Gerakan and DAP would not be associated with the religous frevor of PAS . Only then can the will of the people truly be fulfilled . As members of a more enlightened Malaysia , the best way we can help our nations is to first change this perception of ethnicity before nationality . Dont just mingle with members of your own ethnic group , get to know your fellow Malaysian …you would be pleasently surprised by how much you have in common ( cause in the end, were all Malaysians) . Lets break the shackles of ethnic stereotyping for the betterment of our nation . Hopefully , our generation can leave behind a positive legacy showin that muhibbah is not just a word we use to look good in the worlds eye and attract tourists . Honestly , this would be the first and most pivotal step in irradicating all your fears wong wai seng .
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great. now we have “we are more Malaysians than you” group.
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I would reply, esp about the bridge, as I was mainly referring towards economic benifits, but i really see this is going nowhere and becoming a tad bit pointless. Alas, there is nothing left to say but a fabulous article by the author, as an article that can draw such a huge and complex string of thoughts after it, can only mean one thing. Well done again to the author. Till we meet again in another discussion! -Big W.
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no, really, what are the economic benefits of the bridge? I want to know. I think everyone wants to know.
It’s not pointless.
If not here, please do so elsewhere and let us know.
Every Malaysian deserves to know.
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One of the economic benefits of da ‘crooked’ bridge would be M’sia would take over the entrepot status of Singapore as ships are able to pass thru Tebrau Strait instead of going around S’pore, and i think that would be the main reason why M’sia proposed dat project.
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What does ships being able to pass Tebrau Straits have to do with turning the Johore Ports - Tg Pelepas / Pasir Gudang / Senai - into an entreport?
If the crooked bridge is built, the space for ships to pass through will be very narrow. In fact the railway bridge will have to be swung open everytime a ship wishes to pass.
And with it being so narrow, how many big ships will be able to pass through? Take a look at Google Earth / Maps and see how narrow and windy the Tebrau Straits are.
How much time/distance will be shaved by ships avoiding the south of Singapore then?
Look at the maps again and you will find Tg Pelepas Port a few miles West of the Second Link.
Compare its position with that of other Singapore Ports (Jurong or Keppel and others). Tg Pelepas is in a position almost as good as Singapore’s. It is almost next to the open sea.
What the government ought to do (and from what I’ve been reading, they are planning to), if it really wants to be a competitive entreport is to develop the land links in Johor properly. Connect all the rail/road/seaports properly with good roads.
Singapore Port isn’t just great because of its size and position. It is also great because of the many supporting manufacturing and processing industries nearby. We should develop it in the area of SW Johor.
Why do Malaysian and so many other freight movers avoid Malaysian ports?
Because of our inefficient Customs.
Because moving goods through Singapore is cheaper, less risky and faster. No need to bribe officers. No tea breaks every 2 hours. Singapore Port workers (probably mainly Malaysian anyway) are much more well paid and motivated.
Think about it properly, what difference does it make for ships to stop in Port Klang, Tg Pelepas or Singapore? Either way, they have to turn the ship around the peninsula. They all aren’t very far apart. If ships do want to stop, they will stop, and they choose one that is best for them.
They choose their stop based on things like the business/political climate, how fast the port clears, how expensive are the services, how corrupt and inefficient the customs are, how close they are to industries and distribution channels.
I don’t think the option of just saving 10 miles, while having to undergo a lot of other costs is good enough.
We need more than just hardwared to become World Class. Mahathir is telling us that hardware is all we need to be that.
Mahathir promised that with infrastructure like the Twin Towers, MEASAT, KL Tower, KLIA, Cyberjaya and Putrajaya, we can beat our regional competitors.
No doubt, with these, we are better off. But we are still not good enough.
Bangkok and Changi Airports are still busier than and preferred to ours. Telekom Malaysia is not the number 1 telecoms provider in SEA. Singapore has no Cyberjaya, but their broadband is broader and the island is more intelligent.
Singapore doesn’t have any petroleum resources of its own. Yet it has more petroleum refining capacity than Malaysia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oil_refineries
Do you think ExxonMobil/Shell simply decided to choose to refine more oil in Singapore than in PD/Malacca for silly reasons?
Putrajaya and Cyberjaya have relieved some congestion in the smaller Klang Valley. But people (without cars) still find it very difficult to get around those two townships.
I am no sympathiser of Badawi. His (and his administrations’) handling of the crooked bridge was horrible.
