Khamis, 16 Januari 2014

Religious Board Action has no Legal Basis; Ignored the 10 Points Plan of the Cabinet

Joint Statement:


EMCO (Eight Major Chinese Youth-based Organizations) is issuing this joint statement – We seriously condemn the recent intrusive behaviour of the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) of privately entering into the Office of the Bible Society of Malaysia and seizing copies of the Bible. This action by JAIS not only has no legal basis, but has also seriously hurt the feelings of Christians in Malaysia.

JAIS jurisdiction should only be confined to Islamic religious affairs. But this time they have even trespassed into the office of the Bible Society. In addition to the act being unconstitutional, it also seriously violated the freedom and safety of the public.

The legality of the use of the word "Allah" is still being appealed. Therefore, all related issues should be dealt with only after the courts have made their final decision. So, the actions of JAIS can be construed being in contempt of court and at the same time not respecting the ten-point program reaffirmed by the Prime Minister in October last year. This incident has aroused the tension of non-Islamic religious believers nation-wide. The Government must take immediate measures to stop any possible legal action being taken against the Chairman and the staff of the Bible Society and return all copies of the Bible belonging to the Bible Society.

We also wish to criticize the behavior of Selangor UMNO which is calling for its members to gather and demonstrate in front of churches as extremely irresponsible and dangerous. It will not only hurt the feelings of Christians in the whole country for the second time, but also allow the incident to spread out of control.

At the same time, we call upon the Christians to remain calm, because this is just a single incident whereas Muslims in Malaysia are generally very gentle, kind and friendly. At this time, all parties need to exercise restraint and return to their own religious teachings. In a pluralistic country like ours, all parties need to continue being tolerant and respectful of and appreciate each other. We also call on both sides to actively contribute to talks to work towards finding a solution to this problem on the basis of fairness and harmony.

In addition, we also call on the Government to ensure that all decisions are made based on the protection of the interests of all Malaysian people and the freedom of their beliefs, because it will reflect on the Government 's credibility, including whether respect our Constitution and comply with the 10 point plan laid down by the Cabinet in 2011.


EMCO (Eight Major Chinese Youth-based Organizations) are: Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia, Federation of Malaysian Youth Movement, Malaysian Christian Youth Association, Malaysian Youth Solidarity Movement, Malaysia Clan Youth Federation, Malaysia Venture Association, Malaysian College Youth Associations, The Malaysian International Youth Chamber of Commerce.

Perdana Menteri harus berhenti melantik Duta Khas yang mahal



Kenyataan Akhbar Ahli Parlimen Bayan Baru Sim Tze Tzin (PKR) berkenaan dengan perlantikan Duta Khas ke Asia Timur

3hb Januari 2014

Mengikut laporan beberapa akhbar tempatan, Dato’ Seri Tiong King Sin, Ahli Parlimen Bintulu dilantik sebagai “Duta Khas berstatus Menteri” yang terbaru ke Asia Timur. Menteri Dalam Jabatan Perdana Menteri Dato’ Seri Shahidan Kassim mengumumkan berita tersebut di Bintulu baru-baru ini.

Duta Khas yang mempunyai latar belakang politik dilantik oleh Perdana Menteri sebelum itu adalah YB Dato’ Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis Duta Khas ke Amerika Syarikat, Dato’ Seri Ong Ka Ting Duta Khas ke Republik Rakyat China dan Dato’ Seri S Samy Vellu Duta Khas ke India dan India Selatan dalam bahagian infrastruktur. Kesemua mereka berstatus menteri. Pulangan daripada perlantikan duta-duta khas ini tidak ketara. Hasil kerja duta-duta khas ke Amerika, China dan India tidak membawa lonjakan pulangan atas pelaburan (ROI) yang besar kepada Negara.

Saya ingin menyeru Perdana Menteri berhenti melantik duta-duta khas yang mahal dan memakan belanja yang besar dengan serta merta.

Perlantik YB Dato Seri Tiong baru-baru ini menimbulkan pelbagai persoalan. Kerajaan Barisan Nasional perlu menjelaskan rasionalnya melantik Duta Khas untuk hal ehwal Asia Timur?

