If there was a word that kept popping out at me this entire year, it was 'obliviousness'. It just felt to me that so many people spent 2011 being completely oblivious to what was happening around them. Whether it was Middle Eastern dictators who refused to understand why their people were taking to the streets, to Wall Street bankers who kept awarding themselves humongous bonuses even after their banks had gone bankrupt and people had lost their homes, to the politicians who refused to connect all the many floods and other extreme weather to climate change, so many people at the pinnacles of power remained oblivious to changes going on in the world.
In the Arab countries, people went out onto the streets not because they are a bunch of thugs wanting to destabilise the government. They went out because after years and years of repression, they simply got fed up and wanted to say that they want the same things as other human beings around the world - freedom to speak, to have choices, to have a say on what happens to their countries. Why did they 'suddenly' want this? Because they saw that it is possible for other people to have that freedom without their country going to the dogs. In any case, their countries, with so much poverty and unemployment, were already going to the dogs under their leaders. So what was there to lose? For a great summary about the many myths about the Arab Spring, read this by Prof Juan Cole.
Yes,the revolutions remain incomplete and imperfect. The leaders coming in may not be the nicest people on earth but hey, that's what you get with democracy. What the Arab rakyat most cannot stand is corruption so any alternative to that is welcome. If the new lot also proves corrupt and incompetent, then they should know that they'll also face the same protests.
The Arab protests perhaps could be said to have inspired other protests, most notably the Occupy movement. The Occupy movement started from people's anger at how the US banks, indeed the whole economic system, have favoured the rich 1% while the other 99% have had to suffer the consequences. When people have lost jobs and their homes, it's hard to read about bankers and other corporate tycoons living it up on huge salaries and bonuses, spending money on all sorts of designer goods and toys. It's the sheer obliviousness of the small number of the wealthy, just like the corrupt Arab dictators, to the fact that people will resent such ostentation insensitively pushed in their faces.
It is also obliviousness that fueled the growth of these Occupy movements. You might be able to count people on the streets but you can't count how widespread the idea behind it is, nor can you control what happens to it. So if you try and dismiss these few people, or worse, try to disperse them with violent means, then you ignite a spark which allows the idea to spread. How can you talk about democracy in the US, say, when the police are teargassing their own citizens in the same way that the Syrian government is? OK, the Syrians are using real bullets but still, what sense of obliviousness is it that let mayors and police chiefs allow their cops to teargas, and in one infamous case, pepperspray students full in the face, and then expect things to peacefully die down? People are no longer ants meant to be sprayed away, nowadays they get larger and bite back.
Which brings me back to the obliviousness in our own country. I wonder why we act as if the rest of the world have nothing to do with us, and yet still want to stand tall in the world? One example of an oblivious statement this year: the MCA guy who said that we should not give overseas Malaysians the right to vote because they don't know the true picture of what is happening back home. Hello, what planet are you on? Have you heard of the internet, or even relatives who can talk on the phone to their families overseas?
Of course, the prime example of sheer blindness is the government's response to Bersih by refusing to see it as anything but a 'ploy' by opposition parties to supposedly overthrow the government. I never saw a worse example of bad public relations ever. While there may have been political parties involved in Bersih, the government failed to recognise that there were also many ordinary Malaysians who were watching it all happening and deciding for themselves what they thought of it. And every government misstep became major recruitment ads for Bersih. Ban t-shirts? Join Bersih. Badmouth Ambiga and make ridiculous accusations about her? Join Bersih. Arrest six people, including a popular MP, under Emergency Ordinance? Join Bersih.
If I were the PM, I would have gone down to the street that day on July 9, stood between the FRU and the rallygoers and seen the many Aunties and Uncles and young people who were there, and decided, right, these are not thugs and there has to be a better way to deal with this. That was the moment when leadership should have overwhelmed politics.
There is no denying of course that Bersih had an effect, with the Parliamentary Select Committee being formed and some changes being made. In the end, the Election Commission agreed to using indelible ink. Honestly, did we really have to go through all that rigmarole just to get that? It just goes to show that when there's a will, there's a way. Now we just need the will to implement all the other recommendations. I have a particular bee in my bonnet about the overseas voting. Every few years I see my husband and maid trudge off to the Indonesian embassy to vote in their elections. Gee, if that country that we constantly look down on can do it, why can't we?
