12 TELLING IT AS IT IS theSun | WEDNESDAY JUNE 17 2009

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t h e s u n s a y s

Do not leave national unity to chance

THE 1Malaysia concept may be a
little clearer now after Prime Min-
ister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak
explained it further in the Dewan
Rakyat on Monday, but only just. One
thing, however, is certain it is not the
Malaysian Malaysia that the DAP is
promoting.
But much more needs to be said
about the whole concept which Najib
said forms the basis of his administra-
tion. Perhaps more will be known in
due course. For the moment we know,
as stated by Najib, that fundamental
provisions of the Federal Constitution
will remain intact in the implementa-
tion of the 1Malaysia, unlike what the
DAP is aspiring for.
Everyone knows that the objec-
tive is nation building and national
unity and Najib said, in response to a
request that he elaborate, it is a con-
tinuation of all the efforts of the last
50 years of forging a united nation.
He said: “The core elements of unity
are, first, the attitude of acceptance
among the races and people, second,
principles of nationhood based on
the Federal Constitution and Rukun
Negara and, third, social justice.”
He explained that 1Malaysia is like
a formula to help the people achieve
the aspiration of Vision 2020 which
sees the creation of a Bangsa Ma-
laysia. “This is because we can only
have a stable and developed country
through the people’s unity,” he said.
When it was formulated as a national
aspiration 2020 seemed such a long
time away and the consensus then
was that it was achievable – a stable,
united and developed nation. Some
tinkering was effected under the
previous administration but the long-
term aim of Vision 2020 remains.
Now a decade away doubts are
nagging many of the country’s lead-
ers, especially after much of the char-
acteristics of the nation that we want
to have came under scrutiny, debate
and questioning. In the process much
feathers have been ruffled. Thus, if
1Malaysia is the solution, a salve and
a confidence-building mechanism
to assure everyone of a place in the
Malaysian sun, it has to be carefully
explained and implemented.
For many the concept is still
vague. The Chinese newspapers
first explained it as a “Malaysia for
all” concept but have since changed
to “One Malaysia” as given in the
Chinese version of Najib’s blog on
the subject. But whether 1Malaysia
or One Malaysia or Malaysia for All,
it is national unity that is the objec-
tive, an objective all Malaysians must
strive for and an objective that must
sincerely and honestly be arrived at.
We have become a prosperous
nation, but we have neglected this
important aspect of our nation’s
development. Let us continue where
we had left off, but this time under
the 1Malaysia impetus let us do it
together consciously, honestly and
sincerely. Let us not allow anyone to
undermine our national agenda. But,
above all, let us not leave it to chance
anymore. We must work at it.

