Putting Malaysia on the map

[CyberJaya]

Hi there. First of all i'd like to say that i'm very proud to be of Malaysian decent. But my pride is tempered because when i look at what other countries in the region are doing, they all seem to be doing it better. I want malaysia to be Number 1 in Asia. In all industries. I'm fed up of mediocre. Malaysia should be producing champions and it takes lots of hard work and perserverance.

I'd rather do something to put Malaysia on the map than to boost my own name and pocket. Thats how passionate i am about seeing Malaysia succeed. I think all malaysians should have the same attitude. What do you think? How can we cultivate future generations? What more can i do for Malaysia as a whole. I guess the answer to that is to succeed as an individual. I definetely want to contribute in research and teaching back in Malaysia unlike some people here. I guess that its important to gain experience overseas but once i've developed to my potential i'll be sure to contribute to research back in Malaysia.

I guess my dream job would be to become education minister. :D Tell us what you think we can all do to contribute to putting Malaysia on the map. I'm fed up of hearing about India and ICT etc and China and its dragon growth rate. It would be nice if Malaysia was associated with research or innovation etc? what do you think?

[CyberJaya]

Bringing R and D back home
http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2004/5/11/technology/7960850&sec=technology

[retroque]

lets be realistic.it would be nearly impossible for msia to compete with china as we have very limited market and population.in order to remain competitive,(as my friend says and i agree with him) we need to remodel our economy based on taiwan's economy as taiwan also have a similar 20milln+ populatn.

[deekay]

In a very simplistic way, we have to identify Malaysia's strengths and weaknesses. Do a SWOT analysis.

Malaysia does not have the vast market potential of India or China but we do have an afffluent middle class. I venture to say that this could support one national car project but we have more than that now ! Large manufacturing projects like these need large markets. How come our "national planners" can't figure that out ? A recent news article said that the new Proton City site can produce 150,000 cars annually. Questions to ask would be : what is the annual demand for cars in Malaysia and what is the breakeven volume for Proton? If we don't have a good estimate of this, tax payers money could be down the drain.

I believe Malaysia has the brain power. But the education system has to be revamped to continue production of these "brains". The members of this Forum are part of Malaysia's brain inventory. How can we use this for the benefit of the country ? Can red tape be removed so that the brains can return to Malaysia and just concentrate on R&D instead of spending time waiting in line for govt processes to run its course ? A little dramatic, of course, but the usual thinking is that research folks just want to do their work and not have to hassle with politics and inefficiencies. That's why there are many Malaysians working in R&D in S'pore. Not that they enjoy a higher cost of living but they are respected for their work and feel rewarded.

Can we instill the same "feel" in Malaysia ?

[chenchow]

Thanks Cyberjaya for bringing this issue up and I think we, the younger generation here can think of what we can do.

At all times, we can do something for our country. It takes lots of little and concerted effort to build a nation.

I think it is essential to ask what we can do for the nation. What can we do to help our country. There are many ways we can help and it is good that we have a good number of people here in ReCom, who is caring about our country. Look at ReCom's vision and see what we should be doing to achieve those vision. Some of those visions are towards helping the development in Malaysia.

I think that we can do a lot to our country, irrespective of our position. As a student, we could learn and build up a name for ourselves and especially for our country. Say you are doing research in your university. If you can have strong reputation of being a good researcher, people will remember you and if there are many Malaysians who are so, guess what, people will form their mindset that Malaysians are good researchers. When I study in Singapore, I find that most Malaysians were amazed with how good the Mathematics level of those Vietnamese. Although the number of Vietnamese are few, they build a good reputation and people make generalization that Vietnamese are good in Maths. That's a good thing too.

On research and innovation, we should ask ourselves, what can we do in this field. How can we inculcate the interest of research among Malaysians. One of the avenues will be through ReCom. We may not be able to influence many Malaysians, but even if we are able to spread awareness to one more person, that's a good thing. So, perhaps those who have done research can share their finding and we can have a research journal in ReCom for those who wish to share their research. That will be a good start.

deekay talks about red tape. It is a very important topic.
Go to:-
http://recom.homelinux.org:8000/~recom/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=893#893

Prime Minister Office has a form, with the link in that thread above, which asks for opinion from fellow Malaysians about those ways that red tape can be reduced. So, why not instead of just lamenting, we can come up with some concrete suggestions/ideas and we can submit a letter to PM Office. What we need to do is come up with ideas and ways not just saying that it is not working.

So, hope that ideas can flow to the thread on how red tape can be removed. We need to think from many perspectives. Think of why certain red tape is there, if we remove it, will anyone be on the losing end...etc.

[jiinjoo]

At the same time as we're doing concrete things to bring the brains and resources together, we need ambassadors all around the world to promote our country. You have to "sell" the good things about our country to the many foreigners that I believe many of you get to meet everyday.

