Fiddler on the roof in Malaysia

RedChaSiew

While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry

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Michael Backman
November 15, 2006
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MALAYSIA'S been at it again, arguing about what proportion of the economy each of its two main races

RedChaSiew

It is time to move on, time to prepare the economy for life after oil. But, like Nero fiddling while Rome burned, the Malaysian Government is more interested in stunts like sending a Malaysian into space when Malaysia's inadequate schools could have done with the cash, and arguing about wealth distribution using transparently ridiculous statistics.

That's not Malaysia "boleh", that's Malaysia "bodoh" (stupid).

[quote]Michael Backman
November 15, 2006
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MALAYSIA'S been at it again, arguing about what proportion of the economy each of its two main races

RedChaSiew

addr the local issue.  

yeah oil will never run out. hope so for your prosperity sake - hate to think what would happened if it did. LOL.

Originally posted by RedChaSiew at 22-11-2006 05:54 AM
addr the local issue.  

I'm not interested so much in our local "politics".  I agree very much with Mr. Backman when he said, "It's a tough world out there and there can be little sympathy for a country that prefers to argue about how to divide wealth rather than get on with the job of creating it".

Bottom line, it's not about who holds more wealth or not, it's about getting on with lives.  We're not some housewives living in the 50's trying to keep up with the Joneses.

If you are a Chinese for example, who is much richer than me, a Malay, what do I care.  If I had to envy you, I should envy your hard work at getting there (on top) and learn from your success, not bicker about it trying to bring you down, because at the end of the day, we are all Malaysians.  The fall and rise of our country depends on us.  

yeah oil will never run out. hope so for your prosperity sake - hate to think what would happened if it did. LOL.

By the time oil runs out, you and I will be either too old to work or gone from this world.  Why do you think our government is promoting biotech?  Because if we could transformed some ancient fossils into oil, we can find other ways to make energy.  There are many other alternatives, coal for example or palm oil, even from vegetable oil.

What we should worry, in my personal view, is how we raise our children the future generation, who will take over from us.

[ Last edited by  samerosie at 22-11-2006 12:12 PM ]

Nesta13

walaweii.. never imagine Americans are that dumb.. :
on 2nd thought, patutlaa.. the President is dumber..

RedChaSiew

i fear for gen. X in msia - as illustrated by the above poster. Almost never has anything worth posting except for turning heads and other useless icons.

RedChaSiew

>>>
What we should worry, in my personal view, is how we raise our children the future generation, who will take over from us.
<<<<

that's right. but really Malaysia is  a den of thieves. From the very bottoms rungs of society to the upper crust. will never change. sorry.

Like Pak lah has the power to uproot the 18 ikan jerung besar - where is it. until today - none.

i am sick with dealing with c0ppers, Telekom, bomba, Tenaga people,town councils    ... so many mouths to feed. so tired..

and when the money runs out - ahhh taht's when the ral action starts LOL

Nesta13

as if...

every posts of yours are worth reading lah... duhh :nana:

RedChaSiew

only when there are so major events do these buggers want to do some knee jerk actions.... spellbind alright

-----

Malaysia spruces up to spellbind tourists

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's largest city wants to scrub its streets free of crime and grime in a big-budget facelift to impress tourists, officials said Thursday.

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Ruslin Hassan announced efforts to curb snatch thefts, banish trash and clean up public toilets ahead of Visit Malaysia Year 2007, an international campaign aiming to attract 20.1 million foreign visitors to this Southeast Asian country.

"Our country's image is at stake,'' Ruslin told a news conference.  

"Our people are working extra hard to make the city look better and to ensure that travelers are comfortable.''

The makeover for Kuala Lumpur, the entry point for most tourists to Malaysia, will cost City Hall millions of ringgit (dollars, euros), Ruslin said, adding that the final budget has not been determined.

Security will be boosted with more police patrols and closed-circuit cameras to monitor tourist hot spots, Ruslin said.

