Identity, Family & The State of the Nation

It occurred to me one morning (I sometimes have sudden insights in the first half hour of waking up) that a bad country breeds bad people while a good country breeds good people.  

Usually, first thing in the morning, I like to be thankful for the country I live in (regardless of its condition) by having this silent thought: "what an amazing and blessed country this is." 

And then, the next thing I know, an insight emerges: a country may be divinely blessed yet the agents of change (politicians, communities, citizens) have somehow blundered their way into fallen state.  

In a good country (loosely defined as a well-governed one), families and individuals who are already dysfunctional on their own will invariably veer towards the mean, which is anchored and influenced by the political governance and constitutional institutions of the country.

But in a bad country (which is lacking in transparent institutions and rule of law although they may be administered efficiently: think Nazi Germany), dysfunctional individuals become worse and sometimes take on the qualities and flaws of their political leaders (eg lack of ethical standards, corruption, double-dealings and plain deception). 

So this brings me to shift my focus from the nation to self-knowledge and the identity of an individual (whether they are residing in a good or bad country). 

The most remarkable thing about many people is their ability to go about living without really knowing their true identities. 

Knowing who you really are is different from being aware of your thoughts and aspirations. 

It is like travelling in a train with the short-term knowledge of the train's next five stops but not knowing its final destination. 

People clearly know what they want, what they like and hope for but they live with an image of their identity created mostly by themselves and by their enclosed inner circle of friends and relatives (who are also, most probably, also living without knowing their true identities.) 

To be fair, life is a journey of self-discovery of one's identity. What I am saying is that pristine journey that started from the age of critical age of 12 onwards is being diverted and influenced by the political and social environment of our times.

We are moving into an era where we are voluntarily evolving into a group of AI robots living and re-creating our lives according to the mutual interactive adjustments in our program codes (read the power of ChatGPT in shaping our lives and work). 

We may live in a bubble of outer harmony whilst deep inside each individual, there is a private turmoil of fear, envy, greed, lust, selfishness, and spiritual darkness. 

To paraphrase Tolstoy's quote on families, every dysfunctional country is unique in their badness. Yet, they are similar in their leaders' dislike of free thought, a free press, justice and intellectual dissent. 

At the communal level, everything has to be swept under the carpet to keep the peace in the group/the community/the family or else something will blow up and create emotional meltdowns.

Similarly, a bad country, or one that is transitioning from good to bad, tends to be paranoid about political dissent. 

That is why autocratic regimes are always fearful that dissent leads to "social unrest" and revolutions.

For example, the current public demonstrations in Australia and Europe against Covid-19 restrictions reflects the push back of sensible citizens in not allowing bad, blanket policies to erode their individual liberties. 

On the other hand, there are many societies, in both emerging and third world countries, that are seeing a rise in authoritarianism while the global tech media giants manipulate the facts about the agendas of globalist governments (e.g. climate change, vaccines mandates, lockdown mandates, financial asset bubbles, etc). 

Feedback loop & ways to break it

So there is a positive feedback loop process whereby a bad administration creates a sycophantic press, which in turn, nurtures the worst qualities in its citizens (fear of and anger against other people with different views and values). 

The way out of this bad country-bad citizen symbiosis is to firstly, acknowledge how the state of the nation (the political, social and judicial health) affects our thoughts, aspirations and hopes. 

Secondly, we need to face the truth of who we are: we are first and foremost, creations of a higher being, which is the shared conviction of the monotheistic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). For the atheists, existentialists and  New Age followers, I reckon their search for identity will be a more complex maze to figure out.

Suffice to say that knowing how our personal identity is aligned to our divine purpose on earth according to our faiths is crucial in knowing oneself.  

Finally, no matter how bad, corrupt or hopeless the condition of your country, I strongly believe the power of our words and thoughts have an impact on the nation's health. Thinking and declaring negative words and views about your country will imperceptibly make it worse. 

