'K'jaan perlu kurang belanja selepas kenaikan bahan api'

Kerajaan perlu mengurangkan perbelanjaannya berikutan kenaikan harga bahan api semalam untuk menunjukkan bahawa ia serius dalam mengurangkan defisit fiskal, kata Pemuda Umno.

Ketuanya, Khairy Jamaluddin berkata, selain meminta rakyat menanggung pengurangan subsidi, kerajaan perlu membuktikan melalui penjimatan dan langkah-langkah untuk mengelak ketirisan dalam perbelanjaan kerajaan.

Beliau berkata demikian dalam sidang akhbar di ibu pejabat Umno hari ini selepas mesyuarat jawatankuasa kerja sayap tersebut hari ini.

Katanya, kerajaan perlu melihat untuk menyediakan bantuan yang disasarkan untuk golongan berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana seperti pemberian wang tunai BR1M dan potongan cukai, di samping mengkaji subsidi yang diberikan kepada syarikat-syarikat besar.

Di samping itu, beliau menggesa kementerian perdagangan dalam negeri untuk mengambil tindakan tegas terhadap mereka yang menaikkan harga yang tidak berpatutan ekoran kenaikan harga petrol.

-sumber-

Pemuda Umno Gesa Kerajaan Titik Berat Kebajikan Rakyat Dalam Bajet 2014

dari :mstar.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Kerajaan digesa supaya menitik beratkan kebajikan rakyat ekoran keputusan pengurangan subsidi petrol dan diesel.

Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda Umno Khairy Jamaluddin berkata beberapa langkah dan bantuan boleh diperkenalkan kerajaan secara khusus melalui Bajet 2014 yang akan dibentangkan pada Oktober.

"Kami melihat peluang untuk melindungi golongan berpendapatan sederhana dan rendah boleh diterjemahkan dalam bentuk bantuan kerajaan seperti BR1M (Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia) dan potongan cukai wajar diperkenalkan kerajaan dalam belanjawan akan datang untuk membantu golongan ini dengan cara lebih khusus.

"Kerajaan mesti tampil dengan satu belanjawan yang mengambil kira kedudukan golongan berpendapatan sederhana dan rendah yang berdepan dengan kesan kos sara hidup yang meningkat," katanya pada sidang media selepas mempengerusikan Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Pergerakan Pemuda Umno di sini, Rabu.

Khairy yang juga Menteri Belia dan Sukan berkata susulan pengumuman tersebut, harga barang pasti akan naik.

Justeru, beliau menggesa agar Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan (KPDNKK) mengambil tindakan cepat dan tegas terhadap pengusaha dan syarikat yang menaikkan harga barang secara tidak munasabah.

"Kita harap kerajaan mengambil serius isu kenaikan harga barang yang sudah pasti akan berlaku susulan pengurangan subsidi petrol dan diesel," katanya.

Beliau menambah, adalah menjadi keutamaan bagi sayap parti itu untuk melihat pelan jelas kerajaan dalam belanjawan akan datang.

Selain itu katanya, kerajaan juga harus mempercepatkan usaha membuka dan memecahkan monopoli yang diberi kepada beberapa syarikat yang menyebabkan harga beberapa barangan berada pada paras tinggi.

"Jika untuk beberapa barangan dapat kita buka secara liberal dengan memecah monopoli tersebut, kita yakin ia akan membantu dari segi pengurangan harga barang dan memberi kesan langsung kepada kos sara hidup rakyat," ujarnya.

Khairy turut menggesa kerajaan mengkaji subsidi yang diberikan kepada syarikat-syarikat besar seperti subsidi gas.

"Sekiranya mahu kurangkan subsidi kepada rakyat, kita gesa kerajaan mengkaji sama ada subsidi (syarikat) itu juga dapat dikurangkan.

"Kita dapati program pengurangan subsidi ini mestilah ditanggung semua pihak, bukan hanya subsidi am sahaja yang dikenakan oleh kerajaan," katanya.

