Where Is ICT Today?

ZDNet published an article with regards to the emphasis given to Information, Communication & Technology (ICT) in the current and previous administration. I was quoted in the article. In summary, it said that...

Newly-minted Prime Minister Najib Razak has delivered an embarrassing snub to the country's ICT association Pikom, after he not only ignored its call for a single ministry, but also transferred jurisdiction for the local communications sector to a low-profile ministry.

The following was the questions asked to me via email, and my full response.

1. How would you characterize the impact of previous PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the ICT sector?
   
   In all truthfulness, the ICT sector over the past 5 years have been on a free-gear mode, essentially drifting along anywhere the current was taking it. There was absolutely no direction, no emphasis, little incentives or funding which have been allocated to the sector, unlike during the latter part of Tun Dr Mahathir's administration. Hence, the actual impact of PM Abdullah is really the relegation of the sector which was meant to be at the forefront of Malaysia's drive towards a knowledge economy, to one which was neglected and regarded as irrelevant.
   
   
2. Some say his impact was neglible, disappointing, would that be an reasonable assessment?
   
   As above, absolutely.
   
   
3. Given the immense contribution of the ICT sector to the economy, do you think it has been treated as a “stepchild” compared t other sectors such as construction, power and agriculture?
   
   During Pak Lah's reign, the focus shifted pretty much towards attempts at modernising the agrarian economy, particularly in the small-holdings agricultural sector, the cottage industry as well as the village homestay tourism business. This emphasis can be clearly seen in practically every budget speech Pak Lah has given. In fact, ICT was not the only sector which was neglected, even a major mainstay of the country's economy, the manufacturing sector was neglected to the extent that the industry make-up remained pretty much in the low-value added industries which relied on cheap foreign labour, instead of the more capital, technology and innovation intensive industries.
   
   
4. Are you hopeful that Najib will bring about major policy changes that will boost the ICT sector, especially during the current downturn?
   
   We have yet to see any indication that Najib will be more generous towards the ICT sector although we hope he will be. Even in the last RM60 billion so-called stimulus budget announcement, there was no allocation or announcement of initiatives towards supporting and promoting the local ICT sector.
   
   
5. Specifically, what policy changes should Najib make to boost the ICT sector?
   
   ICT is a sector which is necessarily driven by innovation and competition. Without competition, the industry loses its cutting edge and its ability to match the cross-boundary and globalised nature of the business.
   
   Hence, specifically for the ICT sector, there should be liberalisation of competition, particularly for the government sector which has to date, despite the MSC initiatives, been restricted to contractors approved by the Ministry of Finance. There should be funds to encourage qualified software service providers to explore overseas markets. There should be also be open competition in the telecommunications sector which should not be characterised by the direct award of a 12 billion ringgit Hi-Speed Broadband project to Telekom Malaysia.

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Ong Tee Keat Gratefully Plays Dumb?

In a swift response to being dragged into the hole dug by fellow Barisan Nasional colleague, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has the following to say on his blog:

If we truly uphold the spirit of democracy, we should respect differing views, even if we cannot concur with . The Deputy Prime Minister can voice his views on the results of the Bukit Gantang by-election, and so can I.

I see nothing wrong for him to express his observations and views. Nonetheless, I insist that the fund allocations pledged or disbursed to the people during campaigning should be viewed as the Government's obligation to taxpayers. The issue of gratefulness does not arise at all. This was clearly stated by me when I publicly made my comments on the issue.

What a disappointing cop-out after a "brave" statement issued by a party youth leader just earlier in the day. Nobody questions the concept of "respecting differing views" but does it mean that if UMNO comes out with a racist statement, we should not openly condemn the statement? Does it mean that when UMNO asks for a "bloodbath", we should just timidly say "we agree to disagree"? Where's the "Courage to Change"? Or the "Creating New Values" as prominently highlighted on Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat's blog?

And worse, the MCA President has yet to answer clearly Muhyiddin's statement saying "MCA president Ong Tee Keat had found nothing wrong with [Muhyiddin's "ungrateful"] statement"! So is Muhyiddin talking crap? Or does Ong Tee Keat actually concur with Muhyiddin on the Chinese being "ungrateful", or more politely, "unappreciative"?

It appears as if the new DPM has dug a hole not only for himself, but also for his BN subordinate, and the MCA President is now willingly taking the jump!

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"Ungrateful" Muhyiddin Squirms

un⋅grate⋅ful   [uhn-greyt-fuhl]
–adjective

unappreciative; not displaying gratitude; not giving due return or recompense for benefits conferred: ungrateful heirs.

