Cannot See The Wood For The Trees Maksudnya Terperangkap Dalam Remeh Temeh Tak Nampak Big Picture

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There is this idiom (simpulan bahasa) "can't see the wood for the trees" in British English, or "can't see the forest for the trees" in American English.  It means someone is too involved in the details of something to the extent that they do not notice what is important about the thing as a whole.   
Merriam Webster's definition of "miss the forest for the trees" (American English) says:

"to not understand or appreciate a larger situation, problem, etc., because one is considering only a few parts of it".

My simpler understanding is "scrutinising the batang pokok one by one tapi tak nampak hutan". A few days ago I read an opinion by Jeyakumar Devaraj the Chairperson of Parti Sosialis Malaysia or PSM which listed some characteristics of the type of politicians (aka candidates) that our country needs.  May I say that  Dr Jeyakumar is a respected person and quite a succesful political leader - considering the circumstances in which the PSM operates. 
Here is Dr Jeyakumar, my comments follow. 
The candidates our nation needs
Many Malaysians who voted for the Pakatan Harapan in GE 14 are now quite frustrated. The change that they had hoped for didn’t materialize; the government that they had elected against all odds imploded in February 2020. Many are feeling despondent. It is a human tendency to blame others – in this case ascribing blame mainly to the individuals who switched camp.

Perhaps it is time for us to be a little more objective – could we, the reform movement too, been a cause of the implosion of the PH? In that we underestimated the task of charting a new course for the nation and so did not take the effort to fathom the expectations and underlying anxieties of other social groups that voted with us in the historic May 2018 elections. Our movement failed to fashion the policies and programs that would have kept them with us as we deepened and consolidated the reform process.
(OSTB:  Other than the DAP - just a little bit -  there were absolutely and totally no other reformists at all in the Pakatan Harapan.  Dr Mahathir, Tan Sri Muhyiddin were just disgruntled UMNO members, unhappy with the Kleptocrat. That was all. Their objective was to kick out a thief. That was all. 
Amanah were disgruntled PAS members - PAS 2.0. That was all. A leopard cannot change its spots. Neither can the religious fellows change their indoctrination. They are cut from the same cloth.
So after Dr M became PM 2.0 it was back to 'lets pay tolls for another 30 years, no abolishing Sedition Act, I want to make the 3rd national car, where are my buddies' etc. The same old crap.  
Then that Amanah fellow who became the Minister of Wilayah shortened the operating hours of the clubs and night joints. That was his goal in life. He was going to heaven. True to the cloth. Plus he began to joget with the Bazar Ramadan fellows.

So there was no such thing as reform at all by the Pakatan Harapan. That is why the Pakatan Harapan lost SEVEN BY ELECTIONS in a row and were finally kicked out. Dr Mahathir was kicked out after 22 months in power.

Then that pintu belakang fellow squeezed out through the back orifice and started plotting a two year course down the hill. He failed again. Now in the Johor elections he has broken with the PH entirely. I wonder if the Pakatan Harapan still exists at all?

So there were no reformists because there was no reform.)


I think it is important that Malaysians who wish to see better governance of this country start preparing ourselves for another attempt to attain federal power. That opportunity might come sooner than we might expect because the objective conditions – the deep rooted culture of kleptocracy in the BN ruling elite, the urbanization of and class differentiation within Malay society that has creating a growing Malay under-class which is critical of the Malay political and economic elite – predispose to another “rebellion” against the BN ruling elite.

(OSTB : Ok and then what? Lets say the UMNO/BN loses power in GE15 and some other coalition steps up. What will they do? Repeat the same mistakes again? Become Pakatan Harapan 2.0 ? Start losing SEVEN BY ELECTIONS again? Or worse start creating their own crony system and their own kleptocratic system ?     



What I wish to do in this article is to delineate some of the characteristics we need in our elected leaders to consolidate such a political change and build a better Malaysia. Common decency and good intentions are important requirements but are not in themselves enough to navigate the difficult terrain created by 60 years of ethnicized politicking, deep rooted inequalities in society, an international economic order that advantages the largest corporations and runaway global warming.

What qualities should our MPs and ADUNs have to handle this complex set of problems? I think this is an important issue that we have to discuss so that we can start recruiting and training the people we need. For not only do we have to bring about political change, we also have to elect MPs and ADUNs who have the capacity to consolidate power and launch Malaysia on a path of true reform. 
Let me start that discussion by sketching out eight main characteristics that I think our future political candidates should have.

