PM Muhyiddin - Pendapatan bulanan RM93,841.65 menimbulkan banyak tanda tanya? Bila gaji bulanan PM adalah RM93,841.65?

Apakah sumber yang menjadikan gaji bulanan Perdana Menteri Muhyiddin Yassin menjadi RM93,841.65, manakala undang-undang, MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT (REMUNERATION) ACT 1980] menyatakan bahawa gaji Perdana Menteri adalah  RM93,841.65 sahaja. Ini berasaskan apa yang diistiharkan kepada MACC.

Prime Minister's salary RM22,826-65, so what are the other sources of Muhyiddin's RM93,841.65 monthly income?

Rakyat ada hak untuk mengetahui, dan Muhyiddin perlu jelaskan. Adakah ini daripada elaun sah - takkan elaun bulanan melampaui nilai gaji?

Adakah ini daripada 'perlantikan politik' yang lain, di mana ini dilakukan oleh Perdana Menteri, Menteri atau kabinet?

Apa yang diperlukan adalah deklarasi yang jelas dan terang - tentang sumber pendapatan bulanan

Gaji Perdana Menteri - Berapa?

Elaun tambahan kerana jawatan Perdana Menteri - Berapa?

Elaun tambahan selaku Ahli Parlimen? - Berapa?

PENCEN(jika ada) - Berapa?

Pendapatan lain(Dividend, Faedah simpanan) - Berapa?

Pendapatan lain(Sewa,) - Berapa?

Derma politik orang ramai dan/atau penyokong - Berapa?

Derma politik daripada syarikat atau perniagaan - Berapa?

RASUAH - Berapa?

Kekayaan lain saperti tanah, rumah, syer, wang dalam bank, dll... ini tak begitu menjadi isu > TETAPI apa-apa perolehan semasa menjadi PM, Menteri, Ahli Kabinet adalah sangat relevan - kerana ianya mungkin 'rasuah' untuk melakukan sesuatu(atau tidak melakukan sesuatu).

Untuk membenteras RASUAH, Kleptokrasi atau salahguna kuasa - mungkin Malaysia juga memerlukan undang-undang yang menjadikan penerimaan wang, hadiah atau faedah daripada mana-mana pihak lain, semasa menjadi Perdana Menteri, Menteri atau Ahli Kabinet satu kesalahan, di mana juga mungkin menyebabkan kelucutan jawatan.

Thailand, negara jiran, pun ada undang-undang sedemikian. Seorang bekas Perdana Menteri kerana menerima bayaran daripada satu rancangan masak di TV apabila beliau menyertai program masak menjadi alasan mengapa beliau hilang kelayakan terus menjadi Perdana Menteri. Terima RM50 pun salah...jumlah tak penting.

Seorang Menteri lain kerana terima hadiah jam tangan pun sama - ia merupakan kesalahan.

Malaysia juga memerlukan undang-undang sedemikian untuk memastikan Perdana Menteri dan ahli Kabinet semua BERSIH. Menerima wang atau hadiah dari pihak lain semasa mereka memegang jawatan pentabiran kerajaan adalah satu kesalahan yang akan menyebabkan mereka hilang jawatan, dan juga posisi MP atau Senator.

Kini, DEKLARASI yang perlu Ahli Kabinet dan ahli Parlimen beri adalah tak memadai - Biar jelas dan ada butiran mencukupi mengenai pendapatan bulanan, serta sumber pendapatan.

KEKAYAAN LAIN tak begitu penting kecuali

(1) Syer atau kepentingan dalam mana-mana syarikat atau perniagaan. [MENGAPA - kita tak mahu kerajaan/PM/Menteri membuat apa-apa keputusan yang akan membantu perniagaan tersebut - saperti memberi projek, dll - kerana ia secara tidak langsung akan juga menjadi pemegang syer/kepentingan lain juga kaya);

(2) Tanah di mana (Mengapa? Kerana kerajaan dan Menteri mempunyai kuasa membuat keputusan mengenai pembangunan setempat, yang akan secara tak langsung menyebabkan nilai tanah ini naik - justeru memberikan keuntungan besar kepada pemilik tanah. Bila kerajaan membuat keputusan meminda pusat pentadbiran kerajaan ke Putrajaya - ramai yang 'tahu terdahulu' mungkin telah cepat-cepat pergi membeli tanah di situ, dan apabila pengumunan dibuat secara rasmi - mereka menang kerana nilai tanah meningkat. Perkara sama berlaku di Janda Baik, kerana dulu ada ura-ura kerajaan mungkin akan memajukan kawasan tersebut - akhirnya tak ada apa-apa yang berlaku dalam kes ini.]

Bagi orang biasa yang meneka, dan membeli tanah  atau syer syarikat sedemikian bukan isu besar - tetapi bagi mereka saperti Perdana Menteri, Menteri atau ahli Kabinet yang mempunyai maklunat perlu dan kuasa membuat keputusan sedemikian, mereka atau ahli keluarga(atau rakan karib) tidak harus dibenarkan beruntung akibat keputusan kerajaan sedemikian.

SEMUA mahu kerajaan dan pemimpin negara BERSIH dan BERAMANAH - tujuan deklarasi pendapatan dan aset bertujuan untuk menghalang salah-laku sedemikian mengunakan maklumat atau kuasa dalam pentadbiran kerajaan.

Deklarasi Pendapatan dan Aset sekali saja tak cukup - ia perlu dibuat mungkin 3 bulan sekali, mungkin 6 bulan sekali - paling kurang sekali setahun, sama sebagai kehendak kini berkenaan deklarasi kepada pihak Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negara.

Ini penting supaya rakyat boleh memantau setiap masa - dan akan mempersoalkan apa-apa pendapatan yang tiba-tiba meningkat. Jika wang masuk dalam akaun peribadi sebagai DERMA pun mesti diistiharkan.

AKAUN BANK - sekiranya ada akaun bank di luar negara pun, di mana ini tempat ramai penjenayah menyimpan 'wang haram' kerana di luar bidangkuasa kerajaan Malaysia, dan setengah bank sedemikian juga tidak akan dedahkan butiran akaun kepada kerajaan atau mana-mana penyiasat jenayah.

Adakah PM, Menteri, Ahli Kabinet, MP, Senator atau ADUN ada memiliki akaun sedemikian di bank luar negara? Ini juga maklumat perlu yang perlu didedahkan.

Penyimpanan wang di bank sedemikian juga biasa tidak didedahkan atau diketahui oleh pihak Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negara(LHDN) - justeru cukai yang perlu dibayar untuk apa-apa pendapatan atau perolehan dapat dielakkan. Mangsa terus adalah RAKYAT MALAYSIA.

