If only things were this easy…
Take a quiz and it tells you if you are rich or not. Oh well… Happy New Year 2007

Your Chances of Being a Multimillionaire: 72%

You have a good chance of being a multimillionaire. Better than most people. You simply have a natural knack for money and the personality for success.

Well, we won’t be known as Malaysians if we did not protect our homeland. Well, not exactly. Only those who fought back are well, taking care of their own interests.

Malaysia bites back and industriously trades the insults
by Michael Backman
November 29, 2006

MY LAST column on wasteful government spending in Malaysia (Business, 15/11) generated a furore. I received more than 600 emails from readers, mostly Malaysians (both expatriate and in Malaysia) and nearly all supportive.

The column was the most emailed item on The Age’s website for six days straight and it was replicated in dozens of blogs worldwide.

My personal website received more than 50,000 hits. A Malaysian Government minister criticised the column publicly. And the Malaysian Opposition Leader issued a news release in its support.

The minister, Rafidah Aziz, Malaysia’s Minister for Trade and Industry, declared somewhat imperiously that she didn’t care what I said because I am a foreigner and I probably don’t know much about Malaysia anyway.

Rafidah knows her trade brief like few others. Her knowledge of the complex rules of the international trading system, with its many trade barriers, is remarkable. In meetings with other trade ministers, she rarely needs assistance from minders. Hard working and tenacious, I once thought she might make a reasonable prime minister.

But her technical abilities are marred by her mishandling of other issues, most recently her ministry’s allocation of much coveted car import permits. Most went to a handful of well-connected businessmen, including her own relatives.

The issue exploded in Malaysia late last year and she was lucky to keep her job.

And then there are the corruption allegations. In 1995, in a report to the attorney-general, the public prosecutor said there was a prima facie basis for Rafidah’s arrest and prosecution on five counts of corruption.

An opposition activist later acquired official documents that appeared to confirm this. He was jailed for two years under the Official Secrets Act simply for possessing them. Rafidah, on the other hand, was not even charged.

Rafidah added to her remarks about my column that no Malaysian should say such things. It’s little wonder that she doesn’t welcome scrutiny from her own people. But then the idea that Malaysians cannot comment publicly about how their country is run but a non-Malaysian can, is disgraceful.

Perhaps Rafidah needs to be reminded who pays her salary.

And as if to underscore my points about waste, on the day that my column was published, an assistant minister told the Malaysian Parliament that Malaysia’s first astronaut to be sent into space next year aboard a Russian space mission will be tasked to play batu seremban, a traditional Malay children’s game played with pebbles, will do some batik painting and will make teh tarik, a type of Malaysian milky tea, all to see how these things can be done without gravity.

The day before, the Government announced that a new RM400 million ($A142 million) palace will be built for Malaysia’s king, a position that is almost entirely ceremonial.

And the week before a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a second bridge between Penang and the Malaysian peninsular costing RM3 billion, a bridge that many consider unnecessary.

Where would the money be better spent?

Education is the obvious answer. But not on school buildings, for it matters less in what children are educated than how. And how children are educated in Malaysia is a national disaster.

Learning is largely by rote. In an email to me last week, one Malaysian recalled her schooling as being in a system all about spoon-feeding, memory work and regurgitation.

Students are not encouraged to think for themselves and they become adults who swallow everything they’re told.

Even the existing system fails many. It has just emerged that in Sabah state, only 46 per cent of the students who had sat the UPSR — the exam that students sit before going to secondary school — had passed. One small school actually had a 100 per cent failure rate.

But does the Malaysian Government want creative, critical thinkers? Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said to the ruling party’s recent general assembly Malaysia needed to make students creative. But that means they must be questioning and thus critical; what hope is there of that when one of Abdullah’s own ministers tells Malaysians that they cannot say the things that I can and hundreds of them write to me to complain because they don’t feel that they can complain to their own Government?

Malaysia needs to do something. Its oil will run out soon and it has lost much of its appeal to foreign investors — recent UN figures show that from 2004 to 2005, foreign investment in Malaysia fell by 14 per cent, when the world economy was enjoying one of its longest periods of growth. One might wonder what the Trade and Industry Minister has actually been doing.

