On 15th June, in Parliament, Najib purported to explain his 1Malaysia.
This is Malaysianinsider’s Hafidz Baharom’s take on that explanation :
“Personally looking at it, I still don’t understand just what exactly the 1 Malaysia concept is. I mean, even Mahathir’s Vision 2020 and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s Islam Hadhari had better explanations.
If there was one thing our beloved Prime Minister has done, it’s to confuse everyone in Malaysia with a policy that isn’t “too rigid” but unoriginal, unexplainable and downright incomprehensible to anyone but himself”.
Hafidz, in his article, alluded to his penchant for referring to Hansard. If you would like to refer to Hansard to get a blow-by-blow account of what Najib said on his 1Malaysia, you can access the same, in PDF, HERE. Go directly to page 8 for that account. Take it from page 1 if you want to read about the antics that followed Nizar’s swearing-in.
Personally, I preferred to try and make sense of Najib’s 1Malaysia, if at all possible, from his dissertation that was uploaded on his blog on 15th June and 18th June.
He starts off in the second paragraph by declaring that the ultimate goal of 1Malaysia is national unity which, he says, has been the vision of the leaders before him.
Tunku, I believe so. Hussein Onn, perhaps.
Razak?
Mahathir?
Pak Lah?
A bit of Mahathir’s ‘distortion’ creeping into 1Malaysia, don’t you think?
1Malaysia, Najib says, differs from the aspirations of earlier leaders only in its approach and implementation.
Let’s see.
In the next paragraph, with regard to his proposed approach, Najib tells us that the approach he proposes is to run in tandem with and to complement government policies thus far.
Government policies thus far?
Read that to mean a continuation of the policies put in place during Mahathir’s 22 years and Pak Lah’s 4.
The immediate objective?
Reinforce our solidarity!
The end objective?
Guarantee stability towards achieving higher growth and development for Malaysia and her people.
Hold on!
Didn’t he say earlier that the ultimate goal of 1Malaysia is national unity?
Now its higher growth and development?
In what remains of the third paragraph of his first post, Najib or whoever wrote this up for him got so confused and inadvertantly let the cat out of the bag.
See what he says :
“.…1Malaysia is a formula conceptualised as a precondition in ensuring the aspirations of the country to secure a developed status by 2020 are met”
It gets better.
“If the idea of “Bangsa Malaysia” which was engendered through Vision 2020 becomes the final destination, then 1Malaysia is the roadmap that guides us towards that destination. This definition is built upon the argument that in order achieve the status of a developed nation in the predetermined time frame, the key requisite is a strong and stable country, which can only be achieved when its people stand united“.
If I understand this man, he would have us believe that his 1Malaysia is the roadmap to the Bangsa Malaysia that Mahathir spoke of and, again, with developed-nation status as the ultimate goal!
Put simply, we must all strive for national unity to achieve developed-nation status by the year 2020 because that is what we all desire!
Are you getting a sense of the jiwa of the man who now proposes to unite us all as a nation of a single people?
Not yet?
Read the rest of his posts.
1Malaysia is not about assimilation but about acceptance, “where one race embraces the uniqueness of other races”.
The bedrock of his 1Malaysia is “justice for all…welfare of all Malaysians will be looked after, leaving noone behind”.
For this, he says, “government policies…that protect the interests of disadvantaged groups will continue to be implemented”.
Really?
Go and tell that to the 30,000 who took to the streets on 25th November, 2007. They’ll be so, so relieved.
In the seventh paragraph of his first post, where he seems to link nation-building with “the Rakyat must be the first to be developed”, I got a little hopeful.
Could it be that this man just might understand what needs to be done to begin the process of undoing the ‘divide-and-rule’ that his predecessors had crafted and to slowly but surely build a nation of a single people?
More importantly, does this man care enough to begin that process?
I read what was left of his first post and all of the second.
A lot of fancy words with no concrete ideas about how “the Rakyat must be the first to be developed” , about how to go about changing hearts and minds so that Malaysians see each other as just Malayisan and not Malay, Chinese, Indian, etc.
In both of his posts, he never touched, even in passing, on what, in my view, is the most important change that we need to see happen if the government of the day is serious about national unity.
Education.
Leslie Lau, in an article in the Malaysianinsider, shared his thoughts on this :
“The idea of national unity cannot be forced on a people. It really depends on one thing. And that is whether people believe in a country. For the most part, that probably happens when there is a sense of belonging, fair play and opportunity. And that comes from our attitudes toward each other. Education is ultimately about providing the opportunity for knowledge. If Malaysians think our education system is failing us, we must examine why and then fix it. I do not know whether the answer is to maintain the system we currently have or to have a single school system. What I do know is that schools are not the place to fix the distrust and suspicion we have of each other as Malaysians. To fix that, we have to change our attitudes”.
