In the Maxis-Aircel deal, Dayanidhi is said to have pressured businessman C. Sivan­sankaran – a former owner of Aircel – to sell his stake in Aircel to MCB. In return, as a reward, Astro – owned by Ananda – would buy a 20% stake in Sun TV, owned by Dayanidhi’s elder brother Kalanithi. Sivasankaran claimed that he was forced to sell his shares at “below the prevailing market price”, allegations which were refuted by MCB and Astro.

More money was given to civil servants and pensioners, and there were plans to list the Felda Global Group’s commercial unit, Felda Global Ventures Holdings Sdn Bhd, on Bursa Malaysia, which would bring the settlers a windfall. All of this would surely lock in a huge chunk of voters.

There was more – the government offered a one-off RM500 cash handout to households with a monthly income of RM3,000 and below, as well as a RM100 cash aid for primary and secondary pupils (Year 1 to Form 5) and RM200 book vouchers for students.

Ex-members of the special constabulary and auxiliary police as well as widows and widowers would also receive a one-off payment of RM3,000.

The list was impressively long. Everyone got something, in the words of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. In his parting shot, he reminded the Opposition bench that they too would get better allowances starting in January.

But to many analysts, the Budget was tilted in favour of the rural heartland wherein lies the traditional base of Umno and the votes would go strongly to the Barisan Nasional.

The urban middle class isn’t likely to be happy with Budget 2012. While there were provisions that would benefit the middle class, such as the first-time home scheme, tax exemption for contributions to missionary schools and houses of worship and tax incentives for private schools, they do not see direct benefits.

The middle class, which makes up the 2.4 million taxpayers and carries the burden for 27 million people in the country, deserves better.

Although there are 6.4 million registered taxpayers, only 2.4 million are paying up. The rest are ineligible because they are either retired, have stopped working or have incomes below the taxable bracket.

Until the Government has the political courage to impose the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which would be a broad-based consumption tax, there is no possibility of a reduction in personal and corporate taxes.

It would have been unrealistic to expect any such tax reduction, though, but increase in EPF contributions from employers for workers earning more than RM5,000 could have at least brought some cheer to the middle class.

Be that as it may, the middle class must not forget the benefits that they enjoy and which are sometimes taken for granted, such as subsidies for petrol and essential food items, for instance. Also, keeping the sin taxes at current levels would certainly benefit those who need the occasional mug of beer or a pack of cigarettes.

The general consensus is that the Budget has created a feel good factor, and even opposition politicians have conceded this. It is a strong follow-up to the slew of political reforms announced by Najib last month.

The question now is when the Barisan will call for the polls. The challenge would be to take advantage of the momentum that now favours the ruling coalition, especially with surveys showing that Malay voters have returned to the Barisan.

It has been said that one reason why PAS decided to abandon its welfare state plan in favour of an Islamic state was because the party found its share of the Malay votes sliding drastically. Even Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim came out to support the implementation of hudud laws, with an eye on Muslim votes.

The remarks made by PAS deputy president Mohamed Sabu, describing communist leaders as freedom fighters, also scarred the party badly.

There is speculation of a November polls but this writer does not think it will happen. Between Nov 14 and Dec 14, school halls have been booked for the SPM exams and many teachers will be acting as exam invigilators, not as election officials.

The PM is also scheduled to perform his Haj, along with 28,000 Malaysian Muslims, and would be away from November. The last chartered flight out of Mecca is Dec 12.

The much speculated Nov 11 date, which is said to be Najib’s favourite number, also does not hold water or make much political sense as it is a Friday, which is hardly the best day for polls.

From Nov 29 until Dec 3, the Umno general assembly will be held in Kuala Lumpur. Here, the Umno president would make the rallying call to the troops, remind them to close ranks, let him have the mandate to choose the candidates and tell them that losing is not an option.

The monsoon season, from the end of November until end of January, which hits the east coast states every year is also a factor that needs to be considered when setting the date for elections.

