CHECKS AND BALANCES in Imperfect World

We all know that corruption is a form of disease in a government and economy. As I learn more about the imperfect real world, I accept that there is no way that one can totally stop corruption. It does not however mean that the people should  not strive to eliminate, or at least, minimize it from causing damage to the country.

I recently came across an interesting section of the article by Clive Crook published in Bloomberg View, which is highlighted below:

Liberal western politics, which are largely based on democracy, do involve 'fruitless politicking, too-frequent changes of government, populist incompetence and excessive attention to short term'. Democratic governance is in itself imperfect. The aforesaid problems are just a few of the problems associated with democracy. Nonetheless, it is arguably a system of governance that provides the most 'checks and balances'.

Authoritarianism is not in itself bad. Should the authoritarian leader or government be 'enlighted and meritocratic', a country can still be governed well and corrupt practises minimized. However, the lack of 'checks and balances' means an authoritarian who is less 'enlighted and meritocratic' can behave in an uncontrollable manner. Personal interest may override the welfare of the nation. Corrupt practices may go on unchecked. The country's wealth may inevitably be plundered for the benefits of the authoritarian, family members and cronies. The wish of the people will go largely ignored for the benefits of the few elitists.

A good system of 'checks and balances' is still the best bet to prevent any form of extremism and corruption in governance. The need for 'checks and balances' is paramount for a good governance. Effective 'checks and balances' keep the leaders on their toes and accountable for their acts and omissions.

Democratic system is able to provide a peaceful change of the ruling regime in a government at the wish of the people. In a democratic election, the oppositions or dissenters can replace the ruling regime should the regime be disregarding the well being of the country and its people. Without a mechanism for a peaceful change of government, violence may erupt and loss of lives may happen before a change of government is possible. Inability to peacefully change a government in a timely manner will prolong the existence of a ruling regime, matters not how corrupt or abusive it may be. In the real world, the existence of effective opposition parties in a democratic country 'is not unpatriotic but indispensable'.

The availability of 'checks and balances' and 'peaceful change of government' in a democracy means that the people living in a functional democracy are in relatively better hands.

Malaysia is now the oldest democracy in the world with a single regime rule. Barisan Nasional (BN), which is dominated by United Malay National Organisation (UMNO), has been in power for the last 58 years. The opposition coalition managed to win 52% popularity vote but BN won the general election in 2013 with 60% parliamentary seats to form the government. The opposition in Malaysia emphatically points out that BN has remained in power due to gerrymandering, abuse of power, distortion and oppression. There has been widespread reports of corruption  and illegal fund flows in Malaysia.

Do you think Malaysians are in good hands?

http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2012/12/11/malaysia-tops-bribery-table/

Umno's Others Are Bad Too

In my recent conversation with an old friend, we hit a very interesting point on United Malays National Organisation (Umno)'s recent strategy to portray 'Others Are Bad Too'. Umno is the dominant party in the coalition that has been ruling Malaysia for the past 58 years. In addition to 'Divide and Rule' and 'Divert and Rule' strategies, this party has progressed into 'Others Are Bad Too'.

We can see that there are 4 steps to this 'Others Are Bad Too' strategy.

STEP 1-

These Umno supporters are willing to admit that some of them are corrupt. They will usually finger point to cases of some Umno leaders who are widely known to be corrupt.

STEP 2-

They will be quick to blame that all the opposition parties, especially the key leaders, are equally corrupt. Although they are usually unable to specifically mention any case of corruption with evidence, they nonetheless argue that opposition leaders are just the same as Umno leaders. When they are asked why Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC), which is under the control of Umno, have not managed to prosecute or get any of the so-called corrupt key opposition leaders convicted, they inevitably assure you that a big case will be brought soon. Please do not hold your breath while you wait for the prosecution from MACC. We have not seen any case yet for years.

STEP 3-

They emphatically make a case that voting for Umno or any of the opposition parties will mean the same. In their dispute, 'Others Are Bad Too'.

STEP 4-

They then conclude that Malaysian voters are better off voting for UMNO or its coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN). Malaysians are apparently unable to improve the country by voting for the opposition anyway. 