* Kita tahu semasa pemerintahan BN dan PH terdahulu, ahli parlimen parti kerajaan telah diberikan berjuta ringgit, kononnya untuk digunakan untuk membantu rakyat di kawasan Parlimen atau ADUN berkenaan > Mana akaun pembelanjaan tersebut? Kenapa BN, PH atau PN tidak mendedahkan? Adakah wang tersebut telah digunakan untuk rakyat dengan betul - adakah wang itu diambil oleh wakil rakyat berkenaan untuk memperkayakan diri atau kepentingan peribadi? Adakah wang itu digunakan untuk memperkayakan kroni atau parti? Semua ini rakyat perlu tahu dengan jelas, kerana ini DUIT RAKYAT?

Sekali buat DEKLARASI tak memadai? Membuat DEKLARASI tanpa butiran tak cukup.

Tujuan utama DEKLARASI sedemikian adalah untuk memberikan jaminan kepada rakyat bahawa PM, Ahli Kabinet atau MP tidak mengunakan kedudukan, kuasa atau posisi untuk memperkayakan diri, keluarga, kawan secara salah - untuk memastikan tak ada RASUAH, dsb.

Selepas buat DEKLARASI, kesalahan dilakukan kini tidak akan diketahui umum - Deklarasi harus dilakukan setahun sekali, lebih baik setiap 3 atau 6 bulan.

PM Muhyiddin tops MACC list with RM93,000 monthly income, 10 other govt officials have assets over RM10m

Wednesday, 22 Jul 2020 09:48 PM MYT

BY IDA LIM

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin had on June 15 declared his monthly income to be RM93,841.65 and his total assets to be worth more than RM10 million. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — With his public declaration of getting RM93,000 every month, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin earns the highest income in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

A list of assets owned by 57 of the country’s top officials who have declared the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is now publicly accessible on this portal as part of a move towards greater government transparency. However, this list does not include all 70 government officials.

Muhyiddin had on June 15 declared his monthly income to be RM93,841.65 and his total assets to be worth more than RM10 million.

10 other officials with assets exceeding RM10 million

The list also names 10 others in PN as having declared their assets to be worth more than RM10 million to the MACC.

They are:

1. Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa

2. Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan

3. Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Ahmad Amzad Mohamed @ Hashim

4. Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Zainal Abidin

5. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Maximus Johnity Ongkili

6. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Kamarudin Jaafar

7. Deputy Education Minister II Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon

8. Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Edmund Santhara Kumar

9. Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib

10. Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Lim Ban Hong

However, they are not necessarily the ones with the highest monthly income that has been declared.

The MACC portal does not put the exact amount when it comes to the assets held by the members of the PN government.

Instead of listing the exact amount, MACC gave a range of values for the assets declared by each of the 57 members of the PN administration.

The other brackets of asset values listed by the MACC and the government officials in them are as follows.

With assets worth RM8.5 million to RM10 million:

1. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof

2. Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin

With assets worth RM5 million to RM8.5 million (eight individuals); RM2.5 million to RM5 million (12 individuals); RM1 million to RM2.5 million (16 individuals including Datuk Shahruddin Md Salleh who has since quit as deputy works minister); and those with less than RM1 million (eight individuals).

The eight individuals with less than RM1 million in declared assets are Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan; Environment and Water Minister Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man; Deputy Finance Minister II Mohd Shahar Abdullah; Deputy Home Minister I Jonathan Yasin; Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Arthur Joseph Kurup; Deputy Human Resources Minister Awang Hashim; Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Harun; and Deputy Rural Development Minister II Datuk Henry Sum Agong.

The previous version of the MACC portal that was first unveiled on November 1, 2018 initially only listed the total income for members of the administration and MPs from the ruling coalition, but did not include information on the value of their declared assets. The previous version of the portal had subsequently the same month included the exact value of the total assets declared by members of the then Pakatan Harapan administration and MPs from the ruling coalition.

The new version of the portal contains additional information such as the post of the individuals in the government.

Unlike the older version, the new version omits information on whether the spouse and children of the government official in question had also made declarations to the MACC.

Top 10 earners in PN government

Other than Muhyiddin, the top 10 monthly income earners are:

1. Annuar at RM87,877.20

2. Kitingan (RM85,450)

3. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin (RM84,615.20)

4. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed (RM69,427.20)

5. Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (RM69,186.48)

6. Redzuan (RM65,407.20)

7. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong (RM65,236.48)

8. National Unity Minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique (RM64,527.20)

9. Ahmad Amzad (RM64,087.41)

The top 11th to 20th earners in terms of declared monthly income are:

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan (RM62,412.13), Tengku Zafrul (RM62,077.20), Khairy (RM61,188.22), Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee (RM59,972.43), Shahruddin (RM59,524.27), Ongkili (RM59,500.20), Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Ali Biju (RM58,762.89), Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid (RM57,322.89), Environment and Water Minister Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (RM57,227.20) and Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mansor Othman (RM56,347.65). If Shahruddin is excluded from the list since he has quit as deputy works minister, Rural Development Minister Datuk Abd Latiff Ahmad will be the 20th highest monthly earner at RM55,147.35.

As for the 10 who have the lowest declared monthly income in the list as of the time of writing, they are Deputy Transport Minister Hasbi Habibollah (RM36,262.89), Deputy Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah (RM36,262.80), Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datin Mastura Mohd Yazid (RM35,847.65), Deputy Minister Lim Ban Hong (RM34,347.65), Senior Minister and Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin (RM34,242.00), Rina (RM34,004.48), Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister I Willie Mongin (RM33,450), Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (RM 25,700), Datuk Henry Sum Agong (RM25,700) and finally Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican at RM24,687.

Those yet to declare their assets

The MACC said that it has to date received and displayed the information on assets declared by 57 out of the 70 members of the PN administration. If Shahruddin is excluded, 56 have made their declarations to the MACC.

Based on the MACC’s definition of members of the administration covering the prime minister, senior ministers, ministers and deputy ministers, there are currently 14 of them who have yet to submit their monthly income and total assets declarations to the MACC.

Based on Malay Mail’s comparison of the MACC portal and the current list of ministers and deputy ministers, five of the 32 PN ministers are not currently listed as having declared their assets to the MACC for the public portal.

These five ministers are:

1. Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan
2. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah
3. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba
4. Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi
5. Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali

Of the 38 deputy ministers, nine not on the MACC list are:

1. Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz
2. Deputy Home Minister I Datuk Seri Ismail Mohamed Said
3. Deputy Works Minister Datuk Shabudin Yahaya
4. Deputy Rural Development Minister I Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad
5. Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Muttalib
6. Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin
7. Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal
8. Deputy Environment and Water Minister Datuk Ahmad Masrizal Muhammad
9. Deputy National Unity Minister Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker

* A previous version of this story contained errors which have since been corrected - Malay Mail, 22/7/2020

RIGHT TO MY SAVINGS STATEMENT Campaign - Government must intervene to prevent consumers being denied rights

This right to a savings statement is an important campaign, and there are some related issues that need to be addressed.