Many Malaysians would also be away at this time, taking advantage of the holiday season to clear their leave and to spend time with their families. No one would be in the mood to listen to politicians.

Finally, in January the Barisan would have its final opportunity to win over Chinese voters, many of whom still favour the opposition. Chinese New Year will be on Jan 23 and in the weeks before the celebrations, we can expect the political drums to be louder.

The window period for the polls could be between March and May. Given the uncertainties of the global economy and uncontrolled external forces, Najib has little time left to take advantage of the feel good factors.

It has also ventured outside Malaysia and made its presence felt in Vietnam, Australia, Singapore and even Britain.

The man at the helm of SP Setia is 52-year-old Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, a down-to-earth bank officer-turned-developer.

Some would even say SP Setia is Liew Kee Sin and Liew Kee Sin is SP Setia.

Fiercely proud of his humble beginnings in Johor – his father was a lorry driver – the Universiti Malaya graduate wanted to study law but was offered economics instead.

SP Setia started off as a construction company – a syarikat pembinaan as conveyed in its initials SP.

Liew turned it into a big-time property developer when he injected two projects – Pusat Bandar Puchong and Bukit Indah Ampang – into the company in 1996.

Liew has faced many challenges but he is now looking at the biggest fight of his career – one that is heavily staked against him.

Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), the country’s largest asset manager and owner of 33% of SP Setia, is making a bid to take over the company.

On Friday, PNB bought an additional 23.5 million shares in the open market for RM3.868 a share, just 3.2 sen shy of its proposed takeover price of RM3.90.

PNB, with a RM150bil cash chest, is seeking to raise its stake to over 50% with its RM3.90 offer, which is about an 11% premium over the closing price before the announcement of its notice of takeover.

Such a takeover bid is not unusual in the corporate world, and more so when Liew only has an 11.3% stake in the company.

Other major shareholders of SP Setia include the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) with 13.4%, Kumpulan Wang Amanah Persaraan with 5% and over 40% are in the hands of minority shareholders.

But the manner in which it was done has led to much unhappiness.

Despite having two PNB directors on the board, there was no courtesy of a verbal notification prior to the takeover move.

The general offer notice only reached the company on Wednesday at 8.30am, just before the market opened.

Some may argue that the element of surprise was for strategic reasons but there was still no call even after news broke out of the takeover bid.

In a nutshell, relations have been strained.

PNB has issued a statement saying it wishes to maintain the management team, which is known to be fiercely loyal to Liew, but no one is sure how events will unfold in the coming days.

However, questions have been raised as to why PNB is wanting to take over a company that is being run competently instead of remaining as a passive investor that is satisfied with good investment returns.

If the Government is actively pushing for the private sector to be the engine of growth, we have the right to ask why the GLCs are competing with the private sector.

Widening its shareholding base is one thing but controlling private companies will lead to speculation over its agenda, cause unnecessary concerns as well as send the wrong signals.

The whole exercise will cost PNB RM3bil, which is chicken feed to them, but there are political and economic ramifications that the country’s leaders should take note of.

It may not be such a grand scheme in the end for PNB if Liew decides to leave SP Setia and set up his own venture, and gets his senior management team to join him.

PNB may then find itself in a spot even after gaining control of the company.

No one would believe that there would not be interference from PNB, so let’s not kid Malaysian investors.

Civil servants who manage public funds should leave the business of running businesses and making money to the real businessmen.

What we have here is a situation where everyone sees the problem and agrees that something has to be done fast or the country would be in trouble, but no one dares to make the first move.

Instead, we continue to hear lame excuses, such as Malaysia needs to train enough English teachers first, we need to study the problems first, or we need to assess the situation. In the end, we will just continue talking.

There is already a whole generation of Malaysians who are not proficient in English today. The product of the switch from English to Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of teaching in schools, many of them are already in their 40s. From conversing with them, you know their teachers did not teach them grammar. Many cannot write a proper sentence in English and seem to have no idea even of present or past tenses.