We can see that the local mainstream media encompassing TVs, newspapers, radios, etc is assisting Umno to propagate this 'Others Are Bad Too' strategy. They are willing to report small fry cases of corruption in Umno or its government. At the same time, they hurl many unsubstantiated cases against the opposition. Cases that are never brought to the court ultimately. In fact, Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times have been known to pay compensation to opposition leaders for falsified claims against them. However, the damage is sometimes done in the political arena despite the fact that a lie may be corrected and justice is eventually done. The editorial columns of mainstream newspapers constantly try to instil the idea that the opposition is equally bad and inculcate distrust in the opposition. They will also repeatedly boast the benefits of having Umno and BN with a view to conclude that Malaysians are apparently not able to improve the country by voting for opposition. Hence, Malaysians are better off voting for Umno and BN.

"In Malaysia, you can be forgiven to  think that 'people' and 'rakyat' (citizens) mean government."

We find a few flaws in this 'Others Are Bad Too' strategy by Umno:

• The fact that Umno has to resort to this strategy means that Umno have run out of merits or worthy achievements to talk about. This is sad for a party that has been in power for over 1/2 of a century
• Umno supporters admit corrupt practices on behalf of the party or their leaders. This is as close as you can get to incriminating confession of guilt. Despite this, any prosecution by MACC against an Umno leader is rare. A conviction is almost unheard of.
• Their claims of corruption cases against opposition have been proven untrue over and over again. The lack of any prosecution by MACC or conviction further strengthen the case of innocence.
• A vote for opposition may or may not improve the situations in the country, it does not follow that a vote for Umno and BN will be better off for Malaysians. We have 58 years of history to tell us the contrary.

To a large extent, this 'Others Are Bad Too' strategy may be effective to dupe unsuspecting voters. It is unethical and it thrives on misleading claims. This strategy has been applied in the newly imposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) to paint a misleading picture of the opposition that are equally bad. In the case of Hudud, Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS)'s president is seen to be 'sleeping' with Umno, despite the fact that PAS is an opposition. 'Others Are Bad Too' strategy works so much better when Umno can pull an individual or a small group of them from the opposition to collaborate.


It is understandable why Umno has adopted this strategy. The party and its president, Najib Razak have been shrouded by scandals after scandals. You only have to Google search for news by typing Scandals in Malaysia. There are many and constantly updated with new ones. I will not be able to give the latest by listing them here. Please search for the scandalous news.

Perhaps, in time of desperation, Umno supporters may have inadvertently bordered on bad mouth, deception and spread of lies in order to secure support for Umno.

The Best in the World !!

When you walk into Malaysia as a tourist, you may not realize that you have just walked  into a country with many 'best in the world' and 'world class' statuses. This country has achieved so much even though it is still a developing nation with GDP per capita of only USD7,000 per annum. Its GDP per capita is a long way lower than wealthier countries like Japan, Australia, South Korea, Germany, United Kingdom, Singapore, or even Argentina.

Best Democracy in the World

Do not frown when you see Malaysia. This is most likely the Best Democracy in the World. Some Western and Asian countries may wish to inquire or learn from this. It is no frivolous claim. It is a democratic status described by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak in 2014. I am not making this up. Find the reports and news below:

http://www.thestar.com.my/story/?sec=nation&file=%2f2011%2f9%2f18%2fnation%2f20110918141818

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/02/12/sliding-press-freedom-best-democracy-in-the-world/

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysias-press-freedom-ranking-drops-to-historic-low-of-147

Best Healthcare System in the World

Do not need to worry about the adequacy of medical services in Malaysia when you visit. In case you need medical attention, you will be treated in the Best Health System in the World.  At the same time, you will be surprised that the health system is also the cheapest in the world. Najib Razak, as the Prime Minister of Malaysia, highlighted this crucial health standard and cost on 27 February 2015 in Malaysia. He further confirmed that Malaysia was the still the 3rd Best in the World in terms of health facilities. Despite the high healthcare standard, Malaysia had not been equally successful in curbing the dengue epidemic in the past few years. Find the reports and news below:

