Not too different, then, to China's, and Pakistan, after decades of sucking up to the Americans, and failing miserably, are now sucking up to the Chinese, only to become China's miserable, vassal, neo-dependent state.
The more things change, the more things remain the same.
This is not a reflection on Anwar as a failure; it's a reflection about how Malaysia's problems go deeper than simply having the right (or wrong) leaders in power.
You are right but it does also reflect the failure of Anwar Ibrahim -- in so many ways. Malaysia has never had the "right leaders", but catapulted to an art form the "wrong leaders" to run the country into the ground at every turn. What's the problem here? Hint: There is more than a single problem afflicting Malaysia, since 1946 -- not since 1957). Nobody cares -- I certainly don't read History that way -- about independence. Because there hasn't been real independence in Malaysia at all, and Malaysia has had a repeating colonial or neocolonial master.
Transformation can begin when a leader publicly executes powerful warlords. Anwar has the force of citizen support. His desire for the throne at any cost, emasculates him. The rogues know his crippling weakness.
I disagree -- fundamentally -- that Anwar has "the force of citizen support". The state elections could well show he doesn't.
Anwar is playing the Malay populist but he's yet to garner all corners of Malay support. His "crippling weakness" is that he's all hot air. His anti-corruption drive is measured -- to capture the small fish. The big ones are free within his ruling coalition and at large within Umno, with his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi being the next big crook after the criminal convict Najib Razak. Anwar hasn't the spine the take on the big fish. Dishing out more than M$11bn for one ship less than the six ordered originally at the cost of M$6bn says everything about Anwar being weak as piss as a "leader" and prime minister who, once upon a time, was intent on ending corruption in Malaysia.
You forget that the old Malaysia Inc, forged and directed by the former dictator Mahathir Mohamad is still the old Malaysia Inc in every aspect that runs corruption in Malaysia at will. And Anwar, who is always throwing out false promises, as he has over many years with false numbers of support to topple previous regimes when he was in the opposition, is playing the old Malay feudal game. That's because he knows he hasn't the numbers, that he hasn't broad-based Malay support, that he hasn't all of non-Malay support in all of hopelessly corrupt and racist Malaysia, that his coalition is loose and extremely fragile, and will become even more fragile and volatile if and when Najib Razak is pardoned by the so-called king of Malaysia.
His priority remains populist politics -- to be seen to be leading the country when he is not. Forging trade and investment ties with China might look good on paper but it might easily place Malaysia in a debt-choke with China as its continues to drive its extra-territorial ambitions. At the same time Anwar is pursuing the policies of the previous Umno regimes of subsidising businesses controlled by Umno cronies, including finally haemorrhaging state firms who business efficiencies are as scurrilous if global accounting firm PWC.
The taxation system in Malaysia is a big rort and Anwar hasn't lifted a finger to fix that "leakage" that is all too often manipulated by the Malay, Chinese and Indian crony-infested Malaysian political economy and its [still] ersatz capitalism. Boustead's shenanigans is not dissimilar to previous financial scandals, including the old Bank Bumiputera scandal. Or Anwar's grand unwillingless to suspend fuel and other subsidies to locals, especially Malay households -- his bread-and-butter political salvation point guards -- for now.
There's barely any economic competition in Malaysia when taxpayers' funds are thrown into the economy to crowd out genuine investment opportunities led by domestic and foreign investors. It's all as stupid now as it has been stupid since 1957. Malaysia hasn't changed, except in its infrastructure but even that is all debt-financed "development". The next stages of "development" that will require huge financing won't come from anywhere else but perhaps the Asian Development Bank, to an extent, but mostly from China. The so-called "trade deal" Anwar struck with China on his recent jaunt to that country signals this potentiality if you care to strip away the colour that masquerades as "reality". It's all Anwar chimera, grand baloney, as it was under Najib and Mahathir. Get real!
ALL of them are the same. Incorrigible corrupt leadership, unmatched spin liars....