                                        

                      A man stands over the city of Paris. 

Spiritual Meanings of Balance

Someone in the Facebook page Kierkergaard, Dostoeysky, Existentialism & Absurdism recently asked a simple, interesting question: "What is balance ?"

To me, balance is essentially a biological-physical phenomenon. We can talk of a balanced diet, of a balanced work-leisure life and a balance between physical activities and rest.

But in the spiritual sense, it has not much meaning except in the context of the immutable laws of justice whereby a man shall reap what he sows. 

If  he  kills  another  man,  his  own  life  will  be at  stake  for  the crime if  convicted  in  a  court of law. An  eye  for  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth, according  to  the  Mosaic  law.

And here is the metaphysical, existential challenge to every man and woman: when our inner conscience discerns what is right and wrong in a higher order beyond the physical, we will try to make sense of that unseen order with our rational minds. 

Manichaen  &  Taoist  concepts  of  balance 

So in the beliefs of the ancient Persian and Eastern philosophers and mystics, the order of the world is held up by the balance of good and evil forces (or energies). 

For them, this balance is necessary for a kind of cosmic equilibrium without which either energy will cause disorder and constant chaos. 

The mystical Taoists believe in the Yin and Yang energy that flows through all life forms. When either energy becomes too strong, there is disaster.

In Persia, the Manichaen theology (founded in the 3rd century by a man called Mani) taught the dualistic view of good and evil. 

The key narrative is that a powerful God was opposed by the eternal evil power and that man and his soul is a by-product of this battle, under the influence of light and dark.

Scientifically, we can observe there is a certain tension between gravitational and centrifugal forces that drive the perfect orbits of the planets and all physical phenomenon.

In the spiritual sense, this kind of balance is a philosophical distraction at best, and a deception, at worst. 

Good and evil in the garden of Eden 

So this brings us back to the question: "What is the intrinsic nature of good and what is evil?" 

Good is firstly, knowing the signs and motivation of evil: when God told Adam & Eve not to eat of the fruit of the Knowledge of Good & Evil, the truth of the matter is that eating of that fruit will lead to their spiritual death. 

It was not an arbitrary test of our obedience but a test of one's "free will" whether to use it for self-glorification and self-supremacy or trust ourselves in the care and love of God. 

Secondly, being good is committing oneself (in deed and thought) to aligning with God's ways to glorify Him together whilst overcoming the temptations of evil.

So we have two concepts of good here: one is for our own good (eternal life or death) and the other is for others, paving the way for the Kingdom of God on earth. 

In the Christian context, the truth of good is our salvation from sin and the working out of that salvation through the trials of life. In John 14:6, Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father (God) except through me." 

And the truth of evil is the destruction of our souls by Satan, who is like an Artificial Intelligence super robot programmed with enormous powers to destroy mankind by any means necessary. 

Stacked against God's powers, Satan is already a defeated foe with an insane goal to destroy as many souls as he can out of spite.

So, mankind is engaged in a strange, spiritual battle that is played in reverse because in the timeless future (Book of Revelations), the war is already won by God. 

The purpose of our lives on earth is to win that battle and finish the race at the end of our lives, ultimately receiving the crown of victory from our Creator. 

In summary, the only meaningful concept of balance in the spiritual sense is the qualitative balance in our inner man (intellectual, emotional, physical state of being) that is essential for us to discern intelligently and decide not to touch and consume the forbidden fruit: the path to self-glorification and self-determination. 

In other words, every man for himself and God against all

   

The Sound of The Deep

1. Once I was asleep,

Now I am awake.

2. Once I was lost in the deep,

Now I see the light out of the tunnel.

3. Once I was taken to many places,

Now I am content where I am.

4. Once I let my memories overtake me,

Now I see through the maze.

5. Once I was a street fighter,

Now I've made peace with myself.

6. Once I was a traveler,

Now I am a pilgrim of the soul.

