100-day reforms: BN has lost and Pakatan deserves a chance


by Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysia Chronicle
Thursday, 23 December 2010

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin scoffed at Pakatan’s 100-day reforms in the event that they formed the federal government and reminded the public ‘why BN has been in power for more than half a century and counting’.

His shameless attempt to discredit Pakatan is an insult to the electorate. He said, “Pakatan can promise the sun, moon, stars and mountains… But that is not the way of the BN government. We cannot squander our nation’s wealth.”

Muhyiddin is far removed from reality. People are disillusioned. After 53 years, the nation is more divided than ever, and our economy is in tatters. Our standards in education are falling, our defence budget is spiraling out of control and the civil service is bloated. The Prime minister’s residence and the King’s palace are undergoing a multi-million magical transformation whilst some people live without piped water and electricity.

Does Muhyiddin still think the electorate deserves to give BN another chance? Is 53 years of failure not long enough?

Muhyiddin said, “For BN, the prime minister has already a long road map for a high-income nation. But Pakatan only has plans for their first 100 days. They have absolutely no plans to reform the economy or anything.”

Only a megalomaniac will equate ‘high-spending’ with ‘high-income’? The mega-projects that the Prime minister announced are mere monuments to vanity, to satisfy BN’s perverse ego that bigger is always better.

The Pakatan led states of Penang and Selangor are examples of good governance and they have introduced younger voices to have a greater say in shaping policy On the other hand, BN’s talk sounds outdated and wearisome.

Malaysia’s lack of political reforms means that our ranking in ‘The Democracy Index’ is 71 out of 167 countries. Ours is defined as a ‘flawed democracy’. The Economist Intelligence Unit which compiles this index bases its findings on electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, functioning of government, political participation and political culture.

Muhyiddin should realise that amongst other things, there is a restriction on our freedom of expression, the Internal Security Act is used to stifle criticism and university students are barred from participation in politics.

Would the DPM care to come up with a similar package for reform because the only things most people remember from the BN convention are Najib’s four political diseases ‘inertia, delusion, amnesia and arrogance’. Besides, its 7-point charter lacked not just lustre but also substance.

Unsurprisingly, Muhyiddin belittles not just the opposition, but also the public and companies. He said, “They probably think that the general election is close, so maybe they know better than us. They are just luring voters with their empty promises, like a supermarket sale.”

Not content with insulting the electorate, our DPM must also ridicule the retailers. He believes that ‘supermarket sales’ are just a gimmick with ‘their empty promises’.

One sincerely hopes the consortium of Malaysian retailers such as Giant, Tesco and Carrefour will protest at such a damaging charge.

If Pakatan has to make good on its promises, as pledged in its 100-day reform, then it also faces a long, thankless slog repairing the damage and economic mess of 53 years of BN rule.

Pakatan has dared to announce their reforms and it is for the electorate to choose if they are attractive enough for deciding their future.

Has BN been as ambitious in its political reforms? As far as many can see, BN’s policies are more of the ‘same-old, same-old’.

At least Pakatan leaders are on the right track. It has shown preparedness, clarity and bold vision for a better government. Who dares wins!

  1. #1 by ktteokt on Thursday, 23 December 2010 - 7:42 pm

    And just what has BN been promising the rakyat of Malaysia for 53 long years? Heaven? Hell?

  2. #2 by monsterball on Thursday, 23 December 2010 - 7:59 pm

    They will never reform.
    Reform….all go to jail willingly.
    Will they do that….after that?
    So fight like Najib said to the death to protect PutraJaya….where Malaysians are laughing with calm and composed minds..not easily fooled by him at all.
    Actually…..Najib is like a well trained circus clown….with the title of PM..no power at all.

  3. #3 by KWin on Thursday, 23 December 2010 - 8:46 pm

    Lets launch the rocket to Putrajaya.

  4. #4 by yhsiew on Thursday, 23 December 2010 - 9:42 pm

    ///Muhyiddin said, “For BN, the prime minister has already a long road map for a high-income nation. But Pakatan only has plans for their first 100 days. They have absolutely no plans to reform the economy or anything.”///

    Muhyiddin should not talk about plans to reform the economy when our institutions are in such a tattered state. The “basics”, that is the institutions, ought to be put right first before foreign investors would come. Our institutions must regain their credibility and respect before foreign investors would take an interest in Malaysia. Unfortunately, Muhyiddin and BN failed to see this point and took for granted that the state of our institutions is not important in the eyes of the foreign investors.

    I personally believe that the Prime Minister’s pursuit of a high-income Malaysia would meet with limited success if there is no meaningful reform of the NEP and the country’s institutions.

    Pakatan’s 100-day reforms are laudable because they give top priority to put right the country’s institutions in efforts to build up investors’ confidence.

  5. #5 by tak tahan on Thursday, 23 December 2010 - 11:03 pm

    Muhyiddin said, “For BN, the prime minister has already a long road map for a high-income nation. But Pakatan only has plans for their first 100 days. They have absolutely no plans to reform the economy or anything.”

