The 2013 Budget: Najib’s Last Hurrah? (2)
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate on Saturday, 6 October 2012, 11:25 pm
[contd from The 2013 Budget: Najib’s Last Hurrah? (1)]
Taken as a whole, Malaysia appears to have accumulated debt rapidly even as it loses competitiveness and is thus precariously placed. The Budget Speech made no reference to these issues despite the urgency and importance of these facts to the economic health of the country.
A full and transparent accounting is imperative to permit the development of strategies to avoid a debt crisis of the type affecting many of the countries, large and small, in the EUROZONE.
Current Economic Developments and Prospects
The preliminary estimates of growth cited in the Prime Minister’s Budget Speech for the first half of 2012 are somewhat exaggerated and contradicted by recent economic indicators. Inflation has been under estimated and thus there is an illusion of a high rate of GDP growth in the first half of the year. What growth occurred can be largely attributed to expanded exports of oil and gas and an expansionary fiscal policy adopted in the Budget for 2012.
There are recent indications of a slowdown in exports resulting partly from weaknesses in global commodity markets; industrial output has also shown weaknesses. Growth in the second half of the year is likely to fall short of growth in the first half. Thus, the projected rate of growth of between 4.5 and 5.0 percent for the current year as a whole is unlikely to be achieved. A lower growth rate has implications for revenues; lower tax receipts will mean a higher deficit further compounded by rising public expenditures. Thus, the overall deficit for 2012 is almost certainly going to exceed the projected figure of 4.5 percent cited by the Prime Minister.
The claim that there was “robust private sector investment” is not supported. If anything, private sector players e.g. IPPs such as YTL, Genting Power etc., have divested. Read the rest of this entry »
Land Grab Malaysian-Style
By Thomas Fann
This is not a new issue, in fact it is 21 years old.
It all began when the Barisan Nasional government, with its overwhelming majority in Parliament, passed by 99 to 25 votes the 1991 Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, or Act A804. The rephrasing of sections of the Land Acquisition Act 1960 basically gave incontestable power to state governments to seize private land for development by private companies and individuals. Lands originally acquired for public purposes can also be used for private development.
Before Act A804, land could only be acquired for public purposes or for public utilities like building of roads, schools, hospitals, pipelines, water or power plants, etc. With the addition of “..for any purpose which in the opinion of the State Authority is beneficial to the economic development of Malaysia”, no land is safe.
The term “beneficial to the economic development of Malaysia” is as subjective as you can get. A piece of land can be acquired to build a posh five-star hotel, an amusement park or a golf resort because in the opinion of the government it would bring in the tourist dollar and create jobs for locals, not to mention enriching the private companies who would, of course, be paying taxes.
To really make the Land Acquisition Act water-tight for the acquirer, Section 68A says that acquisitions cannot be invalidated by reason of any kind of subsequent disposal or use (etc) of the acquired land. This new provision aims at preventing the bona fide of the acquirer or of the purported purpose from being challenged in court. You can only challenge the quantum of the compensation offered, the measurement of the land area, the person whom compensation is payable to, and the apportionment of the compensation.
The leader of the opposition then, YB Lim Kit Siang in opposing Act A804, gave this dire warning – “When it becomes law, it will destroy the constitutional right to property enjoyed by Malaysians for 34 years since Merdeka, and become the mother of all corruption, abuses of power, conflicts-of-interest and unethical malpractices in Malaysia…”
Was Kit Siang just over-reacting or scare-mongering when he said that or is it a prophecy that was and is being fulfilled till today? Read the rest of this entry »
Najib – more Brown than Blair?
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Media, Najib Razak on Saturday, 6 October 2012, 11:18 am
No time like tomorrow
Malaysian politics
The Economist
Another budget, more cash handouts and more dithering over an election date
Oct 6th 2012 | SINGAPORE | from the print edition
THE prime minister, Najib Razak, fancies himself as the Tony Blair of Malaysian politics. Like the former British prime minister, Mr Najib purports to be a progressive reformer, on a mission to “modernise” his country. The British-educated Mr Najib also likes to pay as much attention to the spin on his policies as to their substance. He even hires former Blair advisers to make sure he gets it right.
