My reading on the Vietnam A Long History by Nguyen Khac Vien, which stretch from 5000BC to 1980s gave me three though that might be of great lesson in our Nation Building process. The Vietnam history, was in fact the history of struggles and miseries of a nation due to disunity from within and aggression of the super power. Particularly from the 200AD to 1400AD, it was a sadden in deed to see the Cham Dynasty, one of the three main territories of the old Dai Viet (Vietnam) which included Tonkin, Annam (Cham) and Cochinchina had been experiencing suppressing all through it existence. The Cham dynasty had existed since the 100BC. Its begin as a Hindu, then Buddhist State, later adopted Islam. From being the interest subject of various Kingdoms of the Chinese (Tang, Han, and Ming), Buddhist Viet and Cambodia to Kublai Khan (the son, Toghan), later by the Chinese, then the Khmer, followed by the Siamese, and then the France, Japanese, and America, the Cham Dynasty seem never being left at peace. Within the early Dai Viet, the Cham had been playing the safe survival games by associating with all those neighboring Kingdoms. The Cham in the past were known as the Areca dan Coconut Society, Masyarakat Pinang dan Kelapa which earned them the Malayo-Polynesia grouping within the large Dia Viet nationality. Nonetheless their existence were never being wanted due to their socio-cultural differences with the rest of the Viet. They are now the drifting community in the Mekong river and Tonle Sap.
Pembacaan saya mengenai Sejarah Panjang Vietnam menimbulkan ilham untuk saya menulis rencana ini agar dapat menjadi telitian dalam usaha kita membina negara ini. Vietnam (gabungna dari Dai dan Nam Viet) terlahir dari sengsara panjang rakyatnya hampir-hampir 6,000 tahun dahulu. Dalam buku ini, saya dapat merasakan kehancuran Kerajaan Champa, terutama dari tahun 200-1400 masehi, adalah sejarah sedih yang perlu kita sikap mendalam. Kerajaan Hindu, kemudian Buddha dan akhirnya Islam, Champa wujud sejak 100BC. Bermula dari ancaman dinasti China (Tang, Han dan Ming), kemudian Mongol Kublai Khan, dari Kerajaan Buddha Kemboja, Khmir dan Siam, kemudian penjajahan Peranchis, Jepun dan Amerika, Kerajaan Champa terdahulu sentiasa berada seperti telur di hujung tanduk. Dalam usahanya untuk terus kekal sebagai sebuah Kerajaan Melayu-Polinesia tersendiri, ia banyak bersatu dengan kelompok Viet yang pelbagai, namun akhirnya mereka terpecah dan terpisah akibat beberapa perhitungan yang salah. Kini mereka adalah masyarakat hanyut di Mekong dan Tonle Sap.
(2) The Cham occupied the Coast of the Mekong Delta which was (is) very fertile for farming. In the old days, the Cham were among the most advanced farming society where they were able to practice paddy double cropping, production of high yielding crop, and producing short maturity paddy variety which became the envy of the Chinese. The invasion of the Chinese later took most of their farm land, and forced them to adopt the Chinese culture. Accordingly, later their strong association (assimilation) with the Chinese, earned them greater business advancement which envied the local neighboring tribes. Probably, the greatest weaknesses of the Cham was that they don't really bother about their defense and security in their pursuit for prosperity. I would believe, the Cham focused their economic development toward the urban economic sector, and thus slowly neglecting their rural conquest. Their association with the East-West (Chinese-Arab) trading in the year 1300-1400 had made them a great trading community within the Viet enclaves. The history of the Cham seem to replicate the history of the Ummayad Empire in Baghdad which was destroyed by the same Ghengis-Kublai Khan Mongolian conquest due to their complacent attitude.
