Monday, September 11, 2017

What changes if we elect the Opposition? Vague promises not enough...

NON-INCLUSIVE attitude adopted by Pakatan Rakyat(PKR-DAP-PAS), and now Pakatan Harapan (Pribumi-DAP-PKR-Amanah), is of great concern. 
 
There are other Opposition Parties in Malaysia but Pakatan Harapan chose not to include them...and, today in Peninsular Malaysia only, this includes PAS, Parti Rakyat Malaysia(PRM), Parti Socialist Malaysia(PSM)...
 
With the object of ousting UMNO-BN, and ensuring a one on one contest between Opposition and UMNO-BN, many of these 'left out' parties chose not to contest in many seats in the last few General Elections...

UMNO, MCA and MIC too understood that there is a need to incorporate more parties to become a stronger force - hence the emergence of Barisan Nasional. 
 
Under Pakatan Rakyat - some persons from other political parties were allowed to contest under the name of the parties in Pakatan Rakyat...one example is Dr. Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (MP Sungei Siput). PRM candidates were however not given the opportunity - because some of PRM joined PKR and attempted to dissolve PRM, but after some battle, PRM is still today a registered political party.

Come this elections, we now have Pakatan Harapan - and PAS is no longer part of this coalition...Will there be some 'electoral pact' formal or informal seeing a one to one fight in most constituencies - or are we going to see many more 3-cornered fights...Pakatan Harapan - PAS - UMNO/BN? Malaysians, who want to see an other than UMNO-BN government after the next General Elections at the Federal level are concerned...

What becomes even more troubling is that some of the Opposition, mainly Pakatan Harapan and PAS - seems to be out battling, discrediting, ...each other in the run-up of this General Elections...maybe even forgetting UMNO-BN? 
 
In any event, let's look at what are these different opposition parties 'Manifestos'(well, sadly not there in clear terms yet...)...Pakatan Harapan came up with a list of 10 things that will do in the first 100 days - but alas, it is vague and devoid of material particulars...But, could not find a Pakatan Harapan Website that clearly states these things - and so, information gathered from media reports...
 
What Pakatan Harapan wants to do in the first 100 days? - Let's review


Abolish the Goods and Services Tax (GST) - What does this really mean? Are they going to abolish the 'new' GST, and reinstate the previous Sales Tax and Service Taxes? Are they going to abolish GST totally - no more goods and services taxes. Will Malaysian alcohol, cigarette, lawyer's charges all be 'tax-free' in 100 days after they form the government? How will it affect income of the government? What is the alternative means of getting money for government spending? 
 
Form a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the 1MDB scandal - What good will that do? Will anyone be prosecuted? Will Najib Razak as Prime Minister...or Minister of Finance ...be made liable criminally? What we really need is not just getting the money we lost through 1MDB and/or related companies back, but also all those persons to be made criminally liable, and send to Jail? We need 
:- Investigation Re-Opened...and all persons responsible to be also charged and tried...
What we need? Do we need to have a NEW Attorney General, new MACC chief,...
Mutual Legal Assistance immediately given to police, MACC, Bank Negara, etc to complete the investigations..
:- IMMEDIATELY release the Auditor General's Report on 1MDB
:- IMMEDIATELY release the PAC papers, and conclusion
:- IMMEDIATELY extend the powers of the Auditor General so that all government owned, government controlled, and even companies in which the government owns a percentage of the shares to be audited, and the said audit report be made available to the public...
FORMING A RCI ALONE IS CERTAINLY NOT ENOUGH...
 
Reform of government institutions - Very vague and meaningless UNLESS you tell us some examples of what you plan to do.
  
Stabilise the price of petrol - what does that even mean? Is the government going to 'subsidize' when price of petrol rises? Maybe better to just improve on public transport...whereby licensing will be made easier so we can all have town bus services, taxis...
 
Focus on efforts to alleviate the rakyat's burdens - Again vague...what are the things that you are going to do. Free heathcare - including heart healthcare for all...Free education until universities...Price Control re-instated for basic food items. Reducing water, electricity, telephone, sewage charges...Abolishing tolls? - What exactly?
 
Start a thorough reform process of key institutions - Again very vague
 
Fight corruption to its roots - Again very vague ...what does it even mean. Are we already not fighting corruption at all levels? Have you even thought about what you want to do...
 
Rehabilitate the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda)  ... FELDA - well, that is a government agency - a government institution...FELDA Settler - well, that is different - but was it not Mahathir that stopped the program - stopped giving land and opportunity to be financially stable to the poor in Malaysia? After 60 years - settlers, who were given land, thought how to plant, maintain, harvest and sell...are still not free from poverty and debt - still requiring 'government loans' to survive...What really are you going to do? Stop FELDA from becoming a 'plantation company' - and back to its original purpose of helping the poor out of poverty? So, what rehabilitation?

Malaysians are not STUPID ... vague commitments, with no clear indication of what will be done is just not enough...

What else could be done in the first 100 days?
 
1 - Immediately and unconditionally release all persons being detained and/or restricted under Detention Without Trial Laws like POCA, POTA, Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act...

2 - Immediately repeal POCA, POTA, DD(SPM)A and any other Detention Without Trial Laws...

3 -  Immediately repeal the ACT OF PARLIAMENT that is preventing us from having Local Council Elections... so that we can immediately have Democratic Elections at all Local Councils..within one(1) year latest.

