KON 0861/84 VOL. IV: NO. 5 MAY 1984 PRICE: $1.00
fur Justice,Freedom,Solidarity • THE MCA
CRISIS.. he MCA, the second largest political Ong Yoke Lin, Tan Siew Sin, and the Association. Tparty in the country is currently in towkay leaders gathered around Tun Tan This was followed by t he ignominous the midst of an internal conflict which Ch eng Lock, who was al ready in his defeat of the MCA in the 1969 elections threatens to sp lit it down the middle. Yet waning years. By 1959 t he party was after which there was a new ca ll for about two years ago, many observers badly divided and the co nflict was only "Chinese Un ity" . In the aftermath of the were noting that it was more united and overcome when the Young Turks left the 1969 riots, the move was, apparently, stabl e than it had been for over a decade. party. In essence then, the problem was we lcomed. The party expanded rapidly The th en Pres ident, Datuk Lee San swept outside the party and a new and wa s rejuvenated. Nevertheless, these Choon had firm co ntrol over the party. period of ca lm and unity prevailed. gains aga in proved temporary. Judging from its claim of 500,000 mem- However, the ca lm was short-lived Many of the Young Turks, often bers and it s success in the Apri I 1982 for in the mid-sixties, new conflicts arose recent members, like Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, General El ections it appeared to be at the though of lesser proportions. As earlier, Paul Leong, Dr. Tan Tiong Hong, T .C. height of a new wave of popular support . the confli cts were not so much resolved Choong, Alex Lee and their supporters What has go ne wrong? What are the as "exported away" as in t he case of Sim who had called for substantive internal reasons for this turn-about? What does Mow Yee's departure, then MCA Youth reforms were subsequently expelled from this tell us of the MCA and of the practise deputy leader and concurrently President the party in 1973. The immediate ca use of politics in Ma laysia? And what lessons of the Ch inese School Teachers' was their challenge of the MCA stalwarts ma y we learn from these developments? Perennial Struggle for Leadership It is our belief that this sudden, though not unexpected change, has come about as a result of the MCA's perennial leadership struggles. The party, seemi ngly stable, and its slogan of "Chinese Unity" notwithstand ing , has always been divided into cliques and factions gat hered arou nd rt icula r leaders. In deed , a survey of the CA's c.hequered history of 35 yea rs reveals that there have been as many, f not more, occasions of unrest and nflict as there have been periods of bility and unity. In fact, in the late fifties, less than a cade after its formation, the MCA was ready faced with a major crisis. Then, a oup of "Young Turks" led by Dr. Lim ng Eu, Too Joan Hing, Yong Pung w, Tan Suan Kok and Ng Ek Teong ied themselves with Tun H.S. Lee and llenged the party stalwarts comprising ban, Kuala Lumpur and the Kinta Vall 11111 where the Chinese community concentrated. olitics in t IS Viewed within this larger conte 1111 we see that the present conflict is butt latest in a series of crises that the pa b ut elites a e1r has undergone over the past 35 yea Ironically, the slogan of the party h always been "Chinese Unity". str I f r Commenting on the current situatio 1M Dr. Tan Chee Khoon has remarked th "the MCA is only running true to form" I st t r He has also asked "will the MCA nev learn from the lessons of history?" which then included Tun Tan Siew Sin, were various allegations that Lee had Indeed, the problems, particularly o Lee San Choon, Lee Siok Yew and Kam master-minded his victory through leadership, have always been "expelled" Woon Wah. But the related and more control of the numerous branch executive away. And despite the party's claim to important issu~ was their demand for secretaries and the state committees. "collective leadership", power is actually greater democracy withif") the party and a Tensions reamined high and in 1981, concentrated in the hands of the Presi- curb of the President's powers which was, just before . the next party elections, dent·. Witness for instance, how the however, not achieved. The stalwarts sixty-one members were expelled inclu- opposition has been dealt control of the party machinery and ding former , Minister and Deputy current and past disputes. support by the government contributed President Lee Siok Yew and former to their victory over the reformers most deputy Minister Wong Seng Chow. Many Cliques Not Issues of whom joined the Gerakan ultimately. of those expelled were sympathetic to A second point that 1s Important to Once again the. problem was "evicted" Chen. Reading the writing on the wall, note is that in this, as in previous crise., rather than resolved. Consequently, Chen did not challenge Lee for the apart from the call for greater party power continued to be concentrated in presidency a second time. Subsequently, democracy, there does not seem to be the hands of the President. Chen resigned and led a group of suppor- any other issue of great importance that Be that as it may, stability and unity ters into the Gerakan thus rejoining his separates one clique from another. Not did not return to the MCA. Datuk erstwhile Young Turk colleagues. surprising, so-called "Young Turks" can Michael Chen who had been sympathetic With these departures, and Richard turn "Old Guards" overnight. Former to the Young Turks had remained behind Ho's own resignation in August 1982 members of parties opposed to the MCA in the party. Thus when Tun Tan stepped after he was not re-nominated for the may even turn ardent supporters of down as President in 1974 and Lee San April elections, a new calm within the contending cliques within the MCA, and Choon and Lee Siok Yew moved up, old MCA surfaced. But party democracy had vice versa. Witness for example Lee Siok wounds were re-opened . also been further eroded. For the first Yew working so closely with Lee San But the impending conflict took a time since he took over in 1974, Lee Choon in 1971-73 only to throw his twist in 1977 when Lee San Choon tried had no contenders within the party. And weight behind Michael Chen against to replace his Deputy, Lee Siok Yew, when he appointed his protege Dr. Neo Lee several years later. Likewise, one of with Chong Hon Nyan. With Lee Siok Yee Pan as his Deputy in 1982, he those recently expelled, Chan Teck Chan, Yew's support, Chen, the Minister for Housing and New Villages, won the No. 2 spot in the contest. For the next two years Lee San Choon was forced to work •••~ in a situation where alongside a deputy whom he could not fully trust. Things were uneasy. To conso- lidate his position, Lee further concen- im o ant issues are trated power in the office of the Presi- dent. Apart from appointing his own men to head the various state liaison commit- not addr ssed, p rty tees, who in turn nominated their supporters to their state teams, provisions were also made necessitating Lee's cli u s em r e on this approval in the appointment of executive secretaries in all MCA branches. Not surprisingly, Chen challenged Lee patronag basis for the top post in 1979. His running- mate was Richard Ho, Minister of Labour ensured that the No. 2 man was someone is a former OAP leader. Yet, other and a former OAP MP who joined the he could trust. With that, not only was former OAP leaders like Seow Hun Khim MCA in 1971 because of the exciting Lee's position strengthened but the and Chin Nyok Soo who joined the reforms the Young Turks were then party also achieved greater unity and MCA with Chan some years ago, are now calling for, but who like Chen, had stayed stability. The stability coincided with the on the opposite side of the conflict. And behind in the MCA. Once again Lee electoral successes in April 1982 when what of the political "chameleon" Lim picked Chong Hon Nyan as his running- Kean Siew in Penang who is reported to mate. the MCA won 24 of 28 parliamentary and 55 of 62 .state seats it contested. It was a have sacked Lee Jong Ki, the Penang In the elections, the results of which significant improvement over the MCA's MCA secretary whom he himself ./' were subsequently challenged in court, performance in 1978 especially since its appointed some years back? Chen was defeated but Ho won. There victories were in urban areas like Serem- Politics in the MCA, then, like it is so
ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 2 1 in the other parties too, is about ; and their struggle for power against another. Indeed, the present crisis sparked off more because of Neo's ,intmen+ of Datuk Mak Hon Kam as liti s 1g Deputy President rather than use o~ " phantom voters" or any r issue. Nevertheless, the point is that najor issues that confront us - like a ening ethnic situation, the erosion of ties or the widening gap between the and the poor - are issues beyond 1iavellian power politics, they are 1tially those of an ethnic nature like s her Neo has represented the Chinese uately or not. ts rt Internal Strife to Date? their reporting has been less than objec- the President of the MCA Youth though 1ere are some who believe that the tive. Indeed they are partly responsible its secretary-general Chew Hock Thye nt strife is the worst that the MCA for generating much emotional support is a Neo man. ,xperienced. Judging from the news- one way or another. Indeed non-MCA Moreover, Tan's "management" of the reports of expulsions, sackings, Chinese individuals and associations have Federal Territory MCA has also been nsions of members and of 65-odd also been drawn into the dispute. The extremely impressive. Over the years he :hes, demonstrations, the call by fact that newspapers in Malaysia are has established 24 "service centres" run hirds of the delegates to the last linked to political parties doe not augur by full-time staff throughout Kuala al meeting for an Emergency well for the media's role as a defender of Lumpur catering for various needs of ral Meeting, the threat by seven MPs truth and democracy. the Chinese community - from filling iding those who have been expelled) Secondly, in terms of support within ui1!:,a ssport forms to applying for licences 32 state assemblymen to leave the the party, the two sides are more than and low-cost housing. Through these , the MCA seems hopelessly divided. evenly matched. centres he has gathered much support party elders who were previously Although Neo's faction controls the from the Chinese community at large. d behind Lee San Choon have now party machinery, and the two largest Around him too are gathered some of 1 sides. And even Lee who has now state committees, namely Johore and the most dynamic young leaders that the ed-in to mediate appears to be Perak, Tan Koon Swan and Datuk Lee party has recruited in recent years. These l obstacles. Kim Sai have control over the Federal well-educated, often tri-lingual, leaders 1ese are several reasons why the Territory and Selangor committees. have been involved with Tan in organising ict has become so serious. Additionally, through Datuk Ling a ser ies of "political seminars" up and it is partly because there has rstly, Liong Sik and Lee Jong l 3 ALI RAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 as it were, and the "pay-offs" for loyal have become extremely attractive. And a situation where important issues are f r addressed, party cliques emerge on t patronage basis. Thus the paradox increasing support for the MCA on t one hand, but heightening conflict with' the party on the other. In conclusion then, we note the sor s state of the practice of politics within t MCA specifically but in the count generally. Politics which should be abo t creating a moral, just and united comm nity has become a power game for elit who literally buy support through han f outs. These hand-outs have led on t a blind loyalties to, very often, moral! bankrupt politicians. As if that was no I SI liti bad enough, these politicians furth resort to whipping up ethnic emotions on behalf of Chinese Malaysians - the holder of the MPH, considered the second Such blind support for morally-bankrup MCA's response to the New Economic largest holding company in the country. and communal politicians is the sadd Policy. These projects include Kolej These projects not only provide end-result of Malaysian po! itics especial! Tengku Abdul Rahman, the Kojadi benefits of sorts to members of the pub! ic since ethnic relations are worsening higher education loan scheme, the - another reason contributing to MCA's inequalities increasing, our democrati building and now the running of the MCA new wave of support - but also allows liberties being further eroded away headquarters, the management of the those in control to distribute all kinds of and our peace being threatened. Chinese Cultural Centre, but above all, "hand-outs" to supporters. These hand- The sooner we all wake up from sue the Koperatif Serbaguna Malaysia (KSM) outs range from loans and shares to places elite-centric power politics the better i and the Multipurpose Holdings Berhad in the college, to scholarships, jobs and will be for all Malaysians. (MPH) . The KSM is the largest share- promotions. The "spoils of victory" by LOH KOK WA ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 4 Population Growth: MALAYSIA IN THE YEAR The government is crazy! 2100 A.O.! The government's aim to increase the Sometime last year the Prime Minister, population growth to 70 million in 115 Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, was reported af years is both disappointing and having said during an interview that h~ disturbing. Disappointing because the could not decide how the next P.M. present leadership which has been should live. It was indeed very noble of projecting itself as a thinking leadership him not to impose his will and style on seems to be bankrupt iA its thinking. the next leader succeeding ·him. I wish his Disturbing because it has got its facts concern was also for the future_genera- totally wrong! tions of Malaysians - how they should According to the many letters and live and what they prefer as their articles following the announcement of I ife-style. this policy, it would appear. that the Would the succeeding generations of government is indeed absolutely wrong Malaysians prefer to live in a congested in its calculation of figures. If the govern- Malaysia? Would they prefer to live as Aim for a 70 million Population ment is slightly off its projected figure squatters? Would they be served the right it is excusable. But in this case it is way medicine at the hospital counters or told I am appalled by the Prime Minister's off! that there is no money for effective recent call to Malaysians to aim for a It is fortunate that in this matter it is drugs? Would treatment at the cardiac 70 million population target before the possible to prove by figures that the units be available or would the Health year 2100! The reasons given for seeking government is wrong in its policy. But and Education Ministries be squabbling this population increase go against all how does one prove that the government as to who is responsible for their logic and common sense. is also wrong in other areas as well? How -functioning? Would there be enough We obtained our Merdeka almost does one prove that the government's hospitals and hospital beds or would they 27 years ago and look at the state of the Look East Pol icy is wrong; its Privatisa- be told that it would be less cumbersome nation today. Our government's ill- tion Policy is ridiculous; its Made-in- to die? Would there be safe highways or oonceived policies - so cruelly immutable Malaysia Car Policy is a sham; its Hard death-traps all the way? Would there be - have resulted in continuing rural and Work Policy is a lot of bull? How does cheap and efficient transport available? urban poverty, extremely poor housing one immediately prove that we are Would the poverty disparity be alarming? and very unsatisfactory health and heading for disaster? The effects of these With a mere 14 million population, we medical care, just to mention a few of disastrous policies can only be felt much are unable to provide their basic needs the nation's ills. Even without a popula- later - when it would be just too late! today. We are unable to provide housing tion increase our inherently poor policies Can you imagine that only a dozen loan to every worker because there is no (and poorer implementation) are bound years ago the government's policy was to money. We are unable to build cheap to make our many problems snowball. restrict population growth by limiting houses because there is no money. We are Our political leaders have always maternity benefits to 3 children. We unable to improve the railway services oonsidered themselves as the people who didn't have the vision then to plan because there is no money. We are unable know best. Hence, the mess in so many effectively beyond 12 years, and yet to have single session schools throughout areas in our national life, from national today we are planning for 115 years! We the country because there is no money to unity to education. Once again, there is tried to limit the population growth in bui Id more . schools. We are unable to ample evidence that the voices of even the early 70s when the economy of this consider salary revision because there is the demographers and experts, let alone nation was vibrant and healthy. And yet no money. We are unable to grant the people, are being brushed aside on today when the economy is in shambles favourable tax reliefs because there is no this vital question of population increase. we encourage population growth! At this money. For almost every thing there is no A 70 million population? What for? rate, in the year 2100 A.O., i.e. 115 years money and there are ·only 14 million of Lean and hungry-looking men and later, Malaysia will not be in peace, it will us, mind you! women living in shacks, diseased men, be in pieces!! How then is Malaysia going to manage women and children without proper with a population of 70 million? It is a education or even basic medicare etc. God Bless Us. frightening prospect! 