Education - Anas Alam Faizli
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Whither Malaysia: Where do We Go from Here? A Wish-list for Fundamental Correction
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Wed, 28 Dec 2016 07:00:04 +0000
Malaysia is a one of a kind unique and a rare gem of a nation. A melting pot of infinite ingredients and mixed culture. We are a mixture of various races, speaking a plethora of different languages. This beautiful country is what blends us all together, coalescing all strengths and weaknesses. Here we are at …
The post Whither Malaysia: Where do We Go from Here? A Wish-list for Fundamental Correction first appeared on Anas Alam Faizli.]]>
Malaysia is a one of a kind unique and a rare gem of a nation. A melting pot of infinite ingredients and mixed culture. We are a mixture of various races, speaking a plethora of different languages. This beautiful country is what blends us all together, coalescing all strengths and weaknesses. Here we are at Asia’s southernmost tip, the only nation with land on both continental Asia and the Malay Archipelago.
Only here can you find a significant portion of the population that has roots from two of the world’s oldest civilisations; India and China. The Malays share similar cultural values with Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country. Islam as a religion gives us access to the Muslim world. The inherited British system meanwhile gives us access to the Western world as well. We are like chameleons, and we can infiltrate and be at home in almost every nation on Earth!
Interestingly, a survey by Facebook found that Malaysia is the most cyber sociable country with the most Facebook friends.
Malaysia is also a country of Multiples. We are the only country on Earth that is multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious, multi-cultural, multi race-based sports associations, chambers of commerce & industry, and political parties, multi-national cuisines, multi-government (1 federal and 13 state governments), and multi-monarchies (9 kings from the world’s total 35 monarchs)!
If the above is not enough, let me reinforce my case with the following arguments:
We are the only nation on the planet that has vowed to protect Allah, and ban others from using that name; and have allegedly labeled Hotdogs and Rootbeer as Haram due to literal reasons.
We house the oldest tropical rainforest, said to be over 130 million years old, older than the Amazon and Congo Basins, home to 14,500 species of flowering plants and trees, with more than 200 species of mammals, 600 species of birds, 140 species of snakes and 60 species of lizards.
And we had the longest King Cobra in the world, measuring in at 5.71 metres, that was found in Port Dickson in 1937.
We also have the biggest roundabout in the world in Putrajaya measuring at 3.5 kilometres in circumference; arguably we also have the “biggest spin in the world” too.
Yes, Malaysia is unique. Not just truly Asia, but truly The World! Can you beat that?
Not to mention our eclectic and exhaustive list of cuisines which spans a line from the East to the West. What dishes can’t you find here?
Blessed with abundant natural resources and harvests, from tin to rubber, palm oil, timber, bauxite, and of course with petroleum being the most precious now. Malaysia is a rich country. So based on our uniqueness, we have all the essential ingredients to thrive and flourish as “a paradise on earth”, but have we done so?
The Land of Multiples comes with Multiple Problems
It is shocking how this small country of 31.8 million people managed to shockingly earn the most unwelcome title of the region’s most unequal nation, most in-efficient energy user, among its many other titles including being the home to the world’s largest financial scandal, 1MDB.
Prior to 1MDB, we have had a litany of scandals from Bank Bumiputera, Perwaja, Metramac, Malaysia Airlines, Bank Islam, Transmile, Megan Media, Scan Associates, and a yearly recurrence of repeated “red reports” on audits of government agencies from the Auditor General’s office. All of these scandals point to one indisputable conclusion – Rampant corruption!
We are trapped in a hollow economy, with over reliance on foreign workers, with the majority of our population earning low income and facing distressing rise in the cost of living. Moreover, the majority of Malaysians do not have savings adequate to survive more than one month if they lose their job.
A serious pensions crisis is looming where two-thirds of 54-year-olds having less than RM50,000 in their EPF accounts.
We are perceived to have 1st World infrastructure but sadly demonstrate a 3rd World culture or attitude. We score bottom third on international education rankings, many of our drivers are insane with road thugs and mat rempits, we are number 20 in the world in terms of fatalities from road accident per capita, besides facing severe vandalism in our cities, having unprofessional and unethical taxi drivers and widespread claims that Kuala Lumpur is one of, if not the rudest city on Earth.
Environmentally, mother nature is crying; we have flash floods (poor town planning coupled with inadequate facilities management) in our cities, massive flooding on the East Coast, poor management of our water resources and supply, poor waste management, and rampant illegal dump-sites plus “illegal logging” of our forests and mountains, even in water catchment areas.
Malaysians are also famous for how gullible we can be when it comes to popular get-rich-quick money making schemes! There is a massive, parallel underground economy, covering illegal gambling, drug and other commodity smuggling, pirate DVDs, and credit card cloning. These are also “unwarranted (and unwanted) awards” of Malaysian innovation and enterprise, often derided sarcastically as “Malaysia Boleh”.
The saddest part is, on almost every street and traffic lights pole, without fail, there will be two types of glaring advertisements, either the telephone numbers of Ah Longs (illegal money lenders) or the number for Massage and Escorts services!
Politics is so intense that there is no time to formulate policies, but energy is wasted to tirelessly attack one another. Politics of hate and racial polarisation have been in the forefront over the past two decades. Human rights, questionable discretionary laws, politically motivated and selective persecutions are also issues plaguing the country. Judicial independence appears to have lost credibility.
As a result we scored 66th of 73 countries on Electoral Integrity and 146th of 180 on World Press Freedom Indices.
So, are we doomed “to rot in purgatory”? Are we heading south? Potentially, but, there is a way out, if only we want to take it!
Endless Impossibilities
If there is one thing that history has thought us, it is that there are endless impossibilities. Throughout human existence, we have been continuously surprised by the successes of nations deemed to be insignificant; for example, The illiterate Mongolians, under Genghis Khan, went on to conquer two-thirds of the then known world, coming from out of no-where.
The Arabs were nomads, rated no higher than slaves in the eyes of the Romans and Persians.
The Japanese used to be lazy drunken farmers before the Meiji revolution. The Vietnamese fought their way and kicked out the French and the Americans from their land and won their Freedom.
Nothing is impossible, no matter how hopeless the situation seems. Always remember that the sun only comes out after the darkest point of the night.
The same goes for Malaysia. We have already steered off course and gone astray, so have we reached the depths of darkness and despair from which we can aspire to rise again?
There is a dire need to re-calibrate our way forward so as to head back to the right path for the good of the nation and Rakyat.
There is a way out of this state of affairs. We must now admit and acknowledge that critical problems plague our beloved nation. Honesty and Sincerity must return to our land.
This calls for every Malaysian to have faith and contribute their share towards this aim. One voice might be insignificant, ten might make a blink, but thousands and millions together can cause thunder and shake the Earth, or at least Putrajaya.
Wish-list for A Strong and Vibrant Malaysia
So here is my wish-list for Malaysia:
As there is so much to be done, an apt start would be convening a National Consultative Council Part 2 for a “back to the drawing board” social and economic re-engineering. This needs an amalgamation of the best minds across the nation to provide realistic and feasible strategies to chart the way forward for national recalibration.
Malaysia’s natural resources are finite and the environment is precious. An improved resource management structure, where these resources are used optimally to be shared and tasted equally by its Rakyat is required. The oil royalty conundrum by the Federal Government and States involved must be resolved amicably for the best of the Rakyat.
Fundamental economic corrections must be made to correct the way we do things. We must evolve from rentier capitalism to techno industrial capitalism. Ideally, we must adapt the best practices from the social market of Europe and the state capitalism of China that are relevant to Malaysia.
Policies must be Rakyat centric, with social justice at its heart, placing decent wealth creation and equitable distribution at the core of its economic deliberations, while providing sustainable environment for corporations to thrive.
Entrepreneurs who can add value, and not mere venture capitalists, are key to our desired success.
We must declare “war” on income and wealth inequality, which creates a never ending vicious cycle that is detrimental to any society.
Primary boarding schools, affordable housing, people and social enterprises, must be developed and encouraged to be in place wherever they are needed.
Efficient and ‘green’ key sectors namely energy, transportation, construction, water and waste management must be prioritized for their economic and environmental advantages.
Every Malaysian needs and deserves a good balanced life that can be provided by a decent and fair-paying job. The Rakyat should not need to have two jobs to live a reasonably conducive and happy life. Relentless, and perhaps unjust economic pursuits have punished the bulk of Malaysians and we have replaced our empathy with apathy.
Functioning family units allow parents to play proactive roles in child upbringing and education and to instil the true “Asian Values” that we so often pronounce, but hardly prioritize in practice.
Women’s empowerment alleviates current burdens on potential economic contributors and offer cohesive social and economic benefits.
Education is paramount as the overarching solution to the majority of the Malaysia’s social and economic ills. Education must be inclusive, and impart moral fibre, critical thinking, humanity, humility, religious tolerance, innovation and creative technological advancement for Malaysians.
A revisit of our national education philosophy must take place and be replaced with the Love Pedagogy.
We need to inculcate a reading culture, critical thinking and prosper our intellectual debating environment. We must celebrate thinkers and philosophers, and provide a conducive environment for public discourse. Intellectuals must be given the mandate to carry the torch and light our candles to see the way forward.
Healthcare must be made affordable and readily available to all segments of the Rakyat. We need more hospitals and training hospitals, and well equipped clinics to serve the sick and needy wherever they reside. A holistic public transportation is another severely needed amenity for the Rakyat.
Education and healthcare are indeed too precious and inalienable rights for all Malaysians, and should not be pawns for the politicians to kick around.
Volunteerism, the social activist NGOs, and the “third sector” must be encouraged and enhanced to strengthen democracy and “justice for all” in the country.
Good governance, integrity, freedom of access to information for the media and whistle-blower protection must be truly practiced to enable a successful fight against corruption, aimed at its core and as a check and balance to the principle of separation of power.
The Constitutional Law must reign supreme and needs to be applied justly, and not be abused for the benefit of the subservient cronies of modern dictators. We need “Rule of law” not rule by the Mafia. Democracy must be seen to be alive and be inclusive for every Malaysian’s participation, and not just a case of going to the polls every 5 years.
Let’s put an end to politics of race and hate. Racial harmony must be inculcated and nurtured from home and school at a young age, even before their pre-school years. After all, aren’t we born skin-colour blind?
Malaysia Boleh!
My wish list for Malaysia is composed of all the proposals that I’ve written, articulated and fought for before.
My mission here is to bring pressure, by means of creating public awareness for a re-navigation to the right path. There are no ‘impossibilities’ that we Malaysians cannot face and overcome and to ensure that everyone in the country counts.
We are a unique nation with the best mixture and ingredients that any nation can ask for. All we need is the intellectual clarity and the will. Let us draw from the power of our uniqueness and diversity and mould them as a pillar of strength to move forward, and never as a crippling weakness, to achieve the Endless Impossibilities and be the best that we can be.
With all my heart, I sincerely echo, Malaysia Boleh! Let’s walk this path together, because together we can!
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Battling Apathy and Ignorance for a Prosperous Malaysia
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Wed, 11 May 2016 01:27:22 +0000
Slightly over 200 years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte said, “I fear four hostile newspapers than a thousand bayonets.” Napoleon Bonaparte was an emperor and a military genius of his time. He faced impossible odds during his military conquests. He had fought 25,000 Ottomans with 6,000 French troops in Egypt and had also confronted the combined Armies …
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Slightly over 200 years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte said, “I fear four hostile newspapers than a thousand bayonets.” Napoleon Bonaparte was an emperor and a military genius of his time. He faced impossible odds during his military conquests. He had fought 25,000 Ottomans with 6,000 French troops in Egypt and had also confronted the combined Armies of Austria and Russia in Austerlitz. His empire stretched from Spain, Northern Africa to the borders of Russia.
Yet, despite all that, he feared editors. Why? Because editors can control and influence ideas, words and debates. He feared domestic dissent. He wants full control. He even said that, “I want to create an educational body that will steer the way the French people think!”
Napoleon went on to establish public schools in an effort to further craft and dictate how the French would think and act. What Napoleon did through public schools is effective but he undermined and put a stop to human creativity and intellectualism. The same concept was later adopted by the French, as far west as the Americans, and eventually by the whole world
Freedom of Expression Towards Critical Thinking
Are Malaysians being dictated and controlled on how to think and act too? Do we, as a moderate and progressive nation, understand the meaning of freedom, justice and democracy?
I believe we need to think, question and engage first, in order to understand the purpose of certain jurisdictions, rulings or systems. Safe platforms that encourage intellectual discourse and allow Malaysians to think out of the box, beyond definitions from schools, societal norms and the Government, should be put in place.
On the surface, this may seem like encouragement to partake in unnecessary rebellious activities threatening public safety. But consider the reverse psychology and unintended moral hazard that prevails; it is often when oppressed that people side with the opposite, even when the opposing side may not be the truth or most ideal.
The younger generation especially, will easily be influenced by any idea, regardless of its validity, purely because it is against the mainstream. This is not healthy. We need to liberalize intellectual discussions and arguments. The marginalized and the oppressed should be given room for dialogue and debate. Ideas should be contested in the public sphere.
Evidence has shown that liberalizing ideas and thoughts sparked Britain’s Industrial Revolution. Malaysia too should embrace “Enlightenment” beyond superficial prosperity, through Critical Thinking.
The industrial revolution and the great age of invention could only have happened when people were given the freedom to think for themselves. Then only can human achieve the impossible where even the sky was no limit and even the moon was within reach.
A Story of Social Mobility through Education
My grandfather was a testimony to how Education can uplift generational social mobility. He hailed from Telok Panglima Garang, located far from the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur. In his formative years, he did best in his school and was offered a scholarship by the British Resident at that time. He completed his study then with the Victoria Institution, and became a journalist working with the newspaper Majlis.
Growing up, I always remember how he emphasised education and awareness as key towards great human civilisation. He worked hard and made sure all his children and by extent, his grandchildren managed to complete tertiary education. I remember how he told me he had no regrets as all his grandchildren are well educated.
Many have written on how Malaysia should escape the clutch and trap of the middle income. We have been stuck as a Middle Income nation since 1996. The only way forward is through Education. History of First World nations have time and time again, shown us how powerful the power of education is in founding civilizations and uplifting societies’ quality of life.
Honouring Atok
When I embarked on my doctorate journey, it was my hope that I could create awareness and contribute to society through my thesis and articles. The first piece of article produced during research became part of a book entitled “Rich Malaysia, Poor Malaysians”.
The book provided the public with insight into the day-to-day operations of Petronas being the country’s largest cash cow and how Petronas contributed to Malaysia’s growth. I then continued to write on socio-economic realities of Malaysia, particularly Education and Volunteering. I tried to spell out benefits accrued from education; dangers of the middle income trap; widening income inequality and the ensuing social upheaval. Most importantly, wanted to stress how an inclusive educational system helps in bringing about inclusive socio economic results, thereby helping to alleviate poverty and increase the nation’s well-being. The argument is finalized with the call for policy makers to adopt a “One Graduate One Household” target.
Admittedly, I touched on a multitude of areas. But in sum, education is one of, if not the only, most important solution to all the problems that we are facing today. My war will not be against a thousand bayonets. My war will be against the lack of education and awareness. I strongly believe that only through education that Malaysia will prosper. I strongly believe that education is an enabler to solving if not all, most of our socio-economic woes in the country. True education teaches us to think, not to blindly obey.
Creating Awareness Together
One can only do so much; even seemingly an inconspicuous speck of dust – yet here I am, with my ideas. However, this speck will only gather steam if many individuals group a collective effort for all Malaysians.
If we allow thinking to flourish, it will turn into dividends for our small sovereign nation, still grappling to understand the true meaning of growth, modernity and human development. If we keep suppressing and fail to encourage thought, Malaysians will be left divided and haphazardly finding meaning amidst global external influences.
Thoughts have not only fuelled revolutions and counter-establishment movements, but have also shaped academia, society and influenced leadership, policy-making, and ultimately mankind’s general livelihood.
As a developing nation, Malaysia is approaching the last but toughest hurdle in achieving wealth and prosperity; that is a knowledge-based society, driven by intellectuals and thinkers. Read, understand, think and take action!
Let’s inculcate reading and critical thinking culture among Malaysians, promote a love for knowledge, care enough to uplift our socio-economic status and strive for a better prosperous Malaysia.
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Malaysia’s Hollow Economy and the Fundamental Flaws of a High Income Nation Ambition
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Sat, 16 Jan 2016 04:00:30 +0000
Allow me to share with you a BLINDSPOT moment here; not many take note that in 2014, 29.1% of our total imports are from Electrical and Electronic (E&E) products. The same year, 35.7% of our total exports are also E&E products. What is actually going on here? Well, simply put, our economy is kind of …
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Allow me to share with you a BLINDSPOT moment here; not many take note that in 2014, 29.1% of our total imports are from Electrical and Electronic (E&E) products. The same year, 35.7% of our total exports are also E&E products. What is actually going on here?
Well, simply put, our economy is kind of hollow.
We import cheap components from China, assemble it locally and export the finished products.
Sadly, the finished products that we export are mostly of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs) type; assembled using cheap labour for foreign companies. We hardly manufacture nor do we export our own brands. As a result, on average, the value-added in the E&E products’ production chain is approximately only 15 percent.
We do the same for our textiles, as sweat shops for foreign companies.
The attraction for foreign companies to locate their E&E manufacturing in Malaysia is largely to benefit from cheap labour, cheap subsidised energy, tax holidays; and as a haven to carry out transfer pricing for the purposes of tax evasions.
However, we are not as attractive as we once used to be. This concept of mere assembling will not work in our favour for long if we do not keep up with technology as other emerging economies offer more competitive production lines.
Additionally, TPP via the Rules of Origin will upset this hegemony. A post TPPA formalization would see us importing from TPP countries to enjoy the reduction in tariff (no longer importing from China ) – but that is a story for another day.
Furthermore, since 2009 our nett foreign direct investment has been downright negative until today. Meaning, we invested more in total overseas versus investment coming into Malaysia. TPPA proponents might take a shot here to promote the Investor State to State Dispute (ISDS) clause under TPPA saying that as we invest more overseas we would require the protection.
However, such arguments fall flat in the face of the facts – we are not investing overseas in expanding our businesses but more in acquiring properties. Think MARA!
So why is this hollow economy unhealthy?
Why is mere assembling not going to work for the long term? I am going to explain using the case of iPhones. How much money goes to respective countries for every sale of an iPhone?
iPhone is an American product which is assembled in China. One would take a guess that a sizable chunk of profits will go to China and America. One might also think that Malaysia is making huge profits by assembling numerous E&E products.
Well, such assumptions are wrong.
The money from an iPhone sale (source: WSJ) goes to the following countries – 34% to Japan, 17% to Germany, 13% to South Korea, 6% to United States and only 3.6% goes to China.
Why is that so? Because the money will go to paying the high spec and high tech components which are imported from Japan, Germany and South Korea to make up the iPhone. Assembly line is cheap and does not contribute much added value.
Thus, in order to compete we need to continuously upgrade our technology and knowledge in order to survive in this fast paced world.
Instead, we are currently trapped in the middle – we are neither here nor there. We are not cheap and we are not sophisticated enough. We are not able to compete with Vietnam or Indonesia in term of cost, and Singapore in term of technology.
High Income Nation? A Meaningless Number Game of Average
Back in 2010, the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) was launched as part of achieving this ambition of elevating Malaysia from the crutch of the Middle Income Nation trap which we have been party of since 1996. The goal is to spur the country’s growth to achieve the High Income Nation status by 2020 through targeting GNI per capita of US$15,000.
Two years later, indeed, PEMANDU did announce a huge growth rate in 2012, showing how they’re on-track.
But there is a major flaw here, Ringgit to USD at the time of ETP’s announcement was at an average of RM3.52/dollar whilst in 2012 it was averaging at RM3.10/dollar. There was a FOREX gain here.
However, it is a double-edged sword, the same FOREX will come to haunt PEMANDU as the FOREX is currently hovering at RM4.30/dollar. Looking at the current condition, in order to achieve US$15,000 (RM64,500) by 2020, considering that our GNI/capita is ~RM35,000 in 2014 we need 10.7% yearly GNI growth consistently every year until 2020. That’s Mission Impossible. High Income Nation is no longer achievable. We are out of luck. The best we did was when we averaged a 9% yearly growth between 1988 to 1997 prior to the Asian Financial Crisis.
Regardless, the GNI per capita is just a number game of average. It doesn’t mean anything to the ordinary Malaysian now facing difficulties embracing the fast paced increase in the cost of living. It doesn’t mean anything to a country plagued with one of the highest inequality in the region.
To explain further, let’s do a simple mathematic calculation:
Our GNI per capita (2014): ~ RM 35,000/capita/year
Average person per Household: 4.2
Therefore,
GNI/ household / year: RM 147,000
GNI/ household / month: RM 12,250
These numbers are so lopsided and don’t mean much.
By average, every household is earning RM12,250 a month. However, since we have a wide disparity between the rich and poor the majority of our population is very far from this average. 75% of our household are earning below RM5,000 a month.
Sarawak is a clear example how a high income nation doesn’t mean anything. Sarawak in 2008 crossed World Bank’s threshold of a high income state by definition but look at the situation of the people in Sarawak. There is no real meaning to the fixation of achieving a high income nation status.
Export led-based Economy/ Development is No Longer Viable
Back in 2010, The United Nations via UN conference on trade and development (UNCTAD) called for a re-think of the export-led growth economic model foisted onto developing countries in recent decades. UNCTAD said that higher wages and stronger domestic demand were the necessary ingredients for sustained growth.
Three years after that, UNCTAD again reiterated that policy makers will need to reconsider development strategies that have been overly dependent on exports. UNCTAD also said that development strategies should place a greater emphasis on the role of wages and the public sector in the development process. Export-led development is no longer viable, economies will perform better with more balanced strategies.
What does an export led-based economy/development mean anyway? It means that export is our number one priority and we strategise everything economically according to this strategy.
Education, Innovation, Research and Development as a Way Out
According to UNESCO, the number of researchers in Malaysia for each 1 million population is only 365 behind Japan’s 5,416, Denmark’s 5,300, the United States 4,721, South Korea’s 4,231 and even South Africa at 384. Our PhD holders slightly passed the 15,000 marks from our 30 million population.
A study released by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) categorizes Malaysia as an efficiency-driven economy, behind innovation-driven economies. We focus on improving existing processes, but we are not out there inventing new things where the big money is.
Focusing on the latter is extremely important now more than ever for Malaysia, because we can no longer offer very cheap labour, land and factories to produce mass generic products competitively.
Malaysia is neither here nor there, and education opportunity is a major contributing factor. Robert Reich, former U.S. secretary of labour and professor at UC Berkeley, made a compelling argument that is very applicable to Malaysia.
To attract jobs and capital, nations and states face two choices; one is to build a low-tax but low-wage “warehouse economy” competing on price, another is to compete on quality, by increasing taxes and regulation to invest in human capital for a highly productive workforce.
In Malaysia, wage growth caught up with productivity growth only up until the late 1990’s. Since 1996, we have been living in the “middle income trap”, stunted at the World Bank’s definition of upper middle income; neither high nor low income. In fact, for the past 10 years real wage growth has been negative.
Having 77% of the Malaysian workforce with only SPM and below qualification is a structural barrier to us crossing over to the higher income group. The labour force is largely unskilled and unable to move their labour services up the value chain where higher salaries are paid.
We are in dire need for more trained professionals and innovators, and we could have harvested them from talents that did not pursue tertiary education due to the lack of opportunities. As a developing nation, Malaysia is approaching the last but toughest hurdle in achieving wealth and prosperity; that is a knowledge-based society, driven by intellectuals and thinkers.
Trickle down economy and an export-led based growth or development have been proven not to work. We need the right economic policy and approach to solve fundamental economic problems and issues. We also need to strictly reduce the number of foreign workers through industry limits and quota and we need to start now.
The only forward is for Malaysia to provide to its citizens with good job opportunities, decent wages and salaries and also an ecosystem that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship in high value products and businesses. We need to start building machine tools and our own equipment.
Let’s not get stuck with the myth of a high income nation status that doesn’t mean much to ordinary Malaysians. Let’s start thinking how the country can provide opportunities, access and rewards – equally to all its citizenry. A fundamental correction is severely required.
*A version of this article first appeared in The Edge on 16th January 2016
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The Continuous Revisit of Islamic Thought is A Must
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Thu, 24 Dec 2015 02:24:18 +0000
Thirteen years ago, my brother, Dr Afif completed the monumental task of memorizing the Holy Quran within a short period of no more than 18 weeks. Instead of pursuing Form 4, he took a break after PMR and chose to become al-Hafiz. Alhamdulillah, I was proud of my sibling’s genius! Ideas gushed to my mind …
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Thirteen years ago, my brother, Dr Afif completed the monumental task of memorizing the Holy Quran within a short period of no more than 18 weeks. Instead of pursuing Form 4, he took a break after PMR and chose to become al-Hafiz.
Alhamdulillah, I was proud of my sibling’s genius! Ideas gushed to my mind as to ways to expand his potential. Imagine the lethal combination of excelling both in the knowledge of the revelation and science. I recall having shared such suggestions with him when asked what he should pursue for his upper secondary.
I then had this notion considering his ability to memorize the Holy Book, he should pursue the Science Stream and continue with Medicine. After all, my maternal grandfather had always wanted a -grandchild of the medicinal kind.
I thought by doing so he would be more respected than your ordinary Ustaz. Looking back, what caused my perception? Perhaps, back then the idea of an Ustaz not mastering Science was seen by me as less credible. Many years after that I thought maybe I should have suggested him to pursue Hadeeth as we are severely lacking in Hadeeth experts.
Allama Iqbal (1877-1938) in his Lectures compiled as “The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam” addressed such pertinent questions. Is science compatible with religion? The modern man has been trying to separate faith from science and history. They have been trying to confine faith within the walls of the mosque. To them, secularism is progress. As a result, man became soulless. For Iqbal, ultimately there can only be one truth. The truth that faith discovers cannot be different from the truth discovered by science or history.
In the same compilation, he argued that, “To have a succession of identical thoughts and feelings is to have no thoughts and feelings at all. Such is the lot of most Muslim countries today. They are mechanically repeating old values…”
The frustration that was felt by Iqbal is not new. Some might argue that he went too far in his ideas. Others was inspired like the reformer Tariq Ramadan. Iqbal’s frustrations reappears from time to time from the birth of Islam until today. An example is of Ibn al-Qayyim, one of Ibn Taymiyya’s most “passionate advocate” who had repeatedly sought new methods to deal with the problems of the 13th century.
He gave more weight to “formulated evidential theories” more than oral testimony. He sought scientific method on how to prove a child and its alleged father by using experts to identify facial similarities. He also opined that a judge can obtain a sample of a husband’s ejaculate for lab tests to measure his impotence when woman sought divorce using that ground.
Today, these examples sounds backward but back in the 13th century that was progress. A marriage of science and faith. At that time, the Imams of the day were kept to the old ways of their ancestors when the problems that was facing and plaguing the Ummah has changed tremendously in all fields, be it science, economics, medicine and every other aspects of human and societal life.
Tariq, Iqbal and Qayyim obviously have disagreements with each other, as an example on innovation (bid’a) but essentially we can agree that we need constant revisit to changing circumstances. Not just them, this also include Jamaluddin Afghani, Muhammad Abduh, Rashid Ridha, Kiyai Hj Ahmad Dahlan, HAMKA and many other thinkers.
The revisiting and reconstruction of Islamic position is a continuous process that can change over time due to various circumstances. Perhaps we need to be reminded that Imam As-Shafie himself had changed his opinion in a certain matter in a short span of time.
The followers of Imam Abu Hanifah have also had different opinions with his earlier followers and remarked that if Abu Hanifah was still alive he might have adopted their new position due to the changes that have taken place. Abu Hanifah himself had made seven different opinions with regards to an issue which had change due to changing circumstances.
Such is the fact that there is room for continuous change in opinion. Whilst many areas of Islam is straight forward and there’s no room for change; mostly in the realm of creed (aqidah), there are other areas where pressing change is required. There are areas where evolution of thoughts are necessary. Continuous reconstruction of religious thought must be allowed.
We have to say no to dogmatism and stop refusing to see things any other way, and to be open to the possibility that we might be wrong. We need solutions for new problems that come with changing times or different geographical location or due to different racial or religious composition of a country. Some has become dogmatic that they have forgotten the basic foundation of legal theory (Usul al-Fiqh) that everything is permissible until proven wrong and not the other way around.
Islam is a religion that inculcates thinking. If we encourage thinking, and if we allow continuous discussions and debates, we will nurture intellectualism and progress. We need to question first, in order to understand the purpose of certain jurisdictions, rulings or systems. On the surface, this may seem like encouragement to partake in unnecessary rebellious activities questioning or threatening the religion. But it should not be the case.
Throughout history we have seen how new ideas are often rejected without proper deliberation. We have seen how the ideas of democracy was initially out rightly rejected as haram and must be fought against. We have seen how the idea of woman being allowed to vote was rejected as haram. As we have allowed a revisit, we find today that democracy is although not perfect but is consistent with the spirit of Islam and we have now supported woman leaders among many other issues.
I have no authority to speak in this subject matter but I fear of what is currently happening. I fear of the ongoing ruckus and the continuous blackening of Islam’s name where most of the time we are partly to be blamed. I fear how people are shying away from Islam in crafting solutions to problems that is plaguing the Ummah. Problems ranging from policy making, health, environment, economy, security, national harmony and many others.
If the intellectuals do not continuously revisit to changing circumstances and their best to provide answers and solution to the people, the concept that Islam is Syumul (complete) and covers every aspect of life will not be felt by ordinary Muslims. They will not feel it as they see that Islam cannot provide a comprehensive answer for their life’s or societal problems.
If the intellectuals fail to deliberate and adapt to new changing circumstances, the people will shy away from following the guidance of the religion and the concept that Islam is Syumul will not weigh any bearing. The concept that Islam is Rahmatan Lil Alamin (blessing to all universe) will not be felt by mankind.
Islam is a religion of love, forgiveness and peace. A religion that inculcates and nurtures strength in its followers. Islam is not a religion that punishes and instil fear.
“The biggest enemy of Islam is the ignorant Muslim, whose ignorance leads him to intolerance, whose actions destroy the true image of Islam, and when the people look at him they think that Islam is what he is.” Ahmed Deedat, (1918-2005)
There is no escape from continuous learning, at times to unlearn and then relearning. Wallahu a’lam.
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Malaysia’s Vicious Inequality and Proposed Actions to Remedy It
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Mon, 24 Nov 2014 02:00:01 +0000
PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 24 NOVEMBER 2014 – BLINDSPOT MALAYSIA’S VICIOUS INEQUALITY AND PROPOSED ACTIONS TO REMEDY IT Economic growth is good. However, like anything good, overindulgence and foolishness can land us in trouble. High income nation with high inequality is a silent and unseen troublemaker like high cholesterol and high blood pressure. We …
The post Malaysia’s Vicious Inequality and Proposed Actions to Remedy It first appeared on Anas Alam Faizli.]]>
PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
24 NOVEMBER 2014 – BLINDSPOT
MALAYSIA’S VICIOUS INEQUALITY AND PROPOSED ACTIONS TO REMEDY IT
Economic growth is good. However, like anything good, overindulgence and foolishness can land us in trouble. High income nation with high inequality is a silent and unseen troublemaker like high cholesterol and high blood pressure. We must not ignore the adverse effects of high inequality in our eager pursuit of high income nation. The World Economic Forum has recently recognised inequality as the number 1 global concern in its Global Agenda 2015.
High Income Nation status is pointless to 80% employed and self-employed Malaysians who earn below RM3,000 a month. Their low earnings contribute to the high level of income inequality, i.e. the highly skewed distribution of income. A small number of Malaysians earn tens or hundreds of thousands or even millions of Ringgits a month. Malaysia’s Gini coefficient index is among the highest in the region and has remained relatively stagnant at above 0.4 since the late 1980s as pointed out by the honourable Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah during a Budget 2014 Focus Group meeting to address income inequality on 3rd of August 2013.
As concerned and conscientious citizens, we call on the government to take urgent and affirmative actions to reduce the high level of inequality in Malaysia. To get the ball rolling, we propose policy actions in 9 KEY AREAS for the government to consider.
The government should also consider dedicating the revenue it receives from Petronas towards the effort to reduce inequality.
1. Set Gini index or other appropriate measure of inequality as a national target.
Unlike GDP growth components, actions and progress made in reducing inequality are not summarised and presented as a single number. GDP, GNI, ETP, GTP, EPP, NKEA, NKRA, etc. do not address the costs of inequality to the country. Costs of inequality include unemployment, crime, poverty, distrustful and uncaring society, racial disharmony, health and social problems as well depleting social goods.
A measure of inequality should be made a national target and the progress communicated to the rakyat just like GDP growth and income per capita. What gets measured gets done. We propose that Gini index for Malaysia be reduced to below 0.35 by 2020 as the national target.
2. Use progressive measure of poverty
Consolidate the various poverty definitions and thresholds in use into one that meets leading global standards and practices. Instead of using the Poverty Line Income (PLI) based on absolute poverty, we propose the government to use relative poverty measure with threshold of 60% of median household income with appropriate adjustments for family size. Currently that translates into RM1,200 for a single person, RM2,000 for a married household with no children, additional RM300 for the first 2 children each and another RM200 each for the next 2 children and RM100 for each subsequent children.
3. Provide equal access to education opportunities and improve the connectivity between local labour force and human resource requirements.
Full board primary school for children of the poor. Students in secondary Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP) such as MRSM today are mainly children of middle and upper class parents with good primary education. We need primary school SBPs to help children of rural and urban poor families to improve their chances of entering secondary and tertiary education. The government can use alternative delivery systems for this such as empowering social entrepreneurs to deliver the service through social enterprises.
Vocational and Polytechnic education and training. Government should target an intake of at least 100,000 students by 2020. This is important to diversify and upgrade the skills of our labour force of which 75% of them are currently holding SPM certificates and below.
Public Universities. Government should increase the annual intake from 200,000 currently to a minimum of 400,000 students by 2020. Various studies and research have proven that tertiary education can help reduce inequality.
4. Ensure decent jobs and fair wages for citizens. As a principle, no person in full-time employment should be in poverty.
Set a minimum wage of RM1,350 for 2015 and target RM1,850 by 2020 in order to achieve the 40% CE/GDP ratio as proposed by the honourable Minister in charge of Economic Planning Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid Omar. With GNI target of RM1.7 trillion by 2020 this proposed amount should be the minimum wage set by the government. This amount is 10% higher than our proposed relative poverty threshold (RM1,200). An annual increase of 6.5% from the 2015 minimum wage will reach the minimum wage of RM1,850 by 2020.
Capping top executives’ pay. Companies should be discouraged from the practices of paying top level executives more than 50 times the median or average wage. This can be achieved through tax disincentives.
Recognise the collective rights of workers. Clauses in the Trade Unions Act should be revised to empower Trade Unions and Malaysia should ratify the ILO convention.
Limit the use of foreign workers in certain industries. Government should increase the foreign worker levy to RM5,000 and set limits of foreign worker employment by industry. Government may allow 100% foreign workers for genuine domestic maids. However, there should be zero foreign workers in the service and manufacturing, a maximum 30% for construction and 50% for agro based / plantation industry.
5. Affordable Housing. As a principle, every citizen should be given the opportunity to own a house fit for living. The government has invested large sums of money to foster and support the culture of innovation including social innovation. What better way of getting the return on investment than finding innovative ways to deliver affordable homes to