Projects to improve Kuala Lumpur's scenery, perhaps best-known for the Petronas Twin Towers, formerly the world's tallest buildings, include repainting old structures and increasing the number of flowers, trees and sculptures.

Authorities are also furnishing the city with 5,000 litter bins, 20 new public restrooms and six tourist information kiosks, as well as upgrading pedestrian walkways and drainage systems to reduce flash floods, Ruslin said.

The 2007 tourism campaign, held in conjunction with Malaysia's 50th year of independence from Britain, is projected to pull in revenue of 44 billion ringgit (US$12 billion, euro9 billion), a rise of almost 20 percent from this year's expected figure

RedChaSiew

We in Malaysia have got an entire new meaning of Wassup.

When you ask a Malaysian wassup? You gotta be prepared to receive some of the most outrageous answers .... more possible responses below :

So, Wassup?

1. Our A$$tronaut, he'll be going UP to the space to do some "important" experiments! Those kinda experiments if not done will have us all in killed in a matter of months!! Its important that we know how to play Batu Seremban, make teh tarik and print batik while in space. If not we are all DOOMED!!!! Thanks god we got our own Teh Tarik A$$tronaut!!! RM95 mils gone UP in smokes too!

2. The Keris is UP! Showing a keris to the public is not a threat ok? its a symbol of unity! News has it that everybody had been frantically buying kungfu swords and bring it with them everywhere they go. Its no longer an offense carrying metal weapon and flaunting them in the public anymore instead its a sign of "Unity". Har Har Har!

3. We got a New Palace coming UP too! This Palace cost only RM400 millions only! This one for our King to stay one ok?? The councillor palace also RM8 millions la!

4. GST is UP! altho it has been announced that the implementation date for GST will be annnounce later but most prolly its kambing soon la! Mana mau lari?!!! Next time kencing also kena pay GST LOL!

5. Toll is UP! The Star SMS alert reports that toll prices for 5 highways will go UP in 2007 as the government cannot afford toll subsidies anymore. Yar pity the gomen for subsidising our toll rate for so long, its time we relieve them off the burden ledi la ..... the money is better use elsewhere ... like building derno what sport complex at derno where or send a$$tronaut to space or build a new palace or train more Mat Rempit Cemerlang!

bluesyworms

Some facts on that article is to me inaccurate. However the main theme of that article, that i interpret as telling Malaysians as a whole to buck up and face world economic reality is correct.

First is in regards to NEP. To me it should be abolished all together. It is embarrasing for a Malay like me to be accused of living off the wealth of other non-bumi's. SOme of my Sabahan and Sarawakian friends today find such accusation not only baseless, for NEP only benefits those Bumi's who support BN, but outright insulting.

In regards to the 18% or the 45% equity in economy,  the main argument here is how you define GLC's. GLC's or government link companies are not wholly owned by Malay, but by other races as well. To me the correct definition for GLC's is that it is owned by part the Government and in part BN. Hence, when you have a scenario like Terengganu when it fell to the opposition, there was a catch 22 situation. Hence the wang Ihsan. The problem with GLC's is that most of it are not transparent enough, and most times the Government seems to kowtow to the demands of the BN owners. Worst, to many legal and economic critics, such blatant 'joint ventures' between the government and BN in setting up the GLC's smack's the rule of 'conflict of interest'. Bail outs, whether it is justified or not, and corruption become rampant. Some however argued that just like Singapore, Malaysia need to emulate such system of GLC's in order to develop faster. It is they argued, better than to rely on foreigners to control our local economy and develop it in total. We do not want to be like Africa, they further argued.

And so the debate goes on.

