Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Tweet and die
- This is why Pakatan’s budget is better
- Budget 2013: Tussle of the titans
- Malaysia and the Muslim Spring
- Is ‘V’ for victory or vilification?
- Attacks on Malaysiakini, here we go again
- When the ends justify the means
- Where did the money go?
- Confused over right to choose
| Posted: 29 Sep 2012 02:58 PM PDT
The backlash from Perak DAP strongman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham's controversial tweet in connection with a video insulting the Holy Prophet Muhammad has dented his party's image among Muslims and will cost his partners in PAS precious votes. Joceline Tan, The Star DATUK Ngeh Koo Ham was probably having trouble sleeping on the night he tweeted about Umno Youth's plans to protest against the film mocking the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Ngeh had apparently been watching CNN, BBC and Al-Jazeera news reports on the Muslim protests taking place all over the world and he posted the tweet on Sept 17, at 1.43am, little knowing that it would soon engulf him in a political firestorm. The tweet was also in response to Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin's plans for his wing and the PAS Youth wing to have a joint demonstration against the film that has angered Muslims worldwide. Ngeh's tweet read: "Khairy wants Muslim protest against Sam Bacile. For Islam or for his political gains? Are Muslims wasting too much time and energy on this?"  Widespread anger: Muslims all over the country vented their anger against the Sam Bacile film. Picture shows Khairy addressing protesters in Kampung Baru after Friday prayers. The last line was the part that cooked his goose. Ngeh is the Perak DAP chief who, together with his younger cousin Nga Kor Ming, controls the party in the State. He is also Bruas MP and Sitiawan assemblyman, all of which makes him a leading figure in Pakatan Rakyat. To compound matters, Ngeh is also a very committed Christian and a respected lay preacher in his church and it was all too easy for his enemies to take his words out of context. Hypocritical stand By afternoon, streams of criticism of the tweet had built up into a flood. Ngeh is usually quite a savvy politician, yet he initially did not or, as some suggested, refused to see that his tweet had offended many Muslims. His stand on Khairy's plans was also quite hypocritical given that DAP is a huge advocate of public protests, from the Bersih street protests to the anti-Lynas demonstrations. Two nights later, he attended a DAP dinner at Ipoh's famous Lee How Fook restaurant, his face looking like a thundercloud, according to one of those present. The dinner was a fund-raiser organised by Pasir Pinji assemblyman Thomas Su who, together with Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran, is the ringleader of the camp opposed to the powerful cousins Ngeh and Nga.  Ngeh: Is still struggling to live down the impact of his tweet. "To have to attend the dinner of a person you don't like and to lose face over the tweet, who wouldn't look unhappy?" said an Ipoh-based journalist. When Ngeh's turn came to speak, he launched into a concerted self-defence and lashed out at his critics. He said his tweet was a question rather than an opinion and claimed to be on the side of Muslims in condemning the video. He was clearly still in self-denial then and the VIP guests at the main table, who included the powerful father-and-son pair of Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng, listened on, looking rather uncomfortable. When he returned to his seat, people could see Guan Eng, who is DAP secretary-general, in an intense conversation with Ngeh. The consensus at the table was that the tweet was out of line and he should apologise. His apology finally came the next day – four days after the posting and a day before the nationwide protests by the two Malay political parties. But the apology did not stop the plastering of his face on banners and posters at the protests held by Umno, which criticised him as "biadap" or disrespectful. There were apparently hurried moves behind the scenes to dissuade PAS Youth from a joint protest with Umno Youth. A united Muslim front would have sent a chilling message to DAP's supporters. "I don't think it was a deliberate intention to insult, but the comment was made at the wrong time. I would advise him to be more careful in future. It's better that DAP does not interfere in Islamic matters," said Datuk Nik Amar Nik Abdullah, the Kelantan PAS deputy commissioner.  Khoo: 'Wrong to humiliate Mansor for calling Guan Eng arrogant' Whatever the motivation for Ngeh's action, it is evident that DAP is still a long way from understanding the Malay sentiment. They have been encouraged by Malays standing alongside them against Umno, hoisting DAP flags and wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the rocket symbol. They think that Malays are easy-going people and they are not wrong. The average Malay is very easy to get along with and their religion teaches them to be forgiving and compassionate. But there is no compromise when it comes to the issue of their faith and practice. Islam is non-negotiable for the Muslims, the Prophet is revered and, as recent history has shown, Muslims are prepared to die for their religion. When it comes to Islam, PAS and Umno have more in common than PAS and DAP. Blood is thicker than water but the Islamic bond runs thicker than blood. DAP leaders have under-estimated the Malays and Muslims. DAP is still struggling to shed the image that it is a Chinese chauvinist party that is critical about everything that has a Malay connection – the police, civil service, Umno, MACC and the NEP. Alienation of Malay voters What happened is unlikely to improve the party's image among the Malays. The worst-case scenario is that DAP might have alienated the Malay vote in Perak.  