A small effort makes a big difference. Consider simple things like cultural festivals, food fairs, and focus lectures about Malaysia. When you create awareness of your country in your foreign friend's minds, you're putting Malaysia in their mental map (e.g. for Americans, the world will now consist of USA, Iraq and Malaysia, something like that... j/k)

An example is a small teh tarik presentation, and that is all it will take to get an applause, some money from selling the teh tarik, and awareness of a country in this world that sells teh tarik. Maybe someday some other events will continue to refresh and build on their mind.

It's the collective minds of the citizens in the world that will eventually put Malaysia on the "map", i.e. the collective knowledge of our own human civilization.

Here's another idea :wink: http://smf.stanford.edu

[weich]

i was thinking maybe we can have something like e3 in Malaysia!!! Become a gaming nation!!! That'll be so cool...haha...that'll certainly put us on the map =)

any of you gone for e3 in LA?

[misled_youth]

i was thinking maybe we can have something like e3 in Malaysia!!! Become a gaming nation!!! That'll be so cool...haha...that'll certainly put us on the map =)

any of you gone for e3 in LA?

Imagine seeing the DOA babes at E3 Malaysia!... *drooooooool.
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[CyberJaya]

What is e3?

[CyberJaya]

"Youths must strive to acheive" Datuk Seri AAB
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/5/16/nation/7996405&sec=nation

[CyberJaya]

an award for a malaysian
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/5/16/nation/7996869&sec=nation

[misled_youth]

We already ARE on the MAP

Just look at the events this year:

1. Malaysia "unwittingly" supplies nuclear parts to Libya

2. Malaysia, supposingly a democracy, has 90%+ Gov MP's in parliament. Not one western country/OEDC country has done such a feat.

3. Malaysian webhost, host Nick Berg beheading video, in Cyberjaya. Server host - Telekom Malaysia.

4. Nine British MP's denounces Anwar's trial

5. Malaysia condemns Iraq detainee torture, while foreigners condemn ISA detainee torture.

Peace.
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[ElansarGelmir]

Perhaps by putting Malaysia into the World Cup's semi final will do the trick excellently.

[CyberJaya]

Another Malaysian award winner
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/5/16/nation/7996054&sec=nation

[weich]

What is e3?

e3 is the world's largest gaming expo....normally game developers choose e3 to release footage of their newest games, or launch of development, etc....

Gamespot.com has a pretty good coverage of it:

http://www.gamespot.com/e3/backstage.html

[qedx]

i was thinking maybe we can have something like e3 in Malaysia!!! Become a gaming nation!!! That'll be so cool...haha...that'll certainly put us on the map =)

any of you gone for e3 in LA?
normal people cant go e3, it's industry only

[chenchow]

Thanks Cyberjaya for pointing those articles out. I have sent congratulations message to Xiao Qing when she got National award for Public Speaking and I am inviting her to join ReCom~!

I also tried to look for Chooi Peng, but I couldn't find any contacts.

I have always been looking on paper about these kind of people and I have been constantly inviting people to come to ReCom~!

to Misled_youth, I think what we should be focusing is on what we could have done, as a group of caring Malaysians, to bring up the name of Malaysia. Please don't act as a detractor and always spread negative awareness around, without even justifying why they think so. Stereotyping and putting labels on others just make things worse. I am not pointing fingers at anyone, but it is just something for all of us to chew on.

Look at the vision and purpose of ReCom. We hope to do things constructively. There are many more forums that can serve the purpose of those issues you highlight. ReCom is a forum consisted of Malaysian students and young professionals locally and abroad, and we should channel our efforts to those issues that are close and dear to our heart.

I fully agree with what Jiin Joo has said. It is those little efforts that count. Talking to people from other parts of the world, showing them our culture, networking, learning others culture, and building contacts.

[morpheous]

..we need to remodel our economy based on taiwan's economy as taiwan....
retroque,can you please discuss/elaborate more on this taiwan's economic model?thanks

[CyberJaya]

two uitm students reach the peak of mount everest.
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2004&dt=0517&pub=Utusan_Express&sec=Front_Page&pg=fp_01.htm

[misled_youth]

Please don't act as a detractor and always spread negative awareness around. Look at the vision and purpose of ReCom. We hope to do things constructively.

We all have our purpose in life, and I always encourage people to read between the lines of what I say.

I'm hardcore anti-you-know-who. Sometimes, the solutions to the problems I present are just too obvious, as in the case of my 5 previous points.

The price of freedom my friends... is eternal vigilence. I am the vigilante.

On a seperate note: The World (former) tallest building is also famous for being 3/4 empty. <-- fact of the day!

Remember, Petronas Oil, is OUR oil.
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[masterof_none]

To Misled_youth
I agree with Chenchow. If you merely quoting the bad things and bashing all the people around,it doesn't do any good. What good is that, asking what can we do to fix the problem.


On a seperate note: The World (former) tallest building is also famous for being 3/4 empty. <-- fact of the day!


