M Bakri Musa

Understanding emigration: If we are to stop the brain drain, we must respect the talents of individuals, without plaguing them with contempt and inane tests of loyalty.

The challenge for Umno is not who they choose as leaders, rather to liberate them - leaders and followers alike - from their feudal mindset.

This would not only enhance the skills of Muslim students in that language but also help expose them to the modern interpretations of Islam.

It is said that the second renaissance in Islam will arise in America and that it will be like a second Mecca. M BAKRI MUSA agrees and explains why.

Forget the revamp, sell off government-linked companies (GLCs) instead, argues M BAKRI MUSA, who outlines the reasons why it would be best for the government to stay out of the marketplace.

It's a simple and sensible way, says M BAKRI MUSA as he suggests a selection process for the prime minister to choose candidates for his cabinet.

Experiencing joy and despair in equal measure after the 11 ^th general election, M BAKRI MUSA culls cautionary lessons for Malaysia's political leaders of all persuasions.

Pious sermons alone would not discourage corruption. M BAKRI MUSA says concrete steps have to be put in place to effectively deal with this menace.

PAK LAH'S 100 DAYS While he has been saying all the right things, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will be judged favourably only if he does the right things.

Picking up the trail where he left off last January, M BAKRI MUSA looks at the qualities that the special assistant to the Malaysian prime minister should bring to his job.

The civil service today is essentially a Malay institution, says M BAKRI MUSA. Its failures and shortcomings are thus widely viewed as those of the Malays; hence the urgency in upgrading the institution, quite apart from its importance for the nation's development.

The Islamic state blueprint of PAS, says M BAKRI MUSA, is essentially a list of statements reaffirming the virtues of the Islamic version of apple pie and motherhood and dismisses it as an inelegant and poorly articulated wish list.

Abdullah's admirable qualities are his honesty and humility - scarce commodities in politicians anywhere. But M BAKRI MUSA also says that he must step out of Mahathir's shadow and be his own man.

Just as bright students disappoint a teacher the most, by not reaching their potential, so it is with national leaders. Great leaders who do not achieve great heights are the most disappointing. M BAKRI MUSA examines Mahathir's legacy in this first of a two-part series.

Former Malaysian Ambassador to the US Dr Fauziah Mohamad Taib has penned a refreshing account of the country in her book, says M BAKRI MUSA. However, he adds, that there are a few disappointments as well.

There is a pervasive culture of mediocrity in the country's elite Malay residential schools and M BAKRI MUSA says if no local talent can be found, then outside help should be sought to fix the rot.

Former Finance Minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah may be a long shot for the job, but M BAKRI MUSA suggests that he may just be the right man to be Pak Lah's deputy come October.

The lack of regulation is allowing Islamic banks to charge higher for its services in the name of religion. But M BAKRI MUSA says there is no merit, religious or otherwise, in gouging the consumer .

Malaysian weddings have less to do with celebrating the commitment a young couple has made to spend the rest of their lives together, rather an occasion for their parents to display their social status and discharge their business obligations, says M BAKRI MUSA.

In this two-part series, Bakri Musa recounts the evolution of the Malaysian education system and analyses the role affirmative actions have played in its development.

Freedom comes with democracy, yet to have a functional democracy, we need to limit liberty, writes M BAKRI MUSA. So, people, pick your boundary: moat, cage or barbed wire?

M BAKRI MUSA lends acting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi some pointers o­n how to build an ark that will float o­n flood waters. And then, o­n a drier note, how to make the structure termite-proof.

Umno Youth and its 'enlightened leaders' may want to keep mum, but M BAKRI MUSA and DIN MERICAN are taking stock of what the police raid o­n Malaysiakini.com has done to the image of the country and race.