Saranan Ketua Pemuda UMNO, KJ, amatlah bertepatan dengan dasar kerajaan yang menitikberatkan dasar Rakyat Didahulukan Pencapaian Diutamakan. Memandangkan Sdr KJ sudah pun berada di platform yang sepatutnya iaitu di parlimen dan memegang portfolio Menteri di KBS, segenap kabinet perlu mengambil kira saranan tersebut bagi mengurangkan beban yang ditanggung oleh rakyat yang sememangnya telah dibebani dengan kepelbagaian bentuk kenaikan harga dari harga makanan (sebelum ini harga ayam telah ditetapkan harga siling sekitar RM7.50, namun apabila muncul kenaikan harga minyak Ron95 sebanyak 20 sen, di pasar-pasar malam harga ayam telah mencecah kembali kepada RM8.30 hingga 8.50 sekilo ayam seekor-janganlah pula Dato Hassan minta rakyat menukar selera kepada ikan daging dan lain daripada ayam!) 

Berbalik kepada Dato Hasan, janganlah juga dengan pantasnya membuat kenyataan bahawa kenaikan harga barang dijangkakan sekitar 0.1% sahaja kerana anda tidak tahu apa yang sebenarnya berlaku di segenap pasar-pasar borong, pasar-pasar tani, pasar malam, kedai runcit, chain-marts, dan lain-lain, anda tidak tahu apa yang dilakukan oleh sekelian ramai pemborong, peruncit peraih peniaga yang sewenang-wenang memainkan harga barang memikirkan keuntungan lebih berbanding memikirkan hak pengguna!.

Pembangkang juga boleh memainkan peranan dalam memberikan idea-idea yang dapat membantu rakyat. Walaupun berbeza fahaman dan aliran politik,tapi peningkatan jumlah MP pembangkan dalam parlimen seharusnya menjadi medan untuk pertukaran idea dan bukan dijadikan modal politik semata-mata.  Menteri-menteri juga seharusnya tidak bersifat kebudak-budakan dengan memandang sinis idea-idea dari semua pihak baik masyarakat amnya, tenaga-tenaga proffesional, pemimpin pembangkang, 

Ending the populism, Putrajaya faces the reality of spending beyond country’s means

From populist to realist?: Najib announcing the fuel price hike yesterday. The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, September 3, 2013.

NEWS ANALYSIS It would have been easy for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to remain Mr Populist and suffocate any talk about cutting subsidies. Very easy, indeed.

Why? Because it is part of his DNA to want to be loved by Malaysians rather than respected; to travel the path of least resistance rather than confront the knot of structural issues that bedevil this country.

Let's face it, a prime minister who prefers tossing money around like confetti at a wedding is always more at ease giving money away than tightening the purse strings.

So it must have been the financial reality that Malaysia is facing that forced Najib away from his comfort zone as a populist into unfamiliar territory.

His government's spend, spend and spend approach in the run-up to the general election was always going to result in several consequences.

Among them, eating up shrinking government revenue and feeding the Malaysian illusion that the good times will continue indefinitely without hurting their pocket.

But economists have been issuing periodic warnings for some time now, so have ratings agencies that the Malaysian love affair with subsidies and easy money has to end. Between RM25 billion to RM30 billion is spent on subsidies to allow Malaysians and foreigners to enjoy cheaper fuel, gas and water.

This was the scene at most petrol stations in the country last night as angry motorists rushed to fill up after the government's announcement of the fuel price hike. The Malaysian Insider pic byh Afif Abd Halim, September 3, 2013.Apart from distorting the economy, subsidies are also enjoyed by groups of Malaysians and foreigners who really should not be benefiting from cheaper goods and services.

For example, many of the motorists who grumbled about the 20-sen increase in the price of a litre of RON95 last night should not be enjoying a fuel subsidy in the first place. After all, the pump price has doubled in 15 years but world oil prices have gone up 10 times in the same period.

Also, the main beneficiaries of subsidised diesel are owners of Vietnamese and Thai fishing vessels, and the Malaysian fishermen who sell their subsidised allocation to them.

The leakages have gone on for years and the government has done precious little to address this situation. So why now? Because the national treasury aka Petronas does not have a bottomless pit.

Its profits are down and the national oil company has been warning Putrajaya that it cannot continue subsidising gas for industrial use.

Najib will not admit it publicly but the country's revenue situation cannot be healthy. That is why Mr Populist is being forced to become Mr Realist.

But it is tough to wean Malaysians off the life of subsidies. Najib is being assailed by the Opposition, by the man in the street and by Umno supporters.

