THE reaction to Ideas’ announcement last week of our new advisors and strategy has ranged from congratulatory messages to befuddlement and condemnation. Of the latter, some are genuine but some have also been generated by those who make a (rather comfortable) living by manufacturing ‘opinion’ according to guidelines set by nebulous paymasters.
Out of our line-up of 12 advisors, four have been with us for some time. They are Tan Sri Michael Yeoh (CEO of the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute and Member of the Malaysian Competition Commission), Datuk Seri Azman Ujang (former general manager of Bernama), Datuk Anthony Cooper (former senior partner of Price Waterhouse Malaysia and governor of the Tinggi Foundation) and Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamad (MP for Pulai and chairman of the Public Accounts Committee).
The eight new names are Tun Dzaiddin Abdullah (chairman of Bursa Malaysia Bhd and former Chief Justice of Malaysia), Tan Sri Munir Mujid (chairman of Bank Muamalat Malaysia and trustee of Pintar Foundation), Datuk Seri Nazir Razak (group MD/CEO of CIMB Group), Datuk Dr R Thillainathan (board member of Bursa Malaysia Bhd and Genting Bhd), Datuk Omar Mustafa (chairman of Ethos & Company and member of the National Economic Council), Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (Umno Supreme Council member and former Deputy Minister of Higher Education), Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa (Parit Buntar MP and PAS Central Committee member) and Dr Ong Kian Ming (Serdang MP and DAP election strategist).
Many of these people hold many more positions but listing all (let alone their educational qualifications, honorary doctorates and international recognition) would take several pages. Some of these individual names have triggered strong reactions, and the fact that they are all advisors to one organisation may seem unlikely: their previous public statements may show that on may directly contradict each other on issues.
That is the point. Too many organisations enlist advisors who agree 100 per cent with the directors, which is hardly conducive for the generation of contrarian ideas or methods. For an organisation that seeks to proffer policy ideas for public discussion, it is particularly important to get input from people who might disagree with us and each other. What is important is that they want the best for Malaysia, are loyal to the precepts of Merdeka and broadly support the principles of rule of law, freer markets, individual freedom and limited government.
A few of these individuals may have been subjected to severe public lambasting by various groups, too. That is par for the course if you hold public or senior office in Malaysia (particularly if you resist political pressure), but the idea that we are somehow beholden to them (or they to us) is absurd. None of them will be paid for their advice and of course, we can choose whether or not to implement their advice. All 12 have voluntarily agreed to several meetings a year to give opinions on topics that we are working on.
For the next three years, these will focus on education and governance under a broader theme of focusing on the bottom 40 per cent of Malaysia’s population. This will include issues like how to ensure economic liberalisation will enrich everyone, how the decentralisation of schools within a unified curriculum can improve educational opportunities for all, or how more transparent government procurement policies can benefit every citizen.
A further criticism sent our way is that the new advisors hardly represent the bottom 40 per cent: they are more like the top 1 per cent, and are therefore not qualified. This misses a fundamental point, which is that once upon a time, they were not in the top 1 per cent. The family backgrounds of our advisors are diverse, including those who were born in entirely unremarkable villages in rural Malaya. Others grew up in upwardly mobile families who were living what could have once been called the Malaysian dream, fuelled by educational opportunities and a government that was in tune with the aspirations of its citizens.
It is such aspiration, such optimism, that we want to resuscitate, after decades of policies that have steered too many into the path of dependency and social immobility. We look forward to what our advisors will have to say on these issues.
The same press release also announced our new chief operating officer Tricia Yeoh. I first met her when she was director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) and she agreed to jointly organise with the Malaysia Think Tank (later to become Ideas) a seminar on decentralisation. Since then her jobs have included being policy research officer to Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.
So there we have it. To those who want to be befuddled, carry on. We are getting to work.
Tunku Abidin Muhriz is president of Ideas.