(2b) Masyarakat Champa menduduki kawasan lembangan Mekong yang sangat subur. Mereka adalah petani dan pelaut yang mahir. Mereka merupakan kaum yang telah dapat mengusahakan penanaman padi dua musim, mengeluarkan benih padi berhasil tinggi, serta benih padi cepat matang. Kehebatan mereka ini telah mengundang rasa cemburu di kalangan masyarakat sekeliling dan akhirnya menjadi tanah taklukan China. Satu lagi kehebatan masyarakat Cham adalah keupayaan mereka untuk serasi dengan masyarakat pendatang-penakluk China dan akhirnya menjadi kaum pedagang yang hebat hasil pertembungan dengan masyarakat dagang Timur-Barat. Namun, kesilapan mereka, adalah leka dalam mengejar kemewahan sehingga lupa akan pertahanan dan keselamatan bangsa. Saya berkira, ekonomi kaum Champa, dahulunya lebih berpusat kepada sistem ekonomi bandar di mana perdagangan menjadi agenda utama. Penguasaan mereka di luar bandar menjadi kian lemah. Sejarah kaum Champa sepertinya sama saja dengan sejarah Islam Ummayah di Baghdad di mana akhirnya mereka dihancurkan oleh serangan-serangan puak Mongol pimpinan Ghengis-Kublai Khan. Mungkin bangsa Melayu di negara ini harus hati-hati tentang cara asimilasi kita juga!
(3) All through the history of the Vietnam, the various Kingdoms imposed heavy taxes among their people. The worst was in the era of the France occupation, where heavy taxes and industrial limitation were imposed on the natives. The colonizing citizens were given the free hand to rape the economy of the Vietnamese. Subsidies and all sort of privileges were accorded to the colonizing entrepreneurs. All of the produced the raw materials (rubber, mineral, etc) were transported to France. The whole economy of the Vietnam was tied to the economy of the France (and America). The Vietnam took the role as the forced producers, while the France took all the lucrative profits. Processing and all related Valued Added economies were all done in France.
(3b) Dari mula, bangsa Vietnam sebetulnya sangat tertindas. Bukan hanya bangsa penjajah, pengajaran Buddha dan Hindu, kemudiannya Konfusius yang menekankan taat setia kepada raja yang tidak berbelah bahagi, telah memberikan luang kepada pertumbuhan sistem feudal yang sangat hebat sehingga rakyat terpaksa membiayai segala keperluan melampau DiRaja. Pelbagai jenis cukai terpaksa dibayar oleh rakyat dan yang paling menekan adalah semasa penjajahan Peranchis. Rakyat ditekan dengan cukai dan segala kegiatan mereka terbatas kepada sistem ekonomi tertentu sedang kaum pendatang penjajah diberikan segala bantuan untuk membolot ekonomi tanah jajahan. Semua ini merintis jalan pemeberontakan rakyat.
(4) In fact the whole world have not learn from the past history. Heavy taxes had been the practices of many kingdoms world wide to finance the military and emperors greet. It is a historical fact that heavy taxes had created lots of revolt world wide. The German for instance were not happy with the Jews as the later imposed high interest over their lending and pricing of goods. Such accumulated unhappiness then sparked the WWII. Again as I have written many times, we had not seriously studied on why and how to comply to the Al Quran suggestion that tax should be imposed at the rate of 2.5% only. Saddening as well, Income and Corporate Tax in fact is just another form of zakat yet, the management of those accumulated incomes were not manage to the zakat spirit. Probably we need to have a deep relook at our Yearly Budget.
(4b) Sehingga kini, seluruh dunia masih belum belajar dari sejarah silam. Masyarakat Islam masih leka dibuai Kapitalisma. Kita belum begitu ghairah dan bersungguh untuk mendalami dan melaksanakan agar cukai ditetapkan pada kadar 2.5% sebagaimana diajukan oleh Al Quran. Kita masih tidak sadar betapa sistem kapitalis yang ada sama saja dengan pelbagai sistem terdahulu yang sangat menekan rakyat. Kita sepertinya terlupa, riba membangkitkan segala macam pemberontakan, sepertinya kebangkitan bangsa Jerman menghacurkan Yahudi yang menindas. Saya juga agak terkilan dengan cara kita mengurus pendapatan negara melalui cukai pendapatan. Hakikatnya, cukai pendapatan sangat menghampiri zakat, namun kita tidak mengurus pendapatan negara ini mengikut lunas-lunas zakat. Kita banyak membazir dan berlaku ketirisan yang tidak bermoral.