1 - Even if you have a savings account book, the NEW problem that arised is that there is apparently a new Bank Negara ruling that states that the account holder must come personally to the Bank, if they want their savings account book updated. This updating of account in most banks have to be done over the counter - not vide ATMs. This means traveling to the bank, during bank operational hours, standing in line and all this just for the updating of the account book - note the making of any withdrawal, transfer, etc - whereby for the later there may be some rationale for insisting the presence of the account holder - maybe to prevent fraud by 3rd parties, but for updating your book? Problem faced most by the Elderly, the disabled and those who have to depend on others for public transport. It is also a problem for even normal working people - as this means leaving work during working hours just to go to the bank to update your savings book. Today, for the elderly, many of them have their pensions and/or other entitlements paid directly into their account - and this monthly trips is a great problem - an unnecessary waste of time, cost not just of the account holder but usually also of others who are forced to accompany such account holders. [UPDATING of Saving Account Books do not require such stringent requirement requiring the presence of the account holder. In other countries, all these can be done using an ATM machine. Any person should be allowed to come an update saving account books - maybe not the withdrawal of monies or the transfer of moneys. It really is very ODD because now anyone using an ATM card can take out monies and/or even transfer monies from an account other than theirs provided they have the requisite ATM card and the password..]

2 - A lot of banks, BSN included, when it comes to updating saving accounts book - the banks do not provide updates containing details of entry and withdrawal (dates, manner of transaction (cheque/cash deposits, transfers, etc) or the sums deposited. My father passed away last June, and being a pensioner, the government transferred RM3,000 into my mother's account for funeral expenses assistance, but when the BSN refused to print details of money entries, but just a lump sum of monies that have entered and withdrawn - it is impossible to even ascertain that the RM3,000 sum had been deposited into the account, let alone when. Banks take the position that detail entries and withdrawals will only be given/printed in savings book if it happened within the month prior.How can one send a written confirmation to the Pensions Department confirming receipt of the said RM3,000-00 for we will not know whether there was any RM3,000 deposit or when it happened. It is difficult when all the information that one have access to is just a lump-sum total of deposits and made from the last up-dating date. [Previously, there was a right to get the details printed out - and even in the worse case scenario, Banks will print out these details on separate sheet of paper, even if not in the saving accounts book - but apparently no more.] Now, more and more things like even dividends paid out with regard to shares are all being directly banked in, and as such consumers really require breakdowns of all monies that come into their savings account so that they can personally check and verify that monies that were supposed to be banked in to their accounts have really been banked in - if not how can they ascertain this, and do the needful to claim their entitlements. Hence, all updating of savings account pass books must provide full details of entries and withdrawals. If not so easily, people can be CHEATED...]

3 - The practice of charging for detailed statements must stop - it is the right of the Consumer of banks to get these statements at a regular interval, preferably monthly, without any additional charges. 

4 - Internet/Phone Banking really is no justification for not giving detailed written statements to the consumer, be it in the form of printing in pass books or those that are being posted to consumers holding current accounts. Many do not use these Internet/Phone Banking services by reason of potential risks of  'hacking' etc, or just not having access to internet, or just preferring to have things 'black and white'. Most of the elderly, in fact maybe even those above 40 just do not have access or use internet/phone banking - this could very easily be verified. What we are concerned with is USAGE for registering for these services normally is done for a lot of consumers when they open their new accounts - so many may have registered - but the question is usage/regular usage, and for the later, I believe it is minimal.

The  RIGHT TO MY SAVINGS STATEMENT Campaign hopefully would also address some of the real issues facing the ordinary consumers of bank, as highlighted above, as well 

Follow this link to get to the Campaign page - http://www.facebook.co/RightToMyStatement

RIGHT TO MY SAVINGS STATEMENT Campaign

Face book Campaign

In a modern economy, most consumers having a savings account with banks. Fundamentally, the purpose of the savings account is to deposit as well as withdraw monies in a safe and secure institution. Additionally, the savings also accrue interests. 

It is a fundamental consumer right to have a monthly record of these transactions, be it deposit or withdrawals or interests added.  This record is for consumers to counter-check that the transactions recorded are indeed correct and there have been no unauthorized withdrawals as well as to assist in their personal financial management practices.

Additionally, according to Bank Negara:

The Consumer can keep track of their banking transactions and interest earned either through a pass book or through a bank statement. (http://www.bankinginfo.com.my)

However, many banks are NOT providing pass books or monthly statements to their saving account holders.  Thus consumers have no record of their deposits/withdrawals as well if there have been unauthorized withdrawals.

If a consumer wants his record, he has to pay for the statement.

THIS HAS TO STOP.

FOMCA launched the RIGHT TO MY SAVINGS STATEMENT Campaign on 15 March 2012 in conjunction with World Consumer Rights Day.

FOMCA calls on ALL consumers, but especially those have a savings account, but have not been given a pass book or receive monthly statements to support our Campaign. 

Recognizing the power of social media in bringing together people, FOMCA is launching a Facebook Campaign to indicate consumer support and pressure the regulator to enforce the laws and practices which are currently being flaunted. 

The campaign will run for a total of 45 days with a special Facebook campaign page running for the time period. Users need only to like the campaign to show their support. 

Following the completion of the campaign, the total number of supporters for the campaign will be used to demand that all banks provide pass books or monthly statements to ALL saving accounts consumers.

FOMCA
15 March  2012

Sungai Siput MP D Jeyakumar granted leave to appeal to the Federal Court

Sungai Siput MP D Jeyakumar was successful in his application for leave to appeal to the Federal Court. One has to apply for leave (permission) to appeal to the Federal Court, and the granting of leave is very rare - and, as such this must be seen as a 'victory' - but now, the Federal Court will fix a hearing date to hear the appeal, and decide whether whether to grant them leave to go back to the High Court and argue their case in full.

The Star Report heading is misleading - for this just the leave stage - not a decision after the full hearing of the appeal by the Federal Court.

My hope is that Jeyakumar is also successful in this appeal - Malaysian judiciary must really start playing their 'check and balance' role in government, especially with regards the Judiciary. It is sad that in Malaysia many legal challenges and questions involving the executive decisions/practices have been 'avoided' by the Malaysian judges, preferring rather to dismiss it based on some technical or preliminary objections, rather than just hearing the said applications/claims that is already before the court on merits. (Even now, the case about Lynas, our government lawyers are yet again raising 'preliminary objections' -Lynas - Urgent, so BN government lawyers should withdraw technical objections)

I sincerely hope that our Malaysian Judges and Courts will start being brave, forgetting not that they are really the Malaysian peoples' Judges and Courts, and not the BN government's Judges and Court, and that they play an important role in a true democracy - being the third branch of government... I appreciate that there is a lot of factors that worry many judges - the fear of transfer, the fear of not being elevated, the fear that after retirement they may not get chosen as Commissioners here and there, or Directors ...or Consultants (noting that judges current salary and pension is very low compared to many other jurisdictions) - So, be brave my judges and act justly guided by your conscience and positive values...

