DPM Muhyiddin Yassin is reported to have said that the federal government still prioritized Bumiputera interest, contrary to the perception among the country’s dominant majority. At the same time he also said that changes should not be seen in a narrow context of ethnic groups, but in a broader context to benefit all Malaysians.
I say this to Muhyiddin that it is 50 years too late. This is the kind of rhetoric that government has been saying all these years. The NEP formulated following the aftermath of the May 13, 1969 racial riots was aimed at resolving the economic imbalances among races and improving upon the economic and social well being of the Bumiputra. But till today the government is still stuck with the same rhetoric that priority is to better the economic and social prospect of the Bumiputera. Do we need another 50 more years before the Bumiputera can come out of its predicament? I honestly doubt we can, given another 100 years without a drastic change in the mindset of governance of our present and future political leaders.
Today we hear of new pronouncement being made aimed at what the NEP was suppose to achieve, but said in various mind boggling acronym………………NEM, TERAJU, PEMANDU and what have you. Billions of ringgit have been announced to support these economic and social imperatives, but where the billions are to come from remain hazy. I hope it is not coming from EPF or FELDA that I am told, has been a sort of Auto Teller Machine for projects where success or failure isn’t really of deep concern. Just imagine launching a multi billion project at the wink of an eye. I was told in the past, a project of such magnitude has to go through a multi layered committees to trash in detail the cost and benefit of such a project before it is finally approved, and this may takes months or years. I would define a ‘wink of an eye’ project is normally one that is supposed to reflect grandeur or a masterpiece that does not benefit the rural folk. Who actually benefit such a project……I do not know.
If one were to talk about progress and the proper management of a nation’s wealth, I wish to invite Muhyiddin and his entire cabinet to read the entire transcript of the Singapore Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam budget speech that was presented in parliament Friday last. I know the entire cabinet will be ashamed to see how the small island state has progressed, and they now have so much of excess revenue that the government wants to share it with the entire population; not restricted to civil servants and retirees like we do. The Singapore Finance Minister does not talk about grandeur projects like building a 1000 storey building; rather he emphasized the benefits to be given back to the people. The major difference is that we spend billions (that diminishes in thin air); contrary to the Singapore government that gives back to its people the billions.
So Muhyiddin, you can call it by whatever name i.e. NEM, TERAJU, PEMANDU in the name of progress, but I have little confidence in its success of uplifting the economic and social woes of this country, especially of the Bumiputeras. Muhyiddin can shut me out on this, but please show me a single visible proof that what he says will work out with positive results, and that it is no longer pure rhetoric or an election gimmick. I know that some projects have enriched some people, but not all people get to share a piece of the success. Does Muhyiddin not know that there are still Malaysians that survive on just one meal per day? I have seen this with my own set of eyes when I was the Brigade Commander serving in Pahang. Having seen the plight of this poor old man living in a shack, we gathered some money and bought him whatever food we could, and we even purchased him a bicycle. Obviously, no one really cared for this man, neither does the wakil rakyat know of his existence.
My only word of advice to Muhyiddin, if he really cares to listen to this old and retired soldier, is to get cracking on leakages that go unabated through the scourge of corruption. For as long as corruption lingers and remain unstoppable, I do not believe in his words…………..pronounce in whatever superlatives.
CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION
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Dato' Sir,
I have not read the SG budget speech but I would not doubt that they are benefitting the nation. Another Island nation, HongKong, was also reportedly giving all HK residents $6000 per person as a gift because the Legislative Council of HK have achieved a surplus in the previous budget year. These are 2 of our close neighbours, albeit small red dots (in the words of our illustrious PM twice removed), but I believe these are governments that have been responsible in their P&L handling. Alas our own (read Umno) have taken the attitude that the people's money is for them to spend like a lottery winfall, without a care for any returns to the nation, the attitude being - There's more where they comes from. God help this nation.
Malaysia is a nation blessed with a big range of natural riches. From tin to land on which trived rubber and oil palm to oil which pumped tens of billions into our coffers for so many years.
