By Kua Kia Soong
The Pakatan manifesto for GE14 promises many things and the most welcome ones are the calls to repeal draconian laws, make several commissions directly answerable to Parliament and cut the PMO fat, which is long overdue.
Beyond these critically needed reforms, the manifesto is long on populist concepts but short on actionable specifics.
The current water crisis in Selangor is yet another reminder of the dire consequences of such cavalier populist policies as Selangor’s free water policy. Is providing cheaper cars the answer to our traffic problems or purely populist?
The manifesto proposal to “resolve (the) issue of unilateral child conversion in a harmonious manner” is no doubt well-intentioned but wishful thinking in the current toxic climate without spelling out the clear constitutional and juridical positions on this issue.
Fundamentally, the manifesto lacks three vital changes sorely needed to take our country into a new beginning after sixty years of BN rule, namely: a race-free agenda to unify the nation; a progressive tax structure to redistribute wealth and a truly democratic society.
I won't touch on tax reforms as it's beyond my knowledge other than the worldwide used GST stumps the old non-transparent SST, evaded by the non-accountable, which Pakatan bizarrely wants to revert back to, just for the sake of being different to (opposing everything that is) BN and NOT for the nation's sake.
That's the terrible toxic nature of PH's refusal to recognise some issues (like GST) deserve bipartisan support.
Dr Kua also enunciated that: Term limits for the PM, CM & MB are welcome and overdue. We are told that it will not be applied retrospectively to Selangor and Penang, the states that PH already rule. Why not? The democratic principle behind the term limit for these posts is simply that elected officials can over time obtain too much power or authority and thus makes them less representative of all the citizens. It is also to prevent chances of corruption.
On this issue, I am quite surprised that Dr Kua has not mentioned the BIGGEST elephant in the room, that of Mahathir becoming PM again, and after how many terms already as PM? So how dare Pakatan make such a deceitful promise?
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term limits for PM? What utter bullshit |
As for its national agenda, Dr Kua asked, now with Pakatan having embraced the leader of Parti Pribumi as the prospective PM, there is no mention of an end to the NEP in their GE14 manifesto.
Dr Kua must be joking when Mahathir and his Pribumi are among the two greatest racist parties in Malaysia, namely Pribumi itself and its Mothership UMNO. The NEP might have been started by Razak but the man who ran it for 22 years to benefit his flock was Mahathir.
And he is the ultimate über Melayu. Once I had written that those 'Melayu' of mixed heritage would be the most über of the lot as they would strive to 'prove' their Melayu-ness, people like RTA.
Dr Kua pointed out quite succinctly the hypocrisy of PH attempting to suck up to the “Malay Agenda” by proposing puzzling proposals such as “restoring State Sultans’ powers” when it had been its leader, Mahathir who took them away in the first place.
Mind, at that time Mahathir wasn't wrong in doing so (though his agenda exceeds ours the public) but it's sheer hypocrisy when PH now propose to restore those powers. What hypocritical audacity.
Coupled with its lie about GST and the wanton profligacy of going easy in a tidakapa attitude towards re-payment of the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN), PH promises are populist and not beneficial to the nation or its people, other than those who have no intention to re-pay their loans from PTPTN.
And I haven't even mention the youth wing of Pakatan Harapan (PH) pledg[ing] ... that it will broadcast all international sport matches including the English Premier League on state-owned Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) should it win the 14th general elections (GE14).
Use your grandfather's money?
DAP should avoid such company.
At least it's money which will be for the common man's benefit.
ReplyDeleteWell, Ktemoc is silent OK with RM 2.6 Billion of public funds being diverted into his Idol's personal bank account.
Your Grandfather's money ?
You did not mention how much was returned?
DeleteAmerican television host Rachel Maddow on her news programme ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’ has many exposé about 1MDB.
DeleteKT is ignoring all these worthy news & tok kok!