Some of their barbs are valid.

They want to know why a resource-rich country is suddenly on an austerity drive; they demand to know whether only wage earners are being asked to make sacrifices for the country; they believe that the rise in the price of fuel is a precursor to a sharp across-the-board spike in the cost of living; they feel duped into supporting the Barisan Nasional in GE13.

Finally, they want to know whether they are paying for the inflated contracts and projects enjoyed by cronies of the government.

Najib will not be able to answer all the questions but he had better try. He must make sure that there is transparency in the award of contracts and show evidence that savings from cutting the fuel subsidy is used for the common good.

If he wants to persuade Malaysians that the old way of doing things cannot be sustained, then he should set the example.

Ending his love affair with populism is a good start. - September 3, 2013.

MINYAK NAIK LAGI? ADAKAH RAKYAT DIDAHULUKAN?

Thousands of outraged Malaysians queued up for fuel last night ahead of a price hike, venting their anger at Putrajaya for cutting subsidies while promising more cash handouts to offset a 20-sen rise in pump prices.

Most of them when met in petrol stations in the Klang Valley pointed out they are not eligible for Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) cash handouts which the Najib government had promised to increase in Budget 2014.

That special handout of RM500 was paid to some five million households earning RM3,000 a month and below

They also felt that the pump price rise was sudden and suspect more bad news in the form of the controversial goods and services tax (GST) will soon follow. The tax has been on the drawing board for the past decade but has yet to be law.

Before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the fuel price hike that would save the government RM3.3 billion annually, RON95 was sold at RM1.90 per litre while diesel was RM1.80 per litre. After midnight it was RM2.10 and RM2.00 respectively.

A businessman who wanted to be known only as YK said the price hike will definitely burden those from the lower-income group.

BR1M, he said, will not make a difference as not everyone is eligible for the special handout.

"It does not make a difference to me because I am not eligible for it. The cost of living will still go up for me," the 45-year-old told The Malaysian Insider.

YK, along with insurance agent Nor, 34, were among those who queued up for at least 45 minutes at the Bandar Puteri petrol station in Puchong last night following the prime minister's announcement.

Nor, who is also not eligible for BR1M,  said the hike would really hit those who had families.

"Everyone knows the cost of living will go up when the price of petrol increases. It came as quite a shock to me (the announcement)," said the mother-of-two.

"It is not fair. Not everyone gets the BR1M. Although it won't make a significant change, it is still something."

YK agreed, noting that from today onwards, everything, from food to household items, would cost at least 20 sen more.

However, he was confident that the hike was only temporary as this was because the price of oil had gone up worldwide recently.

"Although this move by the government is bad, it is understandable.

"But as soon as the price of oil comes down globally, we hope to see a similar drop in price here," he added.

Amir Azri, 26, said this move by the government was "extremely bad".

"First there was no warning, then a 20 sen hike. If it was 10-sen hike, I could live with it. This is so troubling," he said at the Petronas petrol station in Pandan Indah in the capital city Kuala Lumpur last night.

Amir was not convinced of the BR1M handout saying it will be a one-off thing.

"We have to live with the new petrol price everyday," he said.

Insurance broker Nur Adawiah, 23, however said she did not feel the pinch, yet.

"Although the hike came suddenly, I am still okay with it. I can afford it.

"Buit the government cannot say they are compensating us with BR1M because not everyone is eligible," she said.

Workshop owner, Wong Sooi Ying complained that the hike was too sudden.

And what about BR1M?

"It's all just talk, no walk," said the 53-year-old woman.

"You wait and see, next it will be GST, although that will take some time."

Manager, Shanger, 40, told The Malaysian Insider at the Shell petrol station in Pandan Indah last night that the price hike is all wrong.

"Now the other businesses will take advantage and increase the prices of their goods and services.

"This is definitely a burden to everyone," he said.

At the Shell petrol station in Batu 14, Jalan Puchong, irate housewife Shamsidar Dahlan said the fuel cost rise would trigger a chain reaction which will lead to an increase in food prices.

"There are people always waiting to take the opportunity to profit once the price of fuel goes up," she said.

Shamsidar said the average income earner would suffer whatever was the government's rationale to raise the price of fuel.

"Do we have a choice to stop the price from going up after midnight?" she asked.