We should not have people who still struggle to find enough for one meal a day.
But we do.
We also have FELDA settlers having to resort to the court to recover millions which they had been shortchanged of. Notably most FELDA settlers are Malay. Notably the administrators of FELDA are also predominantly Malay. Which leads to the conclusion that Malays have conned Malays of their rightful due.
That said, corruption knows no racial boundaries.
We also have MAICA Holdings and assorted MIC linked outfits accused of corruption which caused Indians a mountain of money, and MCA is notorious for high-profile snafus like Pan-El and PKFZ which ultumately equates to mega-losses for all Malaysians. And which average Malaysian does not suffer due to the grossly lopsided toll concession and IPP electricity contracts?
But too many of those entrusted to run the country come back with empty statements like repeated "tidak membebankan rakyat", "adjust your lifestyle" and one unforgetteable dumb classic - "Cannot raise roti canai price, but can reduce size".
No government can survive a starving people. Truth is some Malaysians are already short of everyday food, countless others are in severe difficulties.
If UMNO-led BN continues to blare about hugely over-priced but basically unnecessary grandiose projects and does not contain the corruption infesting the system, I think it is committling political suicide.
Dear Dato',
When you sit at the top of the mountain, you only see the woods for the trees and the air you breathe is also very thin. Thus the DPM is living in dream world and he does not have his feet on the ground and neither do his cohorts tell him the truth.
The only way out of this problem is not to allow these people to remain more than 2 terms. Have it the Federal Constitution and then we shall see that they cannot be seen to own the seat of power.
We of Bumi Non Malay have been fighting the Racism, Injustice, Murderers, Corruption....but alas...because a certain race dominate the Justice, Law and Order, education...the time of Charity and Opportunity have Lapse and ended.....not to mentioned the 1 Trillion Ringgit of Petronas Oil money..... If Malays have not woken up to this Racism Matter and still cling on to their fake claim to bumiputera that really belongs to the Orang Asli...then the road ahead is going to be more painful for more malays than bumi non malays!! Abosolute Power Corrupt ABSOLUTELY!!
If what that is happening in Libya, Egypt have not awaken UMNO and provide people the freedom to Express and AFTER expression.....then like Gadaffi - UMNO the time to sit down and talk have ended. We need to move FAST to end UMNO-BN rule by hook or crook...Like Libyans and Egyptians, Phillipines....etc
Please everybody Wear Black on Merdeka 2011 Parade and direct the NON STOP Clapping towards the Ruling Elite and let the world see the anger of the people!!
AMAR MAKRUF, NAHI MUNKAR
Sir,
I have given up on this govt. My family swear by Gerakan all those years & even in my area i have voted for MCA ie in PJ but now no more.
If our govt. continues to play by the race card i will never vote BN. We are all malaysians first then race but the corrupted politicians will never allow that cos of their vested interest.
Perhaps another 100 years when they all all dead & gone then 1Malaysia can be achievable.
The country already in a Brain-drained condition instead of Brain-gained nation.
Be Brave !
Be Involve !
Be BERSIH !
Another TSUNAMI wave to flush out all the country "KOTOR"
“When a thief kisses you, count your teeth”
Yiddish Proverb quotes
I do agree that assistance needs to be provided to Bumiputra entrepreneurs. However, the Bumiputra wealth has not increased much since the 90s which NEP target was 30% of the nation wealth. It has remained stagnant around mid-twenty percent if I recalled correctly. I am not an economist or a genius but I doubt we can continue the current approach on increasing Bumiputras’ wealth. It’s undeniable that NEP had helped a lot of Bumiputra companies; however, new approach is required to increase the share.
Reading Raja Petra’s blog, he stated that the main competition for the Bumiputra entrepreneurs is GLC and not non-Bumiputra companies. Maybe his statement is correct because Bumiputra companies in Penang currently are getting more projects from the state government than non-Bumiputra companies in an open-tender system without government assistance. So, the argument that Bumiputra companies need assistance is unsubstantial. Even MCA is complaining that Penang government is not giving Chinese companies the contracts. This proved that open-tender system works and BN government should implement it too.
