Rapera - the thinking and compassionate citizen
The Nation is saved NOT by politicians or citizens but by Saviour citizens or Raperas.
Followers
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
What people expect in this brand new year - 2023.
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Rishi Sunak Prime Minister of United Kingdom.
Rishi Sunak, the 42-year-old former finance minister becomes the first Prime Minister of UNited Kingdom of Indian origin.
This is a hurrah for UK in crossing cultural borders, hopefully humanity's steps moving towards being human beings instead of being boxed into artificial man made constructs.
I wish Sunak the best in managing UK and hopefully, his foreign policy is humane.
Monday, October 24, 2022
Saturday, October 22, 2022
Should I blog again?
I recall, when I first started blogging, I did so because that gave me an opportunity to unload much of my thoughts on diverse subjects. It was sort of like a self therapy.
I could write on topics which I thought were important or current. I wrote passionately and honestly. The good thing about your own blog is that you can decide what you want to write and how you want to write it.
There are no editors editing your thoughts or ideas.
For a while I was lucky to be given an opportunity to write for newspapers and other news portals.It has its advantage because of its reach. The disadvantage is that you may not have the complete freedom, understandably, to write what you wish, how you wish. In other words, when you write for others, you may be constrained by their policies and worse, their mindset or mental limitations, which can be frustrating.
I want to write as objectively as possible on topics that I think need to addressed. Or simply to express my thoughts on something at that particular moment in my life.
Now I am wondering......should I go back to blogging my thoughts?
Whats your views?
Thanks.
END.
Saturday, June 11, 2022
Smart, visionary leaders committed to mindset change the way forward in Malaysian politics
Smart, visionary leaders committed to mindset change the way forward in Malaysian politics
It is good to note that there are diverse views and debates as to how the Malaysian political scene can bring about a “new Malaysia”.
Former Malaysian diplomat, Dennis Ignatius, had called for older politicians to step aside and make way for younger leaders.
On the other hand, academician Prof Dr Tajuddin Rasdi is of the opinion that “New Malaysia can only come about through the painful birth process of a transition between old and young leaders, as well as Muslim versus Malaysian, leadership”.
Reading Tajuddin’s opinion in a Malaysian daily, he seems to suggest that political changes in the country cannot be achieved if “Malay sensitives” are not addressed.
He gave various examples, which apparently had not gone down well with the Malays – such as the Rome Statute issue – and had brought about the downfall of Pakatan Harapan (PH).
I would opine that the main reason PH fell was because of poor leadership, due to the weak structure within PH itself.
If PH had strong and cohesive leadership, dealing with issues like the Rome Statute and others, would have been a cakewalk.
Tajuddin seems to argue that only someone with “Malay and Muslim credentials” can “change” Malaysia and the Malays.
Under the current political circumstances, only a Malay Muslim can rise to the highest position in this country. That’s a given.
However, when you talk about creating a “new Malaysia”, there are several important factors to consider – other than a Malay Muslim leader.
Firstly, what kind of new Malaysia do you have in mind? Something that is “more Malay and more Islamic”? Whatever that means.
The notion of what kind of “Malay-ness” and what kind of Islam you want to create in the country is important.
This, therefore, will depend on the second factor – the quality of the leader itself.
If the leader is a political animal, we cannot expect substantial changes in society because he may end up being a populist, and a chameleon.
He may not have the moral courage, intellectual strength, and the political will to bring about radical changes needed to move the country forward and improve the people’s general wellbeing in the long run.
A Malay Muslim leader, who is going to forever pander to the so called “Malay Muslim sensitivities” for political expediency, will not bring about a much awaited “new Malaysia”.
Thirdly, we need a Malay Muslim leader with a true vision (and not one who copies someone else’s) which he believes is good for the country.
So, you need someone with brains, not just the academically qualified.
Of course, you will have advisors around you, but you must have the ability to look at things from different perspectives, possess macro-level thinking, even be prophetic, to a certain extent.
For this to happen, one must be a thinker, and as multi-knowledgeable as possible, and humble enough to learn as he/she leads.
I am fully aware and accept that pragmatically, the majority of the polity is Malay Muslim, and hence, you can manipulate them for power’s sake.
However, I am more concerned with the true wellbeing of the nation (the majority included).
Hence, to create a new Malaysia, the majority of the polity needs to be educated.
We have to go for mindset change and recognise leaders who will embark on that change.
We have to recognise the Malay Muslim leaders who want to free the Malay Muslims and other citizens from the shackles of political trickery shrouded in ethnicity and religion.
These are the much-needed characteristics of a Malaysian leader who will make Malaysia great, and its citizens grateful and proud.
Originally appeared in TwentyTwo13