Clerk Anisah Shariff  said she was caught by surprise by the announcement and questioned why the government needed to increase fuel prices just after the general election.

"I suppose the government wants to collect money from urban voters to pay the  BR1M recipients.

She said having a car was a necessity in the Klang Valley because public transportation was unreliable.

Electrican  Lau Yong Kwai said car owners today had no choice but to accept the hike.

"I was taken aback when my friends told me that price of petrol will be up by 20 sen after midnight," said Lau.

He also wondered if there will be more announcements in the weeks to come by the government to fill its coffers.

"Well, they got nothing to worry about now because the elections are over," he said, adding that he hoped the government would look into measures like cutting on wastage and checking on leakages in the economy. - September 3, 2013.

LAGI:

dari : kadirjasin.blogspot.com

Pengurangan subsidi menyebabkan harga minyak naik dan beban pengguna meningkat. Menteri Kewangan kata kenaikan terbaru ini akan menjimatkan kira-kira RM1.1 bilion.

Di mana penjimatan itu akan dibelanjakan kita kena tahu. Harap-harap janganlah tumpu kepada bandar saja. Ingatlah siapa yang menyelamatkan BN pada 5 Mei lalu!  

Dilihat dari luar, nampak kerajaan boros. Belanja lawatan ke luar negara Perdana Menteri saja RM44.07 juta sejak Mohd Najib jadi PM lima tahun lalu. Belanja baik pulih dan ubah suai kediaman rasmi pula berapa?

Janganlah jadi cerita: Raja dalam dapur makan roti gula. Suri dalam rumah  buat kira-kira. Rakyat luar pagar hidup menderita.

LAGI:

Kenaikan Harga Minyak Proses Pengukuhan Ekonomi - PM

PUTRAJAYA: Kenaikan harga minyak merupakan satu proses pengukuhan ekonomi bagi jangka pendek dan sederhana, yang akhirnya bertujuan memberi kesan positif kepada kesejahteraan rakyat, kata Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Beliau berkata, sekiranya ekonomi negara terjejas, ia akan mendatangkan kesan buruk kepada rakyat sepertimana keadaan disesetengah negara luar yang menerima kesan amat berat apabila mereka gagal menangani ekonomi mereka dengan baik.

Komitmen kerajaan untuk melaksanakan konsolidasi fiskal akan diteruskan bagi mencapai sasaran defisit fiskal dalam lingkungan tiga peratus kepada Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) pada 2015 dan belanjawan berimbang menjelang 2020, kata beliau.

"Kita mesti faham ini bukan soal politik, tapi soal masa depan negara, kalau ekonomi terjejas ia akan datangkan kesan buruk kepada rakyat," kata Perdana Menteri dalam persidangan media di bangunan Perdana Putra di sini, Isnin.

Beliau yang juga Menteri Kewangan berkata demikian sebagai merujuk kepada kenaikan harga RON95 dan diesel sebanyak 20 sen seliter yang diumumkannya, berkuat kuasa tengah malam Isnin.

Menjawab soalan, Najib berkata, proses rasionalisasi subsidi sememangnya merupakan sebahagian daripada dasar kerajaan yang dimuktamadkan, namun kerajaan bertekad untuk melaksanakan secara berperingkat-peringkat bagi memastikan kesannya tidak membebankan.

"Kita nak tentukan bahawa kesan yang merupakan bebanan kepada rakyat ini, kita pastikan di tahap paling minimum dan kita akan besarkan lagi jaringan keselamatan sosial, seperti yang saya katakan tadi, termasuk kenaikan kadar pemberian Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia BR1M," kata Najib.

Beliau berkata, kerajaan berusaha agar kesan kenaikan itu tidak membebankan rakyat, dan menurutnya jumlah kenaikan kadar BR1M akan diumumkan dalam ucapanBelanjawan 2014 nanti. (MEMANDANGKAN BRIM TIDAK MENGENAL ERTI SIAPA YANG MENERIMANYA, DAN PEMEBERIAN ADALAH BERSIFAT ONE-SHOT, ADA LEBIH BAIK BRIM DIOLAH SEBAGAI MECHANISME KAWALAN HARGA DAN/ALLOCATE SEBAGAI JUMLAH SUBSIDI UNTUK MINYAK SUPAYA HARGA MINYAK SENTIASA DI PARAS MAMPU KEPADA PENGGUNA.  PENJIMATAN 1.1 BILLION YANG KONONNYA DATANG DARI PENARIKAN SUBSIDI MINYAK UNTUK TUJUAN APA?KAMBUS BALIK UNTUK BRIM???))

