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Unsustainable love affair with cars
The PAS conundrum – or is it really?
Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and ...
The nation's future
Malaise in Malaysia: Corruption in High Places

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:36 PM PST

We cannot be building more roads and highways. Some hard decisions have to be made and in doing so, trade-offs have to be accepted. Whatever the decision, it involves pain of some sort to some party. Indecision because we want to avoid pain is not an option as when the day of reckoning comes, many more will be affected.

Nungsari Radhi, fz.com

ALTHOUGH the frequency has been somewhat reduced in the last few years, I still use the North-South Expressway quite often, especially the Kuala Lumpur to Penang stretch.

Most of the time, I drive alone as I enjoy the solitude with time to think for a few hours while navigating the traffic on the highway. However, it is now no longer therapeutic to drive.

The last few trips to Penang were rather stressful and the driving experience has gradually deteriorated over the years.

My last two KL-Penang trips took about 7½ hours each. Based on a journey of 350km, the average speed was well below 50kph. That is just horrible on a highway.

Speed, therefore, is not the issue on our highways. On the contrary, the problem, in my view, is the lack of speed. I can attest to the fact that over the years that I have been driving on the highway, drivers have generally become slower and to some extent, this has contributed to the highways getting jammed up.

Commercial vehicles are regularly seen passing slow-moving cars, slowing traffic down even more as these big vehicles have to cut into the overtaking lane.

Of course, there is also the problem of slow-moving traffic blissfully occupying the overtaking lane. These drivers should be fined by the traffic police.

The real problem, however, is the explosion in the number of cars on the highways, in particular, small-engine cars. You hardly see the bigger, high-performance cars on the highways. Those who have money buy cars for prestige, not mobility or even performance.

Those who can barely afford a car are those who are buying a means of transport. The growth in this group has been facilitated by loose credit, a low interest rate regime and the extension of the repayment period. This is the group that represents real demand for transport.

They may have chosen private transport because of the absence of public transport, but in doing so, their discretionary consumption is reduced considerably and they get themselves into debt.

In all likelihood, their personal or household balance sheets will show negative net worth and continue to do so unless their future income rises sufficiently. A car, unfortunately, is a depreciating asset.

Malaysia is on an unsustainable path with this love affair with cars. Car sales have been burgeoning — exceeding 600,000 vehicles a year — and created dependence on many fronts. The car market has grown at a compound rate of over 6% over the last 30 years.

Banks that extend credit, insurance companies that offer coverage, the government that collects taxes and the various dealers who sell and service the cars are all dependent on the trend continuing. There is therefore strong resistance to change.

In addition, the government subsidises pump prices — RON95 is currently at about 75 sen per litre. At a 50kph crawl on the highway, the consumption must be quite high, say, eight litres per 100km or 28 litres per KL-Penang trip, implying a government subsidy of RM19.60 per car per trip.

A back-of-the-envelope calculation based on 50kph and about one car distance between cars show there must have been about 17,500 cars on my recent trip or a total subsidy of RM343,000. And that's just for that one trip, which was on a Sunday during the year-end school holidays. The pressure on our fiscal deficit therefore remains high.

The point here is that something has to change. In this case, car sales cannot keep growing at the rate they have over the last three decades. Cars cannot keep clogging up the roads and highways everywhere while consuming increasing amounts of subsidies and contributing towards higher household debt.

The PAS conundrum – or is it really?

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:24 PM PST

No policy decision would be made without consensus from all three parties. This must be emphasised. No one party would be able to decide all on its own the policy of the coalition, since each pary's point of view would have to be given equal consideration even at the policy formulation stage.

Tricia Yeoh, Selangor Times

At a recent policy dinner at St. Mike's, a cozy Ipoh restaurant, I spoke of civil society, reform issues and my experience of having worked at the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government. The discussion eventually centred on one subject alone, that being the 'PAS conundrum' (titled by me); conundrum being defined as a confusing and difficult problem or question.

This has been a recent trend, where I am often asked questions like, "How can we be sure that the radical, conservative Islamic right of PAS won't wield a bigger influence in Pakatan?", or "If Pakatan forms the next Federal Government, would PAS push its agenda of an Islamic State nationwide?", reflecting the real fears and concerns of a certain section of Malaysians.

The recent reports of the PAS-led Kelantan state government's gender-segregation regulations for hair salons that were initially imposed on non-Muslim outfits (which were later withdrawn), as well as two non-Muslim couples being issued summonses for indecent behaviour, have contributed to such sentiment.

The narrative being played up daily by MCA (not Umno, for obvious reasons) is that non-Muslims in Malaysia must therefore reject Pakatan wholesale based on the assumptions that first, these are bad policies; second, people do not like these bad policies; and third, if PAS can do it in Kelantan, they are likely to do it elsewhere.

At the very core of this discussion is the question of how the three Pakatan parties are able to agree on public policy and its implementation were it to take over in the upcoming 13th General Election, given their differences most starkly between DAP and PAS. The former is clearly opposed to the Islamic state, championing the cause of the secular state whilst the latter holds the Islamic state close to heart.

