Letter & Opinion From Joe Public
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public
Tron: Legacy comes 28 years after the original film, which was only a moderate box-office hit but later gained a cult following. Was it worth returning to The Grid, or is this sequel an exercise in empty nostalgia?
Picture this: one fine day, you meet someone who is so stunningly attractive that you are held in complete thrall. This unearthly beauty (ladies, just imagine a man) unwaveringly holds your slack-jawed gaze as she speaks in a hypnotic dulcet tone. You are mesmerised.
At some point however, the spell begins to wear off. Only then do you realise that her words arent quite adding up. It finally hits you: she wasnt saying much of anything at all, just a whole lot of sweet nothings. But hey, its all good cos shes just so friggin beautiful, maaan!
Yes. Say hello to my little analogy for the viewing experience of "Tron: Legacy".
It would be too easy to sum the film up as being a triumph of style over substance. Thatd make for a pretty short - and shallow - review. For those willing to brave the films vague attempts at profundity, there is indeed a discernible undercurrent of substance. The problem is that it doesnt stand a chance against the sheer audio-visual seduction on display. Or rather, the filmmakers had something to say but did not follow through on what they were saying. So they focused on what they knew best: bringing The Cool. Ill get to that momentarily. But first, the good stuff.
"Legacy" is one heck of a gorgeous film. Both to look at and to listen to. This is the kind of reference-level material that will inspire TV commercials and music videos for years to come. And rightfully so. Not since "Ava! tar" has there been a film that immerses its audience quite as deeply as this. Where James Cameron wowed us with extraterrestrial flora and fauna, here fledgling director Joseph Kosinski, bringing all the wealth of his background in architectural and industrial design, dazzles us with his vistas of glass, granite and steel. The people, places and technology are all remarkably conceived. This is world-building at its most vivid and fully formed.
I also dig the consistency. Too many sci-fi films have tried to present a particular vision, but they mostly ended up looking like a patchwork instead, lifted off various sources. In the digital world of The Grid, everything feels like it belongs and makes sense on its own terms, right down to the tiniest details like ice cubes (theyre in the shape of pixels!). Kosinski evidently possesses a singular vision, and has marshaled an army of set, costume and production designers to shape "Legacy" according to his own neo-minimalist aesthetic.
Of course, the imagery isnt entirely original. Any geek worth his Republic Credits will spot familiar elements from classics like "Blade Runner", "Star Wars" and even "The Matrix". Actually, where "Legacy" draws most successfully from is the first "Tron". If people remember anything at all from that movie, it would be the Lightcycle races and disc duels. Striking visual concepts on their own, but when you add the magic ingredient of colourful neons juxtaposed against inky blacks, the effect is breathtaking. And whats old is new again.
Daft Punk is back in style too. The French duos pulsating, rousing score gives all the proceedings an added vigour. Although this time embellished with a lot more orchestral elements, their synthetic sound is a perfect fit for the visuals. This is phenomenal work, and has my vote as the best soundtrack of the year.
Kosinski knows how to infuse his bigger scenes with a sense of wonder. Key moments like main protagonist Sam Fly! nns arri val on The Grid, the Disc Wars sequence, or the updated Lightcycle battle, all have that electrical charge of occasion to them. Its not just spectacle. You get the feeling youre witnessing something special. Even the scene where Sam receives his disc and a groovy wardrobe change is conveyed with a surreal reverential tone.
Kosinski clearly has great love for the original, which was lauded for its (then) revolutionary visual effects. "Tron" was so far ahead of its time that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences disqualified it from the 1982 Oscars Best Special Effects category because back then, the use of CGI was considered cheating. It later inspired animation pioneers like John Lasseter to establish Pixar Studios. Kosinskis action homages retain that cutting-edge quality while (thankfully) avoiding the campiness. The Disc Wars are played deadly serious, with a much more brutal gladiatorial attitude. Deft choreography tightened by sharp editing drives home the fact that the game has changed: these are weapons that can, and do, cause grievous harm. Its pretty thrilling.
The Lightcycle set-piece couldve done with some of the original films clarity of staging. As crude and as static as that sequence looks by todays standards, the action was always clear because the geography of the characters in relation to each other was always clearly laid out. This is a minor criticism though. Because the scene is the highlight of the film, easily trumping the somewhat pedestrian Lightjet showdown at the climax. While not so easy to follow, the Lightcycle chase is shot with a kind of heady kineticism, selling the fluidity that these otherworldly bikes are capable of. And oh my, what bikes these are. If ever there were a case to be made for Design being flat-out sexy, this would be Exhibit A.