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/malaysia-medical-fees-cheapest-world-says-najib-bernama-072837222.html

http://outbreaknewstoday.com/malaysia-dengue-outbreak-nears-100000/ (2014 vs 2013)

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/23630-dengue-cases-recorded-nationwide-says-deputy-minister-bernama (Jan-Feb 2015 vs Jan-Feb 2014)

Best Flood Management in the World

Weather will not spoil your holiday in Malaysia despite the fact that it is a tropical country with plenty of rain. You will never need to worry about flood in this country. You can visit anywhere and stay in anywhere. Malaysia has one of the Best Flood Management System in the World, even better than those in developed countries, such as the United States. Minister in Prime Minister's Department, Shahidan Kassim explained this on 25 November 2013. Malaysians subsequently went on to suffer from the worst loss of lives and property damage in decades as a result of flood in 2014. Find the reports and news below:

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/new-schools-built-to-act-as-flood-relief-centres-says-shahidan

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30609549

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/better-coordination-needed-for-flood-reconstruction












Best Education System in the World

You will be greeted Malaysians who have been trained by one of the Best Education System in the World as you tour Malaysia. They are possibly very proficient in English language due to the Malaysian education system's emphasis on training internationally competitive and highly skilled labour force. On 1 April 2012, Malaysia revealed that Malaysian youngsters were receiving better education than children in the United States, Britain and Germany. It was openly trumpeted by Muhyiddin Yassin, the Education Minister cum Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia.

On that account, you should find very rare and few Malaysians who study overseas. A quick check with acquaintances and associates in Malaysia who could afford overseas education showed otherwise though. Interestingly, Muhyiddin was however baffled by poor grasp of English language by Malaysian students when he spoke on the subject in November 2014.

Malaysian students only managed a poor 55th ranking out of 65 countries in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) done by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).  Find the reports and news below:

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2012/04/01/Muhyiddin-Our-education-system-is-one-of-the-best/

http://www.themalaysiantimes.com.my/dap-shuns-muhyiddins-best-education-system-claim/

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/muhyiddin-baffled-by-malaysians-poor-grasp-of-english

While you are visiting Malaysia, you should know that you may wish to further your education in high quality universities situated in the country. With the one of the Best Education System in the World, it is not surprising that Malaysia has the Best Universities or Higher Education. Second Education Minister of Malaysia, Idris Jusoh openly announced that the country had World Class Higher Education on 21 February 2015. Yes, Malaysia has to have 2 education ministers to ensure the Best in the World education.

According to him, Malaysia's higher education was on par with those of developed nations including the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia. Malaysian top university, Universiti Malaya (UM) was in 151st position (up from 167) in the list of 400 top institutions in the world in the 2014 QS World Ranking of universities. UM was however ranked at 377 for 2014 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and had improved from its position of 401 to 500 in 2012 and 2013. UM did not submit data for the annual Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2014-2015. Four other Malaysian universities submitted their data but none made it into the top 400 of the rankings. Should you be inquisitive, you may wish to read further to understand the background of this world class quality. Find the reports and news below:

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/newsindex.php?id=1110674

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/290163

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/02/27/idris-jusoh-told-to-stop-fooling-malaysians/

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/global-education-index-disappointed-um-ukm-snubbed-rankings-poll

I suspect Idris Jusoh's logic can be based on the fact that Malaysia is one of the country in the world. Whatever that it does is within this world, and hence anything that it does is a part of world class. While I do not subscribe to this line of argument, I have to give credit to his creativity.

Malaysia is a country with many Best in the World! As a tourist, you can only be proud to have visited this  country. As a Malaysian, you can only be proud of being a citizen of this country with many 'best in the world' and 'world class' statuses. It may not be long before Malaysia changes its tourism tagline from 'Malaysia, Truly Asia' to the 'Malaysia, the Best in the World'. Malaysia has achieved so much in the past 4 years. "Apa lagi lu mau?", perhaps one can enviously quote this colloquial expression recently made popular by a local newspaper, when you meet a Malaysian.

when No is deemed as Yes...

