Shangri La :-Gross National Happiness Economy

 

Recent Malaysia Budget 2012 is basically a continuation of the practice over the past few years; Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak pledged to boost help for the poor to cushion the impact of inflation by promising it'll reduce the impact of rising costs on Malaysians.

The generosity of the Government reminds me of Bhutan, gross national happiness (GNH). In Bhutan, the economic challenge is not growth in gross national product, but in gross national happiness (GNH).

Bhutan's rugged geography fostered the rise of a hardy population of farmers and herdsmen, and helped to foster a strong Buddhist culture, closely connected in history with Tibet. The population is sparse, roughly 700,000 people on a territory the size of The Netherlands, with agricultural communities nestled in deep valleys and a few herdsmen in the high mountains.

Bhutan's economy of agriculture and monastic life remained self-sufficient, poor, and isolated until recent decades, when a series of remarkable monarchs began to guide the country towards technological modernisation (roads, power, modern healthcare and education), international trade (notably with neighbouring India) and political democracy.

Part of Bhutan's GNH revolves around meeting basic needs: improved healthcare, reduced maternal and child mortality, greater educational attainment and better infrastructure, especially electricity, water and sanitation.

This focus on material improvement aimed at meeting basic needs makes sense for a country at Bhutan's relatively low income level. For the world's poorest countries, their biggest and most compelling challenge is to meet citizens' basic needs.

Bhutan has many things going its way. It will be able to increase exports of clean, run-of-the-river hydropower to India, thereby earning foreign exchange in a manner that is sustainable and that can fill government coffers to fund education, health care, and infrastructure.

The country is also intent on ensuring that the benefits of growth reach all, regardless of region or income. The key for Bhutan is to regard GNH as an enduring quest, rather than as a simple checklist.

How about Malaysia?

Malaysia too adapted to gross national happiness in their budget allocation since it is a people-friendly budget, which is to look after the people's welfare. However, something is still missing in the completely people-friendly and politically correct budget. I feel that Budget 2012 fails to address and solve core national issues.

Malaysia is a country whose public policies are those that reward inclusion. We promise free education and universal health coverage and we subsidise a number of important goods. I think we in right track, however I believe it’s important for the government to create opportunity where none had existed before and to help those who otherwise cannot help themselves.

Patently,  Malaysia’s national budget every year are the permanent dole system that the civil service has since become, the welfare state system enjoyed by a privileged few from womb to tomb, the subsidy syndrome, the dependency syndrome. It is a “Spoon Fed” budget.

The formula of spending more and more stimulus measures to boost the economy could no longer work. The budget presentation is like injecting a booster. This means every time a booster is injected, like a drug; people start to crave more and more until they cannot stop. When government don't give, People start doing violent things. If you put it in the way of not giving the drug to the person who has been addicted to it, you would see the strange behaviour of a subject involved.

When the administrative expenses keep increasing, the management cost will increase year by year after pay rise for civil servants. How could the national economy prosper when management cost is compressing the cost of development?

We have to relook at the Budget snapshots and ask whether if it will help people in long term. There's absolutely none that addresses the reforms and provides outlines of long term problem solving.

Despite having the potential to become an economic powerhouse, Malaysia would face overwhelming challenges if the country did not upgrade human capital as well as strengthen governance and institutional capacity.

Firstly, it does not carry out the direction and principles of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), which is set to turn the country into a high-income economy. How are we going to achieve the goal if only assistance is given to reduce burden without trying to solve the root cause.

The government should adopt the concept of “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”

And I hope these plans are well enough promoted so that all people will understand the opportunities before them. As for those who still want to be given fish, I suggest that they go on a diet.

Note: - Thinking staying in Shangri La Hotel in pursue of Happyness

Back to the Future

History is littered with those who made great discoveries; performed great deeds or just changed the World, but whose names do not crop up in the ordinary course of education and learning.

Why might this be? Did they break with convention? Did they offend the establishment? Did they not fit the paradigm? Possibly all of those things

The recent controversy over PAS Deputy President Mat Sabu’s statement on the Bukit Kepong incident dominated this year’s Syawal. Regarding Mat Sabu’s comments, it has to be said that historiography aside, it is only just to argue that all those who fought for our Independence should be acknowledged.

