i try not to write boring details on what sometimes go through my crazy head, because it is boring and because i think nobody cares.. and please no need to say that you do.. because my sea of thoughts is so stormy and murky i doubt it will be pleasent to explore.
i am however much more philosophical than what most people may think... not much more intelligent than what I may seem just that i do think and ponder and wonder more than my constant crazy antics belie.. i also read when i can and debate with very few freinds with boundless patient my chain on thoughts.
most of the time though, normal conversation topics for me will be alchohol, food, work, shopping, travelling and general gossip (in no particular order of frequency or importance).
I have however been caught in conversation of other people on politics recently when I was just back in malaysia and it seems that malaysia is more divided that it ever was... or it has become so much more vocal.. thanks to the wonder of the internet i suppose...
many 'educated' people are mad, many 'poor' people are mad, many working class is mad, many 'minorities' in the country is mad, in fact just about everyone is unhappy about something.. mostly about preceived unequeality in the country. I used the word preceive not because i do not believe that it is unequeal but rather every different segment preceived it to be unequel to their disadvantage.
Malaysia is a multi racial country, unlike many countries where racism is often habitually practice but the law forbids it and hence usually it is thinly disguised. Malaysia gives outright preference to certain race deemed to be the original settlers of the country. This means priority and higher eductaion/scholarships, business contracts, employment etc.. thus causing the frustration of many from outside this circle...
outside this circle percisely because even within the 'preferred' some are rolling in cash because business can only be given out to the selected view and while they are the majority in the malaysian population, a majorityare still left in proverty and/or are without proper job or eductaion. This makes people of out of this circle, having only crumbs of what the constitution was supposed to provide for them and the gap between the rich and poor continue to increase.
The other ethnic group/race as you can imagine are even more miffed that opportunties are consistently given not on merits but on connections and many feel undersevingly so... some are really left with no way and no help in climbing out of the poor situation of low income and low eductaion that they are stuck with...
This unhappiness and gap between the rich and poor and the middle class who are educated (enough to form a string of cohenrents thoughts and propagate it) but feel that they do are not given a fair opportunity because of 'corruption' in the system.
In any case every party feels like the victim and so is the party making tons of cash out of the deal.. I believe they can't understand what all the stupid, dumn, lazy people are complaining about. Success strangely is often viewed by those born and fallen into privalage as something they work for and derserve and people only fail because of thier own weaknesses.
Now these are all general complains of what I gather is causing discontent to the country i call my own. I was also asked this question of how I view this situation by a foreigner on the plane recently.. my reply is rhetoric questions that you should then ask yourself:
1. If you get a traffic ticket from the police, do you try to get out of it? Either try sweet talking or bribing your way out of it instead of facing the music?
2. If you have problem/commited some offences- If you can make it go away with money and you have the means? Will you do it?
3. If you have an money making oportunity, a free spot to give in a grant or scholarship, a chance to buy something real cheap.. will you inform or give the opportunity to friends and family closest to you?
4. If you could get a return secured ROI for a project of say 10 million pure profit, the guy say I will give you the project if you give me 1 million? Will you? Or say the buyer in the customer's company says they want a handphone in exchange for buying your product and you have the margin to do so, will you?
5. Have this thought ever crossed your mind, that X group are all greedy, Y group is lazy and stupid, Z group are cheaters and liars.. and other stereotyping that brings you to conclude they deserve what they get?
We all want an upright rightous goverment, we want our police/law enforcers, politicians, leaders to be honest and just... bla bla...
but at every chance we can to take a short cut to make our lives easier, we (the people) enable corruption..
to a certain extend, we are all guilty of the crimes above.. to a lesser degree, to a lesser degree, to a lesser severity I guess... but I cannot believe anyone, anywhere could be totally innocent.
It never fails to amaze me in develope countries where politicians resigns when they are caught in morally compromising situation or something unlawful (short of murder) .. solidating gay sex , hiring prostitute, taking bribes etc...
really.. I have no idea why peeople think that these people will be more morally sound than you and me.. because we elect them to their post, because they are supposed to lead us?
The same politician who says no to abortion on religious grounds will be flexible when it comes to sex before marriage and divorce.. sometimes adultary.. mmm... even if everyone is christian depands on which church you are from then eh??
I love watching MSNBC it is like watching soap opera in this economic climate and yesterday i watched their special documentary actually it was 3 showing back to back, about the housing crisis, GM crisis and the Madoff ponzi scheme.. what does all this 3 have in common, they are brought to play by greed...... of people who knows deep down it was wrong but no one wanted to stop..
i love also this nugget about the GM CEO, it seems in 2007 that he was paid USD 16 million when the company was making a 23 million lost and he doesn't think that the falling GM business is his fault (or rather his management team) and the board fully supports him (I am sure they are also paid in millions) while they keep job cutting millions of jobs whose pay I am sure is fraction of 16 million. Also the guys who give loans to people to can't afford to pay and he knows he cant afford to pay but they repackage this and sell it off to other as an investment package which the investrors didn't understand didn't feel guilty too.. no one forced them, they all say... and of course the tin man which is bernie madoff was a god to all when the money kept rolling in and now possibily more hated than osama bin laden by people whom he cheated...
what is my whole point?? People are gererally evil (see guilty of stereotyping)... if we are not divided by racial barriers, religious differences, we will be divided by the line which separates out the rich and poor! because we love ourselves and our own kind most...
if anyone wants real change, start with the man in the mirror.
do not be a part in the vicous circle of corruption. be just and fair. do not discrimate or stereotype.
then start picking about other who do.
How will malaysia do.. well... a shake up is always good.. it think it is not perfect but I am actually less critical of it and most people. I think malaysia is doing pretty OK for a third world contry which has so many different races and religions... it not perfect, it is not equeal but my point is what is? Of course, we should trive to be more equal (but no easy).... hence the current backlash.
Hopefully it will it make the whole goverment more transparent... i hope so.. or it will work the other way that the goverment becomes more authocratic and more extreme in governence and religion.
but it will never be the uthopia everyone has their own images off.. because heaven for one man is hell for another...
even in fair and develope country there is shady dealings..
will this end? well when someone can make a drug to take human greed and selfishness away..
but start always with oneself.. that is my mantra...
i think(not sure) it was calvin (from calvin and hobbes) that once said.. the world is unfair but why cant it be unfair in my favour?
.. isn't that how everyone feels?
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