Najib berkata, kenaikan harga bahan api itu akan memberi kesan minimum dan seterusnya beliau berharap agar para peniaga tidak mengambil peluang ini untuk menaikkan harga barang tanpa mengambil kira kepentingan rakyat. - BERNAMA

LAGI: RESPON TERBAIK DARI TIMBALAN MENTERI

Harga Minyak Murah Punca Penyeludupan Berlaku, Kata Rohani

KUALA LUMPUR, 26 Nov – Harga petrol dan diesel yang lebih murah berbanding di negara jiran adalah punca utama berlakunya aktiviti penyeludupan di mana pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab mampu mengaut keuntungan begitu mewah, persidangan Dewan Rakyat diberitahu hari ini.

Timbalan Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan, Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim berkata walaupun kerajaan menghapuskan subsidi, harga minyak di negara ini masih murah sehingga membawa kepada aktiviti penyeludupan bahan tersebut termasuk di Sabah dan Sarawak.

“Bagi RON95 di Malaysia, harga subsidi petrol di negara ini adalah RM1.90 seliter manakala di Thailand RM4.85 seliter. Diesel pula adalah RM1.80 seliter dan di Thailand RM3 seliter.

“Daripada perbezaan harga itu, menunjukkan memang mewah dan berbaloi untuk membuat ketirisan atau penyeludupan.

“Katalah jika kita hapuskan subisidi, harga RON95 tanpa subsidi jadi RM2.72 seliter manakala diesel pula RM2.75 seliter. Ini masih lagi murah,” kata Rohani ketika menjawab soalan Datuk Ismail Kasim (BN-Arau).

Ismail ingin tahu mengenai keupayaan pegawai penguatkuasa kementerian berkaitan menangani masalah penyeludupan bahan subsidi seperti diesel dan petrol.

Rohani berkata kementerian bekerjasama dengan pelbagai agensi penguatkuasa lain seperti Kastam Diraja Malaysia, Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM), Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM) dan Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ) bagi memantau kegiatan penyeludupan.

Katanya, sehingga 31 Oktober lepas, terdapat 601 kes rampasan petrol dan diesel di sempadan membabitkan nilai hampir RM5 juta berbanding tahun lepas 812 kes rampasan minyak dan diesel dengan nilai mencecah RM3 juta.

Lagi kenyataan bijak pandai!:

Kenaikkan harga petrol RON95 sebanyak 20 sen seliter mulai tengah malam ini mencetuskan kekecewaan di alam maya. 

Bagaimana tweet daripada seorang ahli politik dilihat menambah minyak kepada kemarahan itu.

"Minyak petrol naik (harga), pastinya tidak memudaratkan rakyat kerana yang ada kereta besar adalah orang-orang besar dan berkemampuan, (sedangkan) orang kampung ada tidak berkereta," kata anggota Parlimen Kinabatangan Bung Mokhtar Radin (kanan).

Tidak puas hati dengan perkara itu, beliau terus dihujani kemarahan, antaranya seorang pengguna Twitter dikenali @ayeemin berkata:

"Kereta bukan hanya untuk orang kaya. Hari ini, ia keperluan. Tetapi beristeri dua hanya untuk orang kaya."

Bung sebelum ini mendapat liputan meluas selepas mengambil pelakon Zizie Izette sebagai isteri kedua pada 2010.

Tampil tidak dikenali, alam Twitter turut dihujani dengan pesanan-pesanan berunsur jenaka.

LAGILA:  Turun 97 20 sen May 2013, Naik ROn 95 20 sen
“Sebagai kerajaan yang bertanggungjawab (berapa kerat yang pakai Ron 97- tentunya statistik jualan telah dibuat sebab itu berani turunkan RON 95 sahaja), harga RON97 diturunkan di pasaran seiring situasi semasa di peringkat global,” katanya di sini, semalam. Pertengahan tahun lalu, kerajaan menurunkan harga jualan runcit petrol RON97 sebanyak 10 sen seliter kepada RM2.80. 

