Would new Transport Minister support Port Klang Authority in withholding the next payment of RM772 million to KDSB turnkey contractor for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ)?

Would the new Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Kang Cho Ha support Port Klang Authority (PKA) in withholding the next payment of RM772 million next month to Kuala Dimensi Sdn. Bhd. (KDSB)  the turnkey contractor to  Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ)?

In September 2007, I was given the schedule of repayments by PKA to KDSB for RM4.6 billion from 2007 to 2017 in connection with bonds raised by KDSB and which plunged the country into the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal.

The schedule of repayments as reported to Parliament by the then Parliamentary Secretary to the Finance Ministry, Datuk Seri Dr. Helmi bin Yahya stipulates the following repayments to KDSB:

Year       	Amount (millions)

2007	RM510

2008	RM660

2009	RM660

2010	RM772

2011	RM487

2012	RM733

2013	RM170

2014	RM170

2015	RM170

2016	RM170

2017	RM179

Total`	  RM4,681

PKA has repaid KDSB RM1.83 billion from 2007 to 2009 and is scheduled to repay the RM772 million due this year in four parts between June 30 to July 31.

As PKA had filed two civil suits against KDSB last September for overcharging for the PKFZ project,  alleging that KDSB had made a false claim of RM83 million for two development works, and with the PKA studying other claims against KDSB,  the new Transport Minister should declare whether he is supports the PKA withhold repayments of RM772 million  to KDSB.

Transparency International Malaysia president Paul Low has suggested that an escrow account be set up to hold the funds pending the outcome of the litigation as PKA might not get its money back if it makes the payment now and wins its suits later.

In this connection, Malaysians are entitled to know what has happened to the promise made by the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail in December last year that “more” and “bigger fishes” would be prosecuted for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal, apart from the four executives arrested and charged in court.

Abdul Gani had declared in the presence of the head of the  Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed and the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan that the prosecution of four executives were “just the tip of the iceberg”, that more people were to face charges in relation to the PKFZ scandal and that there were “still several stages of investigation into this case”.

This is the
New Straits Times
 report dated 11th December 2009 on Gani’s press conference announcing the prosecution of  four executives in connection with the PKFZ scandal:

“This is just the first phase of investigations and there will be more,” Gani said.

  He also said his office, together with MACC and the police, had been investigating the scandal for several months.

  “There are lots of issues involved, legal and factual, which are not only complex, but require substantial amount of hours of

evidence gathering.

  “The offences investigated include commercial crime, money laundering, abuse of power as well as corruption. We have to look at so many people and identify who is conspiring with whom. If you ask me, everyone implicated is a big fish.”

  Gani said the agencies had to comb and sieve all available materials to establish a case against the perpetrators.

  “This is certainly not the end of the matter but just the beginning.”

  He stressed that they must answer for their roles and actions.

  “I decided to prefer charges against these individuals as I could not wait for the authorities to complete their investigations into the whole scheme as that will take a long time. Other individuals will be charged in stages.”

  Gani added that the agencies were “very serious” about the case and had not been influenced by any quarters.

  “We are very objective. The police and the MACC have done a fine job.

  “It cannot be denied that it will take us a long time to complete the probe but do not push us as this can result in an unfair investigation,” he said.

After Gani’s  talk about “This is certainly not the end of the matter but just the beginning” and “They must answer for their roles and actions”, Malaysians are entitled to know what has happened to the various phases of the MACC investigation into the PKFZ scandal and whether the thunderous silence in the past six months is because there is not going to be further action whatsoever on the PKFZ files  in both the MACC and the Attorney-General’s Chambers?

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 27 June 2010, 3:49 pm and is filed under
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Court orders water documents revealed

Malaysiakini

Hafiz Yatim

Jun 28, 10

The federal government has seven days to disclose the contents of the audit report and water concession agreement entered between it, the Selangor government and Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas).

This follows a landmark ruling at the High Court today allowing the documents – which were classified by the government as being under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) – to be made public.

The decision was made by judicial commissioner Hadhariah Syed Ismail, who ruled the government’s refusal to disclose the reports did not consider the expectation of members of the public who are adversely affected by the decision.

“The respondents’ decision to allow the privatisation of water service and arbitrary increase tariff, and at the same time invoking the OSA, is disproportionate to the aims of the Act.

“It is also counter to the principles of good governance, accountability, transparency, and (that) the interests of rakyat should come first,” she said in her judgment.

Hadhariah ruled that since the government has failed to fulfill those principles, the court is compelled to do so.

Hadhariah made the ruling in the judicial review case brought by Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud (right) and 13 others against the Energy, Water, and Telecommunications Ministry, the Selangor government and the federal government.

The plaintiffs’ lawyer Ang Hean Leng, said this is a landmark judgment as it recognises the right of the public to have documents revealed out of public interest.

Syed Shahir and the other plaintiffs, which include Klang MP Charles Santiago and parents acting on behalf of their two children not of legal age, filed the application in January 2007.

They wanted the disclosure of the Concession Agreement dated Dec 15, 2004, between the federal and Selangor governments and Syabas.

They also sought the audit report justifying an increase of 15 per cent in the water tariff.

The plaintiffs also sought:

•	a declaration that the applicants and general public have access to the audit report and agreement;

•	alternatively, a declaration that those documents are public documents and are not official secrets documents;

•	an order of certiorari to quash the decision by the respondents in denying access to such documents; and

•	a mandamus order to compel the minister to disclose the contents of such documents.

JC not persuaded

Hadhariah in her 19 page-judgment also said she was not convinced such disclosure would be detrimental to national security or public interests.

“In fact, I was of the opinion that the truth is the contrary,” she ruled.

Hadhariah also said there must be a reasonable explanation why a document must be classified as “rahsia” (secret).

She also said she agreed with the applicants’ contention that the fact that the audit report was presented to the cabinet was not sufficient to justify protection under the OSA.

“It also cannot be in the spirit of OSA, to extend protection in cases where the government believes there will be public discussion and criticisms against the government’s action,” said the judicial commissioner.

Hadhariah said having read the audit report herself, she concluded it contains information relevant to the concession agreement, in particular the issue of raising the water tariff.

Saying that she could foresee public discussion and criticism against the government, the concession agreement and audit report should have been released in tandem as the report made certain comments and reference to provisions and concessions in the agreement.

“The disclosure will serve the public interests in keeping the public informed of the working of the government, as well as promote discussion on public affairs,” she said.

“In this era of transparency, accountability, and priority is given to the needs of the rakyat… it is only fair for such documents to be made public. I am of the view the court should lean in favour of the aggrieved party in matters involving public interest,” said Hadhariah.

She also said the concession agreement should be a public document as it was executed with public interest in mind and therefore it is in the public interest also that it should be disclosed.

“What could possibly go wrong if what the public wants to know is whether the deal was a win-win situation or a one sided agreement benefiting one party only?

“Until and unless the agreement is disclosed to the public, it would cause anxiety to the public wanting to know such matters that affect their basic needs.”

                This entry was posted on Monday, 28 June 2010, 9:19 pm and is filed under
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Gambling: It’s in Malaysia’s genes

by
Dr. Lim Teck Ghee

Centre for Policy Initiatives

27 June 2010

Life as a gamble

The cabinet decision not to issue a sports betting licence to Ascot Sports Sdn Bhd is the right one but it was made for the wrong reasons. According to prime minister Najib Razak, the reason for not legalizing sports betting was “the impact it will have from the perspective of religion and politics.”

To get a proper perspective of the issue, it is necessary to get off the religious and political high horse and acknowledge that we are a nation that loves the occasional flutter. And also let us admit that there’s nothing wrong with gambling so long as it is not taken to extreme lengths and becomes a pathological, compulsive or destructive habit.

In a sense, all of life and the various decisions that we make are gambles.  Although it may be too much to say that we all have gambling in our genes, scientists have been debating on the extent to which gambling is a manifestation of human behavior for a long time – at least during the last 200 years or so.

In an article, ‘Human Behavior and the Efficiency of the Financial System’ (February 1998) Robert Schiller, the noted financial economist, wrote that “a tendency to gamble, to play games that bring on unnecessary risks, has been found to pervade widely divergent human cultures around the world and appears to be indicative of a basic human trait.”

Further he pointed to studies that estimated that 61% of the adult population in the United States participated in some form of gambling or betting in 1974. They estimated that 1.1% of men and 0.5% of women are “probably compulsive gamblers,”  while an additional 2.7% of men and 1% of women are “potential compulsive gamblers.” These figures are probably much higher today.

Similar numbers are recorded in all the highly developed countries whose status the country aspires to. All the countries that our elite regard as role models whether in the East or West, North or South take a liberal position on gambling or gaming as it is sometimes referred to.

Dr Mahathir: Nation’s No. 1 gambler

Even if we do not view gambling as part of normal human behaviour, it has certainly been part of Malaysian culture and politics – not only of the Chinese or non-Malay communities but for the majority of the country’s inhabitants, especially amongst the elite and leaders.

When Dr Mahathir Mohamad stated that he would have approved the sports betting licence for his long-time buddy Vincent Tan, he was being unduly coy and modest in leaving out his own addiction to trying to beat the odds.

In fact, gambling has long been a part of Dr Mahathir’s strategy to make Malaysia a developed nation. It is well known that Mahathir in his first year as prime minister gambled in the tin market with disastrous results. Speculating in tin caused Malaysia – then the world’s leading tin producer – about RM660.5 million in losses.