Winston Churchill once said that “history is written by the victors”. In the case of Malaysia, it is not just history but also contemporary news that is written and orchestrated by those in power.There was no escape from history and bizarre opinions from people who really should know better.But that should be left to the historians. Politicians should focus on the present and the future. Malaysia is facing enormous challenges in an uncertain time. Surely we ought to be working on how we are to face these challenges than debating historical technicalities?

It is crucial to note that the struggle for independence was not a singular effort by the Alliance. It was a struggle that took place on many different frontiers, spearheaded by many different personalities and through many different means. Surely the sacrifices undertaken by anti-Colonial champions such as Tok Janggut, Abdul Rahman Limbong and others should also be accorded its fair share of space?

Did anybody know that the first policeman kills in action (KIA) in Malaysia happen on 29 April 1915; Sergeant Sulaiman, better known as Sergeant Che Wan, whom try to arrest Tok Janggut for failing to pay the government tax. Tok Janggut agreed but refused to walk in front of them and a fight occurred, in which Tok Janggut manages to stab the sergeant and the rest was history.

“One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter” according to Ronald Reagan

Throughout history, we are often reminded of the people that have done heroic and outstanding deeds.  These people are often not even the ones responsible for the outcome of history, but they have been overlooked by the historians - or even writers who thought they just "didn't belong" in the list of great men and women.

We all know individuals--most of them unsung, unrecognized--who have, often in the most modest ways, spoken out or acted on their beliefs for a more egalitarian, more just, peace-loving society.

To ward off alienation and gloom, it is only necessary to remember the unremembered heroes of the past, and to look around us for the unnoticed heroes of the present.

Mark Twain quote: The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice.

Merdeka

 
First of all, let me wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Also, as the days happen to almost coincide this year, Selamat Hari Merdeka. In many ways, this is very significant.

Since Raya coincides with Merdeka this year, I thought I would write a list of freedoms we should give ourselves in these coming months, besides the freedom to now eat.

Let us also demand Freedom from the Forgetful Politician, that is, those who forgot who voted them in. First off are those who insist that we should be grateful that they are there to lead us.

Nevertheless, through democracy and diplomacy, our forefathers paved the way to independence.

Finally, on Aug 31, 1957, we won our independence.

That was then. Here and now, serious questions remain. How much independence did we win, really? How much good did independence bring to our lives? And when we say “we”, who are “we”?

Thus, what freedoms we have are actually hollow and illusory. Malaysia may have gained independence as a country, but as Malaysians we have gained little independence as individuals.

There cannot be unity without equality. There’s no “we” or “us” in Malaysia, but only “I” and “my”.

So how did it all go so wrong? It’s perhaps down to the post-independence syndrome faced by victorious revolutionaries everywhere bestowed with new-found power and wealth overnight.

What history teaches us is that Independence Day is simply the day on which a white knight disposes of a tyrant. Whether after that he becomes a benevolent king sworn to protect his people’s freedoms is a totally different story altogether.

A change of regime may be nothing more than a change of jailors. There may be an extra meal or longer visitation hours, but otherwise the people remain in shackles. They can check-out anytime they like, but they can never leave.

After independence, it’s another day, another dawn. The journey ahead is long and hard. We Malaysians may have escaped from colonialism, but even till today, we are still lost in the desert, taking more steps backwards than forward and no closer to the Promised Land.

Here and now, what we need is not just one country, but to share one love, one blood and one life. What we need is faith and courage to leave this dream world where there is no spoon, and reach a place high in the desert plain where the streets have no name.

Once upon a time, we won our independence.

Our forefathers understood that we had a fundamental right to freedom and self-determination 54 years ago. 

Merdeka!

V for Vendetta

 

"Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be” Sydney J. Harris. 

Reading the current politic in Malaysia, somehow remind me of V for Vendetta. The film had been seen by many political groups as an allegory of oppression by government. The beginning of V for Vendetta starts with an introduction to the real-life notorious 17th century British conspirator Guy Fawkes and his failed attempt to blow up Parliament. Having been caught and apprehended, Fawkes is hanged. A monologue tells us that Fawkes, like all true patriots, represented an ideal that could not be destroyed. It is this theme that gives purpose to the main character of V, who apparently desires to finish where Fawkes left off by blowing up Parliament.

Why Parliament?

Perhaps this suggests that Parliament is the problem. Parliament is foremost a symbol of democracy in the world.

The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it comes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group.