Source: Dictionary.com

So soon after taking over as the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin found himself squirming to get out of a hole he dug for himself and lashing out at everybody and anybody for "twisting" his words.

On Sunday, in an interview with Mingguan Malaysia (the weekend edition of the notorious Utusan Malaysia), he was quoted as follows when asked about the minority votes in Bukit Gantang.

Q: Tetapi bukankah setiap kali pilihan raya kecil, permintaan kaum bukan Melayu dipenuhi, malah di Bukit Gantang walaupun peruntukan RM1juta diberikan tetapi kaum Cina tidak juga menyokong BN?

[...]

Ini yang mungkin menyebabkan sukar BN mendapat sokongan walaupun kita fikir bila mereka hendak sekolah Cina dibantu, kita bantu, sepatutnya mereka membalas budi. Pada waktu itu, kita pun tidak berharap sokongan kaum Cina akan meningkat 40 peratus dan sebagainya cuma kita berharap ada peningkatan sedikit tetapi apa yang berlaku ia mencatatkan penurunan, macam tidak ada penghargaan terhadap apa yang kita lakukan.

He was figuratively whacked by all parties for in essence calling the Chinese "ungrateful". Sdr Lim Kit Siang wasted no time berating Muhyiddin for insulting the community.

It is most shocking that 52 years after national independence, the Number Two in the federal government of a multi-racial nation could come out with such retrogressive and most unacceptable views about Malaysian democracy and nation building.

Even the normally compliant MCA and Gerakan are forced to issue fairly "harsh" statements against the new deputy prime minister, albeit not by the top bosses themselves.

Now, in a sudden turn of event, Tan Sri Muhyiddin now places the blame all on the Chinese media for "twisting" his words and asked the reporters to "go back to school"!

The deputy prime minister denied he had used the word “ungrateful” to describe the community in the wake of the ruling party’s defeat in the Bukit Gantang by-election in an interview published on Sunday in Mingguan Malaysia.

“If they don’t know Malay, we can send them to school,” said Muhyiddin, who is also the new education minister.

“What I actually said was that the community looked as if it didn’t appreciate Barisan Nasional despite its best efforts during the by-election.”

Let's not speculate and lets look at the fact of the matter. As per the Mingguan Malaysia report, Muhyiddin said "...bila mereka hendak sekolah Cina dibantu, kita bantu, sepatutnya mereka membalas budi."

Then look again at the definition of "ungrateful" above - "unappreciative; not displaying gratitude; not giving due return or recompense for benefits conferred". It's uncannily exactly as stated by Muhyiddin! So I don't see how the Chinese media "twisted" the words of the new DPM!!

As far as I'm concerned, it's Muhyiddin who needs to be send back to school or at least his new Ministry of Education should welcome him with a English dictionary as a present.

(Interestingly, as reported in Malaysiakini, Muhyiddin claims that Ong Tee Keat "had found nothing wrong with his statement in Mingguan Malaysia." So, what says MCA President?)

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Are We Out of the Bear Market Yet?

That of course, is the multi-million question. But the following chart email to me, and sourced from The Chart Store certainly looks interesting ;-)

My only public view on this? Think market recovery 1, 2 or 3 years down the road.

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Hannah Yeoh - I'm So Proud!

I pondered over the above title, versus a more generic title about "Change & Conflict", and I settled for the above.

Now and then I'll click over to my fellow elected representative, Hannah Yeoh of Subang Jaya's blog to "check on her" (heh!) and see what's happening over there.

Somehow I missed this post she made earlier on "The Best is Yet to Come" and was pointed to it via email.  (Yes it's written nearly 2 months ago, but it is nevertheless still very relevant, and I should share it with those who hasn't read it.)

So many people have been telling me just how frustrated they are with the current political situation in our country. Some have told me that they regretted voting for change because of the political instability now and would prefer returning to their old style of voting - vote for stability and forget about having a stronger opposition and greater check and balance. I shudder at the thought of this! One needs to remember the reason why we are seeing such great resistance for change is simply because there is much to lose for those who have been in power for so long. For decades there have been so much abuses of power, unchecked misuse of public funds and plain dirty corruption. With a stronger opposition now, they stand to lose their illegal sources of income and some may even be charged and sent to prison if they are found guilty. With this in mind, they will fight at all costs to reclaim back power and to ensure they can continue to steal public funds from the people for their own enrichment. We are not just dealing with differences in politics; we are combating evil forces who will not rest till they secure back their powers and illegal sources of income.

