Ong Tee Keat and Lim Kit Siang: PKFZ Monday showdown in Dewan Rakyat

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What has Ong Tee Keat delivered so far:

We would like to applaud Ong Tee Keat for delivering on his promise to disclose Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) problems with the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report and organising a few task forces to heal the problem.

That’s definitely a first for BN and MCA. We also found that this action matches with Ong Tee Keat’s ‘courage’ slogan. And Najib’s 1Malaysia should not hesitate to encourage more of such resolute like this MCA President.

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What is Lim Kit Siang contributing so far:

We would also like to thank Lim Kit Siang and DAP for bringing to voter’s attention to the many questions raised through his blog, ranging from business dealings, accounting, accountability and many comments on feelings of betrayal.

As rational actors, we are concerned particularly with the questions on the PKFZ administrative and management problems. Lim Kit Siang is fully aware of Ong Tee Keat’s efforts and has mentioned his ministerial breakthrough in documenting and disclosing the PKFZ problems. We understand Lim Kit Siang’s unhappiness at the inaptness of the people in PKFZ which resulted in this fiasco.

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Suggestions for next step for MPs:

May we suggest perhaps for next step, Lim Kit Siang will consider to work on introducing a law at Parliament to ensure such GLC management problems will not arise again. He missed pushing for such a law following BMF scandal long ago. But now, with a stronger opposition bench, is a second chance for Lim Kit Siang to prove his ability to introduce such law in Parliament to upgrade Malaysian business environment.

May we the voters see a productive and progressive debate in Parliament coming Monday. Certainly, we will be closely following  the updated reports from Malaysiakini webportal.

Good luck to both Member of Parliaments.

P/S: Perhaps one of these days we may be able to bring our children to see this story as a blockbuster movie showing in GSC or TGV cineplexes. It would make a very good voter’s education and guide to voting for an effective lawmaker.

Both sides now: Use this simple tool to determine process of Perak DUN meeting/fiasco

Just watched the circus of the assembly on Malaysiakini video “The Great DUN Perak fiasco“.

It’s amazing how lacking is our lawmakers’ ability to play the rules of the house in lawmaking. And most importantly the disregard for decorum in the lawmaking process.

Anyway, we leave the politicking to the politicians. Us voters must be wise to see through the drama.

Did you know that there is an established fundamental to check validity of the process of lawmaking? With this tool, you can use it to check your lawmaker’s capability and sensibility too.

Here is 2 examples from the Perak DUN fiasco for you to test this out:

1. Sivakumar said he will not start the meeting until the suspended members are evicted. (Background story: The decision to suspend the members was taken under a tree, attended by some members of the house.)

2. BN members elected a new speaker Ganesan. (Background story: The ‘old’ speaker is still seated, note example 1.)

Apply only 2 questions to test the validity of the examples:

1. Is it constitutional?
2. Is it legitimate?

Remember, put aside any emotions, the people are supposed to be the judge.

Attention MCA’s Chew Mei Fun and Heng Sai Kie!

Congratulations to the new (old?) Deputy Ministers from MCA.

MCA seems to have persuasively got an extra boost in Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s cabinet.

Hope Chew Mei Fun (formerly PJ Utara, lost to DAP Tony Pua’s intellect) and Heng Sai Kie (the quiet Senator from Perak, Wanita MCA Secretary General) will be more than just rubber stamps or worse… yes women in this new government.

Remember 308 well… The rakyat expects more of the female politicians than just talking without using the brains on hot issues. Female politicians unable to speak out on issues of the day is another no no.

We dare you to take on the opposition female politicians in debate or even to stand up together on national issues.

Dare you take on the challenge to wow us voters?

Dear Barisan and Pakatan supporters… tis about the economy

With so much going on in political wranglings in Perak, PKR’s Elizabeth Wong’s case, MCA’s Chua Soi Lek and upcoming by-elections x 3.

Anybody heard the common Rakyat’s rumblings over the country’s economy future?

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Share with you the following received via a forwarded email.

Do you agree with below thought? What should we do now?

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This nation was birthed with a social contract agreed by our forefathers (the people’s representatives who agreed to Malaysia’s independence and the Sultans).

It was the social contract agreed by the respective bodies/people which has created a sense of oneness which was demonstrated during Tunku Abdul Rahman’s time.

How come we only hear UMNO still wanting the social contract?

What about the others who subscribed to the contract?

