Thursday, May 31, 2007

Public Works Debacles (PWD)

Just got back from tonight's forum (after dinner), and really need sleep ;). But thought I'd post an announcement that I'll be speaking at Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (again!) at a forum organised by Oriental Daily.
Topic: PWD - Public Works Debacles
Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
Date: 31st May 2007
Time: 7.30pm
There are 3 speakers for the evening, including myself. The other 2 speakers are Ir Yong Yew Wei, and another lady from MCA.

Last weekend when I was on Astro, YB Wee Ka Siong concurred with our opinion that plenty has to change, including the Minister himself, in order to prevent our future infrastructure projects from collapsing on us. Well, later this evening, we'll investigate further on the underlying causes behind the leaking in Parliament and the new mega-court complex, cellings collapsing and electricity failing, as well as cracks in brand new buildings and highways.

The medium of communication will be in Mandarin. ;) See you there!

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Bridging the Malaysian Divide

The "controversy" over my simple statement, and as reported in Malaysiakini, which suggested to the Government that the civil service needs to lose some weight has taught me a little thing or two about the extent of the divide, or for that matter "chasm" which we face as a nation today. While I'm thankful for all the support shown here from readers in little altercation with the UMNO Youth Deputy Chief, it paints only half the picture of Malaysians out there.

On Sunday, those who reads Utusan Malaysia will understand the size of the chasm which needs bridging to bring about a one-and-united Malaysia. Figuratively, you could say that I'm bruised blue-black in Utusan, not once, not twice, but three times(!) that day. ;)

First there was a published letter "Orang Melayu Terlalu Lembut" by Azizah Rahmad of Shah Alam:
BARU-baru ini orang Melayu dikejutkan dengan kenyataan menghina oleh Tony Pua di Malaysiakini bahawa penjawat awam hanya terdiri daripada orang Melayu mengalami masalah pengangguran.

[...]

Tetapi beliau mesti akur bahawa jika kerajaan sendiri tidak mengambil graduan bumiputera mahukah sektor swasta mengambil graduan bumiputera dengan ikhlas dan memberi peluang yang sama rata? Ini termasuk dari segala aspek antaranya kenaikan gaji dan pangkat dalam jangka masa yang panjang.

...hikmah tersirat dari kenyataan Tony Pua ini adalah satu wake up call bagi semua orang Melayu betapa pentingnya kita semua bersatu demi masa depan masyarakat Melayu... Orang Melayu dan Islam walau apa pun pegangan politik mereka mesti dengan serius mementingkan dan memikirkan nasib bangsa untuk tempoh akan datang dan bertindak dengan bijak sekarang ini.

[...]

Kita telah terlalu banyak berlembut dan bertolak ansur demi keharmonian sebagai rakyat dalam masyarakat berbilang kaum dan agama tetapi ini tidak bermakna mereka boleh ‘memijak’ kepala kita.
Once again, I have to repeat I did not say nor imply that "penjawat awam hanya terdiri daripada orang Melayu mengalami masalah pengangguran".

Then Irmohizam Ibrahim, Ahli Majlis Tertinggi of Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS), wrote in his opinion piece "Hentikan agenda gugat perpaduan kaum"
Kedegilan Tony Pua yang enggan meminta maaf kepada anggota perkhidmatan awam negara dan langkahnya mencabar Khairy untuk berdebat tajuk “Kecemerlangan Perkhidmatan Awam: Kualiti vs Kuantiti” mencerminkan hakikat bahawa kenyataan menghina yang dibuat oleh beliau sememangnya disengajakan dan ia memaparkan pandangannya terhadap standard perkhidmatan awam negara khasnya dan kualiti graduan Melayu amnya.

[...]

Sebenarnya kenyataan Tony Pua ini sebahagian daripada siri tindakan memprovokasi orang Melayu oleh parti DAP. Manakan tidak graduan Melayu yang menganggur dan gagal mendapat pekerjaan di sektor swasta terus dicap dan ditanggap sebagai mempunyai kualiti rendah. Beliau langsung tidak mengambil kira pelbagai sebab lain yang menyebabkan mereka gagal memperoleh pekerjaan di sektor swasta...

Kenapa kebelakangan ini kerap sangat parti DAP, pemimpin atau bekas pemimpinnya mengeluarkan kenyataan yang boleh merosakkan perhubungan kaum di negara tercinta ini?

Sebenarnya Tony Pua dan rakan-rakannya adalah simptom kepada apa yang menjadi masalah utama kepada parti DAP. Mereka adalah wajah sebenar kepada DAP iaitu sebuah parti yang sebenarnya tidak berminat untuk mewujudkan Malaysia untuk semua orang Malaysia seperti slogan muluk yang dilaung- laungkan...

Apa yang lebih menggerunkan bahawa DAP tidak sedar atau sengaja tidak mahu sedar bahawa jalan yang diambilnya adalah jalan yang boleh merosakkan negara untuk jangka masa panjang.
So now constructive criticisms of the civil service is now a racial issue which affects ethnic relations in the country...

Finally, the editor(s) of Utusan Malaysia, commented in their regular column "Bisik-Bisik Awang Selamat" that:
...Awang tertanya mengapa DAP enggan membetulkan sikap banyak syarikat swasta yang mengehadkan peluang pekerjaan kepada orang Melayu, dengan cara menetapkan syarat fasih bahasa Mandarin.

Awang percaya jika kepentingan Melayu terus diasak, akan tercetus gelombang suara mempersoalkan semula tolak ansur kepada golongan minoriti.

Tiada negara lain di dunia yang menyaksikan kaum minoriti menerima nasib yang sebegitu baik sebagaimana di Malaysia.
We really must be living in 2 separate worlds...

This post isn't to debate on the merits of the above arguments. I've already done that in my previous posts here and here.

The reason why I put the above quotes here is to demonstrate the size of the chasm or divide we face in this country, and the near-impossibly humongous task we have towards nation-building, despite 50 years of independence.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

The Show Must Go On...

There you have it. I've issued my clarification statement on the civil service, explained my concerns with the existing government policies towards the public sector and invited the Deputy UMNO Youth Chief to a gentlemen's debate on how to achieve civil service excellence.

Khairy Jamaluddin, disappointingly, has promptly turned down the invite to discuss the all-important issue of improving our civil service, but yet continued to insist that my initial statement on civil service was racially-biased.

The issue attracted decent coverage in The Star, Utusan Malaysia and Oriental Daily. The former two carried the reply from Khairy. Berita Harian however, didn't offer me the right of reply.

In The Star:
...Khairy said that he would not entertain Pua's challenge to a debate, adding that it was an attempt by the Opposition to divert the subject to something else.