Pakistan economy controlled by the Army via companies? Bless all
Not too different, then, to China's, and Pakistan, after decades of sucking up to the Americans, and failing miserably, are now sucking up to the Chinese, only to become China's miserable, vassal, neo-dependent state.
The more things change, the more things remain the same.
This is not a reflection on Anwar as a failure; it's a reflection about how Malaysia's problems go deeper than simply having the right (or wrong) leaders in power.
You are right but it does also reflect the failure of Anwar Ibrahim -- in so many ways. Malaysia has never had the "right leaders", but catapulted to an art form the "wrong leaders" to run the country into the ground at every turn. What's the problem here? Hint: There is more than a single problem afflicting Malaysia, since 1946 -- not since 1957). Nobody cares -- I certainly don't read History that way -- about independence. Because there hasn't been real independence in Malaysia at all, and Malaysia has had a repeating colonial or neocolonial master.
Transformation can begin when a leader publicly executes powerful warlords. Anwar has the force of citizen support. His desire for the throne at any cost, emasculates him. The rogues know his crippling weakness.
I disagree -- fundamentally -- that Anwar has "the force of citizen support". The state elections could well show he doesn't.
Anwar is playing the Malay populist but he's yet to garner all corners of Malay support. His "crippling weakness" is that he's all hot air. His anti-corruption drive is measured -- to capture the small fish. The big ones are free within his ruling coalition and at large within Umno, with his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi being the next big crook after the criminal convict Najib Razak. Anwar hasn't the spine the take on the big fish. Dishing out more than M$11bn for one ship less than the six ordered originally at the cost of M$6bn says everything about Anwar being weak as piss as a "leader" and prime minister who, once upon a time, was intent on ending corruption in Malaysia.
You forget that the old Malaysia Inc, forged and directed by the former dictator Mahathir Mohamad is still the old Malaysia Inc in every aspect that runs corruption in Malaysia at will. And Anwar, who is always throwing out false promises, as he has over many years with false numbers of support to topple previous regimes when he was in the opposition, is playing the old Malay feudal game. That's because he knows he hasn't the numbers, that he hasn't broad-based Malay support, that he hasn't all of non-Malay support in all of hopelessly corrupt and racist Malaysia, that his coalition is loose and extremely fragile, and will become even more fragile and volatile if and when Najib Razak is pardoned by the so-called king of Malaysia.
His priority remains populist politics -- to be seen to be leading the country when he is not. Forging trade and investment ties with China might look good on paper but it might easily place Malaysia in a debt-choke with China as its continues to drive its extra-territorial ambitions. At the same time Anwar is pursuing the policies of the previous Umno regimes of subsidising businesses controlled by Umno cronies, including finally haemorrhaging state firms who business efficiencies are as scurrilous if global accounting firm PWC.
The taxation system in Malaysia is a big rort and Anwar hasn't lifted a finger to fix that "leakage" that is all too often manipulated by the Malay, Chinese and Indian crony-infested Malaysian political economy and its [still] ersatz capitalism. Boustead's shenanigans is not dissimilar to previous financial scandals, including the old Bank Bumiputera scandal. Or Anwar's grand unwillingless to suspend fuel and other subsidies to locals, especially Malay households -- his bread-and-butter political salvation point guards -- for now.
There's barely any economic competition in Malaysia when taxpayers' funds are thrown into the economy to crowd out genuine investment opportunities led by domestic and foreign investors. It's all as stupid now as it has been stupid since 1957. Malaysia hasn't changed, except in its infrastructure but even that is all debt-financed "development". The next stages of "development" that will require huge financing won't come from anywhere else but perhaps the Asian Development Bank, to an extent, but mostly from China. The so-called "trade deal" Anwar struck with China on his recent jaunt to that country signals this potentiality if you care to strip away the colour that masquerades as "reality". It's all Anwar chimera, grand baloney, as it was under Najib and Mahathir. Get real!
Please connect for offline meet. Much appreciated. cyrilper@gmail.com