BUM2010 – Moving Malaysia Forward
Posted: May 19, 2010 Filed under: Digressions 5 Comments
THEME: Bloggers: Moving Malaysia Forward
Date: Saturday, May 22, 2010
Venue: Lake View Club, Subang Jaya
*
Some of the topics to be discussed and talked about sound quite interesting. Like “The Allah Issue: Various Perspectives”. With speakers like Haris Ibrahim, Zaid Ibrahim, Khalid Samad (and I suspect Zul Noordin is the speaker they have yet to contact and confirm), this promises to be quite worthwhile.
There is also the topic about the mainstream media and its insights and perspectives, to be moderated by Rockybru himself.
*
To find out more (I sound like a commercial, but really..), please go to this link HERE. You’ll need to register to attend, and it’s on a first-come-first-serve basis.
*
Oh. And just a little note. I’m no longer based in Auckland, NZ. The owner of this blog is now happily back on home soil.
I Am Malaysian 
I had a feeling you were back in Malaysia 😉
Unfortunately, family circumstances make it such that I won’t be able to make BUM 2010, as I have to be out of the country this weekend.
Hopefully, it is a success, although I know Haris Ibrahim will be a tad disappointed.
So, did you go? Whats your take on it?
Just to let you know that “Moving Malaysia Forward” is the copyrighted title of my latest book published in 2008. It is available at all major online stores like Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobel, and E-Bay.
M. Bakri Musa
I just want to be born free. I believe there is a maker up there.All religion have been hijacked since time memorial. Buddhism during the boxer revolution ,Christian Holy war during medevial times ,Islamic jihad in afghanistan , Hilterism against the Jews and many others.
Man are born equal and those in power makes us unequal.Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.And the only way to power is divides and conquers. And religion is a very powerful tool.
Bless those who rever and fear their maker and blast those who hijacked them.
There is somehting that is worst in purgatory and that is to sin against the almighty .
“Racial polarisation in the country is not caused by the country’s vernacular school system but more by the government political, education and economic discriminative policies.” – an educationist said today.
The prime minister and all the Umno ministers will never admit that polarisation arises more out of the race-based policies and privileges one race gets over another.
Similarly, there are other areas of our daily lives where terminologies used have made us view certain practices as privileges rather than sacrifices. For instance, the bumi discount for houses.
The total sale value to the developer is still the same. It is just that the non-malay buyer is likely to be required to pay for some of the discount given to the malays.
But the longer the NEP policies continue and the greater the vehemence with which Umno politicians issue threats, terminologies will change and more people will talk about these practices or policies in words that may not sound as pleasing to the ears of the beneficiaries.
Obviously, at that point we shall probably see a new round of discriminations and disagreements. Unfortunately, as long as only weak people take on leadership roles within Umno, threats will continue, NEP policies will be sustained and corruption will prevail.
That unfortunately is the legacy we have as Malaysians.
The basic building blocks of unity, whether you are uniting different ethnic groups in a country or trying to re-engineer a corporation of differing cultural values, are the same.
The principal parties have to be treated as equals – nor special privileges no favours that would favour one group over another. Any privilege that is given should be given to all on the same basis – for example, special privilege given to the financially poor regardless of race or ethnic origin.
It is only on this equitable footing that you can foster true nationalism and build lasting unity, since each component group will have the same stake in the nation and has equal likelihood in reaping the rewards or suffering the consequences.
My recommendation to the government, not simply as a businessman but also based on pragmatism, is not to waste any more taxpayer ringgit on nationalism programmes until it has established the pre-conditions for its success.
What is sad is that, after almost five decades of independence, we have been unable in Malaysia, to bring globally-vision leaders to the forefront – leaders who can see beyond racial boundaries to recognise the immense sociological and economic potential that can benefit all Malaysians.