[...]

“It is not about me or about debating the issues he has laid forward. He has made a statement that is degrading to the civil service which has irked many, such as the Cuepacs leader,” he said, maintaining his stand that Pua and the DAP ought to apologise.
Utusan juxtaposed our positions next to one another. My statement was reported here while his detailed response here:
...tindakan itu [cabaran debat] disifatkan tidak matang dan Pua dilihat cuba lari daripada bertanggungjawab atas kenyataan asalnya yang secara jelas melukakan hati banyak pihak khususnya orang Melayu.

‘‘Kenapa pula hendak berdebat dengan saya? Ini sudah menjadi sangat tidak relevan daripada kenyataan asalnya yang jelas menghina kakitangan perkhidmatan awam.

‘‘Kini terpulang kepada dia sama ada hendak meminta maaf. Kita sudah tidak kisah kerana sudah jelas nampak niat buruk beliau yang kini sudah terdedah,’’ ujar Khairy.

[...]

Khairy menyifatkan cabaran Pua itu sebagai permainan politik kotor. “Dia cuba menggunakan jalan pintas untuk melarikan diri daripada masalah yang sedang ditanggungnya,” kata beliau.
In summary, my invite for a "reasoned, collected and rational debate" on how to improve the civil service in Malaysia is:
  1. A diversion tactic
  2. Immature ("sifat tidak matang")
  3. Irrelevant ("tidak relevan")
  4. Of clear unscrupulous intent ("jelas nampak niat buruk")
  5. Dirty politics ("politik kotor")
Malaysians can decide for themselves if my statements and open invite to Khairy even remotely represent any of the above "allegations".

But there's only one thing I'll reiterate here, that is my constructive criticisms of the government's policies towards the civil service is not racial, nor is it an insult to civil servants.

While I'm happy for Utusan to have carried my views with little "cuts", I'm disappointed that the paper has decided to headline the issue as a challenge to the "integrity and capability of Malay civil servants (kewibaan dan keupayaan kakitangan awam Melayu)", which it clearly wasn't.

My initial statement was entitled "Record Pay Rise Solves Only Part of the Civil Service Problem". In particular, the Government must streamline the bloated civil service, which is among the largest, proportionate to the population it serves in Asia.

Irrespective to Khairy's unfortunate rejection to my invitation to a sensible debate, the forum on "Civil Service Excellence: Quality vs Quantity" will proceed as planned. Yes, the show will go on, and we will reserve a seat on stage for the UMNO Deputy Youth Chief providing him with the opportunity to change his mind at any point of time.
Topic: Civil Service Excellence: Quality vs Quantity
Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
Date: 30th May 2007 (Wednesday)
Time: 8.00 pm
Besides myself, several distinguished speakers, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Sdr Lim Kit Siang have confirmed their participation, while we are still awaiting confirmation from several other exciting speakers. It'll be updated here once they have confirmed attendance.

We look forward to seeing you there! ;)

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Coming Near You This Weekend...

Just some quick announcements ;) The weekend's about to get busier for me.

For those who have Astro, and understands Mandarin, I'm on tonights talk show "Talking Issues" ("就事论事") at AEC Channel 19 @ 11pm. The issue being discussed is slightly relevant to the current civil service 'controversy' - "Who's Responsible For The Public Works with Major Defects?"

Brand new buildings and highways, as well as recently completed expensive renovations in Putrajaya, Parliament and the mega-Court complex are showing extensive and unbelievable defects. Who's responsible? The Government? The Civil Service (Public Works Department)? The Minister? Or The Contractor? Find out more tonight! ;)

In addition, for those living in the Petaling Jaya (PJ) vicinity, just a gentle reminder on the dinner event being held by the PJ Action Team in Sungai Way. I'll be speaking at the event together with other leaders like DAP Secretary General, Sdr Lim Guan Eng, and MP for Bukit Mertajam, Sdri Chong Eng. Click here for more details. ;)

Friday, May 25, 2007

Civil Service Excellence III

Finally, I'm getting to the press conference which I conducted this morning ;). It was well attended by the print media, and Malaysiakini has got their reports up in English here, and in Chinese here, already. So there should be some coverage in the Chinese papers tonight, as well as possibly the English and Malay press tomorrow.

Below is my 2-page statement in full, so that you can understand the overall context of my response. Understandably, most newspapers won't give you all the space and will only take quotes, which may inadvertently slant the reports. ;)

No Apology For Stating The Facts - Challenge Khairy Jamaluddin To A Public Debate Seeking Truth From Fact Towards "Civil Service Excellence: Quality Vs Quantity" In The Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall On Wednesday 8 pm 30 May 2007.

In my statement dated 22nd May 2007 entitled “Record Pay Rise Solves Only Part of the Civil Service Problem”, I called on the Government to take the “painful but very important step of trimming the civil service sector into a leaner and more efficient 'machine'”.

UMNO Youth Deputy Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin issued a statement published in the Star, Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian yesterday took issue with my comment that the bulging and unwieldy civil service was partly caused by the Government's policy to absorb unemployed graduates. This has resulted in the civil service becoming a “dumping ground” for unemployed graduates. These graduates are also a “politically sensitive constituency” as an large majority of them are Malays.

Khairy claimed that my comments “were totally unacceptable and without basis” and hence sought an apology from the Party and myself.

However, as my previous statement was completely based on facts and figures provided by the government, we see absolutely no necessity to make any apology to the UMNO Deputy Youth Chief. This position is concurred by DAP Secretary-General Sdr Lim Guan Eng based on the following facts:-
  1. On 12 July 2006, the Star reported that “The Public Services Department (PSD) and Public Services Commission have been urged to speed up the recruitment of graduates to fill some 30,000 vacancies in the civil service. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that this would overcome the problem of unemployed graduates.”

  2. An EPU study on graduate unemployment conducted in September 2005 estimated that out of the unemployed pool of some 60,000 graduates then, some 70% or more were bumiputeras. This was also confirmed in the same Star article above, by the Deputy Prime Minister himself.
Hence, I'm unable to understand how the comment I made was without basis. He claimed that my “comments about the civil service can cause considerable damage to the morale and image of the public sector.”

Instead, I'd like to put forth instead that the Government's policy of absorbing these unemployed graduates, by acting as an employer of the last resort, is one of the reasons for considerable damage to the morale of the existing and senior civil servants, as well as the image of the public sector.

Criticising such a short-sighted policy of taking in unemployed graduates is also not akin to rubbishing the entire civil service as unemployable or of poor quality.

Therefore no apology shall be forthcoming for stating the facts and challenge Khairy to seek truth from facts with a public debate on "Civil Service Excellence - Quality Vs Quantity" on Wednesday 8pm 30 May in the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall or at any place and time of his choosing.