7. Once I saw a mountain in the distance,

And felt a soft tremor when I closed my eyes.

8. Each morning, I wake up to the sound of joy,

The love You have showered me in my sleep.

9. Each day is a new dawn,

Soon to give way to the night.

10. But You, O My Lord, are supreme,

Even in the sorrows of our daily toils.

11. I thank You for Your grace,

Your guiding hand in my very life and work.

12. I thank you for the American, the European,

the Asian and last, but not least, 

I thank you for the African.

13. I thank you for all creatures, great and small.

14. You call me from the deep,

Your voice surpasses the ocean's roar.

And Your Words are true,

Yesterday, today and tomorrow,

Even these very mountains.

Will melt like snow

Before the eternal sunlight of Your gaze.

                                                                                      

Co-dependency, its Roots and The Big Brother Government Complex

One of the most psychologically negative thing a parent can do to children is during mildly anxious moments in a normal doctor's visit, the parent argues with the doctor about how her/his prescription/advice may not be the best for the child.

For example, the parent, usually a mother, will say: "Are you sure about this, doctor? Isn't this dosage too much for my child?"

From the interaction between the parent and the doctor, the child eventually perceives that trusting in a doctor (an outsider) is subject to the parent's approval/disapproval of the doctor's judgement. The final impression is "Mom's or Dad's advice is better than the doctor's."

If this happens 3 out of every 4 times with an external party throughout childhood, teenage and young adult years, the child unconsciously develops:

(1) an emotional co-dependent relationship with that parent

(2) an anxiety complex and most likely, a borderline personality disorder (BPD) in adulthood

(3) a tendency to also be over-protective over his/her own children. All with good intentions but in flawed ways that do more emotional harm than good.

What evidence do I have to support this hypothesis? 

I have seen it myself when accompanying one family during these doctor visits and the protective, well-educated mother actually has the best intentions for her daughter.

Canadian psychologist professor Jordan Peterson taught about this co-dependency problem with the Sleeping Beauty tale. The overprotected child is being cursed by Maleficient (external nature/the world) into a comatose sleep (internal reality) until a Prince (the rescuer/savior) comes to kiss her back to consciousness.

Nonetheless, at the polar opposite situation, which we are seeing in today's pandemic period, no sensible thinking citizen should put complete trust in the vaccines-pandemic agenda supported by governments, "scientists" and the medical fraternity. 

From Parents to Big Brother Governments

In fact, the psychologically co-dependent adult is quite capable of transferring her/his trust from the parent to the authority of the government. Thus, there is tendency to trust in a Big Government that controls much of our values and choices.

In the case of vaccines and lockdowns, people are mentally primed to be overly fearful by highlighting the deaths and the critically infected cases. The manipulation of statistics is also a common tactic.

My conclusion is that we have to undo the co-dependence of the mind by initiating independent and critical thinking skills. But apart from activating the intellect, what else can we do?

Essentially, having a strong faith that there is a divine God who cares for our well-being is the key to deprogramming ourselves out of the insecurity and co-dependence complex.

A Masquerade Before The Midnight Revolution

There is a youtube video that was recently posted by Perth-based Pastor Robert Clancy about an Australian man who reveals himself to be a former member of the Freemasons, a New Age secret society that has deep roots in ancient belief systems. 

It is a strange and visually distressing video to watch yet very revealing about the world we live in. Our values and cultural lifestyle have been shaped and influenced by the entertainment, educational and political environment. 

This Freemasonic world of masks and hidden signs reminds me of Werner Herzog's 1974 film The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser which is based on a true story of a man shielded from civilization for the first 17 years of his life. Kaspar, lived in a cellar, "devoid of all human contact except for a man, wearing a black overcoat and top hat, who fed him."

What does the innocent character of Kaspar Hauser have anything to do with the Freemason's secret cult and domination of the modern world? His tragic personal story remains an enigma.

