A matter of perspective

Ditulis oleh admin. Posted in Kolumnis

If you want to understand the causes of human prosperity, study the policies of those who created it, not the advice of their forgetful successors.-Erik S Reinert, Norwegian economist and writer.

 

  Happy Chinese New Year – Kong Hei, Kong Hei – and may the Gods of Health and Prosperity bless and smile kindly upon us as we usher in the Year of the Fire Monkey.

  Our multiracial country is an international model of success. We represent a society of peace-loving, progressive and generally kind people. Over the years, we Malaysians have transformed ourselves into accomplished social alchemists, able to blend the virtues of all the races that call this blessed country home and forge a sense of unity that many others continue to envy.

  Of course, the Malaysian cauldron still bubbles and spits every now and then, as strong concoctions are wont to do, but the resulting potion is stable and quite powerful. With it, we have stood against strong southerly winds and wicked westerly gales before and we have faced their forces well. Let us not forget that.

  But lately, those winds, those external influences, things and events that are mostly beyond our control have come back. The global economy is reeling from blows brought about by growing geopolitical conflicts, lower oil prices and myriad of other socioeconomic ills. And the impact has been especially hard on small and open trading economies such as ours. While we cannot control the winds, we must try to adjust our sails.

  On that note, for this new year, let me coax you to do more in terms of nation-building; let us embark on a new beginning by judiciously controlling things and events that are within our power and not subvert that intent with self-serving actions that profit a small coterie at the expense of the majority.

  One such stabilising mechanism in perception – how people see us, what they think of us, now they react when they meet us. We need to manage our “public face” and we have not been doing that very well of late.

  Our attempts at blaming local and global conspirators for our poor showing are pathetic at best. We made our lumpy beds and now, we must sleep in them. Yes, we have a deficit in that account and the impact is woeful. I do not enjoy being cornered in Kolkata, having to explain local issues that are attracting international interest. It is shameful. Going to Goa, Kolkata or India itself is a pain with the value of the ringgit where it is now. We are stumped!

  Malaysia must learn to project an image that is positive to the audience at large. We must be seen to be pressing all the right buttons and embracing unassailable universal values such as honesty, transparency and fairness in all our dealings. We must project all manner of values that make a nation great.

  At home, central to the economic issue that plagues us is the absence of the “feel-good” factor, without which economic growth cannot be sustained. While I am aware that it is hard to feel good when all around us we see a slowing down. I would be a great deal more confident if we shared a perception that someone is actually managing our economy.

  We have been down this road before, when the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis hit the region hard. While we reeled from the strain of ridicule for our unorthodox means of containing the economic damage (remember the stringent currency controls, anyone?), our government transmitted the message that someone was in charge – the prime minister, the National Economic Action Council, Bank Negara Malaysia.

  The message to Malaysians all and sundry came quickly and united, through one channel. There was minimum chance of that message being misinterpreted or misunderstood. We might have disagreed with the steps they took then but we slept well knowing there was order in our part of universe.

   Today, we face similar economic and perception challenges but our response to them has been haphazard at best. Politicians and corporate captains vie for our attention but their messages and proposed solutions end up negating each other on the social media, leaving the audience confused. We are not sure if we finally have the measure of the beast.

  Our people now are increasingly asking: “Who is really in charge or is there someone actually in charge or have the inmates taken over the asylum?” We have the right to know.

  We seem to get pronouncements and directions from almost everyone and anyone, each telling us to do good and be good and to sacrifice for the sake of our collective future. Yet, we do not see good examples being set by the powers that be.

  Yes, there has been a revision of the 2016 budget but these revisions seem to ask more of the people than of the government. So, perception, especially at home, must be managed and managed well.

  On the operational front, we must work hard not to fall down the slippery slope of economic mismanagement. It is so easy to fall – witness Brazil and Venezuela, which, not long ago, were icons of economic development in South America. Malaysia cannot afford to be poor. It is one slope that is difficult to climb up again. Let us not go there.

  You see, the human cost poverty is enormous. The years of human life lost due to infant and child mortality, preventable diseases and general low life expectancy add up to terrifying numbers. Possible conflicts over scarce resources will cause pain and suffering that in better-run economies are mostly avoidable.

  Our restorative programmes, such as BR1M and others, are far too heavily based on palliative economics, aimed at easing the pain of poverty rather than at making the fundamental structural changes that result in true economic development. This approach – regardless of the nobility of the intentions – will produce a crippling welfare colonialism in which the rich maintain their power over the poor.

  This is not to say we should not do what we can to relieve suffering through aid but we must also take on the more important task of understanding how the poor can become richer by themselves.

  I argue for development over assistances as a priority for our country’s poor, for job creation, for retail opportunities, not passive donations that in the end take the form of covert colonialism and create a sense of crippling dependence. If only they understood that our people need real opportunities more than financial air.

  The year of the Fire Monkey  will be trying for Malaysia, as it will for other nations. It offers no respite from the changes the world is going through. But it is in hottest fires that the finest blades are produced.

Kumpulan PMBK

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