Constructive criticism of Government policy towards the Civil Service is neither a racial issue nor an insult to civil servants.

In addition, Khairy should also read the entire statement to put my comments into context.
  1. We fully support the pay increment for the civil service. In fact, the DAP leaders have made our stand known repeatedly in the past the it was an absolute travesty that the basic wage our lowest ranking civil servants of RM481 are well below the Malaysian poverty line of RM691. Even the lowest ranking constable in our Royal Malaysian Police Force was only RM690 previously.

  2. At the same time, I lamented on the fact that despite the massive and many privatisation exercises conducted throughout the past 2 decades, of which a leaner and more efficient civil service of approximately 500,000 personnel was one of its key objectives, today the number of personnel exceeds more than double that target. This is one of the major failure of the Malaysian privatisation campaign for not reducing the heaving burden of the Government.

  3. At the same time, we emphasised the fact that the record increase in pay will be “a waste of public funds, if the move is not accompanied by a corresponding increase in civil service productivity”. The weaknesses in the civil service can be seen on a daily basis, and certainly needs no lengthy elaboration.

    The unacceptable large building cracks in brand new government buildings as well as highways, the embarrassing leakages on the newly and expensively renovated Parliament as well as the Jalan Duta mega-court complex as well as the poorly negotiated highway contracts are just the tip of the iceberg of an faltering Public Works Department (PWD).

    Complaints made by foreign investors on the bureaucratic investment climate in Malaysia is one of the key causes for a foreign direct investment decline of 45.6% from US$7.3 billion in 1996 to US$3.97 billion 10 years later in 2005. As put forward by Vince Leusner, the president of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce, "the Malaysian government can do a better job in making regulations less imposing to businesses.” An example of the red tape, foreign investors claim that it can take half a year to get a work permit, compared with less than a week in Singapore.

    Singapore, on the other hand, more than doubled their foreign direct investment from US$9.7 billion to US$20.1 billion over the same period. To quote Asian Strategy Leadership Institute director Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said Malaysia cannot be too protective in the world of rapid globalisation. "The world does not owe us a living and we have to struggle to improve at a faster pace or be left behind."
Instead of challenging the Party and myself for an apology and for the benefit of the future of Malays and all other Malaysians, Khairy should do away with emotive arguments as well as semantics, and focus on the issues at hand, that is:
  1. How to prevent our education system from churning out graduates who are unable to gain employment which befit their qualifications despite the large number of advertised vacancies in the market;

  2. How to improve our civil service delivery system to substantially increase the satisfaction of the rakyat and the successful completion of government projects; as well as

  3. How to streamline a bloated civil service, disproportionate to the size of the Malaysian population to reduce the tremendous economic burden of the Government, where all things equal, the budget deficit is expected to increase from the projected 3.4% to a much higher 4.1% caused by the pay increase.
In line with the above, I'd like to issue an open challenge and invitation to the UMNO Deputy Youth Chief to a reasoned, collected and rational debate next Wednesday, 30th May 2007, 8 pm at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. At the same time, we'll be inviting a panel of distinguished speakers who will share their views on the above questions.

In conclusion, I'd like to reiterate that my earlier statement was issued on the basis of facts and statistics provided by the Government itself. Hence, Khairy's call for an apology fails the address the issues highlighted by my statement, is totally unacceptable and without basis.

Civil Service Excellence II

Purely due to coincidence, I was invited to be part of a roundtable discussion forum by Oriental Daily on Wednesday evening to discuss the issues relating to the record pay increment granted to the civil service. The other two participants were very experienced professionals and business owners who have been involved in town planning as well as engineering consultancy services for many years.

Mr Goh Bok Yen is a well-respected town and transport planning consultant who has obviously dealt with many many government civil service departments. Similarly, Ir Yong Yew Wei of Ismail dan Rakan Rakan, an engineering consultancy firm has had his share of experiences.

It was a discussion which lasted past 11pm, which included a teh tarik session at a mamak stall near the Oriental Daily office at Wisma Dang Wangi. The highlights of the discussion is published in today's copy of the Chinese paper. Do get a physical copy, if anything for the well presented charts alone.

Interestingly enough, Soon Li Tsin of Malaysiakini was quick to the draw to reconstruct the chart which made a comparison between Malaysia and many other countries in the region earlier this morning. It's now available in the article entitled "166,659 vacancies in 'bloated' civil service".
The ratio of the country’s civil service to the population is proportionately higher than other countries at 4.68 per cent.

This ratio comparatively doubles that of our neighbours as reported in Oriental Daily which showed Thailand’s ratio was 2.06%, Indonesia (1.79%) and Philippines (1.81%) in 2000.
The figures certainly lends (heavy) weight to the gist of my supposed controversial statement that the Civil Service needs to be trimmed for it's size is not only detrimental to overall efficiency but also a major financial burden on the Government.

Two other key points raised during the discussion included firstly, the need for a carrot and stick approach. The pay hike given is a very attractive carrot, and now its important to implement the stick approach.
...潘儉偉則認為,如果能夠推行一套監督鞭策的機制,調高薪金可以減少貪污。

「相較於新加坡政府,我們對公務員缺乏處罰的文化。在新加坡,公務員薪酬待遇高,同時當地政府對公務員行為有清楚明確的規範指南,在有效的監督下,新加坡公務員害怕失去眼前享受到的高待遇,所以普遍上在執行公務時,大部份皆能廉潔執行任務。」
I've also previously discussed this issue in my education blog post with regards to Datuk Seri Hishammuddin's "Pool of Doom".

In addition, I emphasized on the need for teachers and lecturers, as well as doctors to receive additional increments as the police and military force did.
潘儉偉認為,這次公務員調薪,政府特別額外加薪20%給軍警人員,是值得肯定。不過,在公務員隊伍裡,教師和醫生也應該給予特定的關注。

「在發展中國家,人力培訓是提昇全球競爭力的重要一環,所以提高教師的待遇,吸引好的人材投身教育領域,從而提昇學校的教學水準,加強人力素質,有助改善國家的競爭力。」

其次,目前本地醫生短缺,在國外唸醫科的本國優秀生,學成後因為國內政府醫院待遇較國外來得低,寧可留在國外發展,不願返國服務,使得本地政府醫院,祇好引進孟加拉、緬甸、巴基斯坦等國家的醫生,解決人手荒。

「因此,政府應該考慮提高政府醫生的待遇,以吸引留在國外的本國醫生返國服務。」

同時,潘表示,這波公務員調薪,固然有助提昇國人的購買力,促進經濟成長率,不過也會帶來新一波的通貨膨脹。
So happy reading the various news reports, and I'll try to put up my 3rd post on Civil Service Excellence as soon as possible. ;)

Civil Service Excellence I

Only Utusan Malaysia followed up on yesterday's story whereby UMNO Youth Deputy Chief demanded an apology from DAP and myself amongst the mainstream press, prior to this morning's press conference. The demand was made in response to my Tuesday statement which sought for the Government to trim the bloated civil service, now that a record pay raise has been given.

