December 20, 2014
Make 1Malaysia Real by Deeds
by Dato’ David Yeoh Eng Hock*
When Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister in 2009, he launched his 1Malaysia campaign with gusto. Millions of ringgits have been spent on promotion and advertising of this concept.
1Malaysia is intended to bring Malaysians from all walks of life irrespective of race and religion together as one people and take our country to the next level of economic and social development by overcoming the Middle Income trap. Over the last few years, 1Malaysia remains in name only. Our country is more divided than ever along religious and ethnic lines.
Malaysians are disappointed that after almost 6 years, 1Malaysia has been hijacked by those who do not wish our Prime Minister to succeed. I need not say more since many articles have been written about the rise of extremism and religious obscurantism in our country. The right wing elements have taken over our national discourse and voices of reason and moderation have been silenced, until recently. But all is not lost.
Make 1Malaysia Real
1Malaysia
Our Prime Minister who is without any doubt the most powerful man in the country must show that he has the requisite leadership qualities to put 1Malaysia back on track. The choice is his–whether he wishes to be remembered as a Malaysian leader with the guts and the convictions to do the right thing or be regarded as another run of the mill politician who blew his chances to make a difference to his country. Make 1Malaysia, real and reject a race based Malaysia where extreme elements are allowed to dictate the national agenda. After all, He is the Prime Minister for all Malaysians.
I would like to suggest that the Prime Minister in his 2015 New Year Message to the Nation should announce that with immediate effect the word RACE would be deleted on all forms and documents and replaced by NATIONALITY. With one stroke of his pen, we will be no longer be identified by race. In doing so, Prime Minister Najib will send a clear signal to all of us and the world at large that he is serious about 1Malaysia concept and will at the same time silence his critics.
Furthermore, history will remember him as the Prime Minister who took this bold step for the sake of national unity in the same way Tun Dr. Mahathir will be acknowledged as the Prime Minister who introduced a common time zone for Malaysia when he took office in 1981.
The Economy in 2015
It is difficult to predict what will happen to our economy in 2015. There are, of course, prophets of doom in our midst. At the same time, there are influential economists in government who maintain that our economic fundamentals are sound and our growth rate in real terms can be maintained at around 5 percent of real GDP plus in the coming year. Who is right and who is wrong, we will not know at this juncture.
Let us be safe than sorry. I would recommend that the Prime Minister create a task force on the economy in the event that the economy takes a severe downtown. This task force under his leadership should comprise former Ministers of Finance, ex-Central Bank Governors, private sector leaders, the present central bank governor and treasury, EPU and MITI officials. In 1998, this task force was headed by the Prime Minister Dr (Tun) Mahathir Mohamad.
We must be ready to deal with economic adversity in a systemic manner and communicate with the Malaysian public to restore confidence that the government is able to manage the economy and has clear plans and strategies to help the country to weather the economic storm, if it should come to that.
Dialogue on Rule of Law, Constitution and Syariah Law
Finally, I wish to complement the Group of 25 of former civil servants, top diplomats and civil society leaders for suggesting that the Prime Minister create a committee of experts to discuss issues relating to the Rule of Law, the Constitution and Syariah Law in a rational manner. We need to get back on track and not be bogged down with controversies that threaten to tear our country apart. I hope the Prime Minister will treat this call for constructive dialogue seriously. His leadership is urgently needed.
I take this opportunity to wish our Prime Minister, YAB Dato’ Najib Tun Razak and YABhg. Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor a Happy and Prosperous 2015.
*Dato David Yeoh Eng Hock was a two term Senator in Dewan Negara. He acknowledges the editorial assistance of Dato Din Merican, but remains solely responsible for the contents of this article.
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
Spot on Dato David. More people like you should speak up. Thanks for using my blog to air your views.–Din Merican
Well.., you well meaning chaps may wanna shout-scream-yodel all this from the rooftops to heaven (wherever that may be), but it won’t make no difference.
Why? Cuz:
1. Jibs has all the Establishment hardware and firepower, but no intellectual software to run it. Look at the useless bunch of toxic toads in his hyper-obese cabinet of curiosities! Some of these blokes can hardly string a coherent sentence in Bahasa Baku, what more Inggeris? Most are ’eminently’ unsuitable to be the kampong idiot, whatmore a YB. Unfortunately poverty and mediocrity sometimes stir up blind, deaf and mute feudalistic loyalty.
2. Then we have too many Egoistic Carma types in the top echelons of Civil Service, whose ideas of innovation is re-inventing the abacus and wheel or running around in circles chasing their tails in order to line their own nests. Transforming to them, also means playing with Lego bricks and silly putty.