OK, let's take a look at the Empty State Building:

The Empire State Building was officially opened on May 1, 1931. Much of the office space went unrented until the 1940s. This lack of inhabitance earned it the nickname "Empty State Building" in its early years

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Building

according to my real estate prof, the empire state building turn into profit only around 70's. (I vividly remember this, you can figure it out)
Now, Empire State Building is the main attraction in NYC.

So, I'm not surprised that the Petronas building is empty. In fact, I'm ashamed why I sit here and do nothing to attract tourists to come to visit that building. That building has the potential to become the best tourist attraction in the world. It's the world's wonder. The problem is , Malaysians fail to see it the potential. That's the problem.


Remember, Petronas Oil, is OUR oil.

I'm not sure why you say this... so, if Petronas Oil is our oil, that means, Texaco's oil in Texas is Americans Oil?

But even if it is OUR oil, I think Petronas has done a very good job.
I wonder how much millions they spend on human capital, send those students overseas, and bring them back to work for them. That's a dream come true for American if Texaco could do that for them.

That's our problem. That's Malaysians problem in general.
We fail to see our potential. Merely bashing each other without any constructive action is as good as doing nothing at all.

Care about Malaysia means, we take care of the country.
That;s why we Recommers are here. To care. To make a difference.

[chenchow]

Fully agree with masterof_none.

Syamsul, you have written out a very good one~!

misled_youth, we invite you to join all of us in helping to develop Malaysia~! We as the younger generation can do wonders.

Sometimes, I wonder why there are so many detractors among Malaysians. Whenever a new policy is done and after much asking for opinions, people were just behind it and bashing it, without offering any better suggestion. We, Malaysians, tend to look at things from one perspective only. We only care that we get what we want, but we need to take the consideration of others too.

Hopefully, we, in ReCom, can all make a difference. Spread a good awareness of Malaysia abroad. Learn as much as we can and help develop Malaysia. Action is better than words.

Syabas to Muhammad Muqharaddin Mokhtaruddin, and Ahmad Reduan Rozali for reaching the peak of Mount Everest~! That is a fantastic feat!

[chenchow]

I guess this could be a little action that could help Malaysia in the long run.

National ICT Quiz - The top 3 winners donate their prizes to their school - Foon Yew High School in JB.

They donated a Twinhead notebook, an Acer desktop computer, a Canon Ink Jet Printer, RM 1000 and 3 Informatics College voucher worth RM5000 each to their school for the benefits of other students.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/5/17/nation/7999937&sec=nation

[misled_youth]

I don't bash ReCommers, only you-know-who.

Let's agree to disagree for now
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[ElansarGelmir]

I think misled_youth's points spice up Recom. If there's no one to bash, then it's a little hard for us to identify the flaws of our system, right? Though it's not something that we're looking for, i believe that it's good to dig out errors/mistakes/loopholes (misled_youth is good at this) and we will try our best to patch up or rectify those errors. However, misled_youth, i hope that you can lower down the level of your critics/bashings/whatsoever. It's not good to over-sabo Malaysia...

[jiinjoo]

two uitm students reach the peak of mount everest.
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2004&dt=0517&pub=Utusan_Express&sec=Front_Page&pg=fp_01.htm

Yoohoo! That puts more map on Malaysia! :D

More of the same news:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/5/17/nation/8000057&sec=nation

As to misled_youth, I'd suggest the opposite, keep it coming! Reading the discussion so far leads me to think that there's something at the bottom of each of our hearts that's fundamantally different - what is that? As long as we can keep our language civilized and follow all the posting rules, no expression is a bad expression. One shouldn't be negative for no reason. Most importantly, we all need an open heart to accept the differences, and try to reconcilate them, rectifying one another's misconceptions, to build the better tomorrow!

For example, Remember, Petronas Oil, is OUR oil.
Who ever said that? I've never used petronas oil (mostly for exports), never earned money from petronas oil (didn't buy their shares), never seen it nor petronas facilities (stay in the west coast) etc. So at least it's not MY oil. It's definitely the oil of someone else, maybe someone I know.

So perhaps, a suggestion is to explain every sentence in more detail, without the expectation of people to read between your lines, ending up with different interpretation. When you share whole-heartedly, write out your thoughts entirely. Show why you have accumulated that positive/negative opinion for/aganist an issue and give it your best shot of explaining it. After that, we can then find small steps that we ourselves can take to move towards the correct direction, to provide the check-and-balance, to alleviate the situation and more.

And ya, you can disagree with most of my post too :) except the posting rules part :P

[masterof_none]

to misled_youth, I agree with Jiin Joo.
maybe you want to clarify more on why you think certain things, like that Petronas is OUR oil. then only we know why you think so.
Otherwise, we don't go anywhere.
(because, I still believe that petronas oil is Petronas').
unless the oil is in my backyard.

[budakkerek]

Perhaps by putting Malaysia into the World Cup's semi final will do the trick excellently.