The situation can only become worse as most Malay parents send their children to national schools, which seem to be evolving into Malay-Islamic entities, while the Chinese, believing that a strong foundation in Mandarin is important, prefer their vernacular schools, at least for primary education.

While it is not wrong to assume that students in rural areas have less exposure to English in comparison to their urban counterparts, the reality is that a poor command of English has hit all students regardless of their race and geographical location. In other words, it is not a Malay, Chinese or Indian problem any more but a Malaysian problem.

We should be pressing the panic button now but, unfortunately, there is no political will. Government and opposition leaders are equally guilty in their inability to commit themselves to any long-term solution.

Are these politicians so afraid of upsetting the self-appointed guardians of Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil languages to the point that we are prepared to sacrifice the larger interests of Malaysians?

While we debate, often very emotionally, about having a single school system to forge unity, advocates of vernacular schools are pointing out their rights under the Federal Constitution to the medium of their choice. Clearly, we are heading in different directions.

There could be a middle ground or, more precisely, a neutral ground in English medium schools, especially missionary schools, where many of us had the privilege of studying and growing up.

It is that system – some would say that era – that many older Malaysians today speak proudly and fondly of. They speak of making friends with students of all races and English was spoken and written well without compromising the standard of the national language.

But that era is gone and no politician today would dare to even push for this system, which is very unfortunate, as they prefer to preserve the status quo. Yet they moan about the poor command of English while hoping that no fresh contentious issue would pop up to add another worry to their long list of headaches.

Meanwhile, we are seeing a growing number of private, international and boarding schools that emphasise English, and parents who have the means send their children to these schools. Knowing the importance of this international language, they realise that they have to make the financial sacrifice.

How many of our leaders send their children overseas, or at least to these elite schools, for secondary education? Do our policy makers even believe in our own policies?

There is no level playing field here, as the poor are unable to send their children to such schools and only have the national or vernacular schools to pick.

Previously, if you went to an English medium school, it did not matter if your father was rich or poor. You had a shot at life because everyone was in the same system and type of education.

Why can’t Malaysians be given the right to English medium schools, at least at primary level, if there are vernacular and private/international schools?

But we know that’s a long shot because even at a simpler level, no one wants to decide whether we should teach Maths and Science in English. In this case, at least let the parents decide.

If there is a demand to use Bahasa Malaysia or Chinese or Tamil, then let it be. Let these schools use the language of their choice.

But if there are those that prefer to use English, then let them use English. Why should it be an issue? It’s not a racial or religious or even an economic problem, as a survey by Jaringan Melayu Malaysia has shown.

In a four-month survey that involved 15,000 respondents, Jaringan Melayu Malay­sia found that 54.08% of parents in rural areas prefer English in the teaching of Maths and Science.

The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) is also strongly advocating the move with support from former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

We are not even talking about a compulsory pass for the SPM here because most of us know that if a real benchmark is set for this, there could be a high failure rate. And if the standards are lowered, which seems to be the case now, we will continue to bluff ourselves. As it is, parents and their children with their string of PMR and SPM distinctions already have a false sense of achievement. There are overseas institutions who insist that our children sit for their entrance examinations because they are not sure whether our A is really an A or merely a D at international level.

So are we surprised that graduates cannot converse or write in English proficiently?

We can talk about a high income and minimum wage society but Malaysian workers need to be productive and of high quality if we want investors from the financial, technical or service sectors to come here.

Malaysians can no longer offer themselves as low-end assembly operators because other countries have taken over that role with their lower wages.

But how do we stand as a workforce against our neighbours in the region? One of our advantages has always been our language abilities but being able to converse isn’t good enough. We need to be good at what we are doing as well.

The reality is that our students have to read books in English at university level and search for material online in English. When they enter the job market, the language used is English – unless they want to join the public sector, which is already bloated.

Our politicians know how serious the situation is. It’s time we see them lead and not be led. Time has run out; the future of Malaysians is your hands.

Those who were privy to inner-circle discussions on how the speech would be crafted crossed their fingers and hoped there would be no last minute changes.