Yup, Petronas did save Malaysia many times. However our oil won't last forever. Though Malayisa's natural gas supply is estimated to last 10 to 15 years longer than our oil, one day it will deplete if no new oil field is discovered. At UMNO's Congress 2005, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak told delegates that there is a possibility that Malaysia will become a net oil importer by 2009, if steps are not taken to reduce consumption. Our petrol is of high grade quality and is much more expensive, hence we export it. Then we re-import medium grade oil from the middle east countries and other nearby neighbours for our own consumption. This is why in 1986, we sign the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement and rectify it further in 2002 via the 'Hiranuma Initiative'. We also support the Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline Project and the suggestion for an ASEAN Power Grid plan. We already have similar joint venture with the government of Thailand via the HVDC line between the two countries. All this is to achieve a near optimum use of oil so that it won't go to waste. Such cooperation between ASEAN would help Malaysia especially if there was a sudden energy crisis or another major oil shock.

So we can't depend on our oil to save Malaysia. Wonder why KIC seems not to give any help to jumpstart or save Malaysia compared to Petronas? Hmmm....

As to majority of Americans, or majority of Europeans for that matter, quite a number of them are ignorant of other countries. Such clueless attitude per-Paris Hilton style is 'vogue' among their morally decadent youngsters and indoctrinated 'Desperate Housewives' adults. Many Malaysians do not realise how bless we are in regards to world knowledge compared to them. We have better knowledge in regards to food, language, culture, religion even to the simples of things like differentiating between a Chinese and a Japanese. For example, there are more Japanese, Chinese and Indians working in Silicon Valley compared to Americans.  

The fault of not knowing where Malaysia geographically, is more an American problem compared to Malaysian. If not because of their superior military strength, their control over world economy via the US dollar and magnificient music, films and arts, American would be poor just like any other poor countries. Singapore and Japan has proven this theory right by beating American at many of it's economic games. Only American military strength and political grip upon many world bodies stood in their way.

Malaysia could have done the same, if proper planning and sincere leadership were at the helm. Unfortunately it is not. Though Tun Dr. Mahathir have create wonders, leap frogging Malaysia into an industrial country within just a short time span, implemetation of many of his major plan did fail, be it because of his own wrongdoings, pressure from other political or business locals, or pressure from other international parties. As it is now under Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Malaysian economic seems to grind slowly to a halt.

Pak Lah's send too many mixed signals to many investors. He seemed more inclined in making rethorics such as 'Cemerlang, Gemilang dan Terbilang', Islam Hadhari, and 'The National Plan'. Ask any civil servants, and they will tell you that most of Pak Lah's plan are just impossible to implement. Much worse, most of it does not bring any added value to Malaysian Economies as a whole. We have lost our economic compass. The reformation that people expect Pak Lah to do back in the last election, is again all just 'hot air'.

Yup, i agree with the main theme of this article, Malaysia has lost it's glimmer to many foreign investors. The recent flood in peninsula Malaysia may deter many other foreign investors, for our mismanagement of our rivers are just as legendary as our corruption in politics. In a desperate move, it seems Pak Lah has decided to open our economics to the world. The sad thing is, some of our key strategic resources or commanding heights seems to be the 'dangling carrot'. It seems Pak Lah has decided to 'menang sorak, kampung tergadai'.

Some people speculate that the recent mild boom in our KLSE is actually a precursor for a major economic meltdown in Malaysia. That i can't confirm. But i do agree we are lost. It will take a major reformation, from education to economic planning to revive Malaysia. I'm glad CIMB decided to merge all the palm plantation in this country. I just hope they won't sell it to foreigners. For palm oil may be our only saviour after our oil is gone, and our foreign owned electronic plants closed down.

TQ and Happy Foruming.

Debmey

This present of UMNO leaders better wake up or it will be too late.
All those subsidies will not be affordable while Msia has no real competitive advanatge on the world stage except in palm oil. Back to a commodity country again.

I feel so sad for the malays who were fed on this affirmative action policy. They think they are good but refuse to compete on the level playing field against chinese. They cry and whine all the time.
At the same time, they refuse to let it go so the next generation will surely suffer.

