Mahathir’s words
1MALAYSIA AND THE WORLD
Jul31 2012 Written by chedet

///14. Even financially and economically we are not too badly off. The cost of living has gone up a little but people are not starving the way the Africans and some Asians are starving. A generous Government is ever ready to extend help.///–Mamakthir

Only the person who thinks that he owns the wealth of the nation would say that he is generous in using peoples’ money for peoples’ benefit.

///15. Business is good even though we think it can be better. Our exports are high and still growing. Unemployment rate is low. Economic growth is still possible. At 4 – 5% it may not be as good as in Indonesia and the Philippines but it is far better than Europe or America or the countries of West Asia and North Africa.

16. Admittedly the cost of living has gone up. For the poor this is a burden. Of course on this issue, comparing ourself with most of the rest of the world where inflation is even higher will not be acceptable. But the fact is that in many countries not only is the inflation higher but there are food shortages also. In addition they have to accept reduced income amidst widespread unemployment we are living in troubled times. Like it or not we will feel the effects and we have to endure.///–Mamakthir

Malaysia is in this sorry state because of the government. Unlike countries which have limited space, Malaysia has abundant land space and yet we have to import food and agricultural products from other countries. We face unemployment when there are four million legal and illegal foreign workers in the country. This stems directly from Mamakthir’s ideology that Malays should only work in respectable occupations to the extent that the existence of a Malay driver working for Chinese tycoon was considered proof of failure in achieving the objective of New Economic Policy. That was what Mamakthir stated in TV interview with BBC. Hence UMNO ensures that Malays and almost exclusively Malays are employed in government services. At 1.4 million civil servants in a 28-million population nation, Malaysia has the highest proportion of civil servants in the world. With a population proportion of 60 % Malays have 90% share in civil service employment. Thus Malays have been discouraged to work in the areas where their forefathers did. Hence in agriculture sector, rubber and palm oil trees will have nothing to export without foreign labour. Poor families cannot afford servants, but Malaysia chooses to lose remittance sent out of the country by foreign workers because Mamakthir found political power in making civil service an extension of UMNO.

///17. There will be people who would like us to ignore the fact that we are much better off than most people in the world. They would like to exploit every little misfortune that we may experience. They would even promise that they can bring about sudden prosperity, give free education, and all kinds of goodies. But observe the contradictions.///–Mamakthir

One beggar may be better off than the next, but with our natural endowment of natural resources, land and oil we should not be in this sorry state. Singapore has no natural resources, not even water, but Singaporeans are five-times richer than Malaysians, in terms of hard currency conversion in market place. This is the results of corruption where 800 billion ringgit have been illegally taken out of the country. That is 30,000 ringgit per person but that huge amount of money belongs to perhaps a busload of people.

If there is a change of government, corruption would stop, and when the corrupted people are made to cough out their ill gotten gains, Malaysia has a windfall. Free education is then a birth right of Malaysians.

///18. They promise the oil-producing states to increase the royalty from 5% to 20%. Obviously this will result in the Federal Government losing 15% of revenue from oil; and that is a big sum. The states get their royalty based on gross income.///–Mamakthir

It was a robbery to give only 5% to the states which are home to the oil fields. It is most unfair that the appropriation of oil windfall has been at the sole discretion of the Prime Minister. Tun Razak might not have dreamt that oil money could be conveniently used to bail out business predicament of the son of the powers-that-be.

///19. They will do away with road tolls, increase subsidies on fuel and reduce rates and taxes.///–Mamakhtir

The federal government had the resources to build the high ways but it chose to offer the cash-cows to cronies of the powers-that-be. Hence Malaysians motorists have to pay road tolls for generations to come, though over the past three decades toll collections for the PLUS North-South Highway have repaid the cost of the roads many times over. Only a change of government would stop this legalized corruption.

///20. Their proposals will reduce Government revenue and at the same time increase Government expenditure. This is exactly what the Greek Government did, and the whole country went bankrupt.///–Mamakthir

Yes, the Greece has more than 1.5 million foreign workers in its 12 million populations. Greece also cheats with its official statistics. Greece might also have a huge government services and lucrative pay as well. Unless BN is defeated, Malaysia would soon follow Greece.

///21. Promises are deep. Barrack Obama promise “change”. Four years into his term, not a single change has been made.///–Mamakthir

He makes many changes including health care where some get them free. But can America afford his health program may be a larger issue. Obama wants to make America socialist if not communist.

///22. To be in power for 56 years is a long time. But look at the progress. No other developing country has made such progress.///–Mamakthir

In another country, 56 years of government by one party would have changed it to a developed country rather than to remain developing. Singapore is a developed country. Singapore is better off than Malaysia even without natural resources. It is the type of government, not the length of services. Malaysia started as a developing democracy, but it is now a total autocracy.

///23. Change is not always for the better. Change can make things worse.///–Mamakthir

It is certainly so in other situations. But in Malaysia, only change can arrest institutionalized corruptions.

///Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.

Beware of politicians who make promises.///–Mamakthir

Tun Razak made promise he could not keep. But the people had no choice.

In democracy, people choose based on the promises made by politicians, and people are certainly able to discern whether the promises are tenable.