Change a byword for Kedah Chinese, but to whom?

By
Sheridan Mahavera

The Malaysian Insider

May 22, 2011

ALOR SETAR, May 22 — About a month after he was put in charge of Kedah Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk Paduka Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah declared the state’s Chinese community was returning to the national coalition.

Ahmad Bashah, who made this claim after a Chinese New Year dinner in February, was confident this was happening because of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia concept.

He is not far from the truth. The Malaysian Insider conducted a straw poll of Kedah Chinese residents and found that a significant number of respondents wanted to change the Pakatan Rakyat state government.

However, this did not mean they liked BN either. In fact, the poll showed that only 12 per cent of all Chinese respondents found the 1 Malaysia concept exciting or attractive. The rest were lukewarm, totally uninterested or unclear about it.

Also, though there were more Chinese respondents who wanted to change the state government, this was not reflected in their feelings about the PR administration. More than half of respondents felt satisfied with how PR was running things.

These layers of sentiments, of wanting change in Kedah yet being satisfied with how things currently are is one reason why Ahmad Bashah is only partly right.

For the PR, it is a sign that residents are confident of the state’s administration despite the restrictions placed on it by the BN-controlled federal government.

Thirty-six per cent of Kedah Chinese respondents to the poll said they wanted to change the state government. While 28 per cent would retain the PR government “if a general election was called tomorrow”.

The rest either “did not know” who they’d vote for (20 per cent) or did not want to comment (16 per cent).

Yet there were more respondents who were satisfied with how the PR was running things (44 per cent) compared to those who were not (40 per cent). The remaining 16 per cent were ambivalent.

Some of those who said they were satisfied with PR did not hesitate to say they wanted a change because the coalition was not bringing enough economic growth to the state.

The lacklustre local economy was the most oft-mentioned problem in Kedah (24 per cent of respondents) followed by inefficient garbage collection (20 per cent). Another major problem was a rise in crime (12 per cent).

Other reasons respondents gave include, the difficulty of finding labour, an incompetent state administration, corruption and the unfair distribution of flood relief aid.

Not bringing in new money

Derga assemblyman Dr Cheah Soon Hai believes that the slip in support among the Chinese business-class is mainly due to the lack of new development in Kedah.

As Ahmad Bashah said in a separate interview, this is something the PR administration has been unable to provide because it does not control Putrajaya.

“Much of the economy consists of small traders who make money from support services and down-line activities,” said Dr Cheah, who is one of only two non-Malay BN state reps.

“The non-Malays had hoped that PR would give them a better deal (than the BN). But now, they have seen that PR policies are not in their favour”, said Dr Cheah who is from Gerakan.

Among the issues he said have turned the Chinese away from PR include the tearing down of a pig abattoir in Alor Star and the 50 per cent Bumiputera housing quota.

Though it sounds petty, the state administration’s failure to find a new site for the abattoir has driven up pork prices and hit consumers in the wallet.

“Most of the pork now has to be brought in from Penang,” claimed an official with a local trade association.

Another member of the association claimed the housing quota had hurt local property developers as it was harder to sell houses designated as “Malay” lots.

“These lots have less market value and many developers have to bear holding costs from their inability to sell them.”

A Gerakan grassroots activist was cautiously optimistic about translating these grouses into a voting trend.

“You cannot say for sure that we will get back all Chinese votes. Maybe 20 to 50 per cent. But we will have to work hard for it.”

Making and giving more with less

For a community that consists primarily of small traders, the economy has not improved under the PR.The reason for the guarded enthusiasm is that despite its deficiencies, the PR administration has aided causes close to the Chinese community’s heart.

For instance, in 2009, it gave RM50,000 to Chinese Independent schools in Kedah, said Kedah DAP chief Lee Guan Aik.

“In 2010, PR upped the amount to RM60,000. They’ve also helped to acquire land for Chinese and Tamil schools to expand in Alor Star,” he said.

This brings up another Kedah PR achievement that it never fails to mention — how it managed to increase logging revenue by eight times without opening up new forest tracts.

During the last BN administration in 2007, revenue from logging was RM8 million, claimed Lee, who is also Kota Darulaman state assemblyman.

“In 2009, PR got RM38 million. In 2010, it collected RM58 million. This was achieved through giving out open tenders,” said Lee.

“It’s this money that is aiding schools, including sekolah agama rakyat (private people’s Islamic schools).

Criticisms towards the housing policy, some feel, were over-blown as it applied only to neighbourhoods in Alor Star. Nor has the administration been totally clueless about helping business, said Kedah Chinese Chambers of Commerce deputy chairman Datuk Sunny Hoe Thean Sun.

“The government has helped industries in the Mergong industrial estate (in Alor Star) renew their leases with reasonable premiums. And these industries provide jobs for locals.

“It’s not fair to say the state government has done badly. The housing policy could be improved but at the same time, they have prudently managed the state’s finances,” said Hoe.

This fact about Kedah PR is seldom heard outside of the state. But it was among the most repeated points made by poll respondents who said they’d vote for the PR again.

And it is actually something tangible that can be re-spun repeatedly during an election campaign. Unlike slogans about racial unity that even its promoters have a hard time living up to.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 22 May 2011, 1:18 pm and is filed under
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Freedom of speech for all?

Sharmini Darshni

May 22, 2011

MAY 22 — I should not have done it. Should have left it alone. Should have continued my hiatus from the humdrum of life. Should have continued to embrace the peace that comes from purposeful ignorance.

But no, just knowing there was a single computer with Internet access, I gave in to the temptation and checked the e-mails — and unfortunately — read the news.

Regrets! I said goodbye to the zen stupor I had been in for five days as I read the latest buzzword in Malaysian politics: Crusade.

I gorged on the news, becoming less and less zen by the minute. On the march back to the water chalet to write this piece, I barely registered the nice Mexican lady who had stopped me to ask me about the book I was holding.

“Huh? … Oh!” I smiled. Good manners prevailed. “It’s called ‘The Year of Living Biblically’.” Not wanting to sound like a religious extremist on holiday, I explained that the agnostic author, A. J. Jacobs, had tried to apply over 700 Biblical laws in a year — resulting in many comical and enlightening experiences.

But all the time, my front lobe saw only one word.

In my last column, I had said that Ibrahim Ali was inciting hatred. I must have prophetic skills. CRUSADE? Hello, this is Malaysia! You want to crusade against the taxpayers funding this country?

Haish! When reading Nazri Aziz’s statement about freedom of speech, I grunted in disbelief at the computer. (Followed by quick glances around the hotel lobby to make sure nobody had heard. They did.)

The de facto law minister’s words were classic Nazri. The comments that followed The Malaysian Insider’s story, though, gave me the giggles. It’s uplifting to know that politicians, try as they might, cannot pull the wool over the eyes of the educated Malaysian.

An interesting thought occurred: If I wake up tomorrow and call for a crusade against the people responsible for the cow head fiasco, the people who desecrated churches and other houses of worship, the people responsible for calling 40 per cent of Malaysians “pendatang” — this means that my “freedom of speech” would be intact right?

Oh. Wow. Have we grown up.

Seriously though, how is Ibrahim Ali getting away with this travesty? (I suddenly have a mental image of me flexing my chubby arms in his face, displaying the word “Liberty” tattooed on the left and “Freedom” on the right, and yell, WWF-style, “Dude, paham tak (understand)?”

Perkasa, of which Ibrahim Ali is chief, was formed as a non-governmental organisation to “fight and defend the rights of Malays” (though I am still trying to wrap my head around a NGO safeguarding the rights of a majority).

Is calling for a crusade (defined as “a holy war undertaken on behalf of a religious cause” or “a vigorous and dedicated action or movement in favour of a cause”) part of Perkasa’s mandate?

I live in a pluralistic society. I love that we have different religions, beliefs, politics and value systems. Thus, I expect from myself this: to understand the beliefs of my family, the friends I love, and the people I share a country with.

When at a Buddhist temple near Inle Lake in interior Myanmar, I looked up at the ceiling-high Buddha statue and said: “I may not believe in you, but millions do. I promise, at least, to learn more about you.”

Is it too much to ask that you do the same?

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 22 May 2011, 2:55 pm and is filed under
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Islamic leaders question non-Muslim rights

By
Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

The Malaysian Insider

May 22, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 – Several Islamic leaders have questioned the loyalty of non-Muslims in the country, declaring today the community’s rights must be re-evaluated if Malaysia is to call itself an Islamic state.

Former president of Islamic Da’wah Foundation Malaysia (Yadim), Datuk Nakhaie Ahmad, said treatment of non-Muslims must be based on the social contract agreed and pointed out that the government has been too gracious to the community.

“In attempts to get vote and support of non-Muslims, we have been very gracious in giving them their civil rights. Civil rights given to them includes the rights to vote, participation in politics, hold office, involvement in the military and so forth but we cannot just willingly give them everything.

“Our offer must be based on religious practices. If we look at the prophet’s agreement in the Madinah constitution, civil rights were given to the Jews but the rights must be paid back with responsibility. They must have the responsibility and agree to defend our country and not insult the agreement,” he said during a forum here.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad declared Malaysia an Islamic state a decade ago in a move to counter PAS’s growing influence among the country’s key Malay Muslim population.

The issue cropped up this month when several groups asked for amendments to the Federal Constitution to stipulate only Muslims can be the prime minister after Utusan Malaysia carried an unsubstantiated report of a Christian plot to usurp Islam’s position as religion of the federation.