After all, as a politician, the Prime Minister has to balance the needs of the conservatives, right wingers and liberals within his party and also the Barisan Nasional coalition.

The PM understands fully how much the world has changed. The global political landscape has been altered drastically and the lessons to learn are that if leaders cannot change, the people will change them. There is plenty to learn from history, some very recent too.

The more conservative in Umno are still grappling with the changes, preferring to hold on to something which they are familiar and comfortable with. They are trying hard to understand where Najib is taking Malaysia to.

The younger ones, while looking apprehensively at the lack of changes in Umno, have tried hard to push, worried that the country’s ruling party could be losing its connection with the Twitter and Facebook generation. It’s not wrong to say that the PM has been watching, listening and feeling it all over the last three years.

On Aug 28, this scribe wrote that Najib’s call for greater democratic space, including doing away with censorship laws and setting up a Parliamentary Select Committee to review electoral laws, was just a prelude to his address on Sept 16.

I wrote that “it is almost certain that he will expand on democratic reforms with an outline of the changes he wants to implement in Malaysia. It won’t be promises but changes that would be set out in black and white.

“The fresh democratic reforms will surprise even his critics, particularly those who are pushing for a greater civil society.

“In short, the new democracy that he wants to see would recognise the calls by Malaysians. It is the Middle Malaysia that he wants to address. He will say that yes, he hears these voices.”

But even this writer was surprised at how far he was prepared to push. I dared not commit myself to put into words that he would repeal the Internal Security Act, but Najib has proven his doubters and critics wrong. He proved that he walked the talk.

As expected, everyone is trying to claim credit for the changes. The Opposition, still reeling from the shock, has said these would not have happened without their pressure and protests.

Then there are the usual cynics.

I think the point is this: It does not matter who is right, but what is right. It does not matter who did it, so long as the right thing gets done. Malaysians cannot be partisan on issues that affect us all.

Najib deserves credit for having the courage to take the bold steps. His New Democracy thrust is certain to continue.

The ISA will be repealed, no one should even doubt it anymore. An Anti-Terrorism Act – specifically for terrorists and not for political opponents, as in Britain and the United States – is likely to take over.

The Police Act would be redefined and possibly the right to assemble, which could be made clearer by designating places, time and how gatherings should be done.

An example to look at is Hong Kong, where night protests are directed to specific roads that would have little impact on businesses. Even then, gatherings are allowed on only one side of the road so that traffic can continue to flow on the other side.

In New York, there is a designated spot not far from the United Nations building for protest gatherings. A spot could be set up not far from the Parliament for similar purposes.

As in football matches in Britain, where police resources are used to safeguard public safety, organisers of protest gatherings in stadiums could be asked to put up deposits for police security and possible damages.

But the Printing Presses and Publications Act is still a thorn on the side for the media. Najib has taken the first step to abolishing this much hated law by allowing a one-off permit without the requirement for annual renewal. The Government must commit itself to a total abolishment, however.

An independent media council to be run by editors will finally be formed after 54 years of independence, and repealing the law would certainly be on the agenda of journalists. After all, no one needs a permit to start a blog or an online news portal, so why impose a permit for print?

The reforms have left a feel-good feeling but the Prime Minister has to follow up with an equally impactful Budget speech. All these reforms are good but they won’t put food on our tables.

Ordinary Malaysians are worried about the rising cost of living and middle income Malaysians are hit the most by monthly tax deductions.

In the rural areas of Sabah and Sarawak, where food and fuel need to be transported into the interior, the costs are even more enormous.

Malaysians want to hear how the Government intends to help them face the economic uncertainties, the spiralling cost of food and how to be confident about the future.

Malaysians are not expecting their Government to adopt a populist approach of promising the sun and the moon, which will bankrupt the nation. But they want the Government to be equally responsible in sharing the burden by cutting out excessive financial waste and leaks.

Najib’s challenge would be to balance the budget in the face of a slowing economy and at the same time appease the people ahead of a general election.