115 years is a long etc. etc. do not make a modern and time. What would be the future needs of progressive Malaysia. H.T. Lim Malaysia a century later, no one can tell. No, thank you, P.M. I will heed Butterworth. But we know our immediate needs. Let the call of the family planners to stop us think of the present and direct our at 2 - not 2 a. m. ! How about a slogan for attention to the present mess we are in. Malaysia has made many blunders population growth! Please serve the few adequately NOW since Independence. Aiming thoughtlessly before you dream of serving the many for a 70 million population will surely The government is so absurdly obsess- in some remote future when you be its greatest . Dear P.M ., you will not ed with productivity, that its leaders are wouldn't be there to witness the misery be around when there are 70 million screaming daily, "Work! Work! Work!" you are responsible for! Malaysians . It will only be your posthu- Now that they want the people to pro- Let us not successfully condemn mous sequel, not in words but in very duce more children, I wonder how our succeeding generations of Malaysians to real terms, to The Malay Dilemma - The leaders would urge the people to meet an irreversible policy of doom and Malaysian Dilemma. this goal! destruction! Pisces Product of Hardwork! Hopelessly Doomed! Penang. Penang. Penang. 5 ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 consider the following:- Yet here we are trying to make it worse 1. EDUCATION. There is a serious by discouraging proper and sane family 70 MILLION: RECONSIDER shortage of classrooms and good planning. It is no big deal for a big teachers. There are still not enough brother to create a population crisis. Any I am alarmed over the Prime Minister's places in the institutes of higher rabbit can do that. But it takes a great call to Malaysians to breed like rats, so learning. deal of wisdom, dedication and selfless- that we can have a population of 70 2. HOUSING. Theoretically speaking, the ness to give ordinary people a better million. I am equally alarmed by his logic Klang Valley can provide enough space quality of life through better education, that this land of ours has the resources for every Malaysian. Why is the proper health care, suitable housing and to sustain such a population growth. The government not able to put up enough wise management of natural resources. I question is what kind of standard of housing for even such a small would rather have a single Gandhi from living is he talking about? Do we want population? Malaysia than have a nation of 70 million another India here? 3. EMPLOYMENT. Unemployment is consumers. The lack of thinking followed by the still a serious problem in this country. Finally, how would a person who lack of serious reflection and debate in And there are 500,000 drug addicts earns $300/- a month with a wife and five Parliament gives one a chill down the to think about. kids to feed benefit from the fourth and spine. What is the purpose of having a 4. BASIC AMENITIES like water and fifth child income tax relief? In fact those Parliament when personal predilections electricity are still not available to who earn enough to be able to cope with can become public policy overnight? This thousands of the rural poor. additional children are the least keen to sort of trend is becoming commonplace 5. HEALTH CARE. There is a shortage have more - they know better than to and I wonder what is going to happen of hospital beds, doctors, health care follow a crazy government policy. Only next if whims and fancies can be imple- centres in the rural areas. And even in those who can't think for themselves, mented without much opposition. The the urban areas, good medical services who need a lot of help both financially absence of spontaneous reaction for or are expensive and beyond the reach of and educationally will blindly follow the against the idea of having a population of most people. leader. 70 million makes me wonder whether The call to breed a higher population To promote a better life for the anybody cares abeut what sort of place wi II only compound the already unsatis- youngsters of this nation, it would be we will be like in the next few decades. factory situation. Instead the government more realistic for the government to This indifference is going to cost us should be encouraging family planning seriously consider giving tax-payers a dearly. Maybe there are many people who and, most of all, getting rid of corruption higher tax relief for parents. Instead of still care but the mass media is afraid to so that the wealth and resources of this the present $800/- for the 1st child it give the other side of the issue. The country cari be more justly distributed. should be increased to $3,000/-, $2,000/- newspapers especially must give adequate It is easier for a father to have children and $1,000/- for the first, second and coverage to information on the bad than for children to have a real father, to third chi Id respectively. effects of having a large population. The borrow the words of Pope John XXI 11. It Lastly, mothers should be given longer mass media have the moral responsibility is easy to impregnate a woman but the maternity leave to afford unhurried to educate the public to think, to analyse, responsibility that accompanies the individual care for their newborn. There to make a decision based on hard facts, arrival of the newborn is another thing is really no need to burden our mothers otherwise it is tantamount to flattering altogether. Social ills and diseases all over with millions of other babies. the Prime Minister's ego . Before the the world are caused primarily by lack of government moves its machinery to proper parental care. Over-population is a Tan Hock Ang achieve the population target, h should serious problem confronting the world. Petaling Jaya Where is the social justice for our rakyat? Is this kind of justice only available to the so-called first-class Does a community which was living them inherited the land from their rakyat? The second-class rakyat is left for many years legally on their own land predecessors. They were legally living on behind to suffer. but had to evacuate to another piece of their former land . But why were they land just for the sake of the so called called squatters? AmranAhmad "development for the ·people's benefit", Is this how people ought to be treated, Shah Alam deserve to be called squatters? after having sacrificed their own land just Will someone please clarify whether to make way for a governmeht project they rightly and legally deserve that (purportedly the Penang Bridge & High- classification? way)? Is it fair and just? The Printing Bill: A Response This dilemma is faced by more than The second point is that before the To Chandra's Comment 120 households. They are now living evacuation, it was agreed that the new I read with great interest and admira- in a new area somewhere in Subang Jaya. site will have basic infrastructure and tion your letter which was published Formerly, they lived in Kampung Teluk, amenities, namely, water, electricity, yesterday in the Star. It takes great Prai. After the painful evacuation (with drainage and a sanitary system. courage on your part and on the part of insufficient compensation) to a new site, More than 1 ½ months have gone by the organisation you are heading to come without any infrastructure and proper since the 120 households moved from up openly against the Printing Press amenities - they are now branded as Prai to the new site in Subang Jaya. But Bill. May I in a small way lend my squatters by the Authorities. Squatters the people have no electricity! The sweet support to your conviction and hope that ' are illegal occupants of land. But these promises remain promises. you will keep up the good work. kampung folks were not illegal occupants This is what will eventually happen to of land in Kg. Teluk, Prai. Some of them other kampung folks, if such activities LSK • hold grants of their former land. Most of and . practices are not put to an end . Kuala Lumpur " ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 6 T e con my NEP: Beyond 1990? lot of the fears expressed among At the same time, the NEP has created advantage. This sense of unfairness, this Aboth Bumiputras and non-Bumi- a small number of Bumiputra millionaires feeling of discrimination among non- putras about what would happen if the and a larger number of Bumiputra Bumiputras is largely responsible for New Economic Policy (NEP) was either businessmen who are dependent upon their negative attitude towards the terminated by, or extended beyond, 1990 state patronage for the success of their NEP. This is why many of them view the arise from a misconception of the role economic act1v1t1es. Because of this NEP especially in relation to educational and importance of the NEP. To start dependence, they have failed to develop opportunities and social mobility as with, we must realise that even if there genuine entrepreneurial qualities. inimical to their interests. was no NEP, the special position of the Some of these business elites have As a result of what is perceived as the Bumiputras and special institutions that established Ali-Baba relationships with NEP's Bumiputra bias, non-Bumiputra cater for Bumiputra interests would still their non-Bumiputra counterparts. Others groups are also organising educational be there. For the 'special position' of have forged ties with foreign corpora- and economic activities along ethnic the Bumiputras is entrenched in the tions. As a result, foreign control of the lines. The emergence of huge communal, constitution while Bumiputra institutions industrial sector remains as powerful as capitalist conglomerates within the like MARA have existed for a long while ever. The Bumiputra._foreign entrepreneur Chinese and Indian communities in - even before the NEP. More crucial, response to the bureaucractic capitalist however, the NEP, though important, is programmes undertaken by thH govern- not the be-all and end-all of everything. the NEP is certainly ment or behalf of the Bumiputras has It is wrong to believe the NEP is the been one of the most dangerous charac- key to the survival of the Bumiputras; one of the majo~· teristics of the NEP era. neither is it the lock that keeps the causes of ethnic The communalization of education non-Bumiputras out of the halls of and the economy - added in to the progress. In other words, the NEP is polarization in the already pervasive communalism in politics not the solution to the vast array of - has further polarized the Bumi putra challenges confronting the Bumiputras country. and non-Bumiputra communities. For just as its removal will not result automa- that reason the NEP is certainly one of tically in the prosperity of the non- tie-up has perpetuated the flow of capital the major causes of ethnic polarization Bumiputras. from the country without any reciprocal in the country. By dividing resources Before we examine the truth about development of indigenious technology. along communal lines, through explicit the NEP , let us look at its ach ievements Indeed, by strengthening the position of and implicit quotas, in a wide variety of and shortcomings. On the positive side, Bumiputra, foreign and some non- areas, the NEP has made communalism it has increased Bumiputra participation Bumiputra business elites, the NEP has almost a way of life. This is the supreme in a number of areas connected with in fact highlighted the lop-sided, elite- irony for the stated objective of the commerce, industry and the professions. oriented character of the economy. NEP is to unite the people. The dramatic expansion in the Bumiputra An equally unhealthy consequence student population in al I the universities of the NEP is the proliferation of public in the last decade is an outstanding sector agencies set up ostensibly to public sect~r agencies example. However, one has to ask assist Bumiputras in various soci- whether widespread Bumi putra partici- economic ventures but which have now have now become pation in various spheres of society become citadels of power and prestige citadels of power and cculd not have been achieved in some for influential bureaucrats who are other way? It is also true that as a result beyond the control of either Parilament prestige for influential of the NEP there is now greater aware- or people. Recent episodes have revealed ness of the importance of reducing the how inefficient and incompetent some bureaucrats who are identification of ethnicity with occu- of these agencies are and how obvious beyond the control of pation inherited from the co lonial past. malpractices have been institutionalized Unfortunately, because of the NEP's in these places. either Parliament or own communal approach there is a Indeed, the decline of ethics in the tendency to see this objective in terms management of public institutions is yet people. of the interests of one's own community. another of the adverse effects of the Of the negative aspects of the NEP, NEP. In the name of Bumiputraism, the most obvious is its fa il ure to come standa rds and principles are sometimes Why the NEP has failed to achieve its to grips with the problem of poverty. sacrificed. The subordination of eternal own goals can only be explained by In spite of the fact that the eradication values such as excel lence and ability analysing its origin. When the NEP came of poverty irrespective of ethnicity is will undoubtedly weaken the moral into being in 1969, it was essentially a the first prong of the NEP, it is signifi- fibre of the community. It is already reflection of the interests and aspirations cant that poverty has increased in the beginning to influence non-Bumiputra of an embryonic Bumiputra middle- last few years to a point where 42.8% perceptions of the Bumiputra commu- class which wanted to establish itself in of the popu lation lives below the peverty- nity. It is alleged that the disregard for the economy. Since Bumiputras were line. standards has given Bumiputras an unfair politically pre-eminent the most effective 7 ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 way of accomplishing this aim was approaches. Specific examples will clarify through state power. This is why the what we -mean. state in the last 15 years has gone all out As a long-term m·easure in tackling we must evolve to promote Bumiputra interests asso- poverty in the padi-sector for instance we ciated with middle-class. Central to these may want to integrate uneconomic just, egalitarian interests, is 'the strengthening of the holdings to enable farmers to own Bumiputra position in the middle and medium-sized farms. In the process, we policies which upper echelons of commerce, industry may want to control the purchase of and the professions. uneconomic holdings by big farm opera- will be to the It explains why the government is tors. It is these rural elites who wi 11 be more concerned about the number of unhappy with policies of this sort. It is advantage of the executives and directors the NEP has well-known that some of them are linked produced than the number of techni- to the political elites. Similarly, if the majority of our cians and craftsmen it has trained. It marketing network of small and medium- explains why the failure rate among a sized farmers is strengthened, it is the people. 100-odd Bumiputra engineering students big-time transport operators who will is more important to the government protest. If easy credit facilities are made by-phase evolution through peaceful, than the drop-out rate among thousands available for poor padi-farmers, it is the democratic means. In the short-run of Bumiputra children in the rural areas. shopkeeper, the 'chetty' the middle-man therefore, there wi 11 be a need for certain It explains why the government is who will get annoyed and try to sabotage measures which will reduce ethnic appre- obsessed with increasing the Bumiputra the effort. The question we have to ask hensions brought about by inequities share of corporate capital than with is this: why should we protect the embedded in the existing social structure. overcoming the problems arising from interests of these exploitative elements For example, before the effects of a more uneconomic Bumiputra farm holdings. against the well-being of the exploited egalitarian education system are felt by There are numerous other examples majority? society at large, it may be necessary to to show that th~ NEP is more inclined The same would apply to other ensure that those who come from dis- to the interests of the middle and upper areas of the economy. If rubber estates advantaged socio-economic backgrounds echelons within the Bumiputra commu- are run as genuine workers' co-operatives do not suffer in the intake into univer- nity than to the well-being of the poor it . is the handful of local capitalists and sities. And so, we may want to combine and powerless majority. some of the large-scale private corpora- socio-economic characteristics with aca- demic accomplishments in considering applicants. Similarly, since certain pro- fessions and services may be dominated by one community or the other, we may want to encourage multi-ethnic partici- pation. This means that if there are 10 vacan cies in the survey department which is more non-bumiputra at the moment, E ::, and there are 30 applicants, 10 Bumi- I putras and 20 non-Bumiputras, one B0 would perhaps recruit 50% of the Bumi- .c: a.. putras and 25% of the non-Bumiputras Two boys selling packet drinks in Kedah. which would work out numerically as 5 - Bumiputras and 5 non-Bumiputras. In It is because of this orientation that tions who will lose out. Similarly, if tin- another area, say the clerical service, where there are more Bumiputras, one the NEP has generated so much anta- mines are owned and managed by the would recruit a higher percentage of non- gonism between the communities. For workers and the community - and not Bumiputras to rectify the ethnic the aspiring Bumiputra middle-class is in by wealthy private individuals - wouldn't imbalance. If there is this fair, even- competition with an established non- the nation as a whole benefit? handed approach, which is at the same Bumiputra middle-class for the same It will be observed from all these time flexible, there would be much less economic goods and the same social cases, that