(5) In the 1920s, Ho Chi Minh then united the people struggle to liberate and unify Vietnam. Though with great pains and miseries, he succeeded in his struggle, but he passed away without able to taste the fruit of Liberation and Unification. Nonetheless his Lenin-Marxist ideology as against the Moaist, took Vietnam to the present tiger in the making. From the very beginning of his struggle, he organized his people to produce and to deny paying taxes to the colonial master. He also organize all the popular industrial strike and proposed various socialist development program that the State must adhere to. His concern was the immediate poverty and miseries issues of his people. Ho Chii Minh won the support of his people by providing a real care and hope for his people.
(5b) Akibat kepayahan hidup lantaran perpecahan, perebutan kuasa dan penjajahan, akhirnya melahirkan seorang bernama Ho Chii Minh untuk membebas dan menyatukan seluruh Vietnam. Beliau bergerak aktif dalam perjuangan memerdeka dan menyatukan Vietnam dalam tahun 1920an dengan mengambil landasan Lenin-Marxist. Saya berkira Ho Chii Minh berkiblat ke Moscow lantaran Vietnam telah dan sedang menghadapi permusuhan dengan Amerika-Peranchis (Demokrasi) dan China (Maoist). Secara diam-diam tetapi tersusun, dia mengerakkan masyakarat tani dan pekerja yang tertindas untuk hidup berdikari dan mengingkari arahan Penjajah Peranchis. Watak beliau yang miskin dan sangat senang mendekati dan mencintaikan rakyat telah memenangi sokongan semua masyarakat Vietnam yang pelbagai untuk berjuang habis-habisan untuk memerdeka dan menyatukan seluruh Vietnam. Kejujuran dan kesungguhan Ho Chii Minh adalah teras pembentukan Vietnam sebagai sebuah negara besar, merdeka dan berdaulat. Saya yakin, kemahuannya untuk menakluk dan menjadikan Saigon sebagai sebahagian dari Vietnam-raya, adalah untuk menyekat asakan penaklukan musuh dari laut serta menyekat pertumbuhan ekonomi Kemboja dan Laos yang sering dijadikan landasan bagi kuasa besar lain untuk menyerang Vietnam. Champa, saya kira terkubur akibat agenda ini.
(6) My traveling to the long breath of Vietnam, I could see that Ho Chii Minh had left a real prudential economic policies that would soon takes Vietnam to a Roaring Economic Tiger. First, the Vietnam focussed on Agarian Economy. The people produce what needed by the nation. They quickly resolve the hunger issues among the rural peasants dan displaced urban communities. Accordingly, the craftmanship of the people were sustained and now being capitalised into the much value added industrial entreprises. Learning from the super neighbor ie China, currently Vietnam is focussing in building mega infrastructures. Highways are plying North-South and even into the mountaneous areas. Deep seaports and railways are being seriously upgraded. Vietnam, is closely following the modifeid version of the Russian Economic Development with serious opening to the whole world. Industrialization is making a big headway. Urban development are sprouting. Toursim sector is emerging fast. But they never neglect the rural sector.
(6b) Perjalanan saya di sepanjang Vietnam dari Hanoi ke Saigon, saya dapat rasakan betapa Ho Chii Minh telah mewariskan dasar pembangunan negara yang sangat mantap yang dalam sedikit masa lagi pasti akan menjadikan Vietnam harimau Ekonomi Baru. Pertamanya, Vietnam memusatkan pembangunan di luar bandar khusus dalam mengatasi masalah kelaparan yang dihadapi masyarakat luar bandar dan bandar yang tersisih akibat perang. Begitu juga keupayaan seni halus mereka terus diperkayakan dan kini sedang diperluaskan dalam bidamng perindustrian moden. Dengan mengambil contoh dari negera tetangga China, kini Vietnam menumpu pembangunannya dalam penyediaan prasarana jalan, keretapi dan perlabuhan. Contoh jalanan pembangunan Perindustrian Russia menjadi ikutan rapat Vietnam. Pembangunan bandar kian melata. Perlancungan menjadikan Vietnam kian terbuka. Dan sepertinya, Vietnam tidak meminggirkan pembangunan luar bandar.