And depending on how you read it, they were kind (or unkind) enough to put my picture on the front page! It carried 2 key stories, the first of which was a short conversation which I had with the reporter yesterday, headlined "Tony Pua tidak akan minta maaf"
Menurut Pua, tiada permohonan maaf akan diucapkan kerana mendakwa kenyataannya dalam Malaysiakini telah diputar belitkan oleh Naib Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO, Khairy Jamaluddin.

‘‘Saya tidak pernah mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa semua penjawat awam hanya terdiri daripada orang Melayu yang mengalami masalah pengangguran.

‘‘Tetapi, kenyataan yang sebenarnya ialah hanya polisi kerajaan yang memerlukan Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) mengambil ramai graduan yang tidak dapat mencari pekerjaan,’’ katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.

[...]

Malah, menurut Pua, beliau pernah mencadangkan supaya jumlah kakitangan awam yang terlalu ramai dikurangkan selaras pelaksanaan program penswastaan sejak 20 tahun lalu untuk mengurangkan beban kewangan kerajaan serta meningkatkan kecekapan sistem penyampaian.

‘‘Salah satu matlamat utama program penswastaan yang dilancarkan oleh Perdana Menteri sebelum ini, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad adalah untuk mengurangkan bilangan kakitangan awam kepada kira-kira 500,000,’’ jelasnya.

Oleh itu, katanya, program penswastaan kerajaan boleh dianggap gagal kerana jumlah kakitangan kerajaan sekarang adalah dua kali ganda daripada matlamat tersebut.
At the same time, the UMNO Youth executive committee members took their turns to take potshots at me in the corresponding article entitled "Pemuda UMNO terus desak Tony Pua tarik balik kenyataan".

Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahalan, UMNO Youth Secretary:
...menegaskan permasalahan graduan Melayu ialah apabila syarikat-syarikat swasta terutamanya milik bukan Melayu tidak memberi peluang sama rata kepada graduan tersebut. Menurutnya, syarikat-syarikat berkenaan meletakkan banyak syarat yang tersurat dan tersirat sehingga menyukarkan graduan Melayu mendapatkan pekerjaan.

...Abdul Rahman berkata, syarikat swasta bukan Melayu tidak bersungguh-sungguh membantu graduan Melayu atas alasan tertentu.

‘‘Saya tidak percaya, semua graduan Melayu tidak mempunyai kelayakan yang berpatutan untuk memohon kerja dengan syarikat swasta bukan Melayu. Maka, jangan salahkan kerajaan kerana membantu menyediakan pekerjaan kepada mereka,’’ katanya.
Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, EXCO:
... mengingatkan DAP supaya tidak sekali-kali membangkitkan perkara yang boleh menimbulkan suasana tidak harmoni ketika tumpuan rakyat menyambut 50 tahun kemerdekaan negara. Katanya, memang perangai pemimpin DAP sentiasa mahu menimbulkan isu yang memperlihatkan seolah-olah tindakan dan dasar kerajaan semuanya tidak betul.

Namun, beliau berkata, kenyataan Pua itu jelas memperlihatkan pendirian DAP yang cuba menidakkan sumbangan besar kakitangan kerajaan dalam pembangunan negara sehingga diiktiraf antara yang terbaik oleh masyarakat antarabangsa.
There were also quotes in the physical paper, which isn't available online:

Omar Osman, CUEPACS president:
CUEPACS berasa amat terhina dengan kenyataan angkuh tersebut. Kenyataan aktivis DAP itu seolah-olah memperkecilkan bangsa Melayu. "Dalam sektor awam, ado semua kaum. Tony Pua perlu dapatkan bukti yang kukuh sebelum keluarkan kenyataan sedemikian."
(Me thinks, he didn't read my full statement)

Datuk Dr Nordin Kardi, Yang Dipertua Persatuan Badan Berkanun Malaysia:
Pelantikan ke jawatan perkhidmatan awam berdasarkan kepada kelayakan. Siapa yang layak akan diterima memasuki sektor kerajaan. "Jangan ssekali cuba memperkecilkan dan menghina dasar yang dibuat oleh negara. Nasihat saya kepadanya, jangan mempermainkan isu kaum."
(Read my statement, it's about improving the civil service, not about race!)

This is the best, from Abdul Karim Abdullah, Pegawai Seranta Persatuan Bekas Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan Malaysia:
Jika bukan kerajaan hendak mengambil rakyatnya bekerja maka siapa lagi? Adakah kita mahu bergantung kepada swasta semata-mata? "Adalah menjadi tanggungjawab kerajaan untuk menyediakan peluang pekerjaan kepada rakyatnya tidak dira Melayu, Cina, Iindia dan kaum bumiputera lain."
What do you think?

In the meantime, there's also a fair bit of response in the Malaysiakini Chinese and Malay editions, where some seem to have made comments without first carefully reading my statement.

Datuk Shamsul Amree Baharuddin yang juga Pengarah Alam Tamadun Melayu (Atma) UKM:
...kenyataan itu merupakan satu andaian yang dibuat dengan hujah yang longgar dan tidak boleh diterima.

Beliau bertanya bagaimanakah mereka boleh mengatakan graduan Melayu tidak berkualiti semata-mata kerana mereka bekerja dengan kerajaan. “Saya ingin bertanya apa ukuran kualiti bagi seorang graduan? Apa ukuran graduan universiti swasta lebih baik dari univesiti awam semata-mata mereka lebih ramai bekerja dengan swasta?"

[...]

Mengulas lanjut mengenainya, Shamsul Amree berkata kenyataan Pua itu lebih mencerminkan pandangan kaum yang diwakili oleh Pua.
First, he misses the point, then he hits below the belt. Hitting below the belt in the above manner isn't his first, for he did the same when responding to the controversial ASLI report which claimed that bumiputera equity had reached 45%.
“I am very sceptical about the study which has been carried out by a particular race. They (the race) usually have their own agendas,” said Shamsul. According to him, the study did not contain accurate facts.
Note that he subsequently denied have said the above. But it certainly looks like the pattern is repeating itself here.

Two more post on Civil Service Excellence coming up. Looks like I have unintentionally stirred up some heated response through a simple innocuous statement seeking to turn the civil service into a lean and mean "machine".