Speaking of sexy! , the ne w lightsuits have lost the old whoa-whats-that-bulge leotard awkwardness and gone for a more understated biker-leather chic. I can already picture Cosplayers all over the world accidentally electrocuting themselves in an effort to recreate that nifty light-up feature.
Just as well that the cast looks incredibly good wearing the suits, for they are seldom called upon to do much more. Garrett Hedlund has Sam mostly alternating between Bruce Wayne dourness and schoolboy earnestness. The only time he demonstrates any real acting chops is in his reunion scene with his onscreen father, the long-lost Kevin Flynn. Theres a whole lot of emotional ambivalence in a guy with abandonment issues; now confronted with the man responsible for those feelings. Hedlund sells it by going subtle, letting his reactions boil just beneath the surface. Coupled with Jeff Bridges playing it slightly detached yet incredulous, the moment has a gentleness, a poignancy to it. Genuine heart that is curiously absent in later scenes between them.
I blame the director. He has a sure hand when directing pixels but seems out of his comfort zone with actors and dialogue. Surprisingly, it is Bridges who delivers the most inconsistent performance. Kosinski probably couldnt decide whether he wanted Bridges to play Flynn as a wise old sage, an eccentric genius, a fiery god, or the stoner Dude from "The Big Lebowski". So he let the man do all of the above. It makes for interesting viewing but a more reined-in performance wouldve grounded the father-son dynamic and made him more accessible to the audience.
Kosinskis tendency to let actors run away unchecked with a role also shows up in Michael Sheens Castor, the flamboyant owner of the End Of The Line nightclub. Sheen, who modeled his portrayal after larger-than-life personalities like 70s David Bowie, is clearly having a blast. Its a lot of fun and breathes some brevity into the otherwise sombre tone of the film. However, its also a jarring shift, made more obvious by t! he reams of serious plot exposition that precede Castors introduction.
Olivia Wilde as computer program Quorra comes off the best. She manages to strike the balance between wide-eyed naivete and steely resolve as Flynns protege and protector. She is quite simply the spark of warmth that "Legacy" frankly needed more of. Thats the danger when your film is so darned cool. The humanity tends to get left out in the cold.
The screenwriters deserve an equal measure of blame here. Perhaps out of unbridled ambition, or maybe it was just an inability to focus, but "Legacy" contains more themes than it can handle. Big ideas with loads of thematic potential are brought up, only to be left undeveloped. The most fascinating of which is the nature of godhood. Users, as humans in The Grid are known, are accorded the hushed devotion for a higher being. And in The Grid, Flynn is the ultimate User. He created all the programs, the sentient humanoids who populate this world.
Upon their reunion, Flynn tells his son of the emergence of a brand new lifeform on The Grid, called Isomorphic Algorithms, or ISOs. Not mere programs, but digital-based organisms. This is what Flynn claims will change science, medicine and religion on Earth. Because he didnt create the ISOs; they manifested completely independently. At this point in the film, I was very intrigued. Whats this, a Disney-funded, mainstream Hollywood blockbuster pitting the theory of creation against the theory of evolution? By their standards its certainly an edgy theme. The questions it raises are manifold: Are there boundaries to omnipotency? What are they? At what point is the power of creation overtaken by the power of evolution? Or can they exist simultaneously?
The film never returns to that concept, let alone present us with an opinion of it. Its as if writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz had absolutely no clue where to take the idea. Or they were simply content to introduce stuff like this as a way to imply, "Hey were not just abo! ut cool effects and fancy visuals, weve got depth!" The earlier-mentioned father-son relationship also falls short, making what is supposed to be an emotional climax at the end feel unearned. And worse, unmoving. I found this half-baked approach frustrating.
You know what else is half-baked? The synthespian. As in digital actor. With a US170 million-dollar budget, I expected a more convincing digital version of the young Jeff Bridges (as villainous program CLU, and in flashback scenes as a young Flynn). Instead, we get a creepy, dead-eyed plastic face that only occasionally manages to emote properly. The young Flynn scenes are especially embarrassing. Id be more forgiving if it wasnt so disruptive to what is otherwise a very immersive viewing experience. On that note, Ill venture the contrary opinion by saying the 3D is NOT essential to the viewing experience. Its cute at the best of times, and a hindrance to your eyesight the rest of the time.
In spite of its numerous shortcomings, "Legacy" is still an artistic triumph. This is Cinema of the Cool at its very best. At least on the surface alone, this is definitely one of 2010s most cinematic films. What elevates it is the ambition to go beyond eye candy. I dare say it will have a more lasting appeal than something like "Avatar". Bold words, I know. Though "Legacy" may have squandered its chance at being more than just a pretty face, I admire them for trying.