There are other examples of obliviousness in our country. One of the main ones is the habit of being oblivious to the fact that our people are not as dumb as our government thinks it is. Despite our failing education system and our cowed mainstream media, people still manage to rise above the dumbness to learn for themselves what is happening. They can see what are lies, manipulations and injustices. After all, if the Arab people can, why can't we, with our better education and infrastructure? And we can also see when we are being treated like dumb asses.
For instance, there was this bit of news yesterday. All I can say is, if you're fool enough to hand over a cheque for RM1.7million for services not yet rendered, then you're asking for it la. And it's not going to make us more sympathetic, sorry.
I also don't get how oblivious we can be to the fact that the world is watching us. Thus far this year, the rest of the world knows Malaysia as the country that banned line dancing for religious reasons, has a club for women who think they should be whores for their husbands, believes that minorities are overrunning the country, passes a law for peaceful assembly which ostensibly does not allow any assembly, thinks yellow t-shirts are dangerous and that Muslims are being converted by solar-powered electronic Bibles. Are we aiming for the Silliest Country in the World Award? And do we expect to be taken seriously anywhere?
Of course, obliviousness cuts both ways. Our oblivious leaders rely on us being oblivious to what they're up to too. They rely on us accepting uncritically everything they say and do. So when someone says, "This is politically-motivated." or "How would I know what they do?", they expect us to swallow it all and smile benignly at them, poor victims that they are. I despair sometimes when I see people, especially young people, repeat word for word what is told to them. Most despairingly are the students who say that if they are allowed to participate in politics, they will do badly in their studies. I have to ask, are they straight A students right now? Are they currently embarking on groundbreaking research that they can't take their eyes off their books for even a second, except to make ridiculous statements like that? But then again, when you have lecturers that say this, what can we expect of our students?
I was thinking of doing up a list of Most Oblivious Malaysians in 2011. But I don't think I'll get away with it. Suffice to say, that there are far too many public figures who are oblivious to the fact that, to the rest of us, they are greedy, arrogant, corrupt, stupid and have no business being where they are. And to the fact that we the public are totally sick of all the posturings and pontificatings that they assume we want and need.
The rest of the world is waking up to the fact that in order to survive, you simply have to have your ear to the ground, to genuinely and humbly listen and to give people what they want. It is no use saying that people don't know what they want; sometimes they have to be given what they think they need in order for them to learn. That might mean hardship sometimes. But it has to be their choice, not yours.
It's not easy being non-oblivious. Sometimes it means sleepless nights. But in the longterm, maybe long after we're gone, it'll be worth it.
Wish you all a 2012 that's alert and aware.
In the Arab countries, people went out onto the streets not because they are a bunch of thugs wanting to destabilise the government. They went out because after years and years of repression, they simply got fed up and wanted to say that they want the same things as other human beings around the world - freedom to speak, to have choices, to have a say on what happens to their countries. Why did they 'suddenly' want this? Because they saw that it is possible for other people to have that freedom without their country going to the dogs. In any case, their countries, with so much poverty and unemployment, were already going to the dogs under their leaders. So what was there to lose? For a great summary about the many myths about the Arab Spring, read this by Prof Juan Cole.
Yes,the revolutions remain incomplete and imperfect. The leaders coming in may not be the nicest people on earth but hey, that's what you get with democracy. What the Arab rakyat most cannot stand is corruption so any alternative to that is welcome. If the new lot also proves corrupt and incompetent, then they should know that they'll also face the same protests.
The Arab protests perhaps could be said to have inspired other protests, most notably the Occupy movement. The Occupy movement started from people's anger at how the US banks, indeed the whole economic system, have favoured the rich 1% while the other 99% have had to suffer the consequences. When people have lost jobs and their homes, it's hard to read about bankers and other corporate tycoons living it up on huge salaries and bonuses, spending money on all sorts of designer goods and toys. It's the sheer obliviousness of the small number of the wealthy, just like the corrupt Arab dictators, to the fact that people will resent such ostentation insensitively pushed in their faces.
It is also obliviousness that fueled the growth of these Occupy movements. You might be able to count people on the streets but you can't count how widespread the idea behind it is, nor can you control what happens to it. So if you try and dismiss these few people, or worse, try to disperse them with violent means, then you ignite a spark which allows the idea to spread. How can you talk about democracy in the US, say, when the police are teargassing their own citizens in the same way that the Syrian government is? OK, the Syrians are using real bullets but still, what sense of obliviousness is it that let mayors and police chiefs allow their cops to teargas, and in one infamous case, pepperspray students full in the face, and then expect things to peacefully die down? People are no longer ants meant to be sprayed away, nowadays they get larger and bite back.
