The following is a satire that I wrote based on the the Gini coefficient which is a measure of statistical dispersion developed by the Italian statistician Corrado Gini and published in his 1912 paper "Variability and Mutability". It is commonly used as a measure of inequality of income or wealth. If you look at the map at THIS LINK on Gini Coefficient World Human Development Report 2007-2008, you can see that Malaysia has one of the highest Gini Coefficient in Asia of between 0.45 to 0.49.
Another report HERE said this:
But when we look at Malaysia’s international position in terms of individual inequality, the position is quite different. According to the latest internationally comparable data from the World Bank, individual inequality in Malaysia (as measured by the common Gini coefficient) is the second worst in all of the Asian countries for which data is available. Only Papua New Guinea ranks worse. In fact, out of 127 countries, Malaysia ranks 101 in terms of the Gini coefficient – the commonest measure of inequality. Aside from Papua New Guinea, the only countries in the world with worse individual inequality than Malaysia are in Central and South America – a region of notoriously high inequality – and some areas of sub-Saharan Africa such as South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Generally speaking, countries with higher levels of human development have lower levels of inequality; Malaysia thus stands out as an exception as a country with relatively high human development but also with relatively high inequality. As Table 1 shows, Malaysia’s Gini coefficient is the highest in all of ASEAN (no data were available for Myanmar). While the government’s official data shows that inequality had reduced slightly since these measures were taken to around 46.1 in 2002, this would still place Malaysia alongside the Philippines as joint worst in ASEAN, assuming that the Philippines itself hadn’t improved its position over the same period.
Individual inequality in Malaysia, then, is a serious problem. Yet the government appears to pay little or no attention to it at all. The Mid-Term Review of the Eighth Malaysia Plan, for instance, makes no mention of individual inequality, except for reporting the Gini indices. No programmes or policies have been developed or implemented to reduce overall inequality. Instead, the focus of discussion for income distribution is almost entirely in terms of ethnic inequalities, with passing reference to regional inequalities between states. Have we let our obsession with our relatively successful experience in ethnic restructuring cloud the fact that Malaysia remains a deeply inequitable society?
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THE FROG AND THE GENIE
There once lived a little frog called Zack. He was a careless, idle frog who would do nothing but play all day long in the pond with little idle frogs like himself. This so grieved the father that he died; yet, in spite of his mother's tears and prayers, Zack did not mend his ways.
One day, when he was playing in a bigger pond as usual, a stranger asked him his age, and his trade, at which the frog hung his head, while his mother burst into tears. On learning that Zack was idle and would learn no trade, he told him that he would give Zack a magic lamp.
Next day the stranger frog hopped his way into some beautiful gardens a long way outside the city gates. Zack followed. They sat down by a fountain and the stranger pulled a cake from his girdle, which he divided between them. Then they journeyed onwards till they almost reached the mountains. Zack was so tired that he begged to go back, but the stranger beguiled him with pleasant stories and lead him on in spite of himself.
At last they came to two mountains divided by a narrow valley. "We will go no farther," said the stranger. "I will show you something wonderful; only do you gather up sticks while I kindle a fire." When it was lit the stranger threw on it a powder he had about him, at the same time saying some magical words.
The earth trembled a little in front of them, disclosing a square flat stone with a brass ring in the middle to raise it by.
"Fear nothing, but obey me. Beneath this stone lies a treasure which is to be yours, and no one else may touch it, so you must do exactly as I tell you."
"Go down the stairs," said the stranger; "At the foot of those steps you will find an open door leading into three large halls. Tuck up your gown and go through them without touching anything, or you will die instantly. These halls lead into a garden of fine fruit trees. Walk on till you come to niche in a terrace where stands a lighted lamp. Pour out the oil it contains, and bring it me." He drew a ring from his finger and gave it to Zack, bidding him prosper.
Zack found everything as the stranger had said, gathered some fruit off the trees, and, having got the lamp, arrived at the mouth of the cave. The stranger cried out in a great hurry: "Make haste and give me the lamp." This Zack refused and hopped away so quickly that the stranger could not find Zack.
While in the shadows, Zack rubbed the ring. Immediately an enormous and frightful genie rose out of the earth, saying: "What wouldst thou with me? I am the Slave of the Ring, and will obey thee in all things."
Zack fearlessly replied, "Deliver me from this place!" whereupon the earth opened, and he found himself outside. As soon as his eyes could bear the light he went home, but fainted on the threshold. When he came to himself he told his mother what had passed, and showed her the lamp and the fruits he had gathered in the garden, which were in reality precious stones.
He then asked for some food. "Alas! Zack," she said, "I have nothing in the house, but I have some worms and will go sell it." Zack bade her keep her worms, for he would sell the lamp instead. As it was very dirty, she began to rub it, that it might fetch a higher price.
Instantly a hideous genie appeared, and asked what she would have. She fainted away, but Zack, snatching the lamp, said boldly: "Fetch me something to eat!" The genie returned with a silver bowl, twelve silver plates containing rich meats, two silver cups, and two bottles of wine.
And so they had eaten all the genie had brought, Zack sold one of the silver plates, and so on until none were left. He then had recourse to the genie, who gave him another set of plates, and thus they lived many years.
Zack and his family lived in wealth and were fattened while the rest of the frogs in the area either barely survived or died from hunger. The disparity was clear between Zack and the others. And what made that difference? Whenever Zack was in need, he rubbed the magic lamp and then the genie rained rubies and emeralds from heaven and provided for his needs. By Jove, the genie even helped him and his family to go for holidays in far away lands...
Obviously, Zack hopped in the right direction, didn't he? But not every creature in that jungle would want to do the same. Would you?
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Note: The frogs and the stranger in this story are metaphorical constructs. No actual frogs were harmed or consumed in the writing of the story. Any resemblance to any living creature big or small, dead or alive or yet to be born is a pure coincidence. :-) This is a work of satire and parody. That means the statements and information contained in these pages are by no means fact, and are offered solely as satirical/entertainment/literary material or as individual imagination.
Please leave a comment if you wish or do add your version of how the story should end. Thanks! Have a lovely evening!
