A competitive Malaysia

Some good advice from Dato' Bakri Musa

Chapter 17: Granting Malaysians Their Merdeka

Dismantling the Feudal Culture

One would expect that since the sultans are secure with their affluence through generous civil allowances and other privileges, they would be spared the obsession of acquiring further wealth. Far from it! They are the first to hog the public trough. The sultans still consider public land their personal fiefdom. These sultans have also become even more enterprising, shamelessly selling royal titles. Datukships can now be had for a mere RM200,000. They are prostituting the institution of royalty. The reason for this greed is that they are still stuck in the mindset of the material phase.

Contrast the behaviors of the Malay royalty class to its European counterpart. Even during medieval times the European royalty and aristocrats had a sense of philanthropy. They were patrons of the arts and regularly took under their wings talented musicians and artists. Mozart, Michelangelo and others had generous royal patrons.

Such philanthropy is notably absent among Malay sultans and nobility. This is surprising as the sultans are titular heads of Islam, and charity is one of the five pillars of the faith, ahead of fasting and the Hajj. One would expect the sultans to lead with their philanthropy. Not so! It is doubtful whether they even pay their mandatory zakat (tithe). There is no evidence of any waning of this greed as these sultans continue to squat on the apex of the special privileges heap. As they are role models, it is no surprise that such crass materialism and lack of altruism and public charity permeate the larger society.

Such philanthropy is also noticeably absent among the Chinese, whether Malaysian, Singapore, or the Red China variety.

Malays pay homage to their sultans like Hindus to their deities, with offerings of tributes, services, and valuables. In days of yore, it was quite common to see the entire family’s wealth from prized buffaloes to premium harvest rice offered to the sultans while the peasant’s family was left destitute. Today’s sultans are continuing this acquisitive avarice by grabbing the state’s modern offerings like public lands, contracts, and concessions. They feel affronted when the chief minister would not accede to their voracious greed.

The royalty is an expensive burden, what with their generous civil allowances extending to their vast extended families and assorted royal hangers on. Then there are their expensive state-supplied toys like palaces and fleets of Rolls Royces. The far greater burden, and more difficult to remove, is the attendant nonproductive mindset and culture. Among others, this breeds the “Sultan Syndrome,” of senior officials expecting to be treated regally, be adulated, and be served with offerings and tributes. Real work is for their subordinates.

Getting rid of the sultans as some republican-minded Malays are advocating would not solve the problem unless we also discard the accompanying feudal mindset of blind obedience and personal loyalty. Otherwise, what we would get instead are non-royal leaders assuming the role of sultans.

Indonesia got rid of its many sultans; that did not help the country’s development. In fact, it made it worse, with Sukarno and his henchmen replacing the royal household. Sukarno declared himself “President for Life,” just like the sultans. When Mahathir tried to clip the powers of the sultans in the 1980s and 90s, he had considerable opposition. The general fear was that Malays would be substituting one sultan for another, and a non-royal one at that.

More important than merely getting rid of the sultans is to change the feudal mindset and culture associated with royalty. Were this to be done suddenly, it would be socially disruptive and destabilizing. When Mahathir attempted to clip the powers of the royalty, he precipitated an unnecessary constitutional crisis that paralyzed the nation and deeply divided Malays.

More effective and enduring would be to initiate incremental changes that would not be disruptive. First would be to impress upon leaders and followers alike that sultans are ordinary mortals and thus subject to all the human foibles and weaknesses. Once this concept is accepted, then the other ideas would follow easily. One would be that these sultans and leaders be answerable to the citizens and to the law. Being answerable means being subjected to scrutiny. Ascension to the throne or other leadership positions entails the assumption of certain responsibilities.

Recently the editor of Malaysia-Today posted an exposé of corruption in the Negri Sembilan royal family.2 The incensed Yang Di Pertuan Besar (Sultan) pressured the police to arrest its editor, Raja Petra Kamarudin, who happens to be a member of the neighboring (Selangor) royal family. The remarkable aspect to the whole episode was the fact that the series was even published in the first place. It marked a significant cultural transformation for Malays, the beginning (I hope) of our emancipation from feudalism. I would give Raja Petra as much credit as Mahathir in disabusing the Malay masses of their near-divine reverence for their sultans.

The Japanese used to think of their emperor as god, but General Mac Arthur successfully disabused them of their collective delusion during the American Occupation following World War II.3 He did it not by humiliating the emperor or stripping him of his dignity. Indeed, Mac Arthur was alone in opposing charging the emperor for war crimes, believing that he could use the emperor as an instrument to effect major cultural change on the Japanese. Mac Arthur was right, and he did it through subtle but symbolically powerful signals. For example, on their first meeting Mac Arthur made the emperor come to him at the American embassy, and not have the General go to the palace. At the embassy the emperor had to hand his top hat to an aide, just like any other visitor. In their subsequent official portrait together, there was Mac Arthur standing in his army khaki fatigues without a tie and with his hands clasped on his hips, towering beside the diminutive Hirohito. The not-so-subtle message conveyed by their body language was unmistakable.

