Malaysia : A role model that Pakistan could follow?

[Mr Xtreme]

I met a Malaysian student a while back. He was studying here and told me he was going back to Malaysia as soon as he had his degree. Unlike a lot of Pakistani expatriates he was very positive about his country and proud of their industry, producing cars and the like. I wonder if this is the road that pakistan should look to follow, and whether Musharraf would agree that it is the right way to go?

Here's an excerpt from the Lonely Planet guide to Malaysia. There's a link as well which is quite interesting if you want to read it in full and find out a bit more.


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http://www.lonelyplanet.com.au/dest/sea/malay.htm#sab1


DESTINATION MALAYSIA

Malaysia is one of the most pleasant, hassle-free countries to visit in South-East Asia. Several decades of sustained economic growth and political stability have made it one of the most buoyant and wealthy countries in the region, and although political power (Malay) and economic clout (Chinese) are still traditionally divided along racial lines, Malaysia has moved towards a pluralist culture based on a vibrant and interesting fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous cultures and customs.

Most visitors to Malaysia stick to the Peninsula, where the insane headlong rush of Kuala Lumpur is offset by the colonially soothing Cameron Highlands hill station or the hedonistic torpor of Langkawi. Far fewer make it to Sarawak or Sabah, on the island of East Malaysia, with their spectacular wildlife, longhouses and the awe-inspiring Mt Kinabalu.

(Malaysia is a muslim country)

[CM]

Malay is the exact thing pakistan should look to for the future.
KL is a beautiful city with its mixture of modern houses and traditional ones right by each other.
The city is cleaner than any Indonesian city, people are more educated than the taiwanese and the only place better to live then Malay is Singapore.
However Malay is based on a secularist way of life - due to the heavy Chinese population.
That in pakistan is not possible.
Malay has done it on its own, pakistan is in place financially to do anything right now.
Heck look at the rupee!!!

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[Mr Xtreme]

CM,

I agree that Malaysia is a secular country but the impressive thing about Malaysians is that they are also quite religious in personal aspects of their lives, at least a lot of them are. Mahathir is no stooge either, like a lot of our politicians have been. He is happy to stand up for his country against the most powerful nations if he feels it is in malaysia's interests.

you say that secular rule is not possible in Pakistan, but I disagree. We already have a mostly secular constitution with one or two abberations, and the public has always voted against religious parties. I think it is more a case of vested interests giving some trouble makers too much voice. True Pakistan has India and Afghanistan bordering it, and Afghans will always be our allies, but Pakistan is master of it's own destiny, or should be at any rate.

Incidentally, have you been to Malaysia or are you speaking from third hand knowledge?

[Akmed786]

Malaysia will be okay so long as Mahathir remains in power. Lately he has been facing opposition from fundamentalist islamic groups. They claim he is not a 'Bhumiputra' since Mahathir's ancestors are of Indian/hindu origin.

[This message has been edited by Akmed786 (edited August 23, 2000).]

[BombayKid]

Malasia is a great country -- I think most Asian countries can look at Malasia as a role model. I always felt that reaching Malasia's level is realistically possible (as opposed to reaching Japan's level).

As far as it being a secular country -- that is wrong -- they have special concessions for Muslims....for example interest rates on loans will be less for Muslims etc.....there's nothing wrong in that but we can't call it a secular nation.

[CM]

Extreme it is first hand knowledge.
I visited Malay numerous times while living in the region.
The city KL is beautiful, and the people are very courteous.
I have not met anybody more polite and considerate than indonesians and malays.
Yes the people are religious, but they are the right sort of religious.
They aren't the whacked pakistani type who fact up every thing to do with islam.
A mullah in Malay does not have to have a beard, though he has to be educated till college and arabic is a requirement.
The Malay's see that women are equal in islam and treat them acorrdingly.
They mix islam and the material world very well.
An example is that the malay compound in Indoneisa has a gym, sauna and a masjid.
Azzan is given 5 times a day and the mullah is a give lodging and food from the embassy.
All for the malay diplomats in the country.
Perfect mixture of life and islam.

As for secularism in Pakistan, this should also answer a thing about the Pakistani future under another thread.
I personally don't see Pakistan lasting more than 5 years if the CE fails.
US diplomats give pak 5 years to live if every thing goes down hill.
Pakistan may become the next Iran after the revolution.
The afghanis have made a mess of the whole islam situation and it has spread like wild fire to pakistan.
The pakistanis are the people who love the religion the most and we are the ones who understand it the least.
This does not help with the common man.
They say family planning is against islam when it clearly isn't.
The mullahs are the most to blame for this.
And only Allah can decide the out come.
And i hope, i really hope i am wrong about this, but the US and other agencies are pretty confident on their beliefs.
Yes the public has not voted for religious parties, but the parties are getting stronger in other aspects and are becoming a real pain in the ass for the rest of the country.
1% of the people actually believe the mullahs and are true Fundos.
The problem is that most of these guys are in strong positions in Pakistan.
The military, land lords and politicians.
There are so many politicans that don't look like fundos but are actually worse than the taliban.
One of them actually had the guts to tell NS that his namaz was not jaaiz or improper because he prayed on a carpet which had animals on it.
Eben though it was clean and placed in the proper direction.
The only two criteria required.
I mean where the heck does this crap come from??

BK the whole less interest thing has to do with islam, as you no doubt know.
But what Malay has can be best defined as "Islamic Secularism".
Thus the principles of Islam are enforced for the muslims while the other miniroties can live by their own rules.
Something India has not mastered yet.

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[ZZ]

Malaysia has oil.

It has settled dispute with Indonesia, in fact they ended up in a major economic cooperation that fuelled the ASEAN miracle. Malaysia does not spend resources in claiming Singapore.

Malaysia does not have identity problems. It is well defined.

[CM]

Why do i feel that, that was blatant prejudice against pakistan.
Well Malaysia is lucky.
It hasn't been attacked 3 times by a neigbhour nation.
It doesn't have a hostile country next door which tries to rub its existance out of the world.
It doesn't have a neighbour which helped spilt the country in half.
As for Singapore, it doesn't have a neighbour which tried to capture a part of the country.
Instead Malay allowed Singapore the right to self determination.
And Malay is lucky to have a neighbour which does not have dellusions of granduer of becoming a world power.
Boy is Malaysia lucky compared to pakistan.

Also point of Info ZZ - Pak does have oil.
Just untapped.

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[Rani]

CM,

I fail to understand why you keep repeating that Pakistan was attacked three times by India. India didn't attacked Pakistan even once...even now Pakistan is supporting the proxy war in India. India has never been hostile to Pakistan actually it is the other way around. Stop the proxy war if you want peace. You guys have even changed the reality of Kargill war, instead of reconganizing that it was bad decision you have made it out to be some kind of win for Pakistan. Your blaming India for things they have never done will not solve anything. I guess India should be ready to live with this kind of attitude. I am glad India is not talking to Pakistan while Proxy war goes on.

[CM]

Very weird - i posted a note here in answer to rani, doesn't seem to have showed up.
Oh well here it is again.

Rani boy are you stupid!!!
I have posted this before and i guess i will have to post it again on this site.

Direct Quote:
Soon after
the monsoon stopped, India's army moved up to the Bangladesh border and by early
December advanced virtually unopposed to Dhaka,

See it crossed the border of pakistan - BD was a part of pakistan then

Link: http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/ar...111197,00.html

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