Zairil: Famous family name has no impact on Malay ground. But the real casualty of such insensitivities will be PAS and, to a lesser extent, PKR. These two parties have been struggling to hold on to the Malay votes in Perak and remarks like that will send the Malays running in the opposite direction. However, top PAS leaders have stood by Ngeh. For instance, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat when asked about the tweet, said: "Oh, I have not read it." Only the dear old Tok Guru could have got away with such a disingenuous remark. But he compensated for not reprimanding Ngeh with a strong condemnation of the United States, urging Muslims to boycott American goods. Even Nik Amar said he has put aside what happened and continued to work with Ngeh. Nevertheless, the PAS seats in Perak have never looked shakier and sources say that former mentri besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin is trying to move away from his Pasir Panjang state seat and to Changkat Jering, which has more Chinese voters and which falls within his Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat. But during a Pakatan meeting to discuss seats in Perak, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali stood firm; he told the PAS leader that he should not try to take PKR's seats and suggested he do a switch with DAP. During last Sunday's Perak DAP convention, a Malay delegate took to the mike to say that Ngeh had undone the good things previous leaders did to attract other races into DAP.  Nik Amar: Advised Ngeh not to interfere in Islamic matters. Many people at the convention were stunned at the number of delegates who criticised Ngeh's handling of a variety of issues. Such open criticism is quite unprecedented because the cousins run Perak DAP with an iron glove. It is possible the delegates were emboldened because they sensed that Ngeh has been weakened. At one stage, the convention chairman Ng Wei Aik, who is also Guan Eng's political secretary, cautioned the delegates: "Please be reminded that there are reporters around. If anything happens to the party, would you be happy?" Guan Eng, who opened the convention, left immediately after his opening speech. He did not want to face the press because if he defended Ngeh, he would offend his friends in PAS but if he criticised Ngeh, he would offend the cousins. The tweet episode will probably send DAP back to the drawing board in its attempt to rebrand itself as a multi-racial party, and particularly after the stormy departure of its biggest Malay star Tunku Aziz Ibrahim. "The DAP was serious about wanting to win the Malay votes but it seemed less serious about being genuinely multi-racial. It is hard to convince people you are a multi-racial party when you also want to be the Chinese champion," said a political insider. Token Malay The wow-effect over Zairil Khir Johari has also petered off. Apparently, he has no impact on the Malay ground and his famous family name had impressed the Chinese rather than the Malays. He has also acquired the unfortunate reputation as a yes-man for his boss Guan Eng and talk that they want to put him in a safe seat – read: Chinese-majority seat – will only add to the perception that he is a token Malay in a Chinese party. According to political analyst Khoo Kay Peng, the DAP's handling of Datuk Mansor Ismail for referring to Guan Eng as sombong (cocky) and angkuh (arrogant) did not win them new Malay fans. "He had to read out a prepared text before an army of pressmen as the Chief Minister looked on. Mansor was made to look weak and meek over something so trivial. DAP seems to forget that he is the Deputy Chief Minister and leader of the Malays in Penang," he said. Mansor had uttered those words at a PKR meeting but the transcripts of the meeting were leaked and on Monday night, TV3 aired the taped recording of what Mansor said. There was no running from it and an irritated and cornered Mansor shot back: "How much did TV3 pay for the tape?" Attempts to weaken Mansor, said Khoo, will be perceived as marginalising the community under the DAP-led government and pushing the Malays towards Umno. "Their effort to win over the Malays is not a complete failure but it's nowhere near being successful," said Khoo. Ngeh is the second big-name casualty of the tricky art of tweeting. His colleague Nizar went through an equally horrible time when he tweeted about the Sultan of Johor's "WWW1" vehicle number plate. And last year, Nga was accused of being racist when he referred to Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir as "hitam metallic". Pakatan politicians and supporters were ahead in using the social media against Barisan. But they are quite evenly matched in the run-up to a general election that will be fought on the ground and in cyberspace.