letters
Did Obama really say anything? letters@thesundaily.com

comment by
Sulaiman Dufford
IF YOU examine Barack
Obama’s much touted speech
from Cairo, you will not find
much. In particular, you will
not find much that the Zionists
would object to. In fact, his
thinking is very much in their
style – “Let’s all sit down, hold
hands, and respect each other’s
values.”
“Wrist slapping” is an idiom
expressing a type of criticism.
For example, Obama appeared
to admit former excesses of
colonial powers, and yet he did
not in any sense apologise as
one of those himself. American
neo-colonialism is a powerful
element in today’s world, and
yet you would never know it
from his “wrist slapping” of the
former colonists.
There was a lot of sound in
his speech, yet not much sub-
stance, if you think about it. In
Jerusalem before his election,
he donned the Jewish skull
cap and joined them at their
“Wailing Wall” for prayers.
This is substance. By walking
ten minutes up a little hill, he
could have just as easily taken
off his shoes and joined the
Muslims at prayer in the Al
Aqsa mosque. One news photo
of Obama in full prostration
before the Qibla in Mecca
could have changed history.
Except that he probably would
not have been elected, had he
done so. So perhaps, like our
Prophet’s treaties with the
Quraish, he secured his place
in that history by means of cer-
tain compromises at present.
But could he not at the
very least have stood outside
the front of the Golden Dome,
and mentioned the Prophet
Muhammad’s ascension from
that site, as one of history’s
major “turning points”, no less
pivotal than Prophet Ibrahim’s
smashing his father’s idols?
Or he could have mentioned
all three shrines – the Wailing
Wall, the Golden Dome, and
the Aqsa Mosque – as humani-
ty’s combined legacies from the
site of the Prophet Solomon’s
famous temple which formerly
occupied this “Temple Mount”
(as it is still called today). This
would have been a substantial
indication that Obama at least
knew some little thing about
the history of monotheism in
human society, and using the
Jewish veneration of Prophet
Sulaiman (a.s.) to do so.
That would have been
substance. It would have
constituted evidence of his
intention to be even-handed
in his negotiations on the
Middle East. Yet it seems clear
he could not risk his Jewish
support and votership by
doing such an easy and wise
thing. Or else, dare we say it,
his advisers were too stupid to
recognise the positive potential
of such a move, and how easy
it would have been to make it,
as anyone who has been to the
Temple Mount would know.
Or take Israel’s refusal to
stop building on land captured
in the 1967 war. Obama could
have conditioned further
American support (especially
financial) on an immediate
cessation of such illegal build-
ing. But no. Instead, he gave
us vague words about “both
sides” having to behave them-
selves, even though Muslim
powers have made it very clear
that they expect a full return of
the pre-1967 lands to Palestinian
hands.
So on the one hand, Obama
mentioned the equal rights of
Muslims, Christians, and Jews
to Jerusalem, and on the other
hand, he did nothing substantial
toward re-establishing those
rights. This is sound without
substance. It is also typically
American.
The Americans have mas-
tered the art of public entertain-
ment and image-making. They
have mastered it so well that
they have come to believe in
all these images themselves.
Most of them still believe in
their “American dream”, and
yet what good is a salary (such
as that of my son) in Los An-
geles of US$5,000 (RM17,650) a
month, when the rent for a flat is
US$2,000 (RM7,060) there? And
when tax payments to the federal
government may be from 30% to
40% of one’s monthly income?
No doubt, the Americans felt
triumphant that their president
was able to speak in Cairo with
the sponsorship of Al Azhar
University, among others. They
seem to feel that orchestrating
this event was in itself some sort
of proof of his power as a “force
for peace”.
Well, congratulations.
The writer lectures anthropol-
ogy at International Islamic
University Malaysia. Comments:
letters@thesundaily.com
Allow banks to set
interest rates
I WAS glad to read “Furious Australia warns banks on rates”
(June 15). Finally, a bank that dares to challenge the status quo
and move in the right direction.
A bank is a business, and like all other businesses it should
be free to set the price of what it sells, and that is money. An
experienced bank will know what is the highest, the lowest,
and the optimum rate of interest it can charge to lend money
profitability and satisfactorily.
Low interest rates stifle the economy because they reduce
the amount of cash in circulation, while market-driven inter-
est rates boost the economy and make it progress. If banks
can charge the interest rate they deem fit for their business
model, they will make more profit. This profit will then be
invested and the result will be that the banks can pay higher
interest rates on depositor accounts too.
This will create healthy competition in the financial market
with the banks having to work constantly to attract customers
– borrowers that will pay interest on loans and investors that
will get the best rate for their investment.
When a bank is allowed to fix the price of money, the inter-
est rate will be higher both for the person who spends and
the one who saves. Savers are not necessarily better than
spenders, and a balanced economy needs both.
However, spenders are hardly concerned with price be-
cause their focus is on getting the goods. The savers, on the
other hand, allow the capital to be accumulated and, as we
all know, no industry can be conceived without some amount
of capital.
The interesting thing is that, most individuals are both
spenders and savers. They spend on the things that are im-
portant to them and save on those they consider unnecessary.
This is probably the main reason why allowing banks to set
their own rate of interest is the right way to go.
I hope Malaysian bankers will follow the example of the
Commonwealth Bank of Australia and thus free the economy
and the individual.
Marisa Demori
Ipoh

Komuter service much improved

AS A commuter who uses the
KTMB Komuter daily, I must
put on record that its services
have improved tremendously
over the past one month.
Delays due to “technical
reasons” as in the past have
been greatly reduced and I
don’t face the problems like
before, going to office late or
reaching home late.
The management of KTMB
has responded positively to
public criticism of its poor
services and I am sure people
who use public transport vehicles at home to help ease
welcome the improvements traffic flow.
to the commuter service. Other major cities in the
However, the KTMB man- world like Tokyo, London and
agement cannot rest on its New York have excellent pub-
laurels as the company’s serv- lic transport systems which
ices can be further improved. encourage their citizens to
Faulty air-conditioners and use the services rather than
overcrowding on some trips rely on private transport to go
should be addressed by the to work.
management to provide com- Our city planners need to
muters a comfortable ride. look into this matter.
Public transport should
be overhauled to encourage Hamdan Ibrahim
more city folk to leave their Kuala Lumpur

Malacca road project re-listed

WE refer to “Complete link to Bukit Beruang” has been re-listed in the 10th Malaysia Plan.
(Letters, June 12). Regarding the proposed road,
the Public Works Department would like to clarify Samsudin Bakar
the project was listed in the 9th Malaysia Plan but Corporate Communications Head
there was no allocation approved. The project Public Works Department