I don’t know about you but the voices of women have long dominated my home. You see, I am the only man in the house. I am out-voted.

There’s my wife, my mother-in-law, my Indonesian maid, my daughter, my sister-in-law and for a while, my female pet dog. The roaring Spitz has unfortunately passed away after 16 years of loyal companionship.

So, the ladies take control and take charge of everything. I believe they enjoy looking at me believing that I am in charge. I even suspect they laugh behind my back.

We, men, are all suckers. We are being manipulated by our wives and daughters who easily twist us around their little fingers.

It’s even scarier now because they are beginning to sound like deejay Joanne Kam. That tough-talking woman, I know, is going to soon cause a riot in my house. She will make our women activists sound like nuns at this rate.

What’s happening? Money and power, that’s what. The root of all evil. Women are talking big because they have money and power. Look at the statistics – 50% of the population are women in Malaysia. And yes, they are also all consumers.

Even more interesting, in the computer industry in Malaysia, about 60% of workers are women and they hold middle and top management posts. It’s almost a phenomenon and has become a subject of serious academic studies.

“In the United States, technology and masculinity are very connected, which is not the case in Malaysia,” said Ulf Mellstrom, a professor of gender and technology at Lulea University of Technology in Sweden in his paper Why is Computer Science in Malaysia Dominated by Women?

We men still think we are calling the shots. We tell the survey people we are in charge but in fact, we are not. Sorry guys, let’s face it. It’s okay to cry.

In the United States, women are making purchasing decisions, the reports say 80% of discretionary purchases. They tend to be more brand loyal and more viral than men. Of course, it helps that their income is increasing.

Companies that have resisted targeting women are starting to do so. They used to worry about risking their male audience but with the present economic uncertainties, companies are throwing away conventional marketing strategies and trying out new ideas.

Even car companies are re-thinking their sales target, wondering whether during tough times, men are the ones who choose their cars or it’s the wife – the one juggling the household budget – who will have the ultimate voice.

There’s another compelling reason – women outlive men, and that’s a fact. So it makes business sense to keep female customers, especially when they are brand loyal. Men claim women are fickle minded but not when it comes to brands.

Also, as one writer Dick Masterson said: “The last thing a society needs is a bunch of non-contributing members laying around” after burning themselves out.

Who would have thought that women presenters would become a regular in our football shows? I know some of us think they are merely decorative but come on, it beats listening to a couple of bald, retired footballers, pretending to sound technical and clever but telling us things we already know.

Let’s admit it, the women presenters look better. Try talking football to Patricia Knudsen, one of Capital FM88.9 announcers, who is also on the ESPN Castrol Football Crazy show.

But there’s hope at home. God is fair. There are now two new additions to my home – two boys. One is three years old and the other eight months. No, they are not my kids, but my nephews.

I can’t wait for them to grow up soon so that we can conspire and pretend to be stupid and lazy while the women do the work and pamper us. We may just have the last laugh.

Meanwhile, we will tune in to Capital FM88.9 to find out their inner feelings and thoughts. The plot has begun.

The snag is that most may not have earned their titles academically. While a number may have had theirs conferred by universities for contributions in various fields, there is suspicion that others could have paid for such titles.

Even if these honorary degrees were properly awarded, the protocol requirement is that the abbreviation must be in bracket, for example, Datuk (Dr) ABC and not Datuk Dr ABC as in the case of medical practitioners or those with a PhD.

Seriously, if one is a successful businessman with a good reputation and track record, there is really no need for an honorary degree to be displayed on one’s call card.

Accept these honorary degrees by all means but don’t pay for them, especially if they are from some obscure universities that are aggressively marketed online.

If one has all the credentials from the University of Hard Knocks, even without a tertiary education, society would respect that person more. Many people, especially older businessmen, may not have university degrees due to economic circumstances and also because there were fewer universities in Malaysia in the past. Many were eager to venture into business after leaving school and did not want to be salaried workers.

Whatever the reasons, tycoons like Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary never went to universities. And they certainly do not need a “Dr” prefix to go with their names. Both are so confident of themselves that they enjoy telling their listeners about their humble background – how they became successful by starting from the bottom.