Which brings me back to the obliviousness in our own country. I wonder why we act as if the rest of the world have nothing to do with us, and yet still want to stand tall in the world? One example of an oblivious statement this year: the MCA guy who said that we should not give overseas Malaysians the right to vote because they don't know the true picture of what is happening back home. Hello, what planet are you on? Have you heard of the internet, or even relatives who can talk on the phone to their families overseas?
Of course, the prime example of sheer blindness is the government's response to Bersih by refusing to see it as anything but a 'ploy' by opposition parties to supposedly overthrow the government. I never saw a worse example of bad public relations ever. While there may have been political parties involved in Bersih, the government failed to recognise that there were also many ordinary Malaysians who were watching it all happening and deciding for themselves what they thought of it. And every government misstep became major recruitment ads for Bersih. Ban t-shirts? Join Bersih. Badmouth Ambiga and make ridiculous accusations about her? Join Bersih. Arrest six people, including a popular MP, under Emergency Ordinance? Join Bersih.
If I were the PM, I would have gone down to the street that day on July 9, stood between the FRU and the rallygoers and seen the many Aunties and Uncles and young people who were there, and decided, right, these are not thugs and there has to be a better way to deal with this. That was the moment when leadership should have overwhelmed politics.
There is no denying of course that Bersih had an effect, with the Parliamentary Select Committee being formed and some changes being made. In the end, the Election Commission agreed to using indelible ink. Honestly, did we really have to go through all that rigmarole just to get that? It just goes to show that when there's a will, there's a way. Now we just need the will to implement all the other recommendations. I have a particular bee in my bonnet about the overseas voting. Every few years I see my husband and maid trudge off to the Indonesian embassy to vote in their elections. Gee, if that country that we constantly look down on can do it, why can't we?
There are other examples of obliviousness in our country. One of the main ones is the habit of being oblivious to the fact that our people are not as dumb as our government thinks it is. Despite our failing education system and our cowed mainstream media, people still manage to rise above the dumbness to learn for themselves what is happening. They can see what are lies, manipulations and injustices. After all, if the Arab people can, why can't we, with our better education and infrastructure? And we can also see when we are being treated like dumb asses.
For instance, there was this bit of news yesterday. All I can say is, if you're fool enough to hand over a cheque for RM1.7million for services not yet rendered, then you're asking for it la. And it's not going to make us more sympathetic, sorry.
I also don't get how oblivious we can be to the fact that the world is watching us. Thus far this year, the rest of the world knows Malaysia as the country that banned line dancing for religious reasons, has a club for women who think they should be whores for their husbands, believes that minorities are overrunning the country, passes a law for peaceful assembly which ostensibly does not allow any assembly, thinks yellow t-shirts are dangerous and that Muslims are being converted by solar-powered electronic Bibles. Are we aiming for the Silliest Country in the World Award? And do we expect to be taken seriously anywhere?
Of course, obliviousness cuts both ways. Our oblivious leaders rely on us being oblivious to what they're up to too. They rely on us accepting uncritically everything they say and do. So when someone says, "This is politically-motivated." or "How would I know what they do?", they expect us to swallow it all and smile benignly at them, poor victims that they are. I despair sometimes when I see people, especially young people, repeat word for word what is told to them. Most despairingly are the students who say that if they are allowed to participate in politics, they will do badly in their studies. I have to ask, are they straight A students right now? Are they currently embarking on groundbreaking research that they can't take their eyes off their books for even a second, except to make ridiculous statements like that? But then again, when you have lecturers that say this, what can we expect of our students?
I was thinking of doing up a list of Most Oblivious Malaysians in 2011. But I don't think I'll get away with it. Suffice to say, that there are far too many public figures who are oblivious to the fact that, to the rest of us, they are greedy, arrogant, corrupt, stupid and have no business being where they are. And to the fact that we the public are totally sick of all the posturings and pontificatings that they assume we want and need.
