The Malaysian Insider

Flawed institutions may be holding Malaysia back

no_reply@themalaysianinsider.com (Justin Ong) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:46:24 +0000

NOV 10 — Growth of six per cent of gross domestic product per year for the next eleven years. That, according to the prime minister, is the rate of growth that Malaysia requires in order for the country to achieve the much-coveted developed nation status. There is no doubt economic growth is important. Yet, as a measurement of success, GDP growth of six per cent per year and the application of industrial policy to achieve that are in many ways unsatisfying.

First off, the proper metric should be growth of GDP per capita. Malaysians who care for their own welfare should be more interested in improving their average standard of living rather than seeing the economy simply growing on aggregate.

A liberal separation between state and religion

no_reply@themalaysianinsider.com (Paul Si) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:05:42 +0000

NOV 3 – An optimist may take the view that politics is unifying. A realist will understand that politics is divisive. It is possible that this realisation is the reason why the Sultan of Selangor expressed his concern about the use of mosques for political purposes.

For better or for worse, political activities in mosques are inevitable, if there is respect for freedom.

Divisiveness is a symptom of difference in opinion and freedom of conscience. Any effort to eliminate such divide, in most cases, involves abolition of freedom. It is for this reason that I do not share his concern. Rather, I am more concerned with the roles of mosques in Malaysian society.

The government continues to expand under the 2010 budget

no_reply@themalaysianinsider.com (Praba Ganesan) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:21:46 +0000

OCT 27 — As the libertarian I am, I can only sigh reading the 2010 federal budget speech delivered by the Finance Minister.

I begin from a point deep in the realm of skepticism. I never actually believed any government in Malaysia — now or in the near future, neither Barisan Nasional (BN) nor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) — would largely retreat from the marketplace to leave the market to its own device in most cases. There are simply too many political considerations that go against the notion of free market here in Malaysia.

Firstly, businesses are politically-connected to make the government pro-business. In fact, the government itself is involved in businesses through its oligopolies to crowd out private initiatives.

One data point

no_reply@themalaysianinsider.com (Len Pasqual) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:27:32 +0000

OCT 12 — I am unsure if I am recalling this accurately but in the back of my mind, amid cobwebs of vague memories, I somehow remember reading an Asimov short story in a stuffy old library at the Malay College in Kuala Kangsar. You will forgive me if it is not even Asimov’s writing. It may well be the work of some other science fiction author. What I do have vivid recollection is the plot of the story, however. From that story, I hope it may cause others to refrain from committing hasty generalisations.

In praise of trivial choices

no_reply@themalaysianinsider.com (Len Pasqual) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:47:16 +0000

OCT 5 — It is easy to dismiss the triviality, for instance, of choosing a pair of high heels out of hundreds as excesses of modern life defined by free market. How does one sympathise with a dilemma of a purchaser who faces a petty option between consuming Coke and Pepsi?

Such inconsequential puzzles seem so shallow for it to be objects of attention at times when there are larger and more pressing issues that the society, or even the world, faces. So shallow and so trivial it seems that to defend it seems only so wrong. Yet, these trivialities continue to receive attention of great many people.

A chance to demonstrate Malaysian goodwill

no_reply@themalaysianinsider.com (Len Pasqual) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:19:56 +0000

OCT 2 — The very silly spat between Malaysia and Indonesia is a huge disappointment for regionalists who dream of repeating the European experiment of closer integration in Southeast Asia. It may be silly but it has dire negative ramifications to regionalism in the region. Even if one is not a regionalist but simply a citizen of either country who wishes for his or her own country to take its rightful place in the world, it is in his or her interest to see the relationship between both countries bloom. It must flourish for both countries are dependent on each other.

Accusation of Malayan imperialism does not humour me

no_reply@themalaysianinsider.com (Len Pasqual) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:32:48 +0000

SEPT 17 — Those who value liberty place responsibility on a pedestal. Without responsibility, an entity is undeserving of liberty and deserves admonishment for its oversight. While it is heartening to witness the culture of liberty flourishing in Malaysia, it is unclear if the necessary responsibility associated with freedom is experiencing parallel development required of a mature free society. Many Malaysians are delighted at the prospect of greater freedom but remain unwilling to take up the required responsibility.

Anti-trust laws can defeat protectionism

no_reply@themalaysianinsider.com (Paul Si) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:28:00 +0000

SEPT 7 – Opponents of economic liberalisation fear, among many other things, the possibility of giant foreign companies dominating the local market at the expense of local businesses.

For those who are simply interested in better quality goods and services, market liberalisation introduces competition in the market, much to the benefits of consumers.

While the war between the two camps is much relished, there is a middle ground for both to tread on and it involves anti-trust laws.

Busting the myth of the monolithic community

no_reply@themalaysianinsider.com (Paul Si) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:11:34 +0000

SEPT 1 – What happened last Friday in Shah Alam – when a group of people protesting against construction of a Hindu temple chose to do it by parading a severed cow’s head knowing full well that the Hindus hold the cow sacred – is disgusting.

There are ways to protest but the method employed by these individuals is so despicable that it should be unthinkable and, hence, unspeakable.

Malaysians who believe in a more inclusive future have every right to be angry at the protesters, whatever their political inclinationsmay be.

Focus on Islamic credential is both exclusive and plastic politics

no_reply@themalaysianinsider.com (Praba Ganesan) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:31:35 +0000

AUG 24 — A contest between PAS and Umno within conservative Malay settings is more likely than not a race to the bottom. It inevitably degenerates into a deplorable inquiry regarding which between the two political parties is more Islamic than the other.

While doing so, PAS effectively resorts to exclusive politics that is clearly inconsistent to its assertion that PAS is for all. If the Islamist party is really for all, it needs to adopt a more inclusive approach in engaging Umno.

In the past, the question of who could enter heaven became a campaign material. Back in January 2009 during the Kuala Terengganu by election, the implementation of hudud gained currency as an election issue.