3 ms·

>Governments that do this are either clueless or thugs. See hogFeast's comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21165893 https://news.ycombinator.com/ite

>Governments that do this are either clueless or thugs. See hogFeast's comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21165893 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21165893 You've basically dissed the governments of the US, the UK and the EU, plus every country mentioned in the SCMP report that Malaysia feels it has to keep up with. Good job.

fierarul 7y ago
My main experience is with Romania where any such project of encouraging incorporating, giving grants, etc are just excuses at spending money, badly. I would make these illegal. Perhaps other governments are better at managing money. Maybe even in a place where things don't work very well the state can still manufacture startups because these companies will get the red carpet from every other institution. They are not representative of the overall economy.
- morningseagulls 7y ago
  >My main experience is with Romania Fair enough, that would explain your reaction. To be fair, Malaysia is more like Romania than some of the other countries I've mentioned. >just excuses at spending money, badly Yes, and funding startups is just about the perfect excuse, because new businesses often fail. However, the SCMP report also said the government has been giving grants to startups for some time now. Grants to small businesses is something that a lot of governments engage in: it's about trying to create jobs. >Perhaps other governments are better at managing money Nah. Other governments just behave better. Funding new businesses is always a "bad" way of spending money, in that most new businesses fail, and nobody has a good way of figuring out which ones will. >the state can still manufacture startups because these companies will get the red carpet from every other institution. They may get some prestige, but I'm sure a lot of startups fail eventually.
  - fierarul 7y ago
    > >the state can still manufacture startups because these companies will get the red carpet from every other institution. > They may get some prestige, but I'm sure a lot of startups fail eventually. Yes, but you are underestimating the ways the state itself may "help" a company fail. Ever had all your accounts blocked for an accounting misunderstanding of $500? Had the state not pay back the money they owe you while they wait on the statute of limitations or companies suing them? Delay VAT refunding thereby reducing your cashflow?
    - morningseagulls 7y ago
      >>>the state can still manufacture startups because these companies will get the red carpet from every other institution. >Yes, but you are underestimating the ways the state itself may "help" a company fail. Yes, but this also undermines your point that government-manufactured startups will necessarily get red-carpet treatment. Like I've said earlier, Malaysia is more like Romania, and the examples you've listed are peanuts compared to the kind of shenanigans you can get in Malaysia. I mean, this is a country whose PM is a nonagenarian who's made a spectacular political comeback [0], after having defeated his protégé [1] and his former party [2], and who's known for sending another protégé to jail on sodomy charges.[3] It's also a multi-ethnic country where the privileged status of the majority ethnicity is constitutionally protected[4] and backed by active affirmative action policies.[5] Which is why there's so much skepticism in this thread about the whole thing. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahathir_Mohamad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahathir_Mohamad [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najib_Razak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najib_Razak [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Malays_National_Organisation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Malays_National_Organis... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_Ibrahim_sodomy_trials https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_Ibrahim_sodomy_trials [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_153_of_the_Constitution_of_Malaysia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_153_of_the_Constitutio... [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumiputera_(Malaysia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumiputera_(Malaysia)

fierarul 7y ago

My main experience is with Romania where any such project of encouraging incorporating, giving grants, etc are just excuses at spending money, badly. I would make these illegal. Perhaps other governments are better at managing money. Maybe even in a place where things don't work very well the state can still manufacture startups because these companies will get the red carpet from every other institution. They are not representative of the overall economy.

morningseagulls 7y ago
>My main experience is with Romania Fair enough, that would explain your reaction. To be fair, Malaysia is more like Romania than some of the other countries I've mentioned. >just excuses at spending money, badly Yes, and funding startups is just about the perfect excuse, because new businesses often fail. However, the SCMP report also said the government has been giving grants to startups for some time now. Grants to small businesses is something that a lot of governments engage in: it's about trying to create jobs. >Perhaps other governments are better at managing money Nah. Other governments just behave better. Funding new businesses is always a "bad" way of spending money, in that most new businesses fail, and nobody has a good way of figuring out which ones will. >the state can still manufacture startups because these companies will get the red carpet from every other institution. They may get some prestige, but I'm sure a lot of startups fail eventually.
- fierarul 7y ago
  > >the state can still manufacture startups because these companies will get the red carpet from every other institution. > They may get some prestige, but I'm sure a lot of startups fail eventually. Yes, but you are underestimating the ways the state itself may "help" a company fail. Ever had all your accounts blocked for an accounting misunderstanding of $500? Had the state not pay back the money they owe you while they wait on the statute of limitations or companies suing them? Delay VAT refunding thereby reducing your cashflow?
  - morningseagulls 7y ago
    >>>the state can still manufacture startups because these companies will get the red carpet from every other institution. >Yes, but you are underestimating the ways the state itself may "help" a company fail. Yes, but this also undermines your point that government-manufactured startups will necessarily get red-carpet treatment. Like I've said earlier, Malaysia is more like Romania, and the examples you've listed are peanuts compared to the kind of shenanigans you can get in Malaysia. I mean, this is a country whose PM is a nonagenarian who's made a spectacular political comeback [0], after having defeated his protégé [1] and his former party [2], and who's known for sending another protégé to jail on sodomy charges.[3] It's also a multi-ethnic country where the privileged status of the majority ethnicity is constitutionally protected[4] and backed by active affirmative action policies.[5] Which is why there's so much skepticism in this thread about the whole thing. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahathir_Mohamad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahathir_Mohamad [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najib_Razak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najib_Razak [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Malays_National_Organisation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Malays_National_Organis... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_Ibrahim_sodomy_trials https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_Ibrahim_sodomy_trials [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_153_of_the_Constitution_of_Malaysia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_153_of_the_Constitutio... [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumiputera_(Malaysia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumiputera_(Malaysia)