Tuesday, April 03, 2007

The Sun 03.04.07: Govt denies RM3m allocations for Umno division chiefs

Lim had asked why there was a RM3 million allocation for every Umno division (parliamentary constituency) which was meant to enrich the respective Umno heads.

He also asked why the RM600 million was allocated without parliamentary approval.

The RM600 allocation was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the eve of last November’s Umno annual general meeting and the RM600 million was disbursed by the Finance Ministry on Dec 22.

Awang Adek said the allocations were channeled to the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department and disbursed to the federal development departments and state development offices.


The way the issue was explained shows that the government does not care for anyone and does not give a damn what we think. They trespess in broad daylight and walk the earth with arrogance.

We will have to show them the way out! We do not need arrogant politicians running the country as if this is their sovereign right!

Time to change!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Asrul Zamani said...
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Anonymous said...

hi asrul,
thiru here your former classmate . Hope you remember me .i have been surfing MT , noticed a lot of your comments n was just wandering whether it was you.
drthiru71@yahoo.com. drop a line will call you than

Anonymous said...

My uncle left Malaysia in the 1970s. He graduated from MIT and did his PhD in Yale on computer science. I dare say, that was when computer science era just starting.

He was a very patriotic man, a scout graduated from Royal Military College. He came back to Malaysia after his PhD to serve this country. Looked for a job in University Malaya. They told him point blank, we have openings, but it is only for bumi.

He left for greener pastures in United States. Has been a US citizen for a few decades now. He has contributed widely to the field of computer science and is still doing so.

He never forgave Malaysia for turning their backs to him. And I guess he never will.

Anonymous said...

In very recent times, the starting date for the study of Malaysia history in the schools has been conveniently fixed around 1400 CE. It probably coincides with the founding of the Sultanate of Malacca by Parameswara.

Today, Malaysia school children only learn a little bit about the early Proto malays and then are conveniently taken on a historical quantum leap to the founding of Malacca.

Early Indian works speak of a fantastically wealthy place called Savarnadvipa, which meant "land of gold". This mystical place was said to lie far away, and legend holds that this was probably the most valid reason why the first Indians ventured across the Bay of Bengal and arrived in Kedah around 100 BC.

Apart from trade, the early Indians brought a pervasive culture, with Hinduism and Buddhism sweeping through the Indo-Chinese and malay archipelago lands bringing temples and Indian cultural traditions. The local chiefs began to refer to themselves as "rajahs" and also integrated what they considered the best of Indian governmental traditions with the existing structure.

I learnt Malaysia history in the 1950s and taught it in the 1960s and 1970s in secondary schools. All the history textbooks at the time had the early Indian connection specifically mentioned in them. Teachers of that period taught about the early Indianised kingdoms of Langkasuka, Srivijaya and Majapahit that existed from as early as 100 CE.

Anyone can see that Parameswara, the founder of Malacca, has a clearly give away name that points to the Indian/Hindu influence. No one can deny this, and all our children need to know about this. They have the fundamental right to learn about this aspect of our history too.

Why don't our children learn about these early Indian connections today? It needs mention here that this early Indian connection has nothing to do with the much later cheap Indian "coolie" labour influx that the British brought over to man the railways and plantations of Malaysia from the late 19th century onwards.

The malay language as we know it today is already fully impregnated and enriched with many foreign words. This is good. Malay therefore has been a bahasa rojak from early times itself.

Rojak itself (and also cendul) is a Malaysia food developed by an Indian Malayalee Muslim community known as the Malabaris who hailed from Kerala. They were also referred to as kakas. We now wrongly credit the Penang mamaks for this great food.

The very word "Melayu" itself is most probably of Indian origin from the words "Malai Ur", which means land of mountains in Tamil. Singapur, Nagapur and Indrapur are very common Indian names that have similar backgrounds.

The early Indians were probably inspired by the main mountain range that looks like a backbone for the malay peninsula and thus named it Malaiur. The word "Malai" is undoubtedly Indian in origin as is the case with the word Himalayas and we all know where it is situated.

Many malay words, from describing malay royalty (Seri, Raja, Maha, etc) and common everyday terms (suami, kerana, dunia, cuma, bakti), all have Indian connections. The undeniable Indian connection in the word Indonesia is also reflected in the name itself.

The Indian factor that influences even the prevailing malay culture in terms of music, food, dress and certain other everyday practices like betel chewing and bersanding is another thing over which a loud hush prevails. Why?

Such knowledge of the roots of this great country, be they Indian, Chinese, Arab or whatever, can indeed very strongly facilitate the ongoing efforts of the government to make our children think of themselves as Bangsa Malaysia more easily and more readily.

Anonymous said...

Come next election, most decisive or important votes will still come from the Chinese, which will be significantly less if those work in overseas and Singapore didn't come back and vote, plus the usual who hope their lives will be taken care of other voters and think there is no need to vote.

The Chinese who voted will be split among Gerakan, MCA, DAP. Between the three, Gerakan and MCA always seem to be a safer choice, God knows why. Try talk politics with your fellow family, friends, colleagues, you will be quite surprise how ignorance many people can be.