Nowadays, we are supposed to replace governments with our votes. The part that the individual has in the electorate is supposed to protect him. However tendencies in democracies have allowed more and more to be handled by the government due to democratic legitimacy through election.

Bersih 2.0 rally for example is an effort to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. This initiative should by right be welcomed by the government as it would legitimise the elections which form the bedrock of a democratic government. This aim of the coalition is amply clear in its eight basic demands, which are to: clean the electoral roll, reform the postal ballot, use indelible ink, stipulate a minimum campaign period of 21 days, provide free and fair access to media, strengthen public institutions, stop corruption and stop dirty politics.

In regards to the government’s reaction to the Bersih 2.0 rally, which the coalition for free and fair elections has called for July 9, raises important questions about the state of civil liberties in the country and its implications for our democracy.

Looking from logic perspective, a government that wishes to be recognised as being rightfully elected would work very hard to ensure that the issues that have been raised by Bersih 2.0 are addressed, so that it would not be accused of winning the elections by unfair means. This simply means that the government needs to embrace electoral reform and seriously address the weaknesses that are currently causing doubts to be raised about the integrity and impartiality of its key institutions.

However, instead of being proactive and engaging its critics, the government has chosen to dismiss the efforts of concerned citizens groups to rectify the flaws in the election process. Worse still, it has chosen to crack down on anyone who is showing support for the demands of the Bersih 2.0 coalition.

Freedom is when the people can speak; democracy is when the government listens. Public confidence in the integrity of the Government is indispensable to faith in democracy; and when we lose faith in the system, we have lost faith in everything we fight and spend for.

Remember Abraham Lincoln once said “Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people”.

However the right of power via democracy does perhaps reduce government's fear of their people to such an extent that V's motto becomes relevant:

“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people”

I felt the movie was very prescient to how the political climate is at the moment. It really showed what can happen when society is ruled by government, rather than the government being run as a voice of the people.

Note: Democracy consists of choosing your dictators after they've told you what you think it is you want to hear

Golden Rain & Green Grass of Home

Ever since I left to work overseas, meeting other Malaysians has been a much sought-after activity. Apart from the usual attraction of widening the social circle, I find it very intriguing to see how much people have changed. Amidst the friendly banter, one of us would innocently drop the seemingly innocuous question: “Are you going back to Malaysia?”

There was a time when the brain drain was hardly a pressing issue. It was an era where the supply of talent clearly exceeded the associated demand. But times have changed. Probably for the first time ever we have had substantial facts and figures on Malaysia’s brain drain – and it has taken the World Bank to come out with this .The World Bank simply defines brain drain as the migration of talent across borders. It is instructive what it says.

In fact, it warranted a chapter in the latest World Bank Report, which proceeded to suggest that the previous estimates of the number of Malaysian “diaspora” were probably on the low side, and that perhaps as many as 1.4 million Malaysians are currently working abroad.

In light of the ominous brain drain, there is a little hope of us becoming a developed nation by 2020. Companies have long complained about a shortage of skilled labour in Malaysia, and economists say it is severely affecting the country’s ability to attract more high-technology industries. The government is acutely aware of the shortage in skills and the potential hurdle it poses to the country’s 2020 goal.

Because of the constructed connection between brain drain and patriotism, laced behind the harmless question of “Are you going back to Malaysia?”

I don’t think anybody can fault me or consider me as a “traitor” to the country. In fact, when viewed objectively, we are now all global citizens, and it shouldn’t matter very much where we live and work.

Leaving Malaysia don’t mean that I am not contributing to towards the country, I am simply promoting Malaysia have a lot of good talent and potential that can be exploit.

In a time where human capital carries additionally gravity, a nation should increasingly focus on policies that will tap the talent of its citizens irrespective of their geographical locations. Concerted effort should be invested in actively engaging Malaysians abroad, knowing that they might have insight and networks that might be of great benefit to the nation in some other time.

However, despite a multitude of reasons why Malaysians leave the country of their birth, the truth is that many do return at some point, even if it’s only for a few years.

They’re coming back to an environment that they are familiar with, and the comfort of happy memories. Perhaps patriotism doesn’t make objective sense, but nostalgia is a strange magnet. On hindsight, the grass you left behind is always greener.

Perhaps the most patriotic thing of all is to bring a bit of Malaysia with you wherever you go and never leave it behind – even if those back home believe otherwise.