MP granted leave to question 'management prerogatives'

Hazlan Zakaria 12:48PM Mar 8, 2012

The Federal Court in Putrajaya today granted leave for an MP to question the merits pertaining to 'management prerogatives'.

This is in regard to Sungai Siput MP D Jeyakumar's ongoing application for leave for a judicial review of the way the federal government allocation for his constituency was distributed.

It was an unanimous decision by a five-member bench led by Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria.

The matter of "management prerogative" by the executive to distribute the funds as they see fit whether through the elected representatives of a constituency or not, was brought up by the AG in arguing against Jeyakumar's application in the lower courts.

"This is still at the leave stage, it is a small step but it is an important question for the proceedings," said the MP's lawyer S Ambiga, when met after the decision was read.

She said that the Federal Court will now decide whether to grant them leave to go back to the High Court and argue their case. - Malaysiakini, 8/3/2012, MP granted leave to question 'management prerogatives'

Federal Court allows appeal by Dr Jeyakumar over MP funds

By REGINA LEE and QISHIN TARIQ

PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has allowed Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj's appeal against the Appellate Court's decision to reject his judicial review application regarding a developmental fund for parliamentary constituencies.

Chief Justice Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria said it was a unanimous decision of the five-man bench to allow the application.

On Oct 10, the Court of Appeal allowed the Attorney-General's application to set aside a High Court's decision in granting leave to the MP to initiate judicial review to challenge the government agencies' decision to reject Jeyakumar's application for the Special Constituency Allocation.

Dr Jeyakumar filed the legal action after his application to the Perak Development Office director, for funds to be used as contributions to SMJK Shin Chung, SJK Methodist and Nurul Ihsan Orphanage, as well as funds for small projects to benefit Orang Asli villages, was rejected via a letter by the director on Oct 12, 2010.

In the judicial review filed on Oct 29, 2010, the Parti Sosialis Malaysia leader named the director-general of the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister's Department, Perak Development Office director and the Government as respondents.

He sought, among others, a declaration that the Special Constituency Allocation must be provided to all MPs equally, regardless of political affiliation, in accordance with Article 8 (1) of the Federal Constitution.

Representing him was former Bar Council chairperson Datuk S. Ambiga while Senior Federal Counsel Suzana Atan acted for the Government - Star, 8/3/2012, Federal Court allows appeal by Dr Jeyakumar over MP funds

Malaysia's Debt - RM450 billion, Singapore - Zero; Malaysia's Debt 54% of GCP, Indonesia only 24%, Singapore 0

The failure of the UMNO-led coalition, today the Barisan Nasional government, is most shocking. Lack of transparency and accountability has kept us all in the dark. After all, this government has not openly told us too many important things about the state of our nation, and it so difficult to get 'basic data' about the state of Malaysia.

What is Malaysia's national debt? (Oh, we cannot be sure because of exact figures, because of the lack of transparency and accountability). For a long time, until about 1984 it was less than RM50bn, it crossed RM100bn on or about 1998, and in the last 14 years it has sky-rocketed to about RM450bn. (Badawi(2003-2009) Debt from about RM150bn to about RM350bn, and Najib(2009 until now) from about RM350bn - to now about RM450bn) - Blame should not rest on who was the PM then, but the entire cabinet and BN government...In the past, changing of a BN PM satisfied many who said 'give the new PM a chance', and this is wrong for the fault has always lied in the entire BN government - and its political parties - noting that they always had the option to 'speak out' or even leave BN but they did not and consented to what was being done...

 

"...By the end of 2011, we can expect Malaysia's debt to reach RM450bn..." - and Singapore has NO debt?

 

 

"...the debt at the end of 2012 will be only 54 per cent of our GDP, which is relatively low compared to the current crisis nations like Greece and Italy. (GDP is a measure of the total value of all the goods and services produced in a year in the country.) While it may not reach the levels of Greece by 2012, at our current rate of borrowing it won’t take long before we become another Greece. Just to put this in perspective, our giant neighbour, Indonesia has a debt of only 23 per cent of GDP! Singapore has no debts.

Remember as your debt increases, the interest rate for new borrowings just keep increasing.

A major factor is the large leakage in government spending due to corruption and wasteful spending that has been highlighted by the Auditor General year after year in his annual reports. It has been estimated that we can easily save RM25-30bn without changing any of the deliverables if we can get rid of corruption and cronyism.

Read more about this in the following article that appeared in ALIRAN Monthly - written by a learned man who should know what he is talking about.

Towards a bankrupt Malaysia?

By Aliran, on 26 December 2011

 

Subramaniam Pillay looks at the worrying rising trend of federal government debt and wonders if Malaysia will go bankrupt. At our current rate of borrowing, it won’t take long before we become another Greece. 

 

 

Figure 1: Outstanding debt of the Malaysian federal government - Source: Bank Negara Malaysia

That the budget that was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on 7 October 2011 was an election budget is very clear. There have been numerous detailed comments on the budget by politicians and analysts (since then). In this article, we are just going to focus on one of the long term issues from the budget. It concerns the increasing debt burden of the federal government. 

How big is the government debt?

The accompanying chart shows the federal government’s outstanding debt at the end of the successive years. As can be seen, the debt has been increasing since 1970. From the detailed data available form Bank Negara’s website, in 1991, it reached a temporary peak of RM99bn and then decreased to RM90bn by 1997. From then, it has been virtually doubling every five years. By the end of 2011, we can expect the figure to reach RM450bn. 

In other words, since the Asian crisis of 1998, we have been growing by borrowing heavily. In the 10 years since 1999, our debt has quadrupled. If we continue on this path, by 2020, our national debt will reach RM1.6 trillion. If our population is 40 million then, each Malaysian will have a debt burden of more than RM40000 and this does not include our own personal borrowing. Assuming an interest rate of 5 per cent, paying the interest alone will cost the taxpayers RM80bn per year!

The government has been reassuring us by saying that our debt is manageable. It argues that the debt at the end of 2012 will be only 54 per cent of our GDP, which is relatively low compared to the current crisis nations like Greece and Italy. (GDP is a measure of the total value of all the goods and services produced in a year in the country.) While it may not reach the levels of Greece by 2012, at our current rate of borrowing it won’t take long before we become another Greece. Just to put this in perspective, our giant neighbour, Indonesia has a debt of only 23 per cent of GDP! Singapore has no debts. 

The federal government debt alone does not tell the full story. Many government-owned enterprises also have borrowings. If these figures are included, then the total debt would be much higher. It is difficult to get the complete data on these borrowings.

Why has the debt been growing so rapidly?