30 plus years and still not enough? I mean, how long does it take to get their act together?

ariyamusafir

First of all, regarding the sports complex. That Mike Backman talk as though as he knows much but he is a stupid man who acts akin to an empty vessel. Why??? I personally have stayed in the UK during summer time and I know the temperature there. IN Malaysia, the temperature is most of the time aboe 30 degrees celcius. However, in the UK, even in summer, the temperature can drop during the night as low as 12 degrees celcius. Damn that idiot, that is a huge difference. Initially, even me myself find it too cold to call as summer, and I brought the normal kjacket which proves insufficient. That is one point. You find mat sallehs excel better in sports so as the Chinese nationals because they train in cold weather. I was an athlete myself and I know. When we are totally warm up, and also the temperature is hot, fuh lamak, I speed gila and I won gold for it. However, during rainy time, even though can run but I personally find it harder, and the temperature difference between rainy day and hot day is very small sometimes no change in temperature what more a difference in temperature of about 18 degrees celcius. Even before we had such plan, I personally felt that we should have one such thing though I disagree with the location that it is in UK. If one is able to perform excellently well in cold weather, then one would better then that during hot weather. Yes olymipics is summer type but bare in mind, due to geographycal position of a location, the temperature may vary drastically during a certain period and the UK is much much more north then Malaysia above the equator. Also, I have a few mat salleh came to my location and they were complaining soooooo hot, padahal in UK they take of their cloths and sunbath themselves. To sunbath in the UK is nice, to sunbath here is better then suicide.

The next thing that idiot Backman does not know is that we are not building that complex just for one olympic. We would be very much stupid just to utilise it for one olympic. We are going to train our sportsman not just in athletics and those games sometimes are not held in cold weather countries just during the summer. That Backman is commenting base on his shallow knowledge about the weather in Malaysia with the weather in UK.

With regard to the comment on the countries in the map bla bla bla..... Yes, many in the UK do not know where Malaysia is, but many of them know Kuala Lumpur, because of the twin tower, because of what Dr. M did.

The rest, I will continue soon.

Summer Olympics are not held in places with weather like the UK all the time. It's held in places like Germany, Italy, Australia...etc., where temperature during the summer is SCORCHING HOT.

In China, the summer's temperature can reach over 40 degrees. The World Cup in Germany saw temperatures soared above 37 degrees. And just recently, the tennis event in the Australian Open recorded temperature above 40 degrees celcius. Hotter than in Malaysia. Yet, these countries are always on the top spots in Olympics.

Being there doesn't mean you hold authoritative views of the place. Bias is bias all the same.

ariyamusafir

Originally posted by Adm_Cheng_Ho at 19/1/2007 22:28
Summer Olympics are not held in places with weather like the UK all the time. It's held in places like Germany, Italy, Australia...etc., where temperature during the summer is SCORCHING HOT.

I ...

It is not what authoritative, I am spelling facts. In the UK it is cold and the next olympic after China is going to be in London. Also, the fact is that temperatures in the VERY nothern hemisphere is colder, much much colder then in Malaysia. 37 degrees celcius in Germany might just be for a few days or might even be for just the day, during the night, it will definitely be cold. There are occasion when the temperature in the UK is equal to in Malaysia but that day is not always. You can have that kind of temperature during the day and during the night it drops drastically. The climate there is just very UNSTABLE! I am talking through experience, not biasness but you are talking via here say, via what you heard, not what you had experienced yourself. Go to these places and you will know what I mean. Beijing is the capital, go to other northern part and see. Also, this sports complex as I have already explained, is not just for olympics alone. There are other sports such as squash and Badminton in which is held year out. Also, our sportsmen must be ready to be deployed to any country of any climate, even if one day, any big event were to be held in too cold a country like the Norway or even Russia. Places in the north!

Also, as a fellow sportsman, via experience, if you can run 100m well in hot weather only, the chances are that you will not do quite well in cold places, even lets say 20 degees celcius. However, if you can run as fast as the former in a very cold place, you can easily out bid the former in his temperature type.

I am not having a good view on the current administration for your information, but the sports complex thing is a sure good thing.

Look who is talking with biasness, you or me.....

[ Last edited by  ariyamusafir at 20-1-2007 12:47 AM ]

You are not talking sense. You're not sure of the places yourself. You're giving SUPPOSITION of 'might be' in your statements which suggests you're trying to justify your arguments with points you aren't sure about.

