Speaking out on Malaysian issues
Published: Nov 17, 2005 2:40 PM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
From kampong boy to social welfare officer to university lecturer and now academic activist, it was a real pleasure to listen to Dr Collin Abraham, share his colorful life experience over a cup of tea.
It was also a real honor for me to have the privilege to read his latest book entitled Speaking Out: Insights into Contemporary Malaysian Issues - fresh from the oven- so to speak.
As the title suggests, Abraham speaks out freely on many contentious issues concerning. And more importantly, he often provides valuable insights and possible solutions to issues which are pertinent to racial unity and nation building.
From kampong boy to social welfare officer to university lecturer and now academic activist, it was a real pleasure to listen to Dr Collin Abraham, share his colorful life experience over a cup of tea.
It was also a real honor for me to have the privilege to read his latest book entitled Speaking Out: Insights into Contemporary Malaysian Issues - fresh from the oven- so to speak.
As the title suggests, Abraham speaks out freely on many contentious issues concerning. And more importantly, he often provides valuable insights and possible solutions to issues which are pertinent to racial unity and nation building.
His writings vividly reflect his passion as a humanist. One can feel his commitment and love for his fellow Malaysians, irrespective of race, color and creed.
Education woes
He argues that there is no comprehensive and coherent education policy in this country.
He touches on controversial issues such as school dropouts, racial segregation in universities, university admission quotas, the affirmative action policy and meritocracy.
He contests that the Malay political elite groups are not sincere about working towards an effective university education for the rakyat because their children have been, and continue to be, educated overseas, mostly at public expense.
He explains why so many unemployed graduates are in fact, unemployable. He also advocates for the review of the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA) and feels strongly about the lack of students' involvement in socio-politico activities.
He opines that the present education system does not encourage students to think independently. As a result, our universities and colleges end up producing graduates who are not exposed to a broad spectrum of thinking skills.
The recent Universiti Malaya fiasco on the THES world university ranking and the abuse of the UUCA by University Putra Malaysia and University Kebangsaan Malaysia have in many ways confirmed what Abraham has presented in his book.
Economics and NEP
On economics, he stressed on the need to strengthen 'domestic economic fundamentals' to meet the challenges of economic globalisation. He believes that the strategy adopted by the New Economic Policy (NEP) will be unable to face the onslaught of economic globalisation.
While he welcomes the intention of the government to make agriculture an important growth engine, he is very critical about the lack of land ownership the farmers. Who would invest heavily on small plots of rented land?
His insights on social issues deserve special attention. His wide experience as a social scientist enables him to provide valuable answers to various problems troubling our plural society.
He dismisses former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's notion that the Malay culture does not stress on hard work. He said there is ample evidence to show that farmers working on rented land, self-employed workers, inshore fishermen and petty traders have had to literally struggle to survive through sheer hard work.
However, he believes Mahathir's statement would be more relevant to the middle and upper-middle class Malays. These groups were the main beneficiaries of the NEP, and it is generally true today that they have enjoyed affluent lifestyles without having to work as hard as their countrymen in rural areas. But he warned that these groups will now be forced to change with the advent of globalisation.
Abraham explains how power and social class led to corruption. He believes that the decentralisation of the entire decision-making process could be one of the 'prescriptions' for fighting graft. I could not agree with him more that the present Anti-Corruption Agency is far from effective.
His in-depth analysis on the 'new Malay dilemma' traces its roots to the 'indirect rule' of the British colonials before Independence.
Abraham expressed high hopes on Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has a mandate for radical social reform after his landslide victory in the 2004 general elections. Readers now have the opportunity to examine the performance of the prime minister for the past two years vis--vis the initial impression of Abraham.
He attributes the failure of the 'brain gain' scheme (of the 94 who came back, 93 have left) to the 'culture of denial' that characterises the wider Malaysian society.
Social ills
Abraham pays special attention to the plight of estate workers and the need for a skills development centre. He is clearly upset why there is no minimum living wage for the estate workers until today.
His paper entitled From Coolie Rubber Tapper- to Squatter- to Gangster should be read by all political leaders and policy makers. Something must be done urgently by the government and the society as a whole to help the 'helpless and hopeless' community to defuse the ticking time bomb.
