Aidila Razak | Feb 8, 11
Malaysiakini
Malay rights NGO Perkasa’s fierce objections to aspects of the first part of the New Economic Model (NEM) forced its second part to be watered down.
Revealing this today, National Economic Advisory Council member Zainal Aznam Mohd Yusof said Perkasa and other right wing groups were up in arms particularly over the NEM’s rejection of 30 percent bumiputera equity and the proposal of an equal opportunities commission.
“(These suggestions) were lambasted and strangled by right wing groups led by Perkasa. They wanted to burn part one (of the NEM).
“…Perkasa said we did not have roh Melayu (the Malay spirit),” he lamented.
Speaking at a forum organised by think-tank Institue of Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) in Kuala Lumpur, Zainal Aznam added that listening to the right wing groups meant that the cabinet had failed the test on reforms.
“This was the government’s litmus test and at this time, I have to say that there is no political will,” he said.
NEM I was also heavily-edited
Interestingly, Zainal Aznam, who claimed reluctance to join the council, said that the first part of the NEM which was so objectionable was in fact already heavily censored.
“I joined NEAC with hesitancy… I had serious doubts over how far the BN government is willing to go out (to reform).
“Nine of us (from the council) sat and gave our proposals, and even this was after heavy editing with the council and secretariat,” he said, adding that some council members were unhappy about removing the 30 percent bumiputera equity.
To a question from Kita president Zaid Ibrahim, who was in the audience, the economist who confessed to looking forward to the council’s dissolution in June, noted that political reform too was to be included in the NEM, but did not make it to print.
Softening Zainal Aznam’s hard-hitting comments was Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) representative Chris Tan, who said that what we need to do now is to celebrate small wins on the reform path.
“The passing of the Whistleblower Act is a milestone achievement which did not get as much airplay. I am younger than you so I believe there is time,” he said, responding to the economist’s assertion that reforms are taking too long.
‘ETP is an investor prospectus’
Speaking to reporters at a press conference later, Tan said that the much lauded Economic Tranformation Programme in in fact very much like an investor’s prospectus.
The idea, he said, is to focus on the twelve selected economic areas and detail the government’s promises in terms of infrastructure and policy in those areas to attract investors.
“We are giving business examples. We are saying this is our top 12 recommendations for you to invest and these are the government’s promises,” he said.
Today’s forum, ‘Celebrating the thoughts and vision of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra’ was organised in conjunction with Ideas’ second anniversary, which falls on the same day as the first prime minister’s birthday.
The institute, which aims at promoting libertarian ideals, was recently ranked as the 18th best new think-tank in the world, out of 6,480 think tanks surveyed by the University of Pennsylvania and the United Nations University.
It is one of three Malaysian think-tanks to make the list, and was ranked second in Asia.
Also part of the panel were UKM political science student Woon King Chai and Maybank Investment chief executive officer Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
///Perkasa hijacked NEM, says NEAC man///
Najib is a failed reformer.
Ooops! Stepped on two rambutans. Am afraid got it squashed. Yuks.
These are just wayang kulit. If Najib really wanted to act, who is Perkasa to object. If MCA insisted that the 30% should go, CSL might be arrested! Yet perkasa is not a component party of BN.
What?! A UKM political science STUDENT was a panel member?!
How can it be, mooed UmnoB/BN ministers
If Mr. Najib is serious about achieving that goal, a long look in the mirror might be in order first. Despite the government’s new catchphrase, racial and religious tensions are higher today than when Mr. Najib took office in 2009. Indeed, they are worse than at any time since 1969, when at least 200 people died in racial clashes between the majority Malay and minority Chinese communities. The recent deterioration is due to the troubling fact that the country’s leadership is tolerating, and in some cases provoking, ethnic factionalism through words and actions.///John R. Malott, Mr. Malott was the U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, 1995-1998.http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/guest-columnists/37969-the-price-of-malaysias-racism.
So Najib cannot fool all the people.
Once the money pipe-line to PM’s pocket is cut off, following an Egypt-style uprising, maybe there is a chance to save this country from going burst anytime.
What la this retarded people like Perkasa,no further comment.
No investor is going to believe the NEM anymore.
NEAC, NEM, NKRA, NKEA and all the other N’s.
They are all nuts. Najib’s nuts.
Chris Tan et. al. should just forget all those nutty propaganda, return to earth, truth and integrity. Chris, only a nincompoop can beleieve that BN has still some shred of credibility left and that, given time, honest BN folks and their underlings will still be able to do Malaysia a world of good. Get real, Chris, and go home. Your mama needs you more than this country.
Have some sense. Any idiot can tell you the country is in a sh**itty state of affairs.
If I can believe Najib, then I can believe that cows do jump over the moon and that RM8 billion for 8 OPVs is petty cash for MOD and that Altantuya’s real name is Aminah.
When the sole objective is to ‘rape’ the nation high and dry, all nimcompoop reasons are used to frighten the amjority of the Malaysian population who will continued to be indoctrinated to fear its shadow by concentrating on a single limited-use language under all kinds of reasons like one Kampong professor said that not knowing the national language means you have no love for the nation! And then you have the Super-Ego who stooped to call Lau Lee a Mayor of a City but forgetting that the DOT and itys inventor gets more respect out of this world than his own propaganda through blind followers who can only shout ‘wolf’ but could not find any solution even indeed their own home-grown wolves have devoured them all.
We gonna have a nation of population who wanted only to relie on Rent-Collection for their living;no sweat no worry and no need to compete; that is their philosophy of their great civilization, as c laimed by a Deputy MOE of 6,000 years! Given the space in Utusan and Berita, the megalomaniac minds would continue the path of self-illusion to Zimbabwe!
Certainly we are bankrupt of ideas of any kind to lead us forward! Yea, the Stephen King of HSBC must have dreamed of all the sloganeering of this Bolehland to conclude that indeed we will be nombor30 by 2050!!! Any way I hope he has nothing to do with the other Stephen King who preferred to let you know that he is in another world!
We have a Chinese apologist like Chris Tan who works for Idris Jala, telling the world that everything is fine. We have apologists in the MCA, MIC and Gerakan who cheer Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan, knowing full well that it was meant only to fish for non-Malay votes, and nothing more.
Investors are not stupid. We are not stupid.
Chris has been appointed BN’s apologists. He sees light in darkness.
What is economic model without a political model or even a judicial model.
Only stupid investors will fall for the NEM. The wise ones have many other countries to go to. You want them to invest and give these greedy fellows 30% for doing nothing?
I see a lot of political will – political will to deceive. Najib coins