Malaysia mempunyai duta-duta professional yang berfungsi dengan baik di Negara-negara Asia Timur seperti Korea dan Jepun. Dari segi perdagangan di antara Negara-negara tersebut, kita mempunyai Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri (MITI) yang mengendalikan urusan perdagangan dengan negara-negara tersebut dengan baik. Apakah tugasan yang dipertanggungjawabkan kepada Duta Khas? Kerajaan BN harus memperjelakan mengapakah perlunya lantikan Duta Khas, sedangkan kita sudah ada menteri perdangangan antarabangsa dan duta besar?

Persoalan kedua adalah, apakah kehebatan Dato Seri Tiong, sehinggakan beliau dilantik ke jawatan yang seolah-olah begitu penting? Kalau dilihat dari segi kepakaran, adakah beliau pakar geo-politik Asia Timur? Adakah beliau pakar ekonomi dan perdagangan Asia Timur yang tersohor? Adakah ini satu ganjaran politik kepada beliau akibat tidak dilantik menjadi menteri?

Isu yang paling ketara adalah, pentadbiran Perdana Menteri berterusan melantik perjawatan duta khas dan penasihat khas yang mahal dan membebankan kewangan negara. Buat masa sekarang, Perdana Menteri mempunyai 4 duta khas dan 13 penasihat khas (ramai antaranya berstatus menteri), ini adalah paling banyak dalam sejarah Malaysia.

Mengikut jawapan parlimen Duta Khas mendapat gaji bulanan RM27,227.20, gaji lebih tinggi daripada menteri. Oleh kerana mereka berstatus menteri maka mereka juga menikmati elaun dan kebajikan setaraf dengan menteri. Mereka diberi pejabat yang dibiayai kerajaan. Ada sesetengah duta-duta khas diberi setiausaha kanan, pegawai khas, pembantu khas dan pegawai pengiring PDRM. Mereka juga sentiasa menjelajah ke seluruh dunia. Kesemua ini memakan belanja yang besar. Maka secara konservatif, perlantikan duta-duta khas kerajaan akan belanja lebih 2 juta setahun.

Dalam sidang parlimen yang lalu, saya telah mengemukakan satu usul di bawah Peraturan Mesyuarat 66(9), di peringkat Jawatankuasa Rang Undang-undang Perbekalan 2014 bagi JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI untuk memotong gaji duta-duta khas berjumlah RM 980,179.20 (RM27,227.20 x 3 orang x 12 bulan). Usul tersebut Berjaya dilulus oleh Speaker untuk dibahaskan, satu perkara yang cukup luar biasa. Malangnya ia ditentang habis-habisan oleh ahli dewan dari BN dan usul ditolak.

Dengan keadaan fiskal kewangan yang ketat dan hutang kerajaan pusat yang akan mencecah 55% KDNK, apakah perlu kita berbelanja dalam melantik satu lagi duta khas? Perdana Menteri baru-baru ini mengumumkan 11 langkah pengurangan kos kerajaan (austerity measures). Beliau harus mengumumkan langkah ke-12 iaitu penghapusan semua 4 duta-duta khas dan 13 penasihat khas mahal di bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri.   


Sim Tze Tzin,
Bayan Baru MP

KERAJAAN SELANGOR PANDANG SERIUS SERBUAN TERHADAP BSM



KENYATAAN AKHBAR
4 JANUARI 2014


Kerajaan Negeri memandang serius insiden serbuan oleh kakitangan bahagian penguatkuasa Jabatan Agama Islam Negeri Selangor (JAIS) terhadap pejabat Bible Society Malaysia (BSM) pada Khamis lalu.

Ia merupakan kejadian kedua yang melibatkan JAIS dan penganut Kristian selepas pemeriksaan mengejut terhadap Gereja Methodist Damansara Utama (DUMC) pada tahun lalu. Selepas kejadian tersebut Kerajaan Negeri telah meminta JAIS menyediakan Standard of Operation (SOP) dalam menangani isu-isu sensitif seperti ini  bagi mengelak berlaku salah faham dan buruk sangka.

Bagi kejadian perampasan Bible pada Khamis lalu, saya telah meminta Pengarah JAIS untuk mendapatkan segera laporan terperinci kejadian termasuk meneliti hasil siasatan yang dikatakan telah dilakukan.