This staggering loss does not appear to have cooled off the gambling habit of our prime minister at that time. Using Bank Negara money, Mahathir speculated in currency, principally on the British pound which resulted in an even bigger multi-billion ringgit loss when the sterling collapsed in 1992. Estimates of this loss have placed it at over RM30 billion.

The details of Mahathir’s super high stakes betting which went dreadfully wrong have been given some attention in Barry Wain’s book, ‘Malaysian Maverick’. It could be that it was this content rather than any other part that led the Malaysian authorities to think twice about permitting the book’s distribution in the country.

In Dr Mahathir’s  defence

In the former prime minister’s defence, it may be pointed out that some analysts see his ill-timed gambles as part of his attempt to take on Western economic dominance. On a more personal note, it should also be pointed out that he was not betting his own money – only the nation’s money. Also that whatever gains that could have been made would have gone into the national treasury – or at least one expects that was the honorable intention.

Finally, as part of the mitigating factors, it may be noted that Dr Mahathir was engaging in a national pastime. Gambling takes place everywhere in the country – as raffles where prizes are given in the form of goods, services or cash; on golf courses as friendly bets between fellow golfers; as part of sales promotional services where you make a purchase on your credit card in the hope that you may end up with a free vacation; and in the stock market where it is glorified as speculation. In short, it is part of our national culture though it has not yet been enshrined into our national cultural policy.

Future policy on gambling licences

Despite the poor track record of our former prime minister in gambling and this latest decision by the current prime minister, let us approach the subject rationally.  It is important that this refusal to grant the gambling licence is not a precedent leading to religious norms being further imposed on the population – not only on the larger gambling issue but also on other facets of life and behaviour targeted by killjoys and hard-line religious zealots who are determined to show off their lily white credentials.

Also, by closing the door on sports betting (temporarily, I hope), let’s hope it does not open the Pandora’s box of religious and political taboos to extend to other aspects of entertainment, relaxation and culture that are part of the life of modern society everywhere in the world – everywhere that is except for a few nations that continue to deny their nationals their full freedoms and rights in the name of ‘piety’ and ‘moral virtue’.

The right way for the prime Minister and his Cabinet to handle this – and all future gambling issues – is not to deny Malaysians the right to spend their money as they please but to ensure that lucrative gaming licences such as the sports betting one are given to recognized charities and non-profit organizations and not to cronies.

Various religious or ethnic groups are of the view that they should not partake of such “tainted”  money. These groups are of course entitled to this view and should refrain from sharing or taking any part in the “dirty” profits associated with gambling. But there is no reason why the other communities that make up 1Malaysia should be made to toe the strict religious line.

In fact, given the limited resources of the government and the perennial financial constraints in funding schools and other projects for minorities, it makes sound economic sense to tap this source for the national good. There are many good practices that we can emulate such as the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s non-profit gambling operations and the casinos in the United States that are operated by the native Indian communities on Indian reservation lands and where the employment opportunities and profits accrue to the marginalized communities.

For a start though, let’s not show the red card to legalized sports betting prematurely.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 28 June 2010, 10:19 am and is filed under
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UMNO’s  Opportunistic  Ulama

by
M. Bakri Musa

 Like his predecessors Abdullah Badawi and Dr. Mahathir, Prime Minister Najib Razak endlessly proclaims Malaysia to be an Islamic state.  Now with 40 young ulama joining the party, Najib must feel that his assertion to be the truth.  He could not be more wrong.

            Yes, ulama play a central role in an Islamic state.  In his book, The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State, Noah Feldman attributed the longevity and eminence of earlier Islamic states to the critical role of the ulama and scholars.

            The Islamic governing principle is simple.  Rulers are to govern according to God’s law, as stated in the Quran and elaborated in the hadith (sayings and practices of Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w.).  The central tenet is, “Command good and forbid evil!”  As long as the ruler fulfills this obligation, his power and authority are legitimate and deemed divinely-sanctioned.

            It was a tribute to their political skills and intellectual prowess that those early scholars were able to formulate from the Quran and hadith a set of laws – the Shari’a – that today still governs the everyday lives of Muslims, even those not living in Islamic states.  At its time the Shari’a represented a quantum leap in the recognition of basic human dignity and rights.  As Feldman noted, “For most of its history, Islamic law offered the most liberal and humane legal principles available anywhere in the world.”

            The central precept of the Shari’a is that all, rulers and the ruled alike, are governed by it.  No one, not even the sultan, is exempted.  That is the rule of law at its core.

            The ulama’s other major contribution was that they exerted the necessary checks and balances on the powers of the rulers.  It was the scholars, not the rulers, who determined what was “good” or “evil.”  A ruler had to abide by the decisions of the ulama, for not doing so would mean deviating from God’s law, a sure route towards de-legitimatizing the ruler’s authority.

            These two central elements (fidelity to the rule of law and institutionalized checks and balances on the powers of the rulers by the ulama) accounted for the remarkable success and endurance of those early Islamic states.

            The absence of both is what dooms many so-called Islamic states today, or indeed any state.  Show me a backward society, and I will show one that has no respect for the rule of law and without an institutionalized system of checks and balances.  This is true not only in the Islamic World but also elsewhere.  Sadly, Malaysia is fast headed there.

            The most “Islamic” state today is Iran.  There the clergy class has assumed absolute power; there are no checks and balances.  Criticizing the mullahs is viewed as criticizing Islam; they thus effectively put themselves above the law.  Those who view Iran as the model Islamic state obviously missed the essence and beauty of Islamic principles of governance.

UMNO’s Ulama

As for the 40 ulama joining UMNO recently, the charitable part of me would like to believe that this was a noble move on their part, an attempt at emulating their illustrious ancient predecessors.  That is, they saw the excesses of UMNO and felt compelled to step in to save a venerable institution by providing much-needed checks and balances.

            Alas that was not the reason, at least not the one stated by their representative, Fadlan Othman, a junior academic at a local university.  His primary reason for joining was to “proselytize from within, for the benefit of UMNO members whom I feel are ripe to have their knowledge, religiosity and spirituality uplifted.”  (“Tujuan utama kami memasuki UMNO adalah untuk berdakwah dari dalam, untuk kebaikan ahli-ahli UMNO yang kami rasakan amat subur untuk proses peningkatan ilmiah, keagamaan dan kerohanian.”)

            Well, at least he read UMNO members well.  I would have been satisfied if he had a more modest goal, like trying to make UMNO and its members more honest and less corrupt.

            I am heartened that the announcement of the ulama joining UMNO coincided with the party’s rescinding its earlier decision to legalize sports gambling.  If the two were indeed related, then that certainly was a good beginning.  Now if as the result of their joining the party, UMNO would also declare “money politics” and corruption haram, then they truly are on the path of rehabilitating the organization and its members.

            The realist in me however, saw something else; a bunch of folks with otherwise unpromising careers spotting an opportunity to advance themselves.  I see no difference between them and the many not-too-talented young Malays who, unable to advance on their own prowess, sought the patronage of UMNO.

            UMNO is inundated with lawyers who cannot draw up a coherent contract and engineers more adept at building a bridge with more water flowing over than under it.  This latest crop of recruits is no different.  Google their names and their meager scholarly output becomes apparent.  As for their khutba (sermons), that too are canned, produced by a committee at headquarters.

            Just as these ulama are using UMNO to advance their careers, so too is UMNO exploiting them to enhance the party’s tarnished Islamic image, what with its unwise earlier decision to allow betting in sports.  These ulama are there to sanitize UMNO.  “Whitewash” is the more appropriate term.

            These ulama ought to be reminded that exploitative relationships, personal as well as political, rarely endure.

            The game that UMNO is engaged in and where these ulama are only too willing participants is a very old one.  Throughout history, locally and elsewhere, the powers-that-be had successfully co-opted willing ulama.  Ulama, like other mortals, can be bought; only the price varies.  For some, the promise of a steady salary, government-issued car and quarters would do it; for others, an impressive title.  However, whether the price is a penny or a pot of gold, a hooker is still a hooker.

            Prime Minister and UMNO President Najib Razak is certainly well attuned to these corrupt relationships.  Consider his bald statement during the recent Sibu by-election, “You help me, I help you!”

            In Malaysia, the market for ulama is saturated.  Seen in that light, their eagerness to join UMNO is understandable.  They are certainly doing themselves some good, at least in this world, but whether they are also doing the community any good is another matter.

            These political ulama, whether in UMNO or PAS, are a far cry from those illustrious earlier ones for whom the prophetic saying, “Scholars are the heirs of the Prophet!” was apt.  Likewise, today’s Islamic states, Malaysia included, are a far cry from those earlier ones, which Feldman describes as “so Islamic that they did not need the adjective to describe themselves.”

            No wonder Malaysian Prime Ministers from Mahathir to Najib are obsessed in calling Malaysia an Islamic state.  They have to, for Malaysia has nothing to show for it but the label.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 28 June 2010, 9:04 am and is filed under
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PKFZ: ‘Gov’t will pay RM700mil to bondholders’

By
Christine Chan
 | Malaysiakini

Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri has given an assurance that the government will pay what is due to the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) bondholders.

