Aidila Razak | Feb 8, 11 Malaysiakini
Malay rights NGO Perkasa’s fierce objections to aspects of the first part of the New Economic Model (NEM) forced its second part to be watered down.
Revealing this today, National Economic Advisory Council member Zainal Aznam Mohd Yusof said Perkasa and other right wing groups were up in arms particularly over the NEM’s rejection of 30 percent bumiputera equity and the proposal of an equal opportunities commission.
“(These suggestions) were lambasted and strangled by right wing groups led by Perkasa. They wanted to burn part one (of the NEM).
“…Perkasa said we did not have roh Melayu (the Malay spirit),” he lamented.
Speaking at a forum organised by think-tank Institue of Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) in Kuala Lumpur, Zainal Aznam added that listening to the right wing groups meant that the cabinet had failed the test on reforms.
“This was the government’s litmus test and at this time, I have to say that there is no political will,” he said.
NEM I was also heavily-edited
Interestingly, Zainal Aznam, who claimed reluctance to join the council, said that the first part of the NEM which was so objectionable was in fact already heavily censored.
“I joined NEAC with hesitancy… I had serious doubts over how far the BN government is willing to go out (to reform).
“Nine of us (from the council) sat and gave our proposals, and even this was after heavy editing with the council and secretariat,” he said, adding that some council members were unhappy about removing the 30 percent bumiputera equity.
To a question from Kita president Zaid Ibrahim, who was in the audience, the economist who confessed to looking forward to the council’s dissolution in June, noted that political reform too was to be included in the NEM, but did not make it to print.
Softening Zainal Aznam’s hard-hitting comments was Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) representative Chris Tan, who said that what we need to do now is to celebrate small wins on the reform path.
“The passing of the Whistleblower Act is a milestone achievement which did not get as much airplay. I am younger than you so I believe there is time,” he said, responding to the economist’s assertion that reforms are taking too long.
‘ETP is an investor prospectus’
Speaking to reporters at a press conference later, Tan said that the much lauded Economic Tranformation Programme in in fact very much like an investor’s prospectus.
The idea, he said, is to focus on the twelve selected economic areas and detail the government’s promises in terms of infrastructure and policy in those areas to attract investors.
“We are giving business examples. We are saying this is our top 12 recommendations for you to invest and these are the government’s promises,” he said.
Today’s forum, ‘Celebrating the thoughts and vision of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra’ was organised in conjunction with Ideas’ second anniversary, which falls on the same day as the first prime minister’s birthday.
The institute, which aims at promoting libertarian ideals, was recently ranked as the 18th best new think-tank in the world, out of 6,480 think tanks surveyed by the University of Pennsylvania and the United Nations University.
It is one of three Malaysian think-tanks to make the list, and was ranked second in Asia.
Also part of the panel were UKM political science student Woon King Chai and Maybank Investment chief executive officer Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.