Dato’ Menteri Besar,  Tan Sri Abdul Khalid bin Ibrahim juga telah meminta Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri untuk meneliti dan menyemak operasi yang dijalankan kerana ianya merupakan perihal pentadbiran dan melibatkan jabatan dan pegawai kerajaan.

Semakan hendaklah  antara lain memastikan pegawai penguatkuasa yang menjalankan operasi tersebut mematuhi SOP yang telah disediakan oleh JAIS dan mengambil tindakan sewajarnya jika terdapat kecuaian dan pelanggaran peraturan.

Saya juga akan mengadakan perjumpaan dengan Editor The Herald, Lawrence Andrew pada Selasa ini bagi membincangkan isu larangan menggunakan kalimah Allah bagi bukan Islam seperti yang dititahkan DYMM Sultan Selangor.

Kerajaan Negeri selari dengan titah DYMM Sultan Selangor bahawa semua pihak perlu menghormati agama Islam sebagai agama rasmi manakala masyarakat bukan Islam bebas mengamalkan kepercayaan masing-masing seperti yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Malaysia.

Semua rakyat Selangor tidak kira agama atau kaum mesti mematuhinya bagi menjamin kelangsungan hidup berharmoni, bekerjasama dan saling menghormati antara satu sama lain yang telah terjalin sejak sekian lama.

YB SALEHEN MUKHYI
PENGERUSI JAWATANKUASA TETAP HAL EHWAL ISLAM, PERMODENAN PERTANIAN DAN PEMBANGUNAN DESA

霹雳州行动党呼吁中央政府尊重10点和平方案 以宪法守护人身份解决解决阿拉课题。 (怡保4日讯) 霹雳州行动党主席兼太平区国会议员倪可敏今日呼吁中央政府尊重与基督徒社会达致的10点和平方案,以宪法守护人身份解决破坏国內宗教和谐的阿拉课题。 倪可敏也高度赞扬国內基督教社群在面对雪州宗教局的无理对待后却保持冷靜及不卑不亢爭取的理智态度。 倪可敏今日指出,根据中央政府与基督徒社会在2011年4月达致的10点和平方案,所有语言的圣经都可以进口到我国,包括马来语及印尼语;此外这些圣经也可以在西马印刷,因此雪州宗教局搜查圣经公会与扣留该会主席的举动明显与理不合、也违背中央政府指示,涉及官员应受对付。 倪可敏表示,在该和平方案下,內政部秘书长已发出一份指示以确保该项內閣的决定受到正确执行,如果有官员竟公开违反內閣的决定,政府没有理由去姑息及包庇这种行为。 雪州宗教局隸属苏丹管辖 倪可敏指出,根据雪州宪法,宗教局是隸属雪州苏丹管辖的机构,在州政府不知情的情况下,该項不符法律的执法行动是否是官员越俎代庖或是苏丹下达的指示也应获得厘清。倪氏说,在该项备受争议的行动中,雪州宗教局官员获得中央政府管辖的警方人员陪同也是不寻常的,这次行动是否背后由中央政府撑腰也应一并厘清昭示天下。 宗教局声称对其他宗教有管辖权令人震惊 倪可敏表示,雪州宗教局声称对其他宗教有管辖权是令人震惊的言论,这证明他们根本不理解联邦宪法。倪氏说,联邦宪法第11条文保障国民享有宗教信仰自由,联邦宪法第11(3)条文则允许每一个宗教自我监管,因此雪州宗教局企图对其他宗教采取管辖行动明显的违反、也侵蚀了宪法保障国民享有宗教信仰自由的精神。 首相纳吉须负起国家领袖职责介入捍卫宪法精神 倪可敏指出,当务之急是首相纳吉必须负起国家领袖的职责,介入干预以确保內閣的决定受到正确执行、滥权官员受对付,只有这样才能恢复我国多元社会互相尊重包容的建国基石。 (图) : 霹雳州行动党主席兼太平区国会议员倪可敏