LOL, any of you wanna guess, when that'll actually happen?
I;m not being pessimistic. it's just that w the kinda attitude our players hv right now, football is not gonna Msia's way to instant fame

[misled_youth]

Clarification:

Malaysian Oil/Gas reserve is NATIONAL ASSET.
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[The_Observer]

I agree with misled_youth.
They are a NATIONAL ASSET.

The thing is...I don't see NATIONAL BENEFIT. Yeah, the Government gets the money. But so much gets siphoned out through various means that not much trickles down to the people. And I don't mean public infrastructures (it is a government's mandatory duty). I mean direct benefits, be it economic, social whatever...

Not an appropriate way to utillize a NATIONAL ASSET.

[weich]

hmm....always thought that Petronas was runned reasonably well, of course not perfect...but definitely the only company Malaysia can call an MNC!

no offence to anyone but just to point out certain things that seem to be lacking in your argument....

....note that Petronas does not own all the oil in Malaysia, Shell, Esso, also has some reserves in M'sia...being the 5th largest oil producer in the world, Petronas also has reserves in Africa, and certain Middle-eastern countries like Iraq!

...they still have to pay taxes for the oil, give scholarships out, develop infrastructures, advertise for Malaysia (e.g. Sauber Petronas....in motor rallys, and Moto GP) etc , creating jobs....that's how they give us back....even built the Petronas Twin Towers for us! And had to switch on lights some more at night....to be a tourist attraction! Do you know how much it is costing them to do that?

Also...exported oil is one of our largest export product, most of it from Petronas....imagine what will our economy become if there's no oil to sell? Our oil is a high-grade oil, low suplhur content! ...only used in high performance fuel like jet fuel, etc....the petrol kiosks you see is not exactly oil from M'sia but mostly imported!

...so what will you do if Petronas just decides to stop production in Malaysia...leave the country....and only run from African/Middle-Eastern countries...how are we going to utilise our national asset then? What can you do with it? Go and dig oil yourself? Use what? Can you fund engineers/explorers to operate oil rigs/find new reserves? Or do you even have the expertise yourself to do it?

...the only thing i can think about is -> Build another Petronas =)?

[misled_youth]

Back to the disccusion about putting Malaysia on the map, we should ask ourselves:

[b]Why must we put ourselves on the map[b]

Our countrymen have hitherto

scaled Mt Everest
Parachuted down to North Pole,
Solo sail around the globe,
swam across the english channel,
going to build the world largest incinerator,
parliament that looks like 6-star hotel,
Malaysian book of useless records (full of product/brand placement)

So on and so forth. But so what? How those the layman benefit from the folks that risk their lives and spend the people's money on climbing Mt Everest?

The two Indians that risk their lives to be the first Malaysian to reach the tip of Mt Everest receieved nothing.

The two Malay who solo-sailed-around-the-world and the dude who swam the English channel were called "Heroes" and were conferred datukship!

Putting superficial things on the map is a waste of time, energy and money.

If there is one thing I would like Malaysia to be famous for, is for a society with a first-world mentality.

Peace!

[/list]
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[USSDefiantNX74205]

Maybe we should concentrate less on those 'longest lemang in the country' or 'tallest fruit tower in the world' kinda records huh?

[CyberJaya]

Well when somebody succeeds it makes all those involved in the acchievement proud. Just like when you buy versace jeans you're buying an image, a brand. You want to be associated with the milan catwalks. At the same time when a Malaysian succeeds everyone who is associated with the Malaysian also succeeds. Success brings about positive emotions and thats what we look for in life. We're all looking for more positivity rather than negativity and having more Malaysians perform and succeed in various endevours brings about more positive emotions in us. Thats why its important for us to associate with success. .

[weich]

all of these is to promote a "Can Do" spirit in young Malaysians, those who have a big potential to succeed i.e. "Malaysia Boleh", just wants to show all those young Malaysians that everything is possible, can be done, nothing is out of reach....we are all too used to seeing all the "kwai lous/mat salleh/etc" achieve in almost every field....e.g. Bill Gates, David Beckham, Britney Spears, Burt Rutan, etc...

...you wouldn't wanna ask a kid - "What's your ambition?" and he replies - "I wanna be an astronaut...but cannot lah...too difficult already!" A country that appreciates success are the ones that will succeed!

The most difficult thing to break is the mindset in a person...

...and with regards to mountain climbing and the racial issue, here's an account of it, a multi-racial team went up but only Mr Magendran and Mohandass succeeded, they also received $20,000 each and in every adventurer, the adventure pays for itself not what he/she will get after that:

Four team members were selected for the final attempt: Magendran, Mohandass, Mohd. Fauzan Hj Hassan, 29, and Gary Choong Kin Wah, 39. Their first chance was May 9, but bad weather--and "bad weather" on Everest is really bad--forced a return to base camp. Time was running out, since the government would close the route on May 24. The team left again on the 18th and after further weather delays reached Camp Four at 1:30 pm on May 22. "There we rested," reports Mohandass, "then left at 11pm for the summit. It was very cold, -30?C (-22?F) and the wind was at 80 km/hour (50 mph). Hassan and Choong Kin Wah succumbed to altitude sickness and turned back after reaching 8,400 meters.

