Quotations on Democracy and Government

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It's one day before the state of Sarawak goes to the polls (for those who don't know, Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia, and where I grew up). Those who have been following this election would have observed the high and growing tension - fiery speeches, huge crowds and all kinds of snipes in the media. It is also rumoured that the Malaysian GE will probably come not too long after this. Other countries in Asia, such as Singapore and Thailand, are also having elections this year.

With all this happening, I felt it might be interesting and useful for us to take a few minutes, still our minds and reflect on a variety of quotations on the subjects of Democracy and Government, since that's really what all this is about. Some of the quotations are wise, some are cynical, some humourous. Think about them in the context what it is you are about to do or not do ...

And if by chance, some aspiring political candidates may be reading this, it might also serve as food for thought on what kind of government leader you will be if indeed you are elected.


No.1
"No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time"
(Sir Winston Churchill, former British PM)


No 2
"Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve"
(George Bernard Shaw, author & playwright)


No.3
"It's not the voting that's democracy, it's the counting"
(Tom Stoppard, author)


No.4
"Democracy consists of choosing your dictators, after they've told you what you think it is you want to hear"
(Alan Coren, British humourist, writer & satirist)


No.5
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well-armed lamb"
(Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the USA)


No.6
"The most important political office is that of the private citizen."
(Louis Brandeis)


No.7
"Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people."
(Abraham Lincoln, 16th US President)


No.8
"When a country is well governed, poverty and a mean condition are something to be ashamed of. When a country is ill governed, riches and honors are something to be ashamed of."
(Confucius)



Choose well. And have a good day.

A Tear for Thailand

So far I've posted at least two entries about Thailand, both of which have been quite upbeat. I really like Bangkok and Thailand in general. The place has so much culture and vibrancy, and I always look forward to my visits. I also love Thai cuisine, which is both delicious and delicate. Over the years I've made many Thai friends. However as I follow what's been happening on the political scene over the past three years, and especially over the last few months, I feel sad for the country.

Economically Thailand was once one of the fast-growing Asian Tigers. With the political and social turmoil over the past three years, its economic status has declined significantly. Former strongman Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006 and his TRT party was dissolved. Thaksin has been in exile since, first in the UK and apparently now in Dubai. Elections were held about a year after the coup, but the coalition which won was led by PPP (a party formed by many of the previous TRT members), which the Bangkok elite - led by the PAD - deemed a proxy of Thaksin. The PAD and other anti-government parties led widespread protest rallies in the capital Bangkok. Legislative means was used to topple PM Samak Sundaravej, over what seemed to be a small legal technicality - accepting fees for a cooking programme he did while as PM. Replacing him as PM was Somchai Wongsawat, a respected burreaucrat but also brother-in-law to Thaksin. He faced strong opposition and criticisms from the very first day. Thaksin did return to Bangkok once but fled just before the courts passed judgement on him in corruption allegation. But he still wields much influence and has many supporters, especially from rural Thailand.

A few months ago, the anti-government protesters (the "yellow shirts") took over Government House, where the office of the PM was located.

Last week the protesters took over the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, stranding over 300,000 foreigners in Thailand. As of this posting , the airport hasn't yet opened, and Thai society has been feeling the brunt of being isolated from other countries. Worse, the government seemed powerless to remove the protesters from the airport, because the head of the military refused to get involved, and even the police seemed ineffective.

Pro-government protesters (the "red shirts") then also started gathering in central Bangkok and there were fears that violent clash between the two camps would erupt. Then yesterday, the Constitutional Courts ruled that PPP had to be dissolved, and the PM Somchai was banned from poliics for five years, because of vote buying among its members during the elections. The anti-government protesters cheered in jubilation. The pro-government camp fumed and cried foul.

So what will happen next? Another round of elections most likely will be hastily called. Largely the same people who formed the PPP, minus the ones who are disqualified from politics, will likely create a new party, and chances are they will win again, because of the strong support from the rural population. Then we will go into yet another round of political confrontation. Some local observers say that to get out of this mess, the King should say something. But Thai royalty has usually tried to stay above partisan politics, so whether some royal direction will come is highly unpredictable.

Meanwhile the country plummets into a vicious cycle of further decline. After this airport closure fiasco, tourism will no doubt take a massive hit. Business people will also think twice about investing in a country where the political climate is so uncertain. And the local Thais will suffer.