I’ll add to that and say that you don’t use the schools to sow the seeds of distrust and suspicion.
You use the schools to buiild the minds and hearts of our young so that they see themselves as one people of this nation.
More specifically, teach our young the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about how all the races contributed to the early development of the Malay states before independence and how those same people worked collectively to achieve independence.
Remember Kelana Jaya MP Loh Seng Kok complaining in Parliament that the syllabus of history textbooks ignored the contribution of non-bumiputeras, that “the fight against the Japanese Occupation during World War II is portrayed as only the effort of the Malays but ignored the role of Chinese and Indian Malaysians”? Malaysiakini has the report HERE, if you don’t remember.
Make the Federal Constitution a compulsory part of the history syllabus.
Teach our young that all are equal under the constitution, and that all disadvantaged Malaysians must be helped without discrimination on grounds of ethnicity or faith.
I do not suggest that this alone will cure the ills that we see in our society inflicted by the divisive policies of the past and present government.
Ignore this, however, and all other measures at forging real national unity will come to nought.
It is not that Najib is clueless.
Indeed, his recent readiness to hold talks with PAS on Malay unity and the possibility of forming a unity government is most telling.
As one commentator said in Malaysianinsider : “…when confronted with the choice of Malaysian unity or Malay unity, you would plump for the latter but attempt to wrap it as a option which would be consistent with your 1Malaysia concept”.
Like Mahathir, Najib’s jiwa is not with the people.
He does not care.
telur dua
July 5, 2009
UMNO/BN have no honesty, integrity and sincerity. So, anything from them will fail. Some PAS suckers are lapping it up, though.
ktteokt
July 5, 2009
Absolutely no meaning! Whether it is Wawasan 2020, Islam Hadhari or this stupid thing called 1 MALAYSIA! All empty calls by UMNO goons which will never materialize!
Wawasan 2020 was the “dream” of TDM but has any effort been put in to realize it? Just talk sahaja, and he expects Wawasan 2020 to materialize? How many more years to 2020? We have been independent for more than half a century but we have yet to achieve the status of an “advanced nation”. So just another 10 years to go and he expects “Presto! This is Wawasan 2020”? He must think he is David Copperfield!
For AAB, not even the Muslims themselves know exactly what his “hadhari” or “hadmalam” is all about! Just “sendiri cakap, sendiri syok” only! His 5 years of premiership was only part of his “dream” while dozing away on the job.
Now, Najis comes up with ONE MALAYSIA! What the hell is that? If the people of Malaysia had been so divided since May 13, by none other than the government itself, into BUMIPUTRA and NON BUMIPUTRA, how on earth can Najis succeed in ONE MALAYSIA? Clearly, there are 2 or MORE MALAYSIAS! For one thing, can he deny that there is Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia which is separated by the vast SOUTH CHINA SEA? Is he prepared to physically join these two? All these talk is wasting time and rakyat’s RM, RM and RM!!!!
aca
July 5, 2009
and his wife thinks that 3 month killer program called National Service will unite the youth.
another victim just bite the dust. another girl was molested and a brwal broke out. hey, what about those unreported?
yup, its too late to instil sense of belonging and unity when they are already 18. Have the education straigthened and teach the young well and right. Najib, stop sending the young to the death camps and for once stop thinking about the lucrative profits of this killer program accrued to the beneficiaries.
Paul Warren
July 5, 2009
I don’t think its failed. You see all the philosophers and wannabes are spending so much time preoccupied with defining whatever 1Malasyia is supposed to be. Meanwhile there are a lot of other things are happening. For one thing Pakatan is unraveling right before our very eyes. Najib is confusing everyone as to what he is all about. Suddenly its like as if the NEP is no more and all teh non-Malays are singing praises and hoping against hope…while the philosophers are still actively deciphering what 1Malasyia is all about. See even you are cracking your head over what 1Malaysia is all about and why it would fail. 1Missive not enough, you have 3! In the meantime what have you missed attending to? So see, Najib has succeeeded with his 1Malasyia!!
Ken
July 5, 2009
Change can only come with understanding the “real problems” that afflicts this country. Over the past 30 years, those “guardians of the faith and race” has screwed, confused, manipulate and propagandize their own political ends to achieve their own self interest of accumulating as much wealth and power as they can.
This is the “Sunshine Syndrome” or simply “Make hay while the sun shines”. Do they really care what comes next or what the generations of young men and women in this country will become?