But like the strange tale of Kaspar Hauser, the nefarious experiment of the Freemasons in social engineering the mind of man to become a contrived Nietzschean New Age soul shows that it is not the uneducated man that is insane and monstrous but the established members of society (i.e. the people who kept him secluded) in their manipulation.

If a 21st century Kaspar Hauser was similarly locked for 17 years and released into the modern world, would he be able to make up for lost time by immersing himself with social media and online self-education? 

I doubt it. Such is the distortion and polarisation of social media (especially Facebook , Instagram, Netflix) that a naive exposure may well cause a regression in his undeveloped personality and perception of the world.

 

Whether we refer to them as the global elite, the illuminati or the Bilderburg group,  the Freemasons' agenda for humanity is an ancient  struggle against our Creator. In the name of the greater good of mankind, they continually seek to undermine and distort any human tendency towards truth and conscience (e.g. good can be evil and evil can be good). 

The seeds of the Freemason's political and social revolution have already been planted since the early 20th century. In 2020, their globally coordinated pandemic "accident" has succeeded in controlling civil society with mandates on human health and liberties.

But it isn't too late to wake up and look with Eyes Wide Open at everything we read, hear and absorb. For certain talented and ambitious people seeking fame, fortune and power, the Freemasons offer them a fake Hobson's choice between belonging to a select group of enlightened, evolved beings or joining the "vulgar masses of ignorant, useless eaters."  

Once that choice is cleverly presented with both the right mix of fear and desire, it is easy for most people to be tempted and accept whatever moral compromises they are required to make.  

So how do we withstand the growing power of the Freemasons in their infiltration into all aspects of society (politics, business, art, finance, media and education)? 

The key is to pray for the Lord Jesus Christ to expose and destroy this secret organisation and its aims (the key one being the destruction of Christianity). 

From God's perspective, I believe He sees it as a masquerade, a satanic charade that the Freemason masters think they have deceived mankind when they are the ones deceiving themselves. 

Ultimately, the social and political upheaval that they are instigating globally will be exposed and destroyed. Like the alternate title of Herzog's film: Every Man For Himself and God Against All. 

A Double-Minded Nation Undecided Between A Fox or A Hedgehog

The three key psychological reasons why a nation or individual fails to achieve anything of substance in this era of disinformation are:

1. A double-minded mentality (hypocrisy in saying one thing & doing the opposite). 

2. Giving oneself excuses (e.g. "our nation was brutalised by the imperialists 100 years ago, so now we need to hate the West and avenge our honour.")

3. Intellectual indifference. Not believing in any ideals worth sacrificing your time and effort in sharing the merits with others. It is intellectual complacency that is inextricably linked to an education system devoid of critical thinking training. 

Meanwhile, others, who don't have these mental flaws but are passively indifferent to people who do, are actually complicit in their failures.  

Extending these root problems to the macro level, the beginning of a failed state or society starts with a few good, reasonably intelligent men who compromised their integrity and vision of hope. Either due to convenience or personal gains.

And this state of the human condition brings us to how a nation's destiny deteriorates, hits bottom and then, miraculously, reinvents itself.

It's Not Just Great Leaders Who Change History

The history of great nations as well as the turning points of lesser nations have often been portrayed as events driven by great, gifted leaders: 

Lincoln in the America of the 1860s. Gandhi in the India of the 1940s or Deng Xiaoping  in the China of the 1980s. 

But what it takes for a nation to turn from an era of hopeless despair and decline into an era of optimism and renewal is more than just the emergence of a leader.  

It takes a community of wise, persevering  men and women who would have engaged in deep spiritual struggle for the nation's destiny over several years. Nothing occurs by chance. 

In fact, the Russian author of War & Peace - Leo Tolstoy - held the view that major historical events were not the outcomes of great leaders but the combined actions of ordinary, lesser known protagonists.  

