Tediously boring as in predictable coverage almost every time on issues pertaining to personalities, race, religion, corruption, incompetence -- issues that are recycled or rehearsed at every turn in all forms of media. Evolution is a misnomer for Malaysia. There are people who have nostalgia for the pre-1969 days without a proper and full understanding that the political system then was already embedding structural problems of race and even religion, as if the period of colonization hadn't brought these issues to the fore leading up to May 13 1969. Malaysia is not a "scientific" experiment. Nor is it one designed to produce paradigm change. Anwar Ibrahim's (or should that be Zahid Hamidi's?) "unity government" doesn't sound any different to consociationalism of the past or of the Harapan regime that was floundering from the moment it usurped power. The problems of the past are being rehearsed in the post-November 19 election regime. And it's increasingly doubtful if Anwar Ibrahim still has the mantle of structural reforms of the politics of the country and, ipso facto, of the economy (you change the politics with the economy and vice-versa) with the embedded complications of race, racism, religion, bigotry, corruption, incompetence and, above all, Malay-ness.
The Malay businessman who worried Malaysia's so-called civil service (it's one of the world's most un-civil civil service) is corrupt is behind the times. It's not a new phenomenon but one that's as old as Mahathir's post-1969 politics and Malay "socialist" aka nationalist ideology. It was Mahathir and his regime that had corrupted the uncivil civil service through and through, just as Mahathir's privatisation policy has flooded state enterprises (GLCs) with manic greed and corruption. Most, if not all, of these enterprises are dependent on Malay state nurturing, including bailouts, and economic protection from international competition. One wonders if Rifizi Ramli and Anwar Inrahim, now that they're running the so-called unity government, will openly agree to this view and do something about breaking up this protectionist-corrupt cartelisation of Malaysia's domestic economy. And linked to these enterprises are no less Chinese and Indian enterprises, who feed off Malay economic patronage for government business. Fact is, it's big business. And cutting this corrupt sector to spite its face will come back to bite Anwar (and Rafizi) in the backside.
Zahid Hamidi is a completely untrustworthy fellow who wears different faces for different occasions. But he'll sit by and watch the Malay-dominated in-civil and corrupt civil serve, and the Malay-dominated GLC sector go after Anwar to ensure they're untouchable -- or else. Anwar, for all his his (previous) reformist zeal, is weak, and even weaker by instituting himself in a notoriously haphazard and weak unity government. Like Rafizi Ramli. If Rafizi is a genuine reformist and intends to break up Malay business cartelization that Mahathir and Umno had established, he'd have to grow elephant-size testicles. As long as the "unity government" is maintained, by hook or -- mainly by crook -- Rafizi will be hamstrung for the duration. he may be known as renegade within Pakatan Harapan or Anwar's Parti Keadilan but he'll have to break away from Keadilan and Anwar to take the DAP with him on reforming Malaysia's politics and economy or at least the domestic business sector which, as everybody knows, is full of crooks, standover merchants, the utterly greedy and corrupt and totally incompetent businesspeople.
I suspect Muhyiddin, who like hamidi cannot be trusted one jot, will milk the anemic unity government for all his worth. He now looks like a desperate Mahathir (thankfully Mahathir lost in the most deservedly humiliating way at the last poll). But Muhyiddin knows his time is nearing, too, for his grandiose political Malay-nationalist ambitions or the grave. Just as when he was Malaysia's illegitimate prime minister after the spectacular and shameful collapse of Harapan, he is, like Anwar, in a far weaker position with his lacklustre Bersatu party. Which explains his beholden position to Malaysia Talibanist party PAS.
PAS will look at recruiting the mass of disenchanted Malay unemployed or underemployed. In. the short run this will work for Muhyiddin but in the long run it will have devastating impact on his "leadership" and Bersatu. PAS has the inside track, whether Anwar likes it or not. PAS will want to ensure rural Malays are kept rural, just as Mahathir and his successors had done the same thing, appealing to the rural Malay masses at elections by throwing buckets of taxpayer money to resolve economic livelihood issue but only for the short run. Long run, Mahathir and his successors, especially Najib Razak, wanted to keep rural Malays poor by denying them development funds and access to markets. And the rural folk were happy to see a million mosques and majids and the like built as if religion or Islam will solve their endemic problems. Can't get more stupid and ignorant than this. And neither Anwar nor Rafizi will be able to do the reverse if they know which side of their own Malay-ness roti canai is oiled.
Which means the crazily racist Chinese in Malaysia will become even crankier that they aren't getting the spoils of the Malay state. After all, look at Chinese business structures and links and you'll find they're no more different to Malay crony businesses, except the Chinese are more export-oriented for their revenue whereas the Malay businesses are happy to milk domestic taxpayers and customers to survive (think proton, Boustead, etc).
Where does all this leave Malaysia? Nowhere. Nothing is new. Nothing will be new. Nothing will change. For Malaysia, it's the same old story. Read Malaysian news: always the same story, living on the same diet of race, religion and corruption. To think Malaysia has a bright future is seriously wacky. To think that Anwar will save Malaysia is equally seriously wacky a notion. Or for that matter Rafizi. The employment of ministers via the backdoor of senatorships even after losing their seats is no different that Muhyiddin and his Pengkhianat Nasional regime forming his regime via the backdoor with the king's blessing. It's completely idiotic. But it is what Malaysia is, always has been, always will be. And tediously boring.