First, let us acknowledge that Malaysia is far from homogeneous, its society made up of an extremely wide range of ethnic backgrounds, religions, cultures, class, genders, and more relevant to this discussion: worldviews. The reason we are afraid is because we have not truly known the other. This we may attribute to a rigid education system, political party structure, history, the British practice of divide-and-rule thereby segregating the races, all of which resulted in frail identities that we are not confident about and therefore fearful of losing.

Any political coalition that attempts to mirror this complex makeup of Malaysian society is bound to face challenges.

The Barisan Nasional model of having race-based parties coming together in a coalition is becoming obsolete not because our society is necessarily becoming less defined by our respective cleavages (whatever they are, may it be class, language, ethnicity or otherwise). It is outdated because that structure inherently requires that each party retreats to their ethnic voting base and panders to their needs, almost always at the exclusion of others.

That the Pakatan coalition is multiracial is not a statement of lines blurring between these identities. In fact, it is an acknowledgement that these numerous (and sometimes multiple) identities exist, but are encouraged to flourish whilst looking out for the other within one big family. This is the approach that appeals to me. That I am not segregated by my race as a Chinese from others, but that whilst celebrating my Chinese-ness, I am also working alongside my Malay sister within the same party towards building a better country.

Now, to address the PAS issue. I highlighted it as a conundrum because keen Pakatan supporters who are worried about such trends above feel they are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. They seek change in Malaysia and ask themselves, at what cost is this change worth?

At the policy dinner, several views were given in response, including my own. First, that although PAS may have its strong views in Kelantan, it is a coalition of three parties rooting to be the next government. No policy decision would be made without consensus from all three parties. This must be emphasised. No one party would be able to decide all on its own the policy of the coalition, since each pary's point of view would have to be given equal consideration even at the policy formulation stage.

We can also see how a state like Selangor, which has the most mixed representation from all three parties amongst the Pakatan states, has been governed, as an example. Even when difficulties have come up over the past four years, these are resolved by recognising the concerns of all three parties, and then making a decision after such negotiation. This represents a sort of new politics, completely different when compared to the Umno-style dominance in the Barisan coalition.

Pakatan also has the advantage of raising concerns that are not necessarily based on race, and therefore a closer reflection of society's needs (poverty, education and so on). This is therefore an opportunity to use the political process itself as a method by which concerns that are representative of a people as a whole can be pushed forward rather than that from an exclusive segment of people alone.

Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and ...

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:20 PM PST

Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and Sarawak after 45 years in Malaysia?

CT Ali, Free Malaysia Today

History will tell us that alliances between states are entered into to serve strategic, economic and the national interest of their people.

More often than not these alliances are driven by political leaders who dream of greater glory and national advancement that the sum of such an alliance may bring.

History will also tell us that no nation can survive an alliance with another for too long when the interest of its people are exploited and taken advantage of by the another.

Such is the situation that the people of Sabah and Sarawak now feel they are in – the same Sabah and Sarawak that joined with Singapore and Malaya to form that new nation of Malaysia.

Joined not as the 12th and 13th states under Malaya but as equal partners having equal status and rights within the Federation of Malaysia.

Singapore has since bid adieu to Malaysia because it serves the political purpose of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government of Malaysia for that to happen. Political Armageddon awaits Umno if Singapore was allowed meaningful participation into the federal politics of Malaysia.

With Singapore conveniently out of the way, this BN government of Malaysia did partake in and willingly encourage the following in Sabah and Sarawak:

First it proceeded forthwith to export to East Malaysia the politics of race and religion that had enabled Umno to divide and rule the population of Malaya to their political advantage for over 50 years.

Second this same BN government set out to colonise East Malaysia and took absolute control over their oil, gas and land resources for the benefit of Malaya – or more to the point for the advantage of the political elites in Umno in particular and BN in general.

Third they allowed with impunity the contemptible practice already embedded in the culture of Sabah and Sarawak politicians to grow indiscriminately – and that is the willingness of these politicians to indulge in party hopping and horse trading – much aided and infused by the proliferation of money politics, rampant state level corruption abuse of power and administrative management already prevalent in Malaya under the Umno-led government of Barisan Nasional.

Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and Sarawak after 45 years in Malaysia?

Is it any wonder that corrupt administrators, crony timber robber baron and massive and endemic corruption now colour the politics in Sabah and Sarawak?

A political landscape that is also not unfamiliar to those in Malaya. A political landscape that any state and people will have to endure where corrupt politicians are allowed to rule not for the good of the people who elected them to office but for their own benefit.

Everyone has an agenda

For me the problems besetting our brothers and sisters in Sabah and Sarawak are no different from that faced by us in Malaya.

The nation's future

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:17 PM PST

Because they bother about their positions, we have seen our national debts climbing and money handed out generously. Because they fear losing their power, administrative agencies have been spared from the rod despite deteriorating efficiency.

Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily

To Malaysia, 2012 should have been a year of accelerated transformation. Everything seems to have been on the right track but unfortunately, several year-end international ratings seem to have exposed the "king's new clothes."

In the 2012 corporate bribery survey, Malaysia is right at the bottom. 50% of respondents contacted by Transparency International have replied affirmatively when asked whether they have lost their contracts due to bribes offered by their rivals during the past one year, attesting to the fact that commercial bribery is very serious in this country.

According to Global Financial Integrity's latest report, some RM196.8bn of black money made its way out of Malaysia in 2010 alone, the second highest in the world. During the past decade (2000-2010), a whopping RM871bn of money flowed out of the country through illegal means, a loss of RM33,000 for each of the country's 27 million inhabitants.

In addition, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) studies show that Malaysia slides the most among 59 countries surveyed in mathematics and science performances.

It is not true to say that the government's Economic Transformation Programme has resulted in more foreign investments, as Q3 manufacturing investments plummeted 26.1% to RM6.2 billion against a sharp increase to about US$20 billion in our neighbour Indonesia.

International rankings aside, we also fumble in a number of domestic issues. While the transport ministry has reiterated that that legal issues pertaining to the AES system are non-existent, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail lately announced that all court prosecution procedures involving the AES would be temporarily halted.

In another incident, the MCMC recently awarded eight 4G (LTE) Long Term Evolution permits, with companies having no telecommunication background getting the biggest quota share.

Rampant corruption, sliding academic standards, stagnant administrative and executive capabilities, lack of transparency in the award of contracts, etc. are all old issues. The ETP is not half as great as the government has claimed and the irregularities are still very much alive.

Without checking on corruption, the country's valuable resources will continue to drain away. Without solid effort to improve the calibre of Malaysians, there is no way we can achieve our vision.

If such things are allowed to go on next year, we won't expect to see any significant breakthrough in 2013.

We are not lacking talented people or ambitious plans. We are seriously in want of political wisdom.

Leaders with political wisdom should place national interests above their own.

Because they bother about their positions, we have seen our national debts climbing and money handed out generously.

Because they fear losing their power, administrative agencies have been spared from the rod despite deteriorating efficiency.

Malaise in Malaysia: Corruption in High Places

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST

It is an accepted cliché that power corrupts and is usually in reference to a country's leaders and their ability to amass private fortunes at the expense of their electorate. But the real tragedy is how corruption corrodes civil society. It creates cynicism, anger or voter apathy, with people losing confidence in politicians and therefore losing their connection with democracy. If the problem cannot be solved through the ballot box because of a corrupt electoral system, then a country is really in trouble.

Azeem Ibrahim, Huffington Post

Malaysia may not be in big trouble yet. While it still has a robust free press and whistleblowers are protected, the current issues have a chance to be addressed fairly. But the media is under pressure to conform and whistleblowers have been arrested instead of the corrupt officials. One of the foundations of the fight against corruption is the need to protect the messenger, and while many countries are being urged to adopt such legislation, it is only effective if respected and enforced.

Malaysia ranked 60th out of 182 nations last year in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, down four places from 2010, when 178 countries were included. Two recent scandals have rocked the establishment party of UMNO, bringing disrepute to people in high places from the Prime Minister down. The Scorpene submarines deal has exposed the hypocrisy of leaders who pledge to end corruption yet proceed as if winning elections is all about self-enrichment.

Malaysia was a signatory of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2008 with a legal obligation to "prevent, investigate and prosecute" cases of international corruption. However, a complaisant majority party and judiciary allow for delays in hearings, refusals to release documents and in the case of the submarines deal, to deny that French law has jurisdiction over Malaysian transactions. The French government however, is actively pursuing its own inquiry and has released over 153 documents making it clear that apart from individuals, the ruling party (UMNO) was the biggest beneficiary, receiving commissions, bribes and support fees in the millions.

In spite of government harassment, the civil rights organization, SUARAM, is determined to uncover the truth in its pursuit for accountability and stated in a May 2012 press conference in Bangkok, that it will continue to make the results public as the case proceeds in the French Court.

Another scandal has recently become public and tarnished the reputation of a former government minister and family members when it was revealed that National Feedlot Corporation funds weremisused for the purchase of condominiums using Malaysian government funds. Government patronage over the years has involved highway construction and defense contracts and a variety of other government arrangements with UMNO cronies. Prime Minister Najib Razak, who chairs the Finance Ministry Acquisition Committee, is in the powerful position of being able to award contracts and to charge whistleblowers instead as a smokescreen to protect his friends.

PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim has condemned such politically-motivated charges and his party is setting up a National Oversight and Whistleblower Centre to offer future informants protection via legal and monetary aid. Anwar promises to end corruption and dissatisfaction with UMNO and has been reinforcing the popularity of the PKR. But while the integrity of the electoral process is in doubt and the institutions responsible for anti-corruption and the rule of law have been compromised, it is difficult to foresee how the next election will play out.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Jumaat, 28 Disember 2012

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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