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Apology?

Wah... plenty of calls (and emails) this morning to let me know that the UMNO Youth Deputy Chief had issued a statement asking for my apology on the statement I made with regards to the civil service pay rise, which was quoted in Malaysiakini.

The Star carried it here:

Umno Youth wants DAP and its economic adviser Tony Pua to apologise to Malaysians for his remarks that the civil service has been “a dumping ground for the politically sensitive constituency of unemployed Malay graduates.”

Its deputy Khairy Jamaluddin said Pua’s comments, implying that civil servants were the employees of last choice and unable to seek gainful employment elsewhere, were totally unacceptable and without basis.
It is also carried in Utusan Malaysia, where I was pleasantly surprised that they carried portions of my statement which made the report better balanced. ;)

Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO mendesak Penasihat Ekonomi kepada Setiausaha Agung DAP, Tony Pua dan parti itu meminta maaf berikutan kenyataannya bahawa penjawat awam hanya terdiri daripada orang Melayu yang mengalami masalah pengangguran.

Naib Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO, Khairy Jamaluddin berkata, kenyataan yang disiarkan di Malaysiakini semalam bersifat menghina dan angkuh terhadap lebih sejuta kakitangan awam di negara ini.

[...]

Pua berkata, sebagai contoh, pada tahun lalu, Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) telah didesak mempercepatkan proses pengambilan graduan untuk mengisi kira-kira 30,000 kekosongan dalam perkhidmatan awam.

‘‘Gesaan itu dibuat oleh Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak untuk mengatasi masalah graduan menganggur, yang sebahagian besarnya bumiputera,’’ katanya dalam satu kenyataan sebagai mengulas kenaikan gaji kakitangan kerajaan mulai Julai ini.

Menurut Khairy, kenyataan Pua itu sememangnya tidak berasas dan perlu ditolak sama sekali kerana ramai kakitangan awam sanggup melepaskan tawaran kerja dengan gaji dan manfaat yang lumayan di sektor swasta disebabkan mahu berkhidmat kepada negara.
So what do you think? I'll provide my response in a bit ;)

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Pay Day for Civil Service

It's a good and welcome move by the Government to increase the pay of the civil service between 7.5% and 42% from July 1st, as announced yesterday by the Prime Minister. It is the first pay rise since 1992.

In addition, it's a good move to provide an additional 20% pay increase to police and army personnel on top of the above increments. It was difficult to believe that a constable in the police force currently draws a meagre RM690, an amount that barely on par with the poverty line in Peninsula Malaysia.

The salary raise however, accentuates another major unresolved problem within the our civil service sector. The civil service has been expanding rapidly since the 1990s, and the growth accelerated under the current prime minister. In 1990, the Federal Government had 773,997 employees; by the year 2000, there were 894,788 on the payroll, a significant increase of 15.6%. However, since then, the civil service employment has accelerated by another 210,000 personnel, marking a 23.5% increase over the past 6 years alone.

The increase in civil service has come about despite the massive privatisation exercises conducted over the past 20 years to reduce the economic burden of the Government as well as to increase the efficiency of the delivery system. One of the key objectives under the privatisation programmes launched by the then prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, was to reduce the civil service population to just above 500,000. Hence, it could be verily argued that the privatisation exercise by the Government was a failure in maintaining a lean and efficient government for the civil service is today more than double its intended size.

The unwieldy civil service we have today has, in a large part, to do with the Government's policy of making our civil service the dumping ground for the politically sensitive constituency of unemployed Malay graduates. For example, last year alone, the Public Services Department (PSD) and Public Services Commission have been urged to speed up the recruitment of graduates to fill some 30,000 vacancies in the civil service. This call was made by the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to overcome the problem of unemployed graduates, of which an overwhelming majority was bumiputeras.

By absorbing these graduates who were not able to obtain gainful employment in the private sector, it results not only in a poor quality workforce within the civil service, it also increases the Government's financial obligations.

Hence, one of the unnecessarily negative impact of the very necessary increase in the civil service pay is the massive RM8.0 billion financial commitment for the current and future years. Despite the record RM159.4 billion budget for 2007 as announced last year, the RM4.0 billion civil service pay increase for the 2nd half of this year was not previously budgeted, raising questions if the targeted deficit of 3.4% of GDP for 2007 can still be achieved. The RM8.0 billion increase also marks a permanent 7.1% increase on the Government's annual operating expenditure.

The Government must hence take the painful but very important step of trimming the civil service sector into a leaner and more efficient “machine”. The increase in pay will be a waste of public funds, if the move is not accompanied by a corresponding increase in civil service productivity. The Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, must wield the stick to ensure the “shape up or ship out” culture which he promised to deliver earlier this year. He cannot let his words be mere rhetoric, or it'll just enhance the perception that the Government emphasizes only on rhetoric and not deeds.

Finally, it is also hoped that the Government will make additional adjustments, just like that for the Police Force, for the teaching sector as well as critical professionals such as doctors. Additional adjustments for teachers in primary and secondary schools as well as lecturers in local universities will serve to attract better and more qualified candidates into the teaching profession. This is critical in achieving the country's mission to build human capital as part of its key pillars to achieving our Vision 2020. The adjustments will certainly make for a more meaningful teachers' day which was celebrated just last week.

As for doctors, they are certainly one of the most poorly paid medical professionals in the region, resulting in many qualified Malaysian doctors seeking greener pastures overseas where they are in demand. At the same time, this compromises our healthcare system with sub-standard doctors recruited from many Third World countries.

It is hoped that the Government will pay heed to the above constructive criticisms and take urgent and imperative steps to make the pay rise for the civil service a truly meaningful one for Malaysian citizens, and not just a one-off pre-election handout.

(This above post was also sent out as a statement to the press. It has been carried in Malaysiakini here and here)

Monday, May 21, 2007

Sungai Way Dinner

The Petaling Jaya Action Team is holding its DAP 41st Anniversary dinner at Sungai Way new village, Petaling Jaya on this coming weekend. It's a small-scale dinner with not more than 25 tables at a coffee shop restaurant. The theme for the dinner is "Malaysian First - Let's Make PJ A Better Place".

Besides food, there's quite a few speakers at the dinner as well, of which I'm one. The others include DAP Secretary-General, Lim Guan Eng and the MP for Bukit Mertajam, Chong Eng. Details are as follows:

Date: 27 May 2007 (Sunday)
Time: 7.00pm -10.30pm
Venue: Sg Way Hong Kee Restaurant
Speakers (Subject to last minute changes):
  • Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary-General
  • Chong Eng, DAP MP for Bukit Mertajam
  • Ean Yong Hian Wah, DAP Selangor State Chairman
  • Tony Pua
  • Liew Chin-Tong
  • Lau Weng San
For those who are in the vicinity and are interested to attend, please do not hesitate to contact me or Weng San @ lauwengsan(at)gmail.com for tickets. They are being sold at RM40 each. These dinners also assist the party in raising funds.