“We have a commitment to the bondholders, therefore we have to fulfill it,” he told the House today, when winding up matters relating to the ministry in the 10th Malaysia Plan.

He was replying Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor) who had asked whether Port Klang Authority (PKA) would make any payments to PKFZ turnkey contractor Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), given the legal dispute between them.

PKA is due to pay RM723 million to the bondholders tomorrow, akthough it has taken KDSB to court for alleged overcharging.

The Internal Revenue Board (IRB), Lim noted further, has also asked PKA to pay RM328 million owed by KDSB in alleged backdated taxes.

Given such a scenario, Lim suggested that the government should consider setting up a third-party account until the dispute is resolved.

Should PKA decide to pay both parties, they would have to cough up over RM1 billion.

On the same matter, Tony Pua (DAP-Petaling Jaya Utara, right) said PKA should not make any payments to the bondholders since it was KDSB that had raised the money to finance the PKFZ project through the issuance of bonds worth RM4.6 billion.

“PKA’s obligation is not towards KDSB’s bondholders,” Pua argued.

At a press conference earlier, Pua had said that the government should hold back payments to KDSB until the court case is finalised.

“PKA can withhold payment to KDSB bondholders on the basis that KDSB had failed to complete its work. PKA could also refuse to pay IRB on the same (grounds). So if PKA says ‘I do not owe money to KDSB’, it is not compelled to pay the taxes owing to IRB,” he explained.

‘Perfect scam of the century’

If the government pays both the bondholders and the IRB, said Pua, ” this would be the perfect scam of the century”.

PKA will have to pay a total of RM1.05 billion to both IRB and the bondholders.

“The result will then be … the IRB gets to collect its taxes, the bondholders get to recover their investment with interest, while KDSB escapes its obligations without having to fork out a single sen of its tax (owed to IRB),” he claimed.

He added that this will also save KDSB owner Tiong King Sing (left), who is Bintulu MP, from being sued by the IRB and bondholders.

However, the burden would then be transferred to the rakyat.

“The complete burden amounting to billions of ringgit is shifted to the hapless and helpless rakyat who will be forced to pay for the follies of the BN government,” he added.

“(This would) enrich KDSB and its shareholders while those possibly guilty of criminal breach of trust such as former transport minister Chan Kong Choy (will) get away scot-free.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 29 June 2010, 3:29 pm and is filed under
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Can Malaysia escape a trap of its own making?

By
Peter Drysdale
 | East Asia Forum

Malaysia’s recently presented New Economic Model is, on paper, a hugely ambitious strategy for changing the country’s economic and social direction and, hopefully, its economic and political fortunes.

The government of Prime Minister Najib seems inclined to embrace its principles and try to forge a new direction in Malaysian economic and social policy. In the 1980s Malaysia was among the brightest stars in the Southeast Asian economy, with growth around 8 per cent a year and a huge transformation away from its comfortable plantation and minerals past towards a new industrial future, driven by foreign investment and rapidly growing exports of consumer electronics to regional and global markets. Mahathir reigned supreme, dispensing patronage and securing UMNO’s political base under the camouflage of the long-established New Economic Policy, put in place after the racial disturbances of the late 1960s to lift up the bumiputera Malay population and in the process embedding race-based politics into the fabric of political culture.

After the Asian Financial Crisis Malaysia has faced a far less certain future, not only because of the political dark-side that it exposed under Mahathir, but also because of the way that cosy politics had come to sap the vibrancy out of the economy and good economic policy. Economic performance has gradually stagnated, Global Financial Crisis aside. A race-base political culture has become less and less tenable: it’s not only Anwar Ibrahim that challenges with an alternative political model; the government itself is grappling within itself and against the ghosts of its past for a new way, ditching the old New Economic Policy. Malaysia is on the cusp of a profound turning point in its national development.

As Shankaran Nambiar explains in this week’s lead the New Economic Model, were it implemented, would seek to sweep aside many of the shackles that have held Malaysia back, economically and politically. It would tackle the failure of economic policy to provide a foundation for lifting Malaysia out of its lower middle-income malaise. It would also, necessarily, tackle the related problem of Malaysia’s suppression of civil and political freedoms. The most important problem, he argues, centres on ‘the institutional framework in Malaysia. The way people interact, their expectations, and the norms and conventions that govern these interactions must change. The norms, habits and conventions in society must support efficiency and competitiveness, and not give way to lassitude and indifference…There is evidence that civil liberties and a more liberal political and social fabric helps promote economic development. Institutional reform of this nature involves guaranteeing: freedom of speech; freedom of assembly and demonstration: equal opportunity; freedom from excessive governmental intervention; respect for minorities; and a fair, independent judiciary.’

It’s a brave call but if heeded there is promise of realising the Malaysian dreams of once again being the strong country of Southeast Asia and a future among the industrial democracies of the OECD.

——

What’s behind Malaysia’s New Economic Model

June 27th, 2010

By Shankaran Nambiar, MIER

Malaysia’s New Economic Model (NEM) is a framework that promises to bring the country out of its middle-income status, and push it into the realm of a high-income economy. The NEM proposes to do this through eight Strategic Research Initiatives (SRIs). These SRIs include re-energising the private sector, developing a quality workforce, and creating a competitive domestic environment. Growth is also considered, both in terms of enhancing the sources of growth and ensuring the sustainability of growth. Other initiatives target the public sector, affirmative action and building Malaysia’s knowledge-base and infrastructure.

Given the multiplicity of the SRIs, if one were asked to select the key factors, what would they be? These key factors must be foundational in driving the economy to higher growth, and have a sufficiently far-reaching effect to influence other factors contributing to the rapid shift of the economy.

The three most important issues for the NEM, I would suggest, are: education, entrepreneurial skills and institutional reform.

Education is a pervasive factor that lies at the source of many problems that plague the Malaysian economy. This is also an issue that stifles the growth of investment.

For its success, the NEM depends on technology upgrading, the creation of a knowledge-economy and the development of a highly skilled workforce. It also hopes to move up the value-chain by emphasising technology-intensive methods of production and by relying on innovation and research and development (R&D). All of this depends on a sound system of education.

When it comes to the question of reforming education in Malaysia, tertiary education receives the bulk of the focus. Indeed, innovation and R&D require good universities. Moreover, if the private sector is to be energised, benefiting from high quality human capital, and drawing upon R&D, universities must be the root source.

But, universities only have about three years to work on students who have been formed by their primary and secondary education over a period of 13 years. If intellectual curiosity and creativity have not been instilled during this period, the chances of acquiring them in university are bleak.

There are more basic problems that need to be sorted out. Students need to learn to effectively read and write in English. Teachers, it has been commented, need to be taught to teach English correctly and with confidence. Presently, the focus is on safeguarding ethnic interests and the government is preoccupied with the difficult task of balancing the demands of different ethnicities, leaving little time to worry about fundamental issues.

The second crucial issue pertains to entrepreneurial skills. This is the concern of SRI1, which at its core has the re-energisation of the private sector as its goal. The growth of small and medium enterprises will not flourish in the absence of entrepreneurship.

A more sensitive and important issue relates to the presence of entrepreneurship among bumiputera (indigenous Malay). Their lack of ownership of equity is a nagging concern that threatens ethnic stability. The New Economic Policy was put in place to address the lack of bumiputera representation in national wealth. Indeed, the NEM will not be safe unless this issue is adequately addressed. This implies the creation of a corpus of skilled bumiputera entrepreneurs, who can flourish, but without resorting to dependence on government handouts. This, truly, would be a challenge.

The third and most important problem centres on re-orienting the institutional framework in Malaysia; the way people interact, their expectations, and the norms and conventions that govern these interactions must change. The norms, habits and conventions in society must support efficiency and competitiveness, and not give way to lassitude and indifference. This ambitious goal, because it involves the fabric of society, could well take more than a decade to achieve.

Institutional reform of a more limited, but no less significant order, should also be initiated. There is some evidence that civil liberties and a more liberal political and social fabric helps promote economic development. Institutional reform of this nature involves guaranteeing: freedom of speech; freedom of assembly and demonstration: equal opportunity; freedom from excessive governmental intervention; respect for minorities; and a fair, independent judiciary.

The NEM is silent on state capture. State capture is a form of corruption that may be defined as the undue and illicit influence of the elite in a country formulating or influencing the laws, policies and regulations of the government. The zero-tolerance for corruption that the NEM propagates is only one of a longer list of concepts that good governance subsumes. It may be argued that state capture is not present.  Nonetheless, a broader notion of corruption and governance is required.

Education, entrepreneurship and market-friendly institutions demand reform. These are core but extremely slippery issues that have to be caught by their horns.  The NEM is right in correctly identifying them, but they have to be adequately addressed if the NEM is to be meaningfully implemented.

Shankaran Nambiar is a Senior Research Fellow and the Head of Policy Studies Division at the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research.

The views mentioned in this article are his own and do not reflect the official position of MIER.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 30 June 2010, 10:14 am and is filed under
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Forum: Kemelaratan Rakyat Sabah di Lembah Kelang

View
DAP’s Points of Interest
 in a larger map

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 30 June 2010, 3:19 pm and is filed under
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MACC cancels London interview with PI Bala

By
Aidila Razak
 | Malaysiakini

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will not record the statement of private investigator P Balasubramaniam in London after all.