Yet, it is more the rule than the exception that, once a nation has fallen into corruption and decline, it usually gets worse over time, becoming a basket case for the world to look at with pity and loathing. 

An Adopted Nation By Chance 

So, I was quite bemused when an old journalist friend Professor Harish Mehta who manages an Asian strategic journal, asked me to write about this small South East Asian country of mine which, incidentally is not my country of birth though I am a citizen.

The country is Malaysia, once tagged as an Asian tiger economy in the early 1990s but has since then, gone through a never-ending cycle of fortune and misfortune.

I wont go into the details but these cycles that I speak of are economic, political and psychological in nature.

A Simple Yet Baffling Paradox 

The paradox of this nation is quite simple yet baffling to outsiders. 

On the one hand, Malaysia is, by and large, a multi-ethnic nation comprising about 67% Malay bumiputeras (i.e. Malays and indigenous natives), 25% Chinese and 7% Indians who have lived peacefully with each other for the most part of the country’s six decades as a sovereign nation apart from an ugly race riot in 1969.

This ethnic mix of Asians and the peaceful co-existence of the country is unique in many ways. You might call it the axiomatic vision of God for Malaysia.

On the other hand, the country’s ethnic communities have been divided by race-based political parties thanks to the self-seeking ambitions of politicians who exploit the mindsets of its respective communities. 

(Here we are referring to maverick politicians such as  the former two-time Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir who fostered not only a certain race-based mindset but a generation of crony capitalists).

Why is this a baffling paradox? Because the ideal and the reality are not only at odds.

There are internal contradictions within the ideal and the reality on their own. 

One such example is the contradiction of being religious (i.e. a lover of all fellow human beings) while feeling morally justified in treating certain people groups with unfair economic prerogatives (in terms of public sector jobs, scholarships and government contracts). 

At times, critics attribute Malaysia's root problems to half baked intellects and mediocre men of good intentions but flawed methods. 

By and large, the common antagonist is usually the old fox himself, a moniker for Tun Dr Mahathir.

But I prefer to describe Malaysia's problems as one of being double-minded. Like a split Jekyll and Hyde personality that has become unrecognisably one person.

Many psychological problems stem from man's inability or refusal to see and understand who he really is.

The failure to understand your true identity, your true national nature will only lead to failures in future endeavours.

Hedgehog or Fox?

Transcribing Isaiah Berlin's metaphor of human personality to nations, I would ask this of political analysts and historians: "Is your nation a fox who is good at many things or a hedgehog who only specialises in one competitive advantage?"

Unfortunately, Malaysia is a hedgehog that has made some failed attempts at being a fox. 

As a hedgehog nation, what are Malaysians generally good at? Living peacefully with pragmatic respect for each other's ability to work efficiently and practise our faiths freely. 

Since the 1970s, that is an unspoken formulae that underlined the relative economic success of Malaysia despite political and institutional obstacles. 

From the 1970s to the early 1990s, Malaysia succeeded in transforming its resource-based economy from a low income country to a middle income nation by becoming a prominent manufacturing exporter of electronics products.

This growth period was particularly strong in the late 1980s with the influx of capital from Japan following the Yen's revaluation under the Plaza Accord which made Japan's home-based manufactured exports too expensive.

But by the 2000s decade, Malaysia saw a slow erosion in competitiveness in the wake of more efficient nations, namely China (mass production of cheap electronic goods), Singapore (brain drain to a meritocratic and corruption-free system) and lately Vietnam (mid-level manufacturing). 

And in terms of political stability and policy clarity, Indonesia is viewed by foreign investors as gaining the upper hand over Malaysia.

Faced with so many emerging regional and global economic competitors without having a concrete reform plan, it is no surprise that Malaysia has been stuck in the middle income trap. 

It is at this stage of the impasse that the hedgehog tries to learn fox tricks, which typically means concocting many half-baked policies with little confidence or faith in following through.