But maaan, what a pretty face, eh?
Storyteller by trade and dreamer by nature, Wai has been deeply nuts about the celluloid world since the first time he discovered he could watch a story instead of reading it. But he likes writing about it. Wai goes by a single name because he likes to avoid any "Imperial entanglements" (a.k.a. "conflict of interest with the powers that be" for those of you who dont speak Star Wars) in his employment. Plus, cool people use one-word names.
Tags: Adam Horowitz, Avatar, Blade Runner, Bruce Wayne, Castor, Cosplayers, Daft Punk, Disc Wars, Edward Kitsis, Garrett Hedlund, heady kineticism, Isomorphic Algorithms, ISOs, Jeff Bridges, Joseph Kosinski, Kevin Flynn, Legacy, Lightcycle, Lightjet, Michael Sheen, neo-minimalist aesthetic, Olivia Wilde, Quorra, Republic Credits, Sam Flynn, Star Wars, The Big Lebowski, The Cool, The Grid, The Matrix, Tron, Tron Legacy, User
This entry was posted on 3 January, 2011 at 5:41 pm and is filed under Thank God It's Friday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?
This follows the MB's audience with Selangor Sultan Idris Shah this morning in which Khalid said he told the ruler he believes the sultan has no power to accept or reject an appointment by the Public Services Commission (PSC).
"This is because the power was taken away in 1993 after a constitutional crisis, whereby the Selangor constitution was ammended to centralise power (in) the federal government," said the MB at a packed press conference today. Khalid added that the sultan had suggested that the state discuss the matter with PSC to find "the best solution".
As such, the MB will not attend the swearing in ceremony for PSC-appointed state secretary candidate Khusrin Munawi at the palace fixed on Jan 6. Khusrin will also be barred from any exco meeting or conduct ex-officio duties until the matter is resolved, he added. Khalid, however, said that Khusrin's appointment is "legitimate" and that the latter can conduct non-ex officio duties such as overseeing district officers.
The MB, who has yet met with Khusrin even though the former Selangor Islamic Affairs Department chief reported for duty today, said he will write the PSC and contact the Selangor state assembly speaker Teng Chang Khim today. Khalid said further that the amendment to the state constitution will "empower the state" but may require further studying before it can be tabled at the state assembly.
"It will probably be two or three weeks before the assembly can convene on this," he said, adding that this, too, was discussed with the sultan. The state is objecting Khusrin's appointment! , saying that it was conducted without consultation of the MB. Khusrin is seen as an undesirable candidate, particularly for the Pakatan Rakyat government, as his actions as JAIS chief are said to have gone against Pakatan policies.
In 1993,Mahathir shifted the goalpost, where the power to appoint state secretary, financial advisor and legal advisor, were taken away from the state and given to the Fed Govt.
As for Khusrin just assign him some desk duties,like photstat documents,cleaning tables and chairs,cleaning toilets etc...etc...Me think he shouldn't even be "overseeing district officers"....
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public
Tak heran sebenarnya. Dr Mahathir, lepas isytihar Malaysia Negara Islam, beliau luluskan lesen judi bola pada Vinsetan. Itulah nilai negara Islam UMNO.
negara "ISLAM" malaysia bila nak buat mcm ni?
BEIJING - Kerajaan China menutup lebih 60,000 laman sesawang berunsur lucah bagi mengetatkan kawalan penggunaan internet yang menjurus kepada pornografi, semalam.
Menteri Maklumat China, Wang Chen berkata, pihaknya memeriksa 1.8 juta laman sesawang dan menutup 60,000 laman yang menyebarkan bahan lucah pada akhir November lalu.
Beijing menegaskan tapisan internet dilakukan bagi membendung kandungan tidak senonoh seperti pornografi dan keganasan.
Chen berkata, tindakan memerangi laman sesawang yang memberi kesan negatif kepada pengguna akan diteruskan kerana penyebaran bahan seperti itu di internet tidak akan berakhir.
China mempunyai sistem penapisan laman sesawang yang digelar 'Tembok Besar Perisian Keselamatan China' bagi mengawal pengguna internet di negara itu yang mencecah 450 juta orang.
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public
Semalam, dengan rasa insaf dan rendah diri, Tulang Besi telah bertindak mengadu kezaliman UMNO dan Barisan Nasional ke atas kerajaan PR Selangor kepada Allah SWT.
SAmbil mencium Kaabah yang mulia, Tulang Besi telah berdoa kepada Allah SWT supaya melaknat dan menurunkan bala ke atas Khusrin Rahmat, Ketua Setiausaha Negara (Tan Sri Mohd Sidek bin Haji Hassan), Pegawai2 Istana Selangor yang terlibat dan juak2 UMNO yang terlibat di dalam konspirasi menaikkan melantik Khusrin Rahmat sebagai Setiausaha Kerajaan Selangor (SUK).