Instead, it will submit questions to his lawyers and request that the witness responds in the form of an affidavit, MACC deputy commissioner Mohd Shukri Abdull told a press conference today.

“We will write to the witness’ lawyers tomorrow to inform them of the decision, and to submit the questions,” he said.

He said that the decision was made upon advice from the attorney-general’s chambers, after considering the Eric Chia case where a witness statement recorded overseas was not allowed to be tendered as evidence in the corruption trial.

According to MACC Legal and Prosecution Director Abdul Razak Musa, the decision not to record Balasubramaniam’s statement was also influenced by decisions on Thai pathologist Pornthip Rojanasunand’s testimony in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest.

“In the Eric Chia case, we even had the statement recorded in the magistrate’s chambers overseas, but it was inadmissible. We don’t want to be wasting our efforts,” he explained.

‘Bala not our enemy’

When asked, he admitted that even the affidavit may not lend much weight to the case if Balasubramaniam (right) does not testify in court.

“According to Section 30(1)(c) of the MACC Act 2009, an affidavit is admissible in court, but the weight of the evidence is questionable if it cannot be cross-examined,” he said.

Shukri said this is why the commission has been pushing for Balasubramaniam to give his statement in Malaysia and to testify in court.

The MACC has recorded the statements of “most of the witnesses” and the private eye’s statement is crucial to the case, he said.

“MACC needs him for our investigations. He is not our enemy and neither are we his. We expect that we will have to record statements from more witnesses based on his affidavit.”

Asked why it has taken so long for the commission to decide on how to deal with Balasubramaniam’s interview, Shukri said, “It is better that we do things slowly, if it means the efforts of all parties will not be wasted.”

The MACC had originally agreed to record the statement at the Holiday Villa in London from July 5-7.

—-

MACC cancels PI Bala’s London interview

By Neville Spykerman | The Malaysian Insider

June 30, 2010

PUTRAJAYA, June 30 – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today called off plans to interview P.Balasubramaniam in London next week over his claims of a conspiracy in the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Instead they are opting to pose questions to the private investigator and allow him to respond via an affidavit.

MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdull said they were advised by the Attorney-General’s Chambers against interviewing the private investigator in London.

“We have been advised against it because there are legal implications” he said.

MACC officers were scheduled to interview him in London between July 5 and July 7.

Shukri said all of the other witnesses in the case had been interviewed except for him.

He pointed out that Balasubramaniam was their main witness.

“He is not our enemy. Without him we cannot complete our investigations,” said Shukri.

He said they will inform his lawyers officially tomorrow.

Shukri also pointed out that Balasubramanium had previously indicated his willingness to testify in court.

He said it would be better for him to return to Malaysia to help investigations.

MACC Legal Director Datuk Abdul Razak Musa said the validity of Balasubramaniam’s statement would not be recognised by local courts if it was recorded overseas.

He said the precedent was set in the case of Tan Sri Eric Chia, where a statement recorded overseas was not accepted.

Abdul Razak said this was similar to the stand MACC was adopting in the inquest of Teoh Beng Hock.

They maintain pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand should not  be allowed to testifying from Thailand but should return to Malaysia.

Balasubramaniam had linked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to Altantuya in a statutory declaration made on October 27 2008.

But he retracted his claims via another sworn declaration the next day before leaving the country.

Najib has denied knowing Altantuya, who was murdered four years ago.

In October last year, Balasubramaniam emerged from hiding to claim that his first declaration was true and that he was offered RM5million to retract his statement.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 30 June 2010, 7:26 pm and is filed under
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Finland makes broadband a ‘legal right’

BBC News

Finland has become the first country in the world to make broadband a legal right for every citizen.

From 1 July every Finn will have the right to access to a 1Mbps (megabit per second) broadband connection.

Finland has vowed to connect everyone to a 100Mbps connection by 2015.

In the UK the government has promised a minimum connection of at least 2Mbps to all homes by 2012 but has stopped short of enshrining this as a right in law.

The Finnish deal means that from 1 July all telecommunications companies will be obliged to provide all residents with broadband lines that can run at a minimum 1Mbps speed.

Broadband commitment

Speaking to the BBC, Finland’s communication minister Suvi Linden explained the thinking behind the legislation: “We considered the role of the internet in Finns everyday life. Internet services are no longer just for entertainment.

Finland has worked hard to develop an information society and a couple of years ago we realised not everyone had access,” she said.

It is believed up to 96% of the population are already online.

In the UK internet penetration stands at 73%.

The British government has agreed to provide everyone with a minimum 2Mbps broadband connection by 2012 but it is a commitment rather than a legally binding ruling.

“The UK has a universal service obligation which means virtually all communities will have broadband,” said a spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Making broadband a legal right could have implications for countries that plan tough action on illegal file-sharing.

Both the UK and France have said they may cut off or limit the internet connections of people who persistently download music or films for free.

The Finnish government has adopted a more gentle approach.

“We will have a policy where operators will send letters to illegal file-sharers but we are not planning on cutting off access,” said Ms Linden.

A poll conducted for the BBC World Service earlier this year found that almost four in five people around the world believed that access to the internet is a fundamental right.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 1 July 2010, 2:25 pm and is filed under
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Hi Sabahans in Klang Valley – Lets meet in PJ on Sunday 2 pm

The meeting of Sabahans in the Klang Valley will be held this Sunday (July 4, 2010) at 2 pm at the Petaling Jaya Community Library Hall (next to Assunta Hospital, Petaling Jaya)
(see map)
 to discuss the problems and needs, grievances and frustrations of Sabahans particularly those stranded in the Klang Valley.

The idea of a meeting of Sabahans in Klang Valley is the upshot of recent visits by DAP MPs/SAs to various parts of Sabah in the past months including Kota Belud, Tuaran, Keningau, Tambunan, Sepanggar, Donggongon and Kampong Inobong in Penampang, Tawau, Merotai, Kalabakan, Pitas and Kota Marudu.

Wherever DAP MPs/SAs Hiew King Cheu (Kota Kinabalu), Teo Nie Ching (Serdang), Lim Lip Eng (Segambut), Jimmy Wong  (DAP Sabah state Assemblymen for Sri Tanjong) and I went in Sabah, there was concern about the plight of Sabahans stranded in the Klang Valley, particularly following media reports early this year of homeless Sabahans who had to scavenge for food from garbage bins outside restaurants in the Klang Valley.

Sabahans back home were shocked that Sabah youths, who had gone to the national capital to seek greener pastures, were roaming the streets and relying on food served by NGOs and on leftovers in dustbins for an additional meal.

Sabahans back home were shocked that Sabah youths, who had gone to the national capital to seek greener pastures, were roaming the streets and relying on food served by NGOs and on leftovers in dustbins for an additional meal.

Sunday’s meeting of Sabahans in Klang Valley will seek to get first-hand information about the neglect of socio-economic rights and development as well as the frustrations of the people of Sabah.

The July 4 meeting of Sabahans in the Klang Valley however will also have a broader scope and agenda – to cover the whole spectrum of frustrations of Sabahans.

The New Economic Model with the main goal of transforming Malaysia into a high-income advanced nation with inclusiveness and sustainability aims to achieve a per capita GNP of US$17,700 (RM57,348) by 2020.

However, under the Sabah Development Economic Corridor Blueprint 2008-2025, the projected GDP per capita for Sabah in 2020 is only RM11,571 – which is more than five times less than the targeted per capita GNP for Malaysia under the NEM.

Coming on top of the scandal of the degradation and deterioration of Sabah from the richest state to the poorest state in the past five decades, it is most shocking and even outrageous that there is a five-fold difference in the targetted per capita income of Sabahans as compared to Malaysians in ten years’ time in 2020.

In Parliament recently, I had urged the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to address five “present and urgent issues” to give meaning to the slogans of 1Malaysia and “inclusive growth” and end the marginalization of ordinary Sabahans who had been left out of national development and progress since the formation of Malaysia some five decades ago.

These five priority issues are:

Satisfactory resolution to the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah, causing the Sabah population to multiply from some 400,000 during the formation of Malaysia in 1963 to over three million today. During his visit to Sabah last September, the Prime Minister had promised resolution of the illegal immigrant problem and this seems to have been completely forgotten.

Eradication of poverty in Sabah. Barisan Nasional had promised to eradicate poverty in 2000 but it is now 2010 and Sabah has the highest poverty rate in the country.

Massive development of basic infrastructure in Sabah to provide roads, piped water, electricity and broadband to Sabahans.

Raising the 5% oil royalty payment to Sabah government to 20%.

Re-opening of the inquiry into the “66” air-crash in Kota Kinabalu on June 6, 1976 which killed Sabah Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens and State Ministers, Datuk Salleh Sulong, Datuk Peter Mojuntin and Chong Thien Vun to address the many questions and doubts of Sabahans about the true cause of the Double Six tragedy 34 years ago.