Nakhaie stressed that non-Muslims that have broken the social contract must be expelled from the country and asked the government to adopt a tough approach in safeguarding Muslim interest.

“If the agreement is broken then actions must be taken against them. If they break our agreement then they are our enemy and must be expelled from the country. We must not compromise with them. We must be stern with them when it comes to the social contract agreed,” he said.

Nakhaie added it is important that high level government positions not be awarded to non-Muslims for national security.

“We cannot give them important government position as it is not allowed for non-Muslims to become ministers in a Islamic state. Head of military must also not be given to non-Muslims.

“Without thinking about the future of our country, we are so willing to give them everything. Granting them their civil rights must be balanced with Islamic preaching so they will understand justice in Islam and the Islamic system,” said the former PAS member who defected to Umno years ago.

He also warned Muslims to unite as non-Muslims will become stronger if the community continues to quarrel among themselves.

“They are brave now and are willing to say anything because they are becoming dominant. They (non-muslim political parties) are only working with us to only achieve their goals. It is a marriage of convenience. We know what is their programme. We are already losing economically and now we want to give political rights?” he asked.

Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia’s (ISMA) deputy president Zamri Hashim added that Muslims must look beyond political affiliation for a common greater cause.

“We must think outside of politics. The Malay agenda is too important to ignore and a majority of Malays are Muslims. This is no longer about PAS and Umno,” said the Perak deputy Mufti.

Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) deputy president, Dr Mohd Rumaizuddin Ghazali, also stressed that Malaysia must never become a secular state.

“This is why many non-Muslim politicians want to declare the country as a secular state because then the government will not have fund religious programmes.

“They are scared that if we accept Malaysia as an Islamic state then there are many implications which means that only Muslims have the right to lead the country,” he said.

Mohd Rumaizuddin added that the Malays are beginning to be trampled on and non-Muslims are starting to take advantage of the community.

“Because of politics, we are still not free after more than 50 years of independence,” he said.

Hizbut Tahrir Malaysia president Abdul Hakim Othman added the country’s constitution must be replaced as it has been stained by the colonial British.

“A Caliphate state is based on divine revelation. It is not a democratic or a theocratic state. It is only an Islamic state when the constitution is based on the Quran and prophetic traditions,” he said.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 22 May 2011, 10:26 pm and is filed under
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M’sia needs nothing short of complete makeover

Malaysiakini

May 22, 11

‘For short-term political expediency, the politicians are willing to sacrifice the long-term interests of the country.’

Competitiveness ranking drop shocks Pemudah

Ferdtan:
 Pemudah’s Chua Tia Guan, to say that you were surprised by the worsening result of the global competitiveness ranking for the country shows that Pemudah and Pemandu are as much clueless as the BN government.

Minister Idris Jala, who is in charge of Pemandu, had been spending obscene amount of taxpayers’ money organising public seminars with plenty of colourful charts, placing expensive advertorials in the mass media and giving out ‘feel-good’ statements that Malaysia is on the right track.

All were mere rhetoric that are self-delusory. Finally, you are now caught by the very mechanism of measurement of performance that you have adopted – the KPI thing that you had been so gleefully used. The KPIs of Pemudah and Pemandu have shown that they have failed miserably.

Patriot:
 Welcome to Malaysia – land of ‘Avatar’. Dr Mahathir Mohamad has once commented that 9/11 was a make-belief Hollywood movie. So PM Najib Razak got the services of Apco and formed Pemandu to pull wool over our eyes.

The fact remains Malaysia is not competitive anymore and our purchasing power is only 30-40% of developed countries. With GBP50 and USD50, you can have a trolley full of food from Tesco (UK) or Walmart (US). Try buy food with RM50 in Malaysia.

The minimum wage is GBP6/hour and USD8/hour in UK and US respectively, but in Malaysia, it is RM3/hour or less. You don’t need to be an accountant or a rocket scientist to work this out. If we continue the racist supremacy policy, we will be a doomed nation even before our oil reserves run out.

Fly Emirates:
 The writing has been on the wall for quite sometime now and is a well-known fact among the international business community that Malaysia is lagging behind other fast growing economies, especially Indonesia.

At first, it was complaints about the slow Internet speed, then about contracts not been transparent and now the international community knows about the bumiputera issue and the huge human and capital outflow of the non-Malays.

Nothing short of a total transformation will help Malaysia regain its competitiveness.

David Dass:
 We have to accept the fact that we simply cannot have our cake and eat it. If we want investments and progress we must have stability. To have stability we must ensure observance of the rule of law. The alternative is anarchy and the rule of the mob.

Peaceful demonstrations can be allowed. As must vigorous public debate and discussion. Our people must become accustomed to democratic processes. No one should be allowed to threaten or provoke violence. There must be no double standards. There must be the consistent application of policy and law. All policies must be underscored by principle.

People should be motivated to work hard and creatively. Education must be of the highest standards so that people can be empowered to achieve. Low standards of education disable and de-motivate.

Rising costs leave us with no option. We must make the most of our resources. We must stem leakages. And we must rethink our developmental strategies to establish priorities. We must make every dollar count.

Abasir:
“The attitude of Malaysian respondents, which is different from those in other countries, could also be the reason. Malaysians are more likely to amplify weaknesses but downplay merits,” Chua explained.

Very true. And why? Only Malaysians are exposed to the Umno/Perkasa stink on a daily basis; only Malaysians know how Pemandu uses taxpayers’ money to take out advertorials to justify shady ‘private initiatives’; only Malaysians know the size of the bloated ‘civil’ service regularly pumped up to serve as a Umno vote-bank; only Malaysians know the real ‘calibre’ of the politicos in Pemudah.

Geronimo:
 Chua, what sort of merits are you referring to? In fact, you should not be surprised as we have been practising ‘mediocracy’ all this while and now it’s time we face the truth, as bitter as it may be, and this is so reflective in the civil sector. Reap what you sow.

Lakia:
What efficiency in the service delivery system? The Key Performance Index (KPI) is mainly (may be only) determined by statistics, for example, by the number of files of applications allegedly cleared by the end of each month.

How about in terms of quality, substance, meritocracy and integrity? Why for instance until today the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) still refused to question Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s alleged corruption involving billions of ringgit even though several reports have been lodged against him?

And why with the late Teoh Beng Hock involving alleged graft of less than RM3,000, he was questioned until he died?

TehTarik:
The loss of competitiveness indicates that investors are losing confidence in Malaysia. This has been a trend over the past decade.

Pemandu is all rhetoric but little action, all gloss but no substance. The juggernaut of self-destruction is increasing in pace, with the likes of Ibrahim Ali, Perkasa and Utusan Malaysia. The failure of the government to silence the extremists is an indication that Malaysia may soon join the ranks of a failed state.

For short-term political expediency, the politicians are willing to sacrifice the long-term interests of the country. A classic example is Najib’s willingness to alter the tender process for the bumi contractors in the MRT project.

Anonymous_3ec6:
 It is sad the IMD (Institute of Management Development) did not offer a 30 percent handicap when ranking Malaysia. Malaysia should get its United Nations representative to request for a 30 percent handicap on any activity involving Malaysia.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 22 May 2011, 2:28 pm and is filed under
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NUJ chief: Shut down Utusan Malaysia

Susan Loone | May 22, 11

Malaysiakini

National Union of Journalists chief and sacked Utusan Malaysia reporter Hata Wahari has called for his former employer to be shut down and its editors left to suffer for publishing a religiously charged article earlier this month.

Hata, who was in Penang for a forum on press freedom organised by the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), said this was the only way to make its editors and reporters take responsibility for the unsubtantiated front page article on May 7, and the following ruckus across the nation that ensued.

He added that there were existing laws like the Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publication Act, which could be wielded on Utusan.

This would show that the government was not practising ‘double standards’ when dealing with an errant newspaper, he added.

Hata said the editor-in-chief of the Umno-owned newspaper could have said ‘no’ to their political masters bidding to play up this potentially explosive religious issue., which alleged that the DAP was plotting with a group of pastors in Penang to install a Christian prime minister.

The duo were also accused of planning to call for the amendment of the Federal Constitution to install Christianity as the offical religion of the federation.

Based on postings from two pro-Umno bloggers, the controversial article which attracted more than 20 police reports across the country, has been refuted and condemned.

Feel the pain

“In order to make the paper responsible, something must be done to the editors and reporters…similar as what happened to The Star, Sinchew Daily and Watan during Ops Lallang in 1987,” he said, in the forum titled ‘Media and Ethnicity: Overcoming the Challenges’.

“When they feel the pain of how others felt (during the time of shutdown), they might think two or three times to publish what they did…we must at least shut them down for once,” he added.

Hata said the Utusan had never before embarked on a religious controversy of this scale, but focussed more on ‘Malay’ issues since the 1960s.

He added that the paper was indeed ‘racist and fanatic’ over Malay issues but never Islam, and it was bent on highlighting them in all sectors, be it the social, economic or political.

“It was a surprise for me and I felt strange they had started to play on religious issues…I can bet you the previous editors-in-chief would not had allowed this to happen,” he said.

He conceded that Utusan was a ‘closed’ organisation, in that it would never accept any external opinion or influence which is different from its stand, except those that came from its political masters, Umno.

“Whatever we say or whoever says it, the editors in there will not listen…so the best thing to do is shut it down!” he urged, in his brief presentation.