Wakakakaka……Sigh……
Ah that syiok sendiri holier than thou bigoted Americans.. you mean? Just look what they had done to Iraq? Where's the WMD?
DeleteAh that syiok sendiri holier than thou bigoted Arabic zombies.. you mean? Just look what they had done to Iraq, Syria, Yemen etc! Where's the spirit of the ummat?
Deletehttps://m.malaysiakini.com/news/415258
DeleteThe Indonesians are now openly talking about
"Rasuah 1MDB'.
Majalah Tempo "Equanimity diduga dibeli dengan uang korupsi,....disita Polisi di Bali, pemiliknya orang dekat Perdana Menteri Najib Razak."
Aduh.....Et Tu Indonesia ?
Oh not holy at all I would agree but may be just karma for what was done to Kuwait lah ...........
DeleteSue Rachel Maddow ! How dare she be so forthright, not even having the decency to speak in veiled terms. She doesn't give a fcuk for our 'save face' and lay out all the sordid dirty details so meticulously with that mocking laugh of hers just so exactly at the right place...ahhh habislah reputation tanah air ku. Sue, sue, sue ! I demand that she ought be sued till she loses her pants...err till she loses her skirt ! I think Jibby will sue next Tuesday, wakakaka.
DeleteI see Kua as a bitter , disappointed, failure of a man, who is fixated on past wrongs against him.
ReplyDeleteHe lives in circa 1987- 1990, and can't move beyond that.
It would be also interesting to know what Dr Kua says about the BN manifesto, if there is one.
ReplyDelete"DAP should avoid such company."
ReplyDeleteu mean dap shd continue to woo developer instead of the poor?
mahathit was pm 20 years back, u cant see the diff kah? so answer us y lge is diff?
ReplyDeleteYou should wish them both a happy retirement, and no more politics lah..
Deletetis i can agree.
DeleteTruly achieving a Malaysian Malaysia is a great ideal but even without Mahathir in the Pakatan, it cannot practically implement a Malaysian Malaysia all at once, since it will face a backlash. Instead, it will have to gradually move towards that goal in stages, whilst raising the living standard especially of the Bumiputras so that they are confident that they will not lose out to other ethnicities.
ReplyDeleteLooking at Kua's original article, I agree with him on point 4.
"Pakatan has all along stood for the same neo-liberal capitalist policies as the BN. Consequently, their manifesto does not have a progressive economic policy including nationalising all utilities and essential services including water resources, health, public transport and energy."
I have found Pakatan supporters, especially PKR supporters to favour neo-liberal policies and globalisation as a counterweight to current crony capitalist policies and to corporatised GLCs, many of which are listed on the stock market.
I am all for a Clause 4-like policy with regards state ownership of key industries:-
Clause 4 as adopted into the British Labour Party constitution in 1918:-
"To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clause_IV
However, following Tony Blair's proposal, the new version was adopted at a Special Conference at Easter 1995 after a debate, and reads, in part:
'The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party. It believes that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential and for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many, not the few, where the rights we enjoy reflect the duties we owe, and where we live together, freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect'.
Basically, Tony Blair repealed Clause 4 and replaced it with some wooly liberal giberish, some points of which it does not even implement today.
Unfortunately, I believe that the DAP, like the Labour Party today, today is no longer the social democratic party it was in its early days.
Many social-democratic parties today, including supposedly "far-left" parties like Syriza in Greece, are liberal on social and cultural matters but conservative (Tory) on financial and economic matters.
Otherwise, how can Merkel's conservative party and the German Social Democratic Party come together to rule in coalition?
What next - a Tory-Labour coalition government in the U.K.?
" DAP, like the Labour Party today, today is no longer the social democratic party it was in its early dayss"
DeleteThere is a joke among some circles in Penang that DAP stands for "Developer Approved Party"
What is a state in Malaysia expected to live on without developers? Give me the alternatives.
DeleteDAP has been termed "Developer Approved Party" in Penang bcoz the DAP govt has put ulmost priority on private funding proposals.