the poor and powerless who ethnic antagonism. mobility. In this competition each uses will stand to gain come from all commu- However, the point must be empha- communal sen1iments to secure and nities. By the same token, the rich and sised that these are short-term measures. advance its interests. This is because powerful who exercise dominance and communalism not only enables the control also come from all communi- The rectification of what appears to be ethnic imbalances in certain spheres is middle class to maintain its dominance ties. What this indicates is that only by best accomplished through the type of in regard to its own community but it emphasising the common interests of also serves to strengthen its position the poor and powerless will we be able to wholistic transformation directed towards in relation to its rival community. In establish a strong basis for national the well-being of the the end, this leads to serious inter-ethnic unity. At the same time, we would have discussed earlier on. • tackled poverty and restructured society tension and conflict. Summary of a speech by Dr. Chandra What then is the solution? If our in the sense that wealth and opportuni- Muzaffar at a forum in Penang on the NEP. purpose is to eliminate poverty, restruc- ties would have been transferred from a , ture society and unite the communities small segment of society to the majority then we must evolve just, egalitarian of the populace. policies which will be to the advantage Of course, this will take time since of the majority of our people. There must we believe that the only way to achieve · be both long-term and short-term these goals is by a step-by-step, phase- ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 8 Privatisation Caution! Since the mid-sixties the ASEAN Apart from efficiency, privatization is the same time, managers and workers, region has seen tremendous expansion also motivated by the capitalist philo- who do not own a certain industry or of the public sector. The state is involved sophy of ASEAN governments and the business, are provided with various in all sorts of activities, including various existence of private entrepreneurs incentives. This increases motivation. businesses. Apart from aiming at the associated with the state or certain Also, decision-making in the private provision of basic necessities and ful- political leaders,who are keen on running sector is not that hierarchical or filling public po\ icy_ state expansion is profitable state enterprises. State leaders centra lized . This is yet another factor due to (a) the reluctance of private are even keener on handing over such that enhances the commitment of the capital to invest in certain areas (b) the enterprises to them for a variety of worker to his job. There is no reason why need to set up vital industries and (c) the reasons. all these positive aspects of private growth of subsidiaries which have to be That certain aspects of public sector sector management cannot be incor- established once the state is involved activities are inefficient is so met hi ng that porated into the public sector - without in certain economic ventures. many people would agree with. By privatization. In the last few years however there inefficiency one means decline or We should be cautious about priva- has been a growing feeling that this deterioration in the quality of service. tisation because there are many negative expansion of the pub\ ic sector was wrong. Long delays in getting so met hi ng done elements in it. (a) In societies like ours It is said that it has caused wastefu l would be an example. where there are a lot of poor people, expenditure and has become a burden From that point of view the priavate getting profit-motivated private com- to the people. sector is, on the whole, more efficient panies to run important social services As a remedy, some ASEAN govern- than the public sector. But that is not is going to make life more difficult for ments are now turning to privatisation. because of ownership as such. For in the poor. (b} If the poor are going to be Pri vatisation is essentially denationali za- many modern business enterprises, deprived of certain essential services tion. It is handing over to private owner- ownership is quite remote from manage- because of privatisation, the already ship and control what was previously ment. What explains efficiency is good serious disparities in standards of living in state hands. supervision at the managerial level. At between the upper and lower classes 9 ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 will become even worse. (c) With private which are inimical to the larger well- democracy and egalitarianism in the .- businesses a·nd industries the state will being of the human community. It pro- work-place. encounter greater problems when it wants motes selfishness, greed and acquisitive- Quite apart from al I this, one has to to enforce standards for the public good. ness in individuals and whole groups. ensure that within the public sector and . The experience of governments in deve- Rather than go headlong into priva- society as a whole the norms of justice loped countries, for example, in trying to tisation, we should first examine the and fairplay are strictly observed. There persuade private food manufacturers not public sector critically to see how we can should be no discrimination or nepotism. to use certain chemical additives is proof overcome its many shortcomings. For a More than that, there must be a con- of this. (d) Just because a service is start, those enterprises which require a certed endeavour to curb corruption. privatised we should not assume that public expenditure connected with it will getting profit-motivated private companies to be reduced considerably. This need not happen for private sector activities are run important social services is going to make also supported by the state through life more difficult for the poor subsidies, loans and protective legislation. (e) There are many indirect costs of strong sense of commitment and involve- For corruption, like nepotism and dis- private enterprise which are, in fact, ment on the part of the individual entre- crimination, results in the decline of borne by the general public. Advertise- preneur should be handed over to the morale and leads inevitably to ineffi- ments, competition and th.e wastage it private sector. Examples of this would ciency within the public sector. entails tend to increase the price of goods be restaurants or retail provision stores Finally, public sector performance also and services. The public pays for this or even farms. depends on how much democracy is without realising the link. Inflation is Other types of socio-economic acti- practised in society as a whole. If the often a consequence of private sector vities which involve basic resources or press, consumer societies, political parties competition and its drive for more and essential services or important industries and other organisations are free to more profits. So in the end the public should be managed by the public sector. challenge state-run services and enter- suffers all the , same. (f) Sometimes Their performance can be improved prises, there is some hope yet for a truly privatisation need not even lead to considerably if (a) wages are increased effective public sector. efficiency in the conventional sense. For (b) wage gaps are narrowed (c) work All said and done then the solution does not lie in privatisation. For all its corruption results in the decline of morale and deficiencies, the pub I ic sector is still concerned with service. And that is leads inevitably to inefficiency within reason enough to preserve and strengthen the public sector it - for the good of everyone. In that sense, the concept of 'the pub I ic sector' in the ASEAN region as in many other incentives are provided (d) social mobility represents values and ideals which are far Third World Countries there are mono- is enhanced especially for the lower and superior to anything privatisation can polies and oligopolies which, because of middle categories (e) educational oppor- offer. • their control over the market, tend to tunities are expanded (f) decision-making become inefficient and lethargic. (g) Most is decentralized and (g) the scope for important of all, privatisation, in a sense, participation in managing a service or lends legitimacy to certain disvalues department is widened through greater •.. A HIGH GIUAUlY OFUFE AL.SO REQUIRES THE c.mr,o~ CR ~ TOSS ...,. EU. Wrnl- Eri'flROkM6NT ! ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 10 coordinate these activities apart from organising those aspects of telecoms Privatisation and which have to be managed on a national scale like research and staff transfers. Once the district becomes the basic ",I Telecoms unit of the service, there is a greater likelihood that its effectiveness will increase. This is because decision-making long delays in connecting calls, bad lines, will not be bogged down by numerous cross I ines and frequent breakdowns. levels of authority protected by kilo- What the government should do now metres of red-tape. Besides, the public is to set up an independent board of will be in a better position to exercise investigation comprising telecommunica- control which in turn could compel tion, management and financial experts, telecoms to be more responsive. apart from representatives of consumer To enhance further the quality of bodies, whose task it will be to undertake performance, it may be advisable to a comprehensive analysis of the failings convert the service itself into a state-run of telecoms. The board should then company. Since this will allow it to be suggest ways and means of improving the managed as a commercial enterprise, wage services. incentives, bonuses, merit allowances and In examining the causes of ineffi- the like can be used to increase produc- ciency, the board could perhaps find tivity. Besides, as a state company it will out if the lack of occupational mobility enjoy considerable financial autonomy for the lower and middle echelons of the and administrative independence which in services is one of the major contributory most circumstances could help bring factors. Are workers at these levels paid about greater efficiency. adequate salaries? Can we improve their A good example of a state-run com- working conditions? Can we pro~de pany that is doing well is the Malaysian The nature and extent of privatisation more technical and administrative training Airlines System (MAS). There is no of the telecommunication services is still for staff at the middle level? Can we reason why other public sector bodies not known. We do not know for certain involve ordinary workers in the decision- which are capable of generating revenue whether the telecommunication services making process in the various depart- - like Malayan Railways for instance - will be privatised, or how it will be ments? Can we ensure that those cannot be run along the same lines. This privatised or when it wi 11 be privatised. appointed to supervisory and manage- is one way by which some of the We do not know whether the entire ment positions are among the most strengths of private enterprise can be services would be privatised or certain capable and dedicated? Can we create incorporated into the re-organisation of aspects of the services would be both the environment and the mechanics the public sector. privatised. for effective supervision? Is the system of What all this shows is that telecoms The lack of information on this is reward and punishment in the services need not be inefficient. It need not be a indicative of the government's attitude fair and just? Is there a serious and burde'n to the tax-payer. In fact, it can towards most matters of pub I ic i mpor- sincere endeavour to curb and if possible become an important source of revenue - tance. The people are not told what is eliminate graft and other malpractices? if the government is prepared to under- going to happen. There is no consultation Are there sufficient checks against take far-reaching reforms. It is important with the people before a change of policy wastage? Is there too much duplication to note in this connection that even now is announced. Even telecoms workers are of roles at the apex? Is there under- telecoms is a significant money earner. not aware of what exactly is in store for utilisation of staff potential at certain In 1982 for instance its net profits them. There has been no real discussion levels? Among the staff as a whole, is were in the region of 250 million ringgit! with the workers themselves on the there a strong commitment to work and Given the phenomenal increase in tele- possible privatisation of the telecom- excellence in performance? Can the staff phone subscribers expected in the next munication services. be inculcated with good work ethics? few years, profits may well multiply The government must realize that In the answers to some of these by leaps and bounds. This is the supreme telecoms workers have every right to be questions may well lie the hope for the irony. A public service that is making involved in a decision that is boL,Jnd to evolution of a more effective and so much money is being proposed for have serious consequences on their dynamic telecommunication service. privatisation. And yet one of the most future. Indeed, a truly democratic govern- However, more than merely improving persistent arguments made for privatisa- ment will ensure that in an issue of such telecoms within its present structure, it tion ·is the need to reduce the financial great significance to the workers, their may be necessary to evaluate the very losses of the government. If money is not views would be sought and their consent organisation of the service. Why shouldn't a factor and if inefficiency can be taken obtained before anything is done. it be organised as a district-based com- care of through reorganisation of tele- Instead of going ahead with the munity service? This means that the coms, what other reason is there for privatisation the government should first service will be managed at district level privatisation? study the shortcomings of the tele- guided by the broad principles of national That there is no real basis for privatisa- communication services in the country. It policy. Planning will be done at the tion is obvious when we remember that a is generally true that the services have not district. Financial management and publicly owned telecommunication ser- been as efficient as they should be. In the recruitment of staff will be the district's vice has certain inherent advantages over last few years, there have been numerous responsibility just as billing, collecting a privately-managed private company. romplaints by countless telephone sub- payments, maintaining records and Firstly, the expansion of telecommuni- scribers due to grossly inaccurate bills, installing phones will. all be .done at the cation facilities into rural areas would not payments that have not been credited, district level. The national centre wi 11 have been as rapid if the enterprise was 11 ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 in private hands. It is doubtful if a profit- new technics or manufacturing new pay since it will be almost certainly oriented private company would want to products. And yet scientific reseach is catering for the middle and upper classes. undertake an extensive programme of important in the development of tele- This, in itself, wil I influence prices. Also, installing and maintaining telephone communications in our country since if the company has to keep al I the present booths in rural communities and poor technics created elsewhere have to be telecoms staff and offices - some of urban localities. adapted to our situation and new which it may regard >as redundant - it approaches have to be discovered which Secondly, a private company looking may want to recover the extra costs fulfil our own needs. What is the point incurred by raising prices so that its level for quick profits would not be inclined to then of handing over the service to the of profits is still high. invest huge sums of money in maintaining private sector if it cannot undertake this Finally, though a private company and expanding the technological infra- task? Of course, a government-run at the time of take-over may in all since- structure that is integral to the service. telecommunication service too may not rity assure telecoms employees that What this means is that even if the give any attention to scientific research they will not lose their jobs or existing government privatises the actual opera- but then at least because it is accountable benefits, there is no guarantee that after a tion of the service, the chances are that to the public, individuals and groups can few years, in the name of efficiency and the technological support-system will still pressurize it to do so. productivity, some workers will not be be maintained by public funds. In other Fourthly, in spite of assurances to the persuaded to resign or even dismissed. words, the government would be using contrary, it is quite likely that tele- This is simply because a private company the taxpayer's money to assist a private communication services will cost more - unlike a public enterprise - will keep company to maximise profits. Is this fair once they are privatised. To start with, a business going only if it is financially to the tax-payer? since privatisation will most probably lucrative. In other words, there is really Thirdly, just as a private company will mean handing over the service to one or no security of tenure in a privatised not be prepared to invest in infra- two companies, there is a strong venture. structure, so will it be reluctant to spend possibility of a monopoly situation For all these reasons then we must its earnings on research and innovation. emerging in telecommunications. This continue to argue forcefully against This is particularly true of private com- will make it easier for the prospective privatisation of the telecommunication panies in the Thir.d World who have company to raise the prices of rentals, services. • little interest in scientific research since