When asked how he survived 16 years in the newspaper, before being sacked for criticising his bosses, Hata explained in a roundabout way that he mostly practised self-censorship to survive.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 22 May 2011, 3:59 pm and is filed under
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Pakatan gov’ts offer aid to landslide victims

Malaysiakini

May 22, 11

Pakatan governments of Selangor and Penang have pledged aid to the victims of the landslide yesterday in Hulu Langat, Selangor as a sign of moral support.

Selangor is sending aid as well as contributing RM1,000 to each victim’s family, while Penang is suggesting a RM25,000 lump sum donation to the victims of the tragedy.

16 youths were reported killed and nine injured when a landslide hit Hidayah Madrasah Al-Taqwa orphanage at 2.30pm yesterday.

Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim yesterday said the state has sent a humanitarian aid mission to the scene of the tragedy to provide immediate assistance to the victims.

“The MB is also effecting a contribution of RM1,000 to each family whose child has perished in the incident, as a gesture of sympathy for the unforseen misfortune,” said the MB’s press secretariat in a statement yesterday.

The PKR-led state government has also arranged for temporary shelter for the residents of the madrasah as rescue works were in progress.

In addition, Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI) is also covering the costs of the survivors and the officers involved in the search and rescue operations, said the press secretary.

Penang moots RM25,000

Meanwhile, the DAP-led Penang government has suggested a donation of RM25,000 to the orphanage and the families of the 25 victims.

“Although the amount is not substantial, it represents moral support to ease the spirits of the families of the victims and give the survivors hope to live on,” said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in a statement today from Kuala Lumpur.

“The disaster has saddened and touched the hearts of Malaysians nationwide regardless of race and religion, all of whom sympathise with the victims,”said Lim, offering his condolences and sympathies..

Lim, who is Bagan MP, also thanked the rescuers and police who worked “tirelessly” in their rescue operations for their efforts and dedication.

He also called on the relevant authorities to take steps to ensure that this tragedy never repeats.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 22 May 2011, 6:39 pm and is filed under
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Penang gives RM25,000 to landslide victims

The Malaysian Insider

May 22, 2011

GEORGE TOWN, May 22 – Penang will give RM25,000 to the 25 victims of the Hulu Langat landslide yesterday which claimed 16 lives.

Nine others survived the landslide at the Rumah Anak-anak Yatim dan Anak-anak Hidayah Madrasah Al-Taqwa at Batu 14, Hulu Langat in Selangor.

“Although it is not a lot, it is moral support for the families of those who died and survived so that they can persevere through this tragedy,” Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said in a statement.

The Selangor government has also given RM1,000 to each of the families of the victims and is looking to offer them other help.

The federal government will give RM10,000 to each of the families of the victims.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is also cutting short his United States visit to meet the victims this Tuesday.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 22 May 2011, 10:45 pm and is filed under
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Puad: Pakatan psy-war puts Umno in peril

Malaysiakini

May 22, 11

Umno could be in peril if it fails to curb the psychological attacks mounted by the opposition, said party supreme council member, Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi.

He said the opposition’s approach was dangerous as it could influence the minds of the young who did not fully understand the history of this country and who were thinking too much about material things and freedom.

“Their thinking could be affected by negative perceptions. For example, the 1Malaysia concept is a good thing and is perceived negatively by certain quarters who could influence those with little understanding of the concept in a negative way.

“The psychological attacks are also carried out in a hit-and-run manner, by not admitting to it afterwards because they (opposition) want the people to be angry with Umno so as to weaken Malay power,” he said after opening the Umno Kota Raja division delegates’ meeting, here, today.

Asked how Umno could deal with the psychological attacks, Mohd Puad who is also Deputy Education Minister, said the party would be focusing on DAP which was the mastermind in this, and would also be exposing Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s evil objectives in its struggle.

“We must also empower our party members through programmes and training. We need to overcome our weakness in using the media, especially the new media like the blogs, Facebook and Twitter which the opposition has been relying on a lot to attack (Umno and Barisan Nasional).”

On the opposition attacking Malay newspapers like Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian, Mohd Puad said it was a strategy aimed at weakening Umno and the Malays in their struggles, while the opposition newspapers always touched on sensitive issues too.

“Their dubious approach is by carrying articles on sensitive issues but stating that the articles are the personal views of the writers, and not the newspapers’ official stand or views,” he said.

– Bernama

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 22 May 2011, 11:23 pm and is filed under
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Slash graft before cutting subsidies

Malaysiakini

May 22, 11

‘This illegal leakage is costing the nation to bleed, thus the reason behind the need to cut subsidies for the rakyat.’

Idris presses his case on cutting subsidies

Patriot
: Subsidy cuts could be kept to a minimum so as to not burden the poor people struggling hard to earn a living to take care of their numerous domestic and external expenditures if there is proper and prudent governance and the elimination of servicing the cronies’ insatiable monetary wants.

What is being very prominently reported is the increase in government expenses on subsidies would be insurmountable based on current global trends and escalations.

However, the government never informs us how much could be saved if funds are properly utilised that could be ultimately channeled into covering some of the increases in the prices of commodities and foodstuff in order not to burden the poor.

Bluemountains
: Pemandu CEO Idris Jala is driving BN into the ‘grave’ faster with his cutting of subsidies. The masses cannot understand national economics. They can only understand household economics. When their household economics is in trouble, BN is in trouble.

If the government leaders failed to manage the economy of the nation, they must resign and not make the masses the victims of their incompetence. If you don’t buy submarines, you don’t need to cut subsidies.

Cannon
: It is reported in the Star yesterday that the government is seeking to expand the arms production of the Malaysian arms company, SME Ordinance. I don’t understand why the government must buy 14,000 Colt M4 carbines for our armed forces, and contract for another 116,000 when the country is facing budget constraints.

How does the Defence Ministry justify spending money on arms when we are cutting back on the people’s bread and butter? Idris Jala, sort out these misplaced priorities and have the administration put in order its public expenditure before talking to the people about subsidy cuts.

Can Idris honestly admit the government has done all it could – and has met its moral obligation – to combat graft and rationalise its administration before cutting back on subsidies?

As a Christian brother, where is his compassion for the needy and the weak? Has Idris given any thought about the poor, especially those staying in the towns and cities who are faced with a rising cost of living due to price increases and who need that extra subsidy to live?

He should have come up with a scheme to cover for the poor before removing the subsidies. This gives meaning to Najib Razak’s ‘people first, performance now’ credo. Idris is doing just the opposite, cut the subsidies to the people now and to let them worry how to make their ends meet.

Quigonbond
: Obviously Pemandu’s ideal is not matched by consistent government actions. The MRT project itself is so opaque no one knows how much will actually be involved and whether the money used will put many more generations of Malaysians in long-term debt.

What happened to the open-tender process for all government procurement projects, in particular defence procurement that tend to go into billions of ringgit? How about hidden costs of doing business in Malaysia in terms of greasing Umno/BN politicians’ bottomless pockets?

What about letting loose cretins like Perkasa, Pembela and Utusan Malaysia that drives even more ‘brains’ out of Malaysia? What about a disenfranchised electorate who thinks that in most parts we do not have a legitimate government since general elections are won through bribes, resulting in less public cooperation?

What about failed enforcement, selective prosecution, dirty politics and failed education system? If these long list of problems are not resolved, we will remain uncompetitive.

AnakPinang
: Corruption and bad governance is the reason for our predicament, not subsidies. I don’t know who they are trying to fool with this stupid term ‘rationalisation’. There’s nothing rational about it and by trying to convince us that we are the ultimate benefactor of a painful weaning is just more bull.

The rakyat are tired of these games. So if BN doesn’t clean up, we need to get new people in who can do it.

Borg Kinaulu
: I believe Idris has a winning formula – gradually cut subsidies now, then when Pakatan Rakyat wins control of Putrajaya, we can improve transparency and cut corruption. And when the economy becomes healthier, we can gradually slim down the government sector with some civil servants finding real productive jobs in the private sector.

It will probably take at least another decade to do that, but at least it looks like something positive to look forward to in 2020. Thank you, Idris. Being a non-political technocrat, I presume you will remain in the government to serve the people, whichever side wins.

MalaysianSrilankan
: Price increase should be done slowly as not to cause sudden hardship to people and prevent profiteering. However, the question must be whether subsidies should be cut to allow the price increase in the first place?

The government insisted that the inflation rate is low whereas prices of almost everything, especially food, has gone up much higher. Purchasing power has dropped and the same amount of money gets far less than before, even compared to last year.

Add to the fact that income has stagnated for a large part of workers, even a small increase of prices can literally send families into the poorhouse. Malaysia doesn’t have a social welfare system to help poor families and the needy. Whatever the Welfare Department gives out is piecemeal and very much insufficient.

The government must first cut down their own costs before causing hardship to the people.

Ferdtan:
Not once did Idris Jala mention the scourge of society – corruption in high places of the government. This illegal leakage is costing the nation to bleed, thus the reason behind the need to cut subsidies for the rakyat.

Idris, the talk to Malaysiakini may sound intelligent, but it still makes a hollow sound. You have no gut to tackle the real and the only practical solution – fight corruption. Then only you earned the right to talk to us about tightening up our belts.

Stop rationalising the need to cut subsidies – the rakyat are not stupid enough to buy it.

Ichimaru Gin
: If the fuel price increase, it will increase everything and as such, the cost of living will also increase. But at the same time, income remain at the same level.

And you expect people to change their lifestyle. How exactly do you want them to change? If you are asking them to cut their spending, then the economy will also go down because people spend less.