    Muhyiddin must have thought in his head during that moment”For BN,the prime minister or next aku has already a long map for a high-income umnobaru.$$$.Ka ka ka.Oops,better concentrate,i’m addressing the crowd.”Moo is really shameless for being ignorant to the fact that umnob has caused failure to this nation for 53 years and yet has the cheek to talk cock.

  6. #6 by Taxidriver on Thursday, 23 December 2010 - 11:44 pm

    Wow! 100-day reforms? Nak percaya pun takut takut. Anyway, rakyat will be fair to you, PR. We don’t want you to do a rush job and making preventable mistakes. Take your time. Say, 100 weeks?

    Afterall, UMNOB/BN took 53 years or 2756 weeks and failed the rakyat. NO reforms. They deformed the nation, though.

    Rakyat giving you-PR- this chance to prove yourself not because of anything but because UMNOB/BN has proven itself to be beyond redemption. All their leaders are greedy, corrupt and useless liars.

    PR need only to steer clear from graft and approval from rakyat is assured.

  7. #7 by Taxidriver on Thursday, 23 December 2010 - 11:51 pm

    “For BN, the prime minister has already a long road map for a high-income nation”-moo hee din

    How long is the pm’s road map. longer than mine or not?

  8. #8 by boh-liao on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 12:39 am

    New variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease n bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), mooooooo, holes in d brain
    Now we know Y mooooooo cannot talk sense n always talks cock
    O Lord, plz forgive d sinner n dumb who talks utter rubbish

  9. #9 by Comrade on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 8:23 am

    BN has already lost its glow
    Out only to save its bruised ego
    PR deserves to have a go
    Having proven itself in Penang & Selangor
    Come GE13, lets give BN a big KO
    Voting in PR to be our hero
    To implement and fulfill the vow
    Of its 100-day reforms “manifesto”
    Rather not to be in a rush, though
    A little slower will be fine also

  10. #10 by Taikohtai on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 8:56 am

    In just two short years, Penang under LGE has outperformed BN in every aspect of governance. The kepala lembu can say what he wants but Penangites know that action talks louder than poppycock.
    Penang shall show the rest of Malaysia how Pakatan can lead the country victorious into the next decade.

  11. #11 by k1980 on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 9:22 am

    Talking about Penang, why were 4 people burnt to death in their burning house when the fire station is just 50 metres across the road? Assuming the firemen are fat, they can still run 50 metres in less than 10 seconds, unless they were not on duty at the time. Why do we have to pay taxes to pay the salaries of these incompetent fools?

  12. #12 by HJ Angus on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 9:27 am

    YES I support a change of government as the Bankrupsi Negara regime is beyond reform.
    It has too much blood on its hands and the judicial process only covers up the crimes.
    As voters we share the blame as we allowed the manipulation and decimation of vital instruments of law and order.
    If we do not change the government through the peaceful process of voting, I predict we could experience a people’s revolt in the next 20 years. Then we could end up in a situation like Myanmar.

  13. #13 by Ordinary on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 10:48 am

    The advertisement about “One Malaysia” is just an advertisement. This will never happen under Barisan Nasional’s ruling of 51 years. Why put on the advertisement when your own policies are corrupted and bias?

    This is just a trick to cheat voters. After they have won the Putrajaya, you could expect them to put poeple in jail without trial. They will continue to implement their not transparent policies and bias policies.

    DON’T BE CHEATED by Barisan Nasional about any advertisements spent on Malaysians’ tax money!

  14. #14 by Bunch of Suckers on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 11:04 am

    In fact, BN promises to themselves, instead to rakyat! They promised & sucked to themselves.

    Evidently, over 50 years of fake promises are enough! Why dumb asses elected them to suck off your money?

    “The Prime minister’s residence and the King’s palace are undergoing a multi-million magical transformation whilst some people live without piped water and electricity.” by Mariam Mokhtar

    Indeed, I love this sentence! It is really fit those suckers….

    Over long period of enjoying reading Mariam Mokhtar’s articles that enlightening and shining with facts. Those facts that those BN suckers cannot deny and whitewash them…

    It would be nice if Mariam Mokhtar be our PM if PR take over the Putrajava. You are a true man with high conscience and dignity! You win my respects as much as those PR politicians…

  15. #15 by on cheng on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 12:13 pm

    If BN keep Putrajaya, we can have another Malaysia Boleh, the most luxurious (expensive) MRT in the world !! But the money must come from somewhere, more ‘barang naik’ ??
    http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/151564

  16. #16 by paulatx on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 12:30 pm

    I wonder if anyone from top BN officials are reading all these feedbacks and comment about the current state or mess that Malaysia is in. Don’t they have any concern about what they had done to the country and rakyat?

  17. #17 by perampok cinta1 on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 2:38 pm

    o disrespect Mr Lim, but seriously? Pakatan can turn things around in just 100 days? Sorry for being sceptic, but only morons would believe making SIGNIFICANT changes for a country in 100 days is possible.

    Let me ask you one thing, does Malaysia grows to be a better country since 1957? If your answer is no, then you are not being grateful.

    Even country like the US took time to grow as it is today. Same goes to the UK and other major power. Even when there are changes in the governing party, time is essential in making huge changes for a country.