I suppose as an outsider, it isn't possible to fully understand all the sentiments and forces at play here. But most of the political observers I speak to shake their heads in disbelief at how a peace-loving people like the Thais, led by usually rational, intelligent leaders, can let their country fall so deep, so fast. How can a dispute between two relatively small groups like PAD and PPP engulf the entire nation and bring everything to a standstill?

I also wonder whether what's been happening in Thailand could also happen in another country? What were the missing checks and balances in the case of Thailand? What lessons should other countries learn from this? Good questions to ponder over as we shed a tear for Thailand.

On Putrajaya and the MSC

I visit Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, quite regularly as part of my job. I was there again only last week for various meetings. As my professional and business focus is on public sector initiatives (ie. initiatives by government ministries and agencies), one place that I visit pretty often is Putrajaya, the 5,000 hectare federal administrative capital located south of Kuala Lumpur city centre.

Putrajaya, and its "sister city" Cyberjaya were created within the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) since 1996. The mega-project was a brainchild of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir. When one looks at the gleaming buildings, mosques, roads, bridges and other infrastructure there, one can't help but be awed by the amount of investment and effort that must have gone into designing and developing this place. It is even more impressive to note that as late as 1997, much of this area was covered by acres of oil palm plantations.

I remember when I first went in search of Cyberjaya and Putrajaya in 1996, shortly after they were officially launched. When I hopped into a taxi in Kuala Lumpur, and told the driver I wanted to go to Cyberjaya, he looked at me totally without comprehension as he had never heard of the place before. When I finally directed him towards the area, we drove around in circles looking for the MSC Headquarters - which turned out to be a series of low-rise buildings (called Cyberview, if I'm not mistaken) that resembled more a resort rather than an office.


Although it is surrounded by the state of Selangor, Putrajaya is a federal territory, just like KL and Labuan. It is now the Federal Government Administrative Centre, with most of the ministries having been relocated here. The government has also built many residential apartments here (with attractive discounts to entice civil servants to relocate there), and schools, shops, sports facilities, gardens and so on, are all sprouting up in the area. An express train now links the area with KL International Airport (KLIA) as well as KL City Centre.

Many people who have been to KL may not have visited Putrajaya, so I'd just like to point out some interesting sites there - the Prime Minister's office at Perdana Putra, the Putra Mosque, the man-made Putrajaya Lake, Istana Darul Ehsan (one of the residences of the Sultan of Selangor), the ultra-modern Seri Wawasan Bridge, and the grand avenue with all the key federal ministry buildings.

Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, and indeed the whole MSC project has had its share of critics too. They say the project was too opulent, unecessary and cost too much taxpayers' money. They point to the fact that despite the beautiful architecture, the place remains relatively "lifeless" - little or no buzz.

On my part, I tend to think that Putrajaya is a beautiful project - easily one of the grandest government campuses in the world. I believe there are definite benefits in physically putting the ministries closer together, and this relocation out of KL has certainly helped alleviate traffic in the city (although more still needs to be done). It will take more time to create the buzz that the critics refer to, but it will surely come. When I bring officials from other governments to Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and the MSC in general, they never leave unimpressed.

Malaysia A to Z

Two months ago, I was in a planning meeting with my colleagues in our company's office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. About half of the executives in the room were non-Malaysians, and so we decided we needed a quick and fun way to give them an introduction to Malaysia, before we proceeded with the planning discussions. So I pulled together a light introductory presentation, using a simple A to Z format, to convey various informational snippets about the country, such as the social, political and economic conditions. This blog entry is adapted from that presentation. Enjoy ...

A is for the Agong, the Malaysian King. The Malaysian system of government has been called a “federal constitutional elective monarchy”. The position of Agong (more fully the "Yang di-Pertuan Agong") is rotated among 9 hereditary Sultans of the Malay states, each for a five-year term. (the other 4 states, which have titular Governors, do not participate in the selection). The role of the Agong is largely ceremonial.

A is also for Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Prime Minister of Malaysia. He is the fifth PM of Malaysia. He was very popular when he started in 2003 and won a very large majority in the 2004 General Elections, but the government's performance did not meet the people's expectations and he is under political pressure after a poor showing in the 2008 General Elections.