1Malaysia is just another “me-too” exhortation. To put oneself in the record books has having something to leave behind as one’s own.
TDM has Wawasan 2020, AAB has Islam Hadhari and now
NAR wants his 1Malaysia. But, none of them have been able to achieve what our beloved Tunku: Independence.
With it, we see ourselves as Malaysians minus the stigma of race or color. You have friends and neighbors of all races mingling without fear or favor.
Schools who are proud of their traditions and educators who care for their charges. We learn about the world, its experiences and history. And, we become more open and more global. Discipline and merits were on high order. Standard of excellence was the code of the day. Every school has its own identity and uniform and it brought out the best in everybody.
We were very much “Anak Malaysia” without all the talk, promises, speeches, programs, etc. which we now witness on a daily basis.
The real problem is those in power has betrayed the confidence we bestow upon them to make good the people’s and country’s future. Instead, they continue to pursue their own inherent agenda which is already out of sync.
CHANGE is what we need. Not another “me-too”
Michael Tan
July 5, 2009
We are all very lucky to be Malaysians. Unlike other neighbouring countries that we hear and read about everyday. If not a riot, there would be something else. For us, we still could go on our normal lives, go to work, come back. With our families and so on. Except for reports on snatch thieves,unnecessary accidents on the roads. All these are problems that are self inflicted, which properly enforced, can be mitigated/solved. What is the next thing that we read about? This political stuff. On BN, UMNO, PAS, DAP, PKR,PPP,GERAKAN,PKZ and so on.That is everyone got to say bad things about the other guy/party. One has to sue the guy and so on.So much time wasting.My view is that when one has lost in the election, one has lost. Period. Bite the dust/bullet and move on.Give that respect/regard to the voters, i.e all the Malaysians who voted and who elected the candidate at that time. And it was time for that elected candidate to carry out the responsibilties bestowed on him or her. And that elected ADU/MP should not even think about abandoning the present ship to join other ship. Serve your term. Air your grievances within your ship.Lets move on for the sake of all Malaysians. DUE RESPECT ARE NOT GIVEN TO THE VOTERS. All political parties must complement each other. THe values of sopan, santun, respect of elders, always smiling, friendly ectera, did not happen overnight. It has been how we have been brought up, naturally over the last, at least 150 years.So it has been a culmination of good values/traits over the years.That’s why we can be quite vulnerable and gullible to some extent.Please do not destroy these values.Malaysia is a small country to have too many political parties. That is one of the reason why we are so fragmented. We delve in small issues. Hence, if we try to complement each other; we would response positively to each other. Take complete ownership of the position given to you. You ask/stood for it. The voters gave it to you.Maybe in the long run, the country will be governed by a single party, that represents Malaysia, for Malaysians. One who helms it, or a party which helms it, will be for Malaysia and for Malaysians.Imagine how beautiful it would be.
So leaders, ADUNs/MPs, please be awakened and rise to your responsibilities. Think of us, our children, yourselves and your children. How many more years do we have, how long do you have to serve. Singlehandedly,the few years/ term that you have is not enough to change, redirect the country to a true/right course. It has to a collective effort. For once, since independence, the people’s voices are heard. Take it as a cue, a positive one. That every Malaysian wants change.(Nothing wrong with BN, I guess. They have done their part. Unfortunately, Peters priciple crept in.Something went wrong along the way.That’s life isn’t it?) Change for all of us.So we can compete.We can compete , with any country as Malaysia. We have not sung Malaysia Berjaya for a long time already. Our forebears initiated BERSATU KITA TEGUH BERCERAI KITA ROBOH. Have we forgotten that? So, lets not hear anymore issues that are stifling the progress of the state/nation. No more Kg Pala issue, no more ISA issue, reduce or contain corruption. Lets hear KPIs being met; Malaysia up its GDP; peoples’s needs are met, without any demos/petitions. I think there are enough manpower in the respective Council/State/Country machinery to monitor these issues. Thank you Malaysia/my Malaysians friends. May all be happy, safe and healthy.
k1
July 5, 2009
wtf is 1 malaysia? unless no more non-bumi/bumi if not all these are just bullshit from the mogolian girl’s boyfriend!
you dont have to worry about all these aduns/YB/MB because all their children will stay in US/UK/Australia/Canada. That’s why they all dont care about PKFZ 12 billion $$$ gone in the wind, even whole malaysia economy collaspe they will not care. Anything happen, they can migrate anytime anywhere.
the 3 months national service is to make the mogolian girl’s boyfriend ricer and RICHER so that she dont have to stay in 3 star hotel!
