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ADVICE THAT WILL BANKRUPT THE NATION

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1. I am happy that Tun Abdullah has explained that he did not write about how the nation would be bankrupt if he had followed my advice. It was the interviewer.

2. I hope he does not mind my clearing my name over what the interviewer wrote in “The Awakening”. Yes, I agree that I was a spendthrift Prime Minister who finished all the government money building the North South Expressway, Penang Bridge, West Port, KLIA, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and an assortment of others.

3. Had Tun Abdullah succeeded me earlier all these would be stopped to save Malaysia from bankruptcy. As it is, he managed to stop the crooked bridge and the railway double-tracking and electrification project.

4. The bridge would have cost just under 1 billion Ringgit. The cancellation cost the Government 200 million Ringgit in compensation and unfinished work.

5. The railway project from Johor Bahru to Padang Besar was going to cost 14 billion Ringgit – slightly more than 2 billion per year for six years. Fourteen billion Ringgit was saved. But then it was found necessary to build the electrified double track from Ipoh to Padang Besar. The cost is 12 billion Ringgit.

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Water For Singapore

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Water For Singapore

1. I would like to thank the visitor to my blog who pointed out that the terms of the agreement to supply raw water and receive treated water to and from Singapore actually favours Malaysia.  I agree.  But I am talking about revision in the price of raw water since 3 sen per 1000 gallons is ridiculous today.  It would be even more ridiculous in the decades to come.  Hence, the need to renegotiate.  According to the present agreement, if Malaysia sells 1,000,000 of raw water it should be paid 3,000 sen or RM30.00.

2.  Malaysia can buy 12% of the raw water treated by Singapore at 50 sen per 1000 gallons i.e for 120,000 gallons, Malaysia has to pay RM60.00 for this.  But the cost of treating water is RM1.09 (say RM1.10)

3.  The savings for Malaysia is therefore 60 sen per 1000 gallons equals to RM72.00 for 120,000 gallons.

4.   Since 3 sen is ridiculous, supposing Malaysia wishes to ask for 6 sen per 1000 gallons, an increase of 100%.  It can only do so if Singapore agrees.  It can be assumed that Singapore would want to increase the price of treated water.  It may ask for the same quantum i.e a 100% increase to RM1.00 per 1000 gallons.

5.  For 120,000 gallons Malaysia will have to pay RM120.00.  The cost of treatment for 120,000 gallons is 1.10 x 120 = RM132.00.

6.  The benefit for Malaysia would be reduced to RM12.00 due to the increase in price.  If there is negotiations then Singapore might be persuaded not to increase or to increase at a lower rate.  But this will not be the end.

7.  Johor charges Malacca 30 sen per 1000 gallons.  If we charge the same to Singapore would it raise the price above the cost of treatment?  If it does than it would be better for Malaysia to have its own treatment plant.

8. That is why negotiations are necessary from time to time.  We should not allow ourselves to be short-changed over the next 57 years to 2060.

9.   Malaysia should learn to include exit clauses when entering into agreements.  It should always remember that over time money depreciates i.e prices increase.

 

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THE TRANS PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

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An edited version of this article appeared in the New Straits Times of July 12, 2013

1. The secretary to the Ministry of Trade and Industry avers that trade negations must be done in secret, I suppose by the officers concerned. There should apparently be no public debate or even within the Government.

2. I don’t think it is such a good practice, if indeed that is the practice. Let us see the record of trade and other agreements negotiated by the Malaysian Government. They do not seem to favour Malaysia much. In fact they seem to result in Malaysia accepting unfavourable terms.

3. Firstly let us look at the water agreement with Singapore. Malaysia agreed to sell raw water at 3 cents per 1000 gallons. In return Malaysia can buy 12 per cent or less of the treated water for 50 cents. If the rates are to be revised both countries must agree.

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RACIAL POLARIZATION

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1. After Parliament was dissolved on the 13th April 2013, I was interviewed by a BBC journalist. He appeared quite convinced that race-based parties such as those in the National Front would be rejected by a more liberal electorate which believes in democracy, freedom and non-racial politics. Also the idealistic young would reject the BN.

2. I had to disagree with him as I believed that racial polarization in Malaysia had become more pronounced now than ever before. I may not always be right but after 60 years involvement in Malaysian politics I felt strongly that the race factor will continue to dominate the politics of the country.  The quality of the candidates or parties, the ideologies and the desire for change will always be secondary to race.

3. The election results showed that I was right. The DAP playing on racial sentiments drew the Chinese away from BN by depicting the MCA as lackeys of UMNO. The DAP won 38 seats, reducing the MCA’s seats from 15 to 7. The Gerakan won one seat out of two. All the DAP Chinese contested in Chinese majority constituencies.  A few of the MCA, Gerakan and MIC candidates contested in Malay majority constituencies.

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UMNO DAHULU DAN SEKARANG

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1. Pada 11hb. Mei 2013, UMNO merayakan hari penubuhannya yang ke 63 dengan sembahyang dan tahlil, ucapan bersemangat dari Presiden Najib Tun Razak dan majlis makan malam. Tetapi UMNO pada 2013 ini bukanlah sama dengan UMNO 1946.