What are the obligation of the parties to the social contract?

There’s too much anger and unthinkingness without any ideas to move forward or willingness to engage with different stream of thoughts and viewpoints as fellow Rakyat Malaysia. Sadly, the BN supporter will scold, curse or vilify the Pakatan supporter and vice versa. What a terribly sad demonstration of the Malaysian undemocratic mindsets in cyber. It conveys a very Hitler-like dictatorial stance: “My viewpoints are supreme and just! Your viewpoints doesn’t count, you stupid!”

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Perhaps your small group can lead the way to a more progressive Malaysia and take action, gather ideas for action from all fellow Malaysians regardless of their political affiliation/thinkings.

Love your enemies, constructively?

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No more post mortem fetishes: BN should learn cyber outreach from Pakatan Rakyat

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We note with interest a report in The Star today: “Rebranding the MCA, plan to be unveiled on March 1″.

In the report, MCA President Dato’ Seri Ong Tee Keat said after chairing the MCA presidential council meeting yesterday:

“Insap, the think-thank of the party, had also presented an analysis of the Kuala Terengganu by-election results at the meeting.

“It is a very deep and thorough evaluation participated by all members of the presidential council. We can learn from the analysis,” he said.”

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Whilst we applaud political parties in their quest to understand the reason for results gotten in the recent by-election, we are not amused by this pre-occupation by parties in the Barisan Nasional with post-mortems.

It is exasperating for voters to read replays of such peculiar fetish by the ruling coalition on events already past. After losing an election, a post mortem is moot and re-active.

308 was not given by the voters for political players’ analysis to the death and performing after-death post mortems.

308 was a message from the Rakyat.

Voters have already send a signal that 308 is a starting point for political parties from Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to shape up, train up, get their members motivated and perform their elected duties BEFORE the voters again go to tick that party symbol in the 13th General Election.

BN should pick up the signal and learn from PR to maximise alternative media outreach.

Establishing intelligence in cyber and with an ear on the ground should be enough ammunition for a political party to get its act together before going into any election in pro-active mode.

Mulling over and detailing a loss is not value adding if political parties do nothing to pro-actively pile on the persuasion groundwork to win the next elections.

Kuala Terengganu by-election: Raja Petra has gone overboard disrespecting Article 11 and Article 10

We are disturbed with the latest article “Does MCA support hudud?” by Raja Petra Kamarudin in Malaysia Today.

We have supported Raja Petra for his fearless opinions as freedom of expression is a right provided for under Article 10 and Article 11 of the Federal Constitution. (Article 10: Freedom of speech, assembly and association. Article 11: Freedom of religion)

However this time, we feel Raja Petra has gone overboard the provision of law as in his article he has trampled on rights of citizens on freedom of association and religion.

The below particular paragraph extract from Raja Petra’s article is particularly alarming,  highly intimidating, intruding and disrepecting the personal sphere of non-Muslim:

MCA, do you or don’t you support Hudud?
Speak up now or forever hold your tongue.
Are you pro-Islam or anti-Islam?
Please tell us now and make it very clear. Tomorrow we are going to Terengganu to campaign for PAS and we want to know what to tell the Kuala Terengganu voters.
And it will either be “MCA is anti-Islam” or “MCA is pro-Hudud”.

As law abiding citizens and voters, we are greatly disturbed and strongly object the method deployed in above article of Raja Petra which trampled on personal rights provided in the Federal Constitution.

Raja Petra’s shameful attempt of crass politicking by issuing above ultimatum to Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) to support hudud is a highly mischievous attempt to bully their non-Muslim community.

Malaysia politics: Ong Tee Keat and MCA’s baby steps

Everybody is watching the Pakatan Rakyat and their political progression since they became government in 5 Malaysia states.

We, however prefer to watch development in BN politics as it tried to recover from injuries inflicted in 308 tsunami. If BN manages to stage a great comeback to Malaysia politics, it definitely will pose an interesting study for political analysts and students.

From our observation:

•    UMNO has not showed progression from its pre-308 mindset so far.

•    MCA has demonstrated some talk and trying to walk.

•    MIC is too busy with ‘inhouse rebranding’. However, we would like to suggest it try ‘party reform’ instead.

We can put on record that as of now, we are impressed with MCA’s baby steps to reform its public identity.

Just check out the below report from The Sun and try to see what we saw.