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| This is why Pakatan’s budget is better Posted: 29 Sep 2012 02:30 PM PDT While Najib's budget features RM3 billion in one-time cash handouts to pacify the people, Pakatan's alternative budget contains no such handouts, but it has long-term macro measures. By Chua Jui Meng, FMT Year in and year out, the BN budget is the same – serving to enrich BN, especially Umno, cronies by dishing out mega projects with inflated costs that bleed the nation. Budget 2013 is clearly an election budget with various forms of one-off cash handout sweeteners ranging from RM250 to slightly more than a thousand ringgit for the rakyat who qualify. This, the BN is forced to give, because of the March 2008 general election that saw the ruling coalition losing its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament. This is the second time within months the BN is giving out such one-time cash handouts – a clear sign of attempts to pacify the restless rakyat who may change their government with their ballots in the next general election. While Prime Minister Najib's budget features RM3 billion in one-time cash handouts to pacify the people, Pakatan's alternative budget contains no such handouts. It features long-term macro measures to resolve the economic ills of the people and country that are mainly caused by mega project cronies, leakages and corruption. The Pakatan budget puts money into the rakyat's pockets, not by giving cash handouts but by reducing cost of living. The measures that will achieve this include savings from lower car prices, abolishment of toll (total spread out over one year), abolishing PTPTN loans for free tertiary education, special teaching allowance, government's contribution for wives and lower prices for food and goods due to lower fuel and transportation costs. These measures are estimated to increase the people's monthly disposable income by about RM930. Isn't all these measures clearly more practical than one-time cash handouts that come with five years of suffering under the BN government? This is why, in an immediate response to the Budget 2013 announcement, I told Malaysians not to be fooled by the BN's insincere sweeteners. It is clearly a budget too sweet to dismiss as an attempt to pacify Malaysians to return the BN to power in the next general election which must be called latest next June. With Malaysia only 1.3% short of the 55% legislated debt ceiling, can the majority of Malaysians continue to gamble with BN's continuous plundering ways? Chua Jui Meng is PKR vice-president and Johor PKR chairman. He is a former MCA vice president and ex-health minister.
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| Budget 2013: Tussle of the titans Posted: 29 Sep 2012 11:34 AM PDT
Kim Quek Barisan Nasional's election-orientated budget 2013 is disappointing because it concentrates on raining one-off cash on the electorate to ease their pain, while forgetting to address the ills that necessitate such profuse dosage of pain-relievers in the first place. If the people are affluent and contended, do they need to be showered with such pacifiers; or alternatively, would the feeding of such sweeteners sway their decision on whom they are going to vote for? Obviously there are vast masses of disgruntled electorate who are not happy with the current living conditions. They are unhappy because they find it increasingly difficult to make ends meet; and they are also worried about the worsening safety of their environment. The common people are simply overwhelmed by a cost of living that forever is speeding far ahead of their slow moving income increment. Needless to say, our economy is in trouble. What's wrong with our economy?
ECONOMIC DISEASE Malaysia is plagued by economic malaise, which in turn is caused by a draught of private investment – Malaysia's peculiar economic disease that first surfaced in the Asian financial crisis in the late nineties. Since that watershed event, its private investment as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), as repeatedly reminded by the World Bank, has been staying at the doldrums, hovering around 10%, which is among the lowest in the region. Investors, both foreign and domestic, have fled the country, as exemplified by Malaysia having a net FDI (foreign direct investment) outflow for many years, a unique dubious distinction among developing countries. Such apparent loss of economic competitiveness is described by economists as the middle income trap, from which Malaysia does not seem to be able to extricate itself from. A main culprit of this predicament is of course the notorious and obsolete NEP (New Economic Policy) – an affirmative action policy that has been morphed into a monstrosity of racism and corruption, which has been conveniently used by the ruling elite to corruptly amass personal fortunes at the expense of the people and the country. Spinning from that central policy is the phenomenon of GLC (government linked corporation), an ever sprawling network of state-controlled enterprises that has grown to dominate the nation's economy. GLC, with its overbearing and negative influence over the economy, is of course also a retarder to the spontaneous flowering of entrepreneurship in the country, as it practices the philosophy of the NEP. Compounding the economic misery of Malaysia is the hegemony of Umno – the ruling power that has wielded almost unlimited political power, perpetuated through its racial-divide-and-rule policy. As the famous saying goes "absolute power corrupts absolutely", Umno has become openly corrupted with impunity.
UMNO HEGEMONY WREAKS ECONOMIC HAVOC And the toxic cocktail of Umno's corrupt hegemony, NEP and GLC has played havoc to the Malaysian economy. Skeptics of my view may ask: if Umno's economic management of the country has been so bad, why is it that Malaysia's economy is still standing strong? My simple answer is: if it has not been for Petronas and the associated petroleum income, which contributes almost half of the government's operating expenses, this country would have gone bust ages ago. In fact, the country's economy has been so badly run by Prime Minister Najib Razak, who seems to be perpetually operating in an electioneering mode, and squandering public funds to curry favours from the electorate incessantly without commensurate economic returns that public debts have escalated exponentially, climbing a whopping 71% from RM266 billion in 2007 to RM456 billion in 2011. This debt figure, which is close to the statutory limit of 55% of GDP, does not include hidden liability of RM117 billion (12% of GDP) in the form of guarantees issued against commercial loans to government agencies and GLCs. While all this frightening debt-incurring is going on, there is no sign that the economy has started to stir from its slumber. Against this darkening economic backdrop, what tiding has the Prime Minister brought with his budget 2013 proposal to deal with the underlying causes of our economic ills? Nothing. To be frank, he looks more like Santa Claus bringing a bagful of Christmas gifts, which will of course bring momentary joy. But the awful truth is that we are sick, and what we need is medical treatment that will restore health, not gifts that will cheers us just for a while.