A qualified Australia-certified Chartered Accountant in all his wisdom once said,

"For banks to allow (the) extension (of a loan repayment by one month), this also shows that they have a certain confidence in the company (1Malaysia Development Berhad, 1MDB).”

I heard his statement of wisdom in disbelief, despite the fact that this person has repeated claimed to be Australia-certified Chartered Accountant. I consulted the views of a few senior bankers on the accuracy of this statement. The responses can be summarised as follows:

Banks are commercial entities. They lend money to earn fee or interest income from a client. Should they feel that a client is capable of repaying the loan, they would be happy to extend a loan for 1 year, 3 years or even 5 years. They would not be so silly to extend for just one month only. Extending a loan on a month by month basis is administratively cumbersome. It is only done for a problematic loan.

Their comments confirmed my logical thinking. If a person has confidence in you, he will be looking at a business or friendly relationship on a long term. One month cannot be considered long term. Hence, the purported words of wisdom must be misguided...

There are a few analogous scenarios that we can analyse further:

• Personal Relationship. Your girlfriend is asking for a breakup due to your misbehaviour. You want the relationship to stay, and you ask for more time to improve the situation. You want to be a better person for her. She turns around and says that she is only giving you one month to try. This can not be a case where she has the confidence that you will improve and make things better.
• Business Relationship. You have been buying goods from this particular supplier on 30 day credit terms. You are allowed 30 days after receipt of goods before you pay. You ask for a longer credit period due to the commercial relationship. You are aware that the supplier grant longer credit terms to other customers. To your surprise, your supplier refuse and remain the 30 days credit terms with you. This cannot be a situation where you can think that your supplier has confidence in your credit strength.
• Personal loan. If you need some money for an urgent and immediate need but you require a year to save enough money. You may try to borrow from your good friend to attend to this immediate need. You know that your good friend is wealthy and can well afford to spare the cash. However, your friend is only willing to lend you the money for one month. Although there may be other reasons to explain this, it cannot be interpreted as a sign of confidence that he has in you.

Logically, this qualified Australia-certified Chartered Accountant is erroneous to think that one month loan extension is a sign of confidence in 1MDB. Indeed, he should know that this is a vote of no-confidence or a clear sign of lacking in confidence on the part of the banks. It should not take a genius to know this. 

Yet, the words came out of a Deputy Minister and a qualified Australia-certified Chartered Accountant. This self-claimed Australia-certified Chartered Accountant is Chua Tee Yong, who is the Deputy Minister in Finance Ministry of Malaysia. He is one of the children of Chua Soi Lek, who was once a President of Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) in the governing coalition of Malaysia, Barisan Nasional. 

Please refer to the below for more details on 1MDB RM2 billion loan extensions:

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/deputy-minister-says-loan-extension-shows-banks-confidence-in-1mdb

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-27/1mdb-seeks-loan-extension-before-3-billion-ipo-of-energy-assets

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bank-negara-powerless-to-act-on-1mdb-loan-extension-request-says-report

http://portalkini.net/?p=17643

Think Moderate, Vote Moderate

A group of 25 prominent personalities comprising mostly former top civil servants wrote an open letter dated 7 December 2014 calling on the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak to act against the racial and religious disturbances caused by the extremists, and asking moderate Malaysians to stand up and be counted against extremist, immoderate and intolerant voices as represented by Perkasa, Isma, etc.

We applaud the good itention of this Group of 25. Their press release is available here. The Group is led by the prominent and outspoken Dato’ Noor Farida Ariffin, the former Malaysian ambassador to the Netherlands.

There were 2 fundamental flaws with the good intention of this Group of 25. They wrote to a leader of United Malays National Organisation (Umno) and Barisan Nasional coalition (BN) to seek leadership against racial and religious extremism in the country.