But Mahathir’s case for the second bridge (economic development and environment) is an unintelligent and very costly one.
Besides if we cut a hole in the causeway and build a jambatang bengkok, there’s nothing to stop Singapore from building another port north of their Island.
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In [the] future, there won’t be just one or two bridges between Malaysia and Singapore. There will be lots.
Abdullah Badawi, Building bridges with Singapore, The Edge Malaysia, 11 September 2006.
Who is the more forward looking leader? Definitely not Mahathir.
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yes ..we have fears..all of us..
yes..we have problems..
but
no..we are not stupid
why?
because we malaysians are not as emotional as other countries that were setup into gear of modernisation when we were a mere toddler of a country..and then lose themselves in fears such as these..
and now, we have surpassed them beyond anybody’s expectations..
what do i mean?
check what happened to “them”!!
what happen when they let fear rule?
a third party will benifit!! thats what!!
we can start racial tension again and again and again..look around u..
how many countries is stucked in the “loop”? east timor? the latin americans? the afrikans? and the middle-easterns?
we r better than that, we dont let fear rule us..do we?
make a change, start with the man in the mirror.
im a malay girl, yes i wish i could “henyak” all my peers and make them see how much “we” need to change..
change is slow..
anger is faster..
anger leads to..?
weve had great progress,we have slow progress, we had recessions, oh and we had profound leaders, we had corropted leaders, we had a racial unrest, and the now somewhat racial harmony, we have been thru a lot..
we can achieve many more good and bad things in the future..
but we dont want any more wars..
we dont want to be stucked in the loop..
we dont want to be played againts each other..
we are better than that..
yet we have problems..
so how??
start within!!!
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Ah, to be abroad and then said to not possess the rights as any other Malaysian? Fie. Third world mentality at its worst. I feel very strongly against this.
Nicholas, I must say I agree with your views.
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Dear Wong Wai Seng,
If you want to bring up racial stigma, I’ll tell you how it is. If anything, being a Malay is probably worse in this country which is run by private companies full of CHINESE people. And you know what’s worse? The GOVERNMENT is the one funding and giving contracts to these private industries. The government is selling out MY people for an extra bit of cash. Just look at the publications and media. Even SHOPS are hiring ‘Female Chinese Only’. So shut your gap about being scared.
Note: This comment has been edited to remove any content which is unrelated to the article.
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The moderator must be brainless to approve of comments by Aku Anak Melayu. It’s dividing Malaysians even further. The chinese dont appreciate such extremist. I think nobody does. Hopefully the moderator will have some cow sense to delete the comment before this site becomes a medium to voice out hate towards other races, like Malaysia Today.
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Dear all,
We here at theCICAK have decided to let Aku Anak Melayu’s comments get through because we feel it’s really important to let all sides of the debate have their say. While some of us may not agree with his/her comments, it is nonetheless an opinion which he/she has, and one which deserves to be heard.
We aim to be a nonpartisan site, and as such we want to ensure that there is as little bias as possible in which comments get approved.
If you disagree with Aku Anak Melayu’s comments, please rebut him as you see fit, keeping in mind our website’s policies, which can be found at http://www.thecicak.com/?page_id=9.
Thanks for continuing to visit our site.
-The editorial team of theCICAK.com
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Let anybody say what they want.
For example, let Mahathir shout all he wants, to prove how silly his points are.
Let is also be shown that Khairy can “defend his race” but Lee Kuan Yew cannot.
Let AAM say anything. After all, this only goes to prove Wai Seng’s idea that:
I fear the collective paranoia besieging all sides, as a standoff has been created by differing viewpoints on religion and religious freedom.
I fear I am no longer allowed to speak my mind, even online.
I fear how some Malaysians are so intolerant of diversity. When will they turn to violent means to shut us up?
I fear things may escalate out of control, where hatred blinds my fellow Malaysians, who are divided along racial and religious lines. The gap widens between the rich and the poor. My fellow Malaysians seem to tolerate – if not accept – the lame rhetoric of our leaders. There is distrust, stereotyping, discrimination and shortsightedness.
Let wisdom prevail and let shallow ideas contradict and self-destruct.
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People…People…People
Comments are there for constructive debate, not emotional outpours.
True, things could be better here, but they could also be a lot worse. I don’t have to describe it to you, im sure you can imagine.
Its perfectly normal for every community to feel threatened by the other. Thats what racial segregation does to you.
