The meaning of Development

Okay people, let's talk serious here.

How do you define a development? What is the criterion to be a developed state? Is there any practical time limit for one to demonstrate a positive curve in a development growth chart? Given the variety of ethnicity in our country, which development model should we use?

Quite honestly, I am beginning to feel sick with many statements that one of the states in east coast of Malaysia is not a developed and nothing has changed since the turning of the goverment from BN to PAS. Okay, to be frank, I dont think people are being fair here. C'mon, look at the history of the governance of BN administration in Terengganu.

Firstly, let be honest here. For almost 40 years of receiving the petroleum royalty which should amount to billions ringgit malaysia, what good did it make to Terengganu people? Has the education level improved? Has the poverty level in this particular state improved? How about the debt which the state owes to the Federal government? The poor are only getting poorer, the rich is only getting richer, the education level had not improved much, the scholarship quota didn't increase very much etc.

Then a tide of change came to T'ganu after the 1999 election. However, this tide has been tampered by the Federal government aka the ruling party when they stripped the petroleum royalty from T'ganu government. The main source of its economic fuel is being ripped off from Terengganu people. The state government has to find the alternative for its economic resources. They started sending delegation to foreign countries in order to find the economic investment and to lure foreign investors to bring some factories or industries to Terengganu. How do I know this? Because I talked to Terengganu officials themselves when they came to Chicago in 2001 for ISNA convention and American Muslim Business Convention. The business delegation themselves had to pay their own expenses to come here, not the state government. To me, it shows that the government was prudent in doing its budget.

The period of 5 years certainly not a fair yardstick to measure to achievement made by PAS government in T'ganu compare to 40 years of BN administration previously - given the bad condition they were having, inherited a poor governance of previous government. Of course you can't see much of the development because you dont see any new building, new cinema or new factories build in that state. The tangible evidences cannot be produced due to many reason and one of them is the time. Even for the corporate companies, I dont think they would want to invest without first studying the prospect of economic ventures in Terengganu. The study would probably take months if not years to complete. And then the planning would come right after that and surely to debate the issue whether one should invest or not based on the study. Only then a project can be executed. It's the same thing with what the Terengganu goverment is experiencing prior to 2004.

What fails the economic engine of T'ganu? Our people ourselves. Look at how Federal responded to the plead of Terengganu rakyat to give back their petroleum royalty? Oh man, the arrogance which the Fed shows is disgusting! But the state goverment managed to steer its course through out the trying period. The debt has been reduced, the education scholarship is increased, the right to own land is distributed fairly among the rakyat regardless of race, the opportunity to voice the complaints is given back to the rakyat through Hisbah and other channels in the state government. To me, this is a good start. And then, there are some people who complaint that the state is not developed enough because it doesn't have cinema!

For crying out loud, I think some people just don't get it here. Ok..I will continue later..need to get my lunch first!