For all that, Mr Najib increasingly resembles the hapless Gordon Brown, Mr Blair’s nemesis and successor. For years Mr Brown agitated to push his rival aside. When at last he succeeded, Mr Brown blew it by missing the chance to call an early election while he was still relatively popular. Rather than winning his own mandate, Mr Brown, unelected and indecisive, watched his authority drain away until he was boxed into calling an election right at the end of his term—which he then lost. Read the rest of this entry »
Has Najib “natural abhorrence” of corruption as to appear in Parliament to report on the “test of the trio” – Taib Mahmud, Musa Aman and Gani Patail – on updates of inquiries into allegations of corruption and abuses of power?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Najib Razak, Sabah, Sarawak on Friday, 5 October 2012, 4:38 pm
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced RM1 million contribution to the newly-established International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) in Vienna but this could not salvage or buy off the total lack of credibility of his “big speech” on fighting corruption at the launch of the sixth International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) Annual Conference and General Meeting in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The launch of the international anti-corruption meeting yesterday must be the most uncomfortable programme Najib had to attend since becoming the Prime Minister 42 months ago – delivering a speech on a subject he himself does not believe in and knowing that it would be received with scorn and contempt, politely by the IAACA Conference delegates, but with derision and disdain outside the four walls of the IAACA Conference at the KLCC.
Surely Najib is not so naïve as not to realise that when he called attention to the “bigger picture” of graft and declared that the fight against corruption must go beyond political and public service borders, it is seen instantly as an excuse to justify the utter failure of his administration, the Government Transformation Programe and NKRA in combating corruption, which is amply borne out by Malaysia’s worst 60th ranking and lowest 4.3 score in the 2011 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index.
Furthermore, when Najib said countries needed to instil a “natural abhorrence” of corruption in society, he is only provoking the question whether he could point out a single member of his Cabinet who is recognised by Malaysians as pre-eminent in the “natural abhorrence” of corruption?
If he could not name a single member of his Cabinet with a “natural abhorrence” of corruption, what about he himself? Does he qualify as a leader with a “natural abhorrence” of corruption? Read the rest of this entry »
Male Chauvinist Minister
Posted by Kit in Martin Jalleh, Najib Razak on Friday, 5 October 2012, 3:03 pm
By Martin Jalleh
Do you want the devil you know?
Posted by Kit in Elections, Kee Thuan Chye, Pakatan Rakyat on Friday, 5 October 2012, 1:06 pm
by Kee Thuan Chye
Free Malaysia Today
October 5, 2012
BN happens to have been in federal government for so long that people tend to automatically assume they have the required leadership.
COMMENT
I’m finding this frequent comment by people rather irksome: “But does Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have leadership? Can it take over the federal government?”
I’m prompted to ask: What do they mean by “leadership”? Is the Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership the kind we want?
I’d take it further: Does BN have leaders? I mean, real leaders?
People tend to forget to look at the states currently being governed by PR. I don’t know much about Kedah and Kelantan, but Selangor and Penang have been doing fine. Read the rest of this entry »
Pecahkan ruyungnya dahulu sebelum mendapatkan sagunya
Posted by Kit in Elections, Pakatan Rakyat, UMNO on Friday, 5 October 2012, 12:54 pm
— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 04, 2012
4 OKT — Kenapa kita mendengar rakyat bercakap dan berbincang tentang politik tidak henti-henti sehinggakan jarang-jarang kita mendengar orang ramai bercakap pasal lain. Keadaan sebegini tidak pernah berlaku sampai ketahap ini dan ini sahaja menunjukkan rakyat sedang dalam pencarian. Kehidupan rakyat tentulah ada masa pasang dan surutnya dan ia bergantung kepada siapa yang mentadbir dan memerintah kita. Setiap rakyat ditadbir oleh badan kerajaan secara “direct” atau “indirect” di dalam mana-mana negara yang berkerajaan.