(7) Through the windows of the buses, taxis, and trains, one thing I could see that is very glaring about the Vietnam's economic progression, they focus on balanced economic development. Both the rural and urban sector are given balance treatment. The multi-tallent of its people are well harnest and capitalised. They seriously maintained their people defense spirit that had won them the unified and independent country. The people are militarily discipline and great brotherhood ideolized. The Ho Chii Minh Musoleum in Hanoi remind everybody of their godfather matyr sacrifice for the nation. Ho Chii Minh live in the heart of every Vietnamese.
(7b) Dari jendela bas, teksi, dan bahkan keretapi, saya dapat perhatikan betapa Vietnam sangat menitik beratkan pembangunan Ekonomi Seimbang. Kedua-dua sektor bandar dan luar bandar diberikan perhatian yang seimbang. Segala keupayaan tradisi rakyat terus dikembang dan dipergunakan dengan sebaiknya. Mereka juga mengekalkan semangat kenegaraan rakyat melalui disiplin ketenteraan yang ulet.
Musoleum Ho Chii Minh di Hanoi mengingatkan setiap rakyat tentang pengorbanan besar beliau dalam membebas dan menyatukan negara. Hakikatnya, roh Ho Chii Minh mengisi setiap hati rakyatnya.
(8) Looking back into our economic footsteps, Razak, Mahathir and Najib era as comparison, I would say, in all these eras, there were specific issues that warrant deep realization. As I have written above, Ho Chii Minh, dream of a great nation, he want the Viet to conquer all the other tribes and goven them into one nation. But he knew he was facing the traditional issue of disunity and colonization. Brilliantly, he saw poverty and miseries as his opportunity to unite and placed his subjects into the struggle of his dream. To me, Ho Chii Minh was very crystal clear of his dream and strenght of exploitation. If one further read the history and culture of the Vietnamese, they in fact love writing. They wrote what were and are in their minds. Ho Chii Minh wrote and left doctrines that he wanted the nation to follow through even after his death. I believe, if he is still alive, the Japanese and Kublai Khan conquest of Asia will be his great aspiration, especially with the neighboring Chambodia and Laos.
(8b) Mengimbau kembali jalanan pembangunan ekonomi negara, era Razak, Mahathir dan Najib sebagai bandingan, dalam memantapkan perpaduan negara, masing-masingnya mempunyai isu-isu khusus yang perlu perhatian berat. Seperti saya nyatakan di atas, Ho Chii Minh sebetulnya mempunyai mimpi besar. Dia mahukan bangsa Viet menjadi bangsa besar, menguasai semua kaum-kaum lainnya dan menyatukan mereka di bawah sebuah negara bebas, berdaulat dan besar. Namun dia tahu permasalahan utamanya iaitu perpecahan di kalang kaum-kaum yang ada. Dia juga dapat melihat dengan jelas, akan kelemahan yang boleh dia pergunakan untuk mengerak dan menyatukan rakyat ie memerangi penjajah yang telah menyebabkan kemiskinan dan kepayahan hidup rakyat. Juga jika kita membaca lanjut mengenai sifat-sifat rakyat Vietnam, mereka amat suka membaca dan menulis. Ho Chii Minh banyak meninggalkan doktrin yang mengariskan cara mana pembangunan negara harus dipandu dan pacu. Saya yakin, jika dia dapat hidup lama selepas pembebasan dan penyatuan Vietnam, pasti penaklukan Kublai Khan dan Jepun di benua Asia akan menjadi aspirasi hebatnya untuk memperkasakan Vietnam. Pasti Kemboja dan Laos mengiurkan baginya.