Many had given up hopes that things will change in Malaysia. If next election, opposition failed to make any significant gains, then is time to think about emigration.

Anonymous said...

It is the racial division in all facets of the government's racially based policies that has led, and unfortunately, is still forcing non-malay Malaysians to head to overseas for better opportunities in all fields.

I left Malaysia about 20 years ago. I left not because the economy was in a bad shape. It was in a good shape! In fact, I would have done better if I had stayed behind. I left because I was fed up with the divisive racial-based policies of the government that I experienced since as long as I could remember. And I felt there was no way I could change the system.

When I was in lower secondary at a government-aided school, I was wondering why only the Chinese pupils had to buy textbooks and pay the monthly school fees. Some others had it all free. I didn't know the rationale then but could only envy them.

Later on, I was surprised when two malay classmates were selected to proceed to do the then Higher School Certificate (Form Six then) though I had far superior academic results than both of them. I missed the selection.

Every Monday morning we stood shoulder to shoulder at the school assembly and sung the same national anthem with the same gusto and yet we were treated differently. Again, I couldn't understand all that.

I had at great expense to my parents, to do my HSC at a private college before embarking on my tertiary education overseas (you guessed it right - I was rejected by the local universities).

Upon my return, I found to my great disappointment that nothing had changed and that the malay and non-malay concept was still firmly entrenched in all aspects of government policies.

I didn't want my children to compete in such an unfair environment. I wanted them to have 'a fair go' especially in education. For this reason, I left Malaysia. This was the same reason that drove so many well-educated, multi-skilled non-malay Malaysians to leave.

Malaysia simply can't afford to lose so many highly educated, highly skilled non-malays. Other countries will only be too happy to welcome them. Just imagine the benefits they stand to gain without having to outlay any costs to train them.

If Malaysia is to survive competitively at the international level, it has to seriously reassess its racially motivated policies. The polices have failed to uplift the well-being of the malays with the exception of the well-connected elite group.

Admission to all local tertiary courses, the appointments to public office, the tendering of contracts etc, have to be based solely on merit not along racial lines. Public scholarship to higher studies should be likewise too.

Malaysia's future is at stake.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes when someone reads about the statements or replies by the Malaysia government ministers, one feels ashamed of them, knowing that foreign correspondents would also be observing them.

One just wonder how come majority of the government ministers or their subordinates just could not show themselves with depth in their words and thoughts!

Their mentality is just so shallow as always reflected in their talks.

Is it because they do lack reading and gaining knowledge and information? But then they are the ones who keeping telling the public to read and read? They don't? Too busy politicking on trivial? What a pity?

Or that they are too busy over personal interest? Or are they just of mediocre intelligence up there, but good in drawing support by being able to be able to talk mediocrity?

Can the nation draws on them to prod on to the national vision?

It is anybody's guess. Your guess is just as good as my guess. Just hope and guess the good things will come one fine day.

Something is seriously and definitely lacking in the government ministers, selection? Is there a dearth of quality leaders in Malaysia politics to be selected?

Something drastic must be done to rectify the current situation in the country. Many so-called leaders in Malaysia are still shackled in their perceived medieval mentality based false premises.

Anonymous said...

Malaysia only hits the world's headlines when something goes wrong.

Nothing unusual there. Malaysia is regarded as a rogue state and whenever Malaysia is mentioned, it is always alongside countries which are corrupt and backward.

More recently, also a hotbed or a haven for radical Islam.

Anonymous said...

If we read the Malaysia Federal Constitution of 1957, we will not find the word "bumiputera" - hence some would say the origin of the word is grounded in the political agenda of some politicians to discriminate against citizens not of malay ethnicity.

In short there is no constitutional legitimacy in the use of the term "bumiputera" except for its purpose which is to discriminate for the sake of discriminating.

Some fifty years after independence from the British, the demographic profile of its population has changed. Most of the Chinese/Indians today are no longer foreign born, and through the principle of "jus soli" (Latin meaning "right of the soil") are citizens by birth.

The word "bumiputera" (Sanskrit meaning "son of the soil") which came into popular use after the riots of 1969, is a convenient term not grounded in the science of anthropology but in the politics of race - in other words its use is a convenient invention by malay politicians and malay leaders to justify the policies of Umno which dominated the ruling alliance, which came to be known as the New Economic Policy (NEP).

It could have been called "The Great Affirmative Action Policy" but the architects of the NEP are visionary leaders whose motives go beyond affirmative action.

It is not a coincidence that post-1969 saw the rise of business oriented leaders in Umno and the political demise of the malay school teachers whose hold over power in the party suffered a setback. The labeling is important as events many years later are to demonstrate to us that more is envisaged rather than just affirmative action.

Let there only be one class or let Malaysia be a nation of the "classless". Malaysians do not need a caste system like we find in India.

Enough is enough. The word "bumiputera" creates a class of Malaysians based not on ethnicity but on some dubious criteria with religion factored into it.

It is conceptualized for the convenience of policy makers who rode on the wave of malay nationalism unleashed after May 13, 1969 to maintain their position of power and influence.