So tell me how exactly are we suppose to change our lifestyle.

Kgen
: Yes, we have to live in the real world. The real world does not recognise bumiputera privileges and will punish economic distortion resulting from such an anti-competitive practice.

This is the main reason why wages have stagnated for the past 16 years. Malaysians are unable to pay real world prices for goods due to stagnant wages. Removing subsidies without fixing income level will burden the rakyat.

By the way, Idris should know that a high-income economy cannot be created by unleashing a flood of infrastructure projects. It will merely create high incomes for cronies. The only way to a high-income economy is better education, retention of skilled workers and removing anti-competitive practices.

It can take a decade with the right polices and there are no band-aid shortcuts.

For every RM1 billion that the government cuts in subsidy to the rakyat, it should also cut RM1 billion in subsidy to the IPPs (independent power producers). Can Idris Jala do that? If he cannot negotiate with the powerful IPPs, then go and beg them for mercy.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 22 May 2011, 10:46 am and is filed under
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10 Days in May (27)

Tweets
@limkitsiang
:-

Don’t agree w NUJ chief Hata 2shut down UtusanMsia but action must be taken agnst it 4rabid extremism/sedition eg “Christian Msia” bogey

If no action agnst Utusan “ChristianMsia” bogey (ref SinChew ChinaPress MakkalOsai SwakTribune) its double stds HusseinOnn wld not approve

If Utusan enjoys immunity 4Christian Msia bogey Najib’s GMoM call utter mockery. Also means Utusan extremists running UMNO n BN Cabinet/govt

Has Najib political will 2salvage 1Msia GMoM? Or allow 1Msia become 1Melayu, NEM in2 “new economic muddle”, Talent Corp in2 Talent Corpse?

4 starters Najib shd make TMI “MigrationStories” http://bit.ly/iAPqmN Y patriotic Msians leave our shores compulsory Cabinet reading/agenda

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 9:00 am and is filed under
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Islam
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10 Days in May (28)

Tweets
@limkitsiang
:-

RCI TBH: Who in MACC responsible 4″black blog” 2accuse DAP of murder of TeohBengHock 2distract public attention of real cause of TBH death?

Evident “black blog” MACC handiwork. Not difficult 2zero in on culprits as MACC documents leaked in “black blog”. Will RCI re-open hearing?

Will MACC Chief AbuKassim (named 1 of 100 influential ppl in business ethics 4 2010 by Ethisphere Institute) apply 2RCI re-open hearing?

Meanwhile Y MACC Police AG taking such a long time 2give bereaved family concerned public satisfaction on Sarbani’s death at MACC KL 6/4/11?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 9:44 am and is filed under
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1Care: Unhealhy lack of public engagement

By
Dr Helmy Haja Mydin
 | May 20, 11

Malaysiakini

One of the essential features of a successful healthcare system is the presence of a well-organised primary care service that provides comprehensive services to the public that it serves.

Primary care services are usually delivered by a general practitioner(GP) and should ideally deal with a wide range of healthcare issues, from dealing with minor acute ailments to keeping a lid on the development of chronic illnesses.

In Malaysia, we tend to only visit our GPs if we are plagued by a sore throat or any other common acute illnesses. We also have a tendency to move around and not stick to a single practitioner; we tend to be satisfied as long as the costs are covered by a ‘panel doctor’ that is recognised by our insurance company or employer.

This is obviously disadvantageous, as a key characteristic of primary care is continuity – the GP is meant to act as the gatekeeper to secondary care services, and also plays the role of the family physician.

There is reason to believe that the Ministry of Health has plans to reconfigure the primary care landscape. There will be focus on a number of areas, namely policy development and program direction, comprehensive primary care services and benefit packages, quality assurance and performance indicators and last, but not least, human resource development and training.

With the latter issue, it is worth noting that there are less than 400 qualified GPs who are registered with the National Specialty Register, with another approximately 8,000 practitioners who will need to be trained in a recognised postgraduate course.

This contrasts with the situation in the United Kingdom, where primary care services are provided by around 36,000 GPs in approximately 8,200 practices for a population that is roughly double that of Malaysia.

These GPs carry out over 300 million patient consultations a year, and play a significant role in not only improving the lives of their patients, but also ensure that financial and human resources for secondary and tertiary services are not overwhelmed.

An integrated service would also be beneficial in helping identify areas of medicine for which more emphasis should be given or those that could be improved upon. It would also prove to be an invaluable research tool, one that will allow us to target our population appropriately, as we have a unique ethnic mix that is not replicable elsewhere in the world.

It is understandable that the government intends to restructure of our healthcare system and it will be laudable should they devolve power to the periphery. By transferring authority and emphasising the greater role of primary care, the centre of decision-making is shifted towards that of the patient, who is ultimately the main stakeholder in any shift in healthcare provision.

Unfortunately, negotiations are currently being made behind closed doors without any engagement with the public.

In tandem with this conversation, we should also place more efforts on the education of the public, as most users of the Malaysian healthcare service are not aware of their rights and access to healthcare, nor of the important role of primary care.

There is also a troubling lack of emphasis in highlighting issues pertaining to healthcare issues, as evidenced by the lack of constructive debates regarding healthcare policies.

It is therefore our hope that the government will be more forthcoming with regards to the upcoming changes in our healthcare system. For too long we have allowed our primary care services to languish in the shadows. With sufficient public support and political will, the necessary changes made will lead to a more comprehensive and accessible service for all of the rakyat.

Dr Helmy Haja Mydin is a fellow at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 4:35 pm and is filed under
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Ethnic Indian appointed as Singapore Army Chief

By
Krishna Singh

7th Rangers (Mechanized)

Singapore: The appointment of Brigadier-General Ravinder Singh, a Sikh, as the next chief of the Singapore Army is the culmination of a long tradition of the community serving in uniform, both as policemen and in the armed forces, in the city-state.

Their role in Singapore belies their small number: There are only an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Sikhs in Singapore, a nation of five million people. Their number is small even when compared to 100,000 Sikhs living in Malaysia. Sikhs came to this part of Southeast Asia as soldiers and policemen during the British era.

Brig. Gen. Singh will replace Major-General Chan Chun Sing as army chief March 25.

Singh, 46, currently deputy secretary (technology) in the defence ministry, was previously commanding officer, 3rd Signal Battalion; commander, 2nd Singapore Infantry Brigade and assistant chief of general staff (plans); head joint communications and information systems department.

He has also held the posts of head joint plans and transformation department; commander 6th Division and chief of staff – joint staff. Singh holds a Master of Arts (Engineering Science) from the University of Oxford, Britain. He also holds a Master of Science (Management of Technology) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US.

He joined the Singapore Armed Forces in December 1982. Brig Gen Singh is also the first non-Chinese Chief of Army in nearly 30 years. Colonel Mancharan Singh Gill was the first ever when he took up the post in 1982, the report said.

Hat tip: Colonel Mike Nasir via e-mail. Note: This will never happen in UMNO/BN led Bolehland, as discrimination against minorities is policy.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 4:43 pm and is filed under
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Guan Eng calls for Felda to bear sugar subsidy cuts

By
Lee Wei Lian
 | May 23, 2011

The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Lim Guan Eng continued to pressure the government over subsidy cutbacks, saying that the government should look at the profitability of some of its government-owned businesses first before burdening the public with further price increases.

The DAP secretary-general said in a media statement today that the purported RM116.6 million in savings from raising sugar prices by 20 sen could be more than offset by the RM232 million in profit reported by MSM Malaysia Holdings Bhd, a subsidiary of government-owned Felda Global Ventures Holdings Sdn Bhd.

“What is RM116.6 million compared to RM232 million in profits earned by MSM last year?” asked Lim (picture). “Instead of doing its corporate social responsibility to help Malaysians, especially the poor, Felda would benefit from the RM116.6 million extra to be paid by Malaysians.”

Lim said the BN-led government could easily transfer the RM116.6 million cost of the subsidy cutback to MSM since it is owned by Felda.

“Instead, in line with BN’s misguided and corporate-centric policy of helping the rich companies at the expense of poor ordinary Malaysians, BN has chosen to hit the pockets of 27 million Malaysians first than the already huge profits of corporate giants such as Felda or MSM,” he said.

MSM, however, will be listed later this year and is expected to be the largest IPO so far in 2011 and could raise as much as RM900 million, according to media reports.

MSM, which was previously known as Malayan Sugar Manufacturing Co Bhd, recorded a 32 per cent jump in sales to RM2.17 billion in 2010 from 2009, according to its draft prospectus.

Profit, meanwhile, fell slightly to RM232.9 million from RM237.3 million during the same period.

Lim noted that Felda is a statutory body founded in 1956 to alleviate poverty among rural Malays via a land resettlement scheme.

He also repeated his call that for action to be taken to reduce gas subsidies, estimated to be worth RM19 billion annually, to independent power producers (IPPs) rather than reducing diesel and gas subsidies “worth a few hundred million ringgit that hurts ordinary Malaysians.”

The government hiked the price of sugar on May 10 by 20 sen as part of its subsidy rationalisation programme.

Dosmetic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Zain Mohd Dom on Monday said that the price increase would save the government RM116.6 million but would not eliminate subsidies completely as it would still be footing a subsidy bill of RM283.4 million.

The government has also been raising fuel prices gradually by about 5 sen in July and December 2010, but significantly below the rate at which global fuel prices have been rising.

It also abolished diesel subsidies for nine categories of commercial vehicles effective June 1.