3. All this hype about the kataks and miasma of retards posing as defenders of race and religion, is to distract from the real problems – the imbalanced Economy, abysmal Education and horrendous Corruption. Not to mention the sheer mediocrity of our younger generations.
4. True Leadership, by the parasite infested mute Dear Leader, is in essence a failed enterprise.
5. Muhi is said to be tired and has not openly challenged because of family pressure, but is certainly not out. Didja tell ya, he’s made of sterner stuff, but still surrounded by intellectual dwarfs?
Any questions?
Btw, Dato’, what’s this?
‘..in the event that the economy takes a severe {downtown}.’ in para on the Economy 2015? Like in Petaling Street or Chow Kit? Yeah, we may all come to that.
In politics, anything is possible.
There is still time for Najib to do a Boris Yeltsin or Xi Jinping and take drastic and much needed action. The “PM of Malaysia” position has a lot of real power (after all, the Doctor concentrated power in the hands of the
Executive branch of the Malaysian govt during his reign).
The question is whether he has the strength of character and moral fibre
(commonly called “guts”) to do it. He has nothing to lose as the Mahathirists in UMNO Baru are likely to oust him soon.
1. Like Xi in China, arrest a few of the most corrupt UMNO Baru-BN politicians and put them on real, impartial l trial (not on “show trial”)
2. Arrest and put on trial (real and impartial) the most strident neo-fascists
and religious extremists who are irresponsibly promoting social division in Malaysian society. Trials should be conducted strictly according to the rule of law.
3. Convene a National Economic Action Council immediately. This should
be bipartisan and include people such as YB Anwar Ibrahim and YB Tony Pua.
Najib’s popularity would immediately soar and the Mahathrists and neo-fascists within UMNO Baru would be seriously weakened politically.
I say make it illegal for political parties to have race or religion in their names. Can that happen? Until it can, 1 Malaysia is simply political hypocrisy. The youth of today have to be kept out of the racial and religious mental bondage that is preventing the people from using their God-given brains. I have lost hope in the present zombic generation.
Former PM Abdullah received the Star of Friendship award from Dr Huang!
Deputy PM Muhyiddin received WCEF award, now Doctor Honoris Causa….
“1Malaysia is intended to bring Malaysians from all walks of life irrespective of race and religion together as one people and take our country to the next level of economic and social development by overcoming the Middle Income trap. Over the last few years, 1Malaysia remains in name only. Our country is more divided than ever along religious and ethnic lines.” said Dato David Yeoh Eng Hock.
it seems clear that the Conservatives within UMNO remain STRONG & INFLUENTIAL and it is this faction which does not appear to be favored by the non-Malays & liberal Malays whose support Najib appeared to be trying to gain earlier via his 1MALAYSIA Campaign. From the very beginning of his tenure at the helm, Najib appeared to be liberal & moderate and he even repealed the ISA. Looks like the STRONG influence of the Conservatives within his party does not like Najib to make any compromises just to be inclusive in his approach. Najib did try to be MODERATE & INCLUSIVE and he, I think, sincerely believed in his 1MALAYSIA drive to achieve NATIONAL UNITY but, unfortunately, he could not get the support from the majority of his party who do not appear willing to make compromises and the support of others outside his party who doubt Najib’s sincerity in his words & promises. The Opposition too worsened the situation by accusing the Government of imitating & copying the idea of 1ISRAEL for IMALAYSIA. The situation is made worse with Najib’s frequent trips overseas giving the impression that he did not care enough about Malaysians & their problems at home – and, also of course, the perceptions of opaqueness in the 1MDB dealings. Najib must change his modus operandi if he wants to avoid a CHANGE OF THE GUARDS in Putrajaya at the GE14.
Wot, an erstwhile senator of Bolehland needing editorial assistance?
Guess the days of the soaring oratory of Marcus Aurelius and Mark Anthony and Cassius in the Rotunda have gone yon thither.
And maybe complement should be compliment, unless he too wants to join the Eminents?
But its good that the senator is asking Pinky Lips to lend him his ears on all that is wrong and the Ides that are nigh on the ordinary plebes of Bolehland.
But wishing the Dynamic Duo who probably are already ringing in Noel and the New Year on board Tentera Udara Satu a prosperous 2015 is rather rich. They probably have enough handbags and diamond-studded timepieces to make Marie Antoinette weep with jealousy.
All courtesy of the suffering rakyat of Malaisendia, of course.
He might have been sincere about 1Malaysia but his hands are tied… because of Altantunya?