These are among the issues which deserve revisiting at the meeting of Sabahans in the Klang Valley in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, July 4 2010, which is convened by DAP MP for Kota Kinabalu, Hiew King Cheu, assisted and co-ordinated by DAP MPs Teo Nie Ching (Serdang) and Lim Lip Eng (Segambut). Contacts and enquiries can also be made through the following:

03-79578022 /
[email protected]
;

088-254987 /
[email protected]

Leaders from Pakatan Rakyat, including PKR President Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Ismail as well as representatives from DAP and PAS will attend the meeting of Sabahans in the Klang Valley.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 1 July 2010, 9:44 pm and is filed under
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Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #21

By
M. Bakri Musa

Chapter 3:  Lessons From The Past

 The Reformers’ Charter Oath of Five Articles

 Just three months after being restored, the reformers, through the emperor, made a historic proclamation called The Charter Oath of Five Articles.  It promised:

Public discussion of all matters;

The participation of all classes, high and low, in the administration of the state;

Freedom of all persons to pursue their own calling;

Abandoning the evil customs of the past and to rely on the just laws of Nature;

Seek knowledge from throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundations of imperial rule.

             Seen in the context of a feudal society, the declaration was truly radical.  Calling for the participation of all classes in the administration of the state and not just the nobility and warrior class was distinctly revolutionary.  Similarly, the freedom to choose one’s own calling or career represented a quantum leap forward in thinking in a society where previously what you did or who you were was dictated by your class or birth.  The last two elements of the charter reflected the recognition by the young imperial advisors that the ways of the old were clearly wanting and that they had a lot to learn from the outside world.  Merely shutting themselves off from foreign influence was not the answer.  Instead the Japanese had to learn from the advanced societies of the time:  the West.

             The old mantra of revering the emperor and expelling the barbarians was replaced by more pragmatic and decidedly constructive slogans, such as wakon yosai (Japanese spirit, Western learning).

             The Japanese took to learning from the West with a vengeance.  Initially, as would be expected of a nation that had been humiliated, the Japanese were intent and content with merely aping the ways of the foreigners.  Thus they began sporting coat tails and European-style sideburns.  The latter must have been a particularly difficult for the non-hirsute Japanese!  A minister even divorced his wife formally, Western style, instead of merely tolerating her and taking on concubines.  That would have been, well, so Japanese!  The Japanese even converted their calendar to the Western Gregorian one.

             Amidst such banalities and trivialities however, the Japanese did commit themselves to learning the more enduring values of Western civilization.  English classes were held everywhere and Western books were widely translated into Japanese.  Japanese masses were now exposed to the great philosophers and thinkers of the West.

             To dramatically symbolize its new beginning and a break from the past, the Meiji administration moved the capital from Kyoto to Tokyo.  Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the new regime was its committed and disciplined search for models outside of Japan that would be applicable in rebuilding its own institutions.

             This commitment to Western learning was publicly demonstrated when the government dispatched a “learning mission” to the capitals of the modern world.  The mission, composed of ministers and senior administrators, circled the globe visiting advanced countries, learning and making comparative studies of the various governments, systems of education, industrial development, and economic models.  Japanese embassies were specifically instructed to observe the systems and institutions in their host countries that were worthy of being emulated, and to scout for talent to be recruited to teach the Japanese.  Leading American educators were invited to help modernize the schools and universities.  The Japanese were fully cognizant of their backward status, and they were intent on modernizing.  They were committed to learning the best from the West.

            The Japanese made the profound yet simple discovery that learning and interacting with foreigners did not in any way compromise their own culture or independence.  More significantly, they realized that the advancement and superiority of the West was of recent onset and that Japan was not that far behind after all.  And that with hard work and eagerness to learn, they were confident they could catch up.

             That such a learning mission was created in the first place was remarkable.  It conveyed the Japanese total commitment to learning from others.  Imagine senior administrators and ministers leaving en mass for months on end, with Japan essentially under caretakers’ hands or absentee government.  In many countries there would have been a coup d’etat.  But those ministers and administrators returned with renewed vigor and utter confidence in their nation’s ability not only to learn the best but also to catch up and eventually join the ranks of developed nations.  This Japan did very successfully, and like the West, Japan too went on to become a colonizing power, much to the chagrin of her neighbors, especially China and Korea.

             Within a generation Japan was transformed from a xenophobic closed society, steeped in its feudal ways, into a modern egalitarian state, and at the same time restoring its traditional imperial emperor.  Truly remarkable!  With that transformation, Japan went on to become a major power, able to conquer militarily most of Asia in World War II, and to economically dominate most of the world in the later half of the 20th century.

             In any revolution, and the Meiji Restoration was one, there would inevitably be winners and losers.  In this instance, the nation as a whole emerged the winner. Within the society however, there were definite casualties.

             Clearly the warlords and assorted nobilities lost; they became irrelevant with the centralization of administration in Tokyo.  The egalitarian policies benefited the masses.  The removal of the ban on intermarriages between the different classes was symbolic of this new attitude towards equality.  Farmers too came out ahead as they were now no longer tenants but able to own the land they tilled; a significant step forward towards private property ownership.

             When Emperor Mutsuhito died in July 1912, he was given the name of the momentous period he had overseen, the Age of Enlightened Rule: the Meiji Emperor.  Japan and its people had indeed undergone a historic transformation, all within one generation.

             Why did the young imperial advisors use the emperor and not do it themselves?  They knew that the ideas they were contemplating and the changes they were embarking upon were truly radical.  These changes would be more readily acceptable to the masses when presented wrapped within the cloak of their traditions.  Thus they shrewdly used the emperor as a convenient vehicle.

             A generation later at the end of World War II, General Douglas McArthur wisely used the institution of the emperor to successfully institute yet another radical change upon Japanese society.  He effectively democratized Japan under the banner of the emperor.

             To take home the Japanese lesson, I have little sympathy with modern-day Malay “reformers” who are intent on imposing changes on our society without heeding our underlying cultural traditions.  Such calls as Melayu Baru (New Malay) and Reformasi would have Malays be ripped off the anchoring stability of our traditions and heritage.  Such attempts at reform are bound to fail.

            We must use the elements of our culture to effect changes.  As an example, Malays are deeply attached to Islam and to the sultans.  That being the case we should reform the institutions of Islam and royalty first, and through them effect changes on the greater society.  We can begin by having enlightened and progressive ulama lecture to our students and in our mosques.  We should have more reasoned and cerebral sermons instead of the usual fire and brimstone variety.  If we can reform our ulama not to be obsessed with the hereafter and instead focus on the present life first, then we may be able to persuade the masses.

             We do this by changing the way in which they are being trained.  Exposed them to modern ideas!  It is too late to change those already set in their ways but we can do something with the next generation of ulama.  Likewise if we can reform our sultans and princes, making sure that they are well educated and exposed to progressive ideas, then they would become valued role models.

             What impressed me about the radical changes in early Mecca during the time of our prophet, in medieval Europe during the reformation, and in Japan during the Meiji Restoration, was the exemplary leadership of those who were in the forefront of making those changes.  The reforms began with them, and then filtered down.  To effect comparable reforms in contemporary Malaysia, its leaders (political, hereditary, and religious) must first change their ways.  Reforms must begin with them, and then through personal examples, filtered down to the masses.

             While this chapter focused on examples from the past, the next will examine more contemporary societies, to reemphasize my theme of how to effect changes and reform.

Next:   Chapter 4:      Modern Model States

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 1 July 2010, 2:22 pm and is filed under
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Home Ministry’s suspension of PKR organ Suara Keadilan – sign of double-pincer movement of clampdown on dissent and triumph of hardliners and extremist screaming of Suara Perkasa?

Action speaks louder than words.

Today, the headline is: “
Home Ministry suspends Suara Keadilan’s permit
”

But three days ago, Suara Perkasa made its debut with the screaming headline: “
Arrest Ka Siong under ISA
”.

This raises the question whether the suspension of  Suara Keadilan heralds a new political development in the Barisan Nasional with a double-pincer movement of clampdown against dissent coupled and the  triumph of hardliners like the immunity enjoyed by the extremist and rightwing Perkasa to incite communal disaffection.

The Home Ministry’s suspension of  PKR organ Suara Keadilan for running foul of the Printing Presses and Publication Act (PPPA) must be deplored in the strongest possible terms as it is totally against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s pledge for  a more open, tolerant,  transparent and accountable system of governance.

One of the issues used for the justification for the suspension of Suara Keadilan is its coverage of Felda’s financial woes. However, as Felda has  initiated RM200 million legal action against Suara Keadilan over its Felda report, this should not be the basis for any Home Ministry action.

The suspension of Suara Keadilan’s publishing permit should be revoked immediately as this is a test whether Najib is sincere and serious in wanting a more open, tolerant, transparent and accountable system of governance which is an essential prerequisite  if Malaysia is to make the quantum leap to escape the middle-income trap to become a developed high-income nation with inclusiveness and sustainability.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 2 July 2010, 12:49 pm and is filed under
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DAP: MP allocations better spent on scholarships

Malaysiakini

Humayun Kabir

Jul 3, 10

The DAP has slammed the additional project allocations to parliamentary constituencies totalling RM111 million, saying the money would be better spent on more scholarships to deserving students, our future assets.

Party supremo Lim Kit Siang lashed out at the BN government for squandering precious public funds for their personal political agenda instead of helping needy students.

He said more non-Malay students who deserve scholarships are not getting the opportunities, describing Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s 1Malaysia policy as hypocritical.

Lim praised party national vice chief M Kula Segaran – who is helping Indians secure Public Services Department (PSD) scholarships – for championing the rights of his community.

Economy flip-flop

Lim (below) also picked on the BN leadership’s flip flopping statements on the state of the national economy.