(Meanwhile, sad to say, the Chinese newpapers and its political writers missed this. Sin Chew the community’s leading newspaper, failed to highlight in their report a very important point in this speech of the MCA President Ong Tee Keat. We do not blame them, even Malaysiakini missed it.)

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Discard old policies or lose out, says Tee Keat

By: by Tan Yi Liang (Sun, 21 Dec 2008)

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 21, 2008): Malaysia will lose out economically if obsolete policies are not discarded, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

“Policies should be re-examined and discarded if they are not working to the nation’s benefit. Very often, policies drawn up with noble intentions are wayward in their implementation,” said Ong.

He said a change of mindset was needed for Malaysia to be competitive globally.

“We need to be creative, innovative, visionary and bold. There are some among us who, it appears, do not seem to have realised that we have moved into the 21st century. It’s the digital age, but they operate with an analogue mindset,” he said, adding that educational reform was needed if Malaysia was to compete globally.

“It is not just the digital gap that is widening between rural and urban areas, so is the education gap. We have no choice but to implement changes. Our children are no longer just competing with each other within national borders. They are competing with the world.”

He pointed out that the need to overhaul the national schools was more pressing than the debate over vernacular schools.

Ong, who said this when opening the Malaysian Young Entrepreneurs Conference at the Putra World Trade Centre here today, called for reforms to make the ruling Barisan National coalition relevant for Malaysians.

“The political mould has been broken. Unless we in the Barisan compete in the marketplace of ideas, there is a real possibility that we will be voted out of office in the next general election. It is time we change the political model that worked so well for us until March 8,” said Ong, who called on parties to focus on the interests of Malaysians as a whole.

“Unless we take on a wider, national role, we could soon become irrelevant. The political base of the communal parties has no doubt been within the community, and we must cater to their interests, but there is nothing that says we cannot or should not build on this base by addressing national concerns affecting all Malaysians.”

At a press conference later, Ong repeated his call for reform after the March 8 political tsunami.

“After March 8, I said it (the need for reform) loud and clear. When I was interviewed  in April by one of the news agencies, I reiterated one point, and making a reference to my own party, I said we must initiate changes, or else we would become irrelevant,” he said.

He said he was “not apologetic” about his comments.

“I did it with good intentions, because at the end of the day, what we want, what the people want and are looking for and expecting from us is good governance. We are a beautiful country, we are rich in resources, so why can’t we harness our resources for the best benefit of the country and the people.”

He said his Barisan peers accepted the need for change, and noted that each Barisan component party had its own methodology for change.

“On Feb 14 next year, there will be a big BN rally, where the component parties, leaders and members will meet and brainstorm.

Perhaps this will serve as a good platform for the component parties to brainstorm and share experiences in transforming our own parties,” he added.

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MCA on Ong Tee Keat’s watch: About your aides

Dear Dato’ Seri Ong Tee Keat,

I have this uneasy feeling about you and those leaders helming the MCA national bureaus.

Chua Soi Lek, Lee Wee Kiat, Wong Nai Chee, Gan Ping Sieu …

Competence is clearly trumping ideology in the Ong Tee Keat’s new administration, and God knows after two terms of Ong Ka Ting & Co., it’s time to get back to the idea of streetwise smart, capable people advising the MCA president and executing his policies.

What I wonder is whether the members of your administrative team and staff aides, in addition to their grasp of the issues and success at achieving power, have a real feel for the needs of the people they are supposed to be representing.

I don’t doubt that they have the best of intentions. But the people near the pinnacle of power in MCA are encased in a bubble that makes it extremely hard to hear the voices of those who aren’t already powerful themselves.

There is no underestimating the challenges facing MCA, and you will need a strong administrative team and staff aides in your Presidential office NOW to help back you up with intelligences (internet and grassroots) and execute necessary actions at the grassroot level to get MCA started on the long road to re-connect MCA with the voters, both Chinese 25% and non-Chinese 75%.

Will your staff aides / administrative officers follow a new course, reaffirming plans to remove deadwoods of the previous administration?

We wish MCA all the best on your watch.

~Femalevoter

** I took the liberty to paraphrase a little from that excellent piece Bob Herbert wrote for The New York Times

cc: Malaysiakini.com

A question for MCA members… thru Malaysiakini

We believe in governance and a good government made up of good people with strong principles of life.

As we have received many queries from members concerned about the upcoming MCA party election, we would like to throw these questions to you to assist members to make the best decisions this October.