The key language for the evening will be Mandarin. We are planning a separate dinner where the key language will be in English, so hang on for more details later. See you there! ;-)

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Voters' Registration Exercise

For those of you who have not registered as a voter, or for those with many friends who haven't, please come see us this Sunday morning and we will get you (or your friends) registered.

The Election Commission has recently revealed that some 5 million Malaysians of all races, particularly the younger Malaysians have not registered as voters.

In conjunction with this, DAP Petaling Jaya will be organising a Voter Registration Campaign in the next two months in the Klang Valley to encourage more Malaysian youths to have their voices heard.

We will be holding the first registration campaign exercise at
  • SS2 Petaling Jaya, outside McDonalds on
  • Sunday, 20th May 2007
  • From 8 am to 12pm
We will have Assistant Registrars certified by the Election Commission present to assist with the above exercise.

Come over and lets Rock the Vote! ;)

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Forum Against Sexist BN MPs

The Parliament has failed in its duty to the nation and people, in particular Malaysian women. It has shirked its responsibility to redeem itself and punish the two sexist BN MPs who have brought shame and dishonour to Parliament by the use of derogatory, crude, vulgar, sexist and gender-offensive attack on Sdri Fong Po Kuan and all Malaysian women on Wednesday, 9th May.

Since Parliament is not prepared to do what it should do to redeem its honour and those of Malaysian women and the nation, it is now up to the ordinary Malaysian public to do what Members of Parliament and Ministers have failed to do – by making their condemnation of the sexist conduct of the two BN MPs loud and clear to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the country!

In conjunction with the above incident, DAP is organising the following forum entitled “Respect Women's Dignity, Towards A 1st World Parliament!”
Date: 17 May 2007 (Thursday)
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: YMCA Hall, Kuala Lumpur.
No.95, Jalan Padang Belia, Off Jalan Tun Sambanthan, 50470 Kuala Lumpur
(Opposite of the KL SENTRAL Station)
The panel of distinguished speakers include:
  1. Ambiga Sreenevasan - Bar Council President
  2. Maria Chin Bte Abdullah - Executive Director of Women Development Collective (WDC)
  3. Zainah Anwar - Executive Director of Sisters in Islam
  4. Azmin Ali – Vice-President of Parti KeADILan Rakyat
  5. Lim Guan Eng - Secretary-General of DAP
  6. YB Lim Kit Siang - Parliamentary Opposition Leader
  7. YB Teresa Kok Suh Sim - MP for Seputeh
  8. YB Fong Po Kuan - MP for Batu Gajah
I will be chairing the above forum as the moderator, so do come join us for the session. ;)

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Mothers' Day Celebrations


It was a great morning as DAP Petaling Jaya PJ team got into action at 7.30 am as we distributed carnations to all mothers at the SEA Park market in PJ. The ladies were certainly pleased to be receiving the flowers, many of whom were asking for more ;). We also distributed leaflets on our 3 wishes for this mothers' day.




At the end of the programme, we also had a small press conference whereby we protested against the uncouth and misbehaving BN parliamentarians who insulted the dignity of not only our MP for Batu Gajah, Sdri Fong Po Kuan, but also all mothers and women of Malaysia. Watch out for more details of a forum being organised on Thursday this coming week on this issue. ;)


After another press conference with Sdri Teresa Kok on a separate matter, she took me to lunch where she was invited as a special guest at the launch of a new funeral parlour by a Chinese clan association. There I was kindly introduced to many local clan leaders, many who were giving plenty of words of encouragement. (How am I going to remember so many faces and names, I have absolutely no clue!)

Found my way home soon enough, in time to send my missus to her dance class and to take the little angel to a former colleague's daugther's birthday party. When nap time came along, I found a little time to squeeze in this post and clear some of the cobwebs in my mailbox. ;)

After this it's Mother's Day dinner with the missus, yes, I can't be giving carnations out to all the mothers out there and not appreciate the one at home right? :) Unfortunately, that isn't the end of the day for I'll still have to leave the house to attend a funeral wake of a party supporter's (who is now a friend) father.

Yes, all in all, a packed schedule for the day, but thankfully, not every day is like today. ;) And thank goodness, there isn't anything scheduled early in the morning tomorrow. ;)

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Mothers' Day Event

Mothers' Day falls on this coming Sunday. For DAP in Petaling Jaya, to celebrate the occasion, we will be giving out carnations to all mothers at the Sea Park market on Sunday morning from 8.30am. At the same time, we will also be addressing the press at 9.30am, in part to register our with disgust with Barisan Nasional MPs, in particular, Mohd Said "Close-One-Eye" Yusof and Bung Mokhtar Radin who insulted all mothers and women in Parliament with their vulgar remarks.

For those who are free, who shares our disappointment with BN MPs who thumped their tables with joy when our MP for Batu Gajah, Fong Po Kuan failed in her bid to refer the duo to the House Committee of Privileges, please feel free to join us, either at 8.30 or at 9.30. For details, please email me at tonypua(at)yahoo.com. Your support will be greatly appreciated. ;)

Below is our 3 Wishes for this Mothers' Day:

1. That Our Mothers' Dreams Will Come True

Mothers all over Malaysia have sacrificed immensely so we can be successful in our lives. Hence today, May 13 is a day dedicated to mothers across the country for their unconditional love and dedication in raising us. We should therefore be reminded to pause from our busy daily schedule to spend time with her and tell her how much we love her, hoping the our Mothers' dreams will all come true.

In honour of all mothers around the country and as a token of our appreciation, DAP PJ will be distributing carnations to all mothers in Sea Park, Petaling Jaya.

2. That Our Government Will Stop Breaking Up Happy Families

Rubber-tapper Marimuthu was happily married to Raimah Bibi a/p Noordin for 21 years with 7 children but was suddenly and forcibly separated from them because his wife was born a Muslim.

Although Marimuthu has gotten back all his children, the family is now broken up. Raimah Bibi is now separated from her husband and children – although there can be no doubt that they would want to be reunited as one family again.

All religions inculcate good values of family love, compassion and unity and no religion would work to disrupt happy families. Where is the justice in Malaysia if families who have been living happily together for decades are forcibly separated by the Government, leaving the children without the care and love of their mother?

The DAP wishes on this auspicious day, that Raimah, a dedicated wife and mother for the past 21 years, can be reunited her pride and joy.