Asia sentinel news is always hated by the public.. Like Indonesia will talk that shit Asia sentinel... 🖕
Tediously boring as in predictable coverage almost every time on issues pertaining to personalities, race, religion, corruption, incompetence -- issues that are recycled or rehearsed at every turn in all forms of media. Evolution is a misnomer for Malaysia. There are people who have nostalgia for the pre-1969 days without a proper and full understanding that the political system then was already embedding structural problems of race and even religion, as if the period of colonization hadn't brought these issues to the fore leading up to May 13 1969. Malaysia is not a "scientific" experiment. Nor is it one designed to produce paradigm change. Anwar Ibrahim's (or should that be Zahid Hamidi's?) "unity government" doesn't sound any different to consociationalism of the past or of the Harapan regime that was floundering from the moment it usurped power. The problems of the past are being rehearsed in the post-November 19 election regime. And it's increasingly doubtful if Anwar Ibrahim still has the mantle of structural reforms of the politics of the country and, ipso facto, of the economy (you change the politics with the economy and vice-versa) with the embedded complications of race, racism, religion, bigotry, corruption, incompetence and, above all, Malay-ness.
The Malay businessman who worried Malaysia's so-called civil service (it's one of the world's most un-civil civil service) is corrupt is behind the times. It's not a new phenomenon but one that's as old as Mahathir's post-1969 politics and Malay "socialist" aka nationalist ideology. It was Mahathir and his regime that had corrupted the uncivil civil service through and through, just as Mahathir's privatisation policy has flooded state enterprises (GLCs) with manic greed and corruption. Most, if not all, of these enterprises are dependent on Malay state nurturing, including bailouts, and economic protection from international competition. One wonders if Rifizi Ramli and Anwar Inrahim, now that they're running the so-called unity government, will openly agree to this view and do something about breaking up this protectionist-corrupt cartelisation of Malaysia's domestic economy. And linked to these enterprises are no less Chinese and Indian enterprises, who feed off Malay economic patronage for government business. Fact is, it's big business. And cutting this corrupt sector to spite its face will come back to bite Anwar (and Rafizi) in the backside.
Zahid Hamidi is a completely untrustworthy fellow who wears different faces for different occasions. But he'll sit by and watch the Malay-dominated in-civil and corrupt civil serve, and the Malay-dominated GLC sector go after Anwar to ensure they're untouchable -- or else. Anwar, for all his his (previous) reformist zeal, is weak, and even weaker by instituting himself in a notoriously haphazard and weak unity government. Like Rafizi Ramli. If Rafizi is a genuine reformist and intends to break up Malay business cartelization that Mahathir and Umno had established, he'd have to grow elephant-size testicles. As long as the "unity government" is maintained, by hook or -- mainly by crook -- Rafizi will be hamstrung for the duration. he may be known as renegade within Pakatan Harapan or Anwar's Parti Keadilan but he'll have to break away from Keadilan and Anwar to take the DAP with him on reforming Malaysia's politics and economy or at least the domestic business sector which, as everybody knows, is full of crooks, standover merchants, the utterly greedy and corrupt and totally incompetent businesspeople.
I suspect Muhyiddin, who like hamidi cannot be trusted one jot, will milk the anemic unity government for all his worth. He now looks like a desperate Mahathir (thankfully Mahathir lost in the most deservedly humiliating way at the last poll). But Muhyiddin knows his time is nearing, too, for his grandiose political Malay-nationalist ambitions or the grave. Just as when he was Malaysia's illegitimate prime minister after the spectacular and shameful collapse of Harapan, he is, like Anwar, in a far weaker position with his lacklustre Bersatu party. Which explains his beholden position to Malaysia Talibanist party PAS.
PAS will look at recruiting the mass of disenchanted Malay unemployed or underemployed. In. the short run this will work for Muhyiddin but in the long run it will have devastating impact on his "leadership" and Bersatu. PAS has the inside track, whether Anwar likes it or not. PAS will want to ensure rural Malays are kept rural, just as Mahathir and his successors had done the same thing, appealing to the rural Malay masses at elections by throwing buckets of taxpayer money to resolve economic livelihood issue but only for the short run. Long run, Mahathir and his successors, especially Najib Razak, wanted to keep rural Malays poor by denying them development funds and access to markets. And the rural folk were happy to see a million mosques and majids and the like built as if religion or Islam will solve their endemic problems. Can't get more stupid and ignorant than this. And neither Anwar nor Rafizi will be able to do the reverse if they know which side of their own Malay-ness roti canai is oiled.
Which means the crazily racist Chinese in Malaysia will become even crankier that they aren't getting the spoils of the Malay state. After all, look at Chinese business structures and links and you'll find they're no more different to Malay crony businesses, except the Chinese are more export-oriented for their revenue whereas the Malay businesses are happy to milk domestic taxpayers and customers to survive (think proton, Boustead, etc).
Where does all this leave Malaysia? Nowhere. Nothing is new. Nothing will be new. Nothing will change. For Malaysia, it's the same old story. Read Malaysian news: always the same story, living on the same diet of race, religion and corruption. To think Malaysia has a bright future is seriously wacky. To think that Anwar will save Malaysia is equally seriously wacky a notion. Or for that matter Rafizi. The employment of ministers via the backdoor of senatorships even after losing their seats is no different that Muhyiddin and his Pengkhianat Nasional regime forming his regime via the backdoor with the king's blessing. It's completely idiotic. But it is what Malaysia is, always has been, always will be. And tediously boring.