(怡保4日讯)
霹雳州行动党主席兼太平区国会议员倪可敏今日呼吁中央政府尊重与基督徒社会达致的10点和平方案,以宪法守护人身份解决破坏国內宗教和谐的阿拉课题。
倪可敏也高度赞扬国內基督教社群在面对雪州宗教局的无理对待后却保持冷靜及不卑不亢爭取的理智态度。
倪可敏今日指出,根据中央政府与基督徒社会在20114月达致的10点和平方案,所有语言的圣经都可以进口到我国,包括马来语及印尼语;此外这些圣经也可以在西马印刷,因此雪州宗教局搜查圣经公会与扣留该会主席的举动明显与理不合、也违背中央政府指示,涉及官员应受对付。
倪可敏表示,在该和平方案下,內政部秘书长已发出一份指示以确保该项內閣的决定受到正确执行,如果有官员竟公开违反內閣的决定,政府没有理由去姑息及包庇这种行为。
                                                雪州宗教局隸属苏丹管辖
倪可敏指出,根据雪州宪法,宗教局是隸属雪州苏丹管辖的机构,在州政府不知情的情况下,该項不符法律的执法行动是否是官员越俎代庖或是苏丹下达的指示也应获得厘清。倪氏说,在该项备受争议的行动中,雪州宗教局官员获得中央政府管辖的警方人员陪同也是不寻常的,这次行动是否背后由中央政府撑腰也应一并厘清昭示天下。
                                    宗教局声称对其他宗教有管辖权令人震惊
倪可敏表示,雪州宗教局声称对其他宗教有管辖权是令人震惊的言论,这证明他们根本不理解联邦宪法。倪氏说,联邦宪法第11条文保障国民享有宗教信仰自由,联邦宪法第11(3)条文则允许每一个宗教自我监管,因此雪州宗教局企图对其他宗教采取管辖行动明显的违反、也侵蚀了宪法保障国民享有宗教信仰自由的精神。
                        首相纳吉须负起国家领袖职责介入捍卫宪法精神      
倪可敏指出,当务之急是首相纳吉必须负起国家领袖的职责,介入干预以确保內閣的决定受到正确执行、滥权官员受对付,只有这样才能恢复我国多元社会互相尊重包容的建国基石。

() : 霹雳州行动党主席兼太平区国会议员倪可敏

5% Ubat-ubatan di Pasaran Malaysia Adalah Palsu



Kenyataan Media YB V.Sivakumar Ahli Parlimen Batu Gajah & Timbalan Pengerusi DAP Perak pada 3 Januari 2014 di Ipoh


 Ubat palsu adalah ubat yang dihasilkan dan dijual dengan niat menipu supaya rupa dan bentuknya sama dengan ubat tulen. Pada asasnya,  ubat palsu itu tidak mempunyai kuantiti kandungan yang sewajarnya atau mengandungi bahan- bahan kimia berlainan yang langsung tidak ada kaitan dengan ubat yang tulen.

Ubat palsu juga mungkin tidak sesuai dimakan kerana boleh memberi kesan sampingan atau tidak  diterima oleh sistem tubuh badan. Selain daripada itu, ubat palsu juga mungkin mengandungi bahan-bahan kimia tertentu yang tidak tercatat pada label bungkusannya. Ada kalanya, terdapat penipuan dalam pebungkusan dan melabelkan ubat-ubat palsu ini.

Tujuan ubat palsu ini dalam pasaran adalah untuk menipu pengguna dan mengaut keuntungan besar oleh pihak pengeluar dan penjual ubat-ubat itu. Perkara Ini menjadi satu masalah yang besar kepada pengeluar-pengeluar dan pengedar-pengedar ubat yang tulen kerana terpaksa bersaing dengan ubat-ubat tiruan yang dijual dengan harga yang murah.

 Pada tahun 2003, World Health Organisation (WHO) telah menganggarkan bahawa pendapatan tahunan yang diperolehi daripada penjualan ubat-ubat palsu ini adalah melebihi US$32 billion di seluruh dunia.

Kewujudan ubat-ubat palsu adalah satu fenomena antarabangsa yang dialami oleh semua negara. Malaysia juga tidak terkeluar daripada gejala negatif ini. Mengikut kajian yang dijalankan oleh Bahagian Perkhidmatan Farmasi, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia pada tahun 1997 mendapati 5.28% daripada produk-produk framaseutikal di pasaran Malaysia adalah produk palsu.

