Malaysia Matters Podcast

The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today that it is eliminating visas on arrival for 27 countries as of this Friday. Reported countries included are India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Citizens of the aforementioned nations will have to make arrangements prior to arrival in Malaysia.

Visitors from these countries, many whom have come to Malaysia to work, too often overstay their visas. According to Expressindia.com, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said that: 

“although foreign workers had contributed tremendously to the economy, they were also the cause of social ills, illegal squatters and diseases such as tuberculosis…”

Malaysia relies heavily on foreign workers who number about 2.1 million, half of them Indonesians. About 140,000 are Indians, 330,000 are from Bangladesh and 260,000 Nepalese…

US citizens will still enjoy a favorable visa upon arrival with stays authorized up to three months with a possible extension of another two months.

Malaysia must make a decision soon whether it will invest in nuclear power. 

Projecting that nuclear power plants would be needed by the year 2020, Dr MuhdNoor, Deputy Director of the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, has advocated such planing. [The] “longer Malaysia takes time for deciding upon the issue, the expenses to implement the option will also increase,” said Mr Noor during a present ation at the Asian Power Forum 2008 held in the country recently.

About 90% of Malaysia’s current energy is generated by coal or natural gas-fired plants.

Certainly, building a nuclear power plant will even now require a great deal of capital. “We are looking at about 10 billion ringgit (3.1 billion dollars) for a 1,000 MW plant,” Mohamad Zam Zam Jaafar, head of Tenaga’s nuclear energy task force.

But by dragging its feet, not only will Malaysia pay more later, it is already falling behind the energy curve even amongst its neighbors. In addition to existing reactors in the region, plans are underway for several brand new facilities:

Indonesia (4) 4,000 MW reactors online by 2016

Vietnam   (2) 2,000 MW reactors online by 2018

Thailand  (2) 2,000 MW reactors online by 2021

As the expense of resources burned in traditional plants continue to increase, Malaysia must be forward-thinking as it is in the national interest to have a plan underway to diversify sources of energy. Part of that diversification should be nuclear.

Soon after reports surfaced that a doctor determined there was no evidence to support claims by Saiful Bukhari Azlan of sodomy against Anwar, that very doctor disappeared. As this isn’t the first disappearance of late, the result will be likely be additional undesirable international attention given to Malaysia.

Doctor Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid’s “diagnosis reportedly stated ‘TRO Assault (sodomise)’, or to rule out assault,” as reported by the Straits Times. He also reportedly advised that Saiful get a second opinion at a government hospital. Of course this feeds Anwar’s accusations that police are complicit in persecuting him for political reasons.

Malaysians are clearly becoming frustrated with the state to which politics there has sunk. Datuk Hamdan Adnan, director of the Institute of Public Relations, went so far as to say that “police should either drop the case against Anwar or charge the so-called victim if there was truth in the doctor’s report.”

This is a good background article on what is happening in Malaysia, with the continued political battle, In Malaysian Politics, Fighting Dirty Is the Norm. It basically shows that in Malaysia, “politics is about individuals rather than parties” and as a result, the frontal character attacks are the norm. So its little wonder then that the internet & blogs played a central role in their latest election.

Big enough that PM Badawi credits it with the “biggest mistake” of their campaign:

“It was a serious misjudgement. We made the biggest mistake in thinking that it was not important. We thought that the newspapers, the print media, the television was supposed to be important, but the young people were looking at SMS and blogs”

He said the “Internet readiness” of the Malay, English and Mandarin languages also allowed the opposition to reach out to their audience and get more votes.

He said that while Singapore has several laws on proper Internet use, Malaysia does not have a similar law. “Of course, anything that is done in the Internet is not above the existing laws such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA), Internal Security Act (ISA) and the Official Secrets Act and Sedition Act,” he said.

He said what is interesting in Malaysia is that mainstream media are almost entirely controlled by the majority while the alternative and new media are being used widely by the opposition.

As for an update, post that March election, the attacks and counter-attacks using the internet have increased, with sex-charges and murder-charges being bandied about by the candidates and their supporters. The Anwar case has Secretary Rice involved, saying “The United States has long spoken and will continue to speak up about cases that we think need to be thought about in terms of the political circumstances,” while in Malaysia today for a conference. The HRC has also chimed in about Anwar, who states he is ready to contest a by-election. The Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim said that he “explained to Rice that investigations against Anwar over sodomy allegations were not politically motivated whatsoever.”  This seems like a pretty big rift between Rice and the Malaysian Gov’t, probably at least due to the fact that Anwar Ibrahim has friends “including former U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and ex-World Bank President James Wolfensohn.”

Malaysia has a chance to help Zimbabwe.

Well, help might not exactly be the right word. 

The Mugabe government, under an inflationary crisis, is rapidly running out of paper. And what does a dictator seek to do after he has over-printed his money beyond any value?

Well he seeks to print more money, of course. After all, the guys with the guns who have your back only will be there so long as the paychecks don’t run out.

So how does this involve Malaysia?

Well, since it appears that his current source of banknote paper (Germany) is likely to dry up as a result of sanctions against his government, Mugabe is looking to Malaysia and Indonesia to replenish his supply.  And, since neither country has taken the same posture as the EU regarding Zimbabwe, this may be only the first of a many orders that Mugabe might like to place with the Asia-Pacific nation(s).

Now a word to the wise: Mugabe doesn’t seem like a very good credit risk these days, and it doesn’t seem like the best bet taking a check from him either.  But, if you do decide to do business with him, for Heaven’s sake, don’t take his cash. Where will you put it all?