"It took thirteen hours to reach the summit. The terrain was very steep, and the path was littered with bodies. The Sherpa was showing me each of the corpses and explaining to me how they died and who they were. Finally, I told him not to point out the bodies to me, and that I just wanted to reach the summit. We had to crawl the last section to the top because of the wind." Twenty-five climbers from other teams reached the summit that day--auspiciously Vaikasi Vishakam, sacred to Hindus as the birthday of Lord Muruga and to Buddhists as the day of Buddha's enlightenment.

The returning Magendran was ecstatic over their success. "For all Malaysians it shows racial unity, teamwork, that we could do anything if we work as a team and believe in what we are doing. People are very proud. There have been so many calls day and night. Many temples still ring me up to ask me to come to their temple because they had prayed for my successful climb." A total of US$240,000 was awarded to the team; Magendran and Mohandass got $20,000 each.

Malaysia had planned the climb for ten years. The team trained intensively for the last three. Telekom Malaysia and other Malaysian corporations were the main sponsors for the program, which is part of the government's "Malaysia Boleh!"--"Malaysia Can!" campaign. The Everest 97 project was a follow-up to the "Malaysia Cergas" campaign launched in the 1980s with the aim of encouraging the general public to participate in recreational and noncompetitive sports, with the hope of producing a healthy society.

[masterof_none]

The thing is...I don't see NATIONAL BENEFIT. Yeah, the Government gets the money. But so much gets siphoned out through various means that not much trickles down to the people. And I don't mean public infrastructures (it is a government's mandatory duty). I mean direct benefits, be it economic, social whatever...

Not an appropriate way to utillize a NATIONAL ASSET.

Do you mind to clarify more ?.. for example. why you think there's no national benefit,
and how the government should use the oil to distribute it evenly to all people (tax cuts?.. free food? ...etc).

[misled_youth]

If you want to have "Malaysia Boleh" spirit, do it for the right reasons.

Look at Anwar... "Malaysia Boleh... Depan Boleh... Belakang pun Boleh!". :lol:

This kind of stigma is sticking to our mentality. Want to Boleh? Show the world that Malaysia boleh in this areas:

1. Education
2. Human rights
3. Freedom of the press
4. Meritocracy
5. Religious tolerance
6. Zero-tolerance to corruption
7. Football
8. Democractic Practice
9. Culling Proton
10. World's best Chilli sauce <-- already achieved. 9 more to go!

*Let's observe 3 seconds of silence as misled_youth hugs his bottle of made in Malaysia (MALAYSIA BOLEH!) Maggi Original Chilli Sauce (packaged for Australia)*
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[littlebigone]

Well when somebody succeeds it makes all those involved in the acchievement proud. Just like when you buy versace jeans you're buying an image, a brand. You want to be associated with the milan catwalks. At the same time when a Malaysian succeeds everyone who is associated with the Malaysian also succeeds. Success brings about positive emotions and thats what we look for in life. We're all looking for more positivity rather than negativity and having more Malaysians perform and succeed in various endevours brings about more positive emotions in us. Thats why its important for us to associate with success. .

I think that's fine and dandy...but I don't think Malaysia is at the stage where we should be focussing on frivilous endeavours...too much has to be done at home for us to feel proud to be Malaysian.
I think that it's a poor allocation of resource if we continually fund such extravagant projects when some schools have insufficient chairs and have roofs that leak and when their students lack books and learning materials.

It's like if you're poor and all you have is a couple of hundred dollars...do you spend the money on that versace jeans, or would you enroll yourself in some night classes to improve yourself so that you can build more success?

[budakkerek]

I agree with misled_youth.
They are a NATIONAL ASSET.

The thing is...I don't see NATIONAL BENEFIT. Yeah, the Government gets the money. But so much gets siphoned out through various means that not much trickles down to the people. And I don't mean public infrastructures (it is a government's mandatory duty). I mean direct benefits, be it economic, social whatever...

Not an appropriate way to utillize a NATIONAL ASSET.

Yaa....not to mention, some of the money got embezzled etc...corruption: a very BIG thing in MSia...look at Eric Chua..he got away w a lot of money..perwaja got bankrupt and he got to live in such unbelievable wealth..Like..hmm...

[topdog]

why you think there's no national benefit,
and how the government should use the oil to distribute it evenly to all people (tax cuts?.. free food? ...etc).
what about terengganu? they were denied their oil royalties just because they said no to umno 4 years ago!!

every damn thing in this country is politicized. every!

