Bola in Boleh Land

No big fan of football, but it was sad to read the article on Free Malaysia Today about KJ - Khairy as the vice president of Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

Apparently, despite the kriss kissing antics, KJ could not turn the free-fall of Malaysian football around. He wants to resign. Again, the world laughs at us. On one hand, there is this big Ketuanan Melayu concept. Supremacy. But when it comes to football, alas, it is a big shame. Apparently the Malaysian fans got fed-up when South Korea kicked Greece's ass. Greece was the champion of some Euro Cup. But South Korea beat them. And we used to beat South Korea. At last, South Korea has advanced, moved on ahead - albiet without the supremacy concept, while we moved back.

Based on the FIFA world ranking, Malaysia is ranked at number 146 for April 2010, out of 202 teams. Notable countries better than Malaysia are Zimbabwe at rank 110, Rwanda (107), Singapore (127), Sierra Leon (130), Haiti (91) - does make our beloved country looks fucked-up right?, Qatar (96), Kuwait (97), Finland (52), Turkey (29), Israel (26), Ghana (32) and Bahrain (69). There are poorer countries way better than us - Ghana (32). There are Muslim countries miles ahead of us - Turkey is at a very respectable 29! So, isn't it just Bolehland that is lacking behind? I mean shit - how do we explain Haiti, Sierra Leon, Rwanda and Zimbabwe being better than Bolehland? I am not even talking about Brazil or Uruguay.

Last month, we got our ass kicked by Japan in Thomas Cup. Then stompped on by China. The real issue is, the rot is in the whole country. Not just one race. Not just one religion. Our badminton squad is one example of this. All these, despite the patronage of Dr. M's wife and now, Rosmah. Still got a good beating from countries that could hardly perform some time ago. Don't get me started about hockey.

I suppose the only time we, Malaysia, are really supreme would be supremely bad performers, or perhaps in the fields of corruption.

Raving Kris Kissers

I really cannot understand what goes on int he minds of the kris kissers, although that was years ago when it was shown on TV. Unsure if they will still kiss the kris. I do not mind when they are proud of their heritage, or if they put their race first. But what makes it looks ridiculous is despite all the talk - there are NO results.

Here's one fine example. Malaysia introduced Sepak Takraw into SEA games. We are suppose to be the king of sepak takraw. Guess that?

In 25th Sea Games in Laos, the men's regu event was won by Thailand, second place - Laos. Over all, in 2009, even Myanmar and Vietnam did better than Boleh land. So, where is the Ketuanan Melayu? Lots like we got our ass beaten by some so-called backward countries.

Instead of raving and kissing the kris, for crying out loud, please perform. What's the fantastic use of all the talk without any results. If anything, it brings shame to all Malaysians.

Corruption? Not a problem here.

Is corruption a problem in Malaysia? Are we serious in preventing corruption? The mind boggles:

1. Why not use red light cameras to catch offenders, instead of stopping them and ahem...bincang?
2. Why not use automated speed traps and send the summons directly to the car owners, no need to ahem...bincang?
3. Why still have road blocks to, ahem...bincang?
4. PKFZ - bugget blown, white elephant is there - ahem, case close?
5. Lingam case - not enough evidence. Karpal volunteered to prosecute. Ahem... still waiting

Just a few cases on top of my head. Enough to highlight my point. Moving along...

Naked NEP - 30% quota

Apparently Ibrahim Ali is very happy. He is the champion of Malays. Again, I am all for Malay rights and helping the poor. I am dead against corruption and murdering this country.

Ibrahim is happy that the 10th Malaysian Plan, MP10, has required the 30% Bumiputera equity in corporates to stay. More on why he is happy later. First, why has this quota system killed the country? The answer is simple - the world is now flat. With internet and air travel, borders mean nothing.

Fact: Indonesian Palm Oil companies have listed in the Singapore stock exchange, despite the fact that the Malaysian Palm Oil Exchange is more mature and has big players in it. Also despite the fact that Indonesians are "serumpun" and also an Islamic country.

Fact: Malaysians are now nett investors. In otherwords, Malaysians invest more overseas than we receive foriegn investors.

So, quota does drive away domestic and international investors. Surely, we all know that. But why is Ibrahim happy? How can he be happy given this situation, purely fictional - but you get the idea. Without quota, we may have RM 10 billion of investment, and Bumiputra may own only 10% of it - which works out to be RM 1 billion. With quota, investment drops to RM 1 billion and 30% of it is only RM 0.3 billion. I do not think this is far fetched - considering we have nett capital outflow. In other words, we have no NEW (nett) investments. It is more like 30% of RM 0.

