When I was back visiting my folks, I noticed 1Malaysia 'milestones' erected everywhere. I think some overzealous fler pointed out that those structures were akin to idols. But I think it's a waste of money building those things. They are an eyesore in most places, anyway. Then recently too, I noticed a similar structure at school.
Everything 1Malaysia....
The 1Malaysia email, when just as secured free email is available. And they were going to pay obnoxiously huge amount for the email ids, for added security and ease of transaction with government agencies, they claimed. But hackers showed us otherwise when they defaced and hacked into multiple websites. That's security for you... the the hackers did it cos the authorities blocked some sites when word had been that such things would not happen.... moving goal posts. This 1Malaysia email has got to be the easiest money to earn for whoever awarded the tender. And you wonder too whether they take were counting on our ignorance on such things. Looking into it deeper, you might be forgiven for thinking that this might be another one of those get-quick rich schemes. But I guess the eventual plan is to assign each of us an email id like an IC number. It'll probably be a first in the world!
1Malaysia clinics. Set up for mainly to treat minor ailments, I don't think you get to see real docs when you go in. What does the law say about clinics not manned by qualified docs, I wonder? Does it mean that these clinics are above the law? Wouldn't that be double standard at work at these clinics? If that is the case, what is there to stop anyone with medical knowledge to set up a clinic? What about patient safety? What if a patient walks in with a perceived minor ailment and the medical assistant failed to note the signs and symptoms? Try doing the double standard thing with your kids and see what happens??? You lose all your credibility!
We have, too the 1Malaysia kedai runcit... supposedly only for Klang Valley folks. I don't know what good it will do. True, that the cost of living is high in the Klang Valley but it's the same in other places too. It's not very 1Malaysia if only certain areas get those store.
Good slogan... but are they good products? A vague and not well-defined slogan with products seemingly pointing to the almighty ringgit and sen. Sometimes one gets the feeling that this is another business attempt, to make more money. And there are many more 'products' in the pipeline... 1Malaysia Food Safety Scheme (2014), 1Malaysia Malls (???), 1Malaysia Events.... we'll hear of a few spin-offs every now and then for sure. Slogans, products; they sound more like a money churning effort rather than to unite. And like advertisements, they keep playing it everywhere so that we get numbed by it...
My school is organizing a 'camp' at a retreat for scholarship holders (Biasiswa Persekutuan, Biasiswa Negeri, etc, etc). Guess what? Don't see any 1Malaysia there. The recipients are glaringly from one race. At the end of the day, I guess it's the actions that speak louder than any slogans!
Except for this... the 1Malaysia Netbook scheme at my school. There was at least a reflection of the oneness there. I think credit goes to the person who put up the names. She was race-blind, I think. And I'd say we need more people like her. Had it been someone else, the names might have mostly come from one race too.
Slogans, ideals.... they remain just that most of the time. But sometimes there are pockets of hope when you see people who dare do right. Still, for 1Malaysia to work, we're going to need a paradigm shift not seen in a long time in the mentality of our almost single-race civil service first and foremost. Years of planting a mentality that they are being sieged has caused many of them to twitch uncontrollably just at the slightest mention that they're being sieged.... usually on race and religion.
Hence, my admiration for people who continue to show me that there are still plenty of decency around.
Too many 1 everything but very little one heart in execution....
3 comments:
So true - where's the 1Heart in everything?? Just mere words.
AJ7, it is a mere slogan like all other slogans since my school days. Felt very, very cheated. Old man Lee Kuan Yew saw it through way back in 1963 when Malaysian Malaysia was booted out.
Changing goal posts... that's what it feels like. And when the goal posts have been moved until they've run out of locations, then they tug at the heart strings by going into issues like race and religion. How to build 1Malaysia?
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