[ElansarGelmir]

Emulating the ones before us won't get us mapped, unless we make a huge breakthrough, be it cultural or sports or technology. Remember, we were once on the map (by Marco Polo and Tom Piers, known as Malaya). So, i believe we can do it again.

[jiinjoo]

every damn thing in this country is politicized. every!
relax man :) there are parts of the world where politics doesn't matter much. These places usually aren't inhabited. They say if there're more than 1 person in the same place at the same time, there's politics. Don't like politics, make the best out of your life and show others how one can be independent and self-reigning in heavily controlled world.


I'm along the lines of weich, ElansarGelmir etc. on pride. It's what's called a necessary evil. Even if it's inherently not required that a country have the longest lemang, but it does make the rest of the world aware of Malaysia when we have the tallest building etc.

Perhaps what we can do as youngsters is to put Malaysia on the map in a different way. Show the world that we're an advanced society, highly educated, well groomed, always have that "social" thinking in mind, always putting our energy to help one another, be it locally e.g. poverty gap etc. or internationally, e.g. help develop east timor.


misled_youth, I hope you can elaborate how Anwar got into the picture. Despite the belakang sensation, Anwar has been one of the most prolific and far-sighted politicians our country has seen in many years. Everyone of us have their goods and bads. We should embrace the good things and eschew the bad ones. Anwar did his own part in building this country too. That's what that counts. We shouldn't dismiss the efforts of someone just because he was sensationalized as the "bad guy" on the media, or he does not conform to some basic image that our society still hold. It's a give and take. They say Tchaikovsky is gay, now if he's a Malaysian, would you banish him from the country because of that?

:)

[topdog]

Sometimes, I wonder why there are so many detractors among Malaysians.
I would be more worried if there are only cheerleaders and no detractors.

[chenchow]

misled_youth, I agree with the 9 areas that you have on your list that we are going to achieve world standard, with the exception of culling Proton. I guess that if we disband Proton or whatsoever, it won't help our economy or bringing up our pride right?

And to the 8 areas, I believe with you that we should talk about how we are going to do that. Having the awareness is great, but knowing how we are going to do that and really taking the action will be more essential.

[topdog]

Merely bashing each other without any constructive action is as good as doing nothing at all.
i agree.

however, before one can start taking constructive action, one has to be critical of one's past actions. recognizing weaknesses, shortcomings or wrongdoings is essential.

[topdog]

I guess that if we disband Proton or whatsoever, it won't help our economy or bringing up our pride right?
you are proud that malaysians get to buy outmoded cars with appaling safety features, while australians and britons get to buy the SAME cars with complete safety features at a fraction of the price???

[chenchow]

I would look at Proton as an opportunity for Malaysians to learn and research more on producing high tech stuff and producing a national car is a good step ahead.

While it is undeniably that Proton car is far from perfect, it is a good learning experience. It provides billion dollars of tax revenue for Malaysia. It is not paid by taxpayers' money, except for the initial loan of $500 million about 20 years ago. It is an avenue of research and development for Malaysia.

It is a gradual and difficult learning curve. If you think that Proton is not good enough, why don't some of us here could join Proton and help to improve its quality!

[topdog]

If you think that Proton is not good enough, why don't some of us here could join Proton and help to improve its quality!
come on, don't give me that. i do think proton is not good enough, and i do think it is perfectly within my rights to point out weaknesses/failures, although i may not have the expertise to personally effect change.

if you disagree, consider these analogies
1) as a student, you are asked to evaluate your professor's performance at semester's end, right? obviously, you do not have your prof's level of expertise, but does that mean that you can't grade your prof critically if you feel that he/she was subpar?

2) in a democracy, you (ideally) get to choose your leaders. just because you can't enter politics yourself, should you give up your right to vote?

[misled_youth]

And to the 8 areas, I believe with you that we should talk about how we are going to do that. Having the awareness is great, but knowing how we are going to do that and really taking the action will be more essential.

I've said it before, LKS' said it before, Voltaire has said it before:

Social change requires:

1. Peoples will
2. Political will

So if I'm saying Proton is crap (which it is, then again you guys probably haven't driven a proton at 168km/h and hear every bolt in the car rattle), I'm actually saying the people and the gahmen don't want to see proton succeed.

Why?

If the people care, they will take action. Eg. Anti-globalisation protestors worldwide. YOu think they like having pepper spray in their eyes? No man... they do it because they believe in the betterment of mankind, a brighter future for their children, and children's children and beyond.

Do we care about Proton? Buying Proton and beaming ear to ear saying "I'm A PRATRIOTIC MOTHERFUCKER" is not as good as compared to someone who actively scrutinise Proton, so that Proton will make changes and actually start to sell more rather than depend on import duty on foreign cars etc.

chenchow... Our government is FAR FAR FAR from perfect. We must be vigilent. It is our duty as educated people.
________
ANGELcaliente (http://www.girlcamfriend.com/cam/ANGELcaliente/)

[budakkerek]

you are proud that malaysians get to buy outmoded cars with appaling safety features, while australians and britons get to buy the SAME cars with complete safety features at a fraction of the price???