PAKATAN TACKLES ROOT CAUSES In this connection, the Pakatan Rakyat shadow budget is immensely superior, in that it boldly introduces measures to tackle the root causes, in addition to bringing welfare relief for the needy. It proposes to replace the NEP with an affirmative policy that is need based. Corollary to that, Pakatan will dismantle the unwieldy economic creatures that have blossomed under BN's crony-capitalism, namely the current monopolies, oligopolies and cartels that have enjoyed the regime's favours and protection; and Pakatan will free the economy to open and fair competition. To enforce that policy, Pakatan will set up an Anti-Trust Commission to punish offenders and break up recalcitrant outfits. It will also review numerous lopsided concessions improperly awarded to cronies by the current regime at the expense of public interests. This will be done through the establishment of a Public Contracts Commission under the proposed enactment of Unfair Public Contracts Act. At the moment, Malaysia's economy is heavily distorted by GLCs, monopolies, oligopolies, cartels and concessionaires, whose tentacles have stretched far and wide to affect almost every aspect of a citizen's livelihood. As these bodies normally enjoy undue advantages and special privileges from the ruling power, they don't operate on optimum efficiency while enjoying undeserved profits; and naturally consumers and national economy have become their victims. The removal of these parasitic elements and privileged groups in our economy will at once lower the price of goods and services, while it will also open up a competitive field where pent-up entrepreneur energy inherent in our people will be released. Pakatan also proposes to re-instate open and competitive tenders for public procurement in replacement of BN's long-established murky award of contracts, which has been the mother of all corruption. Billions after billions have been leaked through such corrupt practices that have prevailed not only among the ruling political elite, but also in every strata and segment of Malaysia's public services and GLCs. By plugging such leakages through open tenders, tens of billions of ringgit of public funds so saved would be sufficient to finance most of the welfare services proposed by Pakatan to help the needy.
WILL TRANSFORM ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE Indeed, these simultaneous measures will see the transformation of Malaysia's economic landscape. The elimination of corruption and cronyism, with the corollary induction of accountability and transparency, coupled with the opening up of the economy for fair competition will surely restore investors' confidence and re-hoist the Malaysian flag in the radar screens of international investors. Many Malaysians may still remember the boom days of the nineties up to the Asian financial crisis. Those good days were brought about by robust influx of FDI and local investment. During those days, private investment to GDP ratios were fluctuating close to 30%, reaching a peak of 37% , which was the highest in the region then, according to the inaugural issue of 'Malaysian Economic Monitor' released by the World Bank . The same scenario can return if we have a competent political leadership to make sweeping changes in tune with current time to replace defunct policies. Prosperity is certainly not beyond our reach because Malaysia has the good fortune of having abundance of natural endowment and human resources, the latter of course still have to be upgraded through a more enlightened educational policy. We must realize that it is only through sustained economic prosperity – brought about by genuine entrepreneurship and high productivity – that our people will find true relief to their current economic hardship. As such heightened economic activities will boost citizens's income , in addition to topping the public coffers. And for that to happen, the people must first install a good political leadership to whelm the country. |
| Malaysia and the Muslim Spring Posted: 27 Sep 2012 12:36 PM PDT
A ruling party is not legitimate if the electoral process is flawed, "national interest" and "realpolitik" are not a legitimate excuse for corruption and police brutality. Azeem Ibrahim (Huffington Post) President Obama's recent address to the UN (September 25, 2012) referred to change in the Middle East and North Africa saying that "the path to democracy does not end with the casting of a ballot". The President went on to deplore the convulsion of violence in the last two weeks in Muslim countries, in reaction to the "crude and disgusting video" denigrating Islam. He said that recent events speak to "the need for all of us to honestly address the tensions between the West and the Arab world that is moving towards democracy". His remarks brought a welcome balance to recent overreaction by international media to the unrest and violence around the world, by acknowledging that the global movement towards liberty and democracy would not be denied. The movement behind the Arab Spring -- or rather the Muslim Spring -- has a different connotation in Southeast Asian countries where Burma for example, is slowly transitioning into democracy and Thailand and Pakistan are emerging from periods of military rule. Popular protests and elections have helped bring about change in these countries -- some peaceful, some violent -- but have been more evolutionary than revolutionary in recent years. Malaysia too, is undergoing change, but its struggle for democracy has also taken a different route from the sudden change of the Arab Spring; it achieved its independence from British colonial rule in 1957 and has since become an example to the world of what an independent multi-racial federation can achieve. One of the Asia Tigers in economic transformation due to its continued political stability, Malaysia has