installations, repairs and the like. Besides, they are not really involved in inventing the company may feel that its clients can which political blackmail, corruption and Privatisation: misuse of power are accepted as normal practices. It is also the problem of statu- tory bodies not having sufficient auto- nomy. They are tightly-controlled by the the Negative Consequences government. In principle, the public sector which really belongs to the public should serve the pub I ic without any Among the various concepts intro- "easy-to-read" form and another to discrimination or political motives. The duced by the 2-M government (Malaysia present only superficial outlines. government should be thinking of giving Incorporated, Look East, Islamic Values, The crucial feature of the public sector more autonomy to statutory bodies Heavy Industry Policy), privatization is none other than the word perkhid- rather than privatization. seems to be easier to understand even mat~ or "service". It denotes providing In the private sector of the capitalist though we are not told exactly what will service to the people, both the rich and system, the overwhelming concern is be privatized or how they will be priva- the poor. In many cases, this service profit or rather profit maximization. tized. As is usually the case, there is covers areas which are not profitable The primary aim is not providing service hardly any attempt to consult the people from the business point of view. For to the public, it is to "make money". No on this important issue. Basically it example, it is the public sector which doubt in making profit the private means transferring some of the services provides health services to the rural sector does provide service to the people, in the public sector to the private sector. areas including the more remote places. but this is not the same kind of service One of the arguments is that, if I may It is also the public sector which provides quote from a booklet released by I NTAN inexpensive health services to the public. The primary aim is not recently, -those institutions privatized Whiie not all rural areas have received the providing service to the public, "will be able to be more business-like supply of electrcity, LLN ( Lembaga it is to "make money". in their operations and thereby become Letrik Negara) has nevertheless extended more efficient and profitable". Is this its service to many rural areas. Surely mentioned earlier in the context of the argument valid? The booklet does not the private sector will not enter into such public sector. The service in the private examine the question in any depth. It areas which are r.iot profitable to operate. sector is solely a means to "making merely provides brief outlines of policies Some people may argue that the provi- money". We may call it commercial with hardly any elaboration. Recently sion of such public services in the rural service. We have seen so many commer- I have had the chance to read the booklet areas is often the result of a political cial advertisements which say that "we on National Agricultural Policy. It is game in which the ruling political parties serve the people", "we do this all for presented in very brief form too. I hope offer the provision of electricity supply, you" and so on. All sound very altruistic it is not a new trend that important telecommunication, better roads and so but we know that these are part of the government policies and plans are pre- on in exchange for votes. But this is business strategy to maximize profit. sented to the public in vague terms. It is really a different question. It is the The services are all for those who can e~e thing to present a document in problem of our socio-politico system in afford to pay. They all mean· the same ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 12 thing: "give more of your money to us". Now when LLN makes an announce- nent that a certain new service is provided, it means and it should mean .'ldt everybody can get the service. It is not an announcement to maximize profit even though there may be an additional charge. We may say that it is the public sector which can provide elements of what I call altruistic service. Altruistic service is true service. It is not a means to exploit others. It is an end itself. Its primary aim is service in the true sense of the word, not profit maximization. Of course the public sector, like the LLN, does have to make a profit in order to cover the cost of supply, maintenance, expansion, research and so on. Still its primary concern is service even though it may not be a wholly altruistic service. The public expect the public sector to provide this kind of service; hence the public sector should not be business-like in motive although certain pos1t1ve aspects of management in the private sector may be introduced. Here lies the fundamental difference .. in the ideology of the public sector and opportunities for more capitalist exploi- high, the public will protest and LLN the ideology of the private sector. Let tation. Who will benefit most from will then have to explain to the public or me repeat, the ideology of the public privatization? No doubt the well-off in even re-evaluate the policy on the matter sector is the ideology of service, while the the private sector as well as those influen- concerned. The principle of accountabi- ideology of the private sector is the tial people in the public sector who may lity is very important for achieving ideology of profit maximization. To then leave the public service to take up efficiency and checking corruption in privatize is to neglect the noble ideal of the privatized projects. This is also why the public sector. Of course there must altruistic service. Now isn't there a need it is the rich and the influential people be a free press so that the grievances of to provide services that wi II cater to the who are most vocal in their support for the pub! ic wi II be heard. In other words need of not only the urban, but also the privatization. Thus privatization wi II cater the principle of accountability works rural, not only the rich but also the even more to the benefit of capitalist only if there is democracy. poor.? Why do we have a government? interests. What we need now is for the In the private sector, the firms are To govern us and to make laws to control government to cater more to the poor "privately" owned. There is not the us to the extent of being undemocratic? who are left behind, whose problems same kind of expectation of serving the Isn't it the job of the government to serve cannot be solved by intensifying capita- public. It is also more difficult to make the people? And isn't it through govern- lism. Indeed their position will worsen the private sector accountable to the mental institutions and statutory bodies with privatization. public unless the protest is so strong that the pub! ic can be best served under The public sector therefore has the that the interests of the firms are threa- the principle of equality and justice? limited function of checking the evils of tened . This is especially so in the case of So why privatize? Won't privatization capitalism to some extent even· though its monopolies. cast away the principle of altruistic performance is often limited by the effect As far as the public is concerned, service? of capitalism. If LLN or Telecommunica- privatization will mean that they may The public sector not only embodies tion services, for example, are privatized, have to pay more either immediately the value of service but also the va lue of there is a danger that the services may fall or in the long run. This is not only "equality for all", that is, the values of into the hands of a few individuals who because of the possible mono po! istic equality and justice. These values are wi II then have a monopolistic control effect of privatization, but also because subordinated to Mammon in the private over the services. Th is wi II I ead to a of the private sector's concern with profit sector. Concerned with maximizing number of consequences. The public maximization. If garbage disposal service, profit, the private sector caters more to may be forced to pay more. Worse still, for example, is privatized, then the public the need of the haves than the have- the publ ic may even have to pay more for may expect to pay substantially for the nots. While the public sector serves the poorer services. service. For the poor, this will. certainly needs of all classes, the private sector in This leads us to another difference be an extra burden. our capitalist system necessarily caters between the pub! ic sector and the private If a particular segment of the public more for the rich who have the means to sector. The public sector has more obliga- sector is not profitable, then the govern- pay more. Thus privatization does not tion to account to the people for their ment cannot expect the private sector promote the principle of service nor the po! icies simply because it belongs to the to take over for no firm will take over values of equality and justice. public. It is more difficult for the public an unprofitable project. Then it makes The capitalist system generally sector to ignore the voices of the public. no sense for the government to privatize benefits the rich most. There is a need to The expectation that the pub! ic sector the profitable segments and keep the n help the poor, th·e lower-income group. listens to the public is there. If LLN not-so-profitable ones. But if the private e Privatization will mean giving more decides to raise its rate of charges too sector is willing to take over a hitherto 13 ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 unprofitable public service, then this help the farmers. If private firms find it public sector? Is the bureaucracy getting probably means that it is able to turn it not profitable or not so profitable to too big? Is there any duplication of into a profitable one by, for example, improve or expand the infra-structure functions between different agencies of asking the pub I ic to pay more. in the rural areas, then obviously the the public sector? Is there any wastage · As, implied in my argument so far, socio-economic development of the rural of resources? Is there any proper system privatization will have some negative areas will be hampered. The effect of of work supervision? Can the manage- consequences on the trend of moderni- a "dual economy" in Malaysia will ment system be improved? Do the heads zation and development in an under- worsen. This will mean that the gap of departments provide the necessary developed country like Malaysia. In between the rich and the poor will leadership? Is there any way of checking underdeveloped countries the spatial increase too. It is therefore not valid corruption? aspect of modernization and develop- to think that privatization will allow In other words, if efficiency is the ment is rather lopsided. There is the government to have resources to problem, giving up the public service to develop other sectors. What other the private sector is not the correct Privatization will mean giving sectors? approach. What should be done is to more opportunities for more In saying that privatization is not identify the sources of the problem and capitalist exploitation. beneficial, I am not saying that there is find ways to rectify it. A team should no problem in the public sector or that be set up to study how to improve a kind of dual economy. We have on the there are no advantages enjoyed by the efficiency and not how to give up the one hand a modern sector concentrated private sector. What I stress is that the public service. in a few towns and a much less developed pub I ic sector provides certain functions It may be necessary to restructure the rural and less urban sector. In Kuala which cannot be replaced by the private various organi zations of the public sector Lumpur we have the most modern faci- sector. One often hears that the public in order to achieve greater efficiency. In 1ities in the country. We have modern sector is not as efficient as the private his speech to the National Union of buildings, modern roads, modern tele- sector. There is both truth and fiction in Telecoms Employees (NUTE) in Penang phones, and so on. Outside of Kuala this. If we look at the city bus transport in January, Dr. Chandra Muzaffar, Lumpur and the few big towns we have system in Kuala Lumpur, it is difficult to President of Aliran, suggested that the less and less modern facilities. There see how the private sector is efficient, or telecoms service could be organized as a are sti 11 many places where there are how the public sector in the form of a district-based community service. The no proper toilet facilities and water statutory body or the local government same idea can be applied to LLN as supply not to say electricity supply. In can be worse. On the other hand, many well as other governmental and statutory fact the whole image of modernity relies bus companies seem to have been doing bodies. In other words, the services will very much on electrification, so we can quite efficiently. be managed at the district level guided say LLN plays a crucial role in moder- Here we must examine why certain by the broad principles of national ni zation. I am not against modernization sections of the public sector are not policy. Planning, financial management but I must hasten to add that we efficient. Are there, for example suffi- and the recruitment of staff, for example, don't want modernization without cient work incentives for all levels of will be done at the district level. Such a development. employees? Is work in the public sector district-based community services will help to solve the problems of _red-tape Let us say that LLN is privatized. as challenging and meaningful as in the and will increase efficiency. More impor- Based on my argument above, it is private sector? Is there room for self- obvious that the private firms which take over will not pay as much attention as LLN has done to the rural areas where there is low population density and thus not so profitable. More money can be made out of the "modern sector" as in Kuala Lumpur. The first effect of this is that the rural areas will continue to be less modern. Without electricity, the rural folk will not be able to have access to many modern facilities which are taken E for granted even by the urban lower- ~ income families. This is what I mean 0 when I say that privatization wi 11 increase 0 .c the inequality of opportunities for 0... modernization. The few modern centers will continue to be more modern and the less modern areas will continue to improvement and advancement? Is tantly it decentralizes decision-making. be neglected. promotion based on credit and ability Furthermore, steps can be taken to allow Now modernization is not the same such that there is incentive for better employees to participate in the running as development, but without certain performance? Are the ordinary workers of the services, to be part and parcel basic modern facilities, development is paid an adequate salary? Is it right to of them. made difficult. Using the example of the allow the PTD (Perkhidmatan Tadbir dan Obviously I disapprove of privatiza- privatization of LLN again, if the rural Diplomatik) officers to have more chance tion. But if the government decides to areas have even less opportunity of of further education and promotion than privatize certain agen cies, then we should getting electricity supply managed by those in the other segments of the public also ask if the employees of these private firms, then there will be less sector? Do the lower-level employees agencies have been consulted. Even if the opportunity of developing certain aspects have sufficient opportunity for further government does not find it necessary to of rural economy including the setting training, both local and abroad? Is there consult the public about these decisions uJ5 of small rural industries which will too much concentration of power in the to privatize, surely it should at least ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 14 of having a telephone, they (especially the urban dwellers) can hardly forgo the mployers in this country can often get away facility of electricity supply. LLN Ith what they want despite the injustice they provides a very important service to the people, and should never be privatized. have done to the workers. Aliran is not in favour of the privati- zation of the public sector. Those who suit those who will be directly despite the injustice they have done to argue for privatization fai I to understand ected. Among the concerns is the job the workers. the basic principle of the pub I ic sector , rity of the employees. What if the LLN provides a very basic facility to which is service for the people and the ivate interests which take over the the public. So does the telecommuni- basic values it embodies which is equality ices decide to lay off some workers cation service and many other agencies. and justice. They have failed to diagnose on excuses of which there can be But the service provided by LLN is the disease of inefficiency and low ny? Our Malaysian experience tel Is more basic than the Telecoms service for productivity and yet recommend the that employers in this country can it involves larger population of people. wrong medicine in the form of ften get away with what they want While the poor can forgo the convenience privatization. • emiskinan Persekitaran dan golongan miskin sedunia Erik Eckholm Persidangan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu mengenai Persekitaran Manusia yang diadakan di Stockholm dalam tahun 1972 telah memberi- kan suatu titik tumpuan kepada pihak-pihak yang berhimpun dan terlibat dengan perseki- taran dalam tahun-tahun 1960-an. Perkhim- punan ini telah · melahirkan Rancangan Persekitaran Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu ( UN EP) untuk bertindak sebagai katalis dan sebagai "kesedaran persekitaran sistem PBB". Sepuluh tahun kemudian di Nairobi, iaitu dari 10 hingga 18 Mei , Majlis Mentadbir UNEP telah menga- dakan mesyuarat bagi memperingati Persidan- E gan Stockholm dan juga bagi meneliti penca - :::, paian selama sedekad. I Erik