Sometimes I feel equally frustrated and disillusioned about the political situation too. Sometimes I lay awake thinking of how to effect change in this land. Some days I cry while driving in between meetings thinking of what's left for the future generation in this land if we give up now. I have endured much verbal attack from political enemies, accusation after accusation of me not doing anything for my constituents and etc. No one truly understands the resistance we face daily in discharging our duties except for my fellow PR assemblymen. Robert Kennedy once said ‘Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator and change has its enemies.’ Our enemies are resisting change but we must stand firm and continue to push for a competent, accountable and transparent government. At the end of each day, as I lay myself to sleep, I ask God for strength, wisdom and protection to face the next. I look forward to the end of the term when I can tell the people of Subang Jaya that I have remained clean and have not stolen any of the taxpayers' funds. As reminded by Raja Petra in his blog "Please continue your struggle to make Malaysia a better place for our future generation. This country belongs to them and it is for them that we struggle." All hope is not lost. Come the next election, vote out the corrupt once and for all. Hang in there supporters and friends, the best is yet to come!

I'm just brimming with pride (for God knows whatever reasons) after reading it and know for a fact that Malaysia has much better days ahead ;-)

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Najib's "New" Cabinet

Have you seen it? Is it really new? Well, here's my initial comment quoted in The Malaysian Insider:

DAP's national publicity secretary Tony Pua was more scathing in his assessment. "It's still the same old horses and same ministries. If you want to bring in political rejects, it makes the cabinet a bit of an artefact. After all the hype, it is a little disappointing," the Petaling Jaya Utara MP said.

The back door entry via the Dewan Negara is usually reserved for professionals with specific expertise, who are not your typical politicians (or who did not contest in the elections) to be appointed into the Cabinet to strengthen certain areas of weaknesses. But when you have some half-dozen Ministers who were rejected in elections, then certainly, it makes a mockery of the democratic process. Is the Barisan Nasional leadership cupboard so bare that they have to bring back to life the vanquished?

Is this a demonstration of PM Najib's "People First, Performance Now"?

What was probably most disappointing was the fact that the expectations of a "new-style" cabinet was so high, that Malaysians were all expecting a much leaner cabinet comprising of not more than 25 Ministers. But lo-and-behold, it's 28, and it's still backed up by 40 Deputy Ministers, making the entire frontbench even larger than Pak Lah's 67 members!

And as for the newly elected UMNO Youth Chief, I cannot but feel a little bit for him, after being contemptuously left out of the cabinet list. It cannot be described as anything else but a tight slap on the face when his deputy got included, and worse, his political rival who came in last during the Youth elections found a place in the Cabinet. Hey, even the MCA Youth Chief, Wee Ka Siong had his name listed as a deputy minister and Khairy just isn't good enough?

The new Prime Minister should learn that if he has nothing to deliver, please do not set up expectations sky high. This is the second time he has done so, the first with the "RM60 billion" stimulus package which is really only RM10 billion.

It does appear that the "change" that has been promised will certainly be hard to come by.

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All I Have To Do Is Dream..

This remembering of nostalgic songs from the past is making me feel old...

But I can't help but be reminded of them with the rather hilarious antics of MCA over the past few days.

On the 5th April, two days before the tri-elections, MCA had the "audacity" via a junior little-known leader, deputy secretary-general, Datuk Loke Yuen Yow to call the new Prime Minister to create a 2nd Deputy Prime Minister position, and of course, proposed his party boss, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat for the post.

This move was expectedly ridiculed by their UMNO masters, led by newly elected vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

Umno vice-president Hishamuddin Hussien poured cold water on the idea, according to Berita Harian yesterday. "I have never heard their (MCA) leaders raising this in cabinet, BN management meetings or BN supreme council meetings," said Hishamuddin, who is also education minister.

Similarly, ousted Umno supreme council member Rais Yatim said Najib has better things to do than to entertain MCA's suggestion. "A second deputy prime minister post does not exist in the Federal Constitution. What is more important is to help win the by-elections," said Rais, who is also foreign minister.

I'm sure the retort would have been more scathing if not for the fact that there were the elections going-on. 

But what's most ironic must be the fact that within 2 days, MCA had to call for an emergency presidential council meeting to beg the Prime Minister to retain its current 4 ministers and 6 deputy ministership within the new proposed cabinet, which is now expected to be trimmed to 3 ministers and 4 deputies!

Talk about taking a tentative, calculated step forward only to be hit 3 steps back! It's really a case of All MCA Has to do is Dreeeaaamme.....

I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is dream
Dream, dream, dream, dream
Dream, dream
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is dream

 Here's looking "forward" to Najib's new cabinet to be announced in a few hours time. Lets repeat the chorus now... ;-) Dream, dream, dream...

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Shout, Shout, Shout It Aloud...

