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Malaysia in past weeks suffered unprecedented battery of adverse world media coverage which gravely undermine our international competitiveness and goal to become developed high-income country

In the past weeks, Malaysia suffered from an unprecedented battery of adverse world media coverage which gravely undermine our international competitiveness by frightening off intending foreign investors and highly detrimental to the national goal to become a developed high-income country.

The latest incident which has put Malaysia in a very bad light internationally is the global media coverage of yesterday’s Shah Alam cow-head sacrilege in a protest against the construction of a Hindu temple, something which had not happened in 52 years of Malaysian nation building and raising the grave question whether the country is moving towards greater religious intolerance and polarization – and what this means to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia slogan.

Other adverse international media coverage of Malaysia in the past weeks include:

  • The caning sentence imposed by a Pahang Syariah Court on part-time model Kartika Seri Dewi Shukarno’s for consuming beer;

  • News of government decision to restrict Muslims from attending the concert of international pop sensation Black Eye Peas;

  • News report on the eve of the Permatang Pasir by-election polling that Selangor mosque officials were being empowered to arrest Muslims consuming alocohol or found working in establishments that serve, store or display alcoholic beverages. (Although this was subsequently clarified and denied by the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim extensive damage had already been done).

  • The mysterious death of Teoh Beng Hock at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters in Shah Alam on July 16.

  • The “mother of all scandals” haunting the national political landscape – the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

The backdrop of these disturbing events cast a pall on the 52nd National Day celebrations in some 36 hours’ time.

For Sarawak and Sabah, marking the 46th anniversary of their participation in Malaysia, many questions are also being asked as to why Sarawakians, whether Ibans, Bidayuhs, Chinese and Malays have been left out from the mainstream of national development apart from a handful of the privileged few.

Sarawak is a very wealthy state in terms of natural resources like petroleum and timber but in predominantly-Bidayuh Serian parliamentary constituency, the people are still without the most basic necessities before a country can claim to be developed – reflected by the fact that many schools in the area are still without piped water and electricity.

For close to half a century, the promise that Sarawakians and Sabahans will enjoy fairly and equitably in the fruits of development in the state and nation have not been honoured, leaving the people in Sarawak with many teeming socio-economic problems, such as basic infrastructures like health, education, roads, piped water and electricity; and for Bidayuhs and Dayaks, the grave problem of Native Customary Land titles.

National Day on August 31 and Malaysia Day on Sept. 16 will only be meaningful to ordinary Sarawakians if their basic rights to development and to the most basic infrastructures could be met and their aspirations to be equal citizens of the Sarawak state and Malaysian nation given full recognition.

[Speech by DAP Parliamentary Leader and MP for Ipoh Timor Lim Kit Siang at the DAP Dinner in Serian, Sarawak on Saturday, 29th August 2009 at 9 pm]

21 Replies to “Malaysia in past weeks suffered unprecedented battery of adverse world media coverage which gravely undermine our international competitiveness and goal to become developed high-income country”

  1. Malaysia is at the stage of inevitable decline after a rotten system of decades despite belated 1Malaysia.

    What we have seen recently are the best ugly manifestations of the nation not at crossroad but a downhill slope to oblivion unless an Interim Government for Good Governance IGGG is in place now.

    a bit late but never feel sorry later if we don’t act now.

    pw: demunrest Elaine

  2. Too much politic , too much power hungry people around . State gov of Penang and Selangor also do not give a good and strong signal that they are CAT but ofcourse big fat CAT…where is Anwar ,pls stand up…

  5. First these guys insulted the christian community especially the catholics,now or just two days ago ,they insulted the hindus.Next on their list of insult is likely the buddhist,taoist,etc.Hence beware of the ware-wolf as bad moon on the rise again on 18th.sept.

  8. Welcome to the backward country i.e. 1 Malaysia , where race issues rules, 1 malaysia my backside it’s more like Infinately divided Malaysia.
    So which animal head is to be paraded next by the stinking cowards???

  10. Caiaphas, the Pharisees high priest of the year during the trial of Jesus Christ said “that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish”.

    It is no secret that liquor consumption is very common in places that cater to the needs of high society – in clubs, hotels, private abode and fraternity. Most amazing is that many of the patrons of such establishments are Muslims. One of the most notorious characters is the present Malaysian Ambassador to the United States, Jamaludin Jarjis, who is infamous for his drinking binge and in one instance of his drunken state he groped the buttocks of a lady. Surprisingly he was not hauled up in spite of this wide publicity.

    Now, to the moral police it is very embarrassing that high-society Muslims are doing such things and their incapacity to take action against them, whether by choice or fear nobody knows. So in following the convenient logic of the Pharisees, it is better to cane Kartika in order to cover up the sins of these socialites. So sad it is always the offenders in the lower rung of society who have to atone for the sins of high-class society’s offenders.

  19. Hey Limkamput,we were blur,yeah when we helped to form malaysia but to claim we are still blur now is not correct and also unfair to sarawakians and sabahans.I can understand your fustration .I hope this time around PR can put up a united front in east malaysia especially to fight BN on one to one basis.In addition,the PR list of candidates must consist of good local people who have integrity,honesty,and professional people who have a real sense or interest to serve the people.If PR could provide this kind of choice,change would be realised.I have no doubt at all.

  20. Good local people who have integrity,honesty,and professional people who have a real sense or interest to serve the people do not necessarily win elections. It all depend on the integrity of the people conducting the elections. See how Mugabe, M’baki of Kenya, Ahmedinejad of Iran and Hamid karzai of Afghanistan win the elections there despite being corrupt.

  21. during 308 elections , those candidates standing election in Sabah , those are either former kataks or rejects from the BN would sabahans bother to vote for such candidates ? can’t they give us better / new blood to stand for elections ?

    majority of voters are not educated , (rural/ULU districts) , when DRM is still in power , (phantom voters) (illegals) not being flushed out ……BN is still in power……
    we are not blur……….the list is too long to go on…………..

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