Tiger YK Liang
July 5, 2009
First and foremost, NEP must be completely dismantled. then practice 100% meritocracy, and force all the lazy and overweight citizens to work double hard, revoke all the “manufactured” degree-holders, and send them overseas to work as domestic servant. Clean up the whole mess in the government departments, including the PDRM, court, parliament, and implement a 50-year policy to overhaul the whole system, maybe it will take 50 x 2 = 100 years, but better late than never.
Loh
July 6, 2009
The government should make an assessment of what the gaps are in achieving the NEP targets and the area of over achievements. In December 2006, PM AAB and DPM Najib said EPU would prove ASLI wrong within a month on ASLI’s reporting stating that 30% equity target had been achieved. This has not yet been done. It is unfair to say that the 30% policy gets a low priority, and come back for it again.
The government reports only the statistics of Malays equity figure and nothing else, and keep saying that NEP has not been achieved. So, it should imply that NEP had achieved the objective in all other areas except the issue of equity. That statistics now become the deciding factor. ASLI and EPU should engage in public debate, or work together on the actual statistics. Petronas have submitted RM 250 billion to government over the past 6 years. Petronas should be made to buy the gaps and hold it for Malays, and decide on a distribution plan in due course. We can declare NEP over, and dismantle all those race-based regulations arising from NEP in government administration.
Najib may then be able to begin talking about 1Malaysia with the NEP ghost haunting him.
cruzeiro
July 6, 2009
Haris,
Your suggestions are definitely what the country needs. However, you forgot to mention the vital/subversive role of the BTN on fostering the hatred and mutual distrust that plagues the nation as a whole.
In order to achieve this utopian idea of “Nationhood”, it is imperative that BTN is dismantled – without this action, all hopes for a common destiny can be thrown out the window. No amount of whitewashing the BTN (to get in line with “current concepts” of “1-Malaysia) will change anything, and all “efforts” and sloganeering by the Govt will remain hogwash.
Cheers.
cruzeiro
July 6, 2009
Oh yes – I agree with Tiger about the NEP (but with meritocracy applied to an affirmative action as well).
andrew
July 6, 2009
Sloganeering is indeed a fine art and just another form of mental masturbation by his special media consultants.
Bigjoe
July 6, 2009
I think you miss the point. 1Malaysia was not meant to succeed, it was meant to only divide the opposition. Look at what happened to PR over unity talks.
The idea is to confuse the enemy and then sent out the machinery and money to win votes.
So the real issue is the war chest that will have to be build in order for BN to take advantage of 1Malaysia confusing messages…
Free Malaysia
July 6, 2009
Whether it is 1Malaysia or 2Malaysia or whatever, come the next GE, I m still voting for the Opposition.
Yes, yes … the Opposition is far from perfect … but after over 50 years I am of the opinion that we should give the Opposition a chance to run this country.
Joon
July 6, 2009
1Malaysia? What bull? Why still talk about bumiputera and non-bumiputera? Malays and Non-Malays? Are we not all Malaysian? You are born here and is Malaysian. I am born here and is also Malaysian. BUT WE HAVE DIFFERENT RIGHTS. WHY THE DISCRIMINATION? How do you expect us to be united when we feel discriminated upon? When we know that our children and generation to come will also face such discrimination?
Study the Federal Constitution? Good. Everyone will then know that we are not born equal in this country. For the Malays will have certain rights that some other Malaysian do not have.
the queen
July 6, 2009
i will first give a warning that this may rankle a lot of people esp. the non-malay malaysians. I’m a Singaporean Malay to set the record straight.
It is not without reason that some people cling so tightly towards trying to maintain the “superiority” of Malays. While I think that superiority of one race over another race is bullshit, you do have to sit down and reflect why some people persist in trying to keep it there.
To the non-Malay Malaysians – don’t like malaysia? Get lost. you can come here if you want. Singapore will kiss the ass of anybody who can come and so-called makeup for the babies that we supposedly cannot produce ourselves.