In my personal opinion, Bumiputra is as competitive as the non-Bumiputra. I believe it’s because of nepotism that’s inhibiting the brightest Bumiputra from rising. We can see this clearly in UMNO leadership. What kind of leaders do we get from UMNO now? The leaders from the 50s through 80s are much more superior to our current leaders in UMNO. It’s because of nepotism that UMNO is not able to attract the brightest Malay to join their party. Similarly, the brightest Malay is not given opportunity in the business sector.
Furthermore, I believe it’s corruption that’s stopping the country from achieving NEP target. How much did we use to save Proton, MAS, etc? How much money goes to our beloved MBs such as Khir Toyo’s beautiful mansion? PKFZ? Reading Dato' Mohd.Ariff Sabri bin Hj. Abdul Aziz blog, I was shock that the money used to help some of GLC were all used to enrich the few only. What would happen to Malaysia economy if we use the money wisely?
It’s time for Malaysian to start questioning if BN or Pakatan can better manage Malaysia economy and increase Bumiputra national wealth. In my humble opinion, we’ve given BN 50 years to govern the country and I think it’s time that we give Pakatan a chance. Didn’t 4 PR states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan have beat the other 10 BN states by attracting RM25 billion in investments comprising 53% of Malaysia's total investments of RM47.2 billion in 2010?
Salam
Dato',
You are absolutely correct. Another 100 years of the NEP will not improve the lives of the Malays except to cripple them for generations while a group of UMNO elites, their families and their cronies continues to laugh their way to their banks.
The present UMNO set of people and the BN government have to continue with the affirmative NEP otherwise where else can they find a platform that is so easy for them to milk the country dry for their own greedy benefit. At the speed at which this country's natural resources (oil and timber) are depleting, its only natural for these UMNO people and their cronies to hasten multi billion projects under the guise of ETP, GTP and what nots' Transformation Plans so that they can truly suck dry the country's coffers before the natural resources runs out in a few years time.
My friends and I have given up on this corrupt government and are actually wishing for the day to come when the country's coffers are dry. Then this group of corrupt government "officials" will flee the country to enjoy their ill gotten wealth and leave Malaysia bankrupt and barren. Then perhaps Malaysia can rise from the ashes through the sheer determination of the Malaysians left behind to unite and rebuild Malaysia, just like Japan after WWII and our natural resource-less tiny neighbour down south. These two countries are where they are today because of their own people's resourcefulness and not because of any race affirmative policies.
Pl dont liken Gaddafi of Libya to UMNO/BN bcos under Gaddafi up till now, libya has achieved the following;
1 USD 300 billions in saving
2 150 tons of gold reserve
3 Free medicare for all Libyans
4 Free education and USD 2,500 for every student advance study oversea.
5 Interest free loan for every newly wed to buy a house/apartment.
6 Free electricity/water.
7 No foreign debts and NO FOREIGN BANKS in Libya.
8 10.4% of GDP
Now pl ask ourselves, how can UMNO/BN compare to Libya and Gaddafi! Whatever said about Gaddafi is nothing but BS and propaganda of the bloody West US/NATO Puppets.
It is time for BN to go. Period.
Kerajaan bertanggungjawab membantu kaum Bumiputra untuk terus maju dalam bidiang ekonomi dan pelajaran.Hanya melalui kedua-dua bidang tersebut sahajalah kaum Bumiputra dapat mengkikis sikap-sikap negatif yang diwarisi dari generasi terdahulu.
Saya rasa tidak adil kalau kita berkata Kerajaan gagal memajukan kaum Bumiputra.Jika dibanding 30 tahun dahulu, sudah ada banyak perubahan di kalangan Bumiputra dalam profesion perubatan, kejuruteraan, perundangan dll.Begitu juga kita sudah lihat ada kemunculan ahli-ahli korporat Melayu yang setanding dengan bangsa-bangsa lain.Juga sudah wujud kelas pertengahan (middle class) Bumiputra yang besar dalam negara ini.