Since the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis, the government expenditure has consistently exceeded its revenue by a considerable margin. For example, in 2011 the spending is estimated to be RM229bn while the revenue will be only RM183bn. So the shortfall of RM46bn has to be met by borrowing.

Of course it is not expected that the government balances its books every year. Prudent economic management requires the government to balance its budget over an entire business cycle. So we can have deficits during bad years and budget surpluses during good years. Since 1998, we have had at least two business cycles; yet every year without fail we have had budget deficits!

This is evidence of fiscal irresponsibility. Here is a government which does not know the meaning of saving for a rainy day. A good example is the situation in the current year.

Table 1 shows that the actual revenue for 2011 is going to be higher than the budgeted figure by RM17.6bn. This is mainly due to the increased income from the rise in oil prices in 2011. The federal government relies heavily on different forms of revenues (corporate tax, petroleum profit tax, royalties, Petronas dividends etc.) that originate from the production and export of oil and gas in Malaysia. The proportion can be 30-40 per cent of the total government revenue. Thus a rise in the world price of oil translates directly into higher income for the government. So essentially, we had a windfall income.

What would a prudent government do with this windfall? It would reduce the planned borrowing. But that’s not our BN government’s way of financial management. Uncannily, the increase in the actual spending is going to be the same amount of RM17.6bn! When asked about this at one of the post-budget forums, a Treasury official explained that it was mainly due to higher spending on salaries and increased subsidy for petrol and diesel. We can understand the increased subsidy but why the higher salary? Did we just increase the size of the bureaucracy? This is a clear case of a government which has no control on its spending.

Why is the federal government spending more than it earns?

There are a few reasons for this consistent imbalance. A major factor is the large leakage in government spending due to corruption and wasteful spending that has been highlighted by the Auditor General year after year in his annual reports. It has been estimated that we can easily save RM25-30bn without changing any of the deliverables if we can get rid of corruption and cronyism. Transparent practices like open tendering can cut down the cost of much of the procurement and project spending.

In addition, spending can be reduced on military procurements. If a fraction of the money that is saved here can be used to improve the quality of our diplomats in Wisma Putra, we can avert any potential threat to national security. We can also cut down on the excessive use of foreign and local consultants by the government for work that ought to be done by the civil service. Reduction of subsidies to the operators of privatised projects such as the independent power producers and toll road operators will also narrow the deficit.

Another reason for the deficit is the under collection of revenues including income tax and customs duties. Better compliance to and enforcement of existing laws and provisions can increase government revenue. It is common knowledge that many business operators evade paying their full share of income tax by under declaring their true income. Similarly, evasion of customs duties is rampant due to corruption in the Customs department.

What will happen if the debt keeps increasing at the same rate in future?

As the debt gets larger, interest payments will take an increasing share of total government spending. Table 2 shows this clearly. 

If the government continues with the trend of the past 13 years, by 2020 we may be spending about 18-25 per cent of the operating budget on interest payments. In fact as the borrowing increases, the government will be forced to pay higher interest rates to borrow more because its credit rating will be downgraded. (For example, in Europe, currently the German government can borrow at around 2 per cent per annum while the Italian government has to pay about 7 per cent for its loans.) So the interest cost will rise exponentially.

This will leave much less money for other social and economic spending. It will also widen income inequality as the government will have to cut spending on many public goods like education, health care and public transport. At the same time, the interest it pays goes mainly to foreigners and the better off segment of the population.

What is even more worrying is that given our large revenue from petroleum-related sources, we should not really be running deficits. It is only a matter of time before we run out of oil and gas and thus become net importers of these two commodities. When that happens, our budget situation may become very critical.

A prudent Malaysian government would have saved a sizeable portion of the petroleum revenue from the past few decades as a fund for rainy days. Many other countries have done this. Norway is a prime example. Abu Dhabi is another country which has a huge sovereign wealth fund set up from its petroleum windfall. Botswana in southern Africa saved its windfall earnings from the discovery of diamonds and invested it abroad for its long-term well being.

Unfortunately, we are governed by a spendthrift government which is beset with problems of corruption and incompetency. Unless the situation changes, we are leaving a huge burden to our children and grandchildren. They are not going to forgive us if we do not try to change the situation.

Dr Subramaniam Pillay, an Aliran exco member, is an adjunct associate professor with the School of Business at the University of Nottingham Malaysia.

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Media, especially the mainstream media, failed not just to reveal the truth - especially of the failings of this government, and certainly have also failed to play the role of being a 'check and balance' to this government. Why? Fear of having their publishing permits revoked? Or because the ownership and control is pro-establishment - making main stream media just the mouthpiece of the ruling government, or more accurately of the BN government or maybe not even that but the PM and the BN leadership. I doubt that they will even carry the voices of dissension within UMNO and/or the other BN component parties. 

MPPP going overboard with Jessie Ooi - but no more anymore

As a follow-up to my earlier posting,Has the MPPP gone overboard with Jessie Ooi's comments? How should a good government deal with critics and opponents?, I enclose below a Media Statement issued by ALIRAN on the issue.

If a person makes a complaint or allegation about the police over alleged misconduct of some police officers, should the response be the Police taking action against the said person. [It has allegedly happened when a person complaints about torture, suddenly that person is faced with a criminal charge of making a false report, etc...This fear and this kind of response by authority has effectively silenced many victims/witnesses from highlighting such torture, etc...]

Likewise, if someone points out or raises some information about corruption in the PM's office, should the PM or the Government of Malaysia take action against the said person.

Likewise the case of Jessie Ooi and the MPPP...and thankfully, the MPPP has decided...(see below for the full Malaysiakini report)

The Penang Municipal Councillors have decided not to take legal action or move a motion against controversial Selangor MCA Beliawanis chief Jessie Ooi in its full council meeting today.

When it comes to government or government institutions or some other public institutions, the response must NEVER be going after or against the alleged critic or complainant with Legal Suits or Criminal Prosecution or even personal attacks in the Media, the response must always be investigation and clarification - that is it. 

After all, we want an open government that is most open to criticisms and complaints, some of which sadly may be baseless or just inaccurate. It matters not...After all, individually, it really is difficult to clarify...verify - thanks to the lack of transparency and accountability, and sometimes the said persons may just not have the capacity to do the verifying/clarifying or even making attempts to do so, which someone like a professional journalist or even an academic researcher may be able to do. 

I know that even writing to the Prime Minister and some Ministers receives sometimes not even a response acknowledging receipt, with an assurance that the concerns will be looked into. As an example, a letter I send for and/on behalf of over 100 civil society groups requesting a response - never even got a response. [Remember also that protest is coming from all over the world, now more than 115 are saying Malaysia Must Protect Worker and Union Rights, and withdraw proposed unjust amendments to Employment Act - Labour Suppliers Should Not Be Employers - There is still no response from the Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Human Resource Minister or the Malaysian Human Rights Commission(SUHAKAM) who were sent a letter, enclosing the statement calling for action and asking for a response...(The letters was posted on or about 29/10/2011, and still no response ...)]