1. Concern for ordinary citizens  -   We need to select candidates who are concerned about social injustice and are committed to fight marginalization
2. Candidates who have a clear understanding of the root causes of poverty in our society

3. Candidates who understand Realism -  Malaysia is deeply embedded in the global capitalist structure and cannot disengage abruptly from it – that would cause extreme economic hardships to the population.  
4. A rejection of ethnic politicking -  The candidates we need have to:

– understand the anxieties as well as the grievances of different ethnicities
– understand that both the “Malaysian Malaysia” and the “Ketuanan Melayu” formulations stray (in opposite directions) 
– actively speak out in defense of Malaysians of other ethnicities.

– avoid using ethnic arguments and issues as a short-cut to mobilise political support.

5. Candidates who are mindful of the diversity within Malaysian society 

6. We need candidates who are concerned about the environment 
7. candidates should be committed to develop the capacity of ordinary citizens to participate in their own governance.
8. Incorruptible  -   Our candidates should recognize the importance of submitting to the discipline of the party with regard to financial matters. 
We need political candidates who appreciate the need for this sort of checks and balances and who will submit to the discipline of their party.
(OSTB: Which party's discipline regarding financial matters? UMNO? Pribumi? PKR? PAS? DAP ?????

There already are asset declarations in the political parties and very rigid and supposedly water tight asset declarations for all MPs and ADUNs. Even a sh-t hole party like UMNO has party discipline. But no one cares for their own rules and regulations. The "rigid" asset declarations just do not work.)

We need candidates with an in-depth understanding of our nation’s socio-economic situation and the nature of its articulation into the global economy as well as the personal characteristics as outlined above. Otherwise the reform movement will flounder. 
Change is possible. But we have to work smart !

Jeyakumar Devaraj
Chairperson
Parti Sosialis Malaysia
4/2/2021
My comments : 
Well those are very good intentions by Dr Jeyakumar. And why not? We need to locate, nurture and motivate such candidates.
But lets face reality - we are not going to find many (or even any) of these "supermen and angel" combinations in the near time frame. Or even in the longer time frame. Not only here in Malaysia but anywhere in the world.

After 65 years of Independence we seem to be getting closer to the bottom of the pit. The only reason we have not hit bottom yet is because our pit seems bottomless. We can keep falling for ever. 
And we have reached down to this level because of ...you and me. Yes it is our fault. 
We did not read enough, we did not educate ourselves enough, we are not learned enough, we did not use enough of our common sense to help each other. ALL OF US. 
And we did not care enough for our neighbours. We still do not care enough for our neighbours. Just leave me alone, dont talk to me and I wont talk to you. 
Each race was concerned with itself. Me first. Who cares about the kwais and the naat-tans, about the mamaks and the pendatangs, about the k-lings and the orang asli. Or the Dayaks and the Dusuns? Who cares? Me first. 
Until today there are people who are more 'concerned' with the politics of Tamil Nadu or Kerala than Malaysia. Or perhaps of China or Palestine or Syria or  Turkey. (Yes I know it is not a crime anna, but to what purpose? Bumi mana dipijak dan langit mana di junjung?)

My own mantra:

Well I have my own mantra - which I will repeat here again. We need to throw out quite a lot of our old policies. And then we need brand new policies.

So politicians, reformers, wannabes, hopefuls etc please come out point blank and say it point blank. 
We need a clear cut statement of new policy initiatives. For starters say a platform of TEN clearly worded main policy changes. 
For example:

1. Limit the tenure of the prime minister to two terms. 
Hello DAP, this was part of your MOU with Umno. Apa sudah jadi? Lu sudah kena tipu oleh UMNO or was the whole thing just a sandiwara?

Better still limit the tenure of all elected YBs (MPs and State Assemblymen) to two terms (in any combination of constituencies, MP or ADUN). So for example my good friend YM Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah cannot be an MP for 36 years. 
Of course this will also automatically limit the PM, MBs, CMs to two terms.
Folks if you can support this idea please make it an issue. Tell this to your family, friends, relatives. Start talking about it loudly. Only then will it reach the politicians. The politicians are lalang. They sway with the wind. If you blow hard enough they will listen to you.

