I write because I have something to say, one person speaking to many.
—Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Celebrated Indonesian writer banished by Suharto.
In writing, I am mindful of the lesson imprinted on me during my freshman
English class. That is, what is the author trying to say, and has he or
she said it well. It is for readers to answer the second part of the
question, but as to the first, my brief response is as follows.
Throughout the world and at all times there have been
differences in the social and cultural development of societies. Today
while citizens in the West are enjoying unprecedented wealth and material
comfort, many in the Third World are struggling with subsistence living.
This book explores why such differences exist, and more importantly, what
lessons Malaysians can learn so that our society too can be counted in the
future to be among the developed.
My first thesis is that there is much that the West (America
specifically) is doing right that is worthy of our emulation. My second
is that Malaysians should look upon each other as potential clients,
customers, and partners, and not in terms or "us" versus "them,"
specifically, Malays versus non-Malays. Thus what is good for one should
be good for all. The converse, what is bad for one will inevitably
adversely impact the others.
Likewise, we should look upon the rest of the world in a
similar fashion and not in adversarial terms. One sure way to make the
outside world our enemy is to treat it as a potential one. Colonialism
is now long gone; there is no need to resurrect it. No benefit would
accrue in making it into our new or phantom enemy. Malaysians are more
likely to progress if we are in partnership with the rest of the world,
including those who were once our colonizers.
Today globalization shapes the world. Malaysians must
actively participate in this new arena if we want to be on the next
trajectory of development. The September 11, 2001 terrorists' attacks on
America and the 2007 global financial crisis may have dampened the
enthusiasm for globalization, but rest assured that the setback is only
temporary. Globalization is still very much a dominant force, and will
remain so. We ignore this at our own peril.
My third point is that current preoccupation with special
privileges or Ketuanan Melayu (Malay hegemony) is precisely the wrong
approach especially in this era of globalization. The more pertinent
issue is how to make all Malaysians, Malays in particular, competitive.
If we are competitive and productive, we will be able to contribute to
our well being as well as that of the nation. Special privileges and
other preferential policies serve merely to redistribute, not create,
wealth. We should be encouraging our citizens to be makers, not takers
in the economy. We have to first create the wealth before we can
distribute it. Besides, excellence has never emerged from behind
protective barriers.
Societies do not develop in a linear or predictable pattern,
rather in starts and spurts, with many ups and downs as well as changes
in direction. Often changes are forced upon them by specific stresses
and events, from within as well as without.
The arrival of Islam emancipated the ancient Arabs out of
their Age of Jahiliyah (Ignorance). In contrast, the arrival of
Christian Spaniards to the New World devastated the ancient and
highly-developed Aztec civilization. In the first instance the change
was from within and the development positive; with the second, it was
external, and the consequences, destructive.
Malaysia's own recent history is instructive. Unlike many
Third World countries that had to fight for their independence, Malaysia
chose the more civilized route of negotiations rather than resorting to
glorified wars of independence. (Honoring those killed in such struggles
as "freedom fighters" or "national heroes" would not in any way lessen the
loss felt by their loved ones.) Malaysia then went on, with some hiccups
along the way, to be a successful modern state. Why was Malaysia's
experience with colonialism and its consequences so unlike that of
Algeria or Indonesia? Where did Malaysia go right and the others wrong?
Returning to my first thesis, the enduring qualities of the
West that are worthy of emulation are its commitment to personal liberty,
civil and open society, representative government, and free enterprise.
We must learn from the West to respect the dignity of the individual, and
be tolerant of and receptive to new and differing ideas. We should be
like Muslims during the Golden Age of Islam when they eagerly learned
from the Greeks and Romans. Those early Muslims did not consider
learning from the infidels sinful or wrong. They learned from the Romans
and Greeks because they were the most advanced societies at the time. Far
from being insular, those early Muslims strived hard to master the
existing state of knowledge. That required of them to venture beyond
their own language and to master Greek and Latin. Only after that could
the Arabs then go on to make their own seminal contributions.
Consider the Arabic numerals. The early Muslims learned
mathematics from the Hindus, Greeks, and Romans. The prevailing
numbering system then was the Roman numerals, with their cumbersome
letters – IX for 9, X for 10, and XI for 11. While that is easy enough
for low figures, the system becomes extremely cumbersome once we get to
larger numbers. Try putting into Roman numerals the year 1828! (It is
MDCCCXXVIII.)
The Arabs came up with the decimal system that was so much
more convenient and easy, and now universally adopted. Today Roman
numerals are seen only on the parchment papers of provincial universities
with classical pretensions, and to denote Super Bowl Championships.
Equally worthy of note is that those ancient Greeks and Romans readily
accepted the new Arabic numbering system because it was so much simpler.
Try subtracting MCMVIIIII (1973) from MCMXCIX (1999)! The Romans and
Greeks did not insist that their existing system was the best and that
they had nothing to learn from the upstart nomadic Bedouins.