He referred to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz had claimed that the government lacked sufficient funds to increase PSD scholarships.

And then in the same breath Nazri announced that because the government has extra funds all BN parliamentarians would enjoy an increase project allocations from the annual RM1 million to RM1.5 million, said Lim.

Another contradiction, he said, was Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Idris Jala’s claim that the nation might become bankrupt by 2019 if the government continues with its subsidies policy.

Lim said this was in stark contrast to Mahathir’s vision of a developed Malaysia by 2020. Najib had also claimed this week that the target was achievable.

“On the one hand we have the possibility of the nation going bankrupt by 2019, and a year later (we achieve) developed status. Which is correct?,” asked Kit Siang.

Lim was speaking at the DAP Barat Tamil Dinner at Dewan Han Kang, SJKC Yuh Hua in Buntong, Ipoh on Friday night.

1,000 Buntong residents attended the function, where six top DAP leaders, including Penang chief minister and party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng spoke on the country’s current political situation.

East Malaysia ‘fleeced’

Kit Siang said that both Sabah and Sarawak are now more receptive to the political change that hit the peninsula on March 8, 2008.

Likewise, he called on the Indian community to also support Pakatan to take control of Putrajaya.

Guan Eng (right) touched on reducing the high level of corruption in the country, with measures such as open tenders and enforcing anti-corruption laws.

He said politicians should also lead by example by taking steps to cut costs and boost revenue.

“Many `frogs’ (party defectors) have mocked me for flying economy class in Air Asia, and said that I have no class. But at the end of the day I have cut costs and saved public funds by economising,” he added.

He said Sabah and Sarawak are both lands of plenty, but massive depletion of public funds through wastage and corruption has left the natives in poverty while the “two-legged crocodiles” continue to fleece the natural resources.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 3 July 2010, 9:53 pm and is filed under
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Turning MACC into a law unto itself

By
Tunku Abdul Aziz

A certain member of Parliament heading an MACC committee has suggested that  MACC should not only be given more money, as if the tens of millions of ringgit of government funds already dished out are still insufficient, but also the power to prosecute cases investigated by that organisation itself. A monstrous idea even if the MACC had a reputation for the highest professional integrity which, of course, it hasn’t. The fact of the matter is that this much touted independent corruption fighting outfit modelled on the Hong Kong ICAC continues to be regarded with a degree of disdain.

The MAC does not enjoy the cachet and the public trust and confidence of the Malaysian public. Only corrupt politicians and public servants have complete trust in the MACC, but, sadly, for all the wrong reasons.   Someone somewhere has to have his head examined for even thinking of making the MACC a law unto itself. Has the YB concerned not heard of the need for a system of checks and balances or the vital necessity of avoiding a conflict of interest situation in the conduct of public affairs as a means of reducing corruption? The whole harebrained suggestion is akin to allowing the Attorney-General to double as a judge in a case he has decided as AG to prosecute! He may well relish the idea, but will justice be served in the process? Or perhaps we don’t care.

The MACC is apparently only good at bleating about insufficient funding. Many anti-corruption agencies in countries much larger and better endowed than Malaysia would drop on their knees to thank God the Almighty for a drop of what we apportion to the MACC to do the work expected of them, but sadly they have failed to deliver. It is really quite pointless defending them on the grounds that they are still new. The acronym MACC may be new, and we sometimes forget that this is the same old wine-turned vinegar presented in a new bottle.   By continually saying that they need even more resources, they are publicly admitting, and Transparency International HQ in Berlin please note, that corruption in Malaysia has become endemic in the system and has assumed Sub-Saharan African proportions. By their own admission, they have failed to arrest the spiralling problem of corruption in this country.

If the corrupt are crawling thick on the ground, in their thousands, why is it that the MACC has been so singularly unsuccessful in pulling in the bigger species such as cabinet ministers, chief ministers, menteris besar and others of their ilk? By your failure, are you intimating that Malaysian public figures are men and women of probity, honour, integrity and totally incorruptible? The money you ask for will be there, but we want to see some results. Is that too much to ask of our MACC that is proudly trumpeted and proclaimed as being based on the Hong Kong anti-corruption model? You can adopt any model, but do not forget that external factors can only be as influential as your internal weaknesses will allow.  To use a soccer analogy, do you think adopting the German soccer model will make the slightest bit of difference to the moribund Malaysian national soccer team?

The MACC will not earn its spurs unless and until it is placed under “an all-party” parliamentary committee, and not Najib who himself has many allegations of impropriety to contend with. I do not believe that the chief commissioner has the courage to investigate allegations of corruption against the Prime Minister, and other high officers of state under existing arrangements. Your claims to professional independence in the present circumstances are nothing if not spurious to say the least.

The MACC is its own worst enemy. It is run, and I have no doubt in my mind, by people who are totally unsophisticated in the art of damage control. Even with its reputation in tatters resulting from its questionable interrogation methods in the Teoh Beng Hock case, it is insistent that it will not allow a video camera into the room in which its officers will record a statement of a witness in London which they are going to conduct shortly. It will also not allow a lawyer to be present during the interview of the witness. I am totally lost for words to describe the obtuseness of our corruption fighters. How on earth do they expect us to take them seriously when they cannot appreciate the fact that their actions are under constant scrutiny, and we are watching for signs that they can be trusted? They have to earn our trust by their actions which have to be grounded firmly in public duty for the public good. In short, In God We Trust, in the MACC we don’t without first seeing the colour of their money. Our “independent” MACC has its work cut out for it.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 3 July 2010, 9:50 am and is filed under
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What 1Malaysia is Najib talking about when there is a recrudescence of most baseless, irresponsible, vicious and racist-charged allegations to provoke racial fear and confrontation?

“
1:40 Malay Non-Malay ratio of newly registered voters
” is the latest example of a recrudescence of the most baseless, irresponsible, vicious  and racist-charged allegations to provoke racial  fear and confrontation which is completely inimical to the 1Malaysia policy proclaimed by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak since assuming the highest office in the land in April last year.

This allegation by the UMNO Youth Voter Registration Bureau was made the front-page screaming headline by Berita Harian on Monday (28th June 2010). It is a downright lie.

What is most shocking and irresponsible is that this lie was given endorsement by the Election Commission Deputy Chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar  who was quoted by Berita Harian the next day (Tuesday 29th June 2010) as saying:

“Maka, apabila ketiga-tiga parti pembangkang itu agresif menarik pengundi baru mendaftar, memang betul kajian Umno yang nisbah pengundi baru Melayu yang mendaftar lebih kecil berbanding bukan Melayu kerana memang itu trendnya,” katanya kepada Berita Harian semalam.

Wan Ahmad had done a grave disservice to the good name and integrity of the public service when he stooped so low as to play to the tune of Umno Youth Voters Registration Bureau to provoke racial fear and confrontation on something which is completely baseless.

The facts are completely different.

There is not only no 40:1 ratio between Malays and non-Malays among the newly-registered voters after the March 2008 general elections, the ratio is not even 30:1, 20:1, 10:1 or even 1:1. In actual fact, it is a ratio of 2:1 for Malays and non-Malays!

Between the March 2008 general elections to the first quarter of this year, a total of 569,137 new voters had been registered, out of which 355,805 (62.52%) are Malay, 131,047 (23.03%) are Chinese, 27,823 (4.89%) Indians,  20,871 (3.6%) Sabah bumiputera, 27,104 (4.7%) Sarawak bumiputeras, 2,378 Orang Asli and 4,109 Others.

The latest statistics on the newly-registered voters since March 2008 general election was given by the Election Commission Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusuf four days after the baseless and irresponsible “40:1 ratio” headline, but was published by Berita Harian in so inconspicuous a manner that it would be overlooked and have no effect whatsoever to wipe out the hysterical impact of its screaming front-page Monday headline of a “40:1” ratio between Malays and non-Malays among the newly-registered voters.

Wan Ahmad should know that UMNO Youth Voters Registration Bureau claim was grossly and irresponsibly wrong – but why did he give it his blessing in Berita Harian the next day?

Berita Harian is guilty of most irresponsible journalism which undermines the very basis of Najib’s 1Malaysia nation-building policy.

All Malaysians must be concerned because this is not an isolated case. In fact, there had been a recrudescence of  baseless, irresponsible, vicious and racist-charged allegations made to provoke racial scare, fear and confrontation – like the scaremongering that the Chinese will take over the country in the next general election and that the Malays could become a minority in the country.

Malaysians are entitled to know from Najib what is this 1Malaysia that he is advocating when under his premiership, there is a recrudescence of the most baseless, irresponsible, vicious and racist-charged allegations given widest coverage which are clearly designed to provoke fear and confrontation and what he proposes to do to counter such divisive and destructive forces.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 3 July 2010, 4:03 pm and is filed under
1Malaysia
,
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Whole country shocked into eerie silence by Najib’s marriage of NEW and NEP, but we must object strongly

By
Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

WE ARE SHOCKED BY PM ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE BUMI 30% QUOTA WOULD CONTINUE, BUT WE MUST OBJECT STRONGLY FOR THE SAKE OF OUR COUNTRY, THE POOR AND OUR CHILDREN

The proposal by Najib that the 30% bumiputra corporate equity would be maintained together with the NEM. Surprisingly the astounding marriage of two conflicting policies has not raised much reaction.