Yaa...like WHY cant we Msians get the same thing? like, come on...they should utamakan us, the ppl, rather than give some mat sallehs the good stuff, right? My dad bought a Waja when it first came out..heh, how he regretted buying it. So many probs, so little assistance.

I agree w chenchow, how such industry brings in tax revenue etc. but cant they do sthing bout the quality? and, ya...let Msians hv the good stuff too so they'll feel happy and proud of "brg buatan msia".

[jiinjoo]

Students complete mission for peace

PENANG: After a test of endurance and determination, 12 Malaysian students returned home triumphant after ?conquering? the Great Wall of China in a 5,000km backpacking mission to spread the message of peace.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/7/6/nation/8372260&sec=nation

Thought it is worth noting :)

[da-hype]

/me draws malaysia on a map....

[Randomphantom]

hmm, lessee, how to put Malaysia on the map...

Have more expeditions to ol' Everest, north pole, south pole, great wall of china, 7 wonders of the world... with hero titles as incentive.

Make stuff like silicon valley (MSC?), Hollywood (Bolehwood?), Book of records (Malaysian version) etc, something to make us distinct. In the meantime create record-breaking monuments.

Increase drain of expertise overseas so that they can promote our country and our culture of excellence. Bring on the brain drain.

Be more vocal in the international scene. Make our stand known, whether it be non-aligned, left wing, right wing, anti-west, etc.

...just kidding :D

[jiinjoo]

Here's another one

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/7/16/nation/8451160&sec=nation

Student swims across channel in less than 10 hours

MALACCA: Lennard Lee, a medical student at Cambridge University, successfully swam non-stop across the 33.6km-wide English Channel in nine hours and 45 minutes on Tuesday.

Lennard, 20, has become the second Malaysian to achieve the feat after Datuk Abdul Malik Mydin, 29, from Penang, who made it in 17 hours and 35 minutes on Aug 3 last year.

Anyone knows if he's on ReCom? :)

What have you done today?

[masterof_none]

Anyone knows if he's on ReCom? :)


yeah, ppl from Cambridge should invite him to come to ReCom.
To Lenard, welcome to ReCom. we're really proud of you.
I hope he received more coverage too.



What have you done today?

I think this is a great quote for ReCom :)

[el_empty]

"what have you done today?"

i second that. (raises hand - see pic on the left)

putting malaysia on the map - we've been discussing our individual roles and our government's roles, but we forget the role of the institution. and that means the social, economic, political structure that we live in. that also means the law, how the law is debated, how decisions that affect the country are made, the access common people have towards their elected representatives etc. in other words, checks and balances.

now the problem with our government is that, there's no check and balance. they design and amend the institutional policies to curtail the power of the masses. this makes our political machinery not an optimal one, in which the best decisions are not debated. and we're not talking only about meritocracy here (be it in education or employment), but where we rely on a so called 'benevolent' government, an altruistic power that lets itself 'deal with the politics' while we go on and prosper. they are the 'experts' and we should just let them take care of us.

but this is 2004 and the nanny state will not work. no way. perhaps during the early stages of the birth of a nation, perhaps, as evident in almost all countries. but as we mature, the country needs pluralism, and participation, and self-dignity. we need to believe that we are the ones who decide what's best for ourselves, not a distant government. until then, we remain indignant to ourselves, mere morons of the machinery.

what has this got to do with anything about putting malaysia on the global stage? it has everything to do with it. when we choose to participate, and allow, even the most ludicrous opinions to be debated, we show signs of cranal activity. we think for ourselves. and we pursue whatever we believe in.

that, is how we put malaysia on the map. not through indifference. not through gdp wealth. and verily, not through climbing mountains and walking great walls. but by making important decisions. a progressive state grows its roots from a progressive people. and it is through our actions, not our achievements, that puts malaysia at the forefront of the world.

...

i watch 'the west wing' and i laugh at its cinematic exaggeration. but 'president bartlett' speaks the truth when he says "decisions are made by those who participate".

disclaimer ah: this is not a covert attempt to sway your political inclinations. it is an attempt to ask for political inclinations.

[tuinkle]

Speaking of Malaysian pride (I hope this is the right thread), I am in the process of buying a digital camera and I am seriously considering the Canon A70/75. My roommate and my housemate (in fact, a lot of people I know own Canon A60/70s, including South Korean nationals) has the A70 and A60 respectively, and I was checking their's out and was pretty darn proud when I found out that these models are Made in Malaysia. They told me good things about the cameras (the object itself, not the quality of it's make etc. In fact, it didn't register in them, until I smiled in glee and pointed out that those were Made in Malaysia) and the reviews for the cameras online are generally really good too.