2. Pada 1946, pengasas UMNO yang berkumpul di Johor Baru bersemangat untuk menyelamatkan bangsa Melayu dari kehilangan bangsa mereka, dari kehilangan tanahair mereka, dari menjadi rakyat sebuah tanah jajahan British dan hilangnya Melayu di dunia.

3. Perjuangan pemimpin dan ahli pengasas UMNO pada masa itu ialah untuk bangsa, agama dan tanahair. Tidak ada tujuan lain yang menggerakkan mereka, sudah tentu tidak ada kepentingan diri atau niat untuk jadi pembesar negara merdeka dengan upah yang lumayan.

4. Oleh kerana itu mereka dihormati, dialu-alukan dan disokong oleh hampir semua orang Melayu. Mereka adalah pejuang dan jaguh dan orang Melayu datang berduyun-duyun untuk menyertai parti UMNO yang ditubuh oleh mereka.

5. Maka bersatulah Melayu, tanpa mengambilkira pangkat dan darjat, tanpa mempedulikan berpelajaran Melayu, Inggeris atau agama. Mereka semua Melayu samada dari negeri-negeri yang berlainan, dengan raja yang berlainan, atau apa-apa lain yang membezakan mereka.

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BRINGING DOWN GOVERNMENTS

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BRINGING DOWN GOVERNMENTS

1. Street demonstrations can bring down Governments. This we know from the Arab Spring. But we should also know that setting up a new Government to replace the old Government is not as easy.

2. There will always be people who will not agree with the new Government, no matter if the Government is democratically elected or not. The losers in the bid for power will always accuse the winners of cheating and frauds of all kinds. They will demand for new elections, or a re-count or whatever.

3. If their demand is not agreed to then they will take to the streets in continuous and even violent demonstrations, supplemented with strikes and sundry disorders. They know that if the demonstrations are big enough, the police cannot act against them. If the police try, they will resist and become violent. If the police react with violence than their foreign backers will accuse the police of brutality.

4. In many instances the police had to withdraw or they may be directed to withdraw. They become disinclined to carry out their duties. Some people would take advantage of this by committing minor crimes. The people would feel insecure.

5. If on the other hand new elections are held, and the former losers win, the new losers will accuse the winners of cheating, of fraud etc. They will hold street demonstrations and strikes and do everything possible to bring down the Government. And so it would go on.

6. The net result would be continuous turmoil in the country. There would be no growth. Poverty will spread. The country may have to beg for aid or borrow. In the end it loses its independence.

7. But of course this is a small price to pay for the right to bring down governments through democratic street demonstrations.

8. Perhaps it would be better if governments are chosen through street demonstrations. It would probably be less fraudulent.

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SHARING

365 Comments
This article appeared in the New Straits Times of April 30, 2013 

1. Malaysia has enjoyed more than half a century of peace and stability and high growths under BN coalition Governments. The seizure of power by the Malay majority upon independence as predicted by foreign observers and some locals did not happen.2. Instead under the Tunku they promoted a sharing of power and wealth between the three major races through a coalition, the Alliance. The Alliance won 51 out of 52 of the 98 Federal Legislative Council seats contested in 1955. The Tunku as Chief Minister agreed with Sir Cheng Lock Tan’s request and gave one million citizenship to unqualified Chinese and Indians, diluting the Malay majority from 80% to 60%.

3. In 1963 Singapore joined the new state of Malaysia. The PAP did not believe in sharing power. It promoted meritocracy, rule by the elites, by suggesting that Malaysia was not ruled by the cleverest and the most qualified but by Malays. This was intended to stop Chinese support for the MCA and antagonise them against the Malays and UMNO.

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LIBEL

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This article appeared in the New Straits Times of April 28, 2013


1. The DAP’s Kit Siang has learnt a lot from Anwar Ibrahim, the PKR leader. When unable to counter a critic, silence him by threatening to take libel action in court if the statement is not withdrawn. A long drawn hearing in the court with many postponements, will relieve Kit Siang from having to answer his critic.

2. Now he wants to sue me for calling him a racist. I have been called a racist and an ultra hundreds of times. I never sued anyone. I am a politician and ours is a democratic nation. I believe in free speech. If my political opponents call me names, I can reply or I can do something to prove them wrong.

3. I was called a Malay ultra when I became the Deputy Prime Minister. Yet in the 1999 Elections the Malays did not support me. It was Chinese votes which gave me a two-thirds majority. Incidentally Kit Siang and Karpal Singh, the loudest in calling me a Malay racist, lost in that election.

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THE POLITICS OF RACE

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This article appeared in the New Straits Times of April 25, 2013

1. In Malaysia there is not a single political party which can claim to be truly multiracial. All of them are strongly dominated by one race or another.

2. The only party which is nearest to being multi-racial is the National Front. Although it is a coalition of parties but it functions as a single party with every race in Malaysia represented equally in its central council irrespective of the size of the component. In addition the component parties all use the same symbol during elections.

3. Its policies are accepted by all the component parties, unlike the Pakatan where each party has its own objectives and policies. The BN has a distinct leader acknowledged by every party and the Governments it forms have Ministers and Deputy Ministers from all the component parties.

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