But, while politicians from the ruling party preach about Malay nationalism, there are at least some who quietly go about the business of trying to secure the country’s future. Not all of them are Chinese.

Two weeks ago, Malaysia’s MMC Corporation, together with a local partner, won a $US30 billion infrastructure deal in Saudi Arabia. That’s a huge undertaking for any company, let alone a Malaysian one, and just as well too — someone has to pay the bills.

Michael Backman

Yay, Malaysia will be celebrating it’s 50th Independence Day in 2007. But somehow or rather, I wonder if we are living a lie or just simply more accepting of what God gives us. Sadly, our views are not shared by many. I was given this article to read sometime after Christmas.

While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry
By Michael Backman
The Age
November 15, 2006

MALAYSIA’S been at it again, arguing about what proportion of the economy each of its two main races
— the Malays and the Chinese — owns. It’s an argument that’s been running for 40 years. That wealth
and race are not synonymous is important for national cohesion, but really it’s time Malaysia grew up.

It’s a tough world out there and there can be little sympathy for a country that prefers to argue about
how to divide wealth rather than get on with the job of creating it.

The long-held aim is for 30 per cent of corporate equity to be in Malay hands, but the figure that the
Government uses to justify handing over huge swathes of public companies to Malays but not to other
races is absurd. It bases its figure on equity valued, not at market value, but at par value.

Many shares have a par value of say $1 but a market value of $12. And so the Government figure (18.9
per cent is the most recent figure) is a gross underestimate. Last month a paper by a researcher at a
local think-tank came up with a figure of 45 per cent based on actual stock prices. All hell broke loose.
The paper was withdrawn and the researcher resigned in protest. Part of the problem is that he is
Chinese.

“Malaysia boleh!” is Malaysia’s national catch cry. It translates to “Malaysia can!” and Malaysia certainly
can. Few countries are as good at wasting money. It is richly endowed with natural resources and the
national obsession seems to be to extract these, sell them off and then collectively spray the proceeds
up against the wall.

This all happens in the context of Malaysia’s grossly inflated sense of its place in the world.

Most Malaysians are convinced that the eyes of the world are on their country and that their leaders are
world figures. This is thanks to Malaysia’s tame media and the bravado of former prime minister Mahathir
Mohamad. The truth is, few people on the streets of London or New York could point to Malaysia on a
map much less name its prime minister or capital city.

As if to make this point, a recent episode of The Simpsons features a newsreader trying to announce
that a tidal wave had hit some place called Kuala Lumpur. He couldn’t pronounce the city’s name and so
made up one, as if no-one cared anyway. But the joke was on the script writers — Kuala Lumpur is
inland.

Petronas, the national oil company is well run, particularly when compared to the disaster that passes for
a national oil company in neighbouring Indonesia. But in some respects, this is Malaysia’s problem. The
very success of Petronas means that it is used to underwrite all manner of excess.

The KLCC development in central Kuala Lumpur is an example. It includes the Twin Towers, the tallest
buildings in the world when they were built, which was their point. It certainly wasn’t that there was an
office shortage in Kuala Lumpur — there wasn’t.

Malaysians are very proud of these towers. Goodness knows why. They had little to do with them. The
money for them came out of the ground and the engineering was contracted out to South Korean
companies. They don’t even run the shopping centre that’s beneath them. That’s handled by Australia’s
Westfield.

Next year, a Malaysian astronaut will go into space aboard a Russian rocket — the first Malay in space.
And the cost? $RM95 million ($A34.3 million), to be footed by Malaysian taxpayers. The Science and
Technology Minister has said that a moon landing in 2020 is the next target, aboard a US flight. There’s
no indication of what the Americans will charge for this, assuming there’s even a chance that they will
consider it. But what is Malaysia getting by using the space programs of others as a taxi service? There
are no obvious technical benefits, but no doubt Malaysians will be told once again, that they are “boleh”.
The trouble is, they’re not. It’s not their space program.

Back in July, the Government announced that it would spend $RM490 million on a sports complex near
the London Olympics site so that Malaysian athletes can train there and “get used to cold weather”. But
the summer Olympics are held in the summer.

So what is the complex’s real purpose? The dozens of goodwill missions by ministers and bureaucrats to
London to check on the centre’s construction and then on the athletes while they train might provide a
clue.