The Budget Speech is on Oct 7. Can Malaysians expect the Big Day to be soon after the PM has announced his economic plans for the country?

Flipping through a copy of the first issue of The Star, I saw a small report about the United States’ economy being in trouble.

Well, 40 years later, not much has changed. The US has progressed well but its economy is in trouble again. President Barack Obama has just announced a strategy to create jobs for Americans.

When The Star first hit the streets, I was just 10 years old and a bit young to read newspapers. But it became a feature in my home as my family decided to switch to this breezy and racy tabloid.

With its screaming headlines and emphasis on crime and hot beauties, it became my daily staple when I reached Form 1 and was able to read the newspaper better.

I remember seeing some of my teachers sneering at the newspaper, preferring to be seen reading the broadsheets in the staff room. But I suspected that The Star was probably hidden within the broadsheet they were pretending to read.

Interestingly, most of the pictures of women in bikinis that appeared then would never make it into today’s Malaysian newspapers. It isn’t just the cleavage, as Home Ministry rules today state that photographs should not show navels and armpits. These, supposedly, could sexually arouse readers. You go figure it out.

Never mind if they can be seen on Astro’s MTV or other programmes, and even in sports channels which show women athletes wearing outfits that expose their armpits and navels.

In short, 40 years ago, Malaysians were more open-minded. They had fewer hang-ups and weren’t prone to pouncing on editors or burning their newspapers.

Some liquor advertisements featured in newspapers, and in at least one souvenir programme for a teachers’ gathering, would shock most people today. If they appear in similar format these days, we would be accused of racial and religious insensitivity.

But then those were the days when Parliament had a bar and cigarettes sold there had the Parliament logo on the boxes. These made for good souvenirs for visitors.

The Star has become a huge part of my life, more than I realise, in fact. I was born at the carpenters’ guild in China Street, just behind the former office in Penang.

The school I went to for my primary and secondary education, St Xavier’s Institution, was within walking distance of The Star’s office. Its first office in Weld Quay was also not too far away.

SXI eventually produced six group chief editors, including this writer, for The Star. The late Khor Cheang Kee, then editorial adviser, and Hng Hung Yong, one of my predecessors, interviewed me when I applied to join the paper in 1980 after I completed Form Six. Both were Xaverians, which greatly helped in the interview.

I left to continue my studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and rejoined as soon as I finished my final exam. Now, 27 years later, I am still with The Star, which has become a full-fledged multi-media organisation.

While the company is known as Star Publications (M) Bhd, it has gone beyond being just a newspaper. It has grown into a large group and also holds pole position for its news website and iPad downloads for news.

The 40 years have not been an easy journey. We have had our ups and downs. We have produced some of the best news – and bad ones too.

We are not perfect and we hope to do better. But we are truly proud to be part of Malaysian life and we intend to stay on. To our readers, thank you for sharing this journey with us.

This year, it is even more special: With divine intervention, National Day and Malay­sia Day will be celebrated together for the first time.

This has been made possible by the fact that with Hari Raya Aidil Fitri falling on the last two days of August, it would not have been practical to hold the national day parade on the 31st.

A dual celebration would bring even greater meaning. It would also emphasise the point that there would have been no Federation of Malaysia if Sabah and Sarawak had not helped to form it on Sept 16, 1963.

Let’s get it right, Sabah and Sarawak did not join Malaysia, they helped to make Malaysia a reality.

Many young Malaysians in the peninsula wonder why they have to bring along their identity cards or passports when they travel to these two states or, worse, why they need to apply for work permits if they wish to work there.

This is a case of our history being badly taught in schools. Until today, our students are not properly told why these two states are different when it comes to control over their immigration, and their state administrative systems.

In the peninsula, state leaders are known as state executive councillors. In Sabah and Sarawak, they are known as state ministers. Both states, however, are led by chief ministers.

In the administration of justice, the courts in Sabah and Sarawak are part of the Federal court system but the Federal Constitution provides that there shall be two High Courts of coordinate jurisdiction – the High Court in Malaya and the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak, formerly called the High Court in Borneo.