2. Abolish the Sedition Act, reform the Defamation Laws and parts of the MCMC Act.
The Sedition Act was crafted by the crafty colonials in 1948. At that time there was no Malaysia. The Sedition Act 1948 was designed to perpetuate the colonial power.


No doubt the Sedition Act 1948 was used by the colonials to 'menzalimi kita'. To oppress us. 
We became Independent in 1957. But we kept the Sedition Act. Just until one day before Independence ie until August 30th 1957 the Sedition Act was considered an 'undang-undang zalim penjajah'. 
But the very next day 31st August, 1957 - our Independence Day- the same Sedition Act became an 'undang-undang adil negara kita'.  Pi dah mabuk.   
And similar to the Sedition Act our Defamation Laws were first drafted by the white man from a time when even the white man did not have running water or flush toilets in their houses. The Defamation Act is outdated, archaic and dinosauric. Change it lah. Lets modernise our Defamation Laws. Be up to date. 
I have said this before and I will say it again - the biggest threat to the security of Malaysia is not ISIS, not the Salafis, not the Wahabis, not the racists and not the ketuanan fellows. The biggest threat to our security is this very, very outdated Defamation Act.

3. Make the Attorney General, IGP, Election Commissioner, MACC Commissioner answerable to scrutiny by Parliament on a regular basis.


This does not mean that the AG (for example) is no more immune from legal liability. Not at all.  Or that Parliament can reverse a decision by the AG. Not at all.
What it means is that the AG, IGP, MACC Commisioner, Election Commission Chairman must present a report card to the Parliament say once every six months.
Scrutinise them, ask them questions, then give them a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Which 'may' then be used to determine if they continue in the job. Make them sweat a bit.  



4. Separate religion from the Federal Govrnment. Abolish Jakim (a Federal government body).
Religion is a State matter under the jurisdiction of the Sultans. Keep it that way. There is now an increasing religious creep towards federalisation of religious 'authority'. JAKIM is a prime example. 
And the Sultan of Johor (for example) has said point blank that he does not want Johor to have anything to do with Jakim. 



What is the Sultan of Johor saying? He is saying that religion is NOT A FEDERAL MATTER. RELIGION IS UNDER STATE JURISDICTION. So lets keep it that way.

Many people do not realise that not only JAKIM is an illegal organisation (it is unConstitutional) but that Jakim Halal sticker does not have legal standing outside the Wilayah Persekutuan.
Say someone sues a restaurant in Perak for using a food product whose halal status was dubious. Lets say the food product already had a Halal sticker by Jakim. The question is can Jakim be held legally liable for negligence (outside Wilayah Persekutuan) for issuing that halal sticker?
Lets assume that there was negligence by Jakim and their negligence can be proven in the Court. The question is can Jakim be held liable in a State other than Wilayah Persekutuan? Because religion is a State matter under the respective Sultans. Only the State should issue its own Halal sticker under the jurisdiction of the Sultan (State religious authority). 
To my knowledge this Halal Sticker by Jakim has never been tested in Court but if there is a legal dispute outside the Wilayah Persekutuan I dont think Jakim can be held legally liable. 
In the same way Jakim cannot be the purveyor of Federal funds from the Federal Budget for religious purposes throughout the country (outside the Wilayah Persekutuan). 
The Federal Government could or should dispense funds directly to the State (under that State List contohnya) and let the States decide how to use the funds. The Federal government should not be in a position to fund (and hence dictate) religious activity in the States.

5. Completely disband the New Economic Policy
In 52 years there has never been an official, full review of the New Economic Policy. The ketuanan Melayu boys are convinced that it has been a roaring success. Certainly for a few of them who have become rich.
But on the whole the NEP has failed - disastrously. Evidence : UMNO was kicked out by the Malays in 2018. Despite NEP, orang Melayu sendiri tak mahu undi UMNO. And lets see what happens in the next General Elections. 
The NEP has failed. Completely disband it. Now it is going the other way. Now orang Melayu makin marah kepada Kerajaan. There are things being said by Malay people which I dare not repeat. And it is all because of the New Economic Policy. Jangan tunggu sampai orang Melayu mengamuk.  The NEP has already become a threat to our national security. DONT SAY I DID NOT WARN YOU.