This state of affairs was encapsulated by several key policy failures, essentially the flip flop policies that hampered the promotion of English as a medium of instruction for maths and science. 

Other causes include the misallocation of resources into real estate development, white elephant projects and to top it all, the 1MDB sovereign fund scandal.

Complicating Malaysia's economic reform agenda is the fact that the Malay-centric parties such as UMNO hardened themselves into more intense identity politics and race rhetoric to strengthen their rural vote base after the Opposition parties gained ground in 2008 & 2013 before eventually taking over on May 2018.

Hedgehog Learning Fox Tricks

So going back to Isaiah Berlin's analogy, a politically exhausted hedgehog can only learn a few fox tricks in order to compete with the surrounding fox nations. 

Instead of trying to learn the methods of the multi-talented fox, Malaysia has to look internally at its own people and sharpen their strengths, which is essentially, a highly capable, globally competitive workforce that can work, learn and solve problems together.  

In other words, learn to see and plan like a fox whilst remaining true to one's nature of a hedgehog.

The pandemic has tested Malaysia's economy to the limit with the SME (Small and Medium sized Enterprises) devastated by lockdowns. But even when the economy recovers, which it eventually will, the national policy target of reaching a high income nation status (US$15,000 GDP per capita) should be reviewed.

Without reform measures to address corruption and political accountability issues, focusing on economic growth alone will invariably worsen income inequalities, providing fodder for race-oriented politicians. 

The priority of any government should be to repair communal ethnic relations and transform the political landscape and atmosphere (which  disintegrated in early 2020 into the current political impasse after a backdoor coalition called Perikatan Nasional replaced the democratically elected Pakatan Harapan government in March 2020). 

More Than Elections

After the collapse of the Muyhiddin Yassin's government in August 2021 and the rebranding of the old cabinet under a new Prime Minister, the current government still has a wafer thin majority in Parliament. 

With a General Election expected by 2023, this government will face the same issues as the previous one which lasted for just 18 months.

Will another election change Malaysia's destiny? The seemingly gargantuan solution to Malaysia's 'structural' problems involves more than just voting in a competent government. 

The nation needs a large pool of leaders and common citizens (urban and rural) on the ground who are ready to undo the shackle of race-based policies and create a new national vision of hope and rejuvenation. 

A blessing in disguise from the pandemic recession (which has hit many SMEs across all ethnic communities) is that it is somehow stirring up an urgent need for political unity, bipartisan co-operation and reform. 

(There is no way an economy like Malaysia's can thrive without the mutual purchasing power of each community). 

But as I said earlier, it takes more than the election of a few good leaders to change the history of a nation. 

It takes an entire generation of common people to avoid those three psychological flaws mentioned earlier, namely; double-mindedness, giving excuses and intellectual indifference.

Like many developing nations struggling to recover from the pandemic recession, Malaysia's window for reform may still be open, notwithstanding the current geopolitical dynamic of the U.S.-China tensions in the region. 

Genuine change starts with facing up to its unique identity and acknowledging its destiny in the new global economic landscape.

Postscript: Malaysia’s Triple Crisis & Post-Covidean Solutions

Who will be the next Prime Minister (PM) following the resignation of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his appointment as caretaker PM by the Yang di-Pertuan Agung (King)? 

We are faced with the same dilemma as before the collapse of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government. In any contest (be it a General Election or vote of confidence in Parliament), Malaysia is, ultimately, heading for a three-corner alliance contest with none having a stable majority given the dynamics.

In my  personal opinion, none of the old guards should be given the chance to lead the nation after 60 years of being trapped in a zero sum game of partisan & race-based politics. They have run out of solutions and are totally out of touch with the new global dynamics (debt problems, crypto currencies vs fiat currencies, China-US geopolitics, big pharma agendas etc).

The window of opportunity is a caretaker unity government (hopefully comprising bipartisan technocrats) to be requested by the King as an emergency solution to handle the triple economic, health and information crisis. 