Tulang Besi juga memohon kepada Allah SWT supaya diturunkan bala yang setanding dengan bala yang Allah SWT turunkan kepada kaum Nabi Nuh dan kaum Nabi Saleh. Jadikan hidup mereka tidak senang dan tidak aman buat selama-lamanya.
Tulang Besi telah memohon kepada Allah SWT dihadapan Kaabah yang mulia supaya kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Selangor dilindungi Allah SWT dari percubaan sabotaj terbaru dari UMNO dan Ketua Setiausaha Negara.
Tulang Besi nyatakan bahawa kami adalah makhluk lemah di depan Allah SWT. Kami tiada kuasa menentang kezaliman serta sabotaj UMNO dan Barisan Nasional yang terbaru ini. Maka, Tulang Besi telah memohon kepada Allah SWT pertolonganNYa serta perlindungNya kerana kekuasaan UMNO dan Barisan Nasional tidak mampu menandingi kekuasaan Allah SWT.
Tulang Besi juga memohon supaya Allah SWT menurunkan bala kepada SUK Perak yang telah memainkan peranan menjatuhkan Kerajaan Negeri Perak. Semoga Allah SWT menurunkan bala yang setanding dengan bala yang diturunkan kepada kaum Nabi Hud.
Ya Allah ya tuhan kami. Bantulah kami. Rahmati kami. Hancurkan musuh-musuh kami sebagai! mana kam u menghancurkan kaum-kaum yang telah engkar kepada Mu sebelum ini.
Isu SUK: Khalid dakwa KSN tak hormati fungsi MB, sabotaj Selangor
Oleh G Manimaran
January 01, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, 1 Jan Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim berkata beliau kesal kerana Ketua Setiausaha Negara Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan yang didakwanya sengaja membelakangkan proses pemilihan yang telah ditetapkan bagi memilih Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Selangor.
Pemilihan Datuk Mohamad Khusrin Munawi sebagai Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Selangor, Ketua Setiausaha Negara telah mengabaikan proses pemilihan mengikut Nota Amalan Perkhidmatan Awam yang menyatakan Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam Negeri perlu mendapatkan nasihat Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam peringkat pusat dalam pelantikan Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri, kata beliau dalam satu kenyataan dikeluarkan hari ini.
Mengikut pengumuman Sidek Isnin lalu, pelantikan Khusrin berkuat kuasa hari ini dan akan mengangkat sumpah 6 Januari.
Proses pemilihan itu memerlukan Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Negeri mengemukakan calon yang sesuai bagi mengisi jawatan berkenaan dan mendapatkan kelulusan Menteri Besar sebelum diserahkan kepada Sultan Selangor untuk diperkenan.
Selepas mendapat perkenan Sultan Selangor, Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam Negeri memanjangkan nama calon berkenaan ke Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam peringkat pusat untuk proses dokumentasi pelantikan, kata Khalid lagi.
Sehubungan itu tegas Khalid, kerajaan negeri Selangor telah mengambil langkah sewajarnya dengan membentuk sebuah jawatankuasa khas diketuai Speaker Dewan Negeri Selangor Datuk Teng Chang Khim untuk menemu duga kesemua lapan calon yang dicadangkan oleh Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam Negeri.
Hasilnya menurut Khalid, jawatankuasa tersebut telah memilih tiga calon terbaik berdasarkan jasa-jasa mereka selain kriteria yang diperlukan bagi mengisi jawatan strategik dan paling kanan dalam pentadbiran awam keraj! aan nege ri Selangor.
Ketika mengumumkan pelantikan Datuk Khusrin, Ketua Setiausaha Negara bukan saja membelakangkan Menteri Besar, malah mengabaikan proses pemilihan calon berdasarkan kredibiliti, kemampuan dan pengalaman, kata Menteri Besar.
Menurut Khalid lagi, tindakan Sidek bukan sahaja melanggar Perlembagaan, malah tidak bertanggungjawab dan tidak profesional.
Malah boleh dianggap bermotifkan politik, sebagai salah satu usaha untuk mencabar kredibiliti kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Selangor, kata Khalid (gambar).
Lebih merungsingkan saya, tindakan Tan Sri Mohd Sidek tersebut telah menghantar mesej yang tidak sihat iaitu kemampuan dan pengalaman bukan keutamaan dalam mempromosikan kenaikan pangkat pegawai kerajaan.
Mesej ini sangat bahaya apatah lagi sememangnya perkhidmatan kerajaan acap kali dikritik sebagai tidak efisyen, kata beliau lagi.
