Screenshots

If the government is sincere in giving us the methology and data, then we will get it within 7 days from the day LKY officially request it (as all those information was already in their hand)

But if it took more than 7 days...then i suspect the government is trying to cook the methology & data before publishing it.

I'm waiting.......

p/s: Making bumi shares similar to "Malay Reserved Land" is a good ideas. I wana propose another, As all those GLC was already staffed & managed by Bumi, then all those GLC shares should be distribute to all Bumi for FREE.

I mean for all those POOR BUMI for FREE, as the dividen will help those people.

btw: I'm a chinese.

What is the most interesting to know is whether the Metholody used by the Government differ from the one used in the 70's and early 80's. Since the 70's the bumi equity increse by 1-2% per-annum . But then it just hover at around 19% since the middle of 80's, even after plenty of GLC was privatized & plenty of company was setup to help the bumi.

i will be worried if najib becomes the new PM.

Look at his style of management. It is just a worrisome trend.

OMG! Najib basically said you cannot question the government. The government is the boss, the citizen is slave.

Since when this has changed? I thought the government is serving us and do the job we asked them to do.

We want a government that elected by people and do what people asked!

i think govn is ready to reveal the so-called methodology since deputy pm najis said so ... but how much the methodology deviate from the expected formula is everyone guess ...

as there're no standard methodology on this issue, the govn can just make up a complex calculation and show it to you ... "nah, this is the methodology"

but it'll be a very different one from ASLI as everyone has their own way of interpreting the ownership ...

so it'll be another episode of argument till the cow comes home ... govn will stand by their methodology while ther rest argue abt the facts being used ... govn said use par-value, another said actual market-value ...

so who's right ?

only the result of the coming election can tell ....

http://stocktube.blogspot.com

Dr. Lim and Dr.Toh both deserve the country's appreciation.Dr Lim stood his ground and I am sure that if the Govt. can prove that his and Asli's figures are wrong he will be the first to stand corrected.Mirzan Mahathir,as has been said, is not qualified to retract the report without Asli Directors consent. He is yet to tell us what he found wrong with the report,which he now claims, he did not read. That also exposes him as having nothing to do in the research and preparation of the report.
Dr. Toh's statement is refreshing coming from a BN politician.
I watched the DPM on TV saying that the discussion can start as an intellectual discourse but end up stepping on the racial sensivities of a race leading to trouble.Come on now.We are all grown up.The discussion is not racial but disagreement on the percentage of Bumuputra equity attained and methodologies used to arrive at the respective percentages the EPU and Asli.Why should that be racial?It is purely an academic exercise. I do not think any Malaysian of nonbumiputra origin will question or disagree with 30% the Bumiputra's should attain under the NEP.
The questions the poor and neglected Bumiputras will is, assuming that Asli's figures are right,where did everything go and who are the real beneficiaries of the 45%? UMNO will be completely exposed as they will be in an embarassing and tough position to explain honestly and truthfully as to who benefitted and who hijacked the 45%.
The poor non bumis who were also to be the benefiaries of the NEP will ask why neither the poor bumis and the poor non bumis did not benefit?
Going back to the DPM statement not to question the Govt. figures, let me point out to him, very humbly, it is the right of all our citizens to ask the questions they want to and seek clarification and it is the DUTY AND RESPONSIBILTY OF A RESPONSIBLE gOVERNMENT ELECTED BY THE SAME CITIZENS TO EXPLAIN AND ANSWER ALL THEIR QUESTIONS TRUTHFULLY AND HONESTLY TO THEIR SATISFACTION. Get the drift, Sir.
The citizens of this country, both bumis and nonbumis, have grown up and we are prepared to discuss and deliberate any and all issues responsibly.The politicians especially the UMNO politicians, please grow up. All the charade and the racial intimidation is not going to work, not for very long anyway in order to continue their nonsense. Kindly take note.

Look like Gerakan is going to be a "Fried Sotong" from BN after comments from LKY and Dr.T . Just watch!

Well said Dr. Toh. I believe Dr. Toh, DR. Lim Keng Yaik and Gerakan have come under tremendous pressure from other bigger BN component parties for echoing peoples' vioice. The big brothers' displeasure is to be expected and indeed well reflected in the way DPM's facial expression in commenting LKY's statemnet lastnite, when was asked about LKY's view on making disclose the methology used by Government .