6. Full liberalisation of the economy. 
This is TOP URGENT.  Especially the banking and financial sector. It has to be fully liberalised yesterday. If we become a Failed State (and we will eventually if we dont change our policies) one of the main reasons is because banking is an oligopoly - which is controlled by the politicians, foolish Civil Servants, crooked Advisors and such through the GLCs.

Abolish all the blood sucking government sanctioned monopolies. The toll operators, the telecoms operators, the food importers, the rice monopolies, the AP holders, the car importers, the weighing machine regulator, that resort operator inside the Taman Negara Kuala Tahan etc etc etc etc. The whole country is just an effing monopoly or oligopoly under some ketuanan monkeys. 

7. Strengthen Affirmative Action for all bumis and needy non Malays
We cannot abolish Affirmative Action for the bumis / Malays. This means the malay candidate with Cs and Ds will still get admission into university etc. 
But there are methods to merge or marry Affirmative Action with Meritocracy / Competition / a more level playing field.
We can achieve both - Affirmative Action combined with a more level playing field. Maybe I will share some ideas on this later. 
But Affirmative Action for Malays / bumis does not mean denying non-Malays from their opportunities. If a non-Bumi student qualifies for a government university then allow them to enter.  If a non-bumi applies for a permit or a license give it to him. Do not restrict economic opportunities for other people. You do that and your grand children will sleep under the bridge. This is already happening now.

8. Direct election of the Prime Minister. Election date fixed by law.
This idea has been suggested already including by YM Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Perhaps we should have direct elections for the Prime Minister. Then there is no such thing as 'No Confidence Vote' anymore. Or the PM 'must command the majority support of the members of Parliament'. No need for all that. 
Like the Indonesian, Filipino or the US presidential elections the PM must be elected directly by the people. Then the PM can rule uninterrupted for the next five years. 
(I prefer a single term of seven years only for an elected PM - like the Philippines. One seven year term only and no re-election. Except after sitting outside for one term.) 

9. Seriously overhaul the Civil Service
Sudah letih lah. The Civil Service really needs a serious overhaul. There are 1.7 million Civil Servants and another 1.3 million more staff of the GLCs. That is THREE MILLION people directly and indirectly depending on taxpayers funds for their survival. This is NOT A SUSTAINABLE OPTION.
This is a huge subject. One tiny suggestion only  - abolish cafeterias inside government premises. No sanctioned minum teh, minum pagi during office hours.


10. Completely overhaul education

Remove the kangkung mentality. I just found out that there are so many Malays who are successful Deans, Head of Departments in private universities owned by non-Malays (Chinese). They compete and perform excellently. Go to a private hospital and there are excellent Malay doctors - top notch. So who says the Malays cannot compete. Depa tipu hangpa. 

Conclusion :
In this country, at this point in time reform does not depend on the person or persons alone. Reform is in the policies. We need new policies. We really need to abolish the old unworkable policies.

Just because you bought some paint and paint brushes it does not mean you are a painter.  To be a painter you must have completed painting something. Either you painted a house (a house painter) or you painted a potrait on canvas. 
So you cannot be a reformist prime minister or reformist party leader if you did not reform anything. 
If all those failed policies of this country do not change then it does not matter who is the prime minister or who forms the government. 
If the toll roads (which have now become thieves stealing from the rakyat) continue there is no reform. 
If our motor car prices are among the highest in the world, there is no reform. 
If the Sedition Act is not abolished that is not reform. 
If you want to make the third national car that is senile.

The most successful countries in the world today do not depend on "supermen and angels". There are no such things.
They depend on rock solid policies open to scathing debate and public scrutiny. 
They depend on upholding the law. Malaysia, USA, France, Thailand, Japan and just about any country in the world have the same set of laws. 
There are laws on speed limits in all countries (even in Germany). You cannot run the red light in any country. Stealing is a crime all over the world. Corruption is a crime all over the world.
The difference is to what extent do we uphold the law. 
In Malaysia the law is becoming a joke. There are all too frequent complaints that the treatment of the ordinary rakyat is different from the treatment of the rich and powerful - under the Law.   Justice must not only be done but it must seem to be done as well.

A new Malaysia means new policies. Especially 'newer' economic policies.
If we do not change the old policies then we will self destruct.
Here too the clock is ticking.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

By Syed Akbar Ali 

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