Khalid memberikan kenyataan rasmi bertulis kedua dalam seminggu ini ketika pakar perundangan dan perlembagaan berpendapat bahawa pelantikan kontroversi Khusrin sebagai Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri dilihat menuju krisis perlembagaan jika istiadat mengangkat sumpah di hadapan Sultan Selangor, yang dijadual akan berlangsung 6 Januari ini, diteruskan.
Pakar-pakar perlembagaan berhujah upacara Khamis depan itu sebagai tidak sah memandangkan perlembagaan negeri menyebut bahawa upacara seumpama itu perlu dilaksanakan di hadapan Menteri Besar bukannya Sultan Selangor.
Kerajaan negeri Selangor sebelum ini menegaskan ia mempunyai kata putus dalam menentukan calon Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri selepas Sultan Selangor memberi perkenan kepada nama yang disyorkan Putrajaya untuk melantik Khusrin.
Khalid yang bercadang untuk menghadap Sultan Selangor Rabu lalu tetapi terpaksa menangguhkan hasrat beliau sebab baginda bercuti sehingga awal minggu depan.
Peguam veteran Karpal Singh berkata, perkembangan itu boleh membawa kepada krisis perlembagaan kerana ia tidak selari dengan perlembagaan negeri.
Sultan perlu mendapatkan ! nasihat perundangan daripada penasihat undang-undang negeri sebelum majlis angkat sumpah diteruskan.
Dalam perkara-perkara macam ini, Sultan bertindak atas nasihat Eksekutif, Tuanku tidak boleh bertindak sendirian. Perkara yang dikhuatiri ialah jika majlis itu diadakan, ia boleh diisytihar sebagai tidak sah oleh mahkamah, kata beliau kepada The Malaysian Insider semalam.
Dalam pada itu, pakar perlembagaan Prof A Aziz Bari juga menyifatkan majlis angkat sumpah di hadapan Sultan Selangor sebagai amalan baru yang tidak pernah berlaku sebelum ini.
Pada pengetahuan dan pengalaman saya ini kali pertama majlis angkat seumpama diadakan, walaupun saya berpendapat ia hanya satu majlis rasmi semata-mata dan tidak diperlukan, kata beliau.
Menurut beliau, tiada peruntukan dalam perlembagaan negeri Selangor yang memerlukan pegawai-pegawai kanan negeri mengangkat sumpah di hadapan sultan.
Dalam kenyataan pertama, Khalid berkata pelantikan Khusrin, Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) sebagai Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Selangor yang baru belum muktamad kerana beliau tidak pernah dimaklumkan mengenainya
See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?
Chapter Six: Malaysia: Assets and Liabilities
Big Government, Big Problems
The remarkable achievement of the Reagan Revolution in America and Thatchers in Britain is the recognition, long overdue, that government is not always the solution. In many instances, it is the problem. The most spectacular example of the failure of big government is the Soviet Empire. It collapsed not because it was defeated in war (although the West would like to claim that it won the Cold War) but because the Soviet state had been too massive and highly intrusive. Given the momentum of globalization, the Soviet system would have imploded anyway.
The only other major totalitarian government today is China; it survived because its leaders were smart enough to recognize the desperate need for change, and did it quickly. The 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising was a rude awakening for those leaders. Todays Chinese communists are a far cry from their dogmatic Mao comrades. This difference is best encapsulated by Deng Xiapengs celebrated slogan, To get rich is glorious!
Deng was decidedly more pragmatic. He quoted the Chinese proverb to the effect that it matters not what color is the cat as long as it catches the mice. The Chinese are now realizing that capitalist cats are more productive (can catch more mice!) than communist ones!
The IT revolution makes it extremely difficult to maintain closed societies. Borders are now porous to news and information (and also increasingly also to trade). Saddam Hussein may tell his people that the outside world is crazy and that Iraq is heaven on earth, but they know otherwise. The only reason they publicly agree with him! is beca use of fear.
Determining the optimal size of government for a nation is more problematic. In times of war or national emergency, a strong central government is obviously essential. But in peace time there is no magic formula to determine the right size of government. Even determining how big is big is an issue in itself.
There are many ways of measuring the size of a government: the percentage of the labor force it employs; the portion of the revenue needed to run it; and the size of its budget relative to the economy. By whatever criterion, the Malaysian government is way up there in size. Additionally the government is also a very dominant player in the economy, and in everyones life.