Pada tahun 2008, satu kajian telah dijalankan oleh Espicom iaitu satu badan farmaseutikal Asia yang mendapati bahawa 5% daripada produk
farmaseutikal di Pasaran Malaysia adalah Palsu. Kajian terbaru yang dibuat oleh Emerging Markets Health Networks pada tahun 2013 juga melaporkan bahawa 5% daripada produk farmaseutikal di Pasaran Malaysia adalah palsu.

Adakah 5% ubat tiruan itu merupakan satu jumlah yang besar? Jika soalan ini ditanya kepada Menteri Kesihantan, jawapannya tentu sekali 'tidak'. Bagi kerajaan Malaysia, 5% ubat palsu di pasaran adalah kecil dan terkawal.

Pada hakikatnya jumlah ini adalah cukup besar dan membimbangkan. Dalam erti kata lain, 1 daripada setiap 20 jenis ubat yang dibeli adalah palsu. Perkara ini tidak boleh dipandang remeh oleh kerajaan. Kerajaan harus mengambil langkah-langkah pencegahan dan penguatkuasan secara lebih berkesan.

Di India, sebuah negara yang begitu luas dengan jumlah populasi melebehi 1 billion orang, didapati bahawa hanya 3.1% daripada ubat-ubatannya di pasaran adalah palsu. Perkara ini disahkan melalui satu kajian survey yang dibual oleh International Pharmaceutical Federation iaitu satu pertubuhan global yang mewakili 3 juta ahli farmasi dan saintis farmasi. Peratusan ubat-ubat tiruan di India adalah lebih rendah daripada Malaysia.

Ubat yang kerap ditiru atau dipalsukan oleh pengeluar yang tidak bertanggungjawab ini biasanya merupakan ubat penahan sakit, ubat perangsang seks, ubat untuk mengawal alahan, ubat titis mata dan lain-lain lagi. Pada kebiasaannya ubat tiruan ini adalah ubat-ubat yang boleh dibeli secara terus dari kedai-kedai ubat tanpa memerlukan preskripsi doktor. Hanya ubat yang popular dan mendapat permintaam tinggi dari orang ramai sahaja yang ditiru kerana motif keuntungan.

Bagaimanakah ubat-ubat palsu ini boleh masuk ke dalam pasaran? Kenapakah penguatkuasan di negara kita begitu longgar sekali? Ubat-ubat tiruan tidak boleh menyembuhkan penyakit malah boleh mengakibatkan komplikasi yang lebih mudarat kepada pesakit. Oleh yang demikian, kerajaan seharusnya mempunyai dasar untuk memerangi ubat-ubatan tiruan ini supaya negara kita boleh mencapai tahap ' Ubat Tiruan Sifar'

 Kerajaan harus mencari jalan teknologi baru untuk mengesan produk2 tiruan ini supaya dapat menjamin keselamatan dan kesejahteraan rakyat Malaysia. Sebagai contoh, 'radio frequency identification, spectrocsopy dan energy - dispersive x-ray diffraction' merupakan antara kaedah-kaedah yang boleh diguna pakai untuk memerangi gejala ini seperti di negara-negara yang maju. Kaedah tradisional iaitu serbuan dan pemeriksaan produk-produk tertentu di kedai-kedai ubat atau tempat-tempat penjualan ubat juga perlu diteruskan dengan lebih kerap lagi untuk menjamin kepentingan orang ramai.

Jumaat, 3 Januari 2014

Doing more of the same won’t help our economy



By Liew Chin Tong


Albert Einstein was said to have remarked, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” In other words, doing more of the same really won’t help.  It is insane to think that Malaysia can avoid the next economic mayhem by doing more of the same, or worse still, doing nothing.

The Malaysian economy has muddled through without fundamental reforms for an extended period of time, arguably at least since the last crisis in 1997. Is a perfect storm awaiting Malaysia as a result of policy inertia, lack of long-term vision and weighed down by vested interests?

It’s not that there was no attempt to resurrect the economy.  Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tried to rein in vested interest groups when he assumed office in 2003 but the then Prime Minister found the economic beast too big to control.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched the New Economic Model in March 2010, a year after he took office, in the hope to take the economy to the next level by focusing more on improved human capital and innovation, rather than putting more investments and labour into the economy, which could just mean more sweat shops.

