Malaysia bodoh?

bolehnation SG

"It depresses me that Malaysia hasn't been more successful than it has and that it is still fighting the old fights of the 1960s." - Michael Backman

As promised, Bolehnation.com is proud to bring you our exclusive interview with Michael Backman, the Australian author of the much-talked-about "Boleh or Bodoh" article.

Exclusive Interview with Michael Backman

1. What was the initial thought that prompted you to write about your "Boleh or Bodoh column"? What was and has been your intention in writing the article?

Malaysia has good people, good resources and a legal system that ought to function. It depresses me that Malaysia hasn't been more successful than it has and that it is still fighting the old fights of the 1960s.

Malaysia's Chinese have accepted the NEP and its successor policies. They define themselves as Malaysians first and foremost and are among the proudest Malaysians. They have learned Malay. Essentially, they have done everything that has been required of them and yet still there is this endless preoccupation with race in Malaysia.... CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
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allentyb SG

what does it has to do with singapore?

post at a malaysia forum, dude.......

BadzMaro SG

Boleh Bodoh~

bolehnation SG

dude, there are many malaysians among "singaporeans". lol. Mr. Green

fudgester SG

If this is just a means of propagating your website...

... then I'm waiting for you to be banned from these forums.

weiqimun SG

bolehnation SG

Well, the author does mention about Singaporean politicians. SO there's nothing irrelevant about this post.

bolehnation SG

Exclusive Interview with Michael Backman

2. Have you ever considered the impact the column might have upon your relationship with Malaysian government and its people? We understand Rafidah Aziz, Malaysia's Minister for Trade and Industry, criticised your column by saying you probably know nothing about Malaysia. Has there been any (positive or negative) impact/response from publishing the column?

I write to be read and I write to have an impact, otherwise there is no point in writing. I criticised the space program for Malaysias first astronaut the making of teh tarik and so on and the Malaysian Government changed its mind on that and announced that the astronaut would be doing sensible scientific experiments after all. Perhaps I had an impact there.

In any event, more than a thousand Malaysians e-mailed me to say that they agreed with my views. If I am giving a voice to those Malaysians who share the same views but feel that they cant express them then Im happy to have been of some help.

But then why should I as a non-Malaysian comment about Malaysia? As far as I am concerned, strict notions of nationality are breaking down. We are all involved in each others countries now. Malaysians have a lot of investments in Australia. Australians invest in Asia and so on. We all have stakes in other countries and so all should be able to comment on how they are run. The free flow of ideas and openness are good things. The only people who do not like this are politicians in Malaysia and Singapore. You will never hear Australian or UK politicians complaining about those things. So you should ask yourself, why do Malaysian and Singaporean politicians dislike public debate and openness?

Ito_^ SG

Speak up more and shop less. Too many Malaysians think that if they voice any dissent write a letter to a newspaper and so on that Special Branch will take an interest in them. That is not the case. Special Branch doesnt have enough staff and enough technical sophistication to monitor everyone. If you think Malaysia is a modern, sophisticated country then prove it. Have an opinion and voice it. Give the government constructive criticism. Dont leave it all to Dr M to do. Governments govern better when people bother to point out when they are doing things wrong. They govern better when they are accountable.

i believe this applies here as well, to a certain extent, especially not the technical sophistication part.

Laughing

mancha SG

SR Nathan is from Muar.
In Singapore he is President.
In Malaysia, he'll be lowest of the low citizen.

hudax1 SG

Dear People of forumites,

I have seen people of Malaysian. They wasn't stupid, or not intelligent. They are really poor. And no means too afford a good-structured house. Even their paints is dirty. Not well taken care off. Its requires money. I see Malaysian as a place to make easy money. Everywhere. Halal foods, and interesting dome to pray. They religiously like many others many I visited, are someone with religiously person.

Regards Prof Kamarul General Health

mhcampboy SG

waahh.. which uni bestow u profship? Shocked Shocked Shocked Laughing

bolehnation SG

Cool, I didn't know that. I agree with you. Indians, especially those that work in oil palm/rubber estates.... Barisan National doesn't seem to need their tiny votes, so they are treated as non-existent.

Of course, many richer Indians become professionals, like doctors and lawyers. I would imagine there are many Indians doctors in Singapore too.
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JB people are gathering signatures for their petition to the police to beg them to do their job and stop the ever-increasing crimes in Johor Bahru. If you want to help.... (dunno if they take Singapore ID though)

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Panache1976 SG

Hi BolehNation,

I did a quick browse through of your site, but haven't found anything that directly attacks the 'bumiputra-first' policy yet. To me, that is the greatest problem that Malaysia has, since it creates a culture of entitlement amongst the bumiputras. When such systematic inequality is institutionalized in a society, 2 things happen:

1. The bumiputras are not motivated to learn or work hard. Without proper skills or training, they cannot compete on a level playing field. Proton is simply a reflection of the malaise of the bumiputra as a whole.

2. The non-bumiputras are more motivated than usual. However, it is hard for them to feel any loyalty to a country and government that 'persecutes' them. Just talk to any non-bumiputra high-school student trying to get a place in a Malaysian U and you will know. These brilliant non-bumiputra soon find their way overseas.

Hence, in my opinion, the key difference between MY and SG is just one thing -brain drain. If you can reverse this trend, I don't see why MY cannot be more successful than SG. Of course, this is easier said than done. Try convincing the bumis to give up their entitlements Twisted Evil

Pitot SG

We talk about overseas stuff in the other forums like chit chat etc..

so why must it be singaproe only here? Laughing

bolehnation SG

Hi Panache, thank you for the quick browse through. ;-)

I tried not to make the site some kind of political propaganda however "well-intentioned" it is for some reasons. Instead, the main goal of the website is to promote Malaysians to speak up.

I personally think the freedom to speak up is the first step to create awareness. If the website takes the stand and attack this bumiputra policy openly and directly, I might lose my Malay readers, whom might be turned off by it or have their minds closed off when they read other articles with "hidden agenda" (if you would describe it so)...

I think the bait should be at least attractive to the fish, eh?

Nevertheless, I personally do agree with you. (Bolehnation is not just about me). The Bumi-first policy only creates wealthy BN's cronies. The mass Malay people stay poor and disgruntled, and they are led by UMNO Youth to believe that it is the Chinese that make them poor. Worse, those Malay who know about the dirty secrets of UMNO may want to vote for PAS, but yet Chinese becomes the main obstacle of PAS. I guess Chinese is stucked. Like a sandbag between two boxers.

Of course, I welcome your feedback, and who knows I might change the direction of the website?

Btw, can I repost your view on my website? I think they are valuable for discussion.

Again, thank you for your view!

ShutterBug SG

Why are we kaypoh-ing about Malaysia in this forum ah??
Shocked

Panache1976 SG

Sure, BolehNation Smile

ShutterBug, politics does include our neighbour, no?

ShutterBug SG

Unless this is MyForums.com

Panache1976 SG

Sometime studying the problems of others tell you things about yourself. For example, I see a lot of people bashing Chinese immigrants in this forum. Is that a worrying trend of the ‘culture of entitlement’ taking hold in today’s youth?