For Malaysia Day 2014

I love my country.
I love the law.
That's why I take the positions/stands that I take.

Malaysians can be stupid, or annoying, or whiny.
Accept them anyway. They are our countrymen.
Talk to them. Gently.
Agree to disagree, if you must, but be POLITE.

Politeness is ketimuran. That's us - you and me.
We are not Americans.
We are not Westerners.
We are not Japanese.
We are not Arabs.
We are South-East Asians. Let's remember to DO and SAY things our way. Gently.

Let's remember that even amongst ourselves, there are differences in the way we communicate.
Allow a wide berth.
Different communities communicate differently.
Mix. Observe. Ask. Learn. Improve.

Stop the noise.
Stop the bickering over petty things.
Stop revisiting issues.

If we want to be treated like adults, stop speaking like spoiled children.
You (and I) change first.
The country will follow.
Maybe not today.
Maybe not this year.
But I'm setting my goal as, "before I die."

I want a strong, smart, resilient, and cultured Malaysia.
I'm aiming for that.
Join me, or ignore me.
But quit it with the doublespeak and sarcasm.
(That time has passed. For me, anyway.)

NUCC, Najib Razak, and Ibrahim Ali - an honest comment

Najib Razak should invite Ibrahim Ali to be part of the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), as co-head if possible. Because I've seen the partial list of members of the NUCC, and I can pretty much guess what their report would be like in 2 years' time. I doubt Ibrahim Ali would like their report. 

To me, if Ibrahim Ali does not like (or is opposed to in a big way) that intended report, the NUCC would just be wasting time coming up with it. Because if Ibrahim Ali opposes the NUCC report, then that is a VERY IMPORTANT ELEMENT.

Ibrahim Ali leads PERKASA, which is 420,000 member-strong. That is a whole lot of people that could be opposed to whatever the NUCC may report in 2 years' time (I'm just assuming, but it's an educated assumption of what the NUCC will say).

So, why not just SAVE the TIME and EFFORT, and PUT IBRAHIM ALI AS A MEMBER OF THE NUCC NOW, and let him and the other current members trash out the issues with each other NOW. THEN, in 2 years, we will have a report that will probably be more GROUNDED IN REALITY, and not merely a statement of hope and wish and Pollyanna-ish dreams.

Because Najib Razak had given us 1Malaysia some time back. And I don't hear much about it now. 

[I just don't like wastage of time and effort (and paper) for the intended report.]

Jason Kay

20 February 2014

"I have established the National Unity Consultative Council, which will report to the Cabinet with recommendations on what we can do to bring Malaysians closer together."

- Najib Razak on 31 December 2013

http://www.pmo.gov.my/?menu=news&page=1729&news_id=12368&news_cat=4

The exchange of thoughts via media between Ibrahim Ali and NUCC in February 2014 - http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/unity-council-chief-rebukes-perkasa-says-aim-to-restore-racial-religious-ha

PERKASA membership - http://www.thestar.com.my/Opinion/Columnists/Analysis/Profile/Articles/2014/01/05/Perkasa-poised-for-a-new-role/