However, it should be make clear here that Dr. Toh, LKY and many others in voicing out in this ASLI's issue must not be construed as diputing NEP or Governmnet's policy. In fact, their view should be taken to mean trying to "salvage or repair" Governmnet's credibity and image. Had they not said it out loud and clear now, the confidence of the society in general and the academic world in particular would be devastated completely by the utterly "authoritarian" way in shuting up the whole society with regards to this issue.

For that, the silence of other BN leaders, especially the top guns of MCA and MIC are deaftening, to say teh least!

"The questions the poor and neglected Bumiputras will is, assuming that Asli's figures are right,where did everything go and who are the real beneficiaries of the 45%? UMNO will be completely exposed as they will be in an embarassing and tough position to explain honestly and truthfully as to who benefitted and who hijacked the 45%".

KSN, you are very right! We need to know who these bumiputras are that benefited from the 45% (assuming the ASLI research is correct). As citizens of Malaysia, it is not just the Govt that have a right to know but all Malaysians since everyone is affected too. Come on, why is the Govt not willing to make this public?

"Going back to the DPM statement not to question the Govt. figures, let me point out to him, very humbly, it is the right of all our citizens to ask the questions they want to and seek clarification and it is the DUTY AND RESPONSIBILTY OF A RESPONSIBLE gOVERNMENT ELECTED BY THE SAME CITIZENS TO EXPLAIN AND ANSWER ALL THEIR QUESTIONS TRUTHFULLY AND HONESTLY TO THEIR SATISFACTION. Get the drift, Sir".

I am appalled at the statement of the Deputy PM. He sounds and act like a tyrant don't you all think? And, I will surely do not want him to be PM. Imagine voting for someone who will take away my right to ask questions on how the Govt wants to run the country...you mean I can't question about the AP saga, about corruptions, about the fuel hike, about the fair distribution of wealth, about why some bumis get richer and the majority are still the resigned poor after 30 years of NEP?

Get real Najib! This is the new millenium.

Also, the fact the Govt seems to be buying time in revealing their methodology vs that of ASLI's sure goes to show that they may not even have a 'right' methodology before being too quick to condemn ASLI's research as rubbish because they do not want to face the facts. Now, with this delay, it gives me the impression that their 'think tanks' are working overtime and backwards to look for a formula that will find fault with that of ASLI's

Hello Najib, cut that talk and expose the methodology NOW. What have you got to hide? We don't want to wait until 2007!

sotong or sandiwara?

It took Gerakan so long to come up with this statement you began to wonder if they are really MOVING at all!They must have gotten the green light from big brother to stage a cheap wayang kulit to gain some cheap brownie points in the eyes of the chinese community. Dont worry, they wont get fried.

Looks like Gerakan President is still using Slow-Mo Taichi.

The current BN still cooking with ancient politiking of races play, especiallly UMNO. This shows their are out dated. But if the current government failed to do their jod, can we chooese a new government?!

groo_

Gerakan is trying to make itself relevant.

It is a little bit too little and too late.

What nonsense is Gerakan Dr Toh Kin Woon trying to say... "wrong signal" and sad development".

As if he just woke up from his deep sleep for the last 20 years of the kind of politics this UMNO-led Govt had been doing.

Isn't Gerakan PART OF THIS GOVERNMENT?

Gerakan, just like MCA and MIC, as a political party is NEITHER in Govt nor OUT of Govt.

Gerakan is IN Govt by virtue of its leaders becoming Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, getting all the perks, being called Yang Berhormats, and taking photo opportunties in their well-ironed bush jackets, and trying to speak decent Bahasa Malaysia.

As far as representing their constituency and fulfilling their Party's aims, Gerakan is as good as being in the Opposition or in the political wilderness.

GERAKAN has passed its use-by-date. Gerakan had a role to play in shaping the political landscape of Malaysia during the time of Dr Lim Chong Eu. Not now.

Gerakan should voluntary dissolve itself and become an Malaysian NGO instead of as Political Party, rather than having its leaders appear like absolute fools in public with their inconsequential comments to issues like this one.

GERAKAN is behaving like an NGO instead of a Political Party sitting in Government.

The Gerakan leaders don't even have the marbles to stand up and say as blunt as it can to the UMNO Youth and UMNO brats whose comments in public are racially divisive
in form and substance.

Dr Toh Kin Woon would be more credible if he had spoken like an ALIRAN member.

GERAKAN is inconsequential in the politics of Malaysia today.

The faster the Gerakan members face to this fact, the better for themselves. They should just move on.