been governed since 1970 by a coalition headed by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) which has presided over a period of dramatic economic growth and increased living standards. Rapid growth, the embrace of technology and industrialization have been accompanied by generous government investment in education, with the result that Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with GDP growing at an average of 6.5% for almost 50 years. Today however, the electorate is restless - the young, educated and relatively well-off population is demanding change. They see the government as representing a past that has been overtaken by modernity. Laws remain on the books that should be repealed in the name of democracy and freedom of speech. At the same time, there is ongoing debate over whether the laws and society of Malaysia, a majority Muslim country, should reflect secular or Islamic principles. Conservative elements in the ruling UMNO coalition are resisting change or want the state to reflect more fundamental Islamic principles and Prime Minister Najib Razak is trying to appease his base while offering reforms to the center, described by some as offering "just enough to alienate his own party and not enough to convince the center ground." (Economist, Feb 4, 2012) There is one man however, who seems to have a better understanding of the wave of change overtaking Muslim nations right now. Anwar Ibrahim sees his role in the Muslim Spring as reflecting the mood for change from an autocratic and out-of-touch government whose numerous corruption scandals and police brutality prove that government reform is necessary and democracy needs to be up-dated. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/azeem-ibrahim/malaysia-arab-spring_b_1916745.html |
| Is ‘V’ for victory or vilification? Posted: 27 Sep 2012 12:26 PM PDT It appears that Putrajaya is full of closet homosexuals who are unable to declare their sexuality openly. Mariam Mokhtar (Free Malaysia Today) Hong Kong billionaire, 76-year-old Cecil Chao Sze-tsung, has offered RM200 million to the man who can woo his lesbian daughter, make her "straight", then marry her. In the past, Chao has claimed to have slept with over 10,000 girlfriends. Gigi, his daughter, is one of three children he fathered with three different women. When he heard that Gigi had married her long-term lover of seven years, Seab Eav, in a civil partnership ceremony in Paris, Chao was prompted to act, to save his family "honour". Chao appears to have more money than sense. When will he accept his daughter's happiness with her sexuality and her future with her civil partner? Will he concede that money is not everything? How does he reconcile his own promiscuity and think it superior to his daughter's monogamous relationship? In Malaysia, our ministers and their deputies cannot be considered harmless eccentrics. They are hypocrites and bigots, and the influence and power which they wield, does the nation much harm. So which is worse? The Malaysian authorities who backtrack on issues or the ill-thought-out directives themselves? It is established that when faced with a public backlash, ministers tend to issue denials and quickly dissociate themselves from whatever it is that caused the outrage. There are numerous examples of such idiocy. Even clothing has attracted official censure; the tutu, yellow shirts and now, V-neck shirts, have all courted controversy. Instead of leaping forward into a world of understanding and tolerance, the nation is forced to descend into the dark ages. Previously, yellow clothing was banned because those who wore it were supporters of democracy. The tutu was frowned upon because it was considered immoral or indecent. In the latest Ministry of Education (MOE)-sanctioned guide, those who wear tight, brightly coloured clothing, sleeveless shirts and V-neck shirts possess homosexual tendencies. Recently, Deputy Education Minister Puad Zarkashi denied that his ministry had endorsed the "gay-spotting guidelines" for schools. Unfortunately for him, the reaction of the public has been to organise a National V-neck Day on Oct 1, which thousands of people claim they will attend, as a form of protest. Puad is furious and has reacted in typical Umno fashion, telling another online newspaper that is was "unreasonable" to hold the "V-neck" event: "There's no gay guideline, is there? I had asked the parent NGO and they said they didn't issue the guideline… "So when they do this (organise a V-neck Day), it shows that they are not taking this issue seriously. What they are doing is unreasonable." The backpedalling has invited more contempt for the MOE and the NGO which produced the "gay-spotting" guidelines. They contend that people wearing V-neck shirts must be gay. What about the homosexuals who wear suits in the civil service? What about the many closet homosexuals in the ministries, some of whom are alleged close associates of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak? The gay-guide states that girls who sleep with other girls must be lesbian. Parents are aghast at the MOE guide, and will be wondering if the MOE would prefer their daughters to sleep with men? Every parent will now have qualms about having their daughter's girl-friends for a sleep over. Forcing homosexuals underground Who are the people in government, who end up dictating policy? Do they live such cloistered and sheltered lives? Is there no discussion to see if their guidelines stand up to reason? Are they themselves closet homosexuals with no avenue to express their sexuality? Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/09/28/is-%E2%80%98v%E2%80%99-for-victory-or-vilification/ |
| Attacks on Malaysiakini, here we go again Posted: 27 Sep 2012 12:22 PM PDT
Premesh Chandran, Malaysiakini The attacks against Malaysiakini signal that the government is getting desperate.