Lim said the BN government should withhold any further subsidy cuts until IPP gas subsidies themselves were rationalised.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 10:54 am and is filed under
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Idris Jala: Pemandu not bothered by racial rhetoric

By
Regina Lee
 | May 23, 11

Malaysiakini

INTERVIEW When the New Economic Model was first unveiled back in March 2010, possibly the loudest debate was centred around its affirmative action policies.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (left) had called to do away with race-based affirmative action and to replace it with a needs-based one instead, undoing 40 years of the New Economic Policy (NEM).

Almost immediately, Malay NGOs leapt into action, hurling criticisms and potshots at the NEM, with the second part of the model even being labelled as ‘watered down’. One of the architects of NEM from the National Economic Action Council even claims that the document was ‘hijacked’ by Malay rights pressure group Perkasa.

Needless to say, all eyes were on the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu), with its Chief Executive Officer and Minister in Prime Minister’s department Idris Jala bearing the brunt of the criticisms.

Some said that the needs-based affirmative action would neglect the Malays while some said it was downright ‘unconstitutional’ because it would go against the article 153 which preserves the special position of the Malays.

On the other end of the spectrum, oppositionists have reserved their scepticism over the model, raising questions over the Najib administration’s sincerity in following through with it.

After all, the Equal Opportunities Commission was dropped from the later parts of the New Economic Model although it is uncertain if it was due to ‘political pressure’.

While the effects may not be immediately felt, Idris said that race-based affirmative action is already slowly being done away with.

In a recent exclusive interview with Malaysiakini, the former corporate figure who had helmed Malaysia Airlines and Shell Malaysia, said that current government policies are becoming merit-based.

‘GTP does not care about race’

Citing the policies under the Government Transformation Programme, called the National Key Result Areas, he said that none of them have anything to do with the race of the recipient.

“None of our programmes use race. If they are poor, they will get help. We don’t look at their skin colour. Like our pre-school programme, they’re definitely not race-based,” continued Idris (right).

Armed with Powerpoint slides in his office in Putrajaya, he said that 54,569 children from hardcore poor families have been enrolled into pre-school classes while two million people in the rural poor category have been connected with newly-built roads.

“Like the announcement that anyone who gets 8A+ will get a Public Service Department scholarship.

“If we keep on debating it on the high level, it will never see implementation. We did it and it came out very good,” he said.

(Incidentally on the same day as the interview, deputy education minister Wee Ka Siong lamented over civil servants who ignored Cabinet directives in giving out PSD scholarships to top scorers).

More action, less talk

But being the only cabinet minister who is not a political party member, Idris probably has more reason than anyone else in not wanting to dwell on occasional racial rhetoric hurled against him and his team in Pemandu.

In fact, avoiding racial debate and polemics has become somewhat of a deliberate strategy for him in an effort to be non-partisan.

“The issue is not to get bogged down by the debate. Like the prime minister, he just gets on and does it…

“It is just better to do it, rather than just talk about it. Instead of talk, talk, talk, we just want to do, do, do.

“If we just keep on discussing this at policy level, there will just be a lot of agro (slang for ‘aggression’),” he said.

“When we help the poor, we help all the hardcore poor. Who can argue with us and say that we didn’t help a particular family because they are Chinese or Indian or Dayak?

“We are action-biased rather than talk-biased,” he said.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 2:18 pm and is filed under
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If not 1 Malaysia, then what?

Jema Khan

The Malaysian Insider

May 23, 2011

MAY 23 — Writing this article from Singapore which has just undergone its own general election, I wonder what other possible political themes may come out in Malaysian politics.

The Najib administration is pushing its 1 Malaysia theme which in general is supposed to appeal to a broad spectrum of Malaysians as its purpose is to be inclusive.

Even the opposition PR has to work on inclusive general themes that have broad appeal to the multiracial voter base that is Malaysia. Their theme cannot be far off from Najib’s 1 Malaysia.

It will still have to be a rose but by another name. They would not change the position of Islam or that of the Malays that is in the Constitution. No one who understands the nature of Malaysian politics would want that. The Constitution provides security both for the majority and the minorities within Malaysia.

So then what needs to change? To a large extent it is how the Constitution is interpreted by the powers that be. The problem arises when people try to interpret too far in what is written plainly.

If Article 11 guarantees freedom of religion then how come we have cases like Lina Joy’s coming up? If the Constitution provides that religions other than Islam may be practised freely in Malaysia how come we have the bible controversy coming up? It seems that some people are reading things which are not in our Constitution.

Our Constitution provides us with individual freedoms though some of these freedoms may be curtailed in some exceptional cases. The sad thing is that in a practical sense we seem to be using the exceptions far too often and forgetting about the main clauses that are supposed to keep us free. Even if we look at Article 152 which protects the position of the Malays; it has been interpreted by some as more of a right than a protection.

Najib’s 1 Malaysia hopes to liberalise the economy while at the same time making it more inclusive. It seeks greater meritocracy so that we are able to keep and harness our best talents so that we will achieve our development goals. It seeks greater racial and religious understanding that he himself engages in with the various interest groups.

For it to succeed, the legacy issues as mentioned above need to be rectified and clarified so that what is plainly written in the Constitution is practised and applied.

It’s hard to argue against what Najib is promoting but what is questionable is whether this is being put into effect on the ground. The likes of Perkasa are working contrary to Najib’s vision.

They are the proverbial spanner in the works. While I understand Najib’s wish to engage all stakeholders, he really shouldn’t be wasting too much time on Perkasa’s rants.

Malaysia’s NEP has done well for the Bumiputras having brought their share of corporate wealth up from under two per cent in 1969 to about 20 per cent by the mid-1990s. It has unfortunately not been able to move since then to the goal of 30 per cent as is wanted by groups like Perkasa. To me this is easily solved if that is what Perkasa and the Malays really want.

We take the biggest and most profitable companies like Petronas that the government owns and privatise them, giving shares to the people according to their racial composition. Thus the Bumiputras would then own about two-thirds of these companies and the non-Bumiputras about a third. Overall the corporate shareholdings of the Bumiputras will easily reach and even surpass the 30 per cent goal that Perkasa is crying out for.

To me though this is not the priority. Rather than constant bickering about how to share the cake, we should look at how to increase the size of the cake. This requires us to be united as a nation.

From a business viewpoint, our diversity is our strength if we know how to use it properly. Our ethnic diversity makes it easy for us to do business in India, China, Indonesia, the Islamic world and countries where English is spoken.

We as a nation have an advantage compared to others if we are united. If we practise meritocracy, substantially improve our education system and reduce corruption, we would be world class.

1 Malaysia is not an option but a necessity if we want to keep our date with destiny as a truly developed nation.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 9:06 am and is filed under
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‘Let Talent Corp choose scholars’

By
Joseph Sipalan
 | May 23, 11

Malaysiakini

The task of handing out scholarships should be re-assigned to the newly set-up Talent Corp as this falls in line with its job of retaining talent, said the DAP.

National publicity chief Tony Pua said the Public Services Department (PSD) has proven time and time again that it is incapable of fairly distributing scholarships to the country’s top-scorers.

“The transfer of this critical role and responsibility will be particularly fitting given the crucial role of attracting and retaining talent in Malaysia,” he told a press conference at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

Pua accused the PSD of openly defying cabinet decisions on scholarship disbursement, creating new categories such as “Open scholarship” and diploma scholarships to get around Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s directive to issue 20 percent of overseas scholarships on merit.

“The outcome is a circus where Barisan Nasional component parties such as the MCA, Gerakan and MIC become public complaints bureaus and the de facto channel for appeals from disappointed scholarship applicants.”

Pua stressed that with the PSD scholarships becoming an annual issue, there is little to keep top students and their families from migrating to countries that would be more than willing to take in Malaysia’s best talents.

“… the never-ending scholarship controversies have led to as well as further exacerbated the serious brain drain crisis facing the country.

“The worsening brain drain crisis will also lead to the failure to meet our high income nation goals under the New Economic Model and Economic Transformation Programme,” he said.

Different approach needed

Pua said that the government and opposition need to set politics aside and come to a consensus on a lasting solution to the recurring scholarship fiasco.

He pointed out that despite heavy criticism of the PSD by ministers, deputy ministers and BN component parties, the public can expect little in terms of a long-term solution to the problem.

“Despite the obvious need to take strong disciplinary actions against top PSD officials, based on past experiences there will be little or no political will from the BN ministers to take any action against them.”

Pua said Talent Corp is in the best position to identify and harness Malaysia’s top talents, considering its close links with the country’s key industries.

“The Talent Corporation will stand a better chance in succeeding with honouring our best and brightest as opposed to the PSD whose role is complicated and confused, made worse by vested interest and little Napoleons,” he said.

Fighting Utusan’s lies

On a separate subject, Pua said the recent creation of the party’s online propaganda portal
Roketkini
 (below) is needed to counter “unjustifiable and evil” attacks against DAP by Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia.

He said the party has been facing a constant barrage of lies published by Malay mainstream publications, especially Utusan, with no room given to defend themselves.

“We have filed suits against Utusan and Umno, but they don’t care because it’s just money.