It is important to distinguish between the size of government versus its power. A government may increase its size by employing more policemen to make the streets safer. That is rightly the responsibilities of the government. But if it uses those same policemen to harass its citizens for speaking out or to stifle dissent, than that would be increasing both its size and power. Earlier I noted Bank Negara employing hundreds of new employees, not to better monitor recalcitrant banks rather to check on the pockets of those entering and leaving Malaysia. Here the Bank had increased its size and power.
The more significant indicator is the attitude of the governed towards their government. This unfortunately cannot be readily quantified, but one can easily get a sense of it by reading the daily papers and gauging the attitude and activities of the citizens. In Russia, whenever there is a problem, be it food shortages or labor unrest, the people immediately look to the government for solutions. In America, the immediate response is to seek answers within the private secto! r. Only when that fails, as with the recent repeated lapses in airport security, would the government be called in, and then only reluctantly and with great trepidation.
In Malaysia whenever groups like the Bumiputra Chamber of Commerce or Peninsular Association of Malay Graduates meet, you can bet that their ensuing string of resolutions will all begin thus: The government must do this and that. In contrast, when the Chinese Malaysians discuss setting up a university, all they asked was for the government to grant them the permit. The Russians attitude towards government is the polar opposite to that of Americans; likewise the attitude of Malays different from non-Malays. Russia is backward while America is advanced. In Malaysia the group that depends on the government is backward, those free of government are more advanced. There is a lesson here.
The Soviet Empire is now long gone and with it, central planning and grand Five Year Plans. But Malaysia is still enamored with both. As it enters the new millennium Malaysia proudly unveils its Eighth Five Year Plan. No doubt a century from now it will still be either introducing or reviewing its Umpteeth Malaysia Plan! If the country has not learned from the Soviets the futility of such plans, then surely the 1997 economic crisis should. That crisis made a shamble of those detailed planning and attendant endless hours of meetings of the then Seventh Malaysia Plan.
The oppressive effects of big government are felt in many ways. Economists conceptualize the crowding out effect on credit and capital, that is, the governments large debt and need for capital would crowd or squeeze out funds or credit that would be available for private businesses. This negative impact on the economy is well known and has been empirically! documen ted. The euphoria and giddiness on the state of the American economy (before the 9-11 terrorists attacks, that is,) was due to the success of the government in controlling spending and cutting deficits. President Clinton began his second term by declaring, The era of big government is over! With the public sector having to spend and borrow less, there was more money available for consumers and the private sector. Interest rates plummeted and consumer spending boomed. These are generally accepted and well-proven macroeconomic formula.
What is less appreciated is that this crowding out effect also applies to other areas, like talent and ideas. When government is the dominant employer, it sucks out talent that would have been available for the private sector. Thus deprived of able individuals, the private sector will stagnate.
The late Tun Razak intuitively knew something about this. He was fully aware back in the 1950s and 60s that to Malays, the civil service was the dominant employer (still is). Thus few were left for the private sector. This hobbled his policy of trying to increase Malay participation in industry specifically and the private sector generally. To overcome this crowding out of Malay talent in the private sector, he introduced a scheme whereby civil servants could opt to retire early and not lose their pensions. Many bright and enterprising young civil servants took advantage of this liberal severance package and left to join the private sector. With their administrative experience and the security of their pension to fall back on, they proved to be capable and successful entrepreneurs and executives. They formed the initial nucleus of the burgeoning Malay business class. The political establishment too benefited from this injection of new talent! .
The failure of the Soviet system is partly due to this crowding out effect on talent. With a huge government and massive military, its best and brightest were attracted to careers in the public sector, the party, or military. Only second-rate talents were left for industry. With the collapse of the government these talented individuals were stranded and left unemployed, as the rudimentary private sector was not able to absorb them.
In America on the other hand, the brightest students pursue private sector careers. It is this infusion of talent that explains the vigor of American industry.
During Tun Razaks time, the civil service attracted many top talents; it still then had the leftover aura of its previous glory under the British. The civil service today however, is a very different beast. With strict quotas, promotions strictly from within, and little infusion of fresh talent especially at the upper levels, todays civil service is essentially a Malay institution and a very insular one at that. Recruits are almost exclusively local graduates. They have limited English proficiency and thus their reading (and consequently intellectual) horizons are limited, severely restricting their intellectual and professional growth. Some senior civil servants may have higher qualifications, but few have experiences outside of government. In short, mediocrity is the norm in the public service.
A huge government staffed by the less-than-talented is a recipe for disaster. Every year we have examples of gross mismanagement. In response to the economic crisis of 1997, Mahathir announced a multibillion-ringgit stimulus package to jumpstart the economy. But nothing happened. Turns out that the money was bottled up in the deep recesses of the massive bureaucra! cy!< p> Next: The Far and Pervasive Reach of the Malaysian Government
See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?