But the most important focus of this year’s joint celebration should be this reminder that Malaysia does not comprise only Malays, Chinese and Indians.

Let us drive this point that in Sarawak, there are 27 distinct indigenous groups speaking 45 different languages and dialects while Sabah has 32 officially recognised ethnic groups with over 80 languages and dialects. Despite the diversity, there is racial harmony.

In many ways, those of us in the peninsula have fared badly in the area of race relations, no thanks to self-appointed guardians of our communities and morality too, in some cases.

The people of Sabah and Sarawak do not have any hang-ups about race. Take, for example, Datuk Seri Idris Jala, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. A Kelabit from Sarawak, and a Christian, he has a Malay name. But this does not raise any eyebrow in the state. It is perfectly normal.

Another is Datuk Anthony Bujang, chief executive officer of the New Straits Times Bhd. He is a Malay from Sarawak but has a Christian first name. The accountant turned media boss’ name would not earn him any glance in his home state either.

It is well known that Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has no qualms about opening churches, and he does this even in the middle of election campaigns. He has openly declared that he studied the Bible in school and his family has donated money to churches.

No Malay leader in the peninsula, in his right mind, would have dared to make such a statement unless he wished to commit political suicide.

It is in these two states that the spirit of 1Malaysia truly lives.

It is a joy to see people of all races sitting down together and enjoying their coffee in the old kopi tiam in these two states.

We need to see each other as Malaysians and nothing more. We need to remove racial prejudices and ignorance if we are serious about being 1Malaysia. Let’s make it a reality and not just a slogan.

The Prime Minister, it appears, has served notice that a large part of his weekly schedule will be devoted to meeting the people and getting their feedback: that is, hitting the ground ahead of the elections.

It is unlikely that the polls would be called in November. The likelihood is that the earliest date would be in March.

There are those who like to think that polls have been fixed for Nov 11, 2011, simply because they believe that the number 11 is Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s favourite. But this deduction has little political logic.

It has been reported that his schedule would soon be Monday to Friday in the office, Thursday for political work and Friday to Sunday on the ground.

The focus after the Hari Raya break will be to fine-tune his address on Sept 16; National Day celebrations on Aug 31 have now been moved to Malaysia Day instead.

His call for greater democratic space, including doing away with censorship laws and setting up a Parliamentary Select Committee to review electoral laws, is just a prelude to his address on Sept 16.

It is almost certain that he will expand on democratic reforms with an outline of the changes he wants to implement in Malaysia. It won’t be promises but changes that would be set out in black and white.

The fresh democratic reforms will surprise even his critics, particularly those who are pushing for a greater civil society.

In short, the new democracy that he wants to see would recognise the calls by Malaysians. It is the Middle Malaysia that he wants to address. He will say that yes, he hears these voices.

The next priority will be the Budget speech scheduled for Oct 7. The attention will be on affordable housing for low and middle income families and possibly even financial support for books and school transport.

Granted that this could be the last Budget before the elections, no one would be surprised if he tables a practical and yet balanced populist one aimed at winning votes. Given a chance, his political opponents would have done the same if there is a need to win popularity.

Obviously Najib needs to recognise that coping with the rising cost of living is the biggest concern of ordinary Malaysians.

People are worried about whether they will have enough to buy food, pay their mortgage, settle electricity bills, car loan instalments and children’s tuition fees and still have some left for savings.

His Budget speech, where he is expected to expand on his Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and the New Economic Model (NEM), will re-emphasise the point that he has an economic plan to develop Malaysia.

He will have this chance to convince the fence sitters and even those who dislike the Barisan Nasional that he should be given a chance to transform Malaysia.

After all, he has only been in office for about two years.

In short, he would challenge his opponents to show Malaysians what economic plans they have and, for that matter, who would be the Prime Minister if they form the next federal government.

Given the negative reaction towards the Government’s handling of Bersih 2.0, which has dented its image, Najib would want to seize back the political momentum.