To reinforce the message further, Mac Arthur made the emperor tour the country to disavow that he was the descendent of the Sun Goddess. Mac Arthur also made sure that the Emperor’s motorcade stopped at all red traffic lights. The message to the Japanese people was clear: even the mightiest emperor had to obey the lowly traffic laws of the country. It was through such small gestures and symbolisms that Mac Arthur was able to effect profound cultural changes upon Japanese society, illustrating my earlier point of the bilateral and mutually reinforcing interactions between culture and leader.

What a supreme irony that Mac Arthur, a gaijin (literally, foreign barbarian) who knew next to nothing about Japan was able to transform its society and culture, while Mahathir, locally born and bred, could not change his own people! If the Japanese and Irish (described earlier) could be changed culturally, so could the Malays. Indeed Malays had shown remarkable capacity to undertake momentous cultural changes in the past. Under Datuk Onn, we prevailed over the British on the Malayan Union issue. With the proper leadership, Malays could undergo yet another transformation, and do it not in the divisive and confrontational ways a la Mahathir but through the Mac Arthur manner, incrementally through the effective use of powerful symbols and gestures.

To nudge Malays out of our collective feudal mentality and excessive deference to the sultans, we could begin by treating them as mere mortals. Start with making sure that they obey traffic laws and strip them of their outriders, except on ceremonial occasions. If they run the red light or park in “No Parking” zones, ticket them. If the Prime Minister could be handed speeding tickets, so could the sultans. Do away with the elaborate ceremonies and get rid of the kompang drummers and petal throwers. If it is too hot and sunny, let the sultans and ministers carry their own umbrellas. Or wear hats!

One positive consequence to the political squabble between Abdullah Badawi and his immediate predecessor that reached its height by late 2006 is this. Mahathir had effectively broken down the entrenched cultural taboo against criticizing the leadership. It is ironic that Mahathir would make one of his greatest contributions only after he retired.

To be sure, Mahahitr was only one, though the critical, factor. Abdullah’s own glaring ineptness contributed greatly; he practically invited the derisions and scathing criticisms. Then there was the growth of the Internet and alternative media, fueled by the rapidly declining credibility of the mainstream papers that are the establishment’s remaining supporters.

It is upon such small almost imperceptible measures are great changes effected. We need to initiate more of them if Malaysia were to catapult into the next phase of development.

The diverging roads

“Kenapa ko gila sangat jepun? Lupa diri!" (“why do you love japan so much?, ungrateful!") I've remembered those words a couple of while back when I was merely a high school students. Those vulgar, stinging like serpents venom-filled words came from a friend of mine, back in the days. Well, I have my own reason to believe in what I choose to believe, and there's no need for me to mention that here, as I could go for hours without stopping. Haha. I don't understand the logic in those words, and I didn’t reply either, because I wasn't able to decipher those meaning, until now. Maybe it is a blasphemy being born as a Malaysian and having interest in the Japan. Or maybe, it is wrong to have your own interest? Or maybe, because god made me the way I am, and my interest being the way it is, you're blaming god for it? I have no idea, really.



Personally, my high school time isn't as good as everybody else. I remembered one day I came back to class from lab, my backpack is hanging on the fan. And one day, I found somebody placed women tampons all over my textbook. Had to throw them away as they stick to the pages really firm and in the attempt of taking them away, I’d torn at least 7-8 pages of them. There’s even one time where I couldn’t find my books anywhere in the class, just to find that they are hidden behind the staircase of the ground floor. Well, I guess that school is suited to be a zoo, seems like more animals exist than students. Owh, bear in mind that my class is on the 3rd floor, I’d to search for it on every darn floor. I knew who did that but I still didn’t do anything just yet despite the fact that I know I could easily give him a sucker punch on the face (plus, I’m a lot bigger and that them). Why? Because I’ll be ruining my reputation as a student (Gosh, that was annoying, there's no place to go even when you’re right sometimes) So, now, please tell me the reason why I should go back to that cursed school. I have more bad moment in school than good time. These rascals…. But I was being patient. Well, in any case, I made my way through high school, and the keen interest in Japan never fades away, in fact, it drove me to work hard every day until SPM (An examination that decides whether you could further your studies overseas), and yes Alhamdullilah (praise to Allah) I aced it. Bye high school, hello university life! Well, I guess those experience made me stronger and better person now. (Matsumoto Hitoshi quoted: The person who doesn't across the river will not find the treasure on the other side of the bank). やった！！