Bank bale outs, a formula one racing track, an entire new capital city — Petronas has paid for them all.
It’s been an orgy of nonsense that Malaysia can ill afford.

Why? Because Malaysia’s oil will run out in about 19 years. As it is, Malaysia will become a net oil
importer in 2011 — that’s just five years away.

So it’s in this context that the latest debate about race and wealth is so sad.

It is time to move on, time to prepare the economy for life after oil. But, like Nero fiddling while Rome
burned, the Malaysian Government is more interested in stunts like sending a Malaysian into space
when Malaysia’s inadequate schools could have done with the cash, and arguing about wealth
distribution using transparently ridiculous statistics.

That’s not Malaysia “boleh”, that’s Malaysia “bodoh” (stupid).

Below is the website link to Michael’s website.
Michael Backman

Am in a cybercafe now…
The noise is too loud so my head hurts.
Can’t blog when my head hurts.

as compensation….
This is the Quiz Yu Jean sent me.

1. FIRST NAME? You all know me as Adeline so we will stick to that.
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I am not sure but my name had to rhyme with my sis, Pauline.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Last Sunday
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Not really
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Who actually likes Lunchmeat?
6. KIDS? None. Thank goodness… Not now…
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Maybe
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Yes
9. YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Depends
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yup
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Just did it a couple of weeks ago. 3 times in a row. Yup. I am nuts
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Blueberry Morning or anything with Cinnamon
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Too lazy
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Do you mean physically or emotionally?
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Coffee and chocolate
16. SHOE SIZE? Usually 6 but I can sometimes fit into 5 or 7 depending on the design
17. RED OR PINK? Red
18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My temper
19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Need I answer this
20. Do you want everyone to send this back to you? Depends on them
21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue and slippers
22. LAST THING YOU ATE? chicken pie
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? people screaming profanity. I am now in a cybercafe with really stoned gamers
24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? rainbow?
25. FAVORITE SMELL? Clothes that has been dried out in the sun.
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My boss
27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO: Eyes
28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? No comment. LOL
29. FAVORITE DRINK? Mixed fruit juices
30. FAVORITE SPORT? Bowling and hula hoops
31. eye COLOR? Dark brown
32. HAT SIZE? No idea
33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope
34. FAVORITE FOOD? Chocolate and Cheese though not necessarily together
35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Scary movie for sure
36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT THE MOVIES? Death Note
37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT Are you wearing? Red
38. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter
39. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
40. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate on top of chocolate
41. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Busy people
42. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Bored people
43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Not books but currently 3 scripts for various projects
44. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? No mouse pad
45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? House
46. FAVORITE SOUNDS? This is a trick question…
47. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles
48. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? USA
49. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? triple loop tongue
50. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN ? July 26, 1982, Petaling Jaya
51.Who sent this to you? Ch’ng Yu Jean

Penang Players will be holding auditions next week for its latest production
scheduled next year. We would be grateful for sharing this with anyone
interested. Details as listed below.

Thank you for supporting the arts in Penang.

Warm regards on behalf of Penang Players,
Eric Yeoh.

Date: 19 & 20 Dec. 2006 (Tues. & Wed.)
Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Venue: ALLIANCE FRANCAISE,
46 Jln. Phuah Hin Leong (Off Burmah Rd. &
behind The Northam Hotel), Penang.
(04 2276008/04 2289719)

Contact Persons: 012-3175498 (Adeline Ong),
012-5512616 (Joelle Saint Arnoult)

Email: penangplayers@yahoo.co.uk
Web site: www.penangplayers.org
The play: “Private Fittings�
(A French farce in English)

Produced by Penang Players & supported by Alliance Française (Malaysia),
shows are scheduled for 30 & 31 March 2007 in conjunction with La Fete de la
Francophonie (French Language Festival) organized by Alliance Française
(Malaysia).

Information/Synopsis:
Written by Georges Feydeau and translated by Barnett Shaw, this farce about
desperate entanglements and outrageous situations has outstanding roles for
both the experienced and the amateur actor in all of us!

Production:
Anyone interested in helping in production (assistant director, stage
management, lighting, sound, props, costumes, make-up etc.) are also welcome
to attend.

Those interested but unable to attend for auditions during the specified
time could call to arrange for another appointment.

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