Rakyat ditadbir oleh kerajaan sehingga dikampung-kampung dan mereka ditadbir oleh Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung (JKKK). JKKK itu adalah struktur pentadbiran kerajaan yang terendah sekali. Selalunya apabila sampai rakyat biasa bercakap ditempat-tempat awam tentang politik, tidak akan ada perkara lain yang berlaku selain dari berlakunya perubahan. Dalam politik dini hari rakyat Malaysia setiap peringkat bercakap politik dan politik kepartian.
Perubahan itu tetap berlaku dan ini adalah hakikat yang tidak boleh di nafikan oleh sejarah. Kita tidak terlepas daripada angin perubahan ini dan sememangnya perubahan itu sudah sampai untuk berlaku. Kalaulah Muhammad SAW dahulu tidak berhijrah Islam itu susah untuk berkembang kerana masalah tentangan dari kaum mushrikin Makkah. Kemajuan dan perkembangan Islam sendiri terpaksa melalui perubahan dalam bentuk hijrah. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib as “Father of Transformation’?
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Najib Razak on Thursday, 4 October 2012, 5:23 pm
PM Najib prides himself as the ‘Father of Transformation’ or ‘Bapa Transformasi’ because of the spate of transformation initiatives which he has launched since taking over as Prime Minister in 2009.
He has certainly transformed the Malaysian lexicon by introducing an alphabet soup of acronyms such as the ETP, GTP, NKRA, NKEA, SRI, NEM, BR1M and KR1M, just to name a few.
The expensive consultants who conceived of these terms have certainly benefitted from these transformation initiatives. But the positive impact on the man on the street is far less apparent.
While the Prime Minister still sounds positive about his transformation initiatives, his budget tells us a different story. Read the rest of this entry »
Is the 2013 Budget Najib’s “silver bullet” to win the 13th GE?
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Elections, Najib Razak on Thursday, 4 October 2012, 5:14 pm
After the presentation of the 2013 Budget by the Prime Minister cum Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in Parliament last Friday, the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin praised the 2013 budget as “the best to date”, and such superlative praises have been taken up by the other Barisan Nasional leaders.
Muhyiddin also denied that the 2013 Budget is an “election budget”. No MP whether from Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat would agree with him. In fact, I don’t think Muhyiddin himself believes his own denial.
But whether the 2013 Budget will be remembered by Umno/BN leaders as “the best budget” in the past 55 years will depend on whether it is the “silver bullet” for Najib to win the 13th General Election with a two-thirds parliamentary majority or whether it would result in his becoming the last UMNO Prime Minister or a prelude for him to be toppled as UMNO President and Prime Minister in a repeat scenario like what happened to Tun Abdullah in 2009 – becoming the latest “trophy” of Tun Mahathir who would have the scalps of three DPMs and two PMs in the bag!
It is precisely because Najib has no confidence that the 2012 Budget, despite giving goodies for almost every sector of the electorate, would be the “silver bullet” that he has kept postponing the dissolution of Parliament and acquired the dubious record of being the Prime Minister without an elected mandate of his own for the longest period when compared to all the previous four Prime Ministers after Tunku Abdul Rahman, including his father Tun Razak, Tun Hussein Onn, Tun Mahathir and Tun Abdullah. Read the rest of this entry »
Call on all MPs, BN or PR, in Sabah, Sarawak or Peninsular Malaysia to support a RCI to assess whether dreams and aspirations of Sabahans and Sarawakians in forming Malaysia had been fulfilled or betrayed in past five decades
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Corruption, Najib Razak, Sabah, Sarawak on Thursday, 4 October 2012, 5:03 pm
On the occasion of the 49th Malaysia Day, Catholic Bishop Datuk Cornelius Piong in his message questioned if a 49-year-old agreement symbolised by the Keningau Batu Sumpah to uphold religious freedom and other native rights and customs had been kept.