In all fairness to Gerakan, they are the only ones with the balls to say something in support of the ASLI report. If Gerakan is inconsequential, then MCA & MIC should be dissolved. They said nothing at all!!!!!!!!!!

Lies! damn lies and statistics.
Is that clench fist shown a symbol of "yellow power"? cause it reminded me of similar symbol of "black power" during the olympics in the sixties when the american blacks were discriminated and fighting for equality.
The idea of bumi only shares will not work as even bumi avoid buying bumi houses at 5% discount due to prohibitive selling conditions unless you plan to live in the house forever.

frank&honest, yes gerakan is part of the govt. but i think when dr toh spoke up, he was not speaking on behalf of gerakan but in his personal capacity. i salute him for speaking up. it was after he spoke up, then only the other gerakan and MCA leaders spoke up.
http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=15823

i had met dr toh before in person in forums and sometimes in church and i knew him to be out-spoken on issues that many other gerakan and MCA leaders avoid. at least he has the guts to speak up. true, the other gerakan leaders do not have the guts to stand up against UMNO but in this instance as dr toh had taken the initiative to speak up, let's not shoot him down just because he is part of gerakan.

i do agree with you though that on the whole gerakan is is inconsequential in the politics of malaysia today.

quote chaiong:
--Gerakan is going to be a "Fried Sotong" from BN after comments from LKY and Dr.T . Just watch!--
you mean from UMNO!!

it's all too well that najib said the gomen is prepared to reveal how they come about the 18.9%. good for them. but are they prepared to point out how and where ASLI went wrong??? are they prepared to engage in dialogue/debate with ASLI on the method of deriving the percentage?

frank&honest:

my views resonate with yours ~~ "As if he just woke up from his deep sleep for the last 20 years of the kind of politics this UMNO-led Govt had been doing." Such characters are called Rip van Winkle -- should have been buried before the world moved into te nu'e millennium. Gerakan's President and now its underling Penang exco Dr Toh Kin Woon are playing Heroes" but even my li'l nephew at 7 years old could see they were wearing UMNO sarong. One step behind is MCA wearing wat? UMNO Putera official attire, totally naked except for Topi Keleda. Did someone whisper Toadies? Is that you, Howsy?:(

My view is: The NEP policy is the only reason why UMNO still exist today and still growing strong. It is also the reason why there are growing supporters for BN. These supporters and members know well what benefit they will receive from the Government and how clean our Government is. The Government knows the situation very well, they will collapse if the NEP policy is demolished. Therefore they will not allow anyone or anybody to question anything that would potentially affect the NEP policy directly or indirectly.

Kudos to Lim Keng Yaik. At least he got the guts to voice out in support of ASLI finding. What about the members of MCA??? Haven't heard any words from them. Just another bunch of UMNO's "low tai."

As usual, we have a government in denial mood - one step forward and two steps backwards. There is flip-flop, now it is prepared to open the books for you to look. But when? It does not say. In the meantime, the ultra politicians are playing heroes and nothing come out of their mouth except threatening words and racial chicanery. This is an exercise to set the record right. There should'nt be so worked up ethnically. What the figure is 18.9% or 45%, you need to show proof and eveidence that it is correct. You cannot open your mouth and one mouthful said that you cannot question the authencity of government figures. The rightful thing to do is to lay bare the methodology of calculation for all to see. The onus of proof is not on those who question the figure, the onus lies with the government to show the methodolgy of calculation. It is plain simple!

It is no doubt a political issue for UNMO to explain to the kampong folks and the Malay havenots, where the equity has gone to! This is the hard part and that's why they have to come out hard on those who pointed out the lopsidedness of the NEP affirmative policy on distribution. By all means distribute the wealth fairly to the poor kampong folks and poor urban Malays havenots. The other point is that the ultimate objective is the eradication of poverty irrespective race!!! This prong of the NEP is always forgotten, whether intentionally or under design so that this myth can be perpetuated for another 50 years to come!!

Yes, the rakyat has the right to know. Political leaders are supposdely elected to serve the people and not themselves. The fallacy now is very clear, they are the ruling class and NOT the humble servants of the people. It is good that we must have intelligent discourse to find pout the truth and be transparent in the matter. We must get out the fossilized mindset of them and us on racial terms. We're in the same boat and if the balace is not properly, the boat will capsize! It is as simple as this!

lucia

After what you said, I will give this Dr Toh Kin Woon chap the benefit of the doubt.

What he has to do is TO CALL A SPADE A SPADE, rather than beating round the bush.