The legendary Steve Jobs, who co-founded Apple and changed our lives with his inventions, dropped out of university but created an empire.

I am not saying that a tertiary education isn’t important but doctorates, the highest level in the academic apex, must be earned. In short, respect cannot be purchased.

It is nauseating when feng shui practitioners and astrologers unashamedly call themselves “Reverend Professor” when they do not even have formal religious nor academic qualifications.

Many Malaysians believe that being titled in this country helps. In many ways, it is true, especially in dealings with government officials. Feudalistic as it may sound, these titles are often taken into account in seating arrangements at official functions.

Most Malaysians, however, now feel that such titles are in danger of losing their prestige. Some would even say the shine has long gone.

In 2009, it was reported that a Datuk Koay Khay Chye and five others were charged in Penang with trafficking 300kg of Erimin pills worth RM20mil. He had five previous convictions for theft, firearms offences and corruption but retained his Datukship.

The public is left wondering where he received his Datukship. Didn’t the state which conferred him the title carry out any vetting with the police and Bank Negara?

In the case of Selangor, the palace carries out strict checks before titles are conferred and a website has even been set up for the public to check.

In another case, a personality who called himself a Datuk Setia became high profile following a trade organisation leadership fight. He told members that he was a Datuk from Selangor. Checks made with the palace secretariat, however, revealed he had never received any state awards, not even a PJK.

There must be ways to prevent dubious characters from making such claims. I believe it is a crime. The Conference of Rulers should make a decision to set up websites, similar to the one set up by Selangor, where the public can scrutinise the list of awards recipients.

All states should stipulate in their state constitution the maximum number of Datukships and other awards that would be given out each year. There must even be an age requirement.

The situation has become so bad that there are perceptions, even allegations, that such awards can be purchased in one or two states. It does not make sense that over a hundred people get Datukship from one particular state every year.

More often than not, these recipients do not have strong credentials, besides being just businessmen. Yes, I know businessmen create jobs and help increase the country’s revenue, and the congratulatory advertisements help newspapers earn money. But contributions to the state and country must go beyond that.

We even lost to the Indonesians in sepak takraw, managing only the bronze medal after losing to the Thais and Indonesians respectively.

But our athletes, officials and media are facing antagonism daily, whipped up by just about anyone at every venue where Malaysians are competing. At some point, it was either plain madness or simply childishness, depending on how you look at it.

The Malaysian team has accepted the fact that the Indonesian crowd would openly show their contempt and disrespect to our national anthem by refusing to stand up when it is played. But it’s gone beyond that – whenever the Negaraku is played, the crowd would blare horns, shout and jeer.

There have also been instances where Indonesian fans held up their middle fingers, in a symbolic “up-yours” protest, to photographers whenever Malaysians compete.

This lack of finesse and unsporting behaviour reached an outrageous level when Malaysian newsmen were banned from covering the last day of the swimming event.

An official identified as Chris Ardi Toruan forgot that his role was to ensure the smooth running of the event and instead turned into an instigator and almost caused a brawl.

The official in charge of gate entry was not only rude and threatening but yelled to the crowd: “Ini semua orang Malaysia! Tak ada otak semua. (These are all Malaysians, They don’t have brains.)”

He then reportedly turned to the small group of Malaysian journalists and said: “This is our country! If you don’t like it, you can get out!”

Let’s not even consider the part of being the gracious host, or Asean solidarity. But forget about the much touted “bangsa serumpun” (same racial group) and the so-called commonality of a close neighbour? All of these flew out of the window at the Games.

Malaysian officials and even dignitaries also found their seats “lost” to Indonesian officials, often army generals, at certain events.

But we have considered such instances as being too minor to even bring up, preferring to understand that these glitches are part of any big event.

There have also been accusations that venues were changed at the last minute without informing the finalists and pressmen, resulting in much last-minute anxiety and pressure. But again, beyond the complaints, these have been accepted.