You don’t understand what it is like to be a Malay in a dying Malay world. You guys are Chinese. Can still go back to China. Indians. Can still go back to India. Malays? China and India hasn’t seen this problem because they have not yet faced foreigners in huge waves to threaten their identity. But we have had to figure out how the hell do we keep this so called tanah Melayu away from the invading Chinese who seem to be invading every country (you’ve already taken Singapore.) While I know this is a very xenophobic, very negative, not to mention very non-Islamic view that I ideally believe should not exist, the fact is that IT EXISTS. In my mother who believes that Singapore should still be Tanah melayu. In my peers who outcry, but privately for fear of being arrested, the sudden constitutional changes made in secret in Singapore – no more Bahasa Melayu as national language, anthem in 4 languages, no more free education (it’s not that we are so dying to be a superior race, but it’s the principle of the thing. They could have done it publicly but no, they decide to do it behind our backs, never mind that what they are doing is effectively breach of contract between them and the empire of Britain who doesn’t give a shit anymore) I have comfort that even if one day Singapore will exile me for being such a snarky subversive citizen, Malaysia will give me refuge as I have Malay blood and can request for citizenship. (or at least, people used to be able to do that, but maybe we can’t go back anymore.)
This is the Malay fear. as unsensible and as unreasonable as it is, it does live on, even in Malays across the pond. So before you start to snark around about all this bp thing and superiority thing, take a bit of time to figure out why people actually do these things, why people everywhere try to exercise undue power. They’re not complete retards, neither are they purposely and maliciously trying to shoot you down. They are more vulnerable in their insecurities, or at least, equally insecure and doubtful about their future and heritage. And ask yourself if you wouldn’t feel the same way.
anomie
July 7, 2009
The queen?
U r dead wrong to say that the Chinese/Indian M’sians can go back to their grand/parents’ ancestors’ land.
Been born & breed in M’sia, our forefathers’ ancestor homes r alien to us. The culture dont fit. The lifestyle dont fit. & Even there r many subtle languages/dialects differences!
U yrself said it – that perhaps M’sia will accept u! So u do have the same logic of emigration for people like u! But the big catch is can u accept M’sia? Or for that matter, Indonsesia?
Do rememver if u want to paly this game – the only thing that’s common is gnome. But then if one look deeper aint all of us the same decedents of the African Eve? So what takes?
Yr fear is a cocooned human – lack of confidence to face the new challenges & unknowns. Thus the inward looking to yr pasts for comfort – yr Malay root!
This is a globalized world, there is NO more corner for xenophobic to hide, except at yr own mind. And xenophobic will be forever xenophobic – they just cant accept that eventually there is only one race – the human race!
anomie
gazetna
July 6, 2009
Your suggestions are definitely what the country needs. However, you forgot to mention the vital/subversive role of the BTN on fostering the hatred and mutual distrust that plagues the nation as a whole.
In order to achieve this utopian idea of “Nationhood”, it is imperative that BTN is dismantled – without this action, all hopes for a common destiny can be thrown out the window. No amount of whitewashing the BTN (to get in line with “current concepts” of “1-Malaysia) will change anything, and all “efforts” and sloganeering by the Govt will remain hogwash.
Cheers.
seng aun
July 7, 2009
i’d rather a 1’rainbow’malaysia.
‘unity can exist alongside diversity’ – that’s the mantra you, ds najib, should be chanting.
walk the talk. so far, you’ve only talked the talk.
lead the walk – forward. and make sure all those who join the walk are doing it ‘shoulder to shoulder’.
good luck mr pm – honest
Warrior 231
July 7, 2009
You are beginning to sound like an old record, flogging this stuff to death. why not write on something more pithy like….mmmm..tosai, chutney,idhli, idiapam and puttu. you will get more traction on that….than from cow’sdung like this….anyway..thanks for the major tickle this post elicited ………..hahahahahahahahahahahaha LOL. Try as i might, i just couldnt resist Kaka the crow and Thulukan, the donkey’s constant pleas to hook on this site for their daily humour kicks. Come to think of it, they are turning into affociandos……hahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahha LOL. should set up a lappie in the barn and another in the birdcage for them to surf here when i am not around……..hahahahahahahahahahahaha …LOL
Warrior 231
Sharing
July 9, 2009
Haris,
I am sure you are aware that the Constitution and many Laws have a lot of Loop Holes, unconstitutional and unfair. New Laws like the MACC and the SIAP are siding the Power of PM away from the Parliament. Can you spend some time looking into them?
If SIAP went through last Tuesday with NO or much debates in the Parliament when 83-86 PK MP are there, I believe PK is sleeping.
Malaysia will become 1Malaysian – the PM!!
abdo
December 27, 2009
Your suggestions are definitely what the country needs. However, you forgot to mention the vital/subversive role of the BTN on fostering the hatred and mutual distrust that plagues the nation as a whole.
In order to achieve this utopian idea of “Nationhood”, it is imperative that BTN is dismantled – without this action, all hopes for a common destiny can be thrown out the window. No amount of whitewashing the BTN (to get in line with “current concepts” of “1-Malaysia) will change anything, and all “efforts” and sloganeering by the Govt will remain hogwash.