The faster we do away with the word "bumiputera" the better it will be. The use of the term "bumiputera" post-1969, I submit, has less to do with affirmative actions but more to do with politicians who see in it the opportunity to maintain their hold over power.

It is time power be handed over to a fresh breed of Malaysians who think less in terms of Malay, Indian and Chinese or "bumiputera" and "non-bumiputera" but more in terms of Malaysians of different ethnic descent.

But let us not lose our perspective. The United States has been independent for more than 200 years but is still today struggling with racism. Malaysia is still politically a toddler learning to walk. Success is about what happens when we fall rather than in the walking.

Anonymous said...

In an inspiring documentary produced by Discovery Channel tracing the origins of the human 'Eve', archeologist Dr Majid established that the present-day Negritos are the descendants of the earliest human migrants from coastal Africa. This is based on mitochondria DNA as well as material history.

Does this mean that the Negritos, being the first inhabitants of a geographic space that is now known as Malaysia, are the real 'Bumis'?

Historians would have us believe that a second wave of migration from the Asian mainland saw the displacement of the Negritos by another group, also known as the Proto-malays. Today, we do not distinguish between the two groups and collectively call them all Orang Asli - the original peoples.

Since this is a malay term and not a neo-colonialist construction, it simply means that the malays themselves acknowledge that they are not the original peoples as they had encountered the Orang Asli on their arrival in the malay Peninsula and differentiated themselves from this first two groups.

Present-day malays, constituting a third wave, came much later, hence the term Deutro-malays. This means that successive waves of migrations have left sediments of beliefs, culture and linguistic imprints here in Malaysia. But because of the coherence of malay culture, the whole region came to be known as the malay world or 'Alam melayu'.

This world was at the crossroads of international trade and the malays were active participants of this exchange of goods and services. Their world was open-minded, plural and tolerant. From animism, to Buddhism-Hindu and latterly Islam, the malay world was open to foreign influences.

Without any doubt, the Chinese and the Indians have been welcome here for many centuries. Some traded, married local women and established long-standing ties with the malays. Some of these 'Peranakan' communities have been living in modern-day Malaysia far longer than some Indonesian communities.

But to the malays, Indonesians of all shades whether Batak, Javanese or Mandailing are of the same root. They are not seen as immigrants although with the rising rate of crime in Malaysia and its attribution to Indonesian migrant workers, this view may soon change.

There is no question about this underlying malay cultural context to modern Malaysia and Indonesia. The latter maybe a bit different due to the great influence of the Javanese but is essentially part of the malay world. With the emergence of the nation state, we have to define what is Malaysian.

In the case of the latter, we have failed to achieve a consensus. If the divide between the bumi and non-bumi is to be enshrined as part of the national identity, then there is no such thing as 'Malaysian'. If a Malaysian is anyone with a Malaysian passport, then there needs to be equality among the ethnic groups.

The real challenge is to think out of this box. Does it really matter if one's ancestor came from China, India or Indonesia? What really matters is the commitment to Malaysia and loyalty to the state, our imagined community.

Anonymous said...

From those who already exited ~ Good riddance to bad BN governance.

At that time - Good people emigrated. Bad rubbish stayed to rubbish the country. Imagine if more good people emigrate. The country will become a rubbish dump.

The criminals had achieved their objectives to drive away, not only decent, good, hardworking and talented people, but also foreign investors and tourists which the country rely upon to create job and wealth.

This is entirely true. Most of the Chinese professionals I know are selling their businesses and properties in preparation of the big exodus. It may happen next year or after 2008 depending on the results of the next election. The decision would be easy - if Badawi stays, we go. Period.

A time when Malaysians make their exit, we have scores of illegal immigrants coming in and getting easy PR. Conclusion, a truly half past six country in the making. Bunch of traitors selling their country for a fast gain.

Countries that attract and retain the most talented people prosper and surge ahead in the economic race. The losing ones grounded bitterly and blame everyone else except themselves. Sad to say, we are in the later category.

From being better than Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and many more, we are now nowhere near these countries level. Notice our sub-standard leaders now only compare Malaysia to developing countries? Looks like very soon we cannot even compare to a country like Vietnam.

What losing means to ordinary Malaysians? We have to pay much higher proportion of our income for almost everything; food, petrol, toll, etc. That is reality! Not a state of mind.

People emigrate for numerous reasons under various categories for emigration - business, family reunion, skills including chef and plumber, and etc.

The present circumstances are mainly due to criminals inciting hatred and violence, racial and religious intolerance, and the lost of confidence and trust in the government to promptly tackle gross abuses and excesses, rampant corruption and turn the country around.

The fact that people emigrate for the above reasons speaks volume of the government failure to take proper care of the country and its decent and hardworking ordinary people.

Malaysia is indeed a hopeless nation, I would be glad if Malaya is to continue under the British rule. This leader of us is really pushing the country down day by day, you could read in the news that (looting) and I have never heard of this when we were ruled by the British.

I am going to hand over my blue IC today, is a shame to hold one.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish" indeed, but I believe it is the exodus groups who will be saying it to the lame government!

A Voice said...

Another case of pak lah lying.