However, there are private grumbles that these were made to give the Indonesians an advantage. No one really has evidence to back these, but it is the open display of hostility from the crowd that is really a matter of concern. Sometimes, this is egged on by the officials and local media.

Each time Malaysian athletes score a point in whatever event, they are mocked, provoked and jeered.

We understand such rivalry in games like badminton and football, but pole vault? Our athlete Roslinda Samsu had to put up with a hostile crowd but that did not stop her from grabbing a gold medal. She even rewrote her SEA Games record.

In synchronised diving, Malaysians again faced an angry crowd of Indonesians but our duo, Leong Mun Yee and Wendy Ng Yan Yee, rose to the occasion to grab the gold medal.

We can never go back to the original spirit of the SEAP Games in 1959 when there was genuine goodwill and gentlemanly competition.

Perhaps it is the same with all games where warped national pride and individual egoism with sponsorship money within sight have a real impact on performance.

It also doesn’t help that politicians are now dominating sports associations. They all use wins to push their popularity.

Worse, we all know that nations use nationalism, even at sports events, to unite their country, especially in the face of domestic political issues.

In the game of one-upmanship, rather than sportsmanship, there is hardly any home-grown talents in Singapore. We all know foreigners are being given citizenships to win medals, and the Singapore national football team is now made up of Europeans, Africans, Chinese and Koreans being passed off as Singaporeans.

Winning is important but it isn’t everything. Certainly, there must be honour and respect. Open hatred towards your guests is totally unacceptable and a complete disgrace. Shame on the hostile crowd who does not understand the spirit of friendship.

This unhappiness has continued with most urban voters refusing to accept the reasons given by the Education Minister, believing instead that politics is the reason behind the decision.

There were subtle threats of punishing the Barisan Nasional government in the polls but PAS and PKR, both Malay-based parties, also quickly stated their stand against continuing the policy.

A Malay non-governmental organisation, Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM), had revealed that its survey of 27,200 parents, mostly Malays, found 55% wanted the PPSMI to be retained compared to only 13% who didn’t. Of these respondents, 15,000 were rural parents. But Malay groups, and certainly Malay-based parties, had found their own surveys telling them the opposite.

With a general election looming, winning the hearts and minds of the predominantly Malay voters has become the focus of the competing Malay-based parties.

The fact is that of the 222 parliamentary seats, only 46 are Chinese majority and there is not even a single constituency with an Indian majority.

The three main parties, Umno, PAS and PKR, have all stepped up their posturing as defenders of the Malay/Muslim votes, well aware that while they need the support of the other communities, they cannot ignore the sentiments of the Malay voters.

So when DAP publicity chief Tony Pua said that if Pakatan Rakyat formed the next federal government, it would trim down the civil service – majority of whom are Malays – his allies had to scramble to do damage control.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and senior PAS leaders had to quickly douse the fire, denying that there was such a plan.

The opposition leaders have been on tenterhooks since the fiasco by PAS deputy president Mohamed Sabu, who allegedly described communist guerrillas involved in the 1950s Bukit Kepong incident as freedom fighters.

With many Malay families having at least one relative in the police, army or other uniformed unit, Mat Sabu’s remarks cost the Pakatan Rakyat a huge chunk of votes. Since then, the usually fiery speaker has remained quiet, and PAS is hoping that the anger against him will soon die out.

The Islamist party has also abandoned its attempt to project a more liberal image and has gone back to talking about hudud laws and the Islamic state and banning concerts to retain its core supporters.

As for Anwar, on the one hand, he is telling his Chinese audience that hudud laws are not part of Pakatan’s policy. On the other, he is telling the Malay audience that he backs the implementation of hudud laws, putting the DAP in a spot as PAS has said it couldn’t care less if the DAP agrees or not.

The DAP seems to be helpless over the issue with its leaders saying they have “agreed to disagree” over the implementation of hudud laws. PAS claims it would not affect non-Malays but this is a fallacy because it will extend beyond family and religious laws.

In criminal matters, when a case involves a Muslim and a non-Muslim, if hudud is chosen, it will clearly put the latter in a spot. One example is sex offences where four witnesses are required.