Piong said that 49 years ago leaders from the federation of Malaya promised the people of Sabah they would progress together and have their basic human rights protected, as part of a campaign to convince them to join forces and form Malaysia, with partner states Sarawak and Singapore.
The three key pledges Piong highlighted were guarantees that Sabahans would have freedom of religion, their native land would be safeguarded by the state government and the federal government would respect and protect Sabah local customs.
“Are these promises still being respected and honoured?” Piong asked in his Malaysia Day message.
He said: “The agreement was carved on an oath stone (Batu Sumpah Peringatan) which is still visible read and remembered.” Read the rest of this entry »
Second break-in at Aliran office
Posted by Kit in civil society/NGOs, Crime on Wednesday, 3 October 2012, 11:39 pm
P Ramakrishnan
Aliran
3 October 2012
Exactly 18 days after the first break-in at the Aliran office, the thieves struck again for the second time!
They removed the same grille, forced open the same window and entered the same room. That was as far as they went.
On the first occasion, they had gained access to the rest of the building from this room but this time we had reinforced security and thus they were unable to move farther inside the building.
We discovered this break-in on the morning of 29 September 2011. They must have struck in the early hours of 29 September because we were in the office until midnight the previous day trying to wrap up Aliran Monthly. Read the rest of this entry »
Defaming Penang CM akin to Nazi Germany tactics
Posted by Kit in Education, Lim Guan Eng, Media, Zairil Khir Johari on Wednesday, 3 October 2012, 11:13 pm
Zairil Khir Johari
Malaysiakini
Sep 29, 2012
Outrageous defamation of Guan Eng in the STPM trial examinations is nothing more than a malicious personal attack based on fabricated lies and a shameless attempt at brainwashing students.
According to press reports, state-wide STPM trial examinations in Johor contain an inflammatory question-and-answer scheme that asserts the implication that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s “warning” to schools in Penang not to subscribe to Malay mainstream newspapers is “racist and impeding integration among races”.
The essay question requires students to discuss the hypothesis that “integration among races can be achieved through national education system, but various challenges have to be overcome to realise this objective.”
According to the alleged answer scheme, one of the answers to this question was:
“The warning of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to 84 Chinese primary schools in the state to stop subscribing to Malay language mainstream newspapers is a racist action that impedes integration among races”. Read the rest of this entry »
The 2013 Budget: Najib’s Last Hurrah? (1)
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Finance on Wednesday, 3 October 2012, 10:36 pm
“More debt has been accumulated in six years than what took 48 years after Merdeka to accumulate.”
A Brief History
The Budget unveiled by the Prime Minister on September 28th , his fourth budget, contained no real surprises. It followed the broad pattern of previous Budgets presented since 1998, the year of the East Asian Financial crisis.
A constant feature of these Budgets has been the use of deficit financing to further the BN agenda of promoting the interest of its key constituents while maintaining a grip on the loyalty of its traditional supporters. Tax giveaways and subsidies were part of the instruments used.
Despite buoyant revenues from the exploitation of natural resources which provided almost a third of revenue, the Government has consistently ran deficits which contributed to the buildup of a mountain of debt. The initial rationale for deficit financing was to stimulate and revive the economy after the devastating set back resulting from the East Asia Financial crisis of 1998. Read the rest of this entry »
PM must take women’s ministry portfolio seriously
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, women on Wednesday, 3 October 2012, 12:55 pm
— JAG
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 02, 2012
OCT 2 — The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) is appalled and extremely disappointed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s callous dismissal of the need for women’s rights groups in Malaysia on the premise that equality was given “from the start”.
The prime minister is remiss to use women’s suffrage as a sole indicator for equality. Despite women having fought equally for independence and gaining the vote, Malaysia’s first female Minister, Tun Tan Sri Fatimah Hashim, was only appointed in 1969, a full 12 years after independence. Today, as in 1969, Malaysia only has one female minister in Cabinet, far short of the 30 per cent indication required by CEDAW.