Kita mesti kembali kepada asas, iaitu mengakui bahawa negara ini adalah negara Persekutuan (Federation) dan negara kita bukannya negara unitary seperti Thailand dan negara jiran yang lain. Kita ada perjanjian Persekutuan yang ditandatangani pada 2hb Februari 1948 dahulu semasa perjanjian ini ditanda tangani diantara negeri-negeri bersekutu dan bukan bersekutu. Perjanjian Persekutuan itu adalah untuk menggantikan Malayan Union (MU), dan Persekutuan itu diwujudkan untuk menggantikan usaha keparat British mewujudkan sebuah negara unitary disemenanjung ini.
Jika kewujuddan perjanjian Persekutuan itu dibuat untuk menggantikan MU, kenapa pula kita sekarang hendak mentadbir negara ala MU itu? Kita sepatutnya memperkayakan semangat Persekutuan itu kerana terbukti dalam banyak negara Persekutuan yang benar-benar mengamalkan semangat itu telah mencapai kejayaan untuk memajukan negara dan rakyatnya.
Negeri Selangor adalah salah sebuah negeri dalam Persekutuan ini Negeri Selangor seperti juga dinegeri-negeri lain mempunyai Lagislatifnya sendiri, kerana Selangor ada Dewan Undangan Negerinya sendiri. Selangor ada kerajaannya sendiri dan ada ketua kepada kerajaan negeri itu dan dianya dinamakan Menteri Besar yang dipilih diantara ahli-ahli Lagislatif yang dipilih oleh rakyat Selangor. Dan Menteri Besar itu ialah Abdul Khalid Ibrahim yang mewakili Dewan Undangan Negeri bagi kawasan Ijok.
Bagi seorang rakyat yang menjunjung semangat Persekutuan ini, kerajaan persekutuan mesti! mempuny ai perhubungan dengan Selangor berlandaskan kepada semangat persekutuan dengan negeri Selangor, sebuah negeri yang berdaulat. Kerajaan Persekutuan mesti berhubung dengan Selangor dalam semangat itu dan kerajaan persekutuan mesti menghormati negeri Selangor sebagai sebuah negeri yang berdaulat.
Jika kerajaan persekutuan tidak menghormati pandangan kerajaan negeri Selangor ianya bermakna persekutuan tidak menghormati rakyat negeri Selangor. Ini adalah basic. DiPutrajaya itu adalah Pusat Pentadbiran kerajaan Persekutuan, bukannya kerajaan Pusat. Kedaulatan kerajaan Persekutuan itu datangnya dari kedaulatan kerajaan-kerajaan negeri yang berada didalam Persekutuan ini.
Sepatutnya kerajaan pusat mesti bertanya kepada rakyat Selangor dalam isu perlantikkan Setiausaha Kerajaan ini. Cara untuk bertanya rakyat Selangor itu ialah bertanyakan kepada Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, Menteri Besarnya yang mewakili rakyat Selangor seperti yang dipilih oleh mereka didalam pilihanraya yang lalu. Itu caranya yang patut dilakukan oleh kerajaan dan pemimpin persekutuan jika benar menghormati rakyat yang telah membuat pilihan secara demokrasi.
Yang sepatutnya mengadap Kebawah Duli Tuanku Selangor itu ialah TS Abdul Khalid Ibrahim kerana Khalidlah yang sepatutnya menasihati DYMM Tuanku, bukannya dari sesiapa yang datang dari Persekutuan. Jika ada usaha dari kerajaan Persekutuan untuk menasihati DYMM Tuanku Selangor itu merupakan usaha yang cuba untuk memecah belahkan Raja dan kerajaan Selangor yang berdaulat.
Ketua Setiausaha Negara (Sidek Hasan) wajib menjaga dan menghormati kedaulatan Negeri Selangor dan mesti mengakui yang Negeri Selangor adalah salah sebuah negeri yang berdaulat yang menganggotai Persekutuan ini. Hormatilah diri kita sebagai seorang rakyat negara Persekutuan. Ikut cara dan semangat Persekutuan itu. Negara kita bukan negara kominis.
TETAPI kenapa agaknya isu seperti ini berlaku? ! Pastinya kerana politik kepartian. Kalau itu sebabnya betullah kata banyak pihak ini merupakan usaha pemimpin parti yang berkuasa dari Putrajaya untuk memecahkan keutuhan kerajaan Negeri Selangor sebab pilihanraya akan tiba dan BN sedang berusaha untuk mengambil alih kepimpinan kerajaan Selangor, negeri yang terkaya dalam Persekutuan ini.