Only DAP lawyer Karpal Singh seems to acknowledge the difficult path ahead.

The fight over Malay votes has continued with DAP’s Lim Guan Eng coming out to say that if Pakatan wins, Anwar will be the prime minister. It is a move to allay fear among non-Muslim voters as PAS is eyeing the post.

There has been muted response from PAS as it is an open secret that its president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang wants to be PM.

Lim has insisted that Anwar would be PM “even if he is in jail (if convicted for sodomy charges)”, but the point is, if Anwar is going to be PM, then he wouldn’t be in jail.

Most non-Muslims wouldn’t blink over the Seksualiti Merdeka issue as they are aware that the event is not a gay orgy as claimed by some media.

Many of us find the hysterical reaction to be lacking compassion and even ridiculous, but this is the silly season. It was a case of wrong timing and political naivete on the part of the organisers. After all, the event has been held for the past two years without any controversy.

But human rights lawyer Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, who was invited to open the forum, is seen as an opposition figure, and with Anwar’s sodomy trial coming to a conclusion soon, the timing could not have been worse.

Well aware of the Muslim psyche and sentiments, PAS swiftly joined in to criticise the gay rights event.

The much-touted 11.11.11 date, which many thought would see the dissolution of Parliament, is over and with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak himself saying that polls would not be held this year, the run-up campaign looks set to be a draggy affair.

Even now, the posturing, rhetoric, accusations and lies are becoming tiresome, and the polls could still be very far away, possibly in mid-2012.

This unhappiness has continued with most urban voters refusing to accept the reasons given by the Education Minister, believing instead that politics is the reason behind the decision.

There were subtle threats of punishing the Barisan Nasional government in the polls but PAS and PKR, both Malay-based parties, also quickly stated their stand against continuing the policy.

A Malay non-governmental organisation, Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM), had revealed that its survey of 27,200 parents, mostly Malays, found 55% wanted the PPSMI to be retained compared to only 13% who didn’t. Of these respondents, 15,000 were rural parents. But Malay groups, and certainly Malay-based parties, had found their own surveys telling them the opposite.

With a general election looming, winning the hearts and minds of the predominantly Malay voters has become the focus of the competing Malay-based parties.

The fact is that of the 222 parliamentary seats, only 46 are Chinese majority and there is not even a single constituency with an Indian majority.

The three main parties, Umno, PAS and PKR, have all stepped up their posturing as defenders of the Malay/Muslim votes, well aware that while they need the support of the other communities, they cannot ignore the sentiments of the Malay voters.

So when DAP publicity chief Tony Pua said that if Pakatan Rakyat formed the next federal government, it would trim down the civil service – majority of whom are Malays – his allies had to scramble to do damage control.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and senior PAS leaders had to quickly douse the fire, denying that there was such a plan.

The opposition leaders have been on tenterhooks since the fiasco by PAS deputy president Mohamed Sabu, who allegedly described communist guerrillas involved in the 1950s Bukit Kepong incident as freedom fighters.

With many Malay families having at least one relative in the police, army or other uniformed unit, Mat Sabu’s remarks cost the Pakatan Rakyat a huge chunk of votes. Since then, the usually fiery speaker has remained quiet, and PAS is hoping that the anger against him will soon die out.

The Islamist party has also abandoned its attempt to project a more liberal image and has gone back to talking about hudud laws and the Islamic state and banning concerts to retain its core supporters.

As for Anwar, on the one hand, he is telling his Chinese audience that hudud laws are not part of Pakatan’s policy. On the other, he is telling the Malay audience that he backs the implementation of hudud laws, putting the DAP in a spot as PAS has said it couldn’t care less if the DAP agrees or not.

The DAP seems to be helpless over the issue with its leaders saying they have “agreed to disagree” over the implementation of hudud laws. PAS claims it would not affect non-Malays but this is a fallacy because it will extend beyond family and religious laws.

In criminal matters, when a case involves a Muslim and a non-Muslim, if hudud is chosen, it will clearly put the latter in a spot. One example is sex offences where four witnesses are required.