The rest of the world is waking up to the fact that in order to survive, you simply have to have your ear to the ground, to genuinely and humbly listen and to give people what they want. It is no use saying that people don't know what they want; sometimes they have to be given what they think they need in order for them to learn. That might mean hardship sometimes. But it has to be their choice, not yours.
It's not easy being non-oblivious. Sometimes it means sleepless nights. But in the longterm, maybe long after we're gone, it'll be worth it.
Wish you all a 2012 that's alert and aware.
Wish you have greater influence on your father. Sorry to say this but to me (and I'm sure to many more) he's the major (if not the root) cause of the mess the country and the Malay race are in now.
ReplyDeleteWish you & your family a Happy New Year too, Marina.
ReplyDelete"If I were the PM, I would have gone down to the street that day on July 9, stood between the FRU and the rallygoers..."
ReplyDelete______
Yes Ms. Marina. That huge dose of common sense that you have, and your unique circumstances would do you just fine in my opinion as PM.
Have always loved the way you write so eloquently.
ReplyDeleteWish we have many more voice of reasons such as yourself.
Happy New Year to you and family.
Dear Datin,
ReplyDeleteThe year has started off with an 80 degree turn by you know whom. Its very disturbing that people here can be bought with cold hard cash. His years for fighting for justice and human rights has gone down the drains. What i find even more disturbing is the fact that he now deems Anwar as unfit to be PM but he ignores the evilry and corruption of UMNO leaders. So i think it's rather obvious that he has switched lanes. Can he influence the public, unfortunately yes to a certain extent. Looks like this is just the beginning, more will be paid off to switch lanes or shut up. Just last month i forsaw a hung parliament but now it's at huge question. It's really sick that change seems to be highly impossible in this country. The rural Malays & Indians can be bought. Our people don't seem to be holding on in the best interest of the nation.
Just see the kind of people who comment on Chedet, it's highly disturbing that such beings exsist in this time and age and it's rather obvious that Chedet attracts a certain market segmentation. All of a sudden "Merry Christmas" becomes an Islamic issue and for the first time Chedet ignored wishing Christians. Sad but True.
Everything & Anything Christian seems to be a political target. They should have known very well before appointing that Datin Seri as Principal Of CBN. The Government & The Church has an agreement and the education ministry should have never violated that agreement. I can list down about 12 major incidents of persecution the Church and Her Followers have faced over recent years and nothing has been done to stop further incidents, most of the time not even an apology. The Hindus were a target first and now the Christians. All in the name of uniting the Malays back to UMNO.
No one says that the opposition or Anwar is perfect but what Malaysia needs is CHANGE and it cannot happen and will never happen under UMNO/BN.
Hi Datin
ReplyDeleteI cld not agree more!
I am founder of startup secQme ,we offer preventive mobile safety app, created especially for women and children.
Although, our app has won a series of international awards, including recently CRDF-GISTech competition,
http://gist.crdfglobal.org/about-gist/news/2011/12/08/11-gistech-i-winners-announced-at-2011-entrepreneurship-summit, which secQ.me is the only team represent Malaysia, walked away as the 1st runner up of the GIST-I Competition and received an award of USD10,000. SecQ.me is one of the top three teams to be sponsored by CRDF to fly to the United
States to be mentored by MIT, to meet and pitch to Investors at Silicon Valley in the coming months.
Winning international awards does not give me any advantage in getting grants from the government as my application been rejected twice from two government ICT programs without any reason given, nor did I get any support to commercialize our product.
Yet, I am so curious and upset why our government could easily agree to spent 1.8 million ringgit to build FB pages, several billion pre-approve for the NCF, but impose so many steps/road-block for local entrepreneurs, who are trying hard to earn a living, making a success venture and bringing revenue for this county.
Ever wonder why till now, afte millions of ringgit dump into setting MSC, Malaysia still fail to raise a global ICT company?
Lastly, happy new year to you Datin, and to your family, let's hope a better tomorrow for Malaysia
James Khoo
secQ.me Founder
PS : If you have time, do check out our demo video at http://youtu.be/1Hf5hbVxuJw, love your view and comment about our app.
Dear DP Marina,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all belated wishes for a Happy, Healthy & Successful year in 2012.
I'm sorry if this posting appears out of context, but I feel it is highly in the public interest as it refers to actions that may be equated to "Robin Hood in Reverse" as detailed below.
The Renewable Energy (RE) Act & the SEDA (Sustainable Energy Deelopment Authority) Act were passed by Parliament in April 2011 & their implemntation commenced w.e.f 1st Dec. 2011.