But why is he sitll happy? Ahhhh..... the reason is, he is patriotic. UMNO is patriotic. Especially to the first DYMM of Malaysia (rather it was Malaya back then). It is not only RM 1 billion or RM 0.3billion. It is a matter of, "WHO's pocket it is in". RM 0.1 billion in my pocket is better than RM 1 billion in every Malaysian's pockets. But how, I hear you ask.

More rules means more procedures. More procedures mean more approvals. And more approval means? So, do you know the answer or not? Pass or fail? Hehehe. I leave it to your imagination.

Naked NEP - Business Opportunity

Here's another way how the NEP has been killing the very people they are suppose to help. It happens all the time, but I will only write about one scenerio. Again, I have nothing against Malay rights, or helping the poor. However, I would like to see proper help being given, not giving them the crumbs of corruption.

Typical scenerio in a PLUS highway rest area. There will be about 10 stalls, more or less. Sometimes a lot more. Let's say 10. Of the 10 or 20 stalls, you will notice that most of the stalls are Malays, save for maybe 2 for Chinese and 1 for Indians. On the surface, it is government policy to help the Malays. But at an economic level, it is a disaster.

Why? First point - no pork. Everything must be halal. That's OK, but it means that most Chinese will stay away from the rest areas. So, who's left to visit them? Malays, of course. They are the majority and it is halal. Now that we have established that the market is a Malay market, think about it. Let's say there are 1000 visitors a day.

These 1000 visitors have 7 stalls to choose from. Say they don't like the Indian or the Chinese shops - just for the sake of argument - and this may not be a fact. I am not saying it is a fact. But just say, 1000 visitors for 7 stalls. That works out to be about 140 visitors a day. Not alot. (Note - I really doubt is some of them have 50 customers). The rest areas are pretty close to each other too!

Now, compare it to a situation of only 2 Malay stalls - halal, and 8 non-halal Chinese shops. All of a sudden, there are 500 visitors per stall. That's four times more business. My point is, the government looks popular by helping many Malays by giving them licenses to business. But no one worked out the supply. Instead, they are given stiff competition, and so many stalls have hardly any business. Instead of having 2 rich Malays and the rest poor, now, they virtually bankrupt ever Malay.

Do not believe me? Take a look. Go to a rest area. They all sell about the same stuff. Go to a Pasar Tani (those government ones). They all sell about the same stuff. If I am a business owner there, I will complain. Why do you issue only licenses to Malay? If they issue it to a Chinese, it will never compete with a Malay business - Chinese food is typically not halal.

Silly isn't it? But why does the government do this? Easy. They are smart. 7 Malay votes for UMNO is better than 2 Malay votes. Ever since things this way?

The Naked NEP - Brain Drain

Corruption and silly protectionism has caused severe brain drain. Fact - not easy to get into a government university, despite the fact that they are not good compared to overseas universities. But there is still corruption. If you are so and so, you will get a place.

What will the rich do? Let's say - rich Chinese. They will want their kids to get a good education. No chance of getting into a local university. What to do next? Go overseas la. Mind you, if you can get into a pretigious overseas university, the student must be doing well. Try getting into Monash Uni or Melbourne Uni. Not easy. Not cheap.

This is when a double whammy hits Malaysia. All Malaysians are hit. First, we lose the talent. They go overseas. Due to low wages here, they are unlikely to come back. Added with bad policies, they won't even think of coming back. Second whammy - their parents are still earning from the Malaysian economy, but happily sending everything overseas for their kids.

I do not blame their parents. I was in the same situation. There is no chance for me in Malaysia. Only difference is I came back. The stupid policies have forced this onto us. Must study Islamic History. Must study Moral. These are nothing but waste of time. If it is attractive enough, students will select to study it.

What the government should have done is, make sure the rich and smart get a place in the Malaysian universities. Make the rich pay. The smart but poor must get a place too, and make sure they don't have to pay. Not give it to a so-and-so's son or daughter. This will keep talent, and money in the country.

But BN and others still prefer to be shout Ketuanan Melayu. Honestly, I do not mind at all. But no point talking about tuan this and tuan that when there is nothing left to be tuan about. They think they are doing everyone a favour. Actually, they are doing it for themselves. Not for the layman rakyat. Only the elite gets it.

The Naked NEP - Corruption

Low wages in Malaysia can be attributed to one and only one thing - corruption. Let me explain. The government is the largest employer in the country. Period. Wages in the government sector is not at all attractive. Even worse if we compare it to private sectors in Singapore.