(9) Abdul Razak, through his RED Book and Village, District, State and National Operation Room, I would say are applications of the Maoist Ideology in tackling the poverty and disunity issues faced by the nation in its post-independence. As a London educated lawyer, definitely he had came accross the communist system of winning the heart and mind of his people. That the reason why the phylosophy of security and development was greatly adopted during his premiership. He knew that his people need security and development to carry on with their lives. Thus, Razak strike on those, and sure as a Muslim he denounce the communist ideology or approaches and name it as people caring and friendly approach. Sound very Islamic and democratic. Nonetheless, to me Razak just as Ho Chii Minh, care for his people, really understand the price of poverty and disunity thus he scarificed his health for his people. He was crysrtal clear of the national issues and needs. He gave the nation all the foundation to move on. He work hard to eliminate the prevailing poverty misery of his people while he himself is suffering from the misery of leukemia.
(9b) Abdul razak leawat Buku Merah dan Bilik Gerakannya, sebetulnya mengambil iktibar dari cara pergerakkan komunis dalam menyusun strategi pemberiontakan politik dan bersenjata. Sebagai seorang graduan undang-undang dari Londion, pastinya dia pernah bertembung dengan ideologi Komunis yang saat itu sangat panas di Eropah. Saya yakin dia mengikut cara komunis dalam memenangi hati rakyat saat negara berdepan gelora kemiskinan dan sengketa kaum. Razak sebagaimananya Ho Chii Minh, mendalami akibat kemiskinan dan perpecahan kaum lantas dia mengorak langkah berani dan tepat dengan mendekati rakyat dan berkorban sejujurnya dalam menanggani keresahan rakyat. Razak menumpu perhatiannya membangun rakyat secara produktif.
(10) Mahathir, a keen learner of Razak trail, saw the ever haunting issue of poverty. He took a divergent step in addressing the matter. He saw employment structure as the main problem of the nation. Thus, he embarked on population mobility through firstly developing all those needed highways that could integrate all the States into a much fluid economic system. But, as a Malay, he also knew the inferiority complex of his people. Thus, then he move on the morale booster development especially launching all those mega and special projects. Mahathir indeed succeeded not only in changing the socio-economic landscape of the nation, but he also able to place the nation at a high esteem within the whole world. Nonetheless, one particular weaknesses of Mahathir was his disliking of the agriculture sector especially in the late 1980s. Probably, that the very reason, I believe there must be a divergent of idea and development philosophy between him and Sanusi Junid and Ghafar Baba, since the two were much ruralist. In the 1990s, both Sanusi and Ghafar Baba roles were sublined by the much industrialist Rafidah Aziz, Muhammad Mohd Taib, Rahim Tamby Chik, and Mahathir himself. I believe the disliking of Mahathir to Musa Hitam and even Razaleigh Hamzah were because the two seem to be too rural-bias. That, I would say, why Mahathir began to loose influence over the rural Malays. His urban bias development focus then, created an imbalance social structure where the Gini Index becoming very widening, the few gained the most. This then created a silent burning issues among not only for the Malays but the Chinese and Indian. That was the time when Anwar Ibrahim began to wage cronysm war to take him down. Today indeed, the common Malays, Chinese and Indians they dislike the present government because they see that the rich are getting richer the have not, geting worst. All I would say because to this day, Najib had not realise how heavy tax had made the rich becoming much greedy to ripe the have not.