“We need to reach out to the Malay audience to counter these lies, and that is the intended purpose of Roketkini,” he said of the online portal, which had its soft launch today.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 2:21 pm and is filed under
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Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #66

By
M. Bakri Musa

Chapter 8: Culture, Institutions, and Leadership

Culture as an Agent for Change

Culture, far from being an impediment to progress, can be harnessed and made into an agent for change. Many are calling for a cultural revolution among Malays, but having seen the disastrous consequences of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and other social upheavals, I am not too enthused. Today’s Malay armchair “revolutionaries” are calling for a revolusi mental (“mental revolution”). They would have Malays give up our cherished traditions and become kurang ajar (uncouth or crude) in order to compete effectively in a globalized world. Some are calling for Malays to colonize others!

            I disavow such radical steps. Revolutions are by nature brute and crude; there would be just as many losers as winners in the end. We have seen the negative consequences of the reformasi (reform) movement. Instead of bringing much needed reform, it further divided and polarized Malays. Reformasi’s other legacy, somewhat more mundane but still very disruptive, is the bitter aftertaste of rowdy street demonstrations, vandalized roadside businesses, and massive traffic jams.

            A more effective strategy would be to use elements of our present culture and modify them appropriately to suit modern conditions. In this way our existing culture and traditions would provide the anchoring stability as we explore new paths. I advocate evolutionary, not revolutionary changes. My principle is best illustrated with an example.

            A Latin American government commissioned an American consultant to study why its leather handbags were not competitive in New York. American consumers are among the most sophisticated and fussy, and if a manufacture could compete there it could compete anywhere.

            First the consultant asked the handbag makers why their prices were so high and the quality low. They immediately blamed the tanneries for the poor and high-priced leather. They used harsh chemicals and were rough on the hides, the handbag makers complained. We could improve our products considerably if only we could buy the cheaper and better quality imported Australian leather, but was prevented in doing so by the severe tariff.

            The consultant then went to the tanners and asked why their leather was of poor quality. Blame the slaughterhouses, they replied, for not taking care of the hides and for being careless in cutting and handling them. They had to use those expensive chemicals and harsh treatment otherwise the hides would be useless. Off to the slaughterhouses the consultant went. “Look at those cows with their large ugly brand marks and scars,” replied the butchers, “that damage the skin and make it difficult to handle.” For good measure they added, “Blame the ranchers for putting those mutilating large brands on the animals!” The ranchers had their own ready explanation. They had to use those huge brands so thieves would not steal their cows. Besides, they added, those cows rub themselves against barbwires and infect their skin. Blame those dumb cows!

            So in the end it was those dumb cows that caused the nation’s leather handbags for not being competitive in New York!

            In Malaysia, when I hear the leaders blame the failure of their policies on “lazy farmers” or “dumb Malays,” I immediately think of this “blame the dumb cow” episode.

            In the above case one does not need a high-priced consultant to find the solution; the chain of blame could be broken at many points. First, the government could allow manufacturers to use their business judgment to get the best material at the best price even if that meant using imported materials. Imagine if the tariff for leather were to be removed. The positive effect would be seen immediately in better quality handbag at lower prices. But there would be other improvements down the chain.

            The tanneries, finding that they could not sell their poor quality local leather, would no longer accept poor hides from the butchers. The butchers, unable to sell their mangled hides would now charge the ranchers extra for the added expense of disposing the useless skin. The ranchers in turn, finding that the extra charge would eat into their profits, would now find other ways to ward off poachers, like getting extra guard dogs and hiring more guards. Imagine the ripple effect of improved productivity and quality all along the production line just by introducing competition at one level. Mind you, the cows are still dumb, only now the people involved in the industry are not as dumb as the cows!

            The solution may be easy and obvious; alas adopting it requires a strong political will that is so often lacking in many leaders. Imagine the intense lobbying by the tanneries, butchers, and ranchers to removing the tariff on imported leather. But unless local industries are forced to compete globally, there will be no impetus for them to improve and innovate. The positive effect of globalization is this one world standard. Handbag manufacturers simply want good leather to make good handbags; they do not care where the ingredients come from. To them, the prime considerations are price and quality, the very same concerns of their consumers.

            My earlier example of the fishermen and their diesel motors is a dramatic example of “blaming the dumb cow” syndrome that is so prevalent in Malaysia. Another was the program in the 1980s of sending thousands of young Malays abroad for further studies at a cost of billions. For all the money spent, there was very little to show for the expensive effort. Most of them ended up at marginal universities. The authorities had the mindset that since they had selected the students and spent so much money preparing them, they were to be kept abroad until they graduated even if that took years. None of the failing students were recalled; instead they kept transferring from one mediocre university to another. Even when the students dropped out, they still collected their stipends. When the officials were queried, yep, they blamed the lazy and ungrateful students!

            But had the officials been more rigorous in their selection process and insisted on funding only the most capable and industrious students, they would have elevated the bar considerably and the students would have responded accordingly, and in the process saved the nation a bundle of money. By tolerating mediocrity, they encouraged it.

            The truth is, Malaysian civil servants are not a terribly bright bunch. They in turn had low expectations of the students. President Bush, in his criticism of liberals in their “soft” treatment of failing minority students, warned of the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” There is no bigotry here; rather, dumb civil servants selecting dumb students. It takes talent to recognize one, and the civil service is sorely lacking in that.

            Nor has the government learned its lesson. In 2001 in an attempt to increase computer ownership, it allowed workers to withdraw part of their pension savings to buy computers. But the red tape was, as usual, a major hassle. Additionally, the government forced workers to buy their computers from only one vendor. He was no doubt awarded the contract without any competitive bidding, a manifestation of Malaysia’s crony capitalism. As a result, entry-level computers were overpriced to the tune of 10-15%, or about RM400 per unit. The inflated price ensured a hefty profit for the lucky vendor but at the expense of thousands of would-be consumers. When workers balked at paying such steep prices and the program failed, the government blamed the workers. Again, blaming the dumb cow!

            The government should have trusted the workers and just gave them their money directly and let them do their own shopping. The workers would have the incentive to get the best deal. There would then be greater competition in the market and the prices would go down and the quality of service up. Sure, they will be a few who would use that money for other than computers, but that would be their loss.

            Had Malaysian leaders avoided blaming the “dumb cows” with the failures of many of their programs aimed at helping Malays, and instead concentrated on correcting the deficiencies and weaknesses of the various programs, Malaysia and Malays would be much further ahead today.

Next:   The Institution of the Family

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 10:31 am and is filed under
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Malaysian universities improve ranking on Asian scale

By
Boo Su-Lyn

The Malaysian Insider

May 23, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Six out of seven Malaysian universities improved their ranking on the QS Asian University Rankings this year, with Universiti Malaya (UM) climbing three spots to 39th.

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) also jumped 20 slots to 57th out of 200 Asian universities.

No Malaysian university entered the top 10 ranks while the National University of Singapore (NUS) retained its third place.

QS also said in a statement the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST) knocked the University of Hong Kong down to the second spot.

The global higher education information specialist noted that Malaysia had seven universities in the top 200 Asian universities compared to Thailand’s nine and Indonesia’s eight.

Japan was the best-represented nation with five universities in the top 10 ranks and 57 in the top 200.

In contrast, China had 40, South Korea 35, Taiwan 16, India 11, and Hong Kong had seven universities in the top 200 Asian institutions.

The QS Asian University Rankings last year showed that the top Malaysian university was UM at the 42nd spot while Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) was the second best university here at 58th.

The ranking of public institutions in Malaysia has dived throughout the past years to the point of dropping out of the top 200 universities in the QS World University Rankings last year.

QS noted that the “dynamism” of the Asian region was bolstered by the fact that one out of five universities in the top 50 universities was less than 50 years old.

The rankings were based on the following factors: academic peer review (30 per cent), recruiter review (10 per cent), student/ faculty ratio (20 per cent), papers per faculty (15 per cent), citations per paper (15 per cent), and 2.5 per cent each for international faculty review, international student review, and inbound and outbound student exchanges.

UM vice-chancellor Dr Ghauth Jasmon had reportedly urged Malaysia’s oldest university last year to take world rankings seriously if it wanted to remain globally competitive.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 9:20 am and is filed under
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Najib vs. Anwar: Epic Battle

Asia Sentinel
 | Monday, 23 May 2011

Wikileaks cables detail a struggle Najib has won so far

Hidden in thousands of pages of US diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks and made available to Asia Sentinel, is a years-long battle for Malaysian political primacy between Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

It is a battle that Najib appears to have won, at least for now, having been named prime minister while an embattled Anwar remains in the dock, fighting charges that he sodomized an aide.

The cables, more than 900,000 words long and covering 15 years from 1993 to 2008, depict an Anwar who from the start saw Najib as a danger to him personally. He was in frequent touch with US Embassy officials, warning constantly that Najib was the perpetrator of a long series of corrupt acts in the procurement of defense equipment and that he was a danger to the exercise of democracy.

Equally, the cables depict an American legation determined to avoid becoming ensnared in Malaysian politics by taking sides. Christopher LaFleur, US ambassador from 2004 to 2007, wrote in a July 31, 2007 cable to US Army Gen. George W. Casey that “Malaysia is important to us because it is an economically successful, stable, predominantly Muslim country that, over the longer term, may be able to support us more strongly in places like the Middle East… The overall tone in Malaysian-American relations has improved considerably since Abdullah Badawi became Prime Minister in late-2003, and we seek to translate this into substantive improvements.  Bilateral relations eroded under Abdullah’s vituperative predecessor Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but Abdullah brought with him a friendlier style and an interest in projecting a more moderate image, both for himself and for his country. “

The embassy, however, watched closely as Anwar forged an unwieldy opposition coalition from the Islamist Parti Islam se-Malaysia, the Chinese Democratic Action Party and Anwar’s own Parti Keadilan Rakyat, made up largely of urban Malays.