So, enjoy the break while you still can because the political roller coaster ride is about to begin.

To all Muslim readers, I wish to take this opportunity to wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir batin.

Malaysians of all races, from the kampung to the new villages and cities to the longhouses, wanted so badly for him to win so that, for a while at least, the nation could come together. It would have been the perfect National Day gift.

It was so good to hear someone shouting loudly “Malaysia Boleh” as the pace of the game kept everyone quiet and on the edge of their seats. Certainly, all of us cheered along.

Race, religion and politics were discarded for an hour. If only we could do the same every day. If only we could see each other as fellow Malaysians all wanting to make Malaysia a better place. If only we all understand and accept that Malaysia is our home.

And how we wished that the Jalur Gemilang was the flag that was hoisted after the match that night. Then all of us could have stood up and sung the Negaraku. It would have been truly magnificent.

It was a case of being so near yet so far as Lin Dan staged a strong comeback, winning 20-22, 21-14 and 23-21. It was that close.

Chong Wei may have lost but he has nothing to feel ashamed of. He fought the fight of his life. His right foot was so badly blistered that when the match was over, it was covered with blood. But he did not moan about it. He put up a brave front and accepted his loss.

That’s what a champion should be like – magnanimous and humble in victory, dignified in defeat. We will support Chong Wei at his next fight.

As for how Lin Dan celebrated his victory, I believe most Malaysians would not want our heroes to rip off their shirts or jerseys in the frenzy of winning.

Speaking to reporters after his victory, Lin Dan said he wanted to “quickly end the game” because he wanted to “go sight-seeing in London, and shopping”.

“The match was going on too long and I wanted just to win it. Fortunately, I did not make as many mistakes as Chong Wei did,” he was quoted as saying.

I do not know the tone of his statement but his behaviour and his words certainly do not reflect well on him. To put it bluntly, he sounded cocky.

It’s a far cry from the days of the late Mao Zedong who preached about using sports for friendship and used it in the ping-pong diplomacy that paved the way for US President Richard Nixon to visit Beijing in 1972.

But sports now seems to be all about winning and sponsorship, which is fine except that sportsmen are role models. We cannot imagine Chinese schoolkids from Guangzhou to Inner Mongolia ripping off their T-shirts to show off their muscles after snatching the winning point.

Then there is the Malaysian football team, which almost created history by entering the third round of the World Cup qualifiers. But we were held 1-1 by Singapore during the return leg of the Asian Zone second round qualifiers.

No doubt Singapore was the better team but, at the risk of sounding like a sore loser, I do not think there is much honour in the victory for the island republic. The team was made up entirely of foreigners. Their best striker is a 41-year-old Bosnian, Aleksander Duric, and God knows how many years – if not months – he has left playing football for Singapore.

Duric has an incredible story. He was previously an Australian citizen playing for the Sydney Marconi team. If another country comes along offering him more money, would he give up his Singapore citizenship?

Really, can these naturalised citizens even sing Majulah Singapura and really understand the meaning of the lyrics? Surely there can be no real national pride when the players would not have Singapore in their hearts, as their minds would always be in Eastern Europe or Africa or China.

There’s really no difference between mercenaries at war and naturalised footballers. They are just hired hands. They would probably not be able to find their way out of Geylang or Katong if they cannot get taxis.

Every year, Selangor plays Singapore for the Sultan of Selangor’s Cup with both sides playing in alternate venues. Well, since these imports appeared, the Cup has remained solidly in the trophy room of the FAS. That’s the Football Association of Singapore, not Selangor.

It’s a farce really. There must be FIFA rules that require a naturalised player to be resident of a particular country for a specific number of years before he can play for that country. Such short cuts to success are unacceptable.

The situation cannot be compared to players in football clubs like those in the English Premier League (EPL) because they are there on a temporary basis. They also need to apply for work permits.

We agree that the EPL would not be as exciting if these foreigners were not playing, but they are not representing England.