He quoted MIC president S Samy Vellu, who concedes that " the increase in social ills and crime in the two districts( Klang and Petaling Jaya) was due to the economic deprivation of estate workers, who had been displaced as a result of development". He then questioned whether the conversion of an entire rubber estate into golf course in the Nibong Tebal area, also constitutes 'development'.
In his article entitled Political Elitism in Malaysia: The Case for Democratizing Social Institutions, he takes into account the significance of the colonial experience. He said the colonial government created an elite class within each of the three main racial and ethnic groups.
He further said that although these groups were essentially devoid of political power, they nevertheless enjoyed economic and social privileges because they legitimised colonial political and economic interests. He concludes that the Residential System also enabled the Malay aristocracy and traditional groups to be a part of the lower levels of the colonial bureaucracy.
Abraham hits out at political gerrymandering and limited time allotted for debates and questions in the Malaysian Parliament, thanks to the absolute majority enjoyed by the ruling party. Currently, the Barisan Nasional government controls more than 91 percent of the 219 seats in the Parliament.
Legal system
On the legal system of Malaysia, he cited the case of Lim Guan Eng to illustrate why the public should be allowed an opportunity to legitimately criticise court decisions deemed unfair, on condition that this is without malice and made in good faith.
He also advocates for the restoration of local councils elections. He argues that the large number of members of the boards of governors and boards of visitors of homes and institutions for the underprivileged as well as parent-teacher associations have been willing to serve in a voluntary capacity and could well be the kind of persons who would be in a better position to serve the people than the nominated politicians we now have.
His articles on regional and international issues reflect his deep concern for the rise of South-east Asia militancy, the Iraq crisis, and the consequences of declaring war unilaterally on the part of the superpowers, the War in Jaffna, and the political instability in Zimbabwe.
He also calls for a war crimes tribunal for crimes against humanity in the Vietnam War.
He said more bombs and weapons of mass destruction were dropped on this small country than the combined total number of all bombs dropped by the Allies in Europe and in Japan during the entire World War II.
Both Prof Jomo K S and Prof Dr Abdul Rahman Embong, the immediate past and current presidents of the Malaysian Social Science Association have encouraged Abraham to publish this collection of essays.
I agree with Abdul Rahman that the collection would certainly help us think through some of the challenges and problems of our society, and together to work out ways of moving forward.
Yes, it is highly recommended for the public and policy makers, as well as for students who represent our hopes for a better Malaysia.
Abraham also has another book out entitled The Naked Social order: The Roots of Racial polarization in Malaysia (2004). It is based on his thesis work at Oxford.
Ronnie Liu is a DAP central executive committee member and the party's non-governmental organisation affairs bureau head.
It was also a real honor for me to have the privilege to read his latest book entitled Speaking Out: Insights into Contemporary Malaysian Issues - fresh from the oven- so to speak.
As the title suggests, Abraham speaks out freely on many contentious issues concerning. And more importantly, he often provides valuable insights and possible solutions to issues which are pertinent to racial unity and nation building.
His writings vividly reflect his passion as a humanist. One can feel his commitment and love for his fellow Malaysians, irrespective of race, color and creed.
Education woes
He argues that there is no comprehensive and coherent education policy in this country.
He touches on controversial issues such as school dropouts, racial segregation in universities, university admission quotas, the affirmative action policy and meritocracy.
He contests that the Malay political elite groups are not sincere about working towards an effective university education for the rakyat because their children have been, and continue to be, educated overseas, mostly at public expense.
He explains why so many unemployed graduates are in fact, unemployable. He also advocates for the review of the University and University Colleges Act (UUCA) and feels strongly about the lack of students' involvement in socio-politico activities.
He opines that the present education system does not encourage students to think independently. As a result, our universities and colleges end up producing graduates who are not exposed to a broad spectrum of thinking skills.
The recent Universiti Malaya fiasco on the THES world university ranking and the abuse of the UUCA by University Putra Malaysia and University Kebangsaan Malaysia have in many ways confirmed what Abraham has presented in his book.
Economics and NEP
On economics, he stressed on the need to strengthen 'domestic economic fundamentals' to meet the challenges of economic globalisation. He believes that the strategy adopted by the New Economic Policy (NEP) will be unable to face the onslaught of economic globalisation.
While he welcomes the intention of the government to make agriculture an important growth engine, he is very critical about the lack of land ownership the farmers. Who would invest heavily on small plots of rented land?