While the right to vote is an important indicator of the state’s recognition of women’s rights, equality is also measured in other substantive ways.
If Malaysian women were on equal footing as their male counterparts, one telling sign would be a high ranking on the Global Gender Gap Index, which captures the magnitude and scope of gender-based disparities in four key areas of basic rights — economic, political, education and health. As it stands, Malaysia’s ranking has dropped from its overall ranking of 72 in 2006 to 97 among 134 countries in 2011. Our country joins the bottom quarter, made up largely of developing countries in the Middle East and Africa. Read the rest of this entry »
Moral Studies paper stolen!
Posted by Kit in Education, Mariam Mokhtar on Wednesday, 3 October 2012, 9:32 am
by Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
Oct 1, 2012
After the furore concerning the leaked question on Bersih 3.0 in the mock SPM test papers, a more serious problem has emerged; the Moral Studies paper for the upcoming examination has been stolen.
Originally, the trial papers had prompted concerns that young minds were being indoctrinated – a charge denied by deputy ministers Puad Zarkashi and Wee Ka Siong.
Puad said: “As long as it does not affect the racial or religious sensitivities or malign any individual, I feel (the question) is not a problem… It’s up to the rakyat to decide.”
Wee also disagreed that education was being politicised and refuted calls for an investigation: “I cannot act based on any Tom, Dick or Harry’s allegations….”
With weeks to go before the examination, all police leave has been cancelled and an investigation into the theft ordered. A spokesperson said the probe would include everyone who had access to the test paper before publication, the printers and the people who set the questions.
Like many other parents and children who want an advantage in the forthcoming exams, this correspondent managed to secure a copy of the Moral Studies paper, for RM100, in the backstreets of Kepong. Read the rest of this entry »
Reminder of Perak constitutional crisis
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, Perak on Wednesday, 3 October 2012, 12:29 am
— Koon Yew Yin
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 02, 2012
OCT 2 — As the next general election is fast approaching, almost every day the newspapers publish stories of Datuk Seri Najib Razak and other Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders giving away goodies to win votes. Unfortunately Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders cannot afford to give away any goodies. Since the general election is near, we must not forget how PR lost control of Perak to BN.
You will remember that when the High Court on May 11, 2009 recognised Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin as the rightful mentri besar of Perak, the Court of Appeal lost no time in granting Zambry Abdul Kadir a stay of execution on the High Court decision. It did so within a few hours, in fact.
On May 22, the appellate court overturned the High Court judgment favouring Nizar, and instead ruled that Zambry was the legitimate mentri besar.
Malaysian courts have created a record with their supersonic speed in disposing of cases.
The BN is so unfair and unjust to depend on three defectors to govern the state, especially when two of the three defectors were under investigation for corruption. Read the rest of this entry »
Mahal betul harga nak kekalkan BN dan Najib
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng, Najib Razak, Penang, Selangor on Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 12:42 pm
— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Oct 01, 2012
1 OKT — Najib Razak setiap hari keluar berkempen memaki hamun semua parti-parti yang dalam PR dan kerajaan negeri-negeri tadbiran Pakatan Rakyat. Bagi kita yang sudah berumur dan ada sedikit pengalaman berpolitik ini memahami apa yang ada di dalam hati dan sanubari pemimpin utama negara kita itu. Beliau gentar dan resah gelisah.
Cara beliau bercakap bergegar-gegar itu tidak lebih dan tidak kurang menunjukkan yang beliau amat gelisah dengan apa yang berlaku dikalangan rakyat akar umbi. Najib sedang panik dan masih tidak berkeyakinan yang BN akan mendapat mandat kali ini walaupun berbillion-billion ringgit telah dibelanjakan membeli hati dan jiwa rakyat sekalian.