Only DAP lawyer Karpal Singh seems to acknowledge the difficult path ahead.

The fight over Malay votes has continued with DAP’s Lim Guan Eng coming out to say that if Pakatan wins, Anwar will be the prime minister. It is a move to allay fear among non-Muslim voters as PAS is eyeing the post.

There has been muted response from PAS as it is an open secret that its president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang wants to be PM.

Lim has insisted that Anwar would be PM “even if he is in jail (if convicted for sodomy charges)”, but the point is, if Anwar is going to be PM, then he wouldn’t be in jail.

Most non-Muslims wouldn’t blink over the Seksualiti Merdeka issue as they are aware that the event is not a gay orgy as claimed by some media.

Many of us find the hysterical reaction to be lacking compassion and even ridiculous, but this is the silly season. It was a case of wrong timing and political naivete on the part of the organisers. After all, the event has been held for the past two years without any controversy.

But human rights lawyer Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, who was invited to open the forum, is seen as an opposition figure, and with Anwar’s sodomy trial coming to a conclusion soon, the timing could not have been worse.

Well aware of the Muslim psyche and sentiments, PAS swiftly joined in to criticise the gay rights event.

The much-touted 11.11.11 date, which many thought would see the dissolution of Parliament, is over and with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak himself saying that polls would not be held this year, the run-up campaign looks set to be a draggy affair.

Even now, the posturing, rhetoric, accusations and lies are becoming tiresome, and the polls could still be very far away, possibly in mid-2012.

We all know that many of our university lecturers are in the same boat too, as well as some of our politicians and senior government servants. For them, it is a struggle to speak in English.

A letter, presumably written by an examiner or a parent, that appeared in this newspaper’s education section last Sunday startled me. The writer made a comparison between our 2011 Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) English paper and the 2011 International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) English Reading Paper.

The latter is used to test students’ English proficiency in private and international schools, which have increasingly become the choice of urban Malaysian parents who can afford to send their children there.

Giving detailed comparisons, the writer claimed that the PMR English paper taken by our 15-year-olds is much easier than those taken by Year Four Malaysian students in private and international schools and Year Three Singaporean pupils in similar schools.

“How can we expect our local students to compete with students from other countries if the standard of English in our PMR exam is even lower than the standard of English required for Year Four pupils in private and international schools?” he asked.

In short, the PMR English paper is too easy. We have long cast doubts on the quality of our students who earn a string of distinctions. We hear grumbles that in some papers such as Physics, the grading is so ridiculously low you just need to answer a few questions to get the A, but that’s another story.

Older Malaysians – those who sat for Senior Cambridge (Form 5), Lower Certificate of Education (LCE) for Form Three, Malaysian Certificate of Education (MCE) for Fifth Formers and the Higher School Certificate (HSC) for Form Six – will vouch that the standard of English was much higher then.

The Prime Minister and his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin are products of the early education system which has enabled them to speak and write well in English. It is such a joy, for example, to listen to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak delivering a speech in crisp English.

We know that much of the Cabinet deliberations are conducted in English. So are the Cabinet committee meetings, where most ministers find it more comfortable to express themselves in English.

When they attend international conferences, one or two ministers whose command of English is described as atrocious still have to use the language, but they would just read from a prepared text.

In a tweet last week, prominent human rights lawyer Malik Imtiaz lamented the poor English in the written judgment of a Judicial Commissioner. The legal reasoning was equally bad. This is sad because the Malaysian legal system is primarily based on English common law and most students have to use English textbooks.

I have just returned from India where I attended an international conference on the advertising industry. It was a joy to listen to people there – from the emcee, former Miss World Diana Hayden, to Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to leaders of the industry – speak in English with confidence, eloquence and wit and without referring to a prepared text.

These people are able to speak so well because India has not allowed its nationalists to tear down the legacy of the British education system in the name of nationalism and race. Yes, there are millions in India who can only speak Hindi or other dialects but English remains in a dominant position.

In Singapore, the medium of instruction in schools is English and to ensure that the young get the best education, teachers are among the best paid in the island republic’s civil service.

