Friday, November 25, 2011

Formulators, fornicators,and why you should treat Wikileaks like condom

From used condoms to hairbands
Use once only, don't recycle. I read the analysis in the Star, the press statement by the MCA boss, and the postings at Stop The Lies Bujai. I can tell you, going gaga over some so-called Top Secret despatches supposedly leaked out by Wikileaks is a natural thing. It can also be a dangerous pre-occupation. This thing acts like a double-edged sword. The so-called leak cables on Pakatan has no economic formulators may hurt Tony Pua and gang deeply today but tomorrow or next week the same diplomats from the US Embassy in KL in their report to their bosses in Washington will go out of their way to leak out information aimed at hurting Najib and Co. It is how they play you. Mark my words.

In any case, what is it that these diplomats are saying that we didn't already know? Pakatan Rakyat does not have good economic formulators to run the country? We all know that Anwar Ibrahim's economy starts and ends with lowering oil prices after the every general election (if Pakatan wins) and Nik Aziz does not know any better than him, that in Penang Lim Guan Eng has been claiming credit for decades of his successors' economic successes, and Selangor's Khalid Ibrahim is not doing any better. At least Tony Pua recognises that the Malaysian economy is sound and admits he would maintain the status quo if Pakatan Rakyat comes to power (he's assuming he would become Minister of Economics, by the sound of it). If it ain't broke, why fix it, right?

Krugman: One of Dr M's "advisors"
Here's the thing. The BN has good economic formulators but they are a rare commodity. One of the best is Daim Zainuddin but he is retired (and he will continue to retire as along as Nor Mohamed Yakcop is still around behaving like MoF, some says). Taib Mahmud and Musa Aman have a good grasp of the economy, too, which is why Sarawak and Sabah have always done well economically despite the complaints. Dr Mahathir Mohamad, of course, has the knack of picking the best economic advisors (including Paul Krugman without the man's knowledge).

Otherwise, the best economic formulators, regulators, propagators, perpetrators and what have you, are mostly in one place: Bank Negara. Day in and day out, they advise the politicians on economic matters.  One or two others are in the local Unis, another one of two in some ministries, and a couple more abroad minding their own business or advising foreign governments. Apart from the last group, these are all civil servants. Malaysia has been economically sound thanks to them and the fact that we have politicians who are not, in Krugman's words, politically naive.

We don't need to wait for some American diplomats to tell us through leaked cables that Malaysia would suffer an economic disaster if Pakatan Rakyat wins the General Election. Tell us something we don't know, please. 

But if you want to go gaga over this, go ahead. If the next "leaked cables" don't suit your political palate - and they will not, mark my words - go gaga over them, too. 

21 comments:

  1. This is what I've been posting on my facebook wall. The leak by wikileak is nothing new.

    It has been a common knowledge.

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  2. Yes, Malaysia is in good hands and Yes, don't trust the American diplomatic dispatches. Amin.

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  3. we should suggest to them to change the name to wikireleak...:D

    and we should do something to those stupid ambasador that keep leaking the info..

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  4. suhaila3:31 pm

    This blog reads like a English version of Utusan Melayu

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  5. Anonymous4:31 pm

    the comments here mostly like the sour puss of PAS and PKR losers.

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  6. Anonymous4:50 pm

    Anwar masa jadi Menteri Pertanian dalam kabinet Mahathir, hanya mampu buat dan keluarkan satu muka surat saja apabila Mahathir suruh dia sediakan kertas putih untuk agenda pertanian.

    Baldibocok

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  7. Anonymous4:52 pm

    Malaysia is in good hand under UMNO/BN ??? Rubbish !!!!!!!!!

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  8. Jasper Bloodstone5:58 pm

    No wonder Malaysia wants to join the TPP.

    Can't always rely on natural resources or preferential government procurements now, can we?

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  9. Anonymous7:54 pm

    The PR team lacks everything needed to govern a country. First they have a completely different set of minds.

    PAS is only good for giving religious sermons, snooping on others and banning concerts. They excel in these departments.

    DAP is only interested in helping one particular race. Nothing else.

    And PKR, well they take the cream on the cake. They go blowing in the wind, find faults, blame everything even the neighbour's cat.