3. That Our Government Respects Mothers & Women

It was a disgraceful act by BN MPs who insulted women all over Malaysia in Parliament. When our MP for Batu Gajah, Fong Po Kuan was debating the issue of leaks in the Parliament, the Bung Mokhtar Radin had retorted “Mana ada bocor, Batu Gajah pun tiap-tiap bulan pun bocor juga,” while Mohd Said Yusof added ““MP for Batu Gajah tiap-tiap bulan pun bocor juga.”

They abused of their parliamentary privileges to besmirch and dishonour the Parliament by making crude, vulgar, sexist and offensive remarks. They insulted not only Po Kuan but all Malaysian mothers and women.

DAP PJ will show our solidarity with Po Kuan this Mother's Day by asking why no woman BN MP was will stand up to speak up for women dignity and condemn the two sexist BN MPs? Why is our MP in Petaling Jaya Utara who is also the Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development staying elegantly silent on the issue?

Happy Mothers' Day!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Blog Forums

Can't get enough about blogs? Our clueless professional ministers castigates unprofessional bloggers? Is there a blogmania in Malaysia at the moment? Or what's the big fuss? Well, you'll get to hear all about it in the coming weeks (where I'll also be lending my voice), starting this Saturday at Nanyang Siang Pau and the following Saturday, at the Bloggers United Malaysia (BUM) Gathering.

1. Nanyang Forum: Bridging Blogs and the Malaysian Public


We are in an effort to promote blogging across the multi-lingual platform in the country. Nanyang Siang Pau, a vernacular newspaper, is organising a public forum targetting the youths this Saturday. It will be conducted primarily in English, with splashes of Mandarin if needs be. Admission is free.
Malaysian Bloggers: A Challenge to Opinion Space?
Date: Saturday, 12/5/07
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Auditorium, Nanyang Siang Pau HQ, Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya
Speakers:
1. Tony Pua, Economic Advisor to DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng
2. Jeff Ooi, Pioneering Malaysian Blogger
3. Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Special Assistant to Parti KeADILan Advisor, Anwar Ibrahim
4. Soon Li Tsin, Blogger and Malaysiakini Journalist

Moderator:
Dr. Ei Sun Oh, Lecturer, Speaker, Columnist & Blogger
We hope to get as many bloggers and fans of blogs to attend this event. Contact Ms Thing Thing at 012-213 7250 or 03-7872-6913 for details.

The event is supported by Persatuan Belia Xiang Lian, ntv7 and Spritzer.


2. Blogs United Malaysia (BUM) Gathering 2007


The theme we’ve chosen is Embrace & Engage. Well, that’s the whole objective of the gathering - to embrace the blogging phenomenon in Malaysia and to engage it by blogging (for those who haven’t yet). This event is held in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day on May 3rd.
Date: 19th May 2007
Time: 6.00pm – 11.00 pm.

* Forum: 6.00pm - 8.00pm
* Drinks: 8.00pm - 8.30pm
* Buffet: 8.30pm - 11.00pm

Venue: The Lake View Club, Lot 3606, SS12/1, Subang Jaya, 47500 Petaling Jaya
Contact: +603 3733-8342
The club also has a prayer room available for use. Fits 8 persons max.

Closing deadline extended to May 15, 2007 by 4.00pm as we have to inform LVC’s KampungKu Restaurant on the exact number of guests to cater for dinner buffet. Please see payment page. All else, please send all correspondence to howsyh[at]gmail[dot]com.

Speakers

Jeff Ooi, Marina Mahathir, Tony Pua, Tian Chua and R. Nadeswaran (of Citizen Nades fame) and Sonia Randhawa (executive director of the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia). Ahirudin Attan (Rocky) will be a special speaker.

Each panellist will share their thoughts based on their field of activity, expertise and experience stating whether they agree or disagree with the following statement:-
That the media environment under the present Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s administration is more open and liberal compared to the previous administration under Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Special speaker Rocky will speak on the National Alliance of Bloggers.

Hope to see you all there! :)

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Hiatus

Hi guys, first of all I must apologise for neglecting my blogging duties of late, both here and at the Education in Malaysia blog. One reader even commented on the education blog that "this site is dying". Please be comforted to know that it is not my intent to neglect them, nor will I neglect them permanently. ;)

Unfortunately, after Machap and to a much lesser extent Ijok, compounded with internal (non-bloggable) party work and research (not to mention, travelling the country a bit), the energy is drained a bit. And certainly, with whatever balance of time left, the missus and the kid will obviously get the priority above all else ;) But with the by-elections over, and having just completed writing and editing for the upcoming latest issue of the English Rocket, the work schedule seems to have eased a little bit. So hopefully I can get back up to blogging speed. ;)

There are also a few speaking engagements, forums and dinner functions coming up, so will update accordingly in subsequent posts ;) Thanks everyone for being patient ;)

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Iskandar Development Region: Reality or Hype?

I was in Johor Bahru yesterday, accompanying my boss who was visiting branch members in the south of the country. At the request of some members, I was asked to speak at the meeting. I was certainly less than prepared, especially when I had to deliver the same speech interspersed in Mandarin and Malay. Goodness, it must have been the first speech I've delivered in Malay since my 'A' Levels some 17 years ago!

Being an economic advisor to my boss, and speaking at the "centre" of one of the most-hyped economic projects by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration, it was destined that I had to talk about the Iskandar Development Region (IDR). So, does it deserve the hype?

I spoke of IDR's potential and the topic of human capital as a critical factor in its success, outlining some of the examples highlighted in my previous post on human capital. (Wah, interestingly, the Straits Times Singapore published the entire article today as well - giving it a new title "Singapre's gain, Malaysia's loss". I hadn't expected that).

I have also done some research for my boss, with the key findings outlined below (fairly long!).

Iskandar Development Region (IDR): Reality or Hype?

It is commendable effort by the Malaysian Government to establish the Iskandar Development Region (IDR), which promises great potential for the region. Given Johor's strategic location in the Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore growth triangle, the proposed development region - an area encompassing 2,217 square kilometres, which is three times the size of Singapore – appears long overdue.

The proposal to create a “Shenzhen” for Malaysia looks good on paper. The city of Shenzhen, next to Hong Kong, offers a glimpse of the vast amounts of investment dollars that could flow into the IDR if it lives up to its potential. The Shenzhen special economic zone (SEZ) of China is 2,020 sq km, slightly smaller than the IDR, and it managed to attract over US$30 billion in the past two decades, helping create GDP of nearly 493 billion renminbi (S$97 billion) in 2005. Shenzhen was declared China's first SEZ in 1980, and the central government ensured the province was governed by special policies. Flexible measures aimed at securing foreign investment involved incentives and relaxed rules on international trade.