P. Eckholm ialah seorang pakar menge- 0 0 nai persekitaran dan isu pembangunan, dan .c beliau tidak berkhidmat sebagai perunding CL kepada berbagai agensi Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu, Woman washing clothes at stand-pipe. sebagai pegawai kerajaan Amerika Syarikat dan sebagai Penyelidikan Kanan dengan lnstitut Worldwatch di Washington D.C. Makalah ini emusatan idea mengenai persekitaran mengadakan taman dan kawasan perlin- disesuaikan daripada buku terbarunya, Down dan pembangunan di Dunia Ketiga dungan. Tetapi, seekor binatang tidak to Earth: Environment and Human Needs P (Hakikat Sebenar: Persekitaran dan Keperluan sepanjang sedekad yang lalu hendaklah boleh diselamatkan melainkan daripada Manusia) yang diterbitkan oleh W.W. Norton di kira sebagai kemajuan yang bersejarah kawasan habitatnya, dan kawasan alam di New York dan Percetakan Pluto di London. bagi kedua-dua bidang itu. Pada masa semulajadi tidak boleh kekal sebagai Buku-bukunya yang terdahulu, Losing Ground yang lalu, pihak-pihak yang terlibat kawasan terlindung dalam lautan manusia (Menyerah Kalah) dan The Picture of Health (Gambaran Kesihatan) telah diterbitkan dalam dengan pemeliharaan alam semulajadi dan yang lapar. Jika sebilangan besar daripada sepuluh bahasa. pihak-pihak yang terlibat dengan kema- golongan miskin tidak begitu berupaya juan ekonomi selalu sangat tidak untuk hidup dengan sempurna, sudah bersefahaman. Baru-baru ini ramai dari tentu setengah-setengah daripada mereka pihak dalam kedua-dua bidang ini mula akan memasuki kawasan taman negara menyedari bahawa mereka memerlukan untuk bercucuk-tanam dan mencari kayu hakikat celik-akal antara satu sama lain api. Manusia miskin yang terlalu terdesak jika matlamat tiap-tiap pihak hendak tidak berupaya lagi hendak berasa bim- dicapai. bang mengenai apa yang mereka lihat Pergerakan pemuliharaan sedunia telah sebagai harimau yang tidak bernilai. dengan begitu banyak menumpukan Kini, ramai pakar pemuliharaan kepada keperluan untuk mel indungkan mengakui tentang keperluan pemban- haiwan yang terancam, dan juga bagi gunan sebagai syarat mutlak terhadap 15 ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 pemuliharaan yang berjaya, dan bukan sumber-sumber asas yang darinya mereka pula kawasan kediaman yang mengancam mesti gunakan untuk hidup. Di kota, persekitaran yang disebabkan oleh pem- pihak yang miskin tinggal dalam keadaan bangunan. Tetapi ia bukanlah apa-apa kotor dan selalu sangat menjadi mangsa juga jenis pembangunan yang lintang- utama pencemaran perindustrian. pukang dan berat sebelah. Jawapannya Hakikat kekurangan pemakanan meru- ialah kema·juan ekonomi yang boleh pakan perkara berpanjangan di kalangan dikekalkan dari segi ekologi dan golongan miskin. Mengikut anggaran memenuhi keperluan penting golongan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu, dalam pertenga- miskin. Secara yang tidak dapat dielak- han tahun-tahun 1970-an, lebih daripada kan, analisis masalah pemuliharaan Dunia 400 juta orang manusia - satu persepu- Ketiga membawa kepada kebi mbangan luh daripada jumlah makhluk manusia nya dibuka. Mereka berpindah ke terhadap keadi Ian sosia·I. Perkongsian - makan kurang daripada "makanan kawasan hutan-hujan dan memusnahkan secara yang lebih meluas hasil pemban- kritis yang minimum", dan jika nilai ekosistem yang berbagai; dan kerap kali gunan adalah penting; ia bukan hanya pemakanan berada di bawah dari takat kegiatan begini merupakan usaha yang benar dari segi moral tetapi juga kerana ini, keadaan kesihatan boleh menjadi sia-sia bagi meneruskan pertanian. ia adalah penting bagi melindungkan berbahaya. Kesan buruk · daripada Kadang-kadang di kawasan pertanian di sistem semulajadi. memakan makanan yang tidak berkhasiat bahagian lembah yang luas dan tidak Keadaan alam semulajadi yang makin selalunya hampir tidak kelihatan. Di luar di usahakan dengan sepenuhnya, para buruk di negara-negara miskin dengan kawasan kebuluran dan di luar kem petani yang putus harapan di Amerika segera merupakan suatu gejala dan suatu pelarian, keadaan kelaparan secara nyata Selatan dan di Amerika Tengah akan sebab tentang kesengsaraan yang keter- bukanlah suatu perkara yang lazim. membajak kawasan cerun gunung dengan laluan mengenai kehidupan beratus-ratus Tetapi, kekurangan pemakanan boleh sebegitu curam hinggakan lapisan tanah juta manusia. Perjuangan bagi memeli- menjadi masalah kesihatan yang berpan- atas akan terhakis dalam tempoh setahun hara kualiti persekitaran sedunia tidak jangan. Peluang untuk mati kerana mudah dua sahaja. Di kawasan separa kersang di Afrika dan di Asia, para petani yang laparkan Dengan memelihara spesies yang tanah . bercucuk-tanam di kawasan yang "tidak berfaedah", adakah pihak pemulihara menerima sedikit hujan, dan kawasan ini bertukar menjadi kawasan debu apabila membela yang salah? musim kemarau yang tidak dapat dielak- kan itu tiba. Sementara itu binatang ragut dapat dielakkan daripada merangkumi mengidap penyakit dalam lingkungan terpaksa berkelompok di kawasan yang juga perjuangan bagi memperbaiki nasib mana-mana umur sekalipun adalah lebih lebih terhad, dan masalah meragut secara golongan miskin sedunia - penduduk tinggi; ia menambahkan peluang kematian berlebihan manjadi makin serius. Kemun- desa yang tidak bertanah, penduduk ibu semasa melahirkan bayi, ia juga culan kawasan tanah yang tidak mencu- kota di kawasan sesak, dan suku-kaum menambahkan peluang bayi untuk mati, kupi berhubung dengan penduduk dan minoriti yang termiskin daripada seluruh dan ia menjadi kan keupayaan bekerja teknologi selalu disembunyikan oleh golongan miskin di dunia. Secara kasar, berkurangan. Penyakit-penyakit yang tempoh pemulihan tanah yang makin setengah daripada jumlah golongan selalu dihidapi seperti ceret-beret dan singkat. miskin begini tinggal di tiga buah negara demam campak merupakan di antara Golongan tidak bertanah di kawasan di Asia Selatan, iaitu India, Bangladesh penyakit-penyakit yang selalu boleh desa mempunyai rakannya di kawasan dan Pakistan. Sebilangan besar yang lain membawa maut, dan ia disebabkan oleh sesak dan di kawasan setinggan di kota- tinggal di kawasan-kawasan lain di Asia, kekurangan pemakanan. kota Dunia Ketiga. Dengan kawasan terutamanya di Indonesia dan di kawasan Kebanyakan golongan miskin yang sesak yang lama berkembang, bertambah sub-Sahara di Afrika. Baki jumlah golon- mutlak di dunia tinggal di kawasan desa, ramai bilangan manusia menjadi setinggan gan ini tersebar di antara negara-negara dan kebanyakan mereka sama ada buruh di kawasan lapang, ataupun mereka di Timur Tengah, Amerika Latin dan di yang tidak bertanah ataupun manusia membeli tapak yang dibahagi-bahagikan Kawasan Karibea. yang tidak mendapat hakmilik tanah secara haram dan mendirikan rumah Mereka berjuang minggu demi minggu pertanian yang mencukupi bagi menyara mereka di situ - apa-apa sahaja dari untuk hidup, dan mereka terperangkap hidup diri mereka mengikut tahap yang bentuk pondok kertas-tar hingga kepada dalam kitaran kelaparan, buta huruf, sempurna. struktur bangunan kukuh yang sesuai eksploitasi dan penyakit yang tidak henti- Buruh yang tidak bertanah, penyewa- untuk didiami. Pihak yang paling tidak henti. Pihak yang secara mutlaknya pawah dan petani marginal: kesemuanya bernasib baik akan cenderung menetap miskin har'\ya mempunyai sedikit masa membentuk majoriti penduduk desa di di atas cerun bukit yang curam dan berba- sahaja untuk merasa bimbang tentang kebanyakan negara di Asia dan Amerika haya, ataupun di kawasan banjir di mana aliran persekitaran sedunia. Namun Latin. Bilangan mereka makin bertambah bahaya semulajadi dan keadaan sesak begitu, dalam banyak perkara mereka di Afrika di mana ketidakcukupan tanah serta kebersihan yang tidak memuaskan lebih menerima kesan dengan begitu hanya baru-baru Irn muncul sebagai akan membahayakan kesihatan. 0leh mendalam tentang kualiti persekitaran masalah yang utama. Manusia Irn, IaItu kerana mereka tinggal di kawasan haram, daripada pihak yang mewah. Kebanyakan golongan yang tidak berharta di dunia para setinggan jarang-jarang mendapat golongan miskin di desa tinggal secara ini, adalah secara lazimnya dikebela- bekalan air; jangan harap hendak menda- terus terpisah daripada tanah, hutan, kangkan oleh pembangunan ekonomi, pat kemudahan buangan najis dan kemu- air serta hidupan liar; dan keadaan dan dalam setengah-setengah perkara dahan buangan sampah. Di banyak kota, hioupan liar yang makin buruk menjadi dibinasakan oleh pembangunan ekonomi. mereka membayar dengan harga yang tumpuan penglibatan antarabangsa Di kawasan pertanian tradisi yang tinggi bagi mendapatkan bekalan air, dan dengan begitu banyak. Ramai golongan kekurangan tanah dan pekerjaan, para air ini dibawa oleh penjual persendirian, miskin ini dipaksa oleh keadaan di luar petani membuka tanah dan bercucuk- Jadi, pihak setinggan membayar dengan kl!walan mereka untuk memusnahkan tanam, dan kawasan begini tidak sepatut- harga yang lebih mahal lagi bagi menda- ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 16 pitkan keperluan asas ini jika dibanding- mungkin akan berlaku. Jadi, lima belas menjadi bertambah merosot di sebaha- kan dengan pihak yang kaya. Pihak juta kematian bayi dan kanak-kanak kecil gian besar di dunia. Dengan tidak setinggan selalu juga menjadi mangsa - lebih daripada empat puluh ribu sehari terdapat reformasi ekonomi kebangsaan oencemaran udara yang serius dan juga - boleh dianggap sebagai boleh dicegah. dan antarabangsa, usaha bagi melindung- ~ncemaran bahan kimia beracun melalui Semua masalah kesihatan sedunia yang kan hidupan liar dan hutan, usaha bagi ~i· - bahan buangan yang dihasilkan oleh lain tersembunyi di sebalik masalah ini. menjaga legeh dan kawasan kersang, bahan lain. Disebabkan kejadian begini adalah terlalu usaha bagi membersihkan kawasan seting- Lebih setengah daripada penduduk di lazim, empat puluh ribu kematian sehari gan dan jalan air, tidak boleh berjaya negara-negara membangun (tidak yang sedemikian tidak memarakkan ke- dengan sepenuhnya. Begitu juga dengan · termasuk negeri China) kurang mendapat marahan sedunia seperti yang sepatutnya. kadar pertumbuhan penduduk yang tidak bekalan air bersih dan kemudahan pem- Akhirnya, setengah-setengah ahli pe- akan dengan sebegitu cepat menjadi buangan bahan buangan. Akibat daripada rancang dan agensi bantuan mula mengga- perlahan di kalangan penduduk yang keadaan kebersihan yang tidak memuas- bungkan perspektif ekologi dalam aktiviti anak-anak mereka selau sahaja meninggal kan dan juga kekurangan pemakanan, pembangunan. Tetapi, usaha menyelesai- · dunia. Perjuangan sedunia bagi memeli- jumlah kematian, terutamanya di kalan- kan krisis kemiskinan dan kemerosotan hara persekitaran yang sesuai untuk gan bayi dari golongan yang miskin, keadaan persekitaran yang saling berkai- didiami mestilah menjadi sebahagian adalah amat tinggi. tan bergantung dengan banyak juga daripada perjuangan yang lebih besar Mengikut Pertubuhan Kesihatan Se- kepada reformasi sosio-ekonomi yang untuk mewujudkan masyarakat sedunia dunia, kesemuanya lebih kurang tujuh tidak mempunyai persefahaman politik yang lebih adil. • belas juta bayi dan kanak-kanak di bawah seperti juga dengan sifat perancangan umur lima tahun mati setiap tahun di yang bertambah baik. Dipetik daripada Kurier UNESCO penghujung tahun 1970-an. Jika keadaan Lebih-lebih lagi tembok yang tidak kebersihan yang baik seperti di benua memberi peluang, dan ia menghadapi Eropah utara dikekalkan di seluruh dunia, golongan manusia termiski n, menentu- hanya dua juta kematian sedemi kian kan supaya sumber-sumber semulajadi In 1976 when the Third Malaysia Plan Up until now there has not been was published, official figures on poverty official clarification, what the poverty were released for the first time. line is and how it is determined. We do According to the report, 49 percent of not know if the line has been changed or the population were living below the not over the years and how surveys of poverty line in 1970. It was estimated income and prices have been conducted. that 59 percent of rural dwellers were Neither do we know whether these poor in contrast to 21 percent of those in different surveys for different years are the urban areas. comparable or not. In 1980, great progress was reported. Furthermore, should there not be a According to the Fourth Malaysia Plan, difference in the determination of the the overall poverty rate had dropped poverty line for rural and urban areas? from 49 percent in 1970 to 29 percent in We do know for instance that the prices 1980. Likewise th.e incidence of poverty of goods and services are different in dropped to 38 percent in the rural areas urban and rural areas, in fact even among and to 13 percent in the urban areas. different urban or rural areas in the And most recently, as reported in the country. Until these are spelt out, the mid-term Review of the Fourth Plan, the official statistics can only be approached overall incidence of poverty has with caution. Not surprisingly, a different marginally increased to 30.3 percent in set of statistics was released by the Socio- 1983. The incidence of rural poverty is Economic Research Unit of the Prime 41 .6 percent and that for urban poverty, Minister's Department only months 11.1 . The economic recession is cited before the latest official statistics revealed for this fall-back. in the Mid-Term Review. If the statistics are a reflection of Be that as it may, the above official reality, then there has been tremendous statistics are only indicative of the state progress. But are they? of absolute poverty in Malaysia. If we can 17 ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 agree that, say $384 per month for a the Role of the State in Peninsular show increases, that is a worsening household of five is the poverty line, Malaysia" in the H. Osman-Rani, K.S. situation of income disparities. It is also hence if we bring everybody in Malaysia Joma and Ishak Shari eds. Development useful to note the income disparities are above that figure, then we can claim to in the Eighties Kuala Lumpur: 1981 . greater in urban areas. have eliminated poverty. Table 1 shows the distribution of Table 2 shows the distribution of However, there is the other more household income in the peninsula from household income by ethnic group in important dimension of relative poverty, 1957 /8 to 1976. The income levels in the peninsular Malaysia. It is clear that that is, how the national income or other urban areas are generally higher than income levels for the Chinese are highest, goods and services are distributed among those in the rural areas. But there is also a for Malays lowest and for the Indians, the people in a country. To the extent trend towards greater disparities within somewhere in between. Be that as it may, that a small minority of elites are gaining the areas as well. disparities are growing within each ethnic more while the vast majority is getting Overall, the bottom 40 percent of the group as well. The Gini Ratio and the less, then it can be said that the poverty population received 15.9 percent of total Thei I Index show increases for the period situation has worsened; even if absolute income in 1957 /8 but its share has between 1957 /8 to 1976 for every ethnic poverty is being reduced . The various dropped to 10.3 percent by 1976. Mean- group. But whereas disparities were least Five-Year plans have been silent on this while the share of the top five percent of among Malays and greatest among dimension of poverty. Fortunately, some the population has increased from 22.1 Chinese in 1957 /8, they had become studies on this aspect of poverty are percent of total income in 1957 /58 to reversed by 1970 and 1973. available through the efforts of private 26.4 percent by 1973. Meanwhile the From the discussion above, it is clear scholars. Gini Ratio and the Theil index which are that relative poverty is on the rise in The two tables reproduced below have useful measures of income inequality, Malaysia. The more dramatic increases been taken from a study by K.S. Joma in income inequalities are in fact intra- and Ishak Shari "Income Distribution and ethnic rather than inter-ethnic. Table 1 Rural-Urban Size Distribution of Household Income, Peninsular Mataysia ALL HOUSEHOLD RURAL HOUSEHOLDS URBAN HOUSEHOLDS N 4 Year 1957/8 1967/8 1970 1973 1976 1957/8 1967/8 1970 1973 1976 1957/8 1967/8 1970 1973 1976 Income Share of Top5% 22.1 23.6 28.1 26.4 n.a. 19.0 19.2 23.9 n.a. n.a. 20.7 23.4 27.5 n.a. n.a. Top 20% 48.6 51.3 55.9 53.7 61.9 44.5 46.8 51.0 n.a. n.a. 49.6 51.8 55.0 n.a. n.a. Middle40% 35.5 34.4 32.5 34.0 27.8 37.3 36.7 35.9 n ..a. n.a. 33.2 - 34.0 32.8 n.ii. n.a. Bottom 40% 15.9 14.3 11.6 12.3 10.3 18.2 16.5 13.1 n.a. n.a. 17.2 14.2 12.2 n.a. n.a. ~ Mean Household 215.0 240.0 •• 264.0 324.0 801.0 172.0 185.0 •' 201 .0 n.a. h,a. 307.0 360.0 407.0 n.a. n.a. Income (M$) Median Household 156.0 154.0 167.0 n.a, 319.0 131 ,0 134.0 145.0 n.a. n.a. 2}6.0 246,9 283.0 Q:.a· n ..a. Income (M$) -G.ini Ratio 0.412 0.442 0.502 0.50 0.567 0.38 j,0.40 0.46 0.4,6 0,50 0:42 0.45 0.50 i;J,;48 0.575 Theil Index.. 0.295 n.a. 0.476 0.43 0.7b9 0.25 n.a. 0.40 n.a. 0.548 a:3o n.a. 0.45 n.a. 0.704 SampleSj~e 2,760 6.696 f• 26,310 7,285 1,!ff - wg ~ 1•\ ::.,. n.a: not available - eJ ,I .• Table 2 !lll!, l@W wl· •• Size Distribution, of Household Income by Ethnic Gro'°"p, Peninsular Malaysia -~ : . ~ I MALAY HOUSEHOLDS CHINESE HOUSEHOLDS INDIAN HOUSEHOLDS :mi- - -'·-#/' Year 1957/8 1967/8 1970 1973 1976 1957/8 1967/8 1970 1973 1976 1957/8 1967/8 1910 1973 1976 Income Share of )f Top5% 18.1 22.2 23.8 22.7 - n.a. 19.2 19.9 25.4 18.8 n.a. 19.4 22.3 28.4 25.6 n.a. Top20% 42,5 48.2 51 ,3 50.8 n.a. 46.0 46.7 52.3 48.6 n.a. 43.6 48.1 53.6 ~1.3 n.a. ,Midale40% 37.9 34.8 35.7 ·35.5 n:a. 35.9 36.3 33.5 3!;,.5 n.a. 36.6 35.6 31.5 53.7 n.a. Bottom40% 19.6 17.0 13.0 13.7 n.a. 18.1 17 .0 14.2 15.9 n.a. 19.8 16.3 14.9 15.0 n.a. 4.;,;c- & ii Mean Income @ 140.0 163.0 172.0 222.0 529.0 302.0 349.0 381 .0 444.0 1,247 243.0 260.0 301.0 Median Income 112.0 120.0 122.0 n.a. 357.0 223.0 261.0 269.0 n.a. 623.0 188.0 191 .0 195.0 n.a. i{ 1- Glni Ratio 0.34 0.40 0.46 0.45 0.47 0.38 0.39 0.46 0.42 0.58 0.37 0.40 0.47 0.44 Th,f}il Index 0.21 n.a. 0.40 0,36 0.44 0.25 n.a, 0.39 0.31 0.73 0.23 n.a. 0.39 0.35 n.a.: not available ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 18 View Point Lee Kuan Yew And I.Q. C.K.Chan ingapore's National Day in August Predictably enough, such Orwellian the WHO Regional Center for Human S1983 was the occasion for a remark- schemes provoked quite an outcry, as it Genetics, collaborated on a 4-part series ably explicit statement by the Prime became clear that this was no cause for for the Singapore Straits Times, providing Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew of his firm amusement, and the government was a popular account of genes and intelli- convictions on intelligence, heredity, and entirely serious about launching a gence largely endorsing the viewpoint of its implications for social policy in Singa- sustained campaign to achieve its demo- Eysenck. And of course, not forgetting pore. In reviewing the progress and set- graphic objectives. Nonetheless, a quick Dr. Chou Kuan Hon, from the NUS backs of the island state for the previous reading of the popular reaction indicated Botany Dept., who made the widely year, and prospects for the future, that much of it was a response to the publicised assertion that ancient Greek Mr. Lee returned to a favourite theme, government's rather vulgar technocratic civilisation declined because their upper i.e. the importance of the quality of approach, to a matter of some human class women would not contribute their human material that has sustained Singa- sensitivity; in other instances, graduate share of off-spring. He further urged that pore's impressive economic growth. professional women wrote in to co ~ plain Singapore should adopt a "Selective Coupled with his firm belief in the innate of problems in coping with career versus Population Control" policy which would (indeed, hereditary} character of those family responsibilities, of unco-operative "discourage birth control among highly qualities making for this success, eugenic attitudes among Singaporean males intelligent women, but encourage it considerations had been for quite a while towards domestic duties, etc., etc., quite among the less intelligent ones" (S'pore an important factor in major areas of legitimate concerns in and of themselves. ST, 13 Sept. 1983). Dr. Chou must have social policy in Singapore. In his National But the basic premises, that intelligence been gratified when "a closed-door Day speech last year, Mr. Lee expressed (and by extension, social and professional meeting involving several departments... deep concern that a higher proportion of success} was largely determined by genes, discussed the question of revising the graduate women were remaining single, and the eugenic undertones of the [2-child] birth control campaign, in the compared to their less-educated counter- measures being proposed, went largely light of the trend for more educated parts, and furthermore that those who unchallenged.+ To be sure there were women to have fewer children" ( Lianhe married were producing on average sporadic protestations here and there, Wanbao, quoted in STAR, 13 Dec. 1983). fewer offspring. In the Prime Minister's that bright parents did not necessarily He must have been overjoyed when the view, these trends, if left unchecked, beget bright children, but these seemed government announced "a new family could only lead to a dilution of human like layman sentiments against the weight planning message [which] will tell talent in Singapore, a prelude to the of expert opinion cited by the PM : different things to different people. .. certain demise of the island's hitherto " ... there is increasing evidence that [The new policyJ . .. encourages graduate vibrant economy. nature, or what is inherited, is the women to have more children [for example, by guaranteeing their children Eugenics in Singapore greater determinant of a person's performance than nurture . .. the con- placement in the republic's elite schools] To underline the government's serious- clusions the researchers draw is that but rewards less well-educated women ness in this matter, Dr. Goh Keng Swee, 80% is nature, or inherited, and 20% who keep their families small". (S'pore the Deputy Prime Minister, unveiled to reflects the difference from different ST, 31 Jan. 1984). the Singapore pub! ic a package of counter- environment and upbringing. . . " Anyone subjected to such a media measures to reverse these trends. These (Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, barrage could hardly avoid the impression National Day Speech, 14 Aug. 1983) that a high degree of consensus existed, ... such Orwellian schemes In the weeks that followed, Hans within scientific circles, and that the provoked quite an outcry. .. Eysenck, emeritus profer;sor of psycho- predominant role of genes in ID deter- logy at London Universit y and an mination was a demonstrated scientific eminent hereditarian in the ID-heredity truth. This is an impression so much at luded a computer dating service, fiscal debate, was interviewed by a Singapore variance with the current state of the other incentives for graduate women Broadcasting Corporation television team debate that the conspicuous silence of bear more children, special admissions specially flown over to London for the local professionals and academics (excep- eria to the National University of purpose; Prof. Wong Hock Boon, profes- ting Prof. Wong and Dr. Chou} was most pore (NUS} to even up the male: sor of pediatrics at NUS and director of unfortunate in re-inforcing this erroneous le student ratio, calls to NUS acade- picture. This was all the more so in the . ns to investigate the single graduate +Indeed there was a substantial bedrock of public opinion that agreed with Mr. Lee, light of the devastating critiques, in the lem, and also to introduce courtship and even encouraged such measures as a tax 70s, of practically the entire body of in the under-graduate curriculum on 'well-educated' men in their 30's who wished to remain single, quite apart from all empirical data as well as the theoretical one the would-be suitor's skills,etc, those other measures to induce graduate edifice which had been offered in support women to produce more offspring. of the hereditarian position. 19 ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 The "Scientific" Status of particular by Harvard genet1c1st R. C. 10 Research Lewontin: for instance, the heritability measure of a human trait (e.g . the alleged The controversy in the US was 80% for 10) is a value that can change launched in 1969 by Professor A. R. .. .the policies are so blatantly depending on the range of environments Jensen 's article in the Harvard Education discriminatory and detrimental in which the trait was measured. Further- Review (HOW MUCH CAN WE BOOST to large segments of the more, a high heritability for a given trait IQ AND SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVE- population . .. does not imply the immutability of that MENT?). In the debates that followed, trait. much was made of the observed high heritabilities of 10 (70-80%), the very Mr. Lee's policies rather too extreme. same figures that Mr. Lee constantly ... he showed strong (STAR 27 Jan. 1984) Especially when refers to. In particular, these figures circumstantial evidence of data the policies are so blatantly discrimina- relied heavily upon four studies of fabrication by Burt. tory and detrimental to large segments separated identical twins, most impor- of the population, the burden of proof tantly those by the late Sir Cyril Burt, li es with those who would attempt to who had the largest sample size, and To be sure, scientists like Kamin and manipulate human mating habits, those whose experimental design, up unti I Lewontin do not claim to have proved who wou ld introduce incentive schemes 1974, was regarded as the most rigorous. that genes have nothing to do with for se lective childbearing, and those who In that year, Leon Kamin, professor of human intelligence. What they do say is would conduct courtship classes for psychology at Princeton University, that the evidence, as it exists, in no way university undergraduates. As of now, published the results of an extensive justifies the strong statements made by the scientific basis for such schemes is re-examination of the empirical data on Eysenck and Wong Hock Boon, and most absolutely nil. 10 and genetics (under the title The certainly provides no basis for the kinds Science & Politics of 10, reviewed in of policies that are being implemented in [Next month, we shal l carry Part 2 of the Aliran Dec. '83) in which he showed Singapore. Interest ingly, even Eysenck article which w ill deal with 'IQ, Ideo log y and strong circumstantial evidence of data has recently distanced himself from Social Policy') fabrication by Burt. Over the next 5 Mr. Lee's policy of preferential placement Guest writer, for children of graduate women. Eysenck years, additional information came to C. K. Chan is attached to the light, further substantiating Kamin's has by no means abandoned his School of Social Sciences, suspicions. For example, the medical hereditarian views, but even he finds Universiti Sains Malaysia . . . . "there exists no data which [)O '((}J l?EALIZE TllAT SCt,\f(MRE THI~ VER« MG',\ENT A CHILD should lead a prudent man to 1<; 8EJN6 BORN ? accept the hypothesis that IQ test scores are in any degree heritable". correspondent of the Sunday Times of London attempted to trace Burt's long- time co llaborators, the Misses Howard and Conway, and could find no evidence that they existed. All indications were that they were invented by Burt to lend support to his arguments. Finally, in 1979, Burt's scientific fraud was definitely confirmed by his biographer, Leslie Hearnshaw, who had been com- missioned by B·u rt's sister, and had been given access to his confidential papers, diaries, and correspondence. (The biography was published under the title t Cyril Burt: Psychologist) t Kamin's review however was not 1 confined to Burt's studies. For the remaining twin studies, and also the kin- ship and adoption studies, he showed major flaws in experimentation, analysis, and interpretation, such that by the end of his review, he comes to the concl usion that "there exists no data which should lead a prudent man to accept the hypo- thesis that IQ test scores are in any degree heritable". Quite apart from the discredited empirical data, the entire theoretical framework of heritability analysis has beer. subjected to severe criticism, in ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 20 GUESS WHO'S ARMING APARTHEID? James Khatami Reagan - to the tune of $28 million, so far ... Carter years "without any adverse The report cites a number of specific publicity to date." embargo violations involving technology from U.S. and European companies. In ARMS EMBARGO 'SABOTAGED' several cases, counterinsurgency aircraft "The U.S. is sabotaging the inter- at least partially built by U.S. companies national arms embargo by winking at have been supplied to the security forces U.S. companies' military exports to of two South African bantustans, barren South Africa. The volume of this trade is "homelands" where South Africa's white much greater than has ever been government dumps the families of black reported," said Thomas Conrad of the workers and the unemployed. For AFSC's research group, National Action/ instance, Bophuthatswana has acquired Research on the Military Industrial for its army two Helio Courier counter- insurgency planes made by the General Complex. Rather than outright sales of large Aircraft Company of Bedford, Mass. open defiance of a mandatory UN n weapons systems, exports by U.S. cor- Similarly, a new South African naval arms embargo, the U.S. has dramati- porations consist mostly of the building - attack craft, modeled on a similar Israeli lly increased its sales of military blocks of modern weaponry - com- vessel, is outfitted with rocket launchers made in the U.S. hnology to South Africa over the last ponents, unfinished subassemblies and In addition to these naval and air ee years, according to a report issued other technology that can be easily 'ntly last week by the American Friends hidden in large wholesale transactions, systems, U.S. technology is also being used in military ground equipment in rvice Committee (AFSC) and the Conrad said. shington Office on Africa (WOA). South Africa. The South African police, The report, entitled, "Military Exports It will be the report notes, rely on Ford for South Africa - A Research Report on operational vehicles and one local e Arms Embargo," charged the Reagan impossible to prevent company is using the suspension, axles, ministration with deliberately flouting it from being used and engine from a Chrysler automobile e UN embargo by approving exports of to make a light military transport called rms technology on the State Depart- for military purposes. the Trax. ent's "Munitions List." The UN Included among the exports approved IMPORTS AID INVASION bargo, which was passed with U.S. by the Reagan administration, according pport in 1977, bars the sale of "arms or to the report, were encoding devices, The Reagan administration signalled elated material" to South Africa. navigation gear, image intensifiers and its determination to forge a closer U.S. Based on information acquired under technical data. While a State Department military relationship with South Africa he Freedom of Information Act, the representative in the Office of Munitions when, only a few months after it took FSCNvOA report pointed out that the Control claimed the exports were for office, it relaxed a ban on sales to the State Department authorized 29 export civilian use only, the report states that apartheid regime's security forces. Sub- icenses for commercial sales of more U.S. diplomats have conceded that their sequently, a U.S. firm sold 2500 electric $28.3 million in military equipment han final destination in South Africa include shock batons to South African police for South Africa during the fiscal years · to several military institutions. "Once this crowd control and other U.S. companies 1981-83. technology reaches South Africa," said sold advanced computers and nuclear Conrad, "it will be impossible to prevent technology to South Africa. The U.S. is sabotaging it from being used for military purposes." Partly as a result of the assistance it is Aside from items on the Munitions receiving from the U.S. and other Western the international List, U.S. companies also sold South nations, South Africa's white rulers have arms embargo Africa more than $566 million in aircraft been able to suppress internal opposition and related parts that were not on the from the country's black majority, while Munitions List in 1980-82. Although at the same time conducting aggressive By contrast, under the Carter direct sales of military aircraft to the operations against neighbouring countries, administration, the State Department South African armed forces are not the report notes. It concludes that actions approved only $25,000 in commercial officially sanctioned by the U.S., parts such as the most recent South African military sales to South Africa in 1979 and from several large U.S. firms are sold by invasion of Angola (Guardian, Jan'. 11) none at all in 1980. The Reagan admini- distributors in South Africa. These U.S. would be unthinkable without crucial stration, the report noted, has been able companies include Avco, Teledyne, Ray- import parts and know-how from U.S. to reverse the trend established during the theon, Bell and Goodyear. and European countries. • 21 ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 Minority Rights The Maori Struggle n New Zealand every year on the 6th 1860's the pakehas' armed might enabled protests against the Treaty of Waitangi, I of February there is a public holiday them to take land by force from tribes in successful petitions tor the introduction in commemoration of the signing of the Taranaki and the Waikato. of Maori Language into schools, sub- Treaty of Waitangi. The Land Wars of the 1860's saw missions attacking racist Government This treaty has been the cornerstone European against Maori and Maori against Policy, Court Work, social work, police of New Zealand's supposedly harmonious Maori as the settler government exploited patrols, using the media to highlight multi-cultural society for many decades. the tribal divisions in Maori society to Maori injustices - they provided the Yet it has not been until the last few achieve victory. vehicle for the growing expression of years that protests against the treaty have The confiscations of land from the so Maori dissatisfaction. made newspaper headlines. called "rebels" which followed the In 1975, this reawakening of Maori The treaty, in essence, was a document settlers' victory were transparent exer- pride gave birth to the massive protest of annexation of Aotearoa (New Zealand) cises in land theft. Some tribes which march from the top of the North Island by the British Government. In return the had barely been involved in the wars had to the State capital , at the bottom. A "Maori people" received various assu- large areas of fertile land "confiscated" march of some 700 miles. ~0.000 people rances that their rights would be whilst some of the tribes most heavily marched on Parliament under the banner safeguarded by Britain. involved lost I ittle land due to the fact of "Not One Acre More" (of Maori land Looking beyond the wording of the that most of their land was unsuitable for to be taken), and yet even with this huge document, it should be noted that at the farming. Literally millions of acres of display of dissatisfaction, the State chose time the British Government was anxious Maori land was taken in this way from to ignore the demands. The organisation to safeguard its interests in Aotearoa tribes in Taranaki, Waikato and the Bay which had led the march, Te Mataakite o from private investors such as the of Plenty. Aotearoa, set up a tent embassy on notorious New Zealand company which Another form of land "theft" is the so Parliament Grounds until the demands had bought up large areas of land in the called "legitimate" land sales. Often these were met, and messages of support late 1830s in a number of dubious involved exploitation of the Maori poured in from indigenous peoples dealings. concept of land ownership, the com- throughout the world. But the State Although higher motives sparked by munal nature of tribal land ownership, or would have none of it, and eventually the the humanitarian movement in England they involved underhanded deals and Embassy was broken up by the Police. had some effect on Britain's decision to contracts. Although the demands were never met, annex Aotearoa, "protection" of the As a result of these Pakeha land grabs the march gave fresh impetus and hope Maori people was of much less impor- most Maoris remained poor and landless. to Maoris throughout the country who tance than the "protection" of business Land ownership came to be dominated had been wanting to move but had been interests. by a few rich Pakeha landowners. By frightened of the consequences. It is important to remember that many 1891, 548 people owned 2,000,000 of The heart of the Maori people was not tribes and sub-tribes did not sign the the 12Ji()0,000 acres then privately to be broken and within 18 months of treaty. owned throughout the country. the end of the land march, Maori people Those chiefs who did, in general, did The loss of so much land was central began taking direct action to halt further not perceive the small number of settlers to the breakdown of the Maori communal land alienation. to be a real threat. The pakeha (White way of life. As deaths from disease caused In particular, the struggle for the People) were of some small benefit in a massive fall in the Maori population retention of Bastion Point (last remaining providing an avenue for trade, so it is not after the Land Wars, the government land of the Ngati Whatua except for a ¼ surprising that those who signed adopted a policy of forced assimilation to acre cemetery) grabbed the headlines. genuinely believed it was in their own further destroy Maori society. Politicians White People were reeling with embarass- best interests. began to talk about the deai:h of the ment at the destruction of their "we are Most importantly the Maori people Maori. Queen Victoria had not looked all one people" myth, as more and more had no concept of the "sovereignty" after the interests of all her subjects. The people swung in support of the Ngati which many of them unknowingly signed treaty was a fraud. Whatua. away to Queen Victoria. For the Maoris, It was in the 1960's that a new On May 25 1978, after 507 days of land was something which could be used, generation of Maori fighters emerged who occupation, 222 people were arrested by but it could not be "owned", given away, understood that the exploitation of the the largest force of State power since the or sold. In this context, signing the Third World was their exploitation as sacking of Parihaka in 1881. 