Developemnt of RE in Malaysia is commendable & desirable for the long term benefit of the nation but the method of implementation by SEDA appears to be unjust in the sense that it perpetrates the "... immoral enrichment of the few at the expense of the many" as quoted by His Excellency Denis Ignatius in his column "Diplomatically Speaking" of 22 Dec. 2011 in The Star. This is virtually a repeat of the first IPPs for power generation in Malaysia who have caused the electriicty consumers to pay for their inflated profits.
The main injustice is mentioned in the letter "Review some FiT (Feed in Tariff) rates (by Elgy Bee) printed by The Star on 2nd Dec. 2011 (available on web page:- http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/2/focus/10016659&sec=focus). This mentions that the exorbitant FiT rates for PV systems are unjust & even unethical for the PVPPs (PV Power plants) which were recommended by the PEMANDU led ETP (EPP-10) to be developed around 2017 or later when they achieved grid parity (i.e. their cost of electriicty generation matched that of conventional power generation).
Instead, SEDA is supporting the development of the PVPPs with the granting of the exorbitant FiT rates when no such development was envisaged by PEMANDU.
It must to be remembered that the funds required to pay the high FiT rates come from the declared 1% levy on electricity tariffs charged w.e.f. 1 Dec. 2011 that consumers (except residential consumers who use less than 300 kWh a month) have to pay. These payments have to be made for 21 years for PV. Thus electricity consumets have to bear the burden of making the PV promoters rich for a period of 21 years. The FiT rates in Malaysia are even higher than those paid in Germany, being up to more than 40% higher.
This is rather sad as SEDA has just been formed under an Act of Parliment & has just commenced its operations. Yet it appears to be starting off on the wrong foot in its management of public funds from electricity consumers (almost 3 million who have to pay the levy) to enrich perhas a few dozen companies (for PVPPs) and maybe a few thousand individuals (again the rich who can install PV systems on their rooftops).
SEDA claims that their action is to enhance indigenous energy securty ("Road to energy security" on web page:- http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/30/focus/10180281&sec=focus) but in fact PV contributes little to the energy generation from the various RE technologies (perhaps less than even 25% when compared with the others) as shown in their own public domain presentation documents.
SEDA should in fact promote the other RE technologies, which provide greater energy security at much lower cost, more strongly rather than PV as it appear to be doing now.
Elgy Bee
May the year of the Dragon brings you good health...peace in mind and happiness with your love ones.
ReplyDeleteHi Kak Marina,
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you and your family . May good health and joy be with all of you all year long.
I stopped laughing at how silly some of the comments can be from our so called MP, lecturers, people who are holding high positions ( i gave up ) as it has became a frustration and then concern as to how our countries can be run by such people. Some of their comments like you said is like " hello, where have you been all this while ?" totally irrelevant to the current era unless it is purposely done to gain 5 minutes of fame ? I doubt so , thus it is sheer ...
Indeed I so agree with you that we can and should compile a list of the most Oblivious Malaysians...and it should be part of the Malaysia Boleh campaign...I can only think .. maybe its our way of trying to gain the world's attention since we have not many spectacular real stuff to woo the world ...
...it is almost like we jumped out of the perigi (slowly after our independence) and stayed there for sometime and decided to jump into another perigi. The education or mentality of the before were meant to get us the foundation and basics but time has come that we need a transformation program to bring our education and mentality to the next level ...otherwise it would be like a factory producing cloned graduates with nil ability to question and challenge the status qou but exceptionally good at regurgitating facts memorised. And as pointed out by you ...if we have that kind of lecturers in our University who cannot be more silly to fight over trivial matters perhaps they need to be bersihed ! Perhaps we need an independent university to produce the next generation thinkers ?
As for the people who handed RM1.7m to people just like that ? Oppp sorry its not normal people but a Chairman I heard seems to indicate " ada udang disebalik batu " ? Lets wait for MACC to find out and hopefully this is not the tip of the iceberg.
Hopefully the dragon's fire breath will cleanse Malaysia off its list of oblivious people....
P/S I do not agree with the comment from the first person, it is so easy to blame our problems on one person. There are no perfect strategy for a country and we need different kind of strategy and plans for different phases of a country's lifecycle and against the ever-changing backdrop of the world.