Note:- E.T Call Home

Phil Bhir Dil Hai Malaysiani.

When you staying abroad, your often being ask by foreign friend requested an honest description about Malaysia. As an only Malaysian staying in a little town of Bunbury so I self proclaims myself as Malaysian ambassador to Bunbury.

Malaysia is my home is blessed with natural beauty. We have beautiful beaches, exotic islands and gorgeous landscape. To those who love Scuba diving, we have beautiful island such as Langkawi, Pangkor, Tioman and Sipadan, among others. If we wish to scale the highlands of the country, Mount Kinabalu is waiting for us to conquer. Taman Negara awaits the adventurous ones to come hike and camp.

We have our own casino like those at Vegas in Genting. We have the tallest twin towers, in Kuala Lumpur. We have a lot of huge shopping mall with fills with local and international fashion brands. We can easily get lost in the shopping mall building in Malaysia.

With huge shopping malls, we also have of massive sale promotion in Malaysia. We have the normal quarter sale, festive session sale (Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Depavalli and Christmas Sale) and not to forget Jusco’s sale. Our theme is “The Whole Malaysia is on for sale”

To those who is gadget freak, we proud of famous for our super cheap gadget mall in KL that all the “geeks” love to hangout. We have Computer, phone and all electronic gadgets under one roof. You can also find pirated or illegal copies of software and games sold in this place. This is the place that stopping Bill Gates to become richer then he is now.

Talking about pirated or illegal copies, you can find the best quality of DVD movies (pirated) here with reasonable price anywhere in KL. Pirated DVD here is not just include current movie (which is still in movie theatre/cinema) but all sort of movie genre from Hollywood, Bollywood to Hong Kong, from black & white pictures to Blue ray standard.

Food is special in Malaysia. The mix of all the races in the country makes our own “rojak” when it comes to food. And yes, we all love our Malaysian food. When we go abroad, we will always miss our food.

If a foreign friend asks for an honest description of our country, the above will probably be what you will tell the friend. However, since the friend requested an “honest description” of my country, I cannot stop at just there. I ought to inform my friends of our system and people, too.

I ought to inform my foreign friends that in Malaysia, politics and the system of administration are big issues especially when it involves scandal and corruption. Almost every day, news on these topics will be reported and most the stories have part I and part II like a movie.

But Malaysians are forgiving people. We often hear illogical comments from people claiming authority, or even Members of Parliament making silly comments. But time has shown that Malaysians will always forgive these comments and sometimes re-elect the very same Members of Parliament who made those silly comments.

When we meet, other than politics, sports are certainly one subject Malaysians love to discuss. Football or some say soccer is Malaysian favourite sport even we are not good in international stage. Thousands will watch a local and English league football match. As we are an ex-British colonise county, we are too attach to British, even most of Malaysian is a Manchester United Fans. If MU has a friendly match with our Malaysian team, we as Malaysian are proud to cheer and support MU instead of our local team.

Malaysia has a world-class badminton player and squash champions. We will always hope our sportsmen/women will win the next world championship and proud to yell “Malaysia Boleh” when we certain they about to win.

We have our own Formula 1 team. It hasn’t won a race yet but at least we beat Virgin Team (Still waiting the picture of Richard Branson in AirAsia Skirt outfit).

We ought to inform our foreign friend of the many sports facilities we have in Malaysia because it were built due to Commonwealth games in 1998. Some are not well maintained and only be maintained and repaired when there is a special event.

We have our own national cars, Proton & Produa which you can see everywhere in Malaysia road. The cars are cheap compare to foreign cars which government impose a lot of tax to make sure we are proud of our national car.

Our great infrastructure must also be mentioned – the highways with tolls and the trains that travel all over peninsular Malaysia. Of course we still stuck in traffic, our trains sometimes break down. So be prepared to be late here in KL and this is an “accepted” excuse if you run late for an appointment.

But Malaysians, above all else, will always be Malaysian. We can take a Malaysian out of Malaysia, but we can never take Malaysia out of a Malaysian.

The above will probably be an honest description of my country to any of my foreign friend who wishes to know about Malaysia and visit us.

Note:- This reminds me the translation of the Dato Shahrukh Khan movie/song Phil Bhir Dil Hai Hindustani (But the heart is still Indian) but for me it is Phil Bhir Dil Hai Malaysiani.