• By writing to Umno/BN, they have submitted to the notion that only Umno/BN can provide solutions to the extremist problems in the country. This trust on Umno/BN to act against extremism may be ill-founded.
• There are several political parties which have been out-rightly speaking and acting against extremism. Umno/BN is not one of them.
• Umno/BN has been ruling Malaysia after taking it over at the end of British occupation in 1957. British, as the then colonial master, was practising 'divide and rule' tactic to control the local populations. Umno/BN has been responsible in prolonging this tactic to 'divide' the multi-ethnic Malaysians into race and religion, and then 'rule' them by acting as the only master that can safeguard the interest of each race or religion. You can read more here.
• This 'divide and rule' tactic can only work if the multi-ethnic Malaysians remain divided. It works best by way of extremism. The more deeply divided the Malaysians, the better this 'divide and rule' tactic works.
• It is against the existence of Umno/BN and its reign of power in Malaysia to weed out extremism. In order to thrive, it must not see Malaysians united in their own country.
• Hence, I believe the call by the Group of 25 for anyone in Umno/BN to exercise political will and leadership to promote moderation is futile.

• By calling on Najib to resolve the problems, they look up to Najib; believe Najib is fully in control of Umno/BN; and he is capable of making a change. The trust and belief are misplaced.
• Najib, as the head of Umno/BN, can not possibly act against the interest of Umno/BN to hang on to power.
• Since Najib took over as the prime minister in 2009, the extremism in Malaysia has proliferated like wild mushrooms and taken a more obvious, albeit inappropriate, central stage of Umno/BN politics.
• Perkasa's leader, Ibrahim Ali once admitted that he was only answerable to Najib.
• There is doubt if Najib is fully in control of Umno due to his 'cakap tak serupa bikin' (talk but act differently or failure to walk the talk) character which has resulted in many serious policy U-turns. He has also been nicknamed 'Bapa U-turn Malaysia'
• Najib's frequent policy U-turns spell out clearly that he is incapable of bringing about any major change. He changes his mind before any change can be implemented.

It can be concluded that neither Najib nor Umno/BN can be relied upon to instil racial or religious moderation in Malaysia. As a result, the good intention of this Group of 25 is likely to end up in vain. Expectedly, Najib has remained silence on the request of this Group up to the time of writing.

The Group of 25 might be more successful should they be calling on all Malaysians, especially the moderates, to stay away from extremism and abandon any political party or politician that does not have a moderate stance. They can justifiably call upon all Malaysians to vote against any political party or politician that allow or condone any form of extremism whether expressively or implicitly.

The majority of Malaysians should be awakened to heed this movement for moderation in the interest of the nation. Umno/BN's hold onto power by using extremist 'divide and rule' tactic can then be ended. Malaysia will be revitalized as a nation of true moderation, inclusiveness and progression. Perhaps, this is the most democratic and effective way of installing moderation in Malaysia. 'Think Moderate, Vote Moderate'.

You can learn how extremism has helped Umno/BN to stay in power here.

Truth of 100 years

Lets go back more than 100 years ago and look at how an author from the colonialist, Britain described the people in Malaysia (it was still Malaya then).

In 1907, Britain occupied Malaya with a 'divide and rule' tactic. British divided the 3 major races in Malaya and compartmentalized them in their respective racial group. Inter-racial communications were restricted. British was the 'boss' and played the central roles to 'safeguard' welfare of each race. British further branded or stereotyped each race with a degrading 'weakness', and manipulated it to stoke strong dislikes or contempt of one race towards another.

Hence, there was a common branding of a Malay was idler. Chinaman or Chinese was known as a thief. Indian was deemed a drunkard. This was part of the British tactic of 'divide and rule' in Malaya.

Lets fast-forward 107 years to the present day in 2014. Malaya gained independence in 1957 and Malaysia was formed in 1963. One would have thought that this British 'divide and rule' tactic should only be part of history since Malaysia is now an independent country for more than 50 years. Should you think so, you would have been misled.

In 2014, the ruling regime in Malaysia, formed by Barisan Nasional (BN) coallition, which is dominated by United Malays National Organisation (Umno), pretty much practise the same governance by using the same racial divisive branding for Malay, Chinese and Indian. Seriously?!?

