Yoursay: Kuok is right, Umno leaders have no stomach for reforms

Nazri: Kuok’s dream for M’sia still distant due to political reality

Bad Head: “The political reality in this country is that it is not easy for us to implement what he (billionaire Robert Kuok) feels,” says Tourism Minister Nazri Aziz.

Indeed, there is too much corruption involved, how to implement? Time to change the current government.

Anonymous 242641505703475: No, Nazri. It is not reality per se but selfishness, plain and simple.

The late Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew faced “reality ” in Singapore head-on, and the population was 75 percent Chinese.

If he had wanted to be popular, he could have used Mandarin as the medium of instruction in schools and universities. But he refused to use Mandarin in spite of strong opposition. He placed the interests of the people first, and self-interest last.

But, our leaders placed, and still place, self-interest first and the people’s interest last. They refused, and still refuse, to see the wisdom of learning English as a vehicle to knowledge, high technology and the internet.

And today, we live in a globalised market where English is supreme. This is the real world, Nazri.

David Dass: What is the political reality that prevents the best brains from being brought into the government? What is the reality that prevents the best people being selected and appointed for carrying out activities crucial to the future of our people?

What is the reality that says the smartest Chinese and Indians cannot play a role along with the smartest Malays in formulating policies and implementing actions that will make Malaysia a modern and progressive nation?

What is the reality that says race must be pitched against race and religion against religion? What is the reality that says that integration is not desirable and that each of us must stay with our own kind?

SusahKes: Personally, I would take whatever Nazri says these days with a pinch of salt; he’s capable of blowing hot and cold. One minute he says something that appears to make sense and get the crowd to cheer him; the next, he will exhibit symptoms of foot-in-mouth-disease.

On his theory of political realities, if he is honest enough to admit, then it was Umno that has been driving the narrative since independence. And here’s the summary of that narrative: we have lost our competitive edge because of Umno/BN policies – just look at our national sports teams.

Was all of Umno/BN bad? No? But it certainly started to get bad, when greed seeped in – and this is not only Umno’s fault; other BN components are equally guilty.

Cast the net further to our universities and our excellence in the arts (such as P Ramlee) – we have lost our direction. But the one area that perhaps suffered the most of all is our spirit of brotherhood.

There was a time when there was no inhibition to attend another race’s celebratory function without nit-picking on language, culture or religious sensitivities. There was a time when our children played football on weekends with Ahmad, Ah Chong and Muthu.

Today, that’s hardly the case. Just go through the shopping complexes in the Klang Valley, and you would be hard-pressed to see the youngsters mixing freely among the races.

Today, we are beholden to watching scenes such as the PM having lunch at the restaurant of Umno leader Jamal Md Yunos who has instigated violence several times; that’s the reality upon which Umno built this nation.

Turvy: There is no reality than the reality we create for ourselves. For as long as individual self-enrichment is the primary motive and objective of leaders, they will continue to force the divisions in our society.

A national policy based on ethnic divisions will put us not only in a train going the wrong way but on tracks that end at a precipice.

The reality is that thieves and incompetents have no other means to stay in power except through the lie that the people are divided. The reality is also that people are not stupid and the lie cannot continue indefinitely to dupe us.

Anonymous #44199885: Nazri, of course times are different. In Tunku Abdul Rahman’s time, Malaysia was a new, progressive, and proud nation full of hope and opportunity for the future and with dreams of being the best in Asia.

Today, Malaysians are caught in a perpetual nightmare, a nation known the world over for an alleged kleptocratic government, a weakening currency, a society divided and seeing everyday life in the prism of religion and race, a younger generation handicapped by a poorly designed education system, the poor being burdened by crippling taxes and high cost of living, job opportunities dwindling amid a huge inflow of foreign migrant workers.

Yes, times have indeed changed and unlike South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines, we are regressing.

Anonymous 242641505703475: Leaders here have used the iron-fist, the army and self-serving ministers to clamp down hard on any opposition, be it opposition leaders, NGOs or dissenters.

Meritocracy is an ugly word for these selfish leaders who play up race and religion to arouse emotions. Fake news is another card to pay; real news is blurred or blacked out.

The nation can never progress very far if race and religion are always used to shift the blame. It can move ahead if leaders and people together are honest, humble and hard-working, and promotions are based on merit.

Anonymous 1719401496919916: With Umno/BN, it is confirmed that everything done is race-based. So, what’s there for non-Malays in Malaysia of the future? Sadly, a big fat nothing!

Thus, non-Malays should think for their children if they cannot do so for themselves. The grass in not always greener on the other side, but what’s the difference when you are treated like rubbish in your own country? At least, there’s quality of life in many other countries compared to Malaysia.

The situation can only get worse in Malaysia. So, think of your children’s future. Send them overseas. As far as I can say for the Chinese, they are survivors. They can make something out of nothing. Indeed, Kuok is right.

One can only hope that Hussein Onn’s son, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein can become the top Umno leader and PM to do what his father could not do.

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