His insights on social issues deserve special attention. His wide experience as a social scientist enables him to provide valuable answers to various problems troubling our plural society.
He dismisses former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's notion that the Malay culture does not stress on hard work. He said there is ample evidence to show that farmers working on rented land, self-employed workers, inshore fishermen and petty traders have had to literally struggle to survive through sheer hard work.
However, he believes Mahathir's statement would be more relevant to the middle and upper-middle class Malays. These groups were the main beneficiaries of the NEP, and it is generally true today that they have enjoyed affluent lifestyles without having to work as hard as their countrymen in rural areas. But he warned that these groups will now be forced to change with the advent of globalisation.
Abraham explains how power and social class led to corruption. He believes that the decentralisation of the entire decision-making process could be one of the 'prescriptions' for fighting graft. I could not agree with him more that the present Anti-Corruption Agency is far from effective.
His in-depth analysis on the 'new Malay dilemma' traces its roots to the 'indirect rule' of the British colonials before Independence.
Abraham expressed high hopes on Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has a mandate for radical social reform after his landslide victory in the 2004 general elections. Readers now have the opportunity to examine the performance of the prime minister for the past two years vis--vis the initial impression of Abraham.
He attributes the failure of the 'brain gain' scheme (of the 94 who came back, 93 have left) to the 'culture of denial' that characterises the wider Malaysian society.
Social ills
Abraham pays special attention to the plight of estate workers and the need for a skills development centre. He is clearly upset why there is no minimum living wage for the estate workers until today.
His paper entitled From Coolie Rubber Tapper- to Squatter- to Gangster should be read by all political leaders and policy makers. Something must be done urgently by the government and the society as a whole to help the 'helpless and hopeless' community to defuse the ticking time bomb.
He quoted MIC president S Samy Vellu, who concedes that " the increase in social ills and crime in the two districts( Klang and Petaling Jaya) was due to the economic deprivation of estate workers, who had been displaced as a result of development". He then questioned whether the conversion of an entire rubber estate into golf course in the Nibong Tebal area, also constitutes 'development'.
In his article entitled Political Elitism in Malaysia: The Case for Democratizing Social Institutions, he takes into account the significance of the colonial experience. He said the colonial government created an elite class within each of the three main racial and ethnic groups.
He further said that although these groups were essentially devoid of political power, they nevertheless enjoyed economic and social privileges because they legitimised colonial political and economic interests. He concludes that the Residential System also enabled the Malay aristocracy and traditional groups to be a part of the lower levels of the colonial bureaucracy.
Abraham hits out at political gerrymandering and limited time allotted for debates and questions in the Malaysian Parliament, thanks to the absolute majority enjoyed by the ruling party. Currently, the Barisan Nasional government controls more than 91 percent of the 219 seats in the Parliament.
Legal system
On the legal system of Malaysia, he cited the case of Lim Guan Eng to illustrate why the public should be allowed an opportunity to legitimately criticise court decisions deemed unfair, on condition that this is without malice and made in good faith.
He also advocates for the restoration of local councils elections. He argues that the large number of members of the boards of governors and boards of visitors of homes and institutions for the underprivileged as well as parent-teacher associations have been willing to serve in a voluntary capacity and could well be the kind of persons who would be in a better position to serve the people than the nominated politicians we now have.
His articles on regional and international issues reflect his deep concern for the rise of South-east Asia militancy, the Iraq crisis, and the consequences of declaring war unilaterally on the part of the superpowers, the War in Jaffna, and the political instability in Zimbabwe.
He also calls for a war crimes tribunal for crimes against humanity in the Vietnam War.
He said more bombs and weapons of mass destruction were dropped on this small country than the combined total number of all bombs dropped by the Allies in Europe and in Japan during the entire World War II.
Both Prof Jomo K S and Prof Dr Abdul Rahman Embong, the immediate past and current presidents of the Malaysian Social Science Association have encouraged Abraham to publish this collection of essays.
I agree with Abdul Rahman that the collection would certainly help us think through some of the challenges and problems of our society, and together to work out ways of moving forward.
Yes, it is highly recommended for the public and policy makers, as well as for students who represent our hopes for a better Malaysia.
Abraham also has another book out entitled The Naked Social order: The Roots of Racial polarization in Malaysia (2004). It is based on his thesis work at Oxford.
Ronnie Liu is a DAP central executive committee member and the party's non-governmental organisation affairs bureau head.
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