So rather than be divided over some two-bit, washed-up whiny rant which by the way, was Obviously intended for personal purposes and not for public consumption.
We all have our personal gripes. So what. If i don’t like coffee are you going to argue with me over that?
So come now, let us do the right thing and please stop commenting on this article. There are a lot more important things out there than let this drag into a ‘racial thing’…bleah!
Besides, there are a lot of other better articles on theCicak anyway.
think rationally people…
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Finally, the voice of reason in this racially-slanted wilderness. One up for you, pragmatist.
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i think..someone wise once said, only when we can take a step back, look at the big picture, only can we appreciate the small details.
wai seng’s fear of not being able to express himself, even online is seemingly realistic, no, judging by the harsh protests and criticisms he receive? and in my very humble opinion, some seemingly undeserved as it is.
with fear comes a desire to unfear…to fight it, to win it. to do something about it. with fear comes hope. how are society so blinded they do not deign to acknowledge deep inside, malaysia is troubled?
that the government binds and blindfolds are tight and painful? to appreciate that the information we’re fed came from them, and what this means?
we’re all born here. we all have rights to voice ourselves. why paint a pretty picture and cover the cracks as they appear? why not strip it down, carefully, slowly, to fix its foundation?
i fear for malaysia. i fear for her future. i fear for all of us. but i know, i trust, i hope we can at least say what we what, and agree to disagree, without getting bashed up.
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I fear for Malaysians who are always eveready to condemn the land, the only land they can ever belong too.Where the grass is always greener of the other side my friends, we will never belong on the other side. However the riches and developments of foreign countries you hold superior and condemn Malaysia for not being at par, i fear you may not understand the reality of NEVER belonging to them. Yes we have poor friends, some of whom have only a pair of uniform to be worn to school, yes they may have to take the boat to school or walk for miles to get there, yes we may have the homeless struggling to survive each day as it comes, yes we may not have the riches or luxury that seems to be common right in the foreign lands. But my dear friends who claim to be Malaysians, there will always be poverty, crime,hunger and pain in ANY country. But relative to many countries around the world, please be thankful and realise that what you speak about the current state of the nation is mere exaggeration that is not well thought of. It is the cry of a child that has not been exposed to exploring his thoughts and analyse them well enough to form an opinion. What i fear most is what you call fear of being ostracized for the colour of your skin. When was the last time you saw a lynch mob here in Malaysia??? Try…NEVER!!! The state of emergency you seem to be insinuating in your so called cry of fear is non-existent. We are not shot on the streets for being of a certain race, we are all free to move about and carry on with life as we choose. Leaders of developed nations are even looking for pointers on racial harmony as we have been living together for ages now.As for the education part, yes i know you are talking about the quota system, but my dear friends aren’t you aware of the opportunities available to all Malaysians? There are countless universities and colleges for tertiary education available for enrolment to ANY Malaysian. It is people like yourself that i fear for in my Malaysia, people who are afraid and have no sense of belonging and gratitude to the country that will cause chaos.
The widening gap between the rich and the poor? There is almost no gap! Housing developments are mushrooming througout the country. Apartments and condominiums at every corner!A very large percentage of Malaysians can afford this housing. If you want to talk about the gap, I urge you to understand what it is you are talking about. With reference to underdeveloped countries where the gap is actually evident, you will see the rich as being really really really rich with humongous mansions and the poor being really really really poor, houses without rooftops or walls..Where they have to walk miles and miles to the city to fetch pails of water because there is no plumbing in their area.This is the situation evident in countries missing the intermediate between teh rich and the poor i.e. the middle class.
All in all, I fear for Malaysians who are not able to understand the comforts we live in as they have not seen real suffering and hold western countries on a pedestal not realizing that they have had a head start to get where they are today.
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I dislike the mentality Malaysians have towards the ones who have gone abroad. Being here, going through the daily bull, is that your way of ‘fixing the leaking roof’? How noble of you then. It rarely makes a difference because as much as we are complaining, what are you doing to SOLVE the matter?
The ignorance instilled in the youth is undeniable. Yet not all of them are hopeless. Improve the education system, that is vital.
PS: Personally, I find that Mahathir was a great contributor because things that are beneficial to the country actually HAPPENS. Now, with Pak Lah, I daresay I don’t see much of that maybe because he has only been PM for a few years. Anyhow, the chaotic mess our goverment worries me.
I am 17, I fear of Malaysia’s future. I fear being left in a country that might get stuck in a rut. I fear of my future and the future of many others.
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