From the time Anwar was released from prison after a 1999 trial on what were widely seen to be bogus charges of corruption and sexual deviancy, the cables show a United Malays National Organisation paralyzed by inaction and led by an ineffective Abdullah Badawi while opposition forces raise enthusiastic crowds of tens of thousands of cheering spectators demanding political reform.

The need for Anwar’s crucial leadership of the awkward coalition is underscored by a Feb. 23, 2007 cable signed by LaFleur. “PAS valued Anwar as the ‘bridge’ between the non-Malays especially the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and PAS, and as a name-brand figure able to attract voters,” La Fleur wrote.

PAS elders, he wrote, found it impossible to communicate with the DAP and other non-Malay parties. He quotes Azizan Abdul Razak of PAS saying that PAS and DAP were “like chickens and ducks, feeding at the same trough, but unable to talk to one another.” Anwar was seen as the only one who could blunt the “ruling National Front juggernaut.”

Anwar, LaFleur wrote on July 17, 2007, was concentrating his attacks on then Deputy Prime Minister Najib as a way to “open up fissures in UMNO middle ranks that will give him other opportunities.”

As pressure continued on the ruling coalition, Anwar led enthusiastic rallies all over the country, culminating in the March 2008 national elections that ended the Barisan Nasional’s 50-year two-thirds hold on parliament.  The cables in general seem to indicate a sense of growing panic and paralysis on the part of Barisan leaders, particularly in UMNO, and a desire to drive Abdullah Badawi from the premiership to make way for Najib.  Anwar compounded the fears by displaying an eight-minute videotape of a prominent lawyer, VK Lingam, apparently telling a Supreme Court judge to fix key appointments in the government’s favor, thus spurring a royal inquiry into judicial corruption.

According to Ambassador James Keith, who succeeded LaFleur in July 2007, UMNO leaders worried “about Anwar’s drawing power on the streets.  That Anwar and other opposition leaders proceeded successfully in the face of PM Abdullah’s personal warnings should bolster the opposition’s resolve and embolden them to plan further events.“

After Anwar returned to politics by taking back his Penang parliamentary seat in a by-election, it was only a matter of time before UMNO replaced a faltering Abdullah Badawi with Najib.  As Mahathir goaded Najib to act in April 2007, Anwar was telling the diplomats that his opposition coalition “had a ‘realistic’ opportunity to topple PM Abdullah’s government by bringing over 30 or more BN MPs for a no-confidence vote in Parliament,” Keith wrote.

All of that was brought to a halt on June 30, 2008,when former aide Mohamed Saiful Bukhary Azlan, charged that he had been sodomized by Anwar, a case that goes on to this day.  The charges brought the opposition’s momentum to a halt.

On July 23, 2008, apparently aware that this second sodomy arrest was being viewed skeptically by the international community, Malaysian Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar assembled a flock of foreign diplomats to give them the government’s view.

According to a cable on that date signed by Keith, Syed Hamid dismissed claims of conspiracy, defended the police handling of the case and emphasized that Anwar was “being treated fairly.”

“The Government of Malaysia is becoming aware of the negative impact the Anwar case has had on its international reputation and is acting to change the negative foreign perceptions,” the cable read.

“Today’s briefing was an attempt by the GOM to influence the diplomatic community, counter Anwar’s own messaging the day before, and work against critical international media attention.”

The skeptical tone of the cable is difficult to miss. Syed Hamid, the cable said, “shared no new information with the group as a whole and we doubt the briefing swayed diplomats to change their prior opinions; indeed, we heard a good measure of cynicism from some of the gathered diplomats. The government’s decision to hold the event and the Ambassador’s discussion with the Home Minister afterward served to reinforce our belief that the Government of Malaysia already has decided to charge Anwar for sodomy, and it will take this next step by mid-August.”

The cables take note of the fact that Anwar filed a police complaint on July 1, 2008 against the national police chief and the Attorney General.  He held a press conference and later headlined a mass rally, using the podium to attack Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor, “whom he believes to be behind the current sodomy allegations.”

Anwar’s wife Wan Azizah met with Abdullah Badawi, the cable notes, “to provide him with information on Najib’s connection to Anwar’s accuser, and receive Abdullah’s assurances her husband would be treated fairly… The sodomy case highlights that the risks for Anwar from the political status quo are significant and very personal, and provides impetus for Anwar to move ahead more aggressively to try to topple the BN government and stop Najib from becoming the next Prime Minister.”

That was 2008 and that is pretty much where the political situation still stands three years later.  Frustrated with the sodomy case and hamstrung by internal political squabbling within his coalition, Anwar may not be a spent force, but Najib has the far stronger hand.  The cables contain no smoking guns about the sodomy case. But the trial itself, with the prosecution’s numerous missteps and admissions that Najib, his wife and police officials met with Saiful before he made the allegations against Anwar, provides enough evidence of that.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 2:33 pm and is filed under
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Najib’s billions

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 3:18 pm and is filed under
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Subsidy reduction is not the only thing

By
Hafiz Noor Shams
 | May 23, 2011

The Malaysian Insider

MAY 23 — Subsidy reduction will allow market forces to allocate resources more efficiently. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was reported saying so recently to justify his administration’s commitment to subsidy reduction in the long run.

By doing so, the Najib administration claims to be an advocate of free market. A claim that is not necessarily true, however. At best, that claim reveals a selective belief in the free market.

The truth is that market forces are restricted not only through price mechanism. The restriction also comes in form of quantity control, among others. This is especially relevant in Malaysia where the government has introduced various regulations and institutions to control the price and supply of various items. Among those items are flour, diesel and sugar.

In fact, the government has wide discretionary power over this matter. Proof: the new Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act grants the government the power to fix the price of any goods and services in the country. Yes, that is any goods and services. The net has been cast widely.

Despite the various channels where market forces are prevented from distributing resources efficiently, for some reason the price mechanism is receiving all the attention while the quantity side remains relatively untouched. As an example, look no further than the domestic sugar industry.

The government recently reduced sugar subsidy and effectively raised the retail price of sugar. All the liberal benefits of reduction have been thrown out in the open: fiscal deficit reduction, efficient resource allocation, investment over consumption, etc. You just need to name it.

At the same time and less discussed is the existence of the illiberal import quota system. The government through a quota system controls the importation of sugar. The government also grants the quotas only to several refineries ultimately owned by Felda and Tradewinds, which themselves are closely connected with each other.

It is not an understatement that the two companies control the sugar industry with a clear government sanction. As a side note, it will be interesting to see how the two companies will be subjected — if ever — to the new Competition Act, which has a highly questionable purpose.

If the government gets one point for liberalisation due to subsidy reduction, then the government must lose a point from the import quota policy. Given how the import quota policy has created two related monopolistic companies — one being the favoured entrepreneur of the government of the day and the other being a government-linked company — and that prices are controlled, the government must lose more than a point.

However one wants to keep the score, the inevitable conclusion is that this liberalisation done through subsidy reduction is merely a half-hearted liberalisation.

Whatever market forces are mentioned to justify the reduction in subsidy, it is stated insincerely. The liberal argument is just something convenient that the administration grabbed out of the air just because it fits its agenda of day. When one does not derive an argument from the first principle, one cannot expect anything less than inconsistency; the Gods of Inconsistency are staring straight into the eyes of the Najib administration.

The government can prove its credential as an honest advocate by deriving its policy from the first principle. That is, the whole industry must be liberalised. The removal of subsidy and price control must happen together with the loosening of the import quota system.

This goes not just for the sugar industry, but also for the relevant others.

It is only then that the prime minister can state that subsidy reduction will enable market forces to allocate resources more efficiently with a clear conscience.

*Hafiz Noor Shams sometimes swears a little at maddruid.com

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 4:51 pm and is filed under
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Umno VP spooked by DAP’s move into Malay territory

Malaysiakini

May 22, 11

Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has exposed a plan by the DAP to name Malay candidates in several states in the next general election.

He said DAP was now identifying suitable Malays to contest seats in states like Perak, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan.

“They’re taking measures to ensure that the candidates (Malays) would be accepted by voters,” he told reporters after opening the Masjid Tanah Umno divisional meeting in Alor Gajah today.

Ahmad Zahid, who is Defence Minister, said DAP planned to name Malay electoral candidates in Perak in hopes of conquering the state and naming one of its own as menteri besar.

“This is because the Perak constitution forbids non-Malay from becoming menteri besar. For this reason, the DAP is planning to name a Malay candidate to contest a state seat so that eventually a DAP menteri besar could be sworn in,” he said.

In other states, he said, DAP was likely to name Malay candidates in Malay-majority constituencies and in areas where Barisan Nasional (BN) fielded non-Malay candidates.

Ahmad Zahid described the strategy as something that could be plausibly executed by DAP.

Umno ‘sniffed’ out DAP

He noted that DAP had started a blogsite in Malay after using mainly English and Mandarin to reach out to the people all this while.

“We’ve managed to sniff out the plan which is concocted without the knowledge of PAS and PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat). I’d like to remind PAS and PKR not to become a mere tool of the DAP,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid also reminded members of Umno and other BN component parties to be wary of the DAP’s ploy.

“We shouldn’t remain complacent in the face of DAP’s actions. I’d like to urge Malays not to associate themselves with the DAP, whether by becoming their candidates or partners under Pakatan Rakyat,” he added.