Are the people so shocked that they have lost their power of speech or writing at the amazing reversal of Najib’s crusade for reforms when he became Prime Minister, to become also a promoter of cronyism and rent seeking policies.

There seems to be absolute silence in Parliament from the honourable members, when they should be debating vigorously on the reckless decision of the Prime Minister to discard the recommendations of the NEM commission to dump rent seeking policies promoted by the NEP, which caused the economy to stagnate for 40 years, from the time it was introduced in 1971.

We cannot afford to keep on what is going to be catastrophic for the country – the consequences of reinstating the 30% bumi equity.  We must speak up.

History has shown that the NEP was the main reason why Malaysia’s economy lagged behind Hong Kong, S. Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. Malaysia did not join the club of Asian tigers comprising of Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and S. Korea.

At the time of independence, Malaysia’s per capita income was second in Asia, after Japan, but now it is way behind the Asian tigers.

The PCI figures tell it all. The per capita income for a Singaporean in 2009 was US$33,000, for Hong Kong US$32,000, S.Korea US$18,000 and Taiwan US$17,000.

By reviving the NEP bumi equity quota, does the Prime Minister want to condemn the people to continue to live on low incomes, and let Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines over take us? Does he want the people in
kampongs
 continue to live in poverty, while Umno tycoons reap in millions from the 30% bumiputra equity quota?

Mr Prime Minister Najib Razak, do you realise that even your own brother, Nasir Razak, chairman of CIMB was reported to have said that the 30% bumi quota only benefited a MINORITY of Malays. Most of the Malays in the
kampongs
 and
dusuns
 continue to be poor.

These are facts. All the data listed above are found in World Bank reports.

The bad things are happening because the 30% bumi quota gave a bad impression to investors that the economy here is closed, over regulated and quite unlike other countries  are free and liberal.

By retaining the 30% bumi quota, the Prime Minister is going to drive investors away. Without a good flow of  foreign direct investments, economic development will slow down. We are a small country and we depend on world markets to buy our commodities and manufactured products.

Be like China, which will be the the second largest economy in the world, after the USA. Its success was due to changing from a communist economy to a democratic, liberal economy.

Our advice to PM Najib, withdraw the 30% bumi quota, and build up a free liberal market. With more investments, the country will prosper and all Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Dayaks or Kadazans will enjoy higher incomes and prosperity.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 3 July 2010, 1:13 pm and is filed under
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1-AP

by
Charlie

Letter

An ad in UK says :

Toyota Estima Emina 2.4 Latest Edition.

5 Doors, Automatic, MPV, Petrol, 49,000 miles, Pearl White, 02 Reg year 2002, Air Conditioning, Anti-Lock Braking System, Central Locking, Compact Disc Player, 8 Seats, Electric Mirrors, Electric Windows, Adjustable Seat Height, Adjustable Steering Column, Air Bag, Alarm,

£8595

This car will sell for RM 160,000 in KL.

But £1 = RM 4.794

£ 8595 = RM 41,204.

So cheap? Cannot be!

OK. The pound took a dip. Lets use the old old rate of  £1= RM 7

Then £ 8595 = RM 60,165

So cheap ? Really ? Why are we Malaysians paying RM 160,000?

The costing is :

    Vehicle CIF —  RM 60,000

     Duty.Taxes/profit  —  RM 60,000

The other RM 40,000? Goes to the notorious AP.

If I sell 1 AP per month, my income is higher than the monthly salary of a CEO of a listed company. More than 1.5 times the annual salary of a fresh graduate.

If I sell 2 APs per month, I am a millionaire by definition : million dollar income.

Why do you want to go to U,  struggle for 3-4 years, and get paid less than what they make with 1-AP?

Now I know why AP is extended again and again, and again …….

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 4 July 2010, 8:18 am and is filed under
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Kit Siang: Sabahans have become minority in Sabah

By
Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani
 | The Malaysian Insider

PETALING JAYA, July  4 — Lim Kit Siang said today that the lack of economic opportunities and development in Sabah had caused an exodus to Kuala Lumpur for greener pastures.

“After 47 years, Sabahans are now concerned that they have become the minority and strangers in their own land. How can Sabah’s population of 400,000 during the formation of Malaysia in 1963 be now multiplied to over three million today. Super producers in Sabah, where did they come from?” he said during Pakatan Rakyat’s first meeting of Sabahans in Klang Valley.

However, Lim pointed out that many Sabahans have been exploited with false promises which have left many to be unemployed and homeless.

He added that Sabah still lacked the basic infrastructure and necessities to accommodate the growing number of unemployed.

“Something has gone very wrong that Sabah has become so poor. The state is lacking the necessary infrastructure. The federal government had promised that all development in peninsular will also be in Sabah but now even electricity, water and broadband is lacking.

“That is why it is important to have a study and forum to discuss the problems affecting Sabahans. We cannot solve all the problems but we need to start so that we can begin to resolve them,” he said.

Lim also stressed that Sabah had been cheated by Barisan Nasional.

“All are Malaysians including the people of Sabah. It cannot be denied that the promises made when Sabah joined to form Malaysia in 1963 have been broken. For ordinary Sabahans, their economic and social status have not changed after all these years,” he said.

He said that Sabahans have the choice to change for a better future.

“We need to change the power equation in this nation. This cannot be said when Sabah and Sarawak still remain as fixed deposits for Barisan Nasional. If Sabah and Sarawak decides on change then Anwar can become our next prime minister,” he said.

Earlier only 80 people turned up for the forum held to discuss the wellbeing of Sabahans in the Klang Valley.

Speakers and spectators voiced their frustrations with the inability of Barisan Nasional to resolve the economic dilemmas affecting the state.

Participants complained that they were forced to come to Kuala Lumpur because there were no job opportunities in Sabah.

Father Valentine Gompok claimed that students had to resort to prostitution to pay for their debts and workers were misled into leaving their homes with false promises.

PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail questioned how a state which is oil rich could become one of the poorest in the country.

“We must not let ourselves to be exploited. What can we do? We all can do something. We are the ones that can make a change and [don’t] let yourself become a spectator. If we begin now then we can be sure of change,” she said.

She added the federal government had taken everything from Sabah but has failed to protect its people.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 4 July 2010, 9:40 pm and is filed under
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RESOLUTION of first meeting of Sabahans in Klang Valley

RESOLUTION of first meeting of Sabahans in Klang Valley in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, July 4, 2010:

The first meeting of Sabahans in the Klang Valley held in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, July 4, 2010 to discuss specifically the problems of Sabahans stranded in Klang Valley and generally the concerns, grievances and frustrations of Sabahans 47 years in Malaysia RESOLVES as follows:

EXPRESS
 grave concern at the socio-economic plight of Sabahans stranded in the Klang Valley to the extent that homeless Sabahans had to scavenge for food from garbage bins outside restaurants in the Klang Valley or depend on food served by NGOs;

EXPRESS
 grave distress at the spectrum of outstanding political, economic, socio-economic-cultural and citizenship woes of Sabahans, including:

the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah, causing the Sabah population to multiply from some 400,000 during the formation of Malaysia in 1963 to over three million

Poverty in Sabah – instead of eradication of poverty in Sabah as promised by Barisan Nasional in 2000, Sabah has the highest poverty rate in the country.

Shocking backwardness in the development of basic infrastructures in Sabah whether roads, piped water, electricity and broadband to Sabahans.

Denial and discrimination against the rights of Sabahans with regard to 20% instead of just 5% oil royalty payment to Sabah government.

NOTES
 that the New Economic Model had pinpointed the basic failure of Malaysian nation-building which is not only undermining 1Malaysia nation-building and the transformation of Malaysia into a progressive, just and internationally competitive nation when it admitted why Malaysia is losing out in the international competitive stakes and stressed: “Malaysia must be seen by its people and by others as a land of equal opportunity to earn a good living and provide a secure, happy life for each individual and the family”. It is this failure in the past 47 years of Malaysian nation-building to make Sabahans feel that they have an equal place under the Malaysian sun, and that Malaysia is “a land of equal opportunity to earn a good living and provide a secure, happy life for each individual and the

family” that have made Sabahans feel strangers not only in Malaysia but in their native homeland in Sabah.

CALLS
 on the Federal and Sabah state governments, and where relevant the Selangor state government, to undertake a total transformation of their policies to address and resolve the long-standing political, educational, socio-economic-cultural and citizenship woes of Sabahans or all the talk of 1Malaysia and making Sabah as “one of the most liveable places and a leading economic region in Asia” will remain empty platter.

CALLS
 for a Royal Commission of Inquiry on how the dreams and aspirations of Sabahans and Sarawakians in forming Malaysia in 1963 had been fulfilled or betrayed in the past five decades.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 4 July 2010, 5:35 pm and is filed under
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Making Monsters Out Of Our Students – The “Lucifer Effect” On Our Campuses

By
M. Bakri Musa

I commend Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for his swift action in reassigning the commandant of the Royal Military College (RMC) over the death of one of its students, Naim Mustaqim, during a ragging incident.  Earlier, the college had expelled the alleged abusers.  Likewise, I praise Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin in issuing a stern warning of his “zero tolerance” for ragging in our public universities.

            Ragging is now entrenched in our universities and residential schools, creating monsters out of these students, the “Lucifer Effect” being operative (more on that later).  The ensuing scars and damages are consequential, both physical and psychological.  A few like Naim get killed.