Certainly, those given the responsibility to nurture, teach and inspire young minds deserve the best, but let the best join the profession and keep out the mediocre.

The DPM has said it would not be possible to use English in teaching Science and Mathematics (PPSMI), citing possible chaotic situations if parents were given the option to decide if they wished to use English or Bahasa Malaysia.

He said some teachers were not efficient in teaching English and that it would also be hard for the Education Ministry to plan.

I think these are sound and valid reasons but we must also look for other options. It is not a zero sum game. We should not see the controversy from a “them and us” situation. Neither do we want politicians and groups to cloud the issue further by using race to silence proponents of the PPSMI.

We can introduce English Literature in schools and also increase the teaching hours in English as the next step. Even Physical Education, Art and Moral Studies classes can be taught in English.

We will go nowhere if we continue to cite lack of English teachers as the reason why we cannot move forward. The situation we are in is a reflection of the failure of our education system as far as English is concerned. It is a statement of our lack of commitment.

Let’s hire teachers and trainers from India and other Commonwealth countries, compile a data bank of retired teachers who still want to contribute, and even graduates who are keen to teach English in schools.

For urban parents, the option should not be the private and international schools. Haven’t our children been divided by the different schools they go to already? The last thing we want to do is to create a class system where the better-off go to private schools while the less privileged have to settle for national schools.

That short flirtation has ended and it has now decided to return to its conservative image, rudely awakened by the reality that it was more important to try to hold on to its jewels – Kelantan and Kedah – and that hardcore supporters were loudly voicing their dissatisfaction.

It now wants to be recognised for its main objectives – setting up an Islamic state and implementing hudud laws – and will surely have no tolerance for rock concerts, which it has dismissed as hedonistic.

PAS surely does not want to see its Malay votes, the deciding factor, slipping away for non-Muslim votes.

So it is now back to making the wearing of headscarves compulsory for women and punishing those who disobey the rule in Kelantan, and banning the setting up of cinemas in Bangi, Selangor, simply because a PAS state assemblyman objected.

And the party is not even the dominant player in the Selangor government.

No one can deny that, except for that brief experiment, PAS has always been consistent with its Islamist objectives and has never strayed from its purpose of wanting to set up a religious and puritanical society.

For many, due to their anger with the Barisan Nasional as well as for political expediency, they are prepared to pretend decisions made by PAS will not affect them, brushing them off as minor matters or merely distractions for a larger interest.

That was what the Iranians thought when they dumped their Western-backed but corrupt monarch for the ayatollahs. Thirty-two years later, however, many are wondering whether they gave up their human rights and secular lifestyles too.

There is an elected government in Iran but it is the theologians who call the shots, invoking laws in the name of religion and according to their interpretations, which not many of the faithful are prepared to challenge.

In the case of the minorities, their voices are easily suppressed and they are dismissed curtly for their religious ignorance.

Even in Tunisia, after the euphoria of its recent first elections, secular Tunisians are wary about the Islamist-dominated assembly and fear that their civil rights legislation will be reversed.

In Malaysia, we could head down that dangerous road if we are not careful because some of us are being convinced that PAS alone cannot redraw our legal systems.

PAS has decided to go ahead with the implementation of hudud laws in Kelantan, claiming that non-Muslims would not be affected.

One does not need a doctorate in law to know that there can never be two kinds of laws, particularly in civil and criminal matters. So there is no such thing as hudud laws would not affect non-Muslims.

The PAS Supporters Club has been jolted and it is finally realising that this was not part of the bargain.

Better late than never, it can be said, but then the PAS Supporters Club had organised tours to Kelantan and persuaded voters to elect more PAS candidates by claiming non-Muslims would not be affected, thank you very much.

Any objection to PAS’ agenda these days risk being rubbished as propaganda, abused, rebutted or named-called as abuses involving the Barisan. Objecting is surely not for those wanting to seek popularity.

The point is any secular party, whether Umno, the MCA, the DAP, PKR or PPP, would be a better pick than one whose politicians masquerade as religious leaders, insinuating that their words cannot be questioned because they are “men of God”.