The mildly radical NEM was shelved quickly and in its place a nice sounding marketing ploy named “Economic Transformation Programme” that slowly went back to the Mahathir-era public investments into big infrastructure projects and foreign direct investments.  Yet even the ETP gave way to racial chest thumping of PERKASA and the like.

After the election in May 2013, the only preoccupation of the Government seems to be the opinion of the rating agencies. In the name of “fiscal stability”, subsidies are removed, prices are increased and new taxes are imposed.

The symptom of fiscal risks - high deficits and debts – is addressed superficially by raising taxes and cutting subsidies, without taking into consideration macroeconomic risks faced by the nation.  

Our potential risks

Currently, Malaysia is already burdened with macroeconomic risks of a potential crisis due to the following factors:

1. Goods and Services Tax, which will be introduced in April 2015, and the spate of price hikes from electricity to toll rates, will eat away disposable income and depress domestic demand, as well as cause inflation.

2. Quantitative easing (QE) is likely to end at some point. The interest rate is likely to be higher in 2015, if not in 2014. A higher interest rate depresses domestic demand further. As the US dollar appreciates, imports would be more expensive. On the other hand, exports may not be too good even with a depreciated ringgit largely because job growth in US and Europe would still be slow, thus demand of our exported goods would not be high. In addition, some US manufacturers currently operating in Asia are likely to be moving some facilities back to the United States, which means room for Malaysia’s export-led growth is limited.

3. Palm oil price is likely to further soften in 2015, if not already in 2014, mainly due to oversupply and a potential soya super harvest next year, despite the Haiyan catastrophe causes short-term shortages of coconut oil. The potential softening of palm oil prices will have major political consequences in Malaysia as small owners in small towns and rural areas depend heavily on commodities.

4. A question to ask: would there be a property bubble? What would be the combined effect of electricity tariff hike, GST implementation, higher interest rate (mostly as a result of QE tapering) and lower commodity prices? The moment someone begins to default, there is risk of a meltdown, especially in the context of very high domestic debt to GDP ratio.

Beyond that, the rating agencies’ greater scrutiny of Malaysia’s poorly managed public finances would likely to result in more expensive borrowing costs to the government and consequently pushing interest rate for everyone else up further.

The fundamental issue is that the Malaysian economy did not grow fast enough to pay for the Government’s excesses. Otherwise if the GDP pie were bigger, the ratio of debts and deficits would be seen as tolerable by the rating agencies as everything is relative to them.
  
Our economic contradictions

Since the Asian financial crisis, the Malaysian economy has the several contradictions.

First, ever since the first Free Trade Zone opened in Penang in 1971, Malaysia is essentially still an export-oriented economy but with declining share of manufacturing produces and higher dependence on the exports of oil and gas, palm oil and other resources.

Some believe that when it comes to export, there is no difference between potato chip and microchip. I beg to differ. Microchip has much more value-added than that of potato chip. Manufacturing needs nurturing and Malaysia is looking prematurely deindustrialising. The dependence on resource-based export is misguided. 

Further, there is no serious effort in making lives easier for small and medium industries to grow into becoming global champions for Malaysia. In a time when the United States and Europe are less wealthy to consume our produces, we need to rethink even our traditional export-led strategies to grow domestic demand as well as deepening linkages with Asian markets.

In this context, Malaysia’s involvement in the Trans Pacific Partnership is more a diplomatic move than one that is guided by clear economic consideration. Unless Indonesia and China are in (which is unlikely as the treaty was designed to exclude China), TPP is just a pact of sunset markets irrelevant to the future of Malaysian economy.  

Second, foreign direct investment is still seen as the driver of the economy with the Government giving substantial tax breaks and subsidies running into multiple years of all kinds even if it jeopardies the environment and health, such as Lynas.

On the other hand, the outflow of both illicit and legitimate funds is gigantic in proportion to the size of our economy. Cash-rich GLCs and statutory funds, instead of utilizing their funds to build a deeper technological base for the nation, are all crazy about investing properties and very little else. The case in point is the spate of investments by GLCs into property speculations in London.  

Third, Malaysia’s dependence on foreign unskilled labour is enormous given the relatively small size of our economy. On the other hand, brain drain among skilled labour and the professional class is also massive.