Let's look ahead into the future

So, I began to apply for scholarships here and there. Well, to my surprise, I managed to secure Bank Negara, Mara, and JAD scholarship. Here are the differences:


Bank Negara (National Bank)- Preparation needed, best scholarship award, working contract 6 years as Financial Engineer

MARA - Vanderbilt University - No preparation needed, Payback 1-2% out of the total amount spent , no working contract

JAD - Japanese Associate Degree program, preparation for 3 years and 2 years in Japan (Waseda University), Mechanical Engineering program, No working contract

Now I ended up in Vanderbilt, becoming a Mechanical Engineer. This is my 3rd year here, but I whenever I look back, a shallow tide of regret would push me over turning down JAD. Somehow I felt that I betrayed myself, but what’s done is done I suppose. There’s no turning back in time. So, to make up for it, I’ve decided that I should still be here, in Mctyiere’s Japanese Hall, I turned down money (extra allowances) to be able to learn things that I like back in the days, and I'm content, contented that way. Unlike the Americans I knew here, most of them have at least travelled abroad to the country of their liking, and it is safe to say that I'm a bit jealous, haha. I know Sam from the German hall, have at least been to Germany, or Cole, and most of the people in Japanese Hall would speak of studying abroad, as if it's easy as buying milk from the Varsity Store. Why their parents are are so darn rich? Haha, I wish I could go to Japan some day. Some day soon. Hopefully. Next year, I'll have more family members in the Japanese Hall, more people, more 中ま(nakama-friends), hopefully, next year would be a good time, insyaalah (if god permits)....

Japanese Lab project

Just recently I was wondering if I should do something that is worth doing, other than spending all day, than merely sprawling on my bed, being indecisive, juggling, switching back and forth homework and assignments. But then, that’s not the only case, I was thinking of doing something other than homework that is both beneficial and fun. I need something new that people don’t often do, and so last night I’ve installed Adobe Premier Pro on my PC and tried to work on some video projects that are probably worth seeing (hopefully). Being amateur as I am, I’ll need some more time to properly edit things properly. Hee hee



This project I’m talking about is a Japanese lab project (smirking**) . Nges nges. Being only a first year Japanese is really annoying as you could talk only to yourself, since everybody in Vandy appears to be at least a bilingual (why is everybody here so smart???). So, I need more practice for myself and help others in Japanese out there. This idea comes from an interesting approach by Amy-chan, a freelancer on intense Japanese training through online video. As I’m not as good as her, my focus would be the ichinensei (first year) students who are interested in honing the Japanese speaking skills. For that particular reason, I was thinking of some quick methods in teaching Japanese, both for the video and my Japanese partner, Yoda-san. Owh, by the way, we started our first meeting last week, and every week, we would be practicing both Japanese and English. So, check it out soon, my first video to be uploaded on Youtube!! (-_-) Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

Every Little Thing - 黄金の月 LIVE concert

Every little things had and always has been my favorite group in J-Pop music. The first time I found the song was back when I was chillin' with my cup of tea, sprawl on my stomach, while browsing the J-drama directory. Kekkon dekinai otoko sounded funny, and that's when I realize time just flew and I was done with it. Somewhat, the OST kinda came back and forth to this mind and I googled it. Here, I was the very first time Every Little Thing (ELT) became my very favorite.

Here is the link and the lyrics, I've changed the kanji to hiragana for your ease. :p



作詞：Kaori Mochida 作曲：Kaori Mochida
かすかな
ひかりがあなたをてらす
せいじゃくにみをひそめたひびが
もうすぐ
おわりをつげてたびだつ
今こそがじしんにみちる

まけそうになった
ひもあったけど
おうごんのつきを
てにいれるため

※たいせつな人がいるから
今日までをずっと
とべたきがするよ
あなたこそがひかりだ
むげんのチ力を
さぁはなつて
はるかなみちをゆけ※

もうなにも
こわがることはないんだ
なにもかもは
むだじゃないよ

言ってみせた
スーパーヒーロー
みたいに
ただただ
つよくなりたかった

なきそうになった
日もあったけど
よろこびのうたは
きこえていたんだ

たえずいとしさがあるから
いつもどおり
かがやけるはずさ
あなたこそがひかりだ
あたたかな心ははねる
あおきそらまでゆけ

いとしきものよ
キラキラ
ながれるように

めに見たことが
すべてじゃないよ
だいじなのはそう
このおもいだけ
※たいせつな人がいるから
今日までをずっと
とべたきがするよ
あなたこそがひかりだ
むげんのチ力を
さぁはなつて
はるかなみちをゆけ※