The by-election results call for the dissolution of the Perak State Assembly, signifies the continuing irrelevance of race-based politics and demonstrates the lack of confidence in our newly installed Prime Minister.

The most decisive and convincing manner by which Pakatan Rakyat have won the two by-elections in Peninsula Malaysia, particularly in Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat where the majority increased by nearly 100%, demonstrates without a doubt the aspirations of Malaysians. Together with the overwhelming results from Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu in the past few months, the people have sent the following very loud messages to the Barisan Nasional government.

1. The results are a clear endorsements of the Pakatan Rakyat 10 month-old Perak government for its multi-racial and multi-cultural policies benefiting the rakyat from all segments of the community. 
   
   The Kuala Sepetang polling district where the Chinese community comprises 97% of the 2,311 electorate voted 84.3% for a PAS candidate. This is an earth-shaking result demonstrating that barriers to racial and communal politics are being torn down and are being replaced by the politics of good and quality governance. 
   
   This is an indisputably historic result of enormous significance on the continued relevance of Barisan Nasional race-based “model” of governance.
   
   
2. The sizeable increase in victory margin for the Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin clearly sends the message to our newly installed Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak that the people wants the Perak State Assembly to be dissolved for fresh elections. The Prime Minister had on 6th March said that he wanted to “build a democracy responsive to the people’s needs” when he was commenting on the roles of the “new and old media”. 
   
   It is therefore high time, as a new Prime Minister, to do the right thing for democracy in Malaysia by ensuring that the people of Perak gets a Government theythemselves elect via the dissolution of the current state assembly.
   
   
3. Finally, despite the tremendous odds – the feel good factor from a newly installed Prime Minister, a “successfully” concluded UMNO General Assembly, the 'pop star' presence of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, allocations amounting to millions to Chinese and Tamil schools which would not have resulted if not for the by-elections and the sudden release of some Hindraf ISA detainees, Malaysians in the Peninsula have voted for Pakatan Rakyat, a year-old coalition, which can only represent a dismal lack of confidence in our 6th and new prime minister. 
   

Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak has his work cut out for him and it is quite clear that Malaysians will not give him a 100-day honeymoon period to perform. He must hence immediately institute firm and resolute measures to eradicate corruption, overhaul archaic and repressive laws and dismantle discriminatory policy tools antithetical to his “One Malaysia” agenda.

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"OneMalaysia" vs "Ketuanan Melayu"

Will the new Prime Minister and UMNO reject “Ketuanan Melayu”, and adopt “One Malaysia”?

I'd like to congratulate Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak's ascension as Malaysia's 6th Prime Minister, but welcome his call for a “One Malaysia” with more than a little dose of scepticism.

Even in the 1990s, under Datuk Seri Najib's mentor, Tun Dr Mahathir's regime, the concept of “Bangsa Malaysia” was mooted with much fanfare but it became purely an empty, meaningless slogan which ultimately met its demise at the hands of UMNO itself whose leaders ridiculed the concept.

Hence it is impossible not for ordinary Malaysians from all walks of life to look at the new clarion call for “One Malaysia” with any optimism or confidence. What makes the matter worse is that the new Prime Minister's call for a “One Malaysia” comes at the point when UMNO itself continues to assert its demands of political and government top leadership, government-link companies top management as well as public universities top academic positions be granted on the basis of race and party affiliation.

UMNO's persistent and virulent calls for and ideology of “Ketuanan Melayu” is completely antithetical to Datuk Seri Najib's call for “One Malaysia”, unless of course, he meant “One Malaysia” where all other races become unquestioning, whole-hearted followers of the supreme race.

DAP's principles of Malaysian First places one's citizenship above that of one's race, religion, creed or even political affiliation. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also mooted the concept of a New Economic Agenda (NEA) where Malaysian's policies will be based on needs, and not based on race. More importantly, despite being charged by UMNO's Malay nationalist as a traitor to the race, Datuk Seri Anwar took his programme and sold the concept of “ketuanan Rakyat” and NEA to all Malay villages across the country. It is through his sincere efforts of bringing about change and the consistency with DAP's Malaysian First that we now sit in the same Pakatan Rakyat platform to bring about a real change for Malaysia.

Therefore, for our new Prime Minister to have any credibility at all in his call for a “One Malaysia”, we want to see him convince his own party and go to all Malaysians in villages and cities to explain his concept of “One Malaysia” as well as the rejection of “Ketuanan Melayu”. Otherwise, it'll just be another beautiful slogan, created under Barisan Nasional's concept of divide and rule where “One Malaysia” will be preached to placate the minority races, while “Ketuanan Melayu” is sold to the Malays.

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Hee Hee Hee!