Hashim berkata, penurunan harga petrol tidak bersubsidi itu bagaimanapun masih meletakkan Malaysia dalam kalangan negara yang menawarkan harga bahan api itu pada kadar rendah berbanding negara jiran. 

Beliau berkata, harga jualan runcit petrol RON97 pada dasarnya ditetapkan secara apungan terkawal yang mana harga bulanannya akan berubah mengikut harga pasaran.

LAGI BRILLIANT VIEW DR MINISTRY:

Food prices are expected to go up only by 0.1% following the 20-sen hike in RON95 petrol and diesel prices effective today.

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Hasan Malek (who said switch to ikan daging sotong kerang unta monyet if ayam is expensive) said this quoting a study done by the ministry on the effect of  the fuel price increase, the New Straits Times reported.

Hasan, however, had told traders not to raise food prices, adding the fuel price hike was unlikely to affect food production costs. ( do you really think food manufacturers etc will not increase food price when their logistic cost increases? mathematic: 1ltr= 2.10, 1 ltr can last 5 km, so that means additional RM1 for 5km travel.  Food suppliers/manufacturers, distributors travel say 100 km daily to-fro, example la,  so thats additional RM 20 cost on fuel for 100km travel to and fro means, 50 km one way. assuming 60 minutes for every 60km, so 100 km only 1.5 hour of travel. assuming logistic travel 5 hrs per day, thats add up to 333 kmm also means additional RM60 on cost fuel per transport per day.

3 transports?5? 

below is last June 2013 entry by Tun Mahathir on Racial Polarization. See 2 different comments from a Singaporean and a Malaysian

RACIAL POLARIZATION

1. After Parliament was dissolved on the 13th April 2013, I was interviewed by a BBC journalist. He appeared quite convinced that race-based parties such as those in the National Front would be rejected by a more liberal electorate which believes in democracy, freedom and non-racial politics. Also the idealistic young would reject the BN.

2. I had to disagree with him as I believed that racial polarization in Malaysia had become more pronounced now than ever before. I may not always be right but after 60 years involvement in Malaysian politics I felt strongly that the race factor will continue to dominate the politics of the country.  The quality of the candidates or parties, the ideologies and the desire for change will always be secondary to race.

3. The election results showed that I was right. The DAP playing on racial sentiments drew the Chinese away from BN by depicting the MCA as lackeys of UMNO. The DAP won 38 seats, reducing the MCA’s seats from 15 to 7. The Gerakan won one seat out of two. All the DAP Chinese contested in Chinese majority constituencies.  A few of the MCA, Gerakan and MIC candidates contested in Malay majority constituencies.

4. Although the DAP claims to be multiracial, it is in fact a Chinese party with mainly Chinese members and leadership. When it held elections to its Central Committee recently other than Karpal Singh all the members elected were Chinese.
5. Hatred of the Malays was whipped up through the slogan “Malaysian Malaysia”, implying that Malaysia is for the Malays only while other races were discriminated against and alleged to be second class citizens.  Advocating meritocracy, the extremists Chinese in the DAP charged the BN Government  of discriminating in favour of the Malays even though they were inferior and less qualified for places in the universities, awards of scholarships, contracts, licences and positions in the Government.  The Malay leaders were not as able as the non-Malay leaders who possess greater merit.

6. Whenever Government policies such as the NEP were defended, the defenders whether in the Government or NGO’s are labelled racist.  The Malay parties in the election pact in Pakatan were tolerated because they were useful for election purposes.

7. If more proof is needed of the role of Chinese racism in the 13th GE, the demonstrations accusing the BN of fraud and cheating in the elections, despite being organised by Anwar and the PKR, are largely attended by Chinese, especially the young. Within the Country and abroad, Chinese youths wearing black shirts and masks made up most of the demonstrators. Usually Malays make up the majority of the demonstrators.  The lack of respect for the national flag was shown by Chinese young people in Taiwan holding it upside down. Although DAP and PKR participated in these demos, PAS members were noticeably absent. In fact PAS leaders dissociated themselves from the agitation to overthrow the Government through street demos ala Arab Spring. The protests seem to be mainly a Chinese affair.