Smart policies (executed by trustworthy and smart policymakers) should be replicated from what other nations like Singapore is doing. We have to live with Covid and also diversify our vaccines away from one "popular" vaccine which seems to prove ineffective with 20k daily cases and climbing.

So here is my suggestion to all concerned (politicians, Rakyat and the King):

1. Propose to the King a caretaker unity cabinet: The lack of public trust and confidence in governments is at an all time low with the mishandling of this pandemic (especially with the Sabah elections cluster, the slow vaccines rollout and the two week MCO trials by error strategy). 

Based on the proportion of the parliamentary seats, a cabinet of 30 is to be formed comprising technocrats with no political party positions (you can call it coalition government or minority government with bills passed under confidence & supply  agreements). 

Ideally fill these positions with young and experienced people who have proven their mettle and are willing to give up every partisan bias. This caretaker government will not only examine all options but offer a nation-wide strategy to rebuild the economy and restore business confidence to Malaysia.

2. Make new alliances by discussing sincerely with all heads of the major parties for the sake of forming a unity government: Discuss with all party heads on the urgency of forming a caretaker government to contain the pandemic crisis and protect and revive the economy.

3. Delay a General Election until end 2022 or mid-2023: An unprecedented crisis demands unprecedented solutions. Holding a GE, even if it is safe to do so in six months time, will see a three-corner contest (Pakatan Harapan, UMNO and UMNO-Bersatu-PAS alliances) and very likely result in another unstable government with a thin majority.

 

A widely agreed deadline, set in stone, has to be in place (Malaysians have all kinds of excuses to undermine deadlines just like the former PM who kept on promising the handover to Anwar). It is not so much that the health crisis will take more than a year to be resolved. The productive capacity and psyche of the economy and the SME have been shattered. It is like a middle aged man who has a stroke. He needs time to heal and recuperate and find his feet again, physically and psychologically.

 

4. Offer a smart strategy and original plan: Bring along all reform-minded politicians and technocrats and seek a joint proposal to save the nation with not only one-size-fits-all fixes (vaccinations and MCOs) but a smart strategy of prevention and balance.

5. Geopolitical alertness as to the origins of the pandemic and the subsequent agendas: All global citizens, especially in ASEAN, should first ask this question: How and why the virus originated and which country is aggressive in promoting its vaccines, which apparently does not seem to be effective (alright, they claim 50% effectiveness but this means at least 50% will still be infected).

Unbeknownst to many except a few, there is a great powerful nation waiting to come to rescue Malaysia and ASEAN nations by lending its funds and vaccines. Dont take it and read the fine line of any agreement. That nation is known for debt diplomacy which did more harm than good for many African nations.

6. Be extra suspicious of big pharma and the advice of experts: The war on covid cannot be taken to extremes by mass testing. Be smart and follow Singapore's example. We have to live with it and build our own immunity with holistic medicines and supplements. The big pharma companies and health experts (especially the flip-flopping celebrity Dr Fauci) cannot be totally trusted after their exclusion of Ivermectin and the frequency of breakthrough cases.

 

So should we all just sit by and watch politicians play the old game of musical chairs before Parliament reconvenes for a vote of confidence on 6^th September ? Being passive without a serious rethinking among the parties and replaying the numbers game (who has the majority support?) is letting the nation go back to square one i.e. a country without a stable majority in Parliament.

 

A Few Good Men

 

This is why, in my opinion, the King, the politicians and members of the Rakyat (via social media platforms) need to take the joint initiative with this unique opportunity to save and transform Malaysia from a failed state (of narrow-minded partisan, race-based divisiveness) to reach its full potential as a beacon of light to the world. 

Singapore has done it with the able leadership of one man. Malaysia can do it with the able leadership of a few good men and women. This window of opportunity is like a time warp that opens up a portal for us to step out of the wheels of fate. Otherwise, it is just another day in the tropical sun.