Those UMNO Youth and UMNO brats DON'T beat around the bush when it comes to headkicking the Chinese and Indians in the country.

cut and paste from the following blog page (simplicity is genius):
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=771#more-771

Example 1 :

Ali owns 100 Tenaga shares. Par value $100 ($1 per share). Market value $1,000 ($10 per share).
Ah Chong owns 1,000 Farlim shares. Par value $1,000 ($1 per share). Market value $430 ($0.43 per share).

EPU Methodology :

Ah Chong is 10 times richer than Ali. Therefore, Ali needs help to be on par with Ah Chong.

Flaw:

Par value has no relation to the actual value of shares. In fact, Ali’s is richer than Ah Chong. If EPU does not take relative wealth into the equation, how does it know who to help to redress the equal distribution of wealth? Obviously, as this case shows, EPU may be helping the wrong guy!

STOP COMPLAINING. NEXT ELECTION JUST VOTE WHOEVER STAND IN THE OPPOSITION. THE OPPOSITION MIGHT BE PAS, BUT BOTH ARE JIN. ONE IS JIN TENDANG, THE OTHER IS JIN AFRIT. BOTH ARE JIN. WHOEVER YOU VOTE, IT IS STILL THE SAME....SO VOTE THE OPPOSTION..SHOW YOUR POWER. OR ELSE JUST KEEP QUIET AND F.... OFF!!!

Airsnort

What's your problem?

Ahhh...have anyone seen the making of the 'Have and the Have Nots'?

Enjoy!

caribenar

You said...I am appalled at the statement of the Deputy PM. He sounds and act like a tyrant don't you all think?

You should not be.

You see, the Deputy Prime Minister is from UMNO.. and as far as Najib is concerned, he is an UMNO meber FIRST, and DPM second.

Put it simply, Najib's priority is UMNO first and Malaysia second.

That had been his politics since the day, when he was barely 21, became a politician after the sudden death of his father, Tun Razak.

Najib is a far far cry from his great father. Tun Razak gave his all to the country, while Najib giving his all to UMNO.

Making the fate of the whole nation tied to the fate of UMNO ... that is how people like the Son in Law, Najib, the keris-wielding UMNO YOuth Chief-cum Education Minister would like the future and destiny of Malaysia to be. It is possible because the Malays, Chinese and Indians allow these UMNO manipulators to do so, first by making others self-censor their views and making UMNO's views as the dominant voice of Malaysians.

The fact that the DPM could not even come from another political party tells you how much clout does MCA and MIC have in Barisan Nasional. UMNO does not even allow the Constitution to have two DPMs with at least one from other races.

That's the realpolitik in Malaysia.

UMNO is learning fast a lesson from the Jews. That is, making the fate of the whole Arab World in the Middle East tied to the fate of the Jews living in Israel.

I must sympathise with the minority. There is no credible opposition. Most have merged into BN after 1969 mayhem. Unfortunately, there is no credible government either.
Let us look at things the other way. Assuming NEP is obliterated. Meritocracy rules. The rich will get richer.the government will get more revenue from collected taxes, which is then used to benefit the deserving poor. The wealth distributed will be in the hands of the chinese, but collectively, the country will be richer, including the malays.
The government has decided to do the other option. Slow the growth of the rich, in order for the poor to catch up. Rvenue collected will not be as big. And the country's growth suffers. But government will get their statistical numbers.

The government(EPU) have two sets of figures, one actual and one creative???. Guess which one will the release to the public?

The teflon coating has finally cracked and this NEP issue is stuck to Umno like flypaper. If their elitists rip it off, out comes their true colour. If they keep it on, the entire population will say they are hiding something. Umno will look real bad. Naked in fact.

And since prices will be going up soon, the poor which has inelastic income will get more aggravated and insist that they get the true picture.

So, soon enough, Umno will work their spinmeisters overtime to find bogeymen in the other 49.5% of the non-bumiputra population (which includes the 11% conveniently grouped as "non-muslim 'bumiputras'").

That would be a fatal mistake because the very people affected by inflation are all the very people that the NEP is supposed to help. And if they say it's only to help the malays, out comes the truth. Again.