8. The indisputable fact is that the DAP has succeeded in destroying the collaboration or sharing between the different races as exemplified by the BN coalition. The Pakatan is not a true coalition. It is simply an election pact between the parties opposed to the BN. This pact clearly benefited the chauvinist Chinese in DAP most, while PAS the most Malay of the Pakatan parties benefited the least, winning only 21 seats against DAP’s 38 and PKR’s 30.  Actually although PAS contested in more constituencies than DAP, it lost two seats more than in 2008.

9. If today the schism between the races is deeper it is because the DAP reject the Malay/Chinese/Indian “kongsi”. The DAP wants the Chinese who already dominate the economy, to dominate Malaysia’s politics as well. It is clearly racist and reject inter-racial sharing of power and wealth as advocated by the BN. Racial polarization has become more pronounced as a result.  It will become more so in the future.

ChuPaCheah

August 24, 2013 at 10:26 PM | Permalink

weijian1990

July 28, 2013 at 1:12 PM | Permalink

My comments below are in response to Weijian1990, see above
I am a Singaporean – born and bread, also did my national service and so on and so forth…your article referencing “meritocracy in Singapore” is in poor taste.
There is no such thing in Singapore – Btw, just in case if you think I am talking rubbish – I have earned a PhD. Brilliant Harry writing all the books and calling himself the founding father – is so far from truth, our generation know the truth.

The “Kongsi” approach to share political power is a fair one.

Ask your selves – what is Ting Pey Ling and the monkeys in white doing – got the job and a million dollar salary – hello….what meritocracy are we talking about? Singapore is not what it appears from outside.

At least the Malaysians (all races, including Malays) are better off – more real with the “Kongsi” approach. Singapores meritocracy is a “Cloak and dagger game” – cruel and cowards as the monkeys in white.

weijian1990

July 28, 2013 at 1:12 PM | Permalink

Hi Tun Mahathir,

I’d like to request for a feedback on your recent writing on NST opinion page titled “Chinese Better Off After Merdeka”. As a moderate Malaysian, I seek every possible opinion about our unique political situation and yours is at the top of my list. I do not know how to approach you since I couldn’t find any channel to reach you like posting on your facebook page or sending messages. Therefore I’ve decided to write my queries here in one of your old post as the issue discussed is fairly similar. I hope you read this and can provide me some feedback as I’m a young Malaysian trying to understand our country.

I can see where you are coming from with the “kongsi” concept offered by BN since independence and no doubt it has benefited all races. I understand that our situation is much different to other countries as we are made up of a multiracial society with the minorities (Chinese and Indians) actually make up a significant percentage of the population. Hence, the “kongsi ” philosophy came into play as each race negotiated their way upon independence to seek the most appropriate solution for all to live under one roof. We sacrificed for the better of the whole. And one of the sacrifices that the non-Malays made (which I believe becomes the central issue today) is the quota system. I think you would agree with me that the non Malays today are unsatisfied with the quota system as it doesn’t not promote meritocracy, which rewards people based on merit and not race.

I remembered that I was taught that the quota system was not supposed to undermine meritocracy. I was taught that the quota system existed to proportionate rewards to everybody as each race constitutes of different percentages of the whole population. Hence the quota system is based on racial constituents. However, this system seems to have broken down when one race thrives over the other. It is puzzling that this could happen as each race are ordinary human beings to begin with and there should be no difference between them if they are living in the same environment, competing for the same resources. However, it happened in Singapore. And now we could see similar pattern in our country where the Chinese seems to have and edge over the others in the economy. I believe the Chinese put this down to hard work and perseverance, that they worked harder or smarter to earn what they have. Therefore, to the Chinese it is demoralizing that their efforts are not recognized enough when they are facing the quota system. Hence, most of them venture abroad to seek for opportunities. However, the quota system is supposed to keep the balance of wealth and power between the races in check. While this is true on the surface, we cannot deny that there are many of them being sacrificed under this scheme.