600 Police Treaty of Waitangi must have seemed to well. It was this new wave of pakeha with logistical and physical back up from have different consequences for the Maori educated warriors that formed the back- the New Zealand Army, Navy, and Air chiefs, than it has had in practice for the bone of a group called Nga Tomatoa Force took part in this operation. pakeha. (Young Warriors) in the early 70's who 1979 was the year of He T aua (War For the first decade or so after 1840 were the fore-runners of contemporary Party). For 25 years white varsity the Treaty served as a useful tool to Maori activism. students, as part of their capping parade, protect the interests of pakehas heavily They rekindled the fires of their had dressed up in Pacific Island grass outnumbered by Maoris. But by the tupuna's (ancestor's) anger. Modern day skirts, daubed obscene slogans on their ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 22 dies, gotten drunk, and literally mpaged through the streets of Auck- nd doing a mockery of an old and Human Rights pected haka. Jn May 1 1979, a group of 17 Maori Pacific Island people went up to the Round-Up drs1ty, "beat the shit out of the udents", and so stopped the long felt Once every three months we shall carry news on the me. human rights situation in different parts of the world. The White New Zealand was shocked, the purpose is to make Malaysians more aware of the challenges edia reacted - "Gang Rampage at that confront human dignity everywhere. Varsity". The police moved swiftly into This particular round-up is devoted entirely to a very action, arresting and beating up suspects. important document produced by a group of Arab intellec- Maori people though reacted differently. tuals on the state of freedom in the Arab World. It is known For perhaps the first time in many, many as THE HAMMAMAT DECLARATION. years Maoris from all walks of life supported their young ones who were eventually arrested, taken to court, and The conference participants under- the Beirut-based Center for Arab Unity convicted on 7 counts of assault and one score the need to allow a democratic Studies a larger conference on the crisis charge of riot. society to emerge in all Arab countries, a of democracy in the Arab world. The 1979 was also the first year of protest democracy rooted in popular partici- organizers attempted to secure an Arab marches to Waitangi (The protest march pation, expressed in freely-formed poli- country for the site of their second begins at the base of the Maori Queen, tical parties, and based in sovereign law meeting, but the governments of Egypt, Dame Te Atairangikaahu and ends at and the power of the people, the only Kuwait and Jordan all refused to allow Waitangi . The queen is descended from true source of power and legitimacy, to it in their capitals. the tribes in the Waikato areas which elect their own representatives. A second meeting took place in along with some other groups did not sign Limassol, Cyprus, on December 1 and 2, the treaty}. Organisep by a core group of Hammamat, April 3, 1983 1983, immediately following the Center 12, the Waitangi protests have expanded ... for Arab Unity Studies conference there. to include thousands of New Zealanders Some 70 individuals, including many of staging local protest actions against the In early April 1983, a group of 35 those who met at Hammamat and repre- contradictions and hypocrisy that the Arab intellectuals, academicians, profes- senting a wide spectrum of political Waitangi Day Celebrations perpetuate. sionals and political activists met at the tendencies, were present. The December Each year the protests have upped the Hammamat cultural center in Tunis to meeting set up a permanent Organization commitment of people, and in particular discuss the crisis of human rights and for the Protection of Human Rights the commitment of Maoris. Arrests, democratic freedoms in the Arab world. in the Arab World to monitor human police harassment, economic hardship, No officials or representatives of any rights violations. They selected a 14- and attacks from conservative Maoris Arab government attended, and the member board of trustees composed of have not weakened the resolve of more gathering was not sponsored by any individuals from Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq, and more Maori people to follow through government or political organization. Morocco, Sudan, Syria, Jordan, Tunisia with their protests. The Hammamat group issued the and Palestine. The group set as its i mme- Today, Maoris and Pacific Islanders accompanying declaration, and set up a diate priority a campaign for the release find themselves concentrated in the lower continuations committee to 1) contact of political prisoners and prisoners of socio-economic groupings in New Zealand groups in the Arab countries concerned conscience in the Arab states. The organi- society. Land struggles still continue at with issues of human rights and demo- zation's secretariat will operate initially Takaparawha (Bastion Point}, Raglan, cracy 2) draw up a legal framework for out of Cairo. The organization will be Horowhenua and elsewhere. The Maori the establishment of a permanent moni- financed entirely from rion-governmental language is still not recognised in any toring committee; and 3) coordinate with private contributions. real way. 50% of prison inmates are black. 67% of Maori pupils leave school see page 24 for the Hammamat Declaration with no qualifications compared to only 28% of non-Maori. That the Maori language and cultural level; jokes about Maoris and other through the land march, the land identity have survived to the present day bigoted ideas of individuals. struggles, He Taua (War Party), Waitangi, is entirely due to the efforts of the Maori Secondly, there is racism experienced Mana Motuhake (The only Maori organi- to preserve what is theirs. It is certainly through the cultural and customary bias sation currently contesting mainstream not due to some mythical "harmonious, of the courts, health, education and other political elections; it serves as the main multi-racial society". institutions. This sort of racism is often Parliamentary watchdog for the Maori The overwhelming evidence of dis- "unintentional" and includes such things People), the Maori Women's Movement, crimination against, and oppression of as ignoring the Maori language or tradi- the rebuilding of the language and the Maori and Pacific Island people reveals tional Maori values of justice. culture, has seen a reemergence of Maori the inherently racist nature of New Thirdly, most Maoris and Pacific pride that the white man has tried Zealand society. Islanders suffer economic oppression, not desperately to destroy. Racism is present in New Zealand being able to pay for groceries, higher More importantly, Maori people have society at a number of levels. It is rates of unemployment or poor housing a clear understanding now of their history experienced not only by Maoris and due to their generally low economic with the pakeha that gives a purpose and Pacific Islanders but also by many other status. a commitment that can never ever see ethnic minorities. The past decade of Maori struggle; them return to the cultural and spiritual Firstly, there is racism on a personal from Nga Tamatoa (Young Warriors}, malaise of the turn of the century. • 23 ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 The Hammamat Declaration he last 30 years have witnessed the We demand that all Arab governments T complete disappearance of democra- acknowledge the human rights and tic freedoms in the Arab world. This sup- freedoms specified in the Universal pression of democracy has been justified Declaration of Human Rights ~ above in various ways and under different all the rights of equality among citizens pretexts. It sometimes was justified by regardless of religion, race, or ethnic the need to build socialism and to pursue origin. economic development, sometimes by In focussing on political repression, ~he need to establish Arab unity, and at we do not overlook social and cultural other times by the requirements of repression exercised on all levels - in defending independence and in the the family, in the school, in the work names of struggle against Israel, when in place, in religion, and in labor· unions: fact none of these objectives could be everywhere the link between power and achieved without democracy. responsibility is lacking, and reasonable Democracy and the fundamental free- accountability is nowhere to be found. doms it implies are not merely means Authority in the Arab countries is of achieving vital goals, but constitute today based on intimidation, subju- a fundamental goal in themselves. Free- gation, and cooptation. This has led to dom is a supreme value for all Arabs confusion in values and standards, to because they are deprived of it. The Arab the absence of critical thought, to the people are deprived of the freedom of decline of reason. Thus the single, closed thought and expression, of the right to viewpoint has dominated, putting an end participate in decision making; they are to intellectual and political diversity exposed to imprisonment, torture, and and rendering mass movements and murder - including collective murder; popular organizations useless and impo- their honor is trampled upon, their tent. Cultural and intellectual life, as a highest values violated; and silence . and result, have been effectively destroyed submission are imposed upon "1tem every- in the Arab world. where. The Arab people are today The participatns in this conference desperate and without hope, without strongly emphasize the necessity of faith in themselves or in their regimes. securing basic human rights for the We [ the participants in the Hamma- Arab people, particularly the rights of mat conference] demand that all political individual freedom and personal belief, prisoners in the Arab countries be of freedom of thought and expression, released or immediately brought to trial. and of political participation, including We demand that all extra-legal courts and the right to form political organizations emergency regulations be abolished and and workers' unions. We also stress the that the illegal activities of the secret need to insure the rights of women and police be terminated. minorities, and to safeguard the inde- pendence of the judiciary. [Signed by] Burhan Gha lioun Mohammed Arkoun Hal im Ba rakat Mehdi Amil Ibrahim Ibrahim Abbas Baydoun Bassam Tibi Mohammed Ha llaj Khald un al-Naqib Musa Wahbeh Adonis Afaf Mahfouz Tewfi k Bakkar Mohammed Kha ireddin Hasib Nassi f Nassar Ahmad Bahaeddin Fatma Mernissi George Abed Hilmi Murad Saadeddin Ibrahim Nawal Sadawi Ahmad Higazi Kamal Abu Di b Hassa n el-lbrahim Mohammed Rabia Samih Farsoun Hisha m Dgait Amal Rassam Kamal Boullata Hassa n Haddad A I- Baki Hermassi AI-Taher Lab ib Hisham Sharabi - Hammamat, April 3, 1983 ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 24 The Socialist Democratic OTHm. ::ER VOICES. Party (SDP) calls ¾ ,lOnce ~very Hfo months we snali present ttyou icteas. and *' for Investigation activities of other. public interest societies, trade unions and politi'cal ~rtles.. JJhe puJ;J?ose i\r;o fostEtr better undersfanding into Big lpoh and appredation1rof each other's position. Emphasis will be given to those voices which are often muffled and muted.' Land Deal ·Organi§ations ..we therefore -ltwited to send us thejr press "' comments,, programme of activhies and other such materials. The editorial board reserves the right to select those items for The SOP has asked why 15 acres of inelusion,;.,hich, i&; feels wi 11 contribute towards the larger good precious state land along Jalan Gopeng in of Malaysian 'society - editor. lpoh was sold at a ridiculously low price to a public company called CASH Bhd. CASH, it is further alleged, is going to develop the prime land, together with the State Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) and another company, ZARID Holdings Sdn. Bhd., The Selangor Common Religious into a multi-billion dollar complex of multi-storey buildings, shopping arcades, Graduates Values for - hotels and other luxurious apartments. It is worth noting that the Chairman of Society (SGS) Nation-building ZARID Holdings is the brother of the ... Chairman of CASH. He is also deputy Expresses The Malaysian Consultative Council chairman of CASH. of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Not only does the venture smack of Concern Sikhism held a one-day seminar on favouritism, according to the SOP, it "Common Religious Values for Nation- also raises other questions related to At its 11th Annual General Meeting building" at the Dewan Tunku Abdul honesty and integrity. Since the land was held on the 11 th March 1984, the SGS Rahman, Kuala Lumpur. sold so cheaply (it works out to $7.65 per adopted 8 resolutions which reflected The seminar was opened by "Bapa sq. ft. when its present market value is their "deep concerns" as Malaysians. Malaysia", Tunku Abdul Rahman .• A $20.00 per sq. ft.), the chances are that Among them were resolutions which number of speakers from different once the whole area is developed expressed regret at the government's re\ igious backgrounds presented papers. commercially, it will bring huge profits decision to site the 6th university in About 700 persons attended the to all those who have a stake in it. Kedah; disappointment with the govern- seminar. It was a pity that there were The losers wi 11 be the ordinary people ment's failure to liberalise the University very few Muslims at the seminar. The since millions of ringgit which should go and University Colleges Act ( UUCA); and organisers tried hard to get substantial to the government have already been lost unhappiness with the protectionist educa- Muslim participation. After all, Islam is through this 'below market price' tional policies of a number of foreign not against dialogue with other religions transaction. Besides, how will such elitist countries against Malaysian students. The and cultures. In fact, it believes very development benefit the poor? AGM also noted that professional ethics much in the quest for common principles The SOP also made statements about in Malaysia had deteriorated and that among adherents of diverse faiths. the Deputy Education Minister's threat the Ministry of Culture was being too In spite of this lop-sided represen- to Malaysian students overseas and the rigid in adopting and implementing the tation, the discussions were fruitful. Printing Presses and Publication Bill National Cultural Policy without demo- The seminar agreed that it was not one's 1984. cratic consultations. re\ igion as such but one's good deeds Readers may like to know that the On the 23rd March 1984, the Selangor that matter. Also, the seminar noted that party has just produced a booklet from Graduates Society also came out against at their core, most religions share its memorandum to the Election the Printing Presses and Publications common values and even a common Commission on constituency delineation Bill, 1984. world-view. called Votergate. A number of interesting topics on Women's Rights women in the agricultural sector, women in the industrial sector, and measures for The Women's Association of the helping women workers are up for University of Malaysia in conjunction discussion. with the Asia & Pacific Development Since the Press deadline for this Centre (APDC) is organising a seminar on column is the 15th April, we are not able "Women and Employment" on the 16th to report on the proceedings. But we and 17th April at the APDC in Kuala hope to do so in the July issue of the Lumpur. Aliran Monthly. 