A real disgrace!

How much has the standard of our civil service deteriorated can be seen from this picture in Sinchew (click here) .

 Another picture from Merdeka review:

In the official welcoming ceremony for visiting Chinese Prime Minister Wen, there was a backdrop with certain Chinese words which were grammatically wrong. One CHinese official was quoted that he could not understand what meaning that phrase was trying to convey. Apparently, it was translated using google translator. 

At the same time, a wrong picture was used instead of the historic picture showing our 2nd PM the late Tun Razak shaking hand with Mao during Tun’s first visit to China. The picture that was displayed showed Tun Razak shaking hand with an official of China which not even the minister in attendance, Dr Koh T K-a Chinese Scholar- knew about, according to Sin Chew report. 

This is really a disgrace to a country which has so many Chinese schools. Even a primary student would have written that phrase correctly.

I cannot understand how protocol officials  do not even know how Mao Tse Tung looks like in photographs. Even though he is dead, any recent world history book or diplomatic handbook on china would have his photos. 

This has confirmed what I have been harping all this time– that we have lost excellence in all fields, even in the Protocol Division of the PM department.

I really do not know where to hide my face!

“Shuang Huang” act

I am secretly amused by the public exchanges of MCA and the outsourced racist NGO.

It is a classic case of playing what the Chinese people called “Shuang Huang 双簧“. In SH, two persons would go on stage and each would either play along with the other or rebut the other with words, jokes and stories.

The fact that both these 2 organisations have close ties to the BIg Brother points to an agenda both are supporting – – to win back the voters from their  respective spheres of influence. One is trying hard to instill fear on the majority group, and the other is trying to be seen as a champion of the Chinese Malaysians.

Many would fall for this game, just like many spectators like to watch “Shuang Huang”.

The fact that the Big Brother is not taking any action on the NGO as well as Utusan speaks so much for itself. In politics, you need to read between the lines and look for subtle signs. All the signs are telling me that these organisations have the tacit support of the power that be. They have also succeeded in gaining back some lost grounds from the unsuspecting and more straight forward semi-rural and rural crowds.  Now the burden has been placed on the DVD actor to try to gain back the urban votes. Even a few percent swing will be enough for the Master.

Be sure of one thing — there will be  more of these “Shuang Huang” acts in the run-up to the next Big One.

Socio-economic jam!

Yesterday,  Malaysian Insider carried an article ” NEP, Brain drain holding back Malaysia”.

This blog has been saying the same thing since 2006. For the past 5 years, in my many articles and comments, I have been saying this,  which has  now been confirmed by an expert from World Bank.

I have often compared us with South Korea, Taiwan, HK and the red Dot down south. When the British left, we were ahead of South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and were similar to the ‘Red Dot’.

In fact, I have spoken many times that in the 60s, our economic cake was 4 times that of South Korea . By early 80s, South Korea has caught up and our economic cakes were of similar sizes. By mid-2000s, South Korea has moved ahead so much, that their cake is 4 times our size. ( Our football standard more or less mirrors this: in the 80s, we were South Korea’s nemesis, and we used to beat them on and off. Now, even their 3rd team can beat us easily).

Had we not been dragged down by race, we would have achieved much better growth than now, and even if we have not expanded as much as SOuth Korea ( 4 times better it is now), we would at least be twice better.

Our wages would have been higher, and our purchasing power would have been better.

No one country can expect to move really forward, economically or culturally, without an inclusive policy.

Affirmative policies need not exclude anyone. We can still help the poor, and yet we can still go forward.

Malaysia cannot change without the majority race realising this. If we have a better economic growth rate, everyone , including the biggest ethnic group, would have benefited, and we would have higher living standard. Every Malaysian would be living better.

By higher living standard, I do not just mean income, but many other things too. More civil-mindedness, more politeness on the roads, better infrastructures, better transport system and  better education policies.

As it is , we are perpetually caught in  jams, not just on our roads, but on our socio-economic path as well.