Friday, April 12, 2013

How GE 13 Can Be A Game Changer for Malaysia

This General Elections will be a game changer if we play it right with less propaganda brainwashing from both sides of the fence and with more real issues addressed at the heart of the nation.

In my view, Malaysia's problems inherited from Dr Tun boil down to this: in our efforts to jump-start a nation governed by mediocre ministers and dominated by cronies, Dr Tun tried the strategy of "THE ENDS JUSTIFIES THE MEANS." As a result, the nation became even more unbalanced with little improvement in human capital.

Whatever that the "ENDS" denote for each Malaysian, it is basically trying to get the results by hook or crook (e.g. income distribution quotas, ETP targets, money politics to get required seats, Project I.C. in Sabah, etc).

This is why the nation has deteriorated in its academic research institutions, in intellectual discourse and in cross cultural communications. In other words, people learn not for the fun of learning but for exam results. People start businesses not to create a new value for customers but seek the quickest profits available. This is why many businesses engage in the latest money spinning asset reflation game called property development.

We accepted the fast track economic goals at the expense of fairness, justice, due process and genuine kindness to minorities, the underprivileged and the politically and spiritually oppressed. (In the late 1980s till the early 1990s, our economy was lucky due to the unintended consequences of the Plaza Accord when the Japanese had to revalue their Yen upwards and prompt a mass migration of Japanese MNCs into the emerging Tiger nations. The 1997 Asian financial crisis exposed the weakness of this economic model).

Instead of teaching the underprivileged how to learn, how to catch fish, the government gave/promised them loads of fish in perpetuity. Meanwhile, there was a suppression of all freedom of the press and freedom of inter-religious conversion. Only with the advent and popularity of the Internet in recent years has there been a growing intellectual forum for Malaysians to voice out their thoughts, political and spiritual frustrations.

Looking ahead, I believe it is time for due process to be the main driving force for change in Malaysia. It is time for the "MEANS JUSTIFIES THE ENDS" approach to solving our day-to-day and strategic problems. 

Whatever the election results, for 15 days, we Malaysians can start campaigning for our values and aspirations on the Internet/Facebook to be voiced out instead of whole-heartedly accepting the message of our politicians/party of choice.

But if we continue on the same old path of seeking the ends at all costs, then we may not be so lucky this time round. True reform starts with knowing where we came from and how we managed, despite all the compelling reasons for failure, to survive as a nation without a major civil crisis since 1969. Thankfully, I humbly confess that it is only by God's grace that we have peace and good communal relations in this country in spite of the divisive work of the extremists.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

What Position Should Malaysian Churches Take In Politics?

One common issue that has arisen frequently among Malaysian Christians is this universal question of what position should Christians (or the church as a body) take in regard to politics. Should Christians voice out their support for a party that espouses moral leadership values and good governance? Or should Christians remain neutral with regard to political affiliations? 

This issue was raised in a recent post in Micah Mandate and written by Alwyn Lau. As a macro economist, I find it always helpful to tackle controversial issues with a broader mindset and be intellectually wary of popular thinking.

The political climate in which we live in today is not as simple as the writer suggests i.e. vote out the government that has lost legitimacy in the eyes of God and the people. Look at what happened in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and now Syria. All those governments were in their own ways, dictatorial and illegitimate but have been taken over by the ‘Muslim Brotherhood,’ which I
strongly believe (and supported by several investigators) is an undercover operation of the One World Government/Illuminati/Committee of 300. After the 'Arab Spring' revolution, those  countries are now in worse shape than before the regime change.

(To digress, the study of geopolitics can greatly benefit from applying probability analysis to events - how probable is it that several countries' regimes can fall like a deck of cards within a short time frame? How probable is it that hijackers armed with paper cutters can bomb the twin towers on their own?)  

While I share the view that Christians need to be involved in reforming their societies, yet we have to take a skeptical view that all political actions (even a peaceful revolution) are like toothless tigers without a genuine call for the spiritual renewal of a nation.

The globalist agenda of the committee of 300 is to play two national political forces (BN vs Pakatan Rakyat) against each other and when there is widespread chaos and disenchantment, the global government will step in to offer a “new” solution that inevitably means destroying the national sovereignty of the people. Their methods can be through military incursions (e.g. the Sulu incident in Lahad Datu?), false flags, political unions (e.g. the disastrous Eurozone project) or rigged elections to usher in their chosen candidates.

As far as the church’s position is concerned, I personally believe that it would have been more prudent for churches like DUMC (in deference to Pastor Daniel whom I know is a good man of God) to be more supportive of ethical and moral values in governments/parties rather than take a specific party line. 

This is because we as Christians should be careful not to put our faith in men (or parties for that matter), however honest or however noble their values. If we put our faith in men instead of moral leadership values, then they too can turn corrupt once they are in power. This is especially poignant in today’s geopolitics when global secret societies are attempting to manipulate the destinies of nations through the media/financial markets/economic and political alliances.

In conclusion, do make your voice stand out for reform and do vote. But be wise and watchful, and when you hear rumours of wars and shakings among nations, pray hard for God’s protection over our nation.

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