When we think about it, whether you have RM400 Billion or RM800 Billion to spend on affirmative policy projects, excluding the fullsome costs the private sector has had to spend to bear out those policies, this practice of what is in fact a warped version of feudal landlordism has to yield some results. So the argument that it has 'helped' in the creation of a malay middle-class is actually saying the obvious. You can't spend that amount of money with nothing to show. The questions are - if you had instead spent RM107.2 million to give some RM 4 million to each and every Malaysian citizen - man, woman, child - irrespective of his or her race - would that not have delivered a bigger, more obvious and more harmonious impact? Not just to the poor and needy but also to local industry and commerce? And that sum of one hundred plus million is a trifle in the ocean that has been spent on so many white elephant projects going nowhere, besides siphoned off to benefit a bunch of cronies at immense discompetitive cost to the nation. Hey, that's rakyat money. Of course, the mechanics of that release will have to be worked out; perhap the home ministry will be able to suggest whether they should first screen out the 70,000 indons who've been given citizenship recently, and the innumerable others who've somehow procured Kadaku in order to qualify for this mad largess. Yes, the home ministry has a number of questions to answer for.

And lastly Umno shouldn't be talking about the need to protect 'racial sensitivity' when it has been the bigger issuer of histrionic racist statements and the ultimate practitioner of racist policies in the history of this nation.

At the rate we're going, that history is going to be short and sick.

It's time for Umno to come out and make government of this country transparent. If they've forgotten how to, take a trip, visit any one of the motel-168 chains and just see how transparent the bathrooms are. See-thru' in fact. According to my friend, A.

I kind of agree that we have a choice. If we are serious on these mishaps that happen to our nation, we should remember to vote BN out in the next GE. It doesn't matter when is the next election.The reason why we have to go through this charade or clowns & fools is just that BN has always take us for granted. They know that whatever thing they do when the next GE comes, tehy can play the racial card & every Ali, Ah Chong & Muthu will vote for them in the kampungs, towns or estates:)

Vote DAP, vote Adil, Vote Bebas, heck vote even PAS. The way our leaders act afrer we elected them with our trust is really too much. BN is going down hard.

Politics is dynamic as is economy; it can be very unpredictable at times. Politicians, being the players in this complex game of mind, have to be extremely careful before making their move. There are several possibilities behind the "sudden awakening" of the Gerakan leaders. It could be that they are trying to make themselves relevant, as suggested by several readers. May be. But isn't that what they are supposed to do? Instead of dwelling on the past and attacking them for what they didn't or possibly couldn't have done, we should try to understand the reasons leading to the current situations, identify the problems at hand, provide more constructive suggestions and work together towards creating a better society.

No doubt the current developments: the sacking and public humiliation of Anwar, the wide-spread of corruptions, and etc., have created an undercurrent of resentment against the present government. This, coupled with the highly-lamented lack of leadership of Pak Lah, has, for good or for bad, opened up space for more debates.

Our nation's political landscape is shifting, both for the better and for the worse.

The fact that more and more people are starting to question the government in general, and UMNO in particular, on various issues is indeed an encouraging development. For Malaysia to become a truly developed nation, she needs to produce more, not only critical, but responsible citizens. A critical citizen does not necessarily make a responsible citizen. But an uncritical or compliant citizen is never a responsible citizen. Hence, having more and more citizens with critical minds is the first step towards creating a responsible society.

The probable bad news is that, with increased demand for transparency and discontent over political, economical and social injustice, even from among the Malay masses, the government might resort to more aggressive means in order to stay in power.

Having said that, I am still optimistic that the younger generation, with more exposure to the outside world, will not be swayed easily but are able to handle issues in a more rational way. The economical and social landscapes have changed vastly over the years, owing in large part to the NEP. But the present government has certainly overstayed their welcome. Hopefully one day when the people decide to vote out this corrupted government, all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, will remain cool-headed.

BTW, just came accross this article and think it's worth reading.
http://www.aliran.com/oldsite/high9902.html

“This must be about the sixth time we've been told we can't talk about something this year,” said Kota Baru MP Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Between what Zaid Ibrahim said and what Lim Keng Yaik said, I reckon Zaid Ibrahim was a lot more "sarcastic", going by Badawi's reference to LKY's statement. And now when they get their feet all tied up in knots they threaten and warn and make it sound like as if another May 13 will happen anytime soon..and this coming from a weak prime minister.

Fact of the matter is whether it is 18.9% or 45%, the majority of the Malay poor will continue to remain poor. Taht is how it will be, and if you ask UMNO leaders, that is the way it should be. The majority Malay poor will justify to the UMNO leaders their continued rape of the nation in the name of NEP!

Jeff,

I don't read Oriental Daily News, so I assume that the above picture is the the same picture of gesture of support for Dr. Lim as appear in the print version.

The question is: Is the fist necessary? A Statement would have been suffice. I believe Dr Lim stands on the truth and is willing to be challenged and being engage in discussion as to the validity of his report.

