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A philosophical comparison of the budgets

By Zairil Khir Johari | October 11, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

OCT 11 — And so it has come to this. The last push. With the general election expected soon, both Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional are preparing themselves for the final assault. Barricades have been erected, cannons lined up and guns trained on the other side. In the last week, we have witnessed the opening salvos launched by both sides.

First to the tilt was Pakatan Rakyat with a modest offering encapsulated in the title “kesejahteraan untuk semua” or “prosperity for all’. And just as it was about to gain traction the ruling Barisan Nasional descended with a no-holds-barred mega welfare budget, coincidentally called “bajet membela rakyat, mensejahtera negara”, or “defending the people and prosperity for the country”.

Without a doubt, both sides have angled the budget with an election in mind. Thus, there is no escaping the menial comparisons between the two sets of proffered “goodies” — RM500 for lower-income households compared to RM1,000 for lower-income housewives, or cash and book voucher bonuses for students compared to RM700 childcare allowances, or a restructuring of teachers’ salary schemes compared to an outright increase in teachers’ allowances. In short, most comparative discourse has been about whose sack contains bigger and better presents — Santa Najib or Santa.
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Is it history or his-story?

By Zairil Khir Johari | The Malaysian Insider

SEPT 4 — I was a little apprehensive as I entered the small tutorial room. It was my first day attending class in England.

In the centre of the unassuming room was an oblong table, around which sat eight post-graduate students of various nationalities. I flashed a timid smile before taking my place amongst them.

At the far end of the table, a heavyset man in a worn tweed jacket and polka dotted bowtie cleared his throat. Pushing the thickest glasses I have ever seen up the bridge of his nose, he made a gesture to indicate that the tutorial was about to start.

“I assume you’ve all familiarised yourselves with the required readings for the week?” asked our tutor rhetorically, after early pleasantries and introductions had been done and dealt with. “Now then, let’s start with you.” Continue reading “Is it history or his-story?”

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Of songkoks, uniforms and managing expectations

by Zairil Khir Johari
July 01, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 1 — I must admit to feeling a tad slighted when I read the recent reports of my friends and fellow comrades turning up on the first day of the Sarawak State Assembly in lounge suits instead of the ceremonial “number one” dress with songkok that was worn by everyone else.

Now, it must first and foremost be stated that no wrong was committed. The ceremonial uniform is not compulsory, and at no time did any breach of protocol occur. Neither is this issue a new one, having become a recurrent, though not persistent, occurrence at some of the legislative assemblies nationwide. Continue reading “Of songkoks, uniforms and managing expectations”

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When the Joneses get too far ahead

By Zairil Khir Johari
Jun 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JUNE 15 — “What do you think?” asked the elderly taxi driver as he slapped his steering wheel in frustration. “Look at this jam. Even though the government makes it so expensive, people have so many cars. Not small cars. Look around. All big cars. COE alone how much? So many rich people in Singapore, so many tall buildings. But people like us, what do we have? We are not rich. Life is difficult. Everything is so expensive now. Cari makan also susah.”

The scorn in his voice was unmistakable. All I did was casually ask, “Uncle, how are things in Singapore nowadays?”

“This is the government’s fault,” resumed the cabby voluntarily. “They control everything, but they don’t know anything. They think they know. You see that car park there?”

I turned to where he pointed and nodded politely. Continue reading “When the Joneses get too far ahead”

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The rise of pop-litical culture

By Zairil Khir Johari | May 12, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

Midway through the Sarawak campaign I received a text message from an unfamiliar number. The sender turned out to be a woman in Kuching, wanting to know when my next layover at the state capital would be.

Feeling perplexed, I glanced at my campaign itinerary. Some days I didn’t even know where I was. Spaced out as I was by the constant travelling, I was even more bemused by the rest of her message.

She went on to explain that her teenage daughter had a collection of five Ubah (the DAP hornbill mascot) plush toys, four of them bearing autographs of various party leaders and ceramah speakers. One of them, still in its original plastic wrapping, had been especially reserved for my John Hancock. Hence, she wanted to know if Kuching would be part of my tour.
Continue reading “The rise of pop-litical culture”

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When wolves cry ‘wolf’

by Zairil Khir Johari
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 25, 2011

APRIL 25 — When a known liar accuses someone else of lying, whom do you trust? In a nutshell, that is the predicament faced by the proverbial boy who cried wolf. And, of late, there have certainly been many boys crying “Wolf”.

The 2011 Sarawak election has been a successful one, insofar as the DAP is concerned. However, our success has now rendered us victims of a vicious hate campaign being propagated by the BN and its media.

A quick glance at news items last week reveals a barrage of high-profile attacks on the DAP. First it began, unsurprisingly, with an editorial from Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia, calling upon the BN to forego Chinese support because, ostensibly, the community has turned its back on the government. Such ungrateful citizens! We gave them the right to vote, and they dared to vote against us?

Awang Selamat’s call-to-arms was immediately followed up by a fellow Utusan editor, who went one step further by announcing the need for a “1 Melayu, 1 Bumi” movement in order to unite the “divided” Malay community.

And this is apparently necessary because Malay political power is now under threat by the Chinese, who, despite making up only 25 per cent of the Malaysian population, is suddenly capable of taking over the reins of power. I for one am glad I had a different maths teacher. Continue reading “When wolves cry ‘wolf’”

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Somewhere out there, shampoo is needed

by Zairil Khir Johari
The Malaysian Insider

These are busy and exciting times. I have less than two days to pack for a two-week adventure in a land full of charm and mystique. Besides the usual necessities — toothbrush, clothes, Blackberry (Heaven forbid I forget that) — I will also be stuffing my luggage with bottles and bottles of… shampoo.

Now, I am not particularly fastidious about hair care, but I have heard that where I’m headed, there is a great need for a very special kind of shampoo. You see, in this land not so far away, I have heard that people are suffering from a chronic attack of a noxious condition known simply as “white hair”.

As far as my research has revealed, this plague, colloquially called pek moh, began to manifest exactly 30 years ago. In the beginning it appeared harmless enough, innocently revealing only streaks of silver. Continue reading “Somewhere out there, shampoo is needed”

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Missing the ocean for the ships

by Zairil Khir Johari
The Malaysian Insider
February 10, 2011

FEB 10 — Our government recently announced that it has decided to set aside RM6 billion for the purchase of six offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for the Royal Malaysian Navy. These OPVs are to be produced by Boustead Naval Shipyard, Malaysia’s only naval shipyard company.

This comes up to roughly RM1 billion for each boat with all its trimmings: guns, radars, missiles and what have you. It is a princely sum to be sure, but security is without doubt an important national concern. This fact should not be underestimated. However, it also does not mean that we can discard transparency and due diligence, two characteristics that are rarely associated with the arms industry.

I would like to raise some questions about this project, due in no small part to the chequered history of defence deals concluded by our government in recent times. Firstly, let us talk about need. From what I gather, these OPVs should more appropriately be called Second Generation Patrol Vessels, or SGPVs. The name is also a misnomer for it belies the fact that they are corvette-type warships rather than “patrol boats.” Continue reading “Missing the ocean for the ships”