– Bernama

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 7:21 am and is filed under
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Will the GST be another nail in the coffin?

Sakmongkol AK47

The Malaysian Insider

May 22, 2011

MAY 22 — A long time ago, I wrote about the government’s plan to implement goods and services tax (GST). I am not going to bother looking at what I wrote. Maybe what I wrote then did not make sense at all.

But to me, the plan to implement the GST will be another nail in the coffin for the Barisan Nasional government. In almost all cases where the GST was introduced, it has raised a lot of discontent. Governments have fallen because of the GST and finance ministers have resigned.

Remember this: Governments have fallen, finance ministers have quit.

I hope, the government’s tax package is not an attempt to trick workers into thinking that they will be better off after the proposed tax cuts. I also hope it will not trick people on government benefits that they will be better off after the so-called “compensation”, despite the introduction of a GST.

Consider this. Our tax base is perhaps only 15 per cent, i.e. only about 15 percent of the population pays taxes. The balance do not pay taxes — kampong people, self-employed, ordinary folks outside the tax bracket. Now, all are caught in the tax trawler net and will pay consumption tax. Never mind, says the government, we will compensate the ordinary people.

OK. So we ask, what then is the size of the compensation and its value? Will it be larger than the revenue the government collects after implementing GST? Then the government ends up spending more after all.

What is the purpose of the GST? The GST, levied at a rate of X per cent, will replace the government’s wholesale sales tax and other indirect taxes. How much will the abolition of these taxes cost and how much will the GST raise?

I don’t have the figures but I am sure the reasoning by the government is that the GST will increase the amount of tax collected. Meaning the GST will increase government revenue by X amount. Revenue will likely to increase over time because of the expansion of the service sector.

Here is an interesting question. Somebody will make money as a result of introducing and implementing the GST. Ask this question: Who will collect the revenue? It will be collected by some companies already proposing or about to propose further privatisation of government services.

Who is actually paying the excess revenue that government collects after GST? If we study carefully, we can know who is NOT going to pay: Big business.

The tax burden on Malaysian business will be reduced by more than the GST revenue collected. How so? Because business which export a lot will be treated to a substantial decrease in costs because they will be eligible to have GST they pay on business inputs refunded.

So if business doesn’t pay, who pays? If businesses won’t be paying the extra GST revenue, then it means that workers and people on government benefits will subsidise businesses.

Cilaka punya government! We subsidise these people? Because, really, the GST is not a tax on business as input tax credits ensure that businesses effectively do not pay GST on their inputs.

GST paid by business on raw materials, tools, electricity and rent is refunded. Business is exempt from paying the GST.

The only GST payer is the consumer at the end, who pays a X per cent GST on the total price of the product.

Now you know why representatives of big business are waxing lyrical about the tax package.

What is the chief government selling point? It’s the so-called compensation. We will compensate the people, the advisors tell the PM. And the PM repeats what his officers and advisors say.

The income tax cuts, welfare rebates, compensation to government beneficiaries and self-funded retirees that is costing money will all be funded out of the projected revenue surpluses over the next few years.

But what if tax revenue is not as optimistic as planned? Will the government cancel or reduce the income tax cuts and the compensation package?

Where will the government find money to pay the compensation? Where did this surplus come from? Suddenly I was thinking about the removal of subsidies which the government is carrying out.

Removal of subsidies will cause severe hardship to the people who will duly translate that into political backlash for the government. That is why I said this GST is a potential nail in the coffin for the government.

The money for compensation come from attacks on the social wage — the sacking of tens of workers, massive cuts to hospitals, schools, libraries, child-care, public transport and public housing, and the denial of government benefits to young people and redundant workers.

When the government suddenly finds that a lack it has less of revenue, it will be announcing that more government services have to be cut back or abolished.

See whether the government has the balls to do that. — sakmongkol.blogspot.com

* Sakmongkol AK47 is the nom de plume of Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz. He was Pulau Manis assemblyman (2004-2008).

                This entry was posted on Monday, 23 May 2011, 7:08 am and is filed under
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10 days in May (29)

Tweets
@limkitsiang
:-

Rapture Day – or End of the World- on May 21, 2011 at 6 pm NEVER came. So ridiculous/silly. Reminds me of Utusan’s “Christian Msia” bogey!

But Rapture rigmarole only affect individuals while Utusan’s “ChristianMsia” cld forment strife/bloodshed if ppl really believed it: a crime

Will Cabinet tmr end silence 2finally take stand agnst seditious/treasonous Utusan “ChrstnMsia” bogey/supprt Najib’s GMoM call/endorse MMoM?

Will Cabinet tmr censure AhmadZahid 4being disgrace 2Najib’s 1Malaysia/GMoM 4outrageous scare attack on DAP 4reaching out 2more Malays?

Zahid like Muhyiddin anthr Minister in Najib Cabinet agnst 1Msia/GMoM. Let all mode5ate BN Ministers declare publicly they r x extremists!

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 24 May 2011, 11:10 am and is filed under
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10 days in May (30)

Tweets
@limkitsiang
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TBH RCI – Is AbuKassim conscious MACC in dock/on trial n public judgment on MACC definitive final unless RCI rpt satisfactory acceptable?

Has AbuKassim conducted thorough inquiry Y MACC officers involved in elaborate conspiracy coverup lies in “blackblog” inquest RCI TBH death?

Which officers conducted such MACC inquiry? Is AbuKassim prepared 2make public the inquiry findings? If not, Y not? Will AbuK testify @RCI?

Did AbuKassim or MACC gave official approval 2Shafie 2make outrageous suggestion @ RCI that TBH committed “honour suicide” 2protect DAP?

After Sarbani’s death, 2nd fatal MACC fall-from-height case, MACC ordered all interrogations 2b done on ground floor only. Is this done?

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 24 May 2011, 6:36 pm and is filed under
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Across the Causeway, pump prices dip

The Malaysian Insider
 | May 24, 2011

SINGAPORE, May 24 — Pump prices for petrol and diesel fell for the second time in as many weeks as simmering worries about the global economy weighed on oil prices.

US oil giant Caltex made the first move when it lowered pump prices by three cents a litre across the board at 6pm yesterday, the Straits Times daily reported today.

The island republic’s Singapore Petroleum Co (SPC) matched the reduction at 7pm, followed by Anglo-Dutch giant Shell at 9pm.

Esso — the largest retailer here — was the last to react, lowering prices at 10 this morning.

After the adjustment, 95 and 92-octane petrols at SPC and Caltex are S$2.04 (RM4.90) and S$1.99 a litre respectively. SPC’s 98 is S$2.09 while Caltex’s 98 — which it pegs against Shells’ V-Power — is S$2.175 a litre.

Straits Times said Shell fuels remained the costliest. Its 95 and 98-octane petrols are S$2.045 and S$2.095 a litre respectively, while its V-Power is S$2.304. It does not sell 92-octane.

Diesel at SPC and Caltex is S$1.60 a litre, while the fuel at Shell is S$1.603 a litre.

All rates are before station discounts, the paper said.

Crude oil ended lower yesterday as weaker economic data emerged from China and the European debt crisis received renewed attention.

Light, sweet crude for July delivery closed US$2.40 lower — at US$97.70 a barrel — on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude ended US$2.46 lower at US$109.93 a barrel, but crept up to US$110.69 a barrel in early trading today.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 24 May 2011, 5:16 pm and is filed under
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Change has to come from us

A True Blue Malaysian

The Malaysian Insider

May 24, 2011

MAY 24 — I am a Malaysian through and through. I am 45 years old and from a minority group. I work overseas for an MNC which has a hub in KL. I have been posted in the UK for the last three years with a year more to go.

I love Malaysia because it is my homeland no matter what the likes of Ibrahim Ali and Utusan Malaysia say. I guess I am a nostalgic person, too deeply-rooted. I have travelled a bit for my work in the last five years — Singapore, Indonesia, Italy, Dubai and the UK — but when the plane touches down at KLIA, I feel a sense of relief at being back home.

Believe me, some of my Malay colleagues even told me straight to the face that they would rather stay in the UK permanently if the opportunity arose. Most of them have families and their children go to school here.

I admit the education system and almost everything here is better but things will get better at home, I hope! One thing I have always admired about the Malays is their proverb: “Anak dirumah ditinggal, kera dihutan disusu.” For me, the “anak” is Malaysia; the “kera” is the foreign country. It’s we as citizens who have the “susu” and must nurture our country!

It’s up to us Malaysians to change our society. I have no illusions about it. Believe me, I was once a great admirer of Dr M but today I am absolutely disgusted by what he says.

I feel for those who left for greener pastures. I too am tempted every other week but who else can bring about change other than us Malaysians?

Please look at the Arab spring. Are we any worse than them? When I think of my situation, I always think of the padi farmers, estate workers, fishermen, bus drivers, despatch boys and others who have less than me. How do they stay … yes, granted they have fewer or no options. Yet the poor suffer the most! And yet they too want the same thing as us, so who will fight for them?

Today, I admire people like Hannah Yeoh, Haris Ibrahim, LGE, Tommy Thomas, Irene Fernandez, Francis Siah and many more Malaysians who have made lots of sacrifices for the country. They could have left but chose to stay to make Malaysia better, not for themselves, but for others.

This is what we should strive for, a better Malaysia and a better future for all our children. I ask all Malaysians who have left to at least support your fellow Malaysians who remain to fight for the rest of us.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 24 May 2011, 9:06 pm and is filed under
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