    When these three parties group together, they only pretend to act in solidarity, but at the back, they swear and curse, just like a visit to the in-laws.

    Their economic expertise? PAS passes the hat to collect alms. PKR is spending all their ill gotten gains. But like ot or not, DAP is pretty good in their dollars and sense as opposed to the other two partners in crime.

    But their supporters love to be fooled and so be it.

    A GOOD MAN DOES NOTHING.

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  10. Anonymous7:56 pm

    Wikileak what? Oh you mean "surat khabar lama". Only RPK's Malaysia Today and its no brainer supporters still excited about it. Yawn.

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  11. Anonymous8:06 pm

    This is Utusan Malaysia in English

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  12. suhaila your comment read like DAP in malay disguise. Anyway utusan deserve better reader than you.

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  13. Anonymous8:30 pm

    I suppose it would be much better to have no economics formulators then those fantastic formulators that screw up public funds left and right. I certainly will want to take a risk and let someone else handle the economy of this country.The present handlers have been mismanaging for so long that it is about time we make a change.Dont believe me..Just read our yearly AG reports.

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  14. Anonymous9:56 pm

    Hahaha Daim Zainuddin, nor yacob, Musa aman and Taib Mahmood not only good economists but also good in sapuing... real thieves!

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  15. You actually believe that our politicians, especially in BN know anything at all about economics? I was under the impression all politicians knew nothing at all about economics.

    I would however, like to suggest that we inherited a legacy that propelled our economic growth from the time of independence. But sad to say intervening years especially through policies fostered upon us by your good pal Mahathir, has ensured that what we see today is the beginnings of our decline. A lot of what you see as economic activity has very little to do with government policy. You see it despite it. You'd know what i am talking about if you had ever been involved in starting up and running a business.

    Ya, Wikileaks was interesting when it first came out..but then when you see that there is nothing new there then its only value would be how it is used to assess us. Fact is the multi-million dollar investments that came our way in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s because of the advantages that existed then over our neighbours is no more. Today they are indifferent as to whether they set their factories up in Indonesia, Vietnam or China. We have paid a huge price because of the behaviour of our politicians and political leaders and more so their economic policies.

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  16. Anonymous10:31 pm

    Hahaha....you had me rolling on the floor. Musang and Taib good economists ? They are excellent....at stealing from the rakyat. If you control the press, the police, the MACC, the courts - what skill do you need to achieve "economic success" ?

    Godfather

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  17. Anonymous10:32 pm

    Shy lah. UMNO using this propagandist to carry its balls.

    Godfather

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  18. Salam Rocky,

    I'm surprised there are people who still believe in Wikileaks, since information on its other, questionable, side is already widespread on the internet.

    I've just posted something about that other side of Wikileaks:

    Wikileaks Is Zionist Poison

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  19. bukan salleh budu6:38 pm

    rocky! you really are a very naughty boy... there is no better comedy in the political blogosphere than your spins... it makes me laugh everytime...

    it's true what those commentators say...yours is the english version of utusan malaysia. the only difference is probably many that visit here are a bit more educated than the retards that swallow utusan malaysia..

    musa aman (the vacuum cleaner) a good economist? and like the typical umno leaders you assume that the bank negara people and civil servants are public property of BN!

    and be careful.comedy can only go so far...

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  20. bukan saleh budu writes:
    ... it's true what those commentators say...yours is the english version of utusan malaysia. the only difference is probably many that visit here are a bit more educated than the retards that swallow utusan malaysia..

    xxxx

    Hehe, Bukan Saleh Budu, lu komidian betul. "...Many that visit here a .. retards ..".

    And you don't visit here, ah? Hehe.

    Go take your pills, mate.

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  21. Anonymous2:29 am

    Rocky, seriously, Malaysia has sound economic policies? Maybe in the 80's but a lot of what had been planned to push us forward (MSC, Biovalley, Proton, Perwaja etc) have not panned out as expected.

    Don't be blinkered please. Malaysia is facing so many challenges and no one is stepping up.

    Having a budget that gives goodies to people is not the kind of long term investment needed to secure our future.

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