We need 'whistle-blowers' - we need people to complain...criticize...express their opinion, and they should be protected from any repercussions - especially when it involves government, government bodies, public officers, Ministers, MPs, ADUNs, Local Councillors, companies, etc - more so when it is an issue of public interest broadly defined of course (not the narrow definition given by some courts), a human rights issue, an environmental concern, etc... Complainants, criticisms and differing opinions are always good and help us all build a better society...

MPPP going overboard with Jessie Ooi

Aliran views with deep concern the threat by the Penang Island City Council to take legal action against Selangor MCA Beliawanis chief Jessie Ooi for having posed queer questions pertaining to the City Council and Penang during the much-hyped Lim-Chua debate recently. 

Events proved that she was one confused lady who shouldn’t have made a fool of herself.

While Ms Ooi’s questions may be irritatingly laughable – and she’s paying for that by the odium she has invited from angry Malaysians – threatening to slap her with a legal suit is indeed going overboard.

The dangerous signal sent out to the general public – to paraphrase Ms Ooi – is that you could get punished severely in future even for raising pertinent questions about the City Council. When people know what is the truth and what is a lie is there a need to resort to this kind of action?

Unless they rescind their intended legal action, in this instance, the City Council’s heavy-handedness will not go down well with people who cherish the culture of freedom of expression and accountability.

We call upon the City Council to call off their intended legal threat, and instead focus on other things that really matter to the people of Penang Island. Besides, this would save the ratepayers’ money that would have been wasted on the entire legal procedure.

On Jessie’s part, she should apologise for her outburst based on inaccurate ‘facts’. That should close the matter.

Aliran Executive Committee
24 February 2012

The said Malaysiakini report:-

'MPPP won't sue, let the rakyat judge Jessie Ooi'

Susan Loone 1:38PM Feb 24, 2012

The Penang Municipal Councillors have decided not to take legal action or move a motion against controversial Selangor MCA Beliawanis chief Jessie Ooi in its full council meeting today.

Councillor L Prem Anand (right), however, addressed the council to condemn Ooi for disparaging the reputation of council workers over clamping and towing activities in Penang.

After the meeting, councillor Ong Ah Teong said the councillors have decided not to purse taking action against Ooi.

“We prefer to focus on serving the people as Ooi continues to twist and turn her words and allegations,” he told reporters during a press conference attended by the councillors.

Ong said the councillors unanimously agreed to “spare her because we pity her” as she appears not to be aware of what she wants, when she made her allegations.

“Let the rakyat judge her attitude. We have decided not to waste public funds to initiate legal action against her,” he said.

“What we know is that this is MCA’s dirty tactics to undermine the Pakatan Rakyat government in Penang by implicating the MPPP,” he added.

“We accept criticisms and suggestions on how the MPPP can improve its services to benefit Penangites, but we would not accept slander and lies about our workers who work hard to ensure the city is in good shape,” he stressed.

Ong said Ooi's behaviour has revealed a can of worms about the actual nature and character of MCA leaders, who tend to “lie and twist” their statements to mislead the people.

He added that the people must be cautious as these leades would continue to “lie” to cover up their party’s misdeeds.

He stressed that the councillors would be able to preserve their dignity and integrity by not stooping so low as to impose further action on Ooi.

‘Possible backlash to their action’

It is learnt that the councillors decided not to antagonise Ooi further as there may be a backlash to their action, while Ooi may turn out looking like a victim of harassment.

Recently, the councillors condemned Ooi and vowed to take action against her if she fails to apologise or retract her statement during the recent debate between MCA president Chua Soi Lek and Penang CM Lim Guan Eng in Kuala Lumpur.

Ooi, who is Selayang BN coordinator, was given until today to recant or face action by the councillors.

Ooi became an overnight session after she posed questions to Lim during the debate with Chua on Feb 18, raising concerns over clamping and towing of cars illegally parked in Penang.

She has responded to scores of critics on the manner in which she posed her questions, crying harassment and voweing to take legal action on those who allegedly defamed her and her family on the Internet. - Malaysiakini, 24/2/2012, 'MPPP won't sue, let the rakyat judge Jessie Ooi'

Now, in the report, it was alleged that one of the Local Councillors said.... 

“What we know is that this is MCA’s dirty tactics to undermine the Pakatan Rakyat government in Penang by implicating the MPPP,” he added.

This, I believe should not be something that a Local Councillor should be saying, certainly not as a local councilor.  He can always make the same comment as an individual person, a Pakatan Rakyat political party member or committee...but not in his capacity as a MPPP Councillor....Maybe, it was a comment not made as Local Councillor and the report is incorrect.

We have often criticized public officers for using the office to support the BN -- likewise, let us be cautious that when one holds a public office (or is speaking in that capacity), he does not use it to promote certain political parties and attack opposition parties. 

In public office, as a MPPP Councillor, you carry out your duties and functions as an Local Councillor for and on behalf of all the people that you serve. You are are there not representing this or that political party anymore, despite the fact that they appointed you or not (after all Local Councillors should be elected...and I wait patiently for that to happen soonest - End this appointment nonsense for we are a democracy and democracy must exist at all levels of government)

Has the MPPP gone overboard with Jessie Ooi's comments? How should a good government deal with critics and opponents?

How does the government, be it the Federal government, the State government and/or the Local Government, deal with criticisms (even allegations), other opinions and questions?

Well, when it came to the BN - it was not very good, but alas I am sad to see that when it comes to the Opposition governments, it seems to be also the same. And this is very very sad...

The recent Malaysiakini report which reported what the MPPP Councillors (i.e. those appointed by the Pakatan Rakyat state government - not yet elected by the people) would like to do in response to allegations made by a person..

"...A group of Penang municipal (MPPP) councillors today expressed their unhappiness over MCA Beliawanis chief Jessie Ooi’s statement condemning local council workers for carrying out car clamping exercises.The councillors have vowed to take action against Ooi, and the kind of action will be decided at a full council meeting on Friday...."

First - people need to be encouraged to express themselves and their opinions, which sometimes may be allegations based on information they heard or gathered from others. The likelihood that there may be inaccuracies and/or inconsistencies is always there, and should be naturally accepted.

Second - Government and/or government officials/officers response must be (1) Investigation, and (2) Report the Result of the said Investigation and clarify any inaccuracies. [Being government, they can use all the available venues to do this]. A meeting/dialogue with the person/s who raised the concern and members of the public is also a good thing for the sake of accountability and transparency. Very wrong to condemn, demonize, threathen action against critics - even the worse of them.

