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What the Chinese want and why we wouldn’t ‘balik’ China

Carol Ng
Free Malaysia Today
August 6, 2013

What do the Chinese want? It’s pretty amazing after 55 years in the same country that our leaders still have no clue to the answer to this question. And even more amazing is the demand for Chinese to go back to China, and in the meantime, Indians go back to India too. I’m not sure what makes them think China or India would take us ‘back’ in the first place. Both countries are so populated, the governments there would not only deport us, they might ask us to take some of their own citizens back with us while we’re at it.

This is my attempt to answer this apparently very elusive question. I apologise if my views don’t represent those of all Malaysian Chinese, but I believe that for most of us, going ‘back’ to China, even if we legally could, is nowhere on the list. I’m also about to highlight some negative perceptions about the Chinese, which I’m not afraid to point out being a Chinese well, as I believe it’s important to be able to acknowledge when your own people are doing something wrong and not be afraid to criticise it…. Something that quite a few people in this country seem to be unable to do and would rather ignore the wrong others are doing just because they are of the same race or religion.

China may be making a name for itself as a technological powerhouse, but the country is run by a dictatorship. There is no freedom of speech, and there are heavy restrictions on use of the internet, the press, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly. There is a huge disparity between rich and poor in China, social injustices are high and people have become so indifferent to each other that people can walk pass an injured and dying toddler on the road and not be bothered to help. Basically, everything we don’t like about Malaysia, is a lot worse in China.

For my Indians friend, it’s pretty much a similar case in India. If we did leave the country, why go to a country where life would be more difficult? If we migrated anywhere, we’d rather go to Singapore, America, Australia, United Kingdom, which may not be perfect, but there is more equal opportunity, more freedom, higher pay and a good chance at a better livelihood. But for a lot of us, we’d rather stay in Malaysia, simply because most of our happy memories, friends and family are here. Plus the food here is just too good. Continue reading “What the Chinese want and why we wouldn’t ‘balik’ China”

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Fictitious “Father Augustus Chen” given seven days to surface and prove he is not a phantom – failing which would RoS reconsider his decision?

I have said that “Father Augustus Chen” whose booklet “The Equity Report (CEC Election Fraud)” is used as authority by Umno/BN leaders and the Registrar of Societies to invalidate the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections last December is a fictitious figure and a total figment of imagination of the Umno/BN “war-room psy-war” campaign against the DAP before and after the 13th General Elections.

Today there is further confirmation that the lies and falsehoods about election irregularities in the DAP CEC elections last year has become fodder in the upcoming UMNO party elections when Utusan Malaysia reported that the UMNO MP for Kuala Pilah and Minister for Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Datuk Hasan Malek has confirmed that he would be contesting for the UMNO Supreme Council elections in October this year.

It was Hasan Malek who over the weekend quoted the fictitious figure “Father Augustus Chen” as authority for the decision by the Registrar of Societies director-general Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman directing the DAP to hold CEC re-election.

Two dubious records are set here –firstly, it is the first time in the 56-year history of public law in Malaysia where Cabinet Ministers and public officials are depending on a fictitious character to justify their decision, and secondly, relying on a scurrilous publication which is no different from a “poison pen letter” which is published against the law as it does not carry the required identity of the printer and publisher.
Continue reading “Fictitious “Father Augustus Chen” given seven days to surface and prove he is not a phantom – failing which would RoS reconsider his decision?”

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Trapped in a vicious cycle

Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
Aug 5, 2013

“Malaysia is more dangerous than South Africa,” were the parting words of a retired couple who returned to Johannesburg after a failed attempt to live in Malaysia under the ‘Malaysia My Second Home’ (MM2H) programme. Friends of the couple said they had feared for their own and their family’s safety.

Unlike this South African couple, ordinary Malaysians are trapped in a vicious cycle of emboldened criminals, an inept police force and a government in denial. Few have access to guns like the Tan Sri who recently shot dead a thief at a clinic in Kuala Lumpur.

Owning a gun is not what Malaysians desire. We want a police force which is committed to tackling crime and not being the lapdog of Umno Baru. Cabinet ministers deny that a state of lawlessness exists. They issue statements and are then trapped by their own spin.

Former home minister Hishammuddin Hussein, more noted for his incompetence than his achievements in office, had complete disregard for the concerns of the public. He ridiculed the rakyat after they complained about rising crime levels and told them that increased crime was only a “perception”. Continue reading “Trapped in a vicious cycle”

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A guide to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA)

— Anas Alam Faizli
The Malay Mail Online
August 05, 2013

AUG 5 — Back in 2008, the Malaysian government concluded the signing of a US-Malaysia FTA with 58 red lines or “red stops”, which discontinued the two-year negotiation. Among leading protagonists was then Agriculture Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who mentioned that he would not compromise the livelihood of local farmers. He was even quoted as saying “over my dead body” by some quarters. Khairy Jamaluddin even led a protest, citing that the FTA would take away Malaysia’s sovereignty, while patent protection would deny access to generic medicine. Question is, what has changed in the past five years? One thing for sure, it is definitely not the content of the FTA.

Why Trans Pacific?

We can imply that TPPA is called Trans Pacific because of the geographic locations of the countries taking part in the negotiations, and between whom the agreement aims to conclude among. TPPA is unique in the sense that it is open-ended agreement. Any country interested to join can join in as long as they agree with the concluded text and other countries agree to the entry.

Every country participating in the TPPA already has an existing FTA with America except Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia and Brunei. Japan and New Zealand are developed economies with very large trade sizes with other countries in the world, and Brunei is a resource-rich nation with a less significant trade size. That leaves Malaysia, which has most at stake as a developing nation and a new entrant to an FTA with America.

What does this mean? It means that for countries with existing FTAs with America, the TPPA will probably just result in minor additions to status quo. But for our small economy, the TPPA will entail a much bigger impact. Continue reading “A guide to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA)”