            Ragging is one of those unsavory “traditions” of the colonial British that Third World natives have picked up with a vengeance.  We denigrate everything associated with the colonials but somehow when it comes to ragging, we have no qualms in quickly adopting it.  We have bested the Indians and Sri Lankans in the savagery of our hazing rituals.

            The only effective way to end this pestilence that has plagued our schools and colleges is to initiate a “shock and awe” intervention that would impress everyone on the evilness of this hitherto foreign ritual.  We have to do that now before we have other innocent victims.

Strong Individual and Collective Actions Needed

We need aggressive actions at both the individual and system levels.

            At the personal level, we must help the family of Naim Mustaqim launch lawsuits against not only his alleged abusers but also the RMC authorities and personnel, including the reassigned commandant.  They have been negligent in failing to provide a safe environment for those under their care.  The government must also initiate criminal proceedings; those in supervisory positions including the wardens and teachers should also be prosecuted.

            Naim’s family will not get their young son back, but by instituting civil and criminal actions we would make those responsible pay for their culpabilities.  We cannot condone criminal behaviors lurking beneath ‘tradition.’

            It is reprehensible that those who have been given the awesome responsibility for nurturing our young have neglected their duties, resulting in one promising young man being killed.  Naim’s teachers and wardens had been with him for over six months, literally day and night, and yet they failed to notice the signs of his desperate need for help.  I wonder how they would feel if their loved ones had been similarly neglected.

            The first order of business for RMC’s new commandant must be to impress upon his staff their obligation to look after the safety of those under their charge.  His second order of duty would be to punish those who had let this ugly situation occur.  Those are his two immediate priorities, and not, as he was quoted, “to safeguard the college’s image and moral of students, staff, parents and the public alike.”

            At the systemic level, the responsible ministers should issue directives to the vice-chancellors as well as principals of our universities and residential schools indicating that they would be held responsible for any ragging on their campuses.  Were that to happen, they would suffer the same fate, or worse, as the RMC commandant.

            I would like them to draw up specific rules and lists of “don’ts,” and the penalties for infringements, be given to student and parent (in the case of residential schools) before these students enroll.  They (as well as their parents) would have to sign that document acknowledging their full understanding of the content.

            Be strict for a few years and we would effectively get rid of this scourge.  When the present generation of students who had been brutalized by ragging graduate (in three or four years), then this odious practice would end.  Then our new students could look forward to coming to our campuses for a different experience, one more welcoming and nurturing.

            I was privileged to be spared from attending our local university and thus had a vastly different college experience.  One of the sweetest and most comforting words that greeted me on my arrival on campus in Canada decades ago was an upperclassman extending his hand and saying, “You must be Bakri, from Malaysia!  Hi! I am Ray, your resident advisor!”

            Of course during orientation week we still had to wear that silly beanie and were made to steal apples from the nearby orchards, but nothing beyond that.  What I remember most was my seniors helping and guiding me.  It was to them that I turned to in seeking advice on classes and what was appropriate to wear to campus functions.

            That is what orientation week is supposed to be, to help incoming students adjust to their new campus environment.

Lucifer Effect:  How Good People Turn Evil

While I advocate severe punishment for the abusers of Naim Mustaqim, I am mindful that these kids are not intrinsically evil.  On the contrary, what we have learned from the Stanford psychologist Philip Zimbardo’s famous prison experiment in 1971 is that those students who became torturers (and in Naim’s case, murderers) were normal human beings.  Given a different set of circumstances they could very well become heroes.

            Zimbardo’s “Lucifer Effect” (after Lucifer, God’s favorite angel who turned evil; the Quranic version is Iblis who, banished by Allah from Paradise to earth for disobeying Him, made it his mission to convert as many mortals to his new evil and Satanic ways) is what made otherwise ordinary soldiers into sadists and murderers in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison.  Those who have read the accounts of Kassim Ahmad, Syed Hussin Ali, Raja Petra and others incarcerated under the ISA would immediately recognize the local variation of this Lucifer Effect.  The difference between Kamunting and Abu Ghraib is merely a matter of degree, not kind.

            In his experiment, Zimbardo recruited ordinary college students looking to make a few dollars as subjects in a human psychology experiment simulating the prison experience.  What he discovered about human nature from that innocent experiment shocked him, and forced him to prematurely terminate the study.

            What Zimbardo discovered was that students who were randomly assigned to be “guards” soon became vicious, senselessly brutalizing and inflicting gratuitous punishments on their “prisoners.”  Even though those students were aware that they were being monitored and that it was only an experimental situation, nonetheless they persisted in their brutish ways.

            There are other experiments along the same vein where the social situation, in short peer pressure, made the subjects do things they would not otherwise do.

            The Lucifer Effect illuminates how otherwise good people can turn evil, given the “right” circumstances.  Humans are like pet dogs.  In the calm and nurturing environment of a quiet home with a caring master, it is the most docile, playful and obedient pet, indeed almost angelic.  It would not bark even if your toddler were to yank its tail.  However, let it loose with his canine friends to maraud in the neighborhood as a pack at night, and they would become vicious predators.

            We must make sure that the environment in our schools and universities would not turn our promising young students into evil fallen angels.  Those in charge, from the ministers down to the teachers and custodians, have an awesome responsibility to make sure that this would not happen.  If they fail, then they must be made to pay a stiff price.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 5 July 2010, 11:57 am and is filed under
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Muhyiddin should explain whether 1Malaysia is meaningless slogan or serious policy to make Malaysia more competitive by creating a nation where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first and race second?

Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO Deputy President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is getting very defensive.

In Parit Sulong yesterday, Muhyiddin accused me  of being more “racist” than him and defended his earlier statement that he is Malay first and Malaysian second, and he asked:

“Tanya Lim Kit Siang sama dia akan mengaku Cina atau bangsa Malaysia.”

It will be tragic if after 53 years of nation-building since Merdeka in 1957, Malaysian politics is reduced to political leaders exchanging allegations of who is more racist.

Firstly, let me state that I have not called Muhyiddin an “ultra”. However, he owes a full accounting to all Malaysians as to whether he really supports the 1Malaysia policy advocated by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and whether Najib’s 1Malaysia is a meaningless slogan or a serious policy to make Malaysia more vibrant, productive and competitive where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first and race second?

I did not invent this definition of 1Malaysia. This definition is clearly spelt out in the official documentation on 1Malaysia,  the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme Roadmap released by the government in January this year, which states:

“The goal of 1Malaysia is to make Malaysia more vibrant, more productive and more competitive – and ultimately a greater nation: a nation where, it is hoped, every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second and where the principles of 1Malaysia are woven into the economic, political and social fabric of society.”

Muhyiddin again challenged me to state whether I am Chinese or Malaysian first.

I had already stated in Parliament that I am a Malaysian first and Chinese second. I am proud of my ethnicity but I have always believed that all Malaysians must rise above their ethnic, cultural, religious and geographic differences to seek a common bond with the Malaysian identity transcending all ethnic, cultural, religious and geographic identities.

The question Muhyiddin should answer is why despite Najib’s 1Malaysia policy, not only he but there is not a single Barisan Nasional Cabinet Minister who is prepared to stand up in Parliament to declare that he is Malaysian first and his or her race second?

In fact, I have a question in the current meeting of Parliament asking the Prime Minister to state how many Cabinet Ministers, and to name them, who regard himself or herself as Malaysian first and race second in line with the 1Malaysia policy and definition.

However, this question was ruled out of order on the flimsiest of grounds when the real reason is that the Prime Minister will not be able to answer this question without causing the greatest embarrassment to his 1Malaysia policy – as up to now no Cabinet Minister is prepared to stand up to declare that he or she is Malaysian first and race second.

If this is the position, where no Cabinet Minister is prepared to fully and publicly espouse the philosophy of 1Malaysia, how could the principles of 1Malaysia” be “woven into the economic, political and social fabric of society”?

It is precisely because of this lack of commitment to the goal of 1Malaysia that the New Economic Model (NEM) has met such a quick demise in the 10th Malaysia Plan.

Just to give one example. The NEM drew a picture of Malaysia in crisis, caught in economic stagnation and the middle-income trap for close to two decades.

It admitted: “We are not developing talent and what we have is leaving. The human capital situation in Malaysia is reaching a critical stage. The rate of outward migration of skilled Malaysians is raising rapidly.”

The answer of the Tenth Malaysia Plan is a Talents Corporation but without any political will to address the real problem for the damaging brain drain which has plagued the country for decades which had been rightly diagnosed by the NEM, viz:

“Globalisation has created a fierce competition for talent, forcing companies and government to recognize that people are the most valuable assets. To compete on a regional and global scale, Malaysia must retain and attract talent. Malaysia must be seen by its people and by others as a land of equal opportunity to earn a good living and provide a secure happy life for each individual and the family.”

In other words, 1Malaysia not in sloganeering but in reality – where Malaysians feel that they are Malaysians first and race second in all economic, political and social aspects in the country.

I have suggested a 1Malaysia Royal Commission of Inquiry on how to achieve the goal of making every Malaysian perceive himself or herself as Malaysian first and race second so that Malaysia can become more vibrant, more productive and more competitive.

Is Muhyiddin prepared to support this proposal?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 5 July 2010, 12:00 pm and is filed under
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