It became China's fastest growing city for nearly three decades and, from 2001 to 2005, saw an economic expansion that averaged 16 per cent.

However, it will be overly simplistic to assume guaranteed success purely from a Blueprint created by Atkins, UK's leading town planning consultant and a strategic comparison with Shenzhen. The success of IDR depends critically on several factors, which at this point of time, leaves much to be desired.
1. Foreign Investment

Most importantly, IDR's success is critically dependent on foreign investment, or a projected RM382 billion over the next 20 years. This amount is more than the entire RM245 billion foreign direct investment (FDI) the whole country received over the past 20 years.

Just as Hong Kong became Shenzhen's largest source of investment, the success of IDR will be equally dependent on investment from Singapore. However, Singapore's investment in Johor has dropped to an alarming level. In the first eight months of 2006, Singaporean investment in the state stood at only RM208.9 million.

This is only a mere 11 percent of the total investment from Singapore in 2005, according to statistics given by the Johor State Investment Centre (JSIC). Last year, the Singaporean investment stood at RM1.9 billion.

And it is not just the investment from across the Causeway that has gone down. The FDI into the state too has hit a stumbling block. Until August in 2006, FDI to the state stood at RM2.4 billion - just 44 percent of the total amount which flooded in last year.

Even in 2005, when Johor received record FDI at RM5.9 billion, this amount is a far cry from an average of RM19.1 billion required to make IDR a success.

2. Crime & Safety

JSIC senior manager Mohamed Basir Mohamed Sali when interviewed by Malaysiakini at the end of last year said that "Singaporeans think Johor is not a safe state, but actually this issue was played up by the media in both countries... Yes, we have some security problems, but they do not involve the whole state, they are limited in certain areas, Johor is still as safe as candy."

The continued denial of the existence of one of the most serious problems facing the country at this point of time does not bode well for the economic success of the IDR. The crime index in the country released by the Royal Police Force has worsened from 156,315 cases in 2003 to 226,836 cases in 2006 – a sharp rise of 45.1% in the past three years when the police force had set the target of reducing the crime index by five per cent each year.

In the past three years, violent crime had skyrocketed by 85.8 per cent from 22,790 cases in 2003 to 42,343 cases in 2006, with rape cases registering the highest increase of 65.5 per cent – reaching an average of 6.7 women raped daily in 2006 compared to an average of four women raped daily in 2003. In 2003, an average of 1.5 persons were murdered daily; but in 2006, this has increased to an average of 1.65 persons murdered daily.

On 10th April, a six-month pregnant woman lost her baby after she was attacked by four robbers in the toilet of a petrol station in Jalan Tebrau. Just last week, a 21-year-old clerk was robbed and brutally stabbed to death as her father slept in another room at their double-storey house in Taman Skudai Baru. And just 2 days ago, a 14-year-old girl who befriended a stranger at a telephone booth was raped by him in Tanjung Langsat.

Hence it is unsurprising that both investors and tourists, particularly from Singapore has been dissuaded or at best, lukewarm towards investing and spending their dollars in Johor. Letters in the Singapore Straits Times for example, as recently as 4th April, have called Johor Bahru as a “cowboy town”.

3. A Mega-Property Development Project?

Many sceptics who fear the plan could degenerate into just another exercise in grandiose real estate development. At this point of time, the entire project appears focused almost entirely on real estate development. The recent abolishment of the real property gains tax points was directed at increased property purchase and transactions for land in the IDR.

One of the leading developers in IDR, UMNO-linked UEM Land's plans this time around are nothing if not grand. Besides a theme park, edu-city and medical hub - all three Khazanah-owned and driven - UEM Land's main developments include a logistics cluster, an international destination resort with an eco-based theme park, state administrative centre and a waterfront project at Puteri Harbour.

Mr Talhar, who is also group chairman of CH Williams, Talhar & Wong, cautioned against too much emphasis on property. “Real estate accommodates meaningful economic activities. Economic activities have to come first. Land per se doesn't produce economic activities,” he rightfully argued.

The Government must learn from the lack of success at Cyberjaya, which was a special economic zone dedicated to high-technology related activities such as software development. Similarly, we must learn from the total failures of BioValley and E-Village which were dedicated to biotechnology and multimedia content creation respectively. Despite having investment millions in these projects, their emphasis on construction and property development without a properly thought out strategies for the actual projects have resulted in their failures.

Otherwise, some of the IDR plans for another dedicated ICT-hub, theme park and medical hub might just end up as ghost towns.

4. Government Policy Consistency

The decision by Malaysia's Foreign Investment Committee (FIC) to deny the sale of a building to Singapore's Great Eastern is only an example of policy inconsistency and the lack of transparency. Great Eastern had proposed to acquire Wisma Denmark from bumiputera businessman Ibrahim Mohamed for RM150 million and believed it had the deal in the bag. But after months of waiting for FIC approval, the parties were finally informed the proposed acquisition was rejected, with no reasons given.

In Johor for example, the existing massive property glut is a result of state policy requiring at least 40 per cent of all development projects be sold to bumiputeras, and the subsequent stamping of those titles as such.

Hence unless the state gives its approval, a bumiputera wanting to dispose of his property can only sell it to a fellow bumiputera, and these secondary titles and conditions have depressed market demand. The question then is whether the continuation of such a policy will result in more project failures within the IDR.

5. Unequal Treatment of Foreign vs Local Investors

While the Government has recently trumpeted its move to remove the 30% bumiputera quota requirement for investments in the IDR, closer scrutiny leaves much to be desired. The proposed waiver of the NEP's 30% equity requirement would only involve investments in two specified areas in the IDR, encompassing a small area of 1,780 hectares and with the caveat that foreign investors there must have business dealings outside the country.

This means that such a policy is not applicable to local investors, and by definition, local non-bumiputera investors. The policy is perplexing because domestic investments can bring equal amounts of economic returns and contributions to the region and country when compared with foreign investors. Hence the discriminatory policies practiced by the Government clearly marginalises local non-bumiputera businessmen.
The 5 five points highlighted above are not the only challenges and issues facing our government's plan to make IDR a success. However, they clearly demonstrate the uphill battle which the government face and the lack of political will which is necessary to make the project a success. Barisan Nasional NEP-guided government has been obsessed with the hardware of development – property, heavy industry, mega-infrastructure projects, ports, bridges and airports - but neglected the human software needed to compete in a modern global economy. And to quote the man-on-the-street, “a part-liberalized, part-restricted IDR is unlikely to bridge that yawning gap”.

Key Sources: