Thursday, May 30, 2013

GLOBAL WEALTH IN POVERTY


[This speech was delivered during the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Ministerial Conference in Rome, Italy in November, 1987]

Rome, Italy
November 12, 1987.

GLOBAL WEALTH IN POVERTY
 
Water Cycle

The poor in our county, who are mainly in the rural areas, can be looked at as a class of people living on a higher slope of an arid mountain, depending for their livelihood on rain water that falls on the slopes. This rainfall seeps into the slopes and flows down the rivers to the plains meandering through canals and streams, surpluses of which go to the sea. By the process of evaporation the water, all along the way, evaporates to form clouds in the sky. The clouds are then pushed by the wind to break down as rain whether above the sea, on the plains or on the slope itself.

That mountain is political power as the majority of voters are in the rural areas and among the lesser haves, and generally involved in agriculture.

Aridity is poverty.

The rainfall is money, coming out of government expenditure, whether in the form of direct spending or subsidies and other forms of aid. Through trade and business transactions, the money is drained down the plains, which is symbolic of the cities, and surpluses go to the seas as accumulated funds. Evaporation, like taxation, which generates a lot of heat, causes vapour to rise upward and accumulate to form clouds which is the Treasury. It is the political wind that blows the clouds and thereby determines the distribution of rain or government expenditure.

On a global basis, things are about similar.

World Government

The majority of the world’s population are in the poorer countries or in countries classified as poor. Should there be a voting on a one-man one-vote basis to form a world government (God forbid), it would definitely be that the poorer people of the world will triumph. If world peace is to be in any way related to the development of the world economy, then the “water” cycle earlier mentioned, should also be valid for comparison on a global basis. The riches accumulated in the world should be made to recycle through trade in order to have global peace.

Interdependency

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

UPDATE: PRU 13 - KABINET PENENTUAN

Campaign of lies, deception
New Straits Times, 27 May 2013, page 14.

SOMETIMES there is a need to pause for thought and for Malaysia this is one of those moments.
The question to reflect on is: why is there a portion of the population, small but voluble, insistent on disrupting the peace? In a country of full employment where menial jobs are done by foreigners and the major cities are much like those of the First World, one would have thought that common sense alone is guarantee enough against subversive elements. When rank manipulation is successful and thousands come out to be persuaded with blatant lies, the rest of the population is left bemused. What manner of discontent is it that fuels the protests? Or, is this a classic case of idle minds being the devil's playground?

It is easy to imagine the latter situation being exploited by influential individuals, deemed charismatic when, in fact, are mere chameleons, out to fulfil dastardly agendas dangerous in their means and foul in their ends. To, in the first place, go on calling their protest campaign "Blackout 505", referring to the alleged blackout at some counting station on election day, when there is no proof of it ever having happened is one such lie obviously meant to mislead. Tenaga Nasional has denied that there were any blackouts that night and the constituency supposed to have experienced it, too, has said the same. This is mere propaganda.

Then there is the abysmal intention of confusing the people by harping on the popular votes garnered by the three parties of the opposition. Indeed there were more voting for the three parties together than there were voting for Barisan Nasional (BN). But the electoral system of this country is all about winning the seats through the first-past-the-post system where a simple majority suffices and those wishing to oust the elected BN government know this full well. And, why is it, where they have benefited from the system they have not protested their victory?

Propaganda is useless when it is not disseminated far and wide. In this respect, too, the PKR de facto head is no less relentless. The Red Bean Army, a band of so-called cyber troopers and a creature of DAP, is at his disposal to spread disinformation on social media. Absolute lies are not put to bed even when proven to be so because the Red Beans keep them going. Yet, is all this not in character for a man whom the former vice-president of Indonesia, Yusuf Kalla, accuses of glibly having broken a solemn promise he brokered?


Assalaamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakaatuh

SEMOGA TIDAK PERLU JALAN LAIN KE SYURGA

Dalam sekitar masakini sebuah barisan kabinet akan dilantik oleh Perdana Menteri. Sudah tentu perlantikan ini dibuat atas berbagai perhetongan dan berlandaskan pendapat ramai penasihat. Media masa juga turut memainkan peranan. Ejen-ejan risek negara asing juga pasti tidak mahu ketinggalan.
Yang membimbangkan ialah antara penasihat itu pasti ada yang menjadi penyebab kepada Tsunami PRU 13 dan juga Tsunami PRU 12. Apatahlagi jita penyebab-penyebab kedua Tsunami itu mencapai kemenangan. Bukan kerana winnable candidate tetapi kerana winnable constituency atau kawasan yang ditandingi mereka itu selamat.
Ada tiga kata-kata dari pemikir-pemikir yang saya sudah lupa namanya. Kita panggillah mereka 'anonymous yang bijaksana'. Kata mereka:
1. 'The world is spoilt not by the wickedness of the bad but by the weaknesss of the good'. Lebih-kurang maksudnya 'Angkara yang menimpa dunia bukanlah kerena kejahatan orang yang tidak baik tetapi kerana kelemahan orang yang baik'.
2. 'The journey to hell is full of good intentions' atau 'Perjalanan ke neraka itu diiringi oleh niat yang baik-baik'. 
3. 'Lies would have travelled half-way around the world before truth puts its boots on' yang bererti 'Pembohongan sudah berjalan hampir setengah pusingan dunia sebelum kebenaran memakai kasut'.
Prestasi BN pimpinan UMNO dalam PRU 13 ialah yang terburuk dalam sejarah. Yang salah bukan DAP yang saya dapati sangat konsisten dalam perjuangan mereka. Kalau mereka tidak sofan atau kurang ajar itu bukanlah satu penyakit yang baru didengar atau diketahui.
Oleh kerana pemimpin itu, kecuali diktator, selalunya mempunyai penasihat-penasihat, maka sudah tentu penasihat yang menyebabkan prestasi buruk PRU 12 jika digabungkan dengan penasihat yang menyebabkan prestasi buruk PRU 13 akan menyebabkan punca kehancuran bangsa Melayu di masa akan datang.
Pelajarilah pergolakan yang berlaku sehingga tarikh-tarikh berikut boleh menjadi bahan renungan: 1897 + 18 = 1915 + 18 = 1933 + 18 = 1951 + 18 = 1969 + 18 = 1987 + 18 = 2005 + 18 = 2023. 
Dari 222 kerusi terdapat 135 kerusi yang 60% pengundinya terdiri dari orang Melayu dan Bumiputera; 47 kerusi yang antara 40% ke 60 % pengundinya terdiri dari orang Melayu dan Bumiputera dan hanya 40 kerusi yang pengundi dari kalangan orang Melayu dan Bumiputera di bawah 40%.
Tidak ada jalan bagi DAP untuk memerintah jika Melayu bersatu.
Kelemahan prestasi BN pada kali ini ialah kerana KEGAGALAN PENASIHAT-PENASIHAT DAN KEGAGALAN DALAM URUSAN KOMUNIKASI ATAU PENERANGAN.
Jika penasihat-penasihat yang menyebabkan Tsunami PRU 12 dan PRU 13, walau pun mereka menang dalam PRU, dilantik ke dalam kabinet maka BANGSA MELAYU PERLU CARI JALAN LAIN KE SYURGA.
Wallahu'alam.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

AIDS - IN A FREE MARKET EKONOMI

Assalaamu'alaikum Warahmatullaahi Wabarakaatuh

In his book 'What Money Can't Buy' the author Michael Sandel gave a few examples of new transactions taking place since Ronald Reagan of the United States of America and Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain introduced the Market Economy as the best answer to each of their nation's respective economic growths.
 
"The years leading up to the financial crisis of 2008 were a heady time of market faith and deregulation - an era of market triumphalism. The era began in the early 1980s, when Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher proclaimed their convictions that markets, not government, held the key to prosperity and freedom. And it continued in the 1990s, with the market friendly liberalism of Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, who moderated but consolidated the faith that markets are the primary means for achieving the public good."
 