Cara beliau berucap tidak menampakkan yang beliau seorang Perdana Menteri. Mungkin beliau terlupa sekejap yang beliau itu Perdana Menteri kerana selalunya pemimpin utama negara akan bercakap dengan nada yang rendah tapi meyakinkan. Di Pulau Pinang semalam Najib bercakap dengan nada yang begitu tinggi dan nampak jelas beliau terlalu banyak kelemahan yang beliau mahu lindungi dari pandangan rakyat. Beliau mempunyai banyak perkara yang putus yang perlu di sambung dan yang koyak untuk ditampal.
Setiap malam tidak ada orang lain dikaca TV selain dari Najib berkempen melaluinya. Bahan kempennya tidak lain hanya memperlekehkan pentadbiran semua kerajaan negeri-negeri yang ditadbir oleh Pakatan Rakyat. Najib tidak nampak apa kebaikan yang telah dilakukan oleh PR di Pulau Pinang, Selangor dan Kedah serta Kelantan. Najib amat resah dengan pengaruh kerajaan-kerajaan negeri dalam PR kerana kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat melakukan pembersihan segala politik dan ekonomi yang dilakukan oleh kerajaan BN dahulu. Read the rest of this entry »
REFSA’s and IDEAS’s Misplaced Focus on Critiquing Subsidies in the 2013 Budget
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Lim Teck Ghee on Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 9:29 am
Dr Lim Teck Ghee
2nd October 2012
In their joint statement recently released on 28 September, IDEAS (Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs) and not-for-profit research institute REFSA (Research for Social Advancement) drew attention to the “shocking federal government subsidy bill for 2012” which according to them is now expected to hit RM42 billion, a massive RM9 billion or 27% above the RM33 billion originally forecast for the year.
While it is true that subsidies have quadrupled in the past five years, and some of it is wasteful and not efficiently targeted at the most needy or priority sectors, the REFSA-IDEAS contention of the debilitating effects of subsidies on our economic health needs to be challenged.
Yes, blanket subsidies for cheap petrol and sugar do result in a degree of excessive and wasteful consumption. However the extent is debatable, and even if considerable, is not a sufficiently compelling reason for their immediate removal. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia’s Coming Election: Beyond Communalism?
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat, UMNO on Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 1:20 am
International Crisis Group
Asia Report N°235
1 Oct 2012
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Malaysia’s thirteenth general election, which Prime Minister Najib Razak will have to call by April 2013, could be a watershed in communal relations. More than ever before, there is a chance, albeit a very small one, that opposition parties running on issues of transparency, economic equity and social justice could defeat the world’s longest continually-elected political coalition, the National Front (Barisan Nasional), that has based its support on a social compact among the country’s Malay, Chinese and Indian communities. That compact, granting Malays preferential status in exchange for security and economic growth, has grown increasingly stale as the growing middle class demands more of its leaders. Both ruling party and opposition are using images of the Arab Spring – the former to warn of chaos if it is not returned to power, the latter to warn of popular unrest unless political change comes faster. Read the rest of this entry »
Popular populism? Najib’s Budget 2013 gamble
Posted by Kit in Bridget Welsh, Budget Debate, Elections, Najib Razak, UMNO on Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 12:56 am
Bridget Welsh
Malaysiakini
Oct 1, 2012
COMMENT Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has announced the second election primer budget full of goodies, extending from bonuses to civil servants to handouts to lower income households.
This budget is Najib’s latest fiscal effort to secure him a solid victory in the 13th general election that has to be held before the end of June next year.
The budget is a continuation of a historically unprecedented pattern of direct government transfers to woo political support that has broadened in scope, increased in amount and moved development policy from needs based initiatives to what appears to be a coordinated regime political survival programme.
Najib’s main campaign strategy to win political support has been to offer financial rewards, and he has used his position as premier in an attempt to buttress his political position.
With something for everyone, he is clearly trying to increase his popularity through a variety of populist initiatives. Given his priorities, will this budget actually secure his political fortunes? Read the rest of this entry »