Read more at: http://m.malaysiakini.com/news/210114 |
| When the ends justify the means Posted: 27 Sep 2012 12:19 PM PDT
Many NGOs receive funds from foreign countries but not all are equally transparent about it. Tunku 'Abidin Muhriz (The Star) AEROPLANE passengers who enjoy the interactive maps on flights to KLIA will notice a curious settlement east of Sepang: Kampung LBJ in Negri Sembilan. It was named after the President of the United States Lyndon Baines Johnson when he visited in 1966 (it remains the only town in Malaysia apart from Kuala Lumpur that has ever hosted a US President, and you can find footage of this visit by going to criticalpast.com and searching for "Lyndon Johnson Malaysia"). Although the Malayan Emergency was officially over, the Cold War was still very much ongoing elsewhere in the world. Diplomatic showcases such as this reminded the world that newly-established Malaysia under the leadership of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra was resolutely pro-democratic and unashamedly anti-Communist. Of course, we would not have triumphed over the Communists if not for the enormous contributions – military and aid – that we received from our British and other Commonwealth allies. And as our national focus moved from ensuring stability to development, our Government continued to receive funding from friendly countries and entered numerous bilateral partnerships to upgrade our infrastructure: this in addition to increasingly stable foreign direct investment of course. Let us be clear: foreign funds were something the Malaysian Government actively sought, obtained, and celebrated, and there is no doubt that these funds formed a vital ingredient in our post-independence success. Today, through our memberships of multiple international organisations, foreign funds continue to enter our country. Still, some people's attitude towards foreign funding in Malaysia has been less enthusiastic, particularly where the recipients are non-governmental organisations they do not like. The fact is that NGOs in democracies all over the world routinely accept and disburse funds to further the causes that they support. In Malaysia, there are charities that have been accepting overseas donations for some time (like the Malaysian AIDS Council), and service organisations like Rotary International and the Lions Club which are headquartered in the USA have operated here openly for decades. However, many recent entrants into Malaysian civil society have been far more vocal on policy and political matters than their predecessors. Since there is still scepticism and ignorance about the role played by think tanks and independent research institutes in a healthy democracy, the accusation that they are "foreign agents" is an easy one for critics to make. There are many reasons why such accusations should be dismissed, prime amongst them that so many values are universal, shared by people across the world who will no doubt reach out to friends in other countries, just as Malaya did in fighting communism. Indeed, our Federal Constitution adapted much from the British experience of parliamentary democracy, though of course modified to suit our own historical circumstances. All of the major religions practised by Malaysians originated in "foreign" lands, and let us remember that virtually the entire social, political and economic structure of Negri Sembilan was, to begin with, "foreign": the Minangkabau immigrants who came from Sumatra brought with them their adat, institutions and wealth to a peninsula where Adat Temenggong had hitherto enjoyed a monopoly, and yet these settlers continued to receive resources (and invited monarchs) from the motherland until the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. Today, many NGOs undeniably receive funds from foreign countries, but not all are equally transparent about it. I'm proud to say that we at IDEAS have been open and honest about our funding from the beginning. Since our inception we have received funds or collaborated with organisations from Britain, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Turkey, Morocco, China, France, Germany, the United States and Nigeria. Furthermore, we ourselves have funded activities for students in Indonesia. Nonetheless, we have also worked with the Prime Minister's Department, government ministries, parliamentary and statutory bodies and political parties that did not feel that our relationships with foreigners compromised our patriotism and adherence to the vision of Bapa Kemerdekaan. It is entirely fair for the rakyat to judge NGOs based on the activities that they run, the company they keep and the funding that they receive. But the prerequisite for all of this is transparency and a free media, and that is where I believe the focus should be, rather than singling out any particular NGO, which is probably just as patriotic and committed to our national institutions (though not necessarily their office bearers) as most other participants in Malaysian civil society, even if some of their principles and methods may differ from ours. > Tunku 'Abidin Muhriz is president of IDEAS.