Chong Wei, Harimau Malaya and, certainly, squash world champion Datuk Nicol David – you have all made Malaysians proud. You have our support and admiration.

Businessmen like Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Tan Sri Tony Fernandes who have acquired football clubs Cardiff and Queen’s Park Rangers respectively also deserve kudos from all Malaysians.

Thank you for bringing Malaysians together!

For politicians, they do not have to submit their speeches in advance to the police and authorities.

In the case of concert promoters, they not only have to apply for a police permit since it’s a gathering of more than five people, they also have to submit a copy of the lyrics, translated into Bahasa Malaysia, of the songs to be performed by the artistes to the authorities.

Never mind if they are hip-hop songs or indie music, which might make little sense to the officials, but a Bahasa Malaysia translation still needs to be handed in.

There’s no exception. Whether it’s a drama or a musical, the procedure is the same.

God knows what they do with the scripts and lists of songs, but that’s the rule.

If concert promoters questioned the relevance, they would be told by the officials that they were merely doing their duty.

How and who set these stupid rules is still a wonder to most people.

Furthermore, organisers have to submit the diagram of the seat arrangements and pictures of the concert venue.

Fortunately, the job is easier now because such diagrams and photos can be downloaded from the websites.

Currently, the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry calls the shots. Its committee of officials can either make it easy for the promoters, businessmen who have invested millions to bring in their respective artistes, or make it a living hell that would bankrupt them.

The committee comprises representatives from the ministry, Home Ministry, Housing and Local Government Ministry, Tourism Malaysia, the police, Customs, Islamic Development Malaysia, Inland Revenue Board, Tourism Board Malaysia and City Hall.

Known as Puspal or the Central Agency for Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes, it essentially vets the suitability of promoters who wish to bring in foreign artistes.

But that’s not all. Even if Puspal decides to be flexible, there is always the political factor. As long as you have the likes of PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi, who opposes concerts on the grounds that there will be free mingling of men and women, there will always be a headache.

Even Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, who is perceived to be a liberal, objected to the staging of the MTV World concert in his constituency recently.

And it’s not just PAS as even officials at federal government agencies have been difficult.

Tan Sri Syed Yusuf Syed Nasir, the man who brought in Michael Jackson for a two-night concert in 1996, lost RM1mil when his Rod Stewart concert was cancelled at the last minute by the authorities who said it was too near Merdeka celebrations.

In 2008, when Avril Lavigne performed in Kuala Lumpur, PAS staged a strong protest against it. But what was incredulous was that the then Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry agreed with the stand of PAS who cited the singer as being “sexy”. What’s wrong with these people? In the end, it had taken the intervention of the then prime minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, to let the show go on.

There have been many other cases where help needed to be secured from the very top. Come on, surely prime ministers shouldn’t be dragged into such trivial matters.

But that, unfortunately, has been the case when bureaucrats get carried away in imposing their prejudices and jaundiced view of things. Flip-flop moves, indecisiveness, fickle-mindedness and incompetency have all turned show business, which involves huge capital, in Malaysia into a highly risky business.

Our reputation is so bad that international artistes like Beyonce have bypassed Malaysia. Lady Gaga performed in Singapore last month, but we know that will never ever happen here, not even in our dreams. Even in Indonesia, holding concerts is much easier. Super sexy Kylie Minogue performed there in June.

There is also a serious shortage of theatre halls in Kuala Lumpur.

Those under the jurisdiction of the Government, for example Istana Budaya, also have their restrictions and peculiarities which make some musicals a no-go.

We will just have to decide whether we want theatre, shows, musicals and concerts, which is part of any vibrant cosmopolitan international city, or just remain culturally-dead, failing to realise that when such events are staged, tourists from the region would converge here to spend their money.

Shakira will perform in Singapore next month. The irony is that she offered to perform in Kuala Lumpur and was ready to comply with the local requirements. But most local promoters were not ready to risk their millions of ringgit, fearful that the concert could be cancelled at the last minute by the authorities.

The problem here is that too many people want to make it their business when it comes to show business.