A is for Anwar Ibrahim, the high-profile leader of the opposition coalition (Pakatan Rakyat). He was a former Deputy PM, but was arrested and jailed by the former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir on charges of corruption and sodomy. Now released, he has managed to unify the different opposition parties, and continues to pose a challenge to the government.

B is for Barisan Nasional (BN), the ruling political coalition in Malaysia. The majority of its seats are held by its 3 largest race-based parties UMNO (United Malays National Organization), MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) and MIC (Malaysian Indian Congress). Other component parties include Gerakan and parties from Sarawak and Sabah. BN has ruled Malaysia since independence.

B is for bloggers, which is an active and fast-growing community in Malaysia. Blogs have had significant effect on garnering political support, especially for opposition parties. Some of the popular blogs include Malaysiakini.com, www.jeffooi.com and Malaysia Today. PM Abdullah has publicly admitted that his administration under-estimated the power of this new media in the lead-up to GE2008.

C is for Cyberjaya, a planned township and science park that is at the heart of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), a brainchild of former PM Dr Mahathir. Officially opened in 1997, it is located some 50km south of Kuala Lumpur. Many companies, such as Shell, HSBC and DHL, have set up operations there.

D is for Democracy and durian, both equally thorny subjects.

Democracy: Malaysia has a system of government based on a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. However, since independence, the Malaysian government has been dominated by one coalition group, the Barisan Nasional (BN) ..... and some people have questioned whether this is real democracy. With the GE2008 results and huge advances made by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR), Malaysia seems to have come closest to a two-party system: BN vs PR.

Durian, the so-called "King of the Fruits". Some say "It tastes like heaven, but smells like hell". Enough said. Care to try?

E is for Elections, which happen at two levels - national and state. Malaysia has had 12 (national) General Elections since independence in 1957. The Constitution requires that an election be held at least once every five years. The results of the previous two elections were telling. In GE2004, BN won 90% of the votes. In GE2008, they got barely 60%, and they also lost 5 states to the opposition parties.

E is also for the Economy. Malaysia's GDP (PPP) is about USD 360 billion. Per capita GDP (PPP) is about USD 14,000 . The GDP is contributed by industry (48%), services (43%) and agriculture (8%). Key exports include electronics & electrical machinery, chemical products, palm oil and wood products. GDP growth averages 6%. .

F is for Food. Malaysia is literally a food paradise. The cuisine comes from India, China, Thailand, Indonesia and other neighbouring lands, and blends with foods of Malays and indigenous people. Examples include: satay, laksa, nasi goreng, roti canai, prata, teh tarik ...

G is for the Government, which is structured as follows:
Legislative - Dewan Negara (Senate), Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives) & Majlis Raja Raja (Council of Rulers)
Executive - King, Prime Minister & Cabinet
Judicial - Supreme Court, High Court & Lower Courts

H is for HINDRAF or the Hindu Rights Action Force, which is a coalition of Hindu NGO’s committed to the preservation of Hindu community rights and heritage in a multiracial Malaysia. The group has led agitations against what they saw as an "unofficial policy of temple demolition" and concerns about the steady encroachment of sharia-based law. In late 2007, several prominent members of the HINDRAF were arrested, some on charges of sedition; following a huge rally. The charges were dismissed by the courts. Five people have since been detained without trial under the Internal Security Act

H is for red hibiscus or "bunga raya", the national flower of Malaysia.

I is for Independence or "Merdeka" (in Malay). The Federation of Malaya was recognised as an independent nation in 1957. In 1963, it was joined by Singapore, Sarawak and British North Borneo (now called Sabah) to form Malaysia. Singapore subsequently left Malaysia in 1965, leaving thirteen states.

I is also for the Internal Security Act (I.S.A.) legislation, inherited from the British after independence, allows for the arrest of any person without the need for trial in certain defined circumstances. Due to the alleged draconian nature of the ISA, various human rights organisations and opposition political parties have strongly criticized the act and called for its repeal.

J is for Jacyln Victor, the first Malaysian Idol winner in the competition held in 2004. She won a recording contract from record label BMG.

J is also for the world-famous Jimmy Choo, who was born in Penang and now runs his women's shoes and handbag empire from London. His creations are worn by royalty and media stars.

K for Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the investment holding arm of the government of Malaysia, which is empowered as the Government's strategic investor in new industries and markets. Its main objective is to promote economic growth and make strategic investments which would contribute toward nation-building, Khazanah is also tasked to nurture the development of selected strategic industries in Malaysia. Khazanah has invested in over 50 major companies, both local and abroad.