4 - Abolish the JKKKK and the Act that allows Federal Government and/or State Governments to APPOINT 'leaders' or wakil kampung, taman, etc - to be replaced by a democratically elected body of leaders/representatives at the Kampung, Taman, Kampung Baru, Kampung Orang Asli - Elections at kampungs/Taman/Kampung Baru?etc..so rakyat choose their own leaders and representatives...

5  -  REPEAL Sedition Act...
 
6 -   Amend the law - so it is clear that Prime Minister, Ministers, etc are all considered public servants or public officers...or persons holding public office - hence, they can be found criminally liable for all offences that is applicable to public servants [Why? Because Malaysian courts came out with judgments of late saying Prime Minister is not public officer....etc - they are special class called 'members of administration' ...and, if that is the case, there are NO criminal offences for these 'members of administration'????]
 
 

Pakatan to end GST, open inquiry into 1MDB in first 100 days 


Chan Kok Leong
Pakatan to end GST, open inquiry into 1MDB in first 100 days 
Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin proposes to also review the wage ceiling and the use of foreign labour in Malaysia should Pakatan Harapan be given the people’s mandate. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, September 9, 2017.
PAKATAN Harapan (PH) has promised to abolish the goods and services tax (GST), reform government institutions ,and institute a royal commission of inquiry into 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) in its first 100 days in office.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin tonight said these will be accomplished within 100 days of the opposition forming the government.

“PH will abolish the GST, stabilise the oil price, focus on easing the costs of living, reform the government institutions, end corruption, institute a royal commission of inquiry into 1MDB, and rehabilitate Felda,” said Muhyiddin during his opening speech at Bersatu’s first anniversary celebrations in Muar.

“The seven initiatives will immediately alleviate the burdens faced by Malaysians and restore our dignity in the eyes of the world.

Muhyiddin said Bersatu would also propose that PH review the wage ceiling and use of foreign labour in Malaysia.

“The influx of foreign workers, which is estimated to be around six million, or 40%, of the population is one of the main reason why wages cannot rise in Malaysia."

He said the money saved from the eradication of corruption and better management of the economy would be returned to Malaysians in the form of subsidies for basic necessities such as rice, cooking oil, and cooking gas.

“This we believe will ensure the price of food remains low.”

Two-term limit for prime minister

The former deputy prime minister said the case of 1MDB showed that Malaysia’s important institutions – Attorney General’s Office, the police, and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission – had failed in their duties because they were under the Prime Minister’s Office.

“As such, there has been no action taken in the many high profile cases involving the prime minister and those close to him although there is solid evidence.

“As such, Bersatu will propose to PH to amend the Federal Constitution to ensure the prime minister cannot appoint or sack the heads of these institutions.

“We will also propose to limit the prime minister to two terms to ensure the PM cannot abuse his powers for personal gain.

“And lastly, we will ensure the PM’s portfolio is separated from the Finance Ministry to prevent the centralisation of power in one individual."
 
He said these were among the offers PH had for voters ahead of the 14th general election.

“There are other offers in the PH manifesto which will be announced shortly. Malaysia needs a clean, efficient and diligent government that will build an administration that has integrity and will look after its citizens."

He added that Malaysians had no choice but to change the government now.

Earlier, anniversary organising chairman Mukhriz Mahathir in a short but spirited speech said PH would not stop until it ended the Najib Razak administration.

“We will not stop until Umno falls in Johor, until the Barisan Nasional government is stopped and Prime Minister Najib Razak is put in jail,” said the former Umno supreme council member and Kedah menteri besar.

The Bersatu deputy president also called on party members to firm in the face of threats made against them, cancellation of business deals, harassment, and efforts to bribe them.

“There are some who were tempted by the offers of money to leave Bersatu and have left. But I’m sure everyone else here have not succumbed to the offers and will remain in this struggle.” – September 9, 2017, Malaysian Insight

 

Harapan vows to scrap GST within 100 days of taking power

  Alyaa Azhar     Published     Updated
akatan Harapan today released its plans for the first 100 days of taking over Putrajaya.
 
Reading the coalition's joint statement, newly-appointed Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that it will abolish the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), among others.

Below is the list of things it plans to do:
  • Stabilise the price of petrol
     
  • Focus on efforts to alleviate the rakyat's burdens
     
  • Start a thorough reform process of key institutions
     
  • Fight corruption to its roots
     
  • Form a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the 1MDB scandal
     
  • Rehabilitate the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda)
Announcing this alongside its leadership line-up, Mahathir said the coalition is committed to a common goal of toppling the Najib Abdul Razak administration.

The announcement was made at a press conference past midnight on Friday at PKR's headquarters in Petaling Jaya.

Two-term limit for PM

The partner parties DAP, PKR, Parti Amanah Negara and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia will implement a two-term limit for the prime minister's post.

They also agree to "cancel and correct" any breach of laws by the current government, which impact the people's interest.

"This includes reinstating public funds which were lost through the 1MDB mega scandal," the parties said in a declaration read out by Mahathir.

They also agreed to work towards releasing all political prisoners and drop all charges against them, as well as reforming key laws and institutions to prevent abuse of power.

Harapan at its meeting finalised its logo and leadership structure after months of negotiations.

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim was announced as the coalition's de facto leader while PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was appointed as president. - Malaysiakini, 14/7/2017

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