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| Posted: 27 Sep 2012 12:13 PM PDT  (The Star) - While they are doing a fine job listing out the need for more money and to improve the social amenities, sadly none of them have touched on the need for the Government to come up with a better system on how to use Government funds to make sure that these money are utilised in the right way, for the right purpose, to benefit the targetted group and how to ensure that these money are spent on time for the intended project. I HAVE been scanning the local and national newspapers over the past two weeks to find out what our local and national politicians expect from the coming Budget that will be tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in his capacity as Finance Minister 1 in the Dewan Rakyat tomorrow. Almost all of the elected representatives (YBs) talked about the need for more money for their respective states and the constituencies they represent. They talked about the specific needs that have to be looked into, especially affordable housing, basic amenities and better public transportations and the likes. While they are doing a fine job listing out the need for more money and to improve the social amenities, sadly none of them have touched on the need for the Government to come up with a better system on how to use Government funds to make sure that these money are utilised in the right way, for the right purpose, to benefit the targetted group and how to ensure that these money are spent on time for the intended project. These state assemblymen and Members of Parliament, including those from the Barisan Nasional, seemed to have forgotten that year after year, a lot of money announced during the annual Budget does not seem to benefit the intended group of people because the intended projects did not materialise as stipulated in the Budget. These projects often got delayed and the funds approved were not used according to the announced purposes. There were so many examples how the money approved under the annual Budget did not seem to end up accomplishing its intended purposes. I want to highlight just a few of these "incidents" which, to some extend, have directly or indirectly affected the people of Miri just to prove my point. I am not saying there was any hanky-panky surrounding the use of these money, but these incidents raised much confusion. In the year 2008, a certain politician took a group of reporters to Bakong Bazaar, about 60km from Miri, to tour the Lapok Road, a vital road link that connects Miri into the interior of Baram and the rest of northern Sarawak. He wanted to announce that the Government had approved a RM200mil fund to repair the road that was then in a terribly bad shape. The road had not been upgraded since Sarawak gained its independence through Malaysia. During the event, he proudly announced that the fund had been approved by the Federal Treasury for the 40km-long Lapok Road to be resurfaced and that repair works would start immediately. He even brought along senior officers from the company that had been hired to do the job. In the year 2010, I had the opportunity to travel pass the road to get into the interior parts of Baram to attend a function by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein, who was then visiting some Penan settlements to distribute MyKads. Sadly, the road was still in its horrendous condition as in 2008. The politician's sweet announcement remained just an announcement. I passed through the same road again in 2011, when I was assigned to attend a function by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Again, there was still no sign of repair works being been done on the road. Surprisingly, a few months ago, another politician announced that the Government had approved yet another RM150mil to upgrade the same road. The announcement had me perplexed. What actually is going on? What happened to the initial RM200mil meant for the road upgrading as announced in 2008? I am not insinuating that there are some hanky-panky going on. But all these turn of events are very confusing and the fact that the Lapok Road upgrading is neither there nor there is indeed a cause of frustration to the people who have to bear with the poor road condition daily. Another example is the proposed RM120mil Pujut-Permyjaya highway upgrading project. A politician announced in 2008 that the project would soon start to alleviate the massive traffic jam affecting more than 100,000 people in Kuala Baram district daily. But until April 2011, there was absolutely no progress to that project. Works only begun after the state elections where SUPP president and Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan lost his Piasau state seat while Andy Chia lost Pujut seat, both to DAP. The delay in that project's implementation was part of the reasons that the SUPP lost the two seats and almost lost the Senadin seat as well. Yet another example is the RM100mil announced in 2011 meant for the improvement of Miri Port. DAP YB for Piasau Alan Ling asked what had happened to the money and why the funds was not used for the intended project. Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Michael Manyin explained that the money was "diverted" for some urgent projects in Kuching. This sort of "diversion of funds" should have been made public before it was diverted. The intention may sound reasonable, but the manner in which these money were diverted surely raised suspicions. There are so many examples of these "fund diversions" that I can dig up. Just a few months ago, I found that certain Class F contractors hired by government authorities and the MP office here in Miri had done a horrible job in carrying out urgent repair works for the needy and the poor in Miri. They had not only resorted to using low quality materials but also produced shoddy workmanship in order to cut corners to earn bigger profit margins. In the process, they had fleeced the poor people whom the Government had intended to help. This is another blatant example of how Government money had been misappropriated and misused and how the intended target groups of people did not fully benefit from the funds meant for their well-being. The Budget is not just about dishing out money. Equally important is how to make sure that the money allocated do not end up "getting lost" or unaccounted and at the same time failed to benefit the rakyat as it was originally intended for. Whatever money dispensed from the Federal Treasury to the state treasury or to the individual ministries must be speedily channeled to the proposed project and be used for the purpose it was intended for. For example, if a RM100mil fund is approved for the construction of School A in Long Panjang, that money must be used to build the particular school worth the amount. It cannot be "quietly