Kalau itulah sebabnya saya tidak mahu melanjutkan komen ini. Perkara yang sama telah dilakukan diPerak dan hasilnya memudharatkan rakyat Perak. Bolehlah mendapat kuasa dengan arm-twisting seperti ini tetapi ramai menjangkakan yang rakyat Perak akan memberikan pengajaran kepada pihak yang sudah hilang hidayah ini. Kata mereka yang PR akan kembali mentadbir dibangunan Setiausaha Kerajaan diIpoh.
Kalau BN hendak mengambil alih kerajaan Selangor buatlah cara yang gentleman. Lakukan semasa pilihanraya nanti. Kempen kuat-kuat dan yakinkan rakyat Selangor yang BN perlu memerintah Selangor kembali. Janganlah menggunakan taktik kotor untuk mencapai kuasa politik dinegeri ini kerana mendapat kuasa dengan bermain kotor tidak akan sampai berkatnya.
Tetapi siapa pula yang akan menerajui kerajaan Selangor jika BN menang?? Noh Omar? Khir Toyo? Atau siapa? Oh! Ezam Mohd Nor? Kalau inilah nama-nama yang tersenarai ramai rakyat Selangor berkata biarkanlah negeri Selangor diperintah oleh Pakatan Rakyat sepenggal lagi, sehingga BN boleh mencari pemimpin yang viable. Buat masa sekarang BN, bagi pendapat mereka belum lagi berjaya mencari pemimpin yang diyakini rakyat Selangor.
Tak payah nak ganti-ganti! kata mereka.- Aspan Alias
Sidek selalu bangga dengan kaki tangan kerajaan yang pandai dan cekap tapi dalam kes Selangor kenapa dia lantik seorang SS yang 'mediocre',kurang cekap dan blur?? Pasai tulah Singapura sering memperlekehkan kita.
Yang pasti Khusrin tetap akan jadi SS dan Khalid tak berupaya buat apa2. Marilah rakyat Selangor ajar UMNO/BN secukup2nya dalam PRU nanti....
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public
Mariam Mokhtar, Malaysia Chronicle
This rape allegation involving a senior minister will not rest. And true to fashion, our government has maintained a stupefying silence. When Wikileaks revealed Malaysia was run by incompetent politicians or that Opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim was led into a trap and that Prime minister Najib Abdul Razaks reputation was sullied by that murder, what did our government do? It discredited Anwar further, and simply ignored the bits about Najib. It did not deny those incriminating revelations nor did it attempt to defend its leader.
This time round, cyberspace is full of stories that a Malaysian minister allegedly raped his Indonesian maid.
According to the WikiLeaks disclosure, the rape happened during former Prime ministers Abdullah Ahmad Badawis tenure. Abdullah decided to keep the matter under wraps because he was worried that the issue could affect Malaysias relationship with Indonesia. The deputy Prime minister then, Najib Abdul Razak was supposedly also aware of the rape allegation.
Najib has to get to grips with himself and sort out this mess before it spirals out of control. At the moment it appears that Najib is in charge of a Cabinet that is looking more and more like Ali Baba and the forty thieves, except interspersed in the gang are rapists and sexual deviants.
Already, Najib has been severely criticised for his poor judgement call to appoint Mohd Isa Abdul Samad to be the chairman of FELDA. Now, his dithering will only add credence to the claims that Najib is incapable of selecting people to run the various departments and institutions.
At stake is his political! future and also that of his government if he were to maintain what he may think is a dignified silence.
Najib must come clean to protect his cabinet as well as to preserve his own integrity and capability by outing this minister who has been allegedly accused of rape.
He must refrain from making any more deals to buy anybodys silence or even to instigate more whitewashes and cover-ups.
What is one ageing minister who is a liability and might cost him an election victory? Surely Najib can weigh up the pros and cons and know that it is important he protects the reputation of his Cabinet and also that of Umno/BN.
A desperate man (the alleged rapist) might do more harm and if left in the Cabinet might feel threatened and drag down members of the Cabinet, if not bring the whole government down.
If Najib did the right thing and let the police do their good work, several things will happen as a result. His reputation is enhanced. His cabinet knows who is boss and they too will get a boost from being seen as clean. Diplomatic relations with Indonesia are repaired. The people will have greater faith in Najibs administration. Najibs international reputation is restored. The women of both Malaysian and Indonesia will see him as a sort of hero. Lawmakers will feel confident that he is interested in justice for the common man
Has Najib the courage to make this decision and out his one time cabinet colleague? Sadly, Najib does not have the luxury of time.
Filed under: Human rights, Politics Tagged: Anak Sarawak Bangsa Malaysia, corruption, Human rights, Malaysia Politics, Save Sarawak
See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?