The two are linked. The ubiquitous availability of foreign unskilled labour not only resulting in a race to the bottom in terms of wage for domestic unskilled labour but more importantly making skill upgrade and technological advancement relatively costly (then just hiring labour) and therefore undesirable. As a consequence, those who have skills and those who could help technological upgrade are not rewarded sufficiently for them to stay at home.   

Fourth, the profiteering state and the predatory crony class eat away disposable income of ordinary Malaysians and forcing many to incur huge personal and household borrowings, ultimately kill the golden goose of domestic demand and also hurt the long-term prospect of the economy as the small guys have no savings not to mention investments.

Time to reimagine our economy

Corruption and government wastages, which drive up deficits and debts, are well known. But full impact of the profiteering state on the economy has not been ascertained.

The profiteering state sees itself not as provider of public transport but dealer of private vehicles (resulting in huge household debts); not as provider of decent public housing (which may not necessarily have to be sold, not everyone needs to own a house!) but as housing developer (government and its linked units of all kinds own substantial shares of some of the biggest developers); not as provider of decent public health care but as owners of private hospitals (most “private” hospitals in Malaysia are owned by GLCs one way or the other).

The various monopolies, oligopolies and privatised essential services held by the crony class are eating away disposable income of ordinary Malaysians and thus their living standards. From sugar, post office, water, internet and mobile phone services to television channels and banking, almost every aspect of the Malaysian life is an opportunity for the well-connected to squeeze out money.

To avoid a perfect storm, we need an open conversation to re-imagine the Malaysian economy. Doing more of the same just won’t help.
 

Malaysia joining the Internatio​nal ‘Big-boys’​- Support or Not? - by Howard Lee

A Krismas Carol 2013 by Howard Lee

I woke up to the phrase Bah Humbug! as a reply to one of my Facebook Christmas cards this morning from a British friend from way back. It reminded me of one of my favourite authors; Charles Dickens, the man who illustrated the social, political and economic status of Victorian England through his stories.

Apart from watching Christmas movies and exchanging gifts, Christmas is a time for reflection, reminiscence and rejoice. Dickens, through Ebenezer Scrooge told of how the happenings of the past, the actions of the present can affect the future and times-yet-to-come. This Christmas, so shortly after the fateful GE13, all of us, as much as those walking the corridors of power need a trip down memory lane. What better than let me, your stand-in three-in-one Malaysian Ghosts of Christmas (Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present, and Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come), take you on that journey.

The past

Before the GE13, Malaysians at home and abroad hung on to the hope that the system of minimalistic democracy that we thought we were, will prevail and bring about a change in Government. The election happened; a change in government didnt. Some people were disappointed and quickly moved on. A lot of people lost hope, but kept calm and carried on, as life must go on. After all nothing has changed, apart from what we previously thought was a minimalistic democracy, is now unquestionable an electoral autocracy.

The Obama 2013 campaign chanted four more years in hope that the President gets another term to finish off what he started, and they found success. We in Malaysia, after the elections, had to murmur those same words in despair, spurring ourselves to get back up whilst licking our wounds after winning so many battles but ultimately losing the war.

The one thing that kept many going was that nothing will change, and the prospect of grinning and bearing for four more years was scary and painful, but doable. BN will continue to be corrupt and sail towards oblivion. The opposition is strong enough, in fact stronger than ever to taper BNs excess. Or at least that was the rationale at the time.