diverted" from Long Panjang and used to build some other things in some other parts of the state. It is also not fair to the people of Long Panjang if the school built is built but not amounting to the approved budget. The people of Long Panjang have the right to query where the money had gone to and who is the one who had made the decision in allowing the "divertion" of the money meant to enable the people of Long Panjang. The MP and state assemblyman for Long Panjang must be held answerable. He must be in the know about the whereabouts of the money and what had transpired. Whether or not there is any hanky-panky involved in the "diversion" of the money is another thing altogether. The fact that the money meant to construct School A in Long Panjang was not used for that intended purpose is already an issue by itself and the YBs and state authorities must explain and reveal the truth. To ensure that these incidents of "missing money" are prevented from happening, the team drawing up the annual Budget must relook at its effectiveness in terms of fund-distribution, the implemen- tation process and the auditing process. Unless these aspects are looked into and improved, the delivery system will always fall short of performance and the intended group of people who should benefit from these money - the citizens - will continue to suffer from the delays, shoddy workmanship and "fund-diversions". I honestly hope that this Friday's Budget will also see Najib introducing stricter mechanisms to check on how fund that were approved under the annual Budget is being spent throughout every nook and corner of the country, including here in Sarawak. |
| Posted: 26 Sep 2012 03:21 PM PDT
We have a far from perfect democracy but then there are no perfect ones anywhere. People's right to voice critical opinions is suddenly seen as traitorous. The possibility of alternative administrations is deemed taboo, a word that has connotations beyond the mundanity of voting, rather like talking about sex is considered taboo. Marina Mahathir, The Star IN all the past 55 years, we have been proud of being a democracy, minimalist though it may be. We elect our Parliament like clockwork every five years or so and everyone is aware that that is the first hurdle they have to get over in order to get into power. Of course, we have a far from perfect democracy but then there are no perfect ones anywhere. We can do with a more inclusive and representative government and certainly can do with a more vibrant and free media and more space for alternative viewpoints to be heard. Still, we like to describe our federation with its constitutional monarchy as a democracy – our democracy. So it rather surprises me that of late, there are voices that seem to say that democracy is a bad thing to have. For some reason, there are people who think that an elected form of government where people have the power to choose who they want to elect is not a good thing. Perhaps this is because they are unsure that this type of government will put them into power at all. Some are even going so far as to say that democracy is incompatible with our state religion, Islam. That's rather odd because I've just been at a conference where an Islamic scholar stated that Islam is the most democratic of religions, because everyone has equal access to God. Yet, he added, most Muslims live in undemocratic states. This sudden turn in attitude towards democracy has had predictable results. Anyone who talks about democracy is suddenly viewed with suspicion, as if they are advocating that the Devil himself should take over the country. People's right to voice critical opinions is suddenly seen as traitorous. The possibility of alternative administrations is deemed taboo, a word that has connotations beyond the mundanity of voting, rather like talking about sex is considered taboo. If the citizens of a country are not allowed to elect whom they want, then they don't live in a democracy. So to say that it is taboo to elect anyone other than the present government is to bring the conversation to a realm that is beyond rational argument. Somehow nowadays, it is a sin to get our people to think democratically, as if democracy is a religion that teaches immorality. I remember in my childhood being taught about democracy at school. My teachers would talk about how concepts like apartheid or "the colour bar" were undemocratic. We held mock elections where we would have candidates and campaigns, including "political" rallies, so that we would understand the whole process of how our leaders are elected. Of great importance were the issues our "candidates" put up; those who had the best solutions to our issues at school were the ones who would get elected. Today, I hear that schools are not encouraged to have any such thing in case our children get "funny" ideas. Instead, we are differentiating children by the way they look and dress, rather than treating all of them as equal. We expose them to possible discrimination, even violence, even though our Federal Constitution says that every citizen has an equal right to education. Every day, we have new restrictions on our already limited democracy. We can get arrested for comments we never made just because someone made them on our website or Facebook page. Some of us, in an already limited job market, find ourselves charged with allegedly working against our own religion even though we are not responsible for anything other than doing our jobs. Even though both our official religion and Constitution give us rights, these rights are now contested. And contested in such a way that those who shout loudest win, even if their numbers are small. Yet these same folks would be the first to demand their right to speak should anyone object to what they say. We need to ask ourselves, how did we come to this state where democracy is confused with "total freedom" and "Westernisation"? Are Westerners the only ones allowed democracy? In that case, why are thousands of people in those autocratic Middle Eastern countries demanding to have a say in how their countries are run? Are we somehow undeserving of democracy, of the simple right to have a say?
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Malaysiakini has been further attacked for having a foreign investor which is allegedly linked to billionaire financier George Soros. Further aspersions have been cast on Malaysiakini that some of our shareholders have political links. 
In a nutshell, Malaysiakini was open with its staff about a contract to build a software application for the Centre for Advanced Media Prague (Camp), which is MDLF's technology division. 
Despite a heated exchange of words in the wake of the Asian financial crisis, former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad later 
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