It is not just MIGHT BE for a few days or nothern part or at night or anything. Ask ANYBODY who reads and follows the World Cup attentively or lived there. Ask ANYBODY who has been to Australia and China.

I have given you my argument. The countries I've mentioned can compete in just any type of weather. Sports is about ENDURANCE and if Malaysian athletes lacks fighting spirit, no amount of money and favourable conditions we confer them is going to make ANY difference.

There were suggestions by many people to build a sports complex in Cameron Highlands or Genting. The government takes no heed of the ideas. All the Sports Ministry wants is to syphone the money out of the country so that it can enter their 'pockets'. The people are questioning the sincerity of the proposals by our politicians and we have the right to do so!

I can also shatter your argument easily with examples like Thailand and Indonesia which performs BETTER than Malaysia in the Olympics and other sports.

ariyamusafir

Aduhai..... I am telling you this:

1. The venue for the olympics after China is in London.

2. Sports is about endurance, yes, We must be prepared at all times, yes true, so atheletes must go trhough VIGOROUS training, i.e, training under the harshest condition. Without harsh and vigorous training, how can they be prepared at all time. They have fighting spirit, good, can bring them and win half the battle, but their body must be able to take it, how, via training i.e adeption. If you say training is no use, then I can say, ah kau ah mau can with one fighting spirit, with them not having stamina, to go for race.

3. Cameroon Highlands and Genting Higlands the wheather is still higher compared to in London at many occasion.

4. It is not I am not sure of the places myself. It is not I am giving you superpositioning of the area. I am telling you that our athletes need to be ready for any event at any time at any place, not just 2008 olympics China, 2012 olympics London, not just for this two occassion, for every occasion, be it for Badminton all open, Badminton all England, Squash championship etc. What I am saying is also to go beyond short term.

5. China so big, which part. That is 1. Australia is still not that far south and Australia too is very big, depend on what location. If you go near those bush area where it is of tropical climate, what the hack. Also, if you talk about Germany, I tell you, countries in the very north hemisphere during summer, you can see beautiful sunshine but I tell you, the wind is still very cold, until mid summer, then situation depends with most of the time still cold.

6. As for the questioning sincerity part, I have to agree with you on that one, and I did not say that there might be some hanky panky stuff happening, but I am still in support bof such, however, I personally believe we should have chosen other country other then the UK. However, perhaps because of the past relations with the UK, I do not know.

7. Yes, you are right, Thailand and Indonesia are better then us, on certain stuff. Indonesia - badminton, Thailand - soccer (in which current Malaysia soccer team is equivalent to shiet). We too have our part better then them. Ok, assume that we lose to them in every aspect. Look at who are the big reapers of gold in major even such as olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth games. Those top ranking such as USA, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, China, South Korea. Though some of the mentioned countries have tropical climate but they too have those 4 season climate areas where they could use for training, such as China, USA Australia just to mention a few.

Top Winners for Asian Games in DOHA:  China - 153 Gold, Korea - 51 Gold, Japan 49 Gold.

Top Winners in 2004 Athens Olympics: USA - 35 Gold, China - 32 Gold, Russia - 27 Gold, Australia - 17 Gold, Japan - 16 Gold, Germany - 14 Gold, France - 11 Gold, Italy - 10 Gold, South Korea - 9 Gold, Great Britain - 9 Gold.

Top Winners for Commonwealth Games 2006 Melbourne: Australia - 84 Gold, England - 36 Gold, Canada - 26 Goid.

Now tell me.

The weather in Cameron Highlands and Genting are good enough. We're not competing in WINTER sports games.

I'm not talking about Australia's bush areas. And I'm not talking about China's tundra region. Also I'm not talking about Germany's summer evening. I'm talking about these countries' SPORTING VENUE.

And I didn't say we don't need training.

If you wish, carry on your nonsense. I've achieved my purpose in this thread - make you looked silly.

Take care.