DeleteThey r penny-pinching in implementing ALL public projects. Better still if these projects r sponsored/subsidied by private entities.
Land is a limited but lucrative business. Bcoz of that the developers r more willing to sponsor/subsidise state govt public projects in return for 'friendly' considerations in real estates developments in Penang island.
Of course, there could be possible elements of corruption due to human weakness.
But overall, it could be said that the close rapports between the developers & state govt r the result of state government watching the state coffer too tight & the developers took advantages of this phenomenon!
"But overall, it could be said that the close rapports between the developers & state govt r the result of state government watching the state coffer too tight & the developers took advantages of this phenomenon!"
Deletehmmm what r u talking abt?
"What is a state in Malaysia expected to live on without developers?" sound very bn.
DeleteU tak tau baca ke?
Delete"There is a joke among some circles in Penang that DAP stands for "Developer Approved Party"
DeleteAnother one I have heard is "Developers' Action Party".
Shortly after GE13, my Iraqi friend predicted that DAP would strike a deal with UMNO to become the "New MCA" in return for some concessions to be granted to the Chinese community.
DeleteAt the time, that seemed rather far fetched but after more recent developments, it looks like DAP will be the "New MCA" within the "New Barisan Nasional".
I believe that cheeseby kaytee is working. Pretending to be DAP ardent supporter, he riled up certain folks against DAP. Basically divide and rule.......Guess who wins.....hahahahaha
DeleteHY
DeleteYou are not part of the real world. By the way, I hate BN.
"What is a state in Malaysia expected to live on without developers?"
ReplyDeleteIf all they have to depend on for "development" for revenue, then something must be very wrong with the economy of the state.
Of course, states and countries need development but endless building, building, building, building, .... of properties until there is a glut and at the expense of the environment is meaningless, when real development is to attract more industries to set up and provide employment, construction of more affordable public housing for the lower income group, provision clean, affordable and reliable water supply (unlike in Selangor), provision of more parks and green spaces for residents, regular maintenance of roads and tight regulation on contractors and utility companies which want to dig up roads to lay cables, pipes and so forth, provision of more public meeting places, provision of many convenient recycling collection facilities and so forth.
Development is very much more than just building things. The multiplier effect is tremendous. Perhaps you need a course in Basic Economics.
DeleteThese r the bleeding-hearted thinkings - Utopian at best but practicality none!
DeleteFor an island of limited size, the ONLY way to cater for the growing population is to build more skyward developments.
Bearing in mind that not every piece of land is suitable for real estate - terrain constraints, allocations for infrastructure, reserves for historical, recreation, custom & religious purposes.
Low/medium high-rises, have low profit margin, vis-a-vis high land cost. Maintenance is also high as most residents r not willing to pay for general upkeeping.
The developers will only do them iff there r subsidies & incentives from the authorities.
HDB of S'pore has done a marvellous job in this regard. But that model can't be transplant to other countries due to
1) CPF funding
2) very strict enforcement of maintenance rules via efficient monitoring
Induces industries into a small island is a tough balancing act of what kind of industries vs land acreage used, health consideration vs increasing close proximity to living quarters.
HK/Malta have done a splendid act using different approaches.
HK creates world financing & industrial supports for the China hinterland.
Malta plans tourism & elitist livings for the super-richs.
Penang is just starting & there will be growing pains & time lapse, subjecting to many factors, especially the federal/state cooperations.
U tok kok now & when u actually trying to do them, u will most probably ended NOWHERE!
CK,
DeleteYeah! Talk is definitely very easy just like this cheeby called ktemoc. Basically, when kaycheese wants to ensure that dap remains doggies. Kept barking but nothing achieved. LKS is right. Enough is enough of this bullshit. Hahahaha
On the subject of development, it's all about money. If Penang secures 100% revenue, semua pun beres.
Anyway, I still waiting for CL Flamiaris to bite kaytee in australia.....hehehehe