(10b) Mahathir, saya kira murid yang telaten memerhati rapat cara Razak. Dia sadar, masaalah kemiskinan masih menghantui negara. Dia mengambil langkah lain dalam mengatasi masalah ini. Dia melihat ketempangan dalam struktur pekerjaan adalah penyebab kepada kemiskinan yang berpanjangan. Maka dia memudahcarakan pergherakkan rakyat melalui pembinaan lebuhraya yang akhirnya dapat menyatukan semua negeri khususnya di Semenanjung dalam Sebuah Sistem Ekonomi Besar dan Anjal. Sebagai anak Melayu, dia juga sedar tentang rasa kerdilnya bangsanya maka dengan sebab itu dia melaksanakan pelbagai projek khusus yang boleh membangkitkan rasa harga diri bangsa dan negaranya. Mahathir telah berjaya merombak latarbelakang sosio-ekonomi rakyat negara ini serta meletakkannya tinggi di persada dunia. Namun satu kelemahan ketara Mahathi, bila dalam akhir tahun 1980an, dia kurang meminati pembangunan sektor pertanian. Saya percaya pasti ada pertelanggahan pandangan antara Mahathir dan Sanusi Junid dan Ghafar Bapa pada tahun 1990an, kerana keduanya adalah pencinta luar bandar. Saya yakin, keduanya pada 1990an, telah dipinggirkan oleh Rafidah Aziz, Mohammad Mohd Taib, Rahim Tamby Chik, dan Mahathir sendiri yang lebih bersifat industrialist. Begitu juga saya kira sengketa Musa Hitam dan Rezaleigh Hamzah dan Mahathir pasti ada kaitan tentang penekanan sektor pembangunan negara. Makanya, dalam tahun 1990an, Mahathir mulai kehilangan dokongan masyarakat luar bandar. Hakikatnya, tumpuan pembangunan sektor bandar Mahathir telah mengujudkan ketimpangan indek Gini yang parah. Yang kaya sedikit tetapi menguasai kebanyakan kekayaaan negara. Rasa cemburu rakyat kebanyakan akhirnya mejelma. Keadaan ini tidak hanya berlaku di kalangan masyarakat Melayu, tetapi turut menular ke masyarakat Cina dan India. Rakyat secara kasar mulai termakan fitnah kronisma Anwar terhadap Mahathir. Rakyat mulai membenci Kerajaan lantaran mereka merasa terhimpit terus oleh ketamakan mereka yang kaya raya. Sehingga kini, saya berkira, Najib belum sedar betapa riba telah merompak rakyat kebanyakan dari mampu untuk hidup selesa.
(11) Today national unity issue is no more about poverty. The nation is facing a serious problem of heavy taxes. These taxes come in the forms of financial interest, inflation, imperfect pricing, speculative martket, and worst greed which I believe in Islam is amounting to riba. The urban population are facing great difficulty to cope with all these riba. Our financial system had to be reviewed and an alternative is clearly said by the Al Quran, except our current implementation is still benchmarked against the capitalist-Jewish Founded system. Accordingly, Najib had not realise the real need of the rural population. He had not really studied the changing demography of the urban dan rural sector. He is so engross to follow his father footstep yet at the wrong timing. Najib has to get out of Razak and mahathir shadow.
(11b) Persoalan perpaduan nasional kini bukan lagi berkisar tentang soal kemiskinan. Negara sedang dibebani dengan cukai yang membebankan. Cukai-cukai ini datang dalam pelbagai bentuk: bunga, inflasi, penipuan harga, spekulasi pasaran, dan paling kotor adalah sikap serakah yang saya kira jika dilihat dari sudut Islam membawa kepada riba. Masyarakat kebanyakan di bandar sedang menghadapi tekanan riba yang sangat berat. Sistem kewanghan kita perlu penelitian mendalam. Al Quran telah memberikan jalan alternatif yang sangat jelas, namun perlaksanaannya kini masih terikut-ikut cara Kapitalis-Yahudi. Dalam masa yang sama, Najib masih belum pasti tentang keperluan sebenar rakyat di luar bandar. Dia sebetulnya tidak mengkaji secara mendalam tentang kesan perubahan demografi masyarakat bandar dan luar bandar. Najib masih bekerja dalam bayangan Razak dan Mahathir. Bila agaknya Najib akan menjadi matang?
(12) Too many things that Najib are doing are mere scretching to the surface. I could see Najib is very much lacking in the intellectual touch. He still act by the feeling and or gut. He is loosing the support of the real and independent intellectual and that is very dangerous. I could see, today retirees are much of these group of people, and they are free and mobile, and surely they have influence. In the past, history had proven how communism insurgencies were done by these intellectual people ie the teachers, lawyers, workers head gang, etc. The same was with the Al Arqam pernomena. Najib should realise this, and he must make serious effort to bring these group of people to the true and honest nation building circle and not to isolate, decept or kill them.
Kuching, Sarawak
26 June, 2012
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