When I Googled "Canon A70 + Made in Malaysia" however, a few of the first page's results already (implicitly/explicitly) informed/reminded/warned/alarmed consumers that those models are indeed Made in Malaysia and are not on par to those that are Made in Japan. I understand that these comments may be the result of occassional stray bad apples (referring to cameras produced in the plant) although those incidents should be avoided altogether.

Anyway, my point being, I do think the fact that Canon has a plant in Malaysia producing top range consumer digital cameras, makes for a wonderful opportunity for Malaysia to make a mark in the world. The brand name is there, the reviews for the design etc of the product are really good..... now all it needs are consistently great finishing products, good customer service and good marketing.

That is, if Malaysia can consistently produce impeccable, high quality products and people around the world are made aware that it's 'of course lah' Made in Malaysia, perhaps instead of focusing on "the longest" or "the tallest" or "the shortest" etc, Buatan Malaysia products can be known as of "the highest quality." With that, the Malaysian braindrains overseas might start to think that "Hey, if I were to bring this technology/innovation back home, I am confident that my fellow Malaysians will be able to help me manufacture them extremely well." And thus, tada.. the birth of a quality Malaysian brand name product.

Yeah, yeah. I know it's a lot of yapping. Anyways, just throwing this out there.

Any other Buatan Malaysias that you're proud of? I know I'm proud of my state's Julie's cookies sold at the Chinese store here :D

[phantom]

budakkerek wote:

My dad bought a Waja when it first came out..heh, how he regretted buying it. So many probs, so little assistance.


my bro-in-law drives one..and so far so good.never have any problem..he likes the car so so much

well,dont know lah...but somehow i think when it is made by malaysian,ppl keep questioning its quality.the same goes with made in china stuff.

i dont know whether you guys have heard this: barang malaysia cepat rosak,barang jepun tahan lama.

are we malaysian so so terrible in making stuff?do we lack the dedication,the brain,the techonology to make things work,and work well?

german car makers are well-known for their standard,while korean car makers are praised fo their low price cars.

so far there is no tag towards malaysian car.

i bought my 19 iches tv fo USD 89.the tv is made in malaysia.it might cost around RM 400-600 at malaysia.but da great thing is,it lasts till now.

i only realized it was made in malaysia when i was reading the box months later.

urgh?

my point is: if we know the stuff is made elsewhere than malaysian,do you think we will take that as the omen for great quality?

[Randomphantom]

Terrible in making stuff... highly unlikely, we aren't that worse off. Maybe its the lack of dedication... we can see it everywhere. Gov servants rushing off right after office hours, putting calls on hold while chatting over kopi. Why offer more for the same when you can offer less for the same (and get away with it). So this goes into the products as well, GIGO.

Quick quiz: what buatan Malaysia items are well known for their high quality? hint: think Petaling Street... :D (this is SO true, but am I proud of it, err...)

Very often we hear about Malaysians abroad and their stories of great achievements in foreign nations. How about those back in Malaysia. They should have the capability, but do they have the incentive to run the extra mile? Is it only by being abroad, they are exposed to more opportunities in which they can excel? Or is it just an act to "save face" for their nation and also, themselves?

[Chyi]

I told my friends at home (Malaysia) that there is a group of Malaysian students studying overseas who are very eager to develop our country, and asked them what would they do? Will they support these students and join them?

The first thing a friend said is, "They are studying overseas now, they are not staying here, I dont think they really know Malaysia nowadays well". "Those students sent by government are the so-colled elites, they dont know how local people (less educated) people feels", added an old uncle.

I saw most of the people here do pay lots of attention about what happened in our country, and I really admire you guys, but what I am trying to say is, while you are learning to climb high, dont forget to look at the bottom.

[phantom]

chyi wrote:

I saw most of the people here do pay lots of attention about what happened in our country, and I really admire you guys, but what I am trying to say is, while you are learning to climb high, dont forget to look at the bottom.

well,i bet we will. :)

and tell ur uncle not e'body studying overseas think they are the elite groups.some came from parents who barely know english.

it's like JLo's song:

Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got
I'm still, I'm still Jenny from the block
Used to have a little, now I have a lot
No matter where I go, I know where I came from (South-Side Bronx!)

[digimushu]

I told my friends at home (Malaysia) that there is a group of Malaysian students studying overseas who are very eager to develop our country, and asked them what would they do? Will they support these students and join them?

The first thing a friend said is, "They are studying overseas now, they are not staying here, I dont think they really know Malaysia nowadays well". "Those students sent by government are the so-colled elites, they dont know how local people (less educated) people feels", added an old uncle.

I saw most of the people here do pay lots of attention about what happened in our country, and I really admire you guys, but what I am trying to say is, while you are learning to climb high, dont forget to look at the bottom.

Elite?

Nah, i had to sweat blood to get to where I am now, not being supported by the government. Where else are we supposed to go? China? India?

hehehe

Malaysia has got hope yet, up to us to realize it