Hee Yit Foong & Co happily joining Najib's Perak celebration party in Feb '09
(Picture courtesy of The Star)

Have you read reports of Hee Yit Foong's press conference today?

Here's a short excerpt from The Star:

Asked why she did not join another Pakatan party but chose to side with Barisan, she said she did not want to cause a split among the Pakatan partners. “But I would like to stress that I did not leave to join another party,” she added.

Faint! Or this:

"I have never been in contact with Barisan people," she said, adding that she left DAP due to internal problems and because her grouses were being ignored by the party leadership.

Umm... didn't she appear with Datuk Seri Najib himself!? Or how about this:

To a question, she said she chose to be an independent friendly to Barisan because she wanted to ensure she would get allocations to develop her constituency.

Or this in the Malaysiakini report:

Hee said she decided to meet the media today as journalists have been pressing her to explain her actions. "It has nothing to do with the by-elections,” she stressed, referring to Tuesday’s vote in Bukit Gantang in Perak, Bukit Selambau (Kedah) and Batang Ai (Sarawak)."

Really don't know whether to laugh or to cry...

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Balik Kampong Mengundi II

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Balik Kampong Mengundi

The above advertisement which is being placed in all major Chinese newspapers headlines "Nizar Lost" and call upon all outstation voters not to let it happen. Go back hometown on Tuesday, 7 Apr and vote for your candidate of choice. Vote for democracy and ketuanan rakyat!

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MCA: Yes, Please Buy PLUS!

It took a while for the official statement to come out since the highway contracts were declassified in January, but MCA has finally issued an one with regards to the Party supporting the "buy-back" programme for PLUS. See the reports in The Sun and Malaysiakini.

The gist of the proposal is roughly similar to the one presented by DAP's Ops Restore, which was also highlighted in Parliament by Sdr Lim Kit Siang. The Finance Ministry has already responded verbally as well as in writing that the proposal is being evaluated.

The key difference between the DAP and MCA proposal is the treatment of the highways after the buy-back by the Government. We have proposed that it be owned as a Government entity, while MCA has proposed a "socially responsible commercial entity" which continues to give some returns to the Government and EPF. We proposed that the outstanding loans be repaid in full over 6 years, while MCA's proposal will repay these loans at a slower pace over 13 years.

While I find the concept of a "socially responsible" commercial entity at best a difficult concept to make practical, at worst an oxymoron, MCA' proposal is nevertheless much better than the current situation we have based on the existing contract. Hence if their proposal is accepted and tabled in parliament or in public by the Barisan Nasional Government, we will give our full support to the exercise.

Of interesting note though, I find it curious that the examples and figures cited were a little too eerily similar to ours...

MCA said that

...the toll rate is currently set at 14.96 sen per km and by 2038, the toll rate is expected to double to 29.16 sen per km. As such, a trip from KL to Penang costing RM86 one-way would cost RM168 by 2038.

In our published statement earlier, we said that

...a return KL-Penang journey will remain at RM86.60 today instead of RM115.30 in 2015 and RM168.80 by 2030.

And yes, they got the figures wrong. It's RM168.80 by 2030 not 2038. In 2038, the toll rate for a return trip to Penang will be RM247 (!).

Also, MCA suggested

Assuming a share price of RM3.50 to RM4 per share is offered for the acquisition of the remaining shares, the total acquisition price would be between RM4.55 billion and RM5.2 billion.

Wah, based on the current price of less than RM3.00, that's a huge premium offered, between 20% to 38%! Under normal circumstances, a 15% premium will more than suffice.

But as I mentioned earlier, we shouldn't be picky. DAP will fully support MCA's buy-back proposal in principle and we'll even go to the extent of doing a joint committee with them, should it make it more likely for the buy-back to happen.

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The UMNO Low-Down

If defending the constitution constitutes "derhaka", UMNO who forcibly changed the constitution, taking powers away from Raja-raja Melayu is...?

Kasi buang Mahathir dan seluruh kabinet pada masa tu dari Malaysia?

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Air Untuk Rakyat

For all those interested in all the on-going issues with regards to the Water Industry Restructuring Exercise in Selangor, please feel free to visit: AirUntukRakyat.com, set up by the state government.

It contains official statements by the State Government, plus various statements by the members of the Water Review Panel, including myself.

The latest update is the Menteri Besar's statement that we are prepared to go to the courts, should Syabas be allowed to increase its tariffs next month.

It is also a response to the Minister's statement yesterday, as reported in Berita Harian that "kenaikan [tarif] sudah dipersetujui Ketua Audit Negara dan termaktub dalam perjanjian. Mahu atau tidak, Kerajaan Selangor perlu mematuhinya."

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