It is worrying that the female MCA members do not seem to regard this as a big question of concern for the party or think of its impact on the Confucian family values which the women wing claim to represent.

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Questions to ponder for MCA’s future and the 13th General Election. And we would love to hear input from readers of Malaysiakini also:

• What sort of persons would you want to be leading the party and represent your voice?
• Do you want your candidates to tell you about their principles in life?
• Since they would like to represent the community, would you want them to possess some moral standing?
• Would you be contented to just let them be what they naturally are?
• And they, being what they are, can they just simply represent you and your community to interface with the global world?

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A penny for your thoughts: See below * a concern from a commentator (we think he/she is an MCA member):

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When you were caught you resigned immediately cause you said you don’t want to bring trouble to BN and MCA. I truly respected your act at that time. However, now you say you want to come back? What responsibility you were talking about? Is this what politician all about? Don’t you think you bring the mud back to BN and MCA?

I think many people don’t want to talk about your video story and people already forgive you when you had resigned. Why must you still want to show your existance all the time? Why don’t you let MCA members be proud to have a leader who dare to take up the responsibilities and walked out?

I do not know what is your agenda and what unfinish plan you have. Or you just want to make a revenge on certain group in MCA regardless you would tainted MCA image again.

Dr., I strongly believe MCA can do without you at top leadership. There are still many ways to contribute. Please don’t bring disgrace back to MCA. This will definitely will be a burden to BN and MCA at next general election if you won in MCA election.

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* Extracted from Malaysia Today’s article ‘Datuk Chua Soi Lek -Ahli Politik‘

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Character, Leadership and Command in Malaysia politicians

We found an extremely interesting research which may be of help to educate our Malaysian politicians. Perhaps you might want to get one and donate it to your neighbourhood politicians.

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The book excerpt below talks of the importance of Character, Leadership and Command in Organisations.

“Even when leaders try to hide and disguise their character, their traits are recognizable to others,” says Harvard Business School professor emeritus Abraham Zaleznik. His new book, Hedgehogs and Foxes: Character, Leadership, and Command in Organizations, explores the internal complexities of people in control.

Key concepts include:

* Hedgehogs know one big thing while foxes know many things.

* Applied to leadership, hedgehogs reduce reality to one single principle, while foxes are prepared to adapt to a complex view of the world.

* An individual’s character is outwardly represented while it is a product of development, starting with early childhood.

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Here’s a book excerpt from Hedgehogs and Foxes: Character, Leadership, and Command in Organizations, by Abraham Zaleznik

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Individuals who are caught up in empowerment movements, both nonviolent and violent, substitute one form of dependency—on an authoritarian program or leader—for another—economic privation. Liberation, from these and other forms of dependency, requires freeing the ego from group psychology and from neurotic disabilities that restrict the development of the individual.

Once restrictive governments are replaced, new goals have to be developed with the aim of enhancing the ego through education, economic opportunity, and personal freedom. …
Empowerment movements have sprung up in the United States and other developed countries with democratic institutions. Empowerment movements have been adopted in the name of feminine liberation and equality of the sexes.

In complex organizations empowerment programs seek to alter hierarchies, to “flatten” the organizational structure, decreasing the authority of top levels while increasing the autonomy of the lower levels. These ideological approaches carefully avoid the fact that hierarchy is a form found in nature. Assemble a group, give it a purpose, and if left to its own devices, it will organize itself into a hierarchical structure in the shape of a pyramid.

True empowerment is a result of individual transformation from dependency to autonomy following the path of maturation from infancy onward. … Education and training to develop competencies is the sure, albeit slow, route to empowerment through the enhancement of talents, whether in developed economies or third world nations.

In underdeveloped nations the route toward self-engendered empowerment may be longer, and the results may be slower to materialize, but whether in developed or underdeveloped economies, self-empowerment requires motivation. The desire to develop and strengthen the ego must be internalized, and this comes with the cultivation of talents.

Unlike mass movements under the leadership of a charismatic leader, empowerment of individuals through the development of talents comes through education and training.

Identification with gifted teachers, who stimulate learning, is a microscopic process that occurs not only in the formal atmosphere of the classroom but also in the seemingly mundane activity in factories and offices—wherever people assemble to accomplish work.

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P/S: Unlike our UiTM under leadership of its lifer vice chancellor, Abraham Zaleznik is the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus, at Harvard Business School. You can read his biography here.