The present
They call for national reconciliation on the stump, waxing lyrical about unity and togetherness. In reality, they are systematically dismantling the very fabric and foundation of our founding fathers visions of a Malaysian Malaysia. This is evident in their increasingly radicalised racial rhetoric and their more-so-than-ever polarising polemical politics.
They bedazzle us with empty yet seemingly liberal and progressive economic policy proposals, what with their saville row suits and equally sharp acronyms and enough corporate jargon to hynoptize the best of us.
The fact remains that the BN government and their cronies are addicted to corruption and power abuse, at the expense of the Rakyat. Now the pit is so deep that they can no longer run away from filling it, they do it by reducing corporate tax, whilst the poor who previous to this dont qualify to pay tax, now have to pay GST. It is all about wealth creation, but only for the super rich, who are their friends. The policy proposals remains as just that; unimplemented proposals but the money undoubtedly get spent.
The recent subsidy rationalisation and the impending introduction of GST, at a time of economic uncertainty is nothing short of ludicrous and outright barbarous. It is akin to a disease ridden rapist saying to his victim after he has impregnated and infected her that not only she has to now weather her newly acquired disease and carry a rapist's child, she has to pay for her own as well as his medical bills for the foreseeable future and be his slave.
Graphic, but uncannily relative.
Its safe to say that we were wrong when we thought nothing has changed. Not only are things changing, theyre changing drastically.
The future
A regional, if not global financial crisis is brewing. I have said this in the state assembly as well as in press interviews and statements. Najib himself concurred, citing that its no longer a debate about whether it'll happen but in how we weather it. I would agree.
Tapering of QE3, the property bubbles all over the regions on the brink of bursting, introduction of GST leading to rising commodity prices and cost of living, strangled consumption due to decrease in disposable income I could go on but, these are enough indicators to reasonably forecast the inevitable.
BN has the power and means being at the seat of government to put all hands on deck to cushion the impact of the impending crisis, by plugging the corrupt leakages, ridding of all incompetent dead wood and starting a fresh with the new mandate he narrowly bought under the table. he certainly has the power to do it , but sadly he does  not have the will.
Why? Because that would mean the implosion of UMNO and the collapse of BN as the very foundations of UMNO is propped up by clientalistic cronyism and patronage politics. If he was able to act for the benefit of the country and the Rakyat over his own political survival, he wouldnt be in UMNO and he wouldnt be where he is today. Hed have joined the likes of Saifuddin Abdullah.
Ultimately, UMNO and BN will not change one bit by ways of their ways and means of enriching themselves at the expense of the Rakyat. But the fate of the Rakyat is about to take a nose dive into the valleys of darkness and uncertainty. It seems that Najibs call for the Rakyat to Ubah gaya hidup which were resisted those years ago, Najib has taken matters into his own hands to Ubah our gaya hidup for us.
Nothing has changed, but everythings changed.
The awakening
PR havs the political will, the track record and a clean, un-checkered and un-baggaged past with no masters to kowtow to other than the Rakyat. PR has proven that they can manage money and 'turn things around'; look at Selangor. Theyve shown that they can make the Rakyat happy and create an environment for them to grow and prosper and even attract drained brains back; look at Penang. They have the staying power to be clean and incorruptible despite being denied the oil revenue that is rightfully theirs, and remain in power for over two decades; look at Kelantan. And for a bit of humility, no they are not perfect, yes they do make mistakes; Look at Kedah.
PR commanded 51% of the popular vote nationally but BN won with a comfortable albeit reduced majority. Notwithstanding the unhealed wound from the Perak crisis in 2009, BN's rubbing of salt in PRs wound through their gerrymandering, malapportionation and voter transfers managed to deny 55% of a state their chosen state Government; look again at Perak in GE13.

A friend who flew back to help with my election campaign from London told me that he has now officially lost hope for Malaysia. He has initiated his process to apply for British Naturalization and there are little reason why he wont get it. Hes a consultant paediatric radiographer and, has placed all his properties in Malaysia on the market last week. He is a huge loss to Malaysia, and his words were, dont blame me, blame BN.

I cant really argue with that. He is not the only drained brain that is now flowed-away for good. There will be countless more.

What now

This ghost of Christmas past, present and future may not be written by the legendary Charles Dickens by any standard, but the stench of bleakness and utterly grey hopelessness of Dickensian/Victorian London can definitely be sensed here. The difference is, A Christmas Carol is fictional and was set one and a half century back on the other side of the planet. What Ive written above, is real, and its here and now.

All that negativity aside, We have another 3-4 years to make sure we wouldnt have to go through this all over again. Some have suggested that our neighbours in Thailands approach to democracy, minus the bloodshed, reflect the same desperation that we in Malaysia feel, we may just need the required factors to crawl out of the woodwork; others have more faith and have started putting in the investment of time and effort in campaign for a PR victory in GE14. I agree with both.

Whilst we may lose a small number of Malaysians to hopelessness and helplessness, we will always have new enlightened and empowered Malaysians who are here to stay. I received three new membership application forms to join DAP as life members this last week. They are all under 28 and cant wait to be part of my GE14 campaign team.

Were starting to see some evidence of BN caving