But there is no shortage of civil staff right? No shortage of applicants to be police officers right? Firstly, I must admit that there are those in the civil service with the right attitude to serve and they are dedicated. But hardly too many of them. So, what are the rest doing there? Ahem - you got it right. The SIDE income is bloody attractive. Some call it side income, some say corruption.

If you have a car, you will know what happens. Everytime you see a police offer stopping someone, only one thing comes to mind. The one thing is - the police are very patriotic and they want to serve the King. Anyone notice that there is a picture of the Agong on our currency? Yes, so, we are all loyal to the Agong. For different reasons, of course. We all admire the Agong, especially the First DYMM of Malaysia. We all love his potrait.

This is when simple economics take over. Government is the biggest demand of labour. There is no shortage of supply. So, price remains low. If the Government is paying such low prices for labour, naturally, wages in the private sector won't be high. Why should the private sector pay so much more? If a cleaner in the government department gets RM 300, the private sector might pay only RM 400, or RM 500.

To improve wages, we must get rid of all the side income. Teachers giving tuition, land officers getting land, planning officers owning low cost units. The list continues. The side income must stop. Only then there will be less supply of work force to the Government. As supply dries up, prices will go up - assuming demand remains unchanged.

Having said that, it is not easy to get rid of corruption. It is already in-grained in our country. As they say, Malaysia does not have a problem with corruption. We welcome it. Hahaha.

The Naked NEP : Subsidies and Taxes

Subsidies are the crumbs of corruption thrown at the rakyat, after the Government has eaten the cake. Yet, we still yearn for more crumbs. Often, people say, the Government subsidizes sugar, petrol, etc. Bullshit. The Government is merely using our money to pay for the goods. It is not the Government who is subsidizing. It is our money.

Take petrol for example. My lousy Proton Wira has a RM 8000 excise duty on it. Yup - please do not think Protons are tax free. If you work it out, it will take me about 12 years to get back the equivalent in subsidies. Will my Proton last 12 years. I doubt it. In the mean time, petrol is wasted as the price is artificially low. That's our money. On top of that, some jokers in Singapore and Thailand are happily using our money for cheap petrol. I don't mind subsidizing their petrol when they are spending money in Malaysia, but not when it is consumed out of Malaysia.

But I hear you. Some say, the poor will suffer without subsidy. Really? Who is the poor? Generally, we will agree it is the fishermen and farmers. Let's take these two for now. Why are they poor. Because there is a price cap. Controlled item. So, the government is really screwing the poor isn't it? Paddy farmers in Vietname is rich, as prices of rice is sky high. But in Malaysia, it is a CONTROLLED ITEM.

So, price caps and subsidizes have caused a runaway effect. The poor becomes poorer. And our neighbours are sucking our pockets dry from subsidized products. The hot news now is it is easier to get Malaysian sugar in Thailand than in Malaysia. So, do you think BN can govern? They cannot even sort out our sugar supply.

Suggestion is simple. Get rid of the subsidy. Get rid of the tax. Get rid of the price control. Let market forces rule. I hear you ask - what about the workforce, the operators in factories? Surely, they will suffer. Read my next article!

Naked NEP

The nation has been crippled by subsidies, quotas, ceiling prices and taxes. I will now write a series of blogs to undress the NEP and other silly government policies. It writing is clear, but no one has even seen it or has highlighted it. I am not sure why.

I will make it clear. I am not against any race. But if we must help someone, help someone properly. What is happening today is like:

An old man rides a bicycle along a kampung road. Accident strikes. A large tree branch fell on him and his bicycle. The old man is pinned. His leg is trapped, but otherwise completely unharmed. Shaken perhaps. He yells for help. Then comes along the Government to rescue him. Yes, the kampung folks are happy to see the old man being rescued. The Government takes a look at the old man, and swiftly takes out a parang.

The old man yelled, "No No No". Huh? Doesn't he want to be rescued? Alas, the Government wanted to hack of his leg, instead of the tree branch. The Government is unhappy, " You called for help, and I am here to help you. You are being ungrateful."

This is the scenerio we are all stuck in. Most of us do not even know when the government is here to amputate our arms and legs. Sure, the old man will be freed. But it is a very stupid way of doing it right? And why handicap him for the rest of his life? So, read on my series on The Naked NEP.

Situation Normal?

Well, well, a quick update. I have been out on my own for 6 months. Not much income. One big project for Nible2 has stopped dead in its tracks. Nible2 ran out of money. More so, Nible2 started firing some staff, so the rest of the rats have jumped ship. Situation is bad. No money in Nible2, no manpower either.

Yours truly is stuck here. Without income. Did rent out two rooms in my house, but that's hardly enough to cover expenditure. Times are hard. Must find more ways to get income. Anyone interested in a toyboy? Hahaha.