There Are Many Smart Fellows In Malaysia

There are many smart fellows in Malaysia. And when they open their mouths to speak, we Malaysians stand in awe.

For example, just a few days ago MCA president Chua Soi Lek said that it would be a logistical nightmare to allow Malaysians to vote from abroad. He said that since there were 800 over constituencies in Malaysia, this would mean that the Election Commission would have to provide 800 over ballot boxes.

I was wondering if this task should be beyond the pale of Malaysia since we are supposed to be a developed country by 2020.  Even Indonesia - which is supposed to be more backward and poorer than Malaysia and has a population larger than ten times ours and therefore more constituencies surely -  can  arrange for their citizens abroad to vote, why can't we do it?

Then yesterday, the Star newspaper quoted Universiti Sains Malaysia assoc professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian as saying that Malaysians should come back to vote if they truly wanted to participate as citizens instead of asking to be registered as absent voters.

That's a lot of wisdom coming from no less than an assoc professor. So, the only way to show that  Malaysians who truly want to participate as citizens - whatever that means -  is to come back. Wonderful logic.

There are an estimated one million Malaysians overseas. So if they all come back to vote at the same time, I guess that is not a logistical nightmare.

And just several days ago too UMNO Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin, who is himself no less than an Oxford old boy, was trying to explain that the purchase of a RM10 million luxury condominium in relation to the National Feedlot project to transform the Malaysian cattle and beef industry into a world class halal beef producer was a smart business move.

The National Feedlot project was farmed out to National Feedlot Centre run by the husband and children of the Women, Family Affairs and Community Development minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Check out freemalaysiatoday for a background on the matter.

That led many cynical Malaysians to wonder if cows need condos. For the latest allegations relating to the project click  the malaysian insider.

Of course we also have many smart Malaysian ministers too who when they speak, we ordinary Malaysians bow our heads in awe to.

NOTE: For a sampling of  insightful comments on the purchase of the RM10 million luxury condominium check out malaysiakini.