Speaking at the Pacific Rim Air Power Symposium - a gathering of senior staff of Asian Pacific Air Forces - United States Air Force Pacific commander Lt. General Loyd S. Utterback and Royal Malaysian Air Force air operations commander Lt-Geneneral Datuk Rodzali Daud both pressed for greater joint disaster capability through the quick use of air power during disasters.

“As a regional partner, we need to be better prepared,” said Lt. Gen. Dato Rodzali bin Daug, Royal Malaysian air force air operation commander. “Especially in identifying potiential disaster areas and stocking up on necessary relief (supplies). We need to respond quickly without being hindered by bureaucratic intracacies.”

Utterback pointed out that an understanding of partner capabilities through increased communication would lead to more decisive delivery of humanitarian assistance when most needed.

Nineteen countries were represented including ”delegations from Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam.”

Malaysia has an extra bit of interest in the outcome of the US presidential election. Obama’s brother-in-law is Malaysian. 

An assistant professor at the University of Hawaii in Manoa (UHM), Ng, whose family originally comes from Sabah, is married to Obama’s half-sister Maya Soetoro.

Though Ng was actually born in Canada, he has relatives still living throughout Malaysia.  Maya was born in Jakarta. They return to the area every few years to maintain close ties.

There are some important things to be discussed during this week’s meeting of ASEAN member nations, not the least of which is the ever-mounting concern over the welfare of member populations amidst increasing costs of commodities. With such a serious agenda, it would seem unlikely that the ongoing sensationalist headlines about opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim would prove much of a distraction amongst the ministerial delegations. 

But ASEAN just announced that it forecasts its declaration on human rights will be done within a year.  Perhaps the occasion will offer folks back home in Malaysia the impetus to seriously reflect upon institutions there.  For instance, what about the basic rights of those accused of a crime? To be sure, Anwar is making political hay of his situation, best as he can, but in all fairness, why, having since been jailed and bailed, has he been unable to see a copy of the police report?

Officials point out that they are following procedure to the letter, but why not just give Anwar the report? Amidst the hubbub, there have been reassurances that the government is doing just fine, but why the need for reassurances? To a certain extent, the government is helping fuel Anwar’s ongoing commentary.

Getting the easy stuff right and quickly out of the way helps show folks that the government is acting on the up and up; that it is transparent. And transparency never hurts, unless there is something to hide.

 

After posting bond following Wednesday night’s stay in jail and arrest by “20 balaclava-clad police commandos,” the latest headline in opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s ongoing scandal is his refusal to give police a DNA sample. He also has refused to be photographed by the police. ”They have seen all my private parts. Of course I refused to be photographed, it could be on YouTube very soon!”

Anwar has said the allegations made by Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a 23-year-old former aide, are a government conspiracy to prevent him from seizing power after March elections where the opposition made major gains.

Anwar’s popularity as an underdog is running high in spite (or because) of being charged with sodomy for a second time. -Malaysia still has anti-sodomy laws on the books dating back to British colonial times that allow for caning and up to 20 years of jail time for acts of sodomy - even if both parties consent.

In the corresponding intrigue surrounding Anwar’s rival, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, we await the next revelation to peculate up regarding accusation of his involvement in the death and mutilation of Shaariibuugiin Altantuyaa. (Murder is a capitol offense in Malaysia) 

And then of course Mr Balasubramaniam Perumal, the private detective that originally accused Najib, is still missing, along with his family. 

There is plenty more dirt to be dug up and flung before the next rainy season hits and it all turns to mud. That much at least is certain.

But while the headlines capture our attention, the real story here is the stratification of Malaysian society that is providing the undercurrents of support both for, and against Anwar.

Battlelines are drawn along ethnic division and for all of Malaysia’s attributes and potential greatness, it seems to lack an effective republican check that would ensure a protection of individuals and minorities - whether those minorities be ethnic, economic, or religious.

And so Malaysia is at a crossroads. Andy Mukherjee on bloomberg.com goes so far as to say that:

Malaysia ought to serve as a statutory warning to fast- growing Asian nations about the pointlessness of chasing the dream of Western-style prosperity while failing to build strong democratic institutions. It’s wishful thinking that the latter would miraculously appear when a threshold level of per-capita income is crossed.

The bottom line?

Without a broad conviction in respect for individual freedom, the institutions to guarantee the same, and effective leadership to accomplish this, Malaysian democracy threatens to continue rubbing itself raw.

 

…Palm oil, that is. Reddish gold. Sime Tea.

Ok, so the Jed Clampet thing doesn’t work all that well here. Forget about it.

But the importance of palm oil to the Malaysian economy shouldn’t be underestimated.

Malaysia is the world’s largest palm oil exporter. And, apparently, plantation owners have been successful enough at squeezing that stuff out (palm oil), that government officials have figured they ought to be able to squeeze a bit more themselves (taxes).  

Palm oil farmers with more than 40 hectars of land will get a new monthly bill that…

…will be at three percent of the profit made for every one metric tonne of FFB in plantations in Peninsular Malaysia and at 1.5 percent rate for plantations in Sabah and Sarawak.

Those that don’t comply with this tax will face steep penalties, including jail time.

About half a million people in Malaysia either grow the crop, or are connected to the industry. Malaysia is the word’s leading producer of the stuff which quite possibly may “have now surpassed soybean oil as the most widely produced vegetable oil in the world.”

So what’s the big deal with an additional few percent tax on profit?

True, there are reserves now, but indications point to demand for the product increasing ever more.