Capitalism in Shanghai, visa restrictions, founding father, pedestrian lights

Last week, through sheer desperation, I pleaded with the people on Twitter to send me some questions and they sent me lots of excellent questions.

Dear Kam,
As much as Malaysia is a democracy, is China communist?
Master Confusion
via email
China is a big place with a gigantic population. The population of Shanghai alone is probably bigger than that of Malaysia. I spent much of last year in Shanghai, which was fascinating. I don’t speak Mandarin, I only met a few locals and I never left Shanghai, but I did form a few opinions nonetheless. And I also found some parallels with Malaysia.

A question that kept repeating itself to me was, where is the communism? Before the war, Shanghai was a capitalist heaven attracting people from around the world (especially China) to make their fortunes, and vast fortunes were made. And then the communist revolution arrived and China virtually disappeared from the world map. Now, China is most definitely involved again and despite decades of war, famine, communism and the hideous Cultural Revolution, Shanghai is back to its capitalist ways as if nothing had ever happened. Wherever you look, the spirit of entrepreneurialism has filled every conceivable niche. Shops appear and suddenly disappear, constantly reacting to real supply and demand. Here, some of the best retail spaces have shops and restaurants that defy logic. Bizarre.

China has one distinct advantage. It has a permanent underclass. In this country, our underclass has been told that it is the uber-class and therefore want stuff. But in China, the poor are really poor and they will remain poor with hardly any safety net. For the conceivable future the poor will fill the factories, desperate for work. This is pure capitalism. Where is the communism?

I couldn’t see any communism, but what I could see was state control, which was led by a party that happened to call itself communist. Their ruling party was as refreshingly free from any genuine ideology as our own; it just wants control.

I met many young Malaysians in Shanghai who are working in senior positions in big companies. They are using skills learnt in Malaysia but are working with budgets that absolutely dwarf anything they had here. I think that within the next five to 10 years, these jobs will be taken by locals.

Shanghai is a huge city that embodies modern urban life. I was walking along the streets one day when I saw a restaurant that had a stuffed deer, and a young boy was stroking it. And when I saw him I realized that most people who grow up in a big city might never see another living animal other than human beings, and possibly dogs, cats and even rats.

Dear Kam,
To quote Mick Jones and The Clash, should I stay or should I go?
To Be or Not To Be
via email
Wait until the next election and then make a decision. But judging by the new visa restrictions by the likes of the UK and Australia, it looks like some countries are already bracing themselves. Also, remember what else The Clash said: if you stay, there will be trouble; if you go, there will be double.

Dear Kam,
If he were still alive, how would Tunku feel about what Malaysia has become?
Pondering
via email
This is an impossible question to answer, but I can’t help but ask myself the same question from time to time. Tunku was a complex man and there were aspects of him that I don’t agree with, but he was a great man. We were lucky to have him negotiating independence from Britain (and Singapore, tee-hee) and to lead a new country. He was not a tin-pot dictator and we didn’t immediately become a banana republic. As far as I can tell he had charm, wit, modesty and the ability to negotiate without alienating. And he could explain himself to his people. I once saw some footage (and I cannot remember where) of him explaining the state of independence negotiations to Malayans. It was clear and unpatronising. And it had another quality that I wasn’t familiar with until my wife pointed it out — he knew he was telling the truth. I for one miss him. I met Tunku when I was very young but I can’t remember it. I wish I could remember.

Dear Kam,
How do jet engines go missing?
Flying Shame
via email
Of all the bizarre stories to emerge in the last few months, the story of the missing jet engines is perhaps the most bizarre. But now the jets have been found in Uruguay. Uruguay?! How on earth did they get there? We hope that our remaining planes won’t be powered by a couple of kapchais strapped to the side. Apparently, we have been told, it’s not a big deal that the jets went missing because they were really old, and er… so on. So that’s okay then.

Dear Kam,
Why don’t most pedestrian lights in KL work?
In Darkness
via email
I don’t know, it’s been a long time since I crossed any roads in KL. Don’t you drive a car like a proper citizen? Pedestrians have a tough time. I can only think that they did something wrong. Unfortunately, VIPs only cross roads in London.

Dear Kam,
Can we achieve independence between the judiciary and the administration?
Mission Impossible
via email
That’s funny. I like this question, very funny.

Dear Kam,
Who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman?
Superhero
via email
It really depends on which party they are affiliated with and if the case is civil or criminal. I’m assuming it wouldn’t be syariah. I think Superman and Batman are Jewish names, like Goldman and Lieberman.

Dear Kam,
Why remove Hassan Marican and destroy one of the best things Malaysia has? Why treat him in such a shabby way? He led Petronas to Fortune 500, among new 7 sisters’, ack’d worldwide as “role model”, F1, Towers and so on. Malaysia owes him a huge debt.
Crying Shame
via email
I must admit that I don’t know anything about Hassan Marican, and I really don’t know what you mean by “7 sisters”, I know that our oil money has been keeping us afloat, but I pay no heed to who is in charge. Surely Petronas should be in Fortune 500; it’s the state oil company and oil prices have been very high. And regular readers of Talking Edge (both of you) might know what I think of Formula 1 (it’s like watching paint dry). I’m sure he did a great job, but Edge readers will know better than me.

Dear Kam,
Is Tiger Woods coming back this month?
Tiger Show
via email
I really want to make a smutty joke, but I won’t.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Malaysian guru Kam Raslan imparts his wisdom to readers every week.

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This article appeared in Options, the lifestyle pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 793, Feb 15-21, 2010