K is also for the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), one of Asia's major aviation hubs. KLIA is situated some 50km south of Kuala Lumpur.

L is for Lat, Malaysia's most famous and popular cartoonist. Nobody else catches the idosyncracies, quirks and ironies of Malaysian life like Lat does. He is truly a Malaysian institution. No one is spared from the Prime Minister right down to the minibus driver with a death wish ! Lat's real name is Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid.

M is for Mahathir Mohamad, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the post for 22 years from from 1981 to 2003. He was credited for engineering Malaysia's rapid modernization and promoting non-individualistic "Asian values". During his administration, he was considered as one of Asia's most influential leaders. Mahathir is also known as an outspoken critic of certain Western practices. Over the past two years, he has been openly critical of PM Abdullah’s leadership, and recently resigned from UMNO.

M is also for a certain Mongolian model, whose murder is at the centre of a political web of intrigue.

N is for Najib Razak, the current Deputy Prime Minister, and Defence Minister. Public choice of Abdullah as successor when the latter steps down, supposedly in 2010. Najib is also the son of Malaysia's second PM, Tun Abdul Razak.

N is for the New Economic Policy (NEP), a controversial socio-economic restructuring affirmative action program launched by the Malaysian government in 1971. The NEP ended in 1990 and was succeeded by the National Development Policy in 1991. Although the NEP was hailed in some quarters as having reduced the socio-economic disparity between the Chinese minority and Malay majority, others accused it of having reduced non-Malays to the status of second-class citizens by cementing Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy). Also NEP tends to benefit only the middle an upper class Malays, with poorer Malays sidelined.

O is for the Organisations that make Malaysia buzz - such as Petronas, Air Asia, Maybank, MISC, Telekom Malaysia, Tenaga Nasional, Genting, Hong Leong, Sime Darby, etc.

P for Putrajaya, a planned city located just south of Kuala Lumpur and sited within the MSC, is the federal administrative centre of Malaysia. Most federal ministries and government offices have relocated there to gain relief from the overcrowding and congestion of KL. However, KL still serves as Malaysia's national and legislative capital for now. Putrajaya is a Federal Territory.

Q for the Quran, the Holy Book of Islam. Malaysia is a multi-religious country and Islam is the official religion.

R for Rakyat which means “Citizens” or “People”. Malaysia has a multi-racial population of about 25 million. The main races are Malays & indigenous people (65%), Chinese (25%), and Indians (8%).

R is for the Rukunegara, the official state ideology which encourages "respect for a pluralistic, multireligious and multicultural society“. The pledge contains the words:

S for the States of Malaysia - all 13 of them (Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor and Terengganu), with 3 federal territories (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya).

T is for the Twin Towers a.k.a. the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. This structure was the world's tallest building, before being surpassed by the Taipei 101. The Twin Towers has 88 floors. Tower 1 was built by Hazama Corporation of Japan, while Tower 2 was built by the South Korean multinational Samsung Engineering & Construction.

U is for UMNO or the United Malay National Organisation, a right-wing party and Malaysia's largest political party. UMNO is a founding member of the Barisan Nasional coalition, which has ruled the country since independence.

V is for Vision 2020 or Wawasan 2020 is a Malaysian ideal introduced by former PM Mahathir Mohamad in 1991. The vision calls for a self-sufficient, industrial, developed nation, complete with an economy in 2020 that will be eightfold stronger than the economy of the early 1990s.

W is for World-class. For example, Malaysian badminton players have always been successful internationally, and most recently Malaysia won the All England men's double championship in 2007. The pair of Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong achieved this feat.

X is for the mark one puts on the ballot paper during the General Elections.

Y is for Yeoh, Michelle Yeoh that is. This Ipoh-born actress is a BAFTA nominated Chinese Malaysian movie actress, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s. Yeoh is currently based in Hong Kong. She is best known for her roles in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, and the multiple Academy Award-winning Chinese action film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She also played a role in Memoirs of a Geisha

Z is for Economic Zones or Corridors or Regions. Three special zones have been launched by PM Abdullah: the Iskandar Development Region (IDR), Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) and Eastern Corridor Economic Region (ECER).

Well folks, as the ditty goes: Welcome to Malaysia, Truly Asia !