This is Michael Sandel's Introduction: Markets and Morals
 
There are some things money can't buy, but these days, not many. Today, almost everything is up for sale. Here are a few examples:
 
1. A prison cell upgrade: $82 per night. In Santa Ana, California, and some other cities, nonviolent offenders can pay for better accomoditiona - a clean, quiet jail cell, away from the cells for nonpaying prisoners.
 
2. Access ti the car pool lane while driving solo: $8 during ruch hour. Minneapolis and other cities are trying to ease trffic congestion by letting solo drivers pay to drive in car pool lanes, at rates that vary according to traffic.
 
3. The services of an Indian surrogate mother to carry a pregnancy: $6,250. Western couples seeking surrogates increasingly out-source the job to India, where the practice is legal and the price is less than one-third the going rate in the United States.
 

Friday, May 3, 2013

PRU 13 - MASUKAN 3 MEI, 2013


BAHAN RENUNGAN APABILA MENGUNDI
 
Assalamu'alaikum Warahmatullaahi Wabarakaatuh dan salam hormat kepada yang bukan Islam.
 
Insya Allah, lusa kita mengundi.

PERSAMAAN TARAF DAN HAK

Dalam ceramah-ceramah yang disampaikan oleh Lim Kit Siang kita mendengar berulang-ulang, dengan nada kesatnya, laungan bahawa beliau menghendaki supaya rakyat berbilang kaum di Negara ini mempunyai taraf dan hak yang sama.

Memang itulah yang diperjuangkan oleh UMNO dan Barisan Nasional (dulunya Perikatan) sejak merdeka.

PERLEMBAGAAN MALAYSIA

Setelah disepakati oleh parti-parti komponen Perikatan yang dibesarkan, dengan penambahan parti-parti gabungan dalam Barisan Nasional, maka jaminan untuk mencapai persamaan ini ialah dengan mendukung Perlembagaan Malaysia yang sedia ada.

Perlembagaan inilah yang meletakkan -

a) Raja Berperlembagaan (bagi negeri-negeri yang tidak beraja ada Gabenor yang dilantik oleh Majlis Raja-Raja Melayu)

b) Ugama Islam sebagai ugama Persekutuan yang rasmi sementara penganut ugama dan fahaman lain bebas untuk terus menganut ugama dan fahaman mereka masing-masing.

c) Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa Malaysia dan bahasa ibunda suku kaum lain dibenarkan terus diajar di sekolah-sekolah.

d) Hak Istimewa orang-orang Melayu dan Bumiputera  (dalam seksyen 153 Perlembagaan ada jaminan pengekalan hak yang ada pada yang bukan Melayu dan bukan Bumiputera).

e) Demokrasi berparlimen

LIMA PENCAPAIAN TERBESAR

Dengan mempertahankan Perlembagaan Malaysia inilah maka 5 pencapaian besar telah tercapai yang diakui dan dikagumi oleh dunia.

Track record Kerajaan BN:

Malaysians' 5 greatest achievements in the last 55 years, according to Dr. Chandra Muzaffar:








1. Continuous peace in one of the most complex multi-religious, multi-ethnic landscapes in the world

2. Prosperity: average GDP growth of 7 per cent a year in the last 55 years; eradication of poverty

3. Major socio-economic transformation: agriculture to manufacturing, rural to urban

4. Parliamentary democracy all along, freedoms

5. We are a country that has been able to preserve an independent foreign policy: Malaysia is not beholden to anyone

Prof. Dr. Chandra Muzaffar was the Deputy President of PKR when it was formed.

Keamanan (peace), kemakmuran (prosperity), membasmi kemiskinan dan transformasi (from agriculture dependence to an industrial nation with continuous process of urbanization), demokrasi yang berterusan dan dasar luar yang bebas (tanpa tunduk kepada kuasa besar).

PERANAN PEMBANGKANG