Malaysia may not have the best system but we have one that works and functions. There are politicians who claim we are already an Islamic country but the Federal Constitution is pretty clear about the fact that we are still secular. Our legal system is also pretty clear and intact.

For sure, I cannot take seriously those who think Elton John’s song Can You Feel The Love Tonight, soundtrack for the film The Lion King, could be a gay anthem. By the way, one of his hit songs is Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – it’s sun, not son.

Singapore continues to stage top musicals and concerts in a move to promote itself as a city with top class entertainment. The island republic is doing this so cleverly and has even positioned booths selling tickets in busy Orchard Road, just like in London’s Leicester Square.

Sistic, the leading ticketing agent for Singapore’s arts, entertainment and sporting events, has also appointed local representatives in cities across the region, including Kuala Lumpur.

In short, cities like Seoul and Singapore see the value in having clean evening entertainment for locals and tourists. In Malaysia, however, it’s a struggle for those who are trying to do the same thing.

Faced with anything from bureaucratic red tape and political-religious pressure to a non-supportive government and private sector, concert promoters must sometimes wonder why they are in the business at all.

Every promoter, whether for a local or foreign act, seems to have a story to tell, usually a negative one. They have to go through so many layers of bureaucracy and Little Napoleons who just do not understand that their action, or lack of it, is frustrating the work of promoters.

From the compulsory requirement to submit scripts to complying with Finance Ministry regulations, it is a near nightmare.

In South Korea, the tie-up between K-pop and corporations like LG, Samsung, and Hyundai has helped to market their products globally and the government to reap benefits from tourism.

Two musicals – Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina’s The Secret Life of Nora and The Star’s In Perfect Harmony – have dominated Kuala Lumpur’s theatre scene for the past two weeks.

In both cases, they were made for love of the local theatre, and in The Star’s case to also commemorate the newspaper’s 40th anniversary. Certainly, making money was not the aim.

A show like Nora would need to run for months in order to break even. Unfortunately, too, there is only one venue that can house a production of this scale, and because the policy is to share the pie among as many people as possible, the organisers always get a limited run. So it’s impossible to recover costs from just one season.

What many don’t realise is that staging a production for a second season involves just as much cost as the first time round. While cost for elements like costumes and sets are fortunately lower, there are still the monthly rental for storage, wear and tear, and repair costs to consider every time the set is taken apart and put together again.

Other cost factors like sound and lights also place a huge burden on production companies as these features do not come with the venue. For Nora, the total expenditure for the sound department alone was more than RM700,000, says Tiara.

Needless to say, ticket sales for most local shows can’t even cover this cost.

For both musicals, there were corporate sponsors but each time organisers want to stage a show, it will be a never-ending round of sales pitches, promotions and promises just to seek sponsorship.

If there is a foreign talent coming in at the same time, like the David Foster and Friends Live in Malaysia Concert 2011, the sponsors could choose to put their budget behind that act. It is never easy to convince corporate Malaysia that investing in a home-grown product has its benefits.

Anyone who has managed to watch Nora and In Perfect Harmony would be convinced that they were class acts and that had a bigger budget been available, they could have easily matched West End/Broadway standards.

But Malaysia can do it if the Government, all the way from the top, makes the arts part of its creative and innovation programme in its national agenda. The policy needs to be clear and have to be discussed with people in the industry to make it workable. Corporations need to know what’s in it for them if they support arts-related products as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. There are tax relief schemes available now but such information has not been widely circulated.

Companies like SP Setia, Maxis, Berjaya, UOB, Celcom and Naza Motor, to name a few, have always given their support for local musicals.

In the words of Tiara, who has produced musicals like Puteri Gunung Ledang and P. Ramlee – the Musical, all of which set new benchmarks, they need our help to keep the passion burning.

So let’s support the likes of Tiara, Dama Orchestra and talents like Douglas Lim and Harith Iskandar.

Support must come not just from the Govern­ment and big companies but also from ordinary Malaysians, especially the well-heeled. Buy tickets for yourself and friends. Don’t ask for free tickets from the organisers and promoters!

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.