According to the warped logic of our (UMNO) politicians, to be a developed nation we must have huge, large, tall, beautiful buildings. The latest grand scheme planned to expedite us to developed status is the Warisan Merdeka Tower on Bukit Petaling.
Everyone except those instructed by the PM or benefiting from the project is against it. Reasons for the disagreement include wasting resources; glut in office space, commercial and high end residential properties; environmentally unfriendly due to the high density of the area; traffic congestion; and despite the sponsor’s (PNB) assurance that it will be able to source funding for the project independently, most people are still sceptical especially considering the huge amount (estimated at RM5 billion excluding cost overruns) involved. If the funding for the project is sourced onshore, I’m afraid we have misallocated our scarce resources.
The site earmarked for the tower was once a recreational park (in addition to a car park).
One of our Ministers says the project will generate 5,000 new jobs. I agree with the minister. However, what the Hon. Minister forgot to clarify was 5,000 new jobs for whom? New jobs for the (new) Indonesian and Bangladeshi labourers? New jobs for the foreign architects, engineers and consultants? New jobs for the Chinese/Korean/Japanese/Indian steel industry? The project will cost five billion units of our local currency but how much of these units will be retained and spent locally? Given the huge number of foreign participants in the project, one should not be surprised if new motorbikes, house renovations and weddings in Indonesia are funded by Malaysian money spent on the Warisan Merdeka Tower .
There is this school in KL built in the 1930s. For seventy odd years it trained and educated young Malaysian girls in its hallowed halls in Jalan Bukit Bintang. Over time, the city grew and the school’s location became unsuitable for a learning institution. The government did the right thing by moving the school away from the city to a more conducive location. The government however made a big mistake for tearing down the historical school building. The should have kept the (original) building intact and turned it into an area of say, fine dining restaurants or boutique hotel (if they wanted it to be high-end) or maybe a museum or a library, the possibilities are endless. The school had a small field, imagine eating in a restaurant in the middle of the city next to a nicely manicured garden or staying in a hotel surrounded by skyscrapers but facing a nice little park …
Another historic school sits next to the Warisan Merdeka Tower project site. For the next five years or so, the students and teachers will have to endure the noise and dust coming from the project site and traffic is going to be bad, roads will be riddled with potholes caused by the heavy vehicles (and poor/non-existent road maintenance). The school despite being in the middle-ish of the city, doesn’t face the problems of that other school in Bukit Bintang simply because Bukit Petaling is slightly elevated and hence is somewhat isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city. The WMT will change all that. I fear, the heritage status notwithstanding, for the future of my alma mater.
How do we ascertain if we are a developed nation? What do we need to be able to achieve developed status? I may not be smart enough to hold high positions in UMNO but I do have some inkling on how to drive the nation towards developed, high income status.
1) Improve the mentality and mindset via proper education.
This is where we need high quality, dedicated educationists. The crème de la crème of Malaysian youth must be encouraged to become educationists. If you’re a smart, straight ‘A’ student who is active in sports and/or co-curricular activities; we want you to be teachers. Of course some will have to be doctors, lawyers, engineers, bank officers but most should be encouraged to be teachers. The younger the children you teach, the higher your qualifications have to be. Only the best teachers will be allowed to teach the under 10s. Teachers must also have foreign training, be exposed to the methods and systems of the more developed nations. Above all, teachers must be amongst the best (if not the best) paid personnel in the civil service. The education policy must be consistent, systematic and designed to fulfil the current needs. It should be in the interests of the students and not at the whims and fancies of certain quarters or pressure groups. Schools regardless of location must be adequately equipped and class size must be kept to an optimum level.
2) Improve the basic infrastructure.
Every corner of the country must be served by proper, well built, well maintained roads. Clean water must be available to everyone. All households must have access to electricity without disruptions. Sewerage system must be efficient and environmental friendly. Public transport must be efficient, commuter friendly and serve the right places. Town planning must not be done haphazardly but instead should be done with a long term view; care for the environment and preserving the beauty and history of the city. Quality healthcare must be easily accessible and affordable to everyone.
3) Allow freedom of information, thought and speech.
Once the mindset, mentality and intellectual capability is enhanced, the people will be able to manage the given freedom responsibly. There will still be a few bad apples but if the majority are sensible, accountable and reasonable, those bad apples won’t be able to influence the masses or create chaos.
4) Enforce laws and regulations without fear or favour
The reason why most of us break the law is because we know we can get away with it. This attitude stems from the fact that the law is hardly enforced or in some cases it is cheaper and easier to bribe you way out of trouble then going to court or paying a fine. As a result, our cities are filled with litter, illegal double parking is rampant, traffic rules are ignored, restaurants are free to set tables anywhere they want, toilets are dirty, the list goes on. If the authorities get down hard on the offenders, more people will start to toe the line and follow the rules. Laws on sedition are over zealously enforced, it’s about time we expand the scope of enforcement to other laws as well.
5) Improve the credibility of the judiciary, police force, MACC, EC and the civil service in general.
A lot negative things have been said about the judicial service, the crime and corruption busters and the civil service. Their reputation needs to be restored and it will be very painful. Whoever is ruling the country must have guts to overhaul the system.
Being developed is not about big buildings or mega projects. It is about having the right infrastructure with the right mentality. We cannot continue to be labelled as having first world infrastructure but with third world mentality.
Dreaming the impossible dream? I hope not.
No comments:
Post a Comment