25 ALI RAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 CURRENT COMMENT A Complete Record of AUran's Statements to the Press made during the preceeding month Audit All Agencies Aliran is concerned that most of the Firstly, huge, plantation-type padi From our mIsgIvings about the padi 83 Government agencies and companies, farms need not necessarily be more estate concept, it is apparent that its termed off budget agencies (OBA's) productive than medium-sized or even major flaw is that it does not address have yet to come under the scrutiny of small farms. There is enough evidence to itself to the root cause of rural poverty the Auditor-General despite a provision show that productivity per relong of a - namely uneconomic holdings. It is in the Audit Act, 1983. The Auditor- 10 relong farm is often higher than that significant that almost two-thirds of General should be commended for of a 20 or 30 relong farm. farmers in the MADA area own less than bringing this matter to the attention Secondly, farmers with uneconomic 4 relongs. Unless these farmers can own of the pub I ic. holdings of 2 or 3 relongs will not earn or at least rent more padi land, they It is important that there is proper more income through the amalgamation will continue to remain poor. auditing since OBA's are expected to of their holdings into large estates since This is why the first step must be to receive 8.9 billion ringgit this year from a person will benefit only in proportion more land available to the poor farmers. the government's development expendi- to the amount of land he owns. This One way of doing this is by setting up a ture to finance their activities. means that poor farmers will continue land bank which will eitheracquireorrent Apart from the money at their to remain poor. padi land that owners do not want to command, many of the· OBA's also enjoy Thirdly, since only those with land - operate for a variety of reasons. These immense power and autonomy, compared however little - will be able to partici- farm-lands can then be made available to to government departments. This is why pate in the padi estates, how will this farmers with uneconomic holdings. This they should be made accountable to the strategy help the landless? And yet, suggestion has been made before by a public. landless farmers constitute a substantial group of University researchers who have It is wrong to regard some of the portion of the rural poor. conducted the most comprehensive OBA's as private corporations simply Fourthly, mechanisation _which will be analysis so far of land issues in the MADA because they are registered under the a vital instrument in ensuring high area . Companies Act. The fact remains that productivity on the estates is bound to Of course the land-bank approach is they get their money from the public displace some labour. Those with very not a "cure-all". At some point, it will be and were established in the first instance, small farms will suffer more and unem- necessary to limit the size of a farm. To to serve public purposes. ployment and underemployment could start with, it need not be a ceiling upon The public therefore has every right become more serious. Of course, agro- ownership; it could be a limit upon how to know what is happening in these based businesses and rural industries much padi land an individual can operate. agencies. could absorb some of unemployed and The rest of his land could be reallocated Aliran appeals to the government to underemployed. But these new employ- - through a rental system for instance advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong to ment opportunities are more likely to - to small farmers. order an audit of all OBA's. benefit youths with some training and Some such scheme is vital at this stage If there aren't enough qualified education rather than the poor farmers in view of what is happening in MADA personnel, then the government should, themsel~s. and other padi-growing areas. For while as a matter of priority, recruit additional Fifthly, since the padi-estates will be there are no huge landlords, there is a staff for the Auditor-General's office. managed by trained personnel it is quite certain trend towards concentration of conceivable that over time a padi bureau- ownership. It has been estimated for The Executive Committee cracy of sorts will grow. Given the pro- instance that about 11 per cent of 11th April 1984 bable salaries of these padi managers, farmers own 42 per cent of land in the on the one hand, and the persistence of MADA area . padi poverty, on the other, there is a Agricultural modernisation within an Padi Estates strong possibility that income disparities inequitable economic set-up often leads will become even more glaring. to this. For it is bigger farmers who can Before the government implements Finally, by transforming owner afford to take advantage of new seedlings padi estates on an extensive scale, it farmers into shareholders in a bureau- and better technology. As their producti- should get an independent team of cratically-managed estate that has vity goes up, as their incomes grow researchers to study the Assam Jawa entrenched various inequ1t1es, one rapidly, the smaller farmers are compelled padi estate project in Kedah so that its wonders whether the attitudes of, and to sel I their lands to the better strengths and weaknesses can be clearly relationships among, the farmers will not positioned. established. The findings of such a study change for the worse. Will they be as This shows that innovations in the should be made public. motivated when management, control padi sector, whether through technique While the aim of increasing incomes and most of all, decision-making are no or organisation, mean very little unless and productivity and promoting agro- longer in their hands? Will they become there is an earnest endeavour to increase business activities through padi estates is more conscious of wealth and deprivation the income of the small farmer and to laudable, Ali ran is doubtful if the strategy since farmers with varying access to land reduce disparities in ownership and itself is capable of achieving the desired will all be lumped together in a single control between him and the big farmer. goal. . economic unit - the padi estate? Implementing padi estates or government ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 26 cooperatives without first 1ackl ing the It is a shame that 27 years after poverty in a Third World country like question of access to land, is a disastrous independence child labour is still rampant ours is much more severe upon its victims move. as shown by the 1980 Population Census than poverty in the West. It is almost a general rule that rural · Report. Accardi ng to the report 43,000 Apart from eliminating poverty the; rooperatives have succeeded only when children between the ages of 10 a.nd 14 government should impose vigorously there has been the sort of restructuring are involved in child labour. Almost the provisions of the Children and Young ' that results in the equalisation of access 22,000 are in agricultural activities. Persons ( Employment) Act, 1966. to land and capital. Surveys have revealed that there is a Offenders should be prosecuted and We have perhaps to 'Look East', to great deal of exploitation of child labour heavier fines should be imposed. It is Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to realize not only in plantations but also in ridiculous to increase ten fold the fines why thorough-going reforms in land commerce; the services and the under the recent Printing Presses and ownership and control must precede manufacturing sector. Publication Bill 1984 when offenders the introduction of new techniques of The root cause of child labour is under the Children & Young Persons production and new methods of organi- poverty. This is why the government has (Employment) Act 1966 can get away sing the rural poor. to formulate effective measures to with such light penalties. . eliminate both rural and urban poverty. The tragedy that has befallen Shamsul The Executive Committee The importance of fighting poverty . Nizam also highlight the appalling lack 14th April 1984 has to be emphasised at this stage because of industrial safety in many of our there appears to be a tendency among factories. There is no point in stepping Bad Planning & Flooding government circles to view poverty up industrialisation if one cannot provide as inevitable. Examples of poverty in minimal safety and security to our Aliran notes that flooding in Penang in developed countries Ii ke United States industrial workers. the last 2 years has become quite serious. and United Kingom are quoted to justify This is undoubtedly the consequence the perpetuation of poverty in our P. Ramakrishnan of poor planning of new townships and country. Our leaders should realise that 20th April 1984 Exco Member housing estates. As more and more houses, factories and highways are built the shortcomings of defective drainage systems are becoming apparent to the public. If proper care had been taken in the construction and maintenance of drainage Amendments to the FINAS Act 1981 systems in the various parts of the island, Penang residents would not have to suffer There is a Bill before Parliament interpretation of the situation. Many of so much hardship whenever there is a which seeks to amend the National Film the producers of these videos are indivi- heavy downpour over a prolonged period Development Corporation (FINAS) Act duals guided by deep spiritual values with of time. 1981 . One of the objectives of the a genuine commitment to truth and Uncontrolled flooding of this sort also amendment is to extend the authority justice. affects work productivity. At a time of the existing Act to cover video tapes The videos they are doing are of when the government is emphasising and video discs. immense educational and cultural value. greater productivity this causes a loss in By so doing, the government hopes, They wi 11 help foster a better under- labour output which would have an through the National Film Corporation, standing of our social problems among adverse effect upon the economy. to impose further controls upon the pro- the people. They will promote inter- It must also be stressed that flooding duction and distribution of video tapes ethnic harmony and national unity. causes serious damage to various types of and video discs. It looks as if the government fears public utilities including highways, trans- Production wi 11 be control led through the growth of social awareness. It is portation and telephone services. This the issue of a "Certificate of Merit". How afraid of allowing the young in particular again results in the loss of public revenue . the Corporation wil.1 determine the merit to develop their own thinking, indepen- It doesn't serve any purpose if every of a cultural or educational film or an dent of government propaganda. time there is heavy flooding, government experimental film, it is not clear from the This fear is also _evident in the impo- officials respond by adopting short-term proposed amendment. Will the merit of a sition of controls upon the distribution relief measures. Such measures do not film depend upon the extent to which it of films. The amendment says for come to grips with the underlying causes. echoes the ideas and attitudes of the instance that, "any person who has in Aliran therefore suggests the govern- government? This is a legitimate query his possession, custody or control three ment formulate a long-term flood for if one looks at other legislations on or more copies of a film of the same alleviation programme through consulta- publications and audio recordings it is title shall, unless the contrary is proved, tions with both experts and the general obvious that the overriding aim is to be presumed to be engaged in the dis- public. ensure compliance to what the Deputy tribution of films" (new section 24B) . Minister of Home Affairs has described as Aliran wonders how this provision can Gan Kong Hwee "the government vision". be implemented. Isn't it absurd that a 20th April 1984 Exco Member If this is the aim then a number of parent who has 3 video copies of his Child Labour small but significant video production daughter's wedding would be deemed units in the country are going to suffer. to have contravened the proposed law? The recent accident in wh i eh 13-year- For these units are trying to depict the old school boy Shamsul Nizam Yahaya social reality around them which need Chandra Muzaffar lost his right hand while working in a not coincide with the government's 28th March 1984 President fish-packing factory in Hutan Melintang, Perak, underscores the adverse conse- quences of chi Id-labour. 27 ALIRAN MONTHLY MAY 1984 THINKING ALLOWED A closer look at what people say and do the world over. by Mustafa Anuar and Khor Yoke Lim Poverty Persists ... The 70 million Target! ISA for BMF? The mid-term review of the Fourth The Prime Minister has announced ISA against economics saboteurs? Malaysia Plan showed an increase in the that Malaysia should achieve a population Well, this is certainly a novel thought overall incidence of poverty in Peninsular of 70 million in about 115 years' time. coming as it does from UMNO Youth Malaysia from 29% in 1980 to 30% in This is really talking about work national deputy leader Datuk Najib 1983. ethics and increasing productivity. Razak. Seven days after the review was made Only after this announcement does the He said, "No persons should be public, the Prime Minister announced slogan "Hard Work" make sense. For allowed to damage the economy, reputa- that 90% of the poor had gained from after all from now onwards we'll have to tion and well-being of the country the New Economic Policy. If the majority work hard day and night. Let's hope that through excessive manipulation". had so benefited, how come their situa- some smart guy does not coin a new This statement brings to mind cases tion has not improved? In the first place, slogan to describe the night part of our like the BMF scandal. Would Datuk how did he arrive at the figure 90%? "hard work" campaign. Najib recommend ISA to be slapped on Of the poor, the rubber smallholders the faces of the bank's leaders and others are among the worst off and this group concerned? forms one-third of the poor. Est.ate workers form another category whose Workers Short-changed incidence of poverty has increased from 35% in 1980 to 54 % in 1983. Estate Deputy Labour Minister Datuk workers are wage earners and their William Lye recently commented .that the situation is linked with the poor econo- government will not negotiate the provi- mic performance of the rubber industry sion which forbids workers covered under as a whole. the Socso scheme from suing their It is unfortunate that agriculture is employers for injustices. He said that this one of the main sectors that will face was a "practical" matter because there cutbacks in the next one or two years as a Lighting a Candle ... in were about 55,000 industrial accidents every year. The judicial system would result of the deterioration of the the darkness economy. This is most unwise considering not be able to cope with just one per Encore to Encik Usman Awang and the dismal situation of the poor and the cent of the cases. the Multi-ethnic Writers' Coordinating importance of increasing food supply This is a typical answer from a politi- (especially if our country is targeting for Committee for their efforts in bringing cian who cannot perhaps empathise with about unity the literary way. When a population of 70 million). · wthnic the working class. Surely, there are ways every policy, every award, every sugges- and means of strengthening the courts so tion stinks of ethnicity news of this sort that they can cope with the increase. rekindles one's hopes that there are still The government is actually making use some people who care. of the workers' hard earned money to The Multi-ethnic Writers' Coordinating finance some of its expenditure. Every Committee was formed on May 31, year, only about 10% of the money 1983 with the aim of encouraging writers received from Socso is paid out in t he of different languages to shgre their form of compensation. According to a works. Initially it is concentrating on study, bet ween 1971 and 1980, so me Electricity & Population Growth translation projects. It will also have $243 million were collected. On the Na tional & Rural Development Minis- other activities to bring these writers other hand, Socso paid only $17 million ter, Dat uk San usi Junid recently said that together. It is their hope that the mass to workers injured as a result of indus- the govern ment will need $3.9 billion media will provide support. As voiced by trial accidents. Socso's funds belong to to light up all the kampungs in t he Encik Usman Awang, "the media should the workers. As such any decision made country. not limit itsel f t o news about ministers should be primarily for their benefit. In Can you imag ine how much more it but also about the act ivi t ies of the fa ct , Socso should account to the workers would need to provide el ectricit y for an people". as how the f unds are being used and even bi gger population (li ke 70 million) ? If more non-Malays can write fluently invested. Or perhaps, without electricit y it wi 11 in Bahasa Malaysia , this will erase the A worker who lost three f ingers was be easier t o rea ch the new population identification of ethnicity with literature. paid a meagre $54. Rig htl y, wo rkers targ et . May be that's the idea. Then we Besides, a Chinese or Indian writing about feel that they have been short-chang ed. ca n tell t he world that we became a great his way of life in Bahasa Malaysia will If they have no recourse to the cou rts i'1d ust rial nation because we were help others understand his culture and what other avenu es are left for them to working while others were sl eeping! experiences and vice versa. obta in justice? Printed by Ganesh Printing Works Sdn.-Bhd., 10, Penang Street, Penang. Published by Aliran Kesedaran Negara, P.O. Box 1049, Pulau Pinang.