Thirdly - If there were some basis for the allegations/comments, then the government should be open to suggestions for improvements. [On this clamping car allegations - maybe one need to be put in place avenues of complaints - phone numbers/emails one could call up and make allegations]. Maybe, a special council meeting that is open to the public, not during working hours, could be held to listen to the allegations, give the MPPP's feedback and listen to general comments/points made by the members of the public.

Are the MPPP Local Council meetings open to the public?? Are there open-dialogue with members of the public held on a regular basis at the MPPP - of course after working hours?

In reference to the Malaysiakini report, I believe that the MPPP is really over-reacting and they are getting very personal with the person who has raised these allegations/comments. Is this clouded by the fact that she is a member of an Opposition party? This should not be. 

"Councillor Ong Ah Teong said the council is mulling action against Ooi as she has slandered the enforcement officers who were merely carrying out their duties, according to standard operating procedures."

Apparently, some of the MPPP members are 'vowing'... this is getting a bit too much, is it not. From the report, they want to 'condemn' her...

Meanwhile, another MPPP councillor, L Prem Anand (right), said the councillors will move a motion at Friday’s meeting to condemn Ooi for her false remarks.

Come now, I do want change - a change from BN rule to Pakatan rule - and so, when I see the Pakatan Rakyat's appointed councilors doing this, it saddens me and I hope that a review of what happened is done, and a better Code of Conduct be developed emphasing openess to criticisms and even opposition, accountability and transparency. 

What is happening this Jessie Ooi, which really may be a 'political response' given the fact that she is some MCA person will have an impact - It will scare other persons from criticizing or opposing or disagreeing with actions, positions, policy of the government. Why? Because the risk that they will turn their guns on you...for your comments. Maybe, just being silent is the best. Hello...we want to liberate all Malaysians from this culture of silence so that they can be more participative in government at all levels.. 

MPPP has answered - have clarified, and that should be that. There is no need for threats or condemnation or further action against her..This is my opinion.

Apologise or face action, councillors warn Jessie Ooi

Susan Loone 2:26PM Feb 22, 2012

A group of Penang municipal (MPPP) councillors today expressed their unhappiness over MCA Beliawanis chief Jessie Ooi’s statement condemning local council workers for carrying out car clamping exercises.

The councillors have vowed to take action against Ooi, and the kind of action will be decided at a full council meeting on Friday.

The group wants Ooi to retract her remarks regarding clamping and towing of cars in Penang by council workers, claiming her's were all “baseless accusations”.

The councillors are giving Ooi until Friday to retract and apologise for her statement “disparaging the reputation of council workers”.

Ooi became infamous overnight over the manner in which she posed questions to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, during the great debate with MCA president Chua Soi Lek on Feb 18 in Kuala Lumpur.

After attracting bags of criticism for her remarks, she cried harassment and has vowed to take legal action against those who defamed her on the Internet.

During the press conference held by the councillors at the MPPP building in Padang Kota Lama today, a video clip was screened, showing Ooi in action.

Councillor Ong Ah Teong said the council is mulling action against Ooi as she has slandered the enforcement officers who were merely carrying out their duties, according to standard operating procedures.

Ong added that Ooi’s statements were contradictory; during the debate she had questioned why cars needed to be clamped when there were hardly any vehicles around at about 10.30pm.

Later, she told the press that the area on Beach Street lacked parking lots, Ong said.

“What does she really mean? She has to come clear on this. There are about 1,000 parking lots in the area that she mentioned,” said Ong.

“She also said someone had been injured during a scuffle with an enforcement office over a clamping incident, however, it is the officer who was actually hurt and he has lodged a police report.”

Officers in scuffle with youths

The incident reportedly took place last October when an officer issued a ticket to a man for illegally parking along Jalan Burmah.

The man was said to have expressed his unhappiness over the matter, refused to accept the ticket, and informed his son, who later arrived at the scene with six others, and a scuffle ensued.

But the officer Shamsul Mohd Noor (right), who was at the press conference, claimed that the youth hit him and his colleague Jamaluddin Karim with a helmet as both were on duty on the day in question.

The duo have since lodged a police report and claimed that the youth had been detained for causing hurt to the officers as there was a CCTV camera at the scene of the incident.

“We did not fight back because we are not allowed to do so, according to our duties and responsibilities,” he said.

“But while the scuffle happened, we tried to avoid being hit, and the youth’s brother who was also there, got hit by the helmet instead."

Meanwhile, another MPPP councillor, L Prem Anand (right), said the councillors will move a motion at Friday’s meeting to condemn Ooi for her false remarks.

He added that the allegations against the council workers and the increase in Penang’s assessment rates are “baseless”.

“She is desperate and emotional. She went to the debate only to attack Guan Eng, not to ask questions during the debate,” he added.

Councillor Iszuree Ibrahim said Ooi’s remarks appear to be defending the wrongdoers and this reflects poorly on the party’s reputation.

“Her remarks are a slap in her own face and the party. She tried to get publicity for herself but without knowing it, it backfired on her and her party,” he added.
MPPP provides 395 parking lots in Beach Street 
On a related matter, councillor Muhammad Sabri Md Osman said MPPP has provided 56 metered and 136 ticketed parking lots, while a multi-storey carpark had been recently build for 203 vehicles in Beach Street.

Along the street, added Muhammad Sabri, are other alternative places available for drivers to park their cars, for example, in Lebuh Union, Gat Lebuh Gereja and Gat Lebuh Cina.

There are 28 parking lots  and 273 lots in a multi-story carpark in Lebuh Union alone; 57 in Gat Lebuh Gereja and 76 in Gat Lebuh Cina, he added.

There were a total of 829 lots provided for parking by the MPPP, and they do not include those by the private sector, he stressed.

Muhammad Sabri also said that clamping and towing are provided for under Section 48 of the 1987 Road Transport Act (Amended 2011).

“According to the enforcement records, no vehicle was towed away in Beach Street at the purported time of 10.30pm, as claimed by Ooi. So far the MPPP had only towed away 12 cars around Penang,” he noted.

“And until today, there had only been one case of violence being reported, which actually involved injury to our own staff. The case is still being probed by the police,” he added.- Malaysiakini, 22/2/2012, Apologise or face action, councillors warn Jessie Ooi

Wonder how many media statements and/or press conferences have the MPPP had, and on what important issues. Jessie Ooi made an allegation. The MPPP has responded publicly. Regarding the alleged incident, apparently a police report has already been lodged...So really, as far as the Local Council, the issue should be considered closed. The Local Councillors are public servants, and should not use their office and resources for other purposes. Wonder whether this may be considered a 'political issue' - an issue to attack the MCA or BN. Hopefully not, for we have so many times criticized the BN for doing just that - using public resources and also officers to promote BN and attack the Opposition.

 

 

KR1M - a bad policy decision and detrimental to the small sundry shops..