Tapi diakui maseh ramai kaum bumiputra yang miskin dan perlu bantuan.Mereka maseh dibelenggui dengan ciri-ciri (traits) dan sikap negatif yang diwarisi dari generasi lepas.Warisan negatif ini perlu dikikiskan jika kaum Bumiputra sendiri tidak mahu ketinggalan jalan.
Inilah dia cabaran Kerajaan, bagaimana mahu melihat kaum Bumiputra dalam kategori ini dapat ditukarkan kepada suatu kuasa yang berproduktif (productive force)seperti di Korea dan Jepun, tidak nampak sedikit pun kawasan semak di sekeliling rumah mereka; setiap inci tanah mereka di usahakan !
"Inilah dia cabaran Kerajaan, bagaimana mahu melihat kaum Bumiputra...."
Sunggoh sedih!masih bercakap dengan megah tentang cabaran bukan pencapaian. Negara contoh yang di sebut tadi bangun dari abok perang (the ashes of war). Kita masih berangan2.
Cut loss lah!! Kenapa nak masih tonggang kuda tempang?
Maurice
It's time that we approach the matter differently. Why do we still stick to BN method? Did you not realized that BN uses NEP to enrich the elite and well connected business folks. Also, why are we focusing enriching a few super rich. What about regular Malay in the cities and kampung? Though it may seem that our government uses billion of ringgit to save GLC but more indepth analysis you'll realized that it's actually enriching the well-connected. What would happen if we use the money to improve in education? Bumiputra companies were able to win projects from Penang government without any assistance from the state government. Doesn't that tell us that Bumiputra can actually compete with non-Bumi company openly? Lastly, UMNO is not doing anything to help Bumiputra or non-Bumiputra!
If we want to prevent this political dinosaur from becoming the next PM, more Malaysians need to volunteer to become polling agents/counting agents.
It will involve a few training sessions and being on duty for 2-hour stints on polling day.
You have the important task of reducing CHEATING at the polls with a suspect EC the BN's accomplice.
Voting ALONE is not enough if your vote can be stolen in the process.
Malaysian,
You miss my point.The problem with the majority of Bumiputra is that they have inherited negative heritage from the past caused by unequal struggle for survival, religion and feudalism.These negative heritage need to be overcome if the Bumiputra want to progress.It cannot be done overnightlah!Hopely with Government help they could be eradicated in an incremental manner.
Singapore: Lee Kwan Yew: At 85, The Fire Still Burns By Ahmad Mustapha
http://all4one4all.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/singapore-lee-kwan-yew-at-85-the-fire-still-burns-by-ahmad-mustapha/
Brain-drain is the major setback for a country
In order to prgress,we need a government who serve the "RAKYAT" well.
So.....
“You don't put robbers to work in a bank”
American Proverb quotes
What say you ?
Maurice,
I am sorry for missing the point. But do you think the government will help eradicate this negative charateristic. Actually, I don't really notice this negative heritage.
By the way, I just curious why is our government not focusing on making Malaysia a design center in Asia. I find that Malaysian are pretty artistic. Is it not possible for us to design the next generation of sleek Nokia phone, Ferrari, etc? I hope UMNO can start implementing this project.
Salam
Hangus
It's interesting suggestion. Could you please inform us more about being a polling agent?
Salam
Salam Dato'. Allow me to promote my blog.
www.askarsetia.blogspot.com.
need guidance dari orang-orang lama mcm Dato' dan blogger2 lain utk penambah baikkan blog berkenaan.
Saudara Askarsetia,
Selamat datang ke bloggers kingdom.
Malaysian
Just go and visit any opposition party's office and ask.
BN agents get paid but they do very little as the SPR are usually on their side.
It's the opposition candidates who cannot afford to pay and hence the need for more volunteers.
You need not even support the opposition but just to ensure a fair outcome at the polls.
Angus
Thank you for the information. Do you know anybody in the opposition? Maybe you can ask them to request for help being a polling agent using Facebook. This would be easier for folks like us to learn more about it. Thanks
Salam
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