Similarly today, Malaysians must learn from the West simply
because it is the most advanced and successful society. The fact that it
is a predominantly White society of infidels is irrelevant and should not
deter us. Our only concern should be what aspects of the West are worthy
of our emulation.
I am reminded of the commercials of many "get-rich-quick"
schemes where the promoters would earnestly (and with feigned hushed
tone) expound on their secrets to success. The way to be rich, they
would intone with such gravitas, is to study the rich and follow their
ways! A revelation that at first blush seems both blarney and profound.
To be successful, emulate those who are! I venture this is sound advice
for individuals as well as nations.
The crucial question is this: What aspects of the rich and
successful must we emulate? For if we begin by imitating their expensive
lifestyles – exotic vacations, splashy cars, and fancy dinners – that
would surely be the fastest way to the poor house, even if one's brother
were the Sultan of Brunei. Those are the superficial manifestations of
success, and not the cause. They are merely the epiphenomena.
Consider Bill Gates, the American billionaire software genius.
If all one sees is his massive lakeside mansion in Seattle or his hopping
around in his private jet, then one is missing the crucial point.
However, if were to read accounts of his being a studious student and
smart enough to be accepted to Harvard, then may be we would be on to
something useful. Granted, he dropped out of college but I would not
recommend that course of action to anyone. Instead read about how hard
Gates worked to market his first software, the disc operating system.
(Remember old DOS?) Consider how committed he was to that project to the
extent that he was willing to give up Harvard, and how he struggled to
have IBM, then the sole industry giant, accept his software.
Fortunately for Gates, IBM did not buy but merely licensed
DOS. What a bonanza that later proved to be for him. Had he
successfully persuaded IBM to buy his operating software, he would now be
just another brilliant tinkerer in that vast corporation.
So in advising Gates wannabes, I certainly would not recommend
that they drop out of college. Instead I would exhort them to study hard
at school so they would be accepted to a top college, and then strive
diligently at their chosen career.
Similarly with nations; there is much that Malaysia can learn
from successful societies of today and great civilizations of the past.
In our study however, we must be careful to differentiate between useful
causative factors and mere epiphenomena.
Lest we think that the current state of affairs (with the West
reigning supreme) is the natural order, it is good to be reminded that
centuries before Shakespeare was penning his sonnets, the Iranian mystic
poet Jalal al-Din Rumi was already producing volumes of his spiritual
couplets, the Masnavi. While England was mired in the Dark Ages, the
ancient civilizations of the Middle East were already flourishing.
Muslim scholars then were contemplating the universe beyond and
experimenting with novel medical therapies while Europe was still
convinced of the flatness of the earth and treating patients with
leeches.
Today of course the Iranians and Brits might as well be living
on different planets, so wide is the gulf separating their living
conditions.
In the past such disparities were hidden. Today with modern
communications, the world is fast becoming a global village, and an
increasingly smaller one at that. What occurs in Afghanistan is
immediately beamed into the living rooms of America and elsewhere. In
the past such capabilities were the exclusive domain of journalists with
expensive television cameras and satellite hook ups; today anyone with a
cell phone and access to the Internet could achieve the same at a
fraction of the cost.
While the pros may disparage the contributions of the minions
of these amateur journalists, the impact and consequences of their work
cannot be dismissed or underestimated. It can be dramatic. In Malaysia
(and elsewhere) we have seen egregious police abuses exposed in such a
fashion. Also in Malaysia, we have seen blatant attempts at fixing the
highest personnel of the judiciary, as we saw in the infamous Lingam
Tape. All it took was someone with a cell phone and being alert.
Today, traveling to exotic destinations presents very little
challenge. Unlike the ancient Arabic explorer Ibn Battuta who took
nearly a lifetime to travel the landmass abutting the Mediterranean,
today a local travel agent could arrange such a trip within minutes (or
you could do it yourself on the Web). You could also complete a similar
itinerary in a time frame of your choice.
In your travels instead of finding complete strangers and
being unable to converse with them, you would more likely encounter
natives who could speak English and been educated in the West. Along the
way you might stay at familiar lodgings like Hilton, and eat in
recognizable restaurants like McDonald's. You might also encounter
Malaysian businessmen peddling their wares and oilmen from Petronas
exploring for oil and gas. The local colleges and madrasahs (religious
schools) might even have a few Malaysians. When strolling in the bazaars
and markets you would likely meet youths sporting T-shirts emblazoned with
portraits of their favorite Western pop idols or athletes.
In the time that it took me to travel to the next village as a
youngster would today land me in the opposite corner of the globe. With
modern means of communications, glaring inequalities between nations and
societies become just that – glaring, for all to see. The luxurious
lifestyle of an American football star is flaunted not only to fellow
Americans but also to children in the slums of Soweto and the back alleys
of Bombay.
Similarly when citizens of oppressed societies see the freedom
enjoyed in the West, they wonder why draconian laws and restrictions are
shackling them back home. Previously the expression was, once they have
seen Paris, you can't keep 'em down on the farm anymore. Today with
globalization, Paris comes to them, via television and the Internet.
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