Idler

Mahathir, the former prime minister of Malaysia but still an active Umno member, openly say Malays are lazy in 2014. Idler branding for Malay has been around all along and is still widespread today. An idler mean a lazy person.

Thief 

Branding for Chinese has progressed from thief into gambler, greedy person and even Pendatang (foreign immigrant). A Malaysian of Chinese ethnic can be called a Pendatang by NGOs linked to Umno even though he or she is born in Malaysia as a full-fledged Malaysian citizen.

Drunkard

The drunkard connotation for Indian has not changed for the past 100 years. Indian is still branded as 'kaki botol' today. It is a Malay phrase for drunkard. Government agency of this ruling regime is reported to be still using 'kaki botol' to describe Indian.

The key question is why should the ruling regime in Malaysia still be practicing this irresponsible colonialist governance of 'divide and rule'? Multi-racial Malaysians have evolved over time to live happily with each other. Malaysians in general love their neighbours and disdain racial extremists. Here lies the problem with Umno. Umno started and continued to exist on the self proclaimed purpose of 'safeguarding' Malays. Now that Malays do not need the so called 'safeguard' anymore, Umno has lost its purpose of existence.

It is clear that this ruling regime is not interested in racial harmony and civil peace in Malaysia. It is more interested in prolonging its firm hold on power in disregard for the interest of overall Malaysians. Umno dominated government in Malaysia is still behaving like a colonialist in its very own country. This is puzzling.

The ruling regime, which effectively controlled by Umno, seems to be uncomfortable with this in fear of losing grip on power. Its dated 'divide and rule' tactic has not been working as well as before. The government itself is known to be in many occasions provoking racial discontent among its own people to justify its existence and support from Malays. Should Malays or Malaysians allow this to happen? Malaysia is at its critical crossroad. Share your views.

Art of Distraction

In Transformers movie, there were Decepticons

In 'transformational' Malaysia, there are Distracticons

Malaysians are constantly overwhelmed by many issues in their lives. In addition to escalating costs of living, high crime rate, and deteriorating quality of lives, they have to face all kind of unproductive issues raised by 'agent provocateurs' of the ruling regime. People who favor the current ruling regime regularly and repeatedly raised these unproductive issues or topics to distract or divert the attention of the people from the core problems of the country.

What are the unproductive issues or topics that are so good at distracting the  people?

I can off-hand list out a few typical topics to distract Malaysians from the core problems:

• Touching Dog. A well intended event in accordance to religious precautions was senselessly attacked by people who 'ignore' the religious precautions followed in the event.
• The consequence of numerous attacks and the people's angry responses against such senseless attacks totally distracted Malaysians from the discontent resulted from the 20 sen increase in petrol price.

• Some politicians and so called social activists endlessly debate the issues on Pendatang and Perantau. Why is there a need to distinguish between Pendatang and Perantau among fellow Malaysians? We do not see Americans questioning if President Obama is Pendatang or Perantau. This topic is used to portray as if the status of Malays in Malaysia is being threatened by Pendatang. Malays are then called upon to support United Malays National Organisation (Umno), the leading party of the ruling regime, to fight for their rights. Seriously, after more than 50 years of safeguarding and advancing Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy) and yet this very status is still 'insecure'. Umno is either incompetent or just 'cakap tak serupa bikin' (hypocrite).

• This topic of distraction is frequently used when there are corruption or abuse of power cases against the ruling regime or its agencies. For instance, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). 1MDB is known for abuse of government funds and corruptions.

• Oktoberfest is becoming more popular for wrong reasons in Malaysia. It is an evening gathering mainly to consume beer that has been practised for many years. It is also named as Oktoberfest to coincide with the well-known German festival. The ferocious condemnation seems to erroneously imply that beer drinking in Malaysia is 'illegal'. This is untrue. Malaysian laws allow alcohol consuption and alcoholic products are tax-free in several tourist spots. Consuming alcohol however is not allowed for Muslims.
• This alcoholic topic is recently used to distract the people from discussing the inflationary pressure as a result of the imposition of 6% goods and services tax (GST). This topic is also useful to distract people from a public discussion on any revelation of this ruling regime's corrupt practices.