    100 days? That’s just a dream. A dream fabricated by the Pakatan to beg for votes from Malaysians.

  18. #18 by Loh on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 4:04 pm

    ///Only a megalomaniac will equate ‘high-spending’ with ‘high-income’? The mega-projects that the Prime minister announced are mere monuments to vanity, to satisfy BN’s perverse ego that bigger is always better.///

    The more projects the more leakage. Government projects are known for paying more than what they are worth. Sime Darby lost billions, and SD is a private company linked to government. PNB will spend a lot more than needed to construct the tower. Until MACC is truly serving its purposes, there should be no mega projects.

  19. #19 by Taxidriver on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 4:14 pm

    perampok cinta1,

    You still don’t get the whole picture. May I say that you are looking at things through a tunnel.

    Just look at our neighbour across the Causeway. A poor island state with no natural resources is now a respected world class country, while we are a country rich in natural resources-tin, lead, copper, oil …….just to name a few. Suprisingly or not surprisingly, we are still backward compared to the island state. What do you think is the reason we are losing out to our neighbour when we should be very, very, very much better?

    If you want to compare Malaysia now with Malaysia 50 years ago, then you might as well compare Zimbabwe now and Zimbabwe 50 years ago. You do see some developements in Zimbabwe, but, perampok cinta1, do you want Malaysia to become like Zimbabwe??

  20. #20 by tak tahan on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 8:25 pm

    Let me ask you one thing, does Malaysia grows to be a better country since 1957? If your answer is no, then you are not being grateful. by perampok cinta 1

    First,never u compare urself/malay with umnobaru in terms of wealth unless ur the latter-appalling isn’t it?.And are u unconsciously not aware of the dire situation in Sabah n Sarawak after being neglected since 1963?Are u also not been told,seen,read or being away from bolehland regarding the racial discrimination in regards to university in-take,civil jobs opportunity and social contracts.If yes is ur answer,i don’t blame us for not being ungrateful but YOU ARE totally ignorant and utter selfish without any conscience.

  21. #21 by boh-liao on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 9:10 pm

    Of cos, things got better compared 2 1957, actually no need 2 go so far back
    Just go back 2 April 2009 will do, ask lah Taib d megarich pek moh
    He now happily enjoys not d stuffed turkey but his new young bride
    What ppl call “lau neu EATS young grass”
    lah, just send in d little blue V pills

  22. #22 by HJ Angus on Friday, 24 December 2010 - 11:43 pm

    100 days may be too idealistic but it is enough to create a proper framework for Malaysia’s future progress as a nation.
    I am sure PR has many ideas on the following:
    1.Making the Parliament more responsible and with more authority to question the Executive.
    2.The framework to reform the police and the Judiciary. After all much work has already been done with the IPCMC.
    3.The removal of unjust crutches that rewards Bumis who already own houses with the 5 to 15% discount on property.
    4.Ensuring that all tenders above say RM10mil be subject to open tender process.
    It will take 3 to 6 months for the civil servants to start working properly with a new government and at least another 12 months before FDIs give our nation another look.
    I expect that any new government will take two years to change the dismal investment scene.

  23. #23 by Ordinary on Sunday, 26 December 2010 - 2:45 pm

    If the plant (Basisan Nasional) has not been bearing good fruits for 53 years, the root (UMNO) must be uprooted. If the root were not uprooted, the tree continue to suck the nutrients (wealth of the nation) by this big tree.

    Plant a new plant and bear good fruits for the ground (nation).

    The 1Malaysia advertisement is just their trick to draw voters to vote for them.

    If the Barisan Nasiona does not change their corrupted policies and practices, how could they draw Malaysia to be progressive?

    The big tree is already 53 years and could not bear good fruits but only sour fruits, it is time to plant a new good tree (Keadilan) and branch out (with Sabah and Sarawak people, DAP and Pas, etc.).

    The people of Sabah and Sarawak have been tricked aand cheated since 1963, What are you waiting for?

    The illegal immigrants problems in Sabath piled up during Mahathir’s 21 ruling years. Mahathir was only interested in mega project to make his sons and friends rich. Like Prime Granite Sdn Bhd in Sungai Petani (owned by his son), supplied at least RM24 millions of granite to KLIA. Correct?

    Until they (BN) have gained a good praise from, say, Transparency International (like Penang state last year received a praise from TI), otherwise, save Malaysians’ tax money on advertisement about 1Malaysia.

    Be firm to ban the advertisement in Penang and Selangor states!

  24. #24 by Ordinary on Sunday, 26 December 2010 - 3:37 pm

    perampok cinta1 :

    Under Barisan Nasional of ruling for 51 years, no state and federal government have received any praise from Transparency Internationl (TI).

    Penang state government under DAP, received a praise from TI in the 2009 report of TI:

    (http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2009/gcr2009)???????????????????????51???????????(See page 272: download [page 247-304]

    If you understand Chinese: http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/184177?tid=1

    Please check and read more and gather more fact NOT from medias controlled by Barisan Nasional (The Star, Nanyang Siang Pau, Utusan, etc.). More truth, knowledge and understanding shall set you free..

You must be logged in to post a comment.