It is always a tricky situation when there is scarcity. I personally believe that this system works if the merits achieved by each race are in line with the quota proportion. For instance, if the quota is 60:20:10:10, then by merit this should also be the case, or roughly so. That is to say, with a 60:20:10:10 quota, there should be roughly 60:20:10:10 deserving candidates from each category. I’m not sure that this is truly the case in our country. At least, as far as public opinion is concern, this ratio has been skewed. By rewarding the unworthy (based on merit) to preserve the quota system might seem to benefit the nation, however individually there are bound to be many unhappy faces. I guess this is the toughest part of politics, whether or not to benefit the system, or to benefit individuals. I believe it occurs in all sorts of planning tasks like transportation planning, economic planning etc.

I’m placing much emphasis on the quota system as I think it is the central system that could make or break the country. I’d like to seek your feedback on our quota system. What is its primary aim? How far has this system come in achieving its target? And how relevant is this system today?

I’d appreciate very much if you can spare some of your precious time to read my comments and provide some feedback to better my understanding of our society. I’m still young at only 23 and I believe with your 23 years of experience in governing the country you are able to enlighten me more than anyone else in this country.

Thank you very much.

UMNO leaders to Anwar: No need for special roundtable talks!

http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=252669&Itemid=77

Perincian Kaedah Pemilihan Baru UMNO Akan Diumum Tiga Minggu Lagi

Kuala Lumpur, 1 Sep – Pengurusan Ibu Pejabat UMNO Malaysia sedang mengadakan kajian dan rumusan dalam tempoh tiga minggu ini untuk memastikan pemilihan di peringkat cawangan, bahagian dan pusat mengikut kaedah dan sistem baru pemilihan dapat dijalankan dengan sempurna.

Menurut Setiausaha Kerja UMNO Malaysia, Dato Rauf Ab.Yusoh, kajian dan rumusan bagi perkara tersebut akan cuba diselesaikan sebelum tempoh pendaftaran calon pada 21 September ini.

“Ia dilakukan adalah untuk memastikan kaedah pemilihan baru ini dapat menjadi kaedah terbaik bagi pemilihan pemimpin khususnya di peringkat akar umbi.

“Kita akan adakan satu sidang media khas bagi melihat kaedah pemilihan baru ini untuk diwar-warkan kepada umum dalam masa yang terdekat, selepas selesai kajian dan rumusan berhubung  perkara ini. Mungkin lebih kurang dalam tempoh tiga minggu lagi,”jelas beliau kepada pemberita di program rumah terbuka di kediaman beliau di Ukay Perdana.

Menurut beliau lagi, kajian dan rumusan yang  dilakukan oleh ibu pejabat UMNO itu akan meliputi dari semua sudut pemilihan seperti kaedah pendaftaran, pemilihan, cara menjalankan undian serentak termasuk kaedah pengiraan undi.

Selain itu, Rauf memberitahu simulasi pemilihan bagi mereka yang terlibat sebagai pegawai pengurus pemilihan juga akan diadakan dalam tempoh terdekat sebagai persiapan dan latihan bagi mereka yang terlibat  agar sistem pemilihan baru yang pertama kali digunapakai  ini dapat dijalankan tanpa sebarang masalah.

Sementara itu, rumah terbuka beliau meriah dihadiri lebih dari lima ribu jemputan dari pelbagai lapisan masyarakat.

Lebih memeriahkan suasana apabila Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak turut meluangkan masa untuk hadir pada majlis rumah terbuka tersebut.

Beliau yang tiba kira-kira pukul 8.45 malam disambut meriah oleh tetamu yang hadir.

Najib kemudiannya diminta untuk memotong “Kek Merdeka”, sebagai simbolik sambutan hari kemerdekaan dengan diiringi oleh Naib Presiden UMNO, Dato Zahid Hamidi, Ketua Penerangan UMNO, Dato Ahmad Maslan dan Ketua Wanita UMNO, Datuk Shahrizat Jalil.

Turut kelihatan hadir ialah Setiausaha Agung UMNO, Dato Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Menteri Besar Kedah, Dato Mukhriz Mahathir, Menteri Kesejahteraan Bandar, Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, Datuk Rahman Dahlan, Menteri Pertahanan, Dato Seri Hishamuddin Hussein Onn,  Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis, Datuk Seri Ali Rustam, pelakon veteran Dato Mustapha Maarof, Presiden Seniman, Zed Zaidi dan beberapa kenamaan lagi.

Pelbagai juadah disajikan kepada para tetamu yang hadir selain daripada persembahan tarian Melayu dan persembahan nyanyian tradisional Melayu.