• Halloween celebration has been practised by expatriates and some Malaysians for decades but it is now ruled as against Islam in Malaysia. They talk as if it is now illegal to celebrate Halloween, which is again untrue. However, the ruling regime has made approvals of venue very difficult for anyone to organize Halloween party. 
• This topic of distraction is new and it is used for the same purpose as Oktoberfest.

• Use of the word Allah by Christians and Sikhs has existed in Malaysia before the country gained independence in 1957. It was never an issue for more than 50 years but it is a controversy now. It looks like the use of the word Allah is now exclusive to Malaysian Muslims. This is the classic topic used again and again to foster Muslims support for Umno. It goes on the basis that use of the word Allah by non-Muslims would threaten the position of Muslims in Malaysia.
• This topic has never failed to harness heated discussion or even legal actions by Muslims and non Muslims. It has been successful in strengthening Muslim support for Umno. This topic is particularly useful in times of general election, by election and to distract people from the wrongdoing or abusive practices of the ruling regime.

• Ibrahim Ali. He is a key 'agent provocateur' for Umno. Rumour has it that he can be anyone's agent as long as the amount of money is right. Ibrahim is himself a topic to distract Malaysians from core problems. He should be a symbol of Umno that has failed in its Ketuanan Melayu cause. On the contrary, he constantly reminds Malays how 'insecure' their status is today. Hence, they must continue to support Umno.
• Ibrahim would get much publicity from  government controlled media when there is an uncovering of a major corruption case against Umno, or before general election or by-election.

• Every now and then there would be a cow-head thrown into an Indian temple or a pig-head thrown into a mosque. Red coloured paint would also be unexpectedly slashed at some religious venues. Heated protests and emotional outbursts from supporters of this ruling regime would then follow suit. These silly events objected by all Malaysians usually happen just before elections.

The next question is why does the ruling regime require these unproductive issues or topics to distract the people?

The ruling regime in Malaysia, Barisan Nasional is led by Umno, and has been in power for 57 years. This regime is plagued by its internal conflicts and is incapable of reinventing itself. It is corrupt, abusive and, in many areas, incompetent. One thing is sure. Umno still wants to hang on to power and continue to reap benefits from the country.

It seems to have gone on to manage Malaysia by way of distraction. Umno leaders are happy as long as Malaysians are distracted from the core problems faced by the people. While Malaysians are distracted, these leaders continue their corrupt and abusive practices to benefit themselves, their families and cronies. There is no political will to advance the country. The only will is to plunder as much as possible before the country is absolutely bankrupt. That is probably the point that they will stop or leave the country.

What are the core problems challenging Malaysian livelihood?

Cost of living in Malaysia has been escalating rapidly. Inflation has been high despite government released numbers. People on the streets are feeling this. Inflation may be partially caused by the world commodity prices but it is made much worse by 'Cronies first, Cash now' corrupt practices. Most of the contracts given out by Malaysian government or its government linked companies tend to be overpriced to ridiculous level. Look at the cost of constructing Malaysian budget air terminal, Klia2. It was no surprise that Malaysia was top in the world in illegal capital outflows on per capita basis, even though China has a higher absolute outflow amount. Why? I suppose all the corrupt money must go somewhere deemed safe.

Malaysia has been among the top in the world when it comes to illegal capital outflows. No country in ASEAN can come close. Not Thailand, not Philippines, not Vietnam and not even Indonesia.

Petrol price increased by 20 sen recently and it looks set to increase further. Coupled with the imposition of 6% GST in April 2015, cost of living will be escalating further. Malaysians are increasingly frustrated with lower and middle income trap. Income improvement is way below the rate of escalating cost of living.

Incapable of or Unwilling to rejuvenate Malaysian economy, the ruling regime resorted to manage the country by way of distraction. In Malaysia, there are 'endless possibilities' to the tricks used by this ruling regime to prolong its life-span. Malaysians will be better off focused on the core problems and not get carried away by unproductive topics raised and sensationalised by Umno. Beware of Umno's Art of Distraction!