So, personally, I don't think it is a wise move to take out an advetisement of such nature even if they do not agree with the way the government handle to whole episode.

Thank you.

Dr Toh & Dr Lim K Y strong reactions are the aftermath of the recent assault by SIL Khairy over the rotation of the CM post & the “marginalisations” of the Bumis in Penang.
And Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin has hit back attacking Gerakan Dr Lim Keng Yaik for Insinuations & Accusations on Transparency, fanning the flame and making it worse (with the little help from Kuan Yew).
Also upon his return from performing the umrah, Abdullah warns all quarters (Malays & Non-Malays) to refrain from CAUSING Trouble;
The only cautious advice is from Tun MUSA HITAM; Stop PUBLIC Debate.
More Details from:
http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2006/10/pm-abdullah-warns-all-quarters-refrain.html

come on la guys, give opps a chance laa.

to me all opps people are much better than bn people. they work without monetery gain and some more may get ISA. They are much credible than all of us who are coward enough to vote for them.

Right, [u]mwt[/u]!
I also saw the news yesterday evening. Pak Lah calmly warned related people, "Jangan nak cari pasal, padah nanti!"
He even added on that govt can reveal those highly demanded facts at present but just some people oughta ask nicely. Whoa! Meradang lah tu!
Second Rosman. Salutes to DAP leaders and members. They are so full of courage in defence of the truth and people's rights. Many are so cowardly backing off even though they can bark loudly here. Trust me. Well, you do not have to. It's a fact.

Jin

You said....For Malaysia to become a truly developed nation, she needs to produce more, not only critical, but responsible citizens. A critical citizen does not necessarily make a responsible citizen. But an uncritical or compliant citizen is never a responsible citizen. Hence, having more and more citizens with critical minds is the first step towards creating a responsible society.

I like that.Really like what you said. I am going to hijack this statement of yours for my professional vocabulary. Very apt. Are you a political scientist, by any chance?

Thanks.

mwt

Tun Musa Hitam asking for the public debate to stop is BAD for Malaysia, bad for democracy and bad for everybody.

It is asking the responsible citizens of this country to self-censor issues of public and national interest. It is called SHUTTING OFF different viewpoints. It is called GAGGING of the Citizens.

I remember Musa Hitam, before he became a Tun, talking on international media, about democracy, freedom of speech. Whne the chips are down on the Govt and UMNO's manipulation of Govt policies, Tun Musa Hitam decides to take the easy way out.

It is trying to make Malaysia to stay within the neo-feudalistic thinking of the old sultanate days, when you are not disagree in public lest the royalties "rasa dukacita" and "sedih".

God!! This is 21st Century and our Tun Musa had been an international diplomat for donkey years. How come he could come as say, NO PUBLIC DEBATE.

Sweeping dirt under carpet and asking everybody else to believe there is NO dirt under the carpet is UMNO's modus operandi..and that is how it gets its manipulative way (well learnt by the Son In Law today) over the last 40 odd years.

The good Tun MH should rethink his view in his current position as our elder statesman. He is not helping the nation with this thinking.

Frank&Honest,

Thanks for your compliment :)

I suppose all opinions posted on blogs (this blog included, Jeff, you agree?) are meant for the free consumption of all.

BTW, I am not a political scientist; I am physicist.

Observer, Jin and Frank&Honest.

Well said !

Looks like GE is near and we'll have to be more critical of the present administration. And be more responsible to build a better and fairer Malaysia.

Jin, I like this "For Malaysia to become a truly developed nation, she needs to produce more, not only critical, but responsible citizens. A critical citizen does not necessarily make a responsible citizen. But an uncritical or compliant citizen is never a responsible citizen. Hence, having more and more citizens with critical minds is the first step towards creating a responsible society."

It is a brilliant statement. I really hope Malaysian can understand well this statement. May I "hijack" it?

If the opposition is voted in the next GE and they do not perform it will still be no worse than the present regime. What have we got to lose?

At least we will know then that the opposition cannot do better. WE will not be worse off because we know that BN WILL NOT do any better than continue to rob the rakyat through the NEP.

We can kick the opposition later if they do not perform. WE may even be lucky that in power the opposition can reveal all the dirt accumulated by the BN. We do not have to wait for another 50 years as we have foolishly given the BN.

veritas

True.

No risk No gain.

Malaysians, after 40 odd years of ruling by the UMNO-led Govt, has nothing more to lose.