KR1M - Kedai Rakyat 1 Malaysia allegedly is selling household products at a lower price that products available normally in Supermarkets and sundry shops - but my concern is for the owners of the 'kedai runcit'...the sundry shops - would this not be detrimental to their making an income... After all, they already find in most hard to compete with the supermarkets...and the hypermarkets...and now our BN government is competing with these small businessmen through their KR1M shops and this is wrong.

Is the government using the people's money to subsidize these products only available to some specified shops (or are they manufacturing these cheaper products themselves...) - this is so very wrong.  This seems to be the BN government's solution to the increased cost of living.... it is so unjust - and will have a serious implication on the small time business people running those little 'kedai runcit' in towns, small towns, housing estates, kampungs...Best to just subsidize basic products needed by every household - and this will reach the poor for sure... Not all kampungs, towns and other areas where the poor live have these KR1M shops...

And about these products, how exactly are the prices kept low - is the materials and products use of low quality? Maybe consumer groups should be looking into this... OR is it that manufacturers of the other products are just charging too high... maybe this too may need to be controlled..

Worst affected by the government's actions will be the small time business people who really are already struggling to make ends meet. It is good that some local councils do consider the welfare of these people - and not approve the giant hypermarkets like TESCO, Giant, etc set up their outlets in some towns. This is good for our concern is not just to get cheaper products to the consumer - but also the welfare and the well-being of the small business persons.

While we are talking about this - it maybe time for the BN government to intervene to make sure that the bigger Supermarkets do also take and market products of everyone, especially locally manufactured products. Now, these Supermarkets control too much - and they kill certain manufacturers by just not taking and selling their products in their supermarkets...and they improve the profits of others that they do choose... Sadly, in many places there is not much option - and businesses and brands can just be killed by actions of these giant supermarket chains....But then, our BN government is just too scared to interfere with the businesses of these giants, who many a time are owned by people outside Malaysia...

Our Minister talked about the budget meal - but then, we cannot find them in the KFCs or shops - just this stall and that small stall - funny projects wasting a lot of time and money... Price Control is only option, and this needs government subsidies - and this should be for all basic food and household products...and also medicines...

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob is now saying that the price of vegetables, etc is on the rise because of floods in Thailand - the question is why has the Malaysian BN government struggling to ensure that Malaysia is self-sufficient with regards to rice, vegetables, etc - Many farmers could have been given necessary land for farming - but no, it is so difficult for farmers to get land, and many end up 'trespassing' on State land or wherever to plant their vegetables... This is a sector that needs to be heavily subsidized (even the US and Europe subsidizes food production) but alas in Malaysia, food is not a priority and preference is cash crops for export... Our weather is good, and it can be done... Buy the food at high price, and then the government could sell it back to retailers ...after all, that is what they are already doing, buying it from other countries and reselling it at lower prices...   What about doing the same for Malaysian farmers...

I am really angry with this BN government - they remove subsidies - and then we find out they wasted millions and millions of ringgit through 'corruption' and other wrong moves. So many of these wastage have recently been highlighted but sadly nothing is done to the guilty - the relevant Minister, DG or Head of Department must be penalized - sacked or even transferred... but they do not do this, and next year we find the same kind of wastage...Maybe, it is time for the people to voice out come next GE...

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has denied that household products sold under the Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M) brand are more expensive compared to similar products sold at hypermarkets.

He said the opposition’s allegations on the matter were baseless, saying comparisons should be made “apple-to-apple”.

“Any comparison should be as a whole taking into consideration weight, packaging and most importantly quality,” he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.

He was commenting on claims by DAP national publicity chief Tony Pua that a price comparison showed there was little difference in prices of household items sold at KR1M outlets and at Carrefour hypermarkets and that some of the items were in fact much cheaper at Carrefour.

Ismail Sabri stressed that from the beginning, his ministry had fixed the prices of KR1M products to between 30 and 50 percent lower than their branded counterparts but not products sold under house brands like in Carrefour.

He said the opposition was trying to mislead the people by making unfair comparisons in terms of contents (weight and volume), nutritional information besides promotions that were held.

On escalating prices of essential items as a result of the flood disaster in Thailand, Ismail Sabri said his ministry was monitoring the situation closely to ensure consumers’ interests were protected.

“Right now, my ministry is waiting for feedback on the prices of imported items like vegetables, fish and other food products from the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry as such matters come under their purview,” he said. _ Malaysiakini, 10/11/2011, Ismail Sabri denies KR1M products are pricey

DAP’s Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham has demanded that the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development answers for nearly RM500 million in alleged irregularities, failing which the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should investigate. - Malaysiakini, 10/11/2011, MP demands answers over RM500mil 'losses'

PKR is puzzled how despite an alleged scaling-down of the National Feedlot Corporation’s (NFC) production target, its soft loan from the government remains unrevised.

“Why isn’t the soft loan allocation not reviewed? Why is it still at RM250 million? Why is it not scaled-down?” secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution asked during a press conference in Parliament House today.

Saifuddin (left) argued that if the production targets were really revised downward, then the budgetary requirements should have been reduced as well.

"If from 60,000 (head of cattle) was scaled down to 8,000, then the soft loan should be reduced (in similar proportion), based on Veterinary Department estimates," the parliamentarian posited.

He was responding directly to arguments by BN backbenchers earlier today that the NFC production target of 60,000 has been scaled down to 8,000 as per the revised production targets.- Malaysiakini, 9/11/2011, Full-blown funding for scaled-down NFC target?http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/180882

BN parliamentarians today defended the funds and discounts the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) gave to its allied companies, saying the allocations were justified by its real scope of work.

Rebutting claims by the opposition, Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin said the RM81.2 million channelled to National Livestock & Meat Corporation (NLMC) Sdn Bhd and the RM3 million discount accorded to Real Food Company (RFC) Sdn Bhd, “served multiple objectives”, not just to process raw meat. ...As for the NLMC, the RM81.2 million loan was not merely for the production of raw beef but also for infrastructure, to open up market access and to purchase cattle from satellite farms served by the NFC.

Speaking to reporters in the Parliament lobby, Khairy said RFC, the sole distributor of beef from NFC, received discounts of RM3 million that was eventually passed down to the distribution network.

“Some of the buyers from RFC are hypermarkets such as Jusco, Carrefour, Cold Storage and Giant, farmers markets, the food and beverage industry and downstream food processing companies,” said Khairy.... { What about the small shops, mini markets,...etc????) - Malaysiakini, 9/11/2011, Discounts, loans to NFC sister firms justified, say BN MPs

Questions: Are all these companies government owned companies? Or merely 'government-linked' companies, where there are other 'private' shareholders, be it persons or entities? What is the salary of the CEOs? What are the allowances that Directors got? Who are these Directors? 

We really need to have Parliamentary Select Committees set up - who will conduct public inquiries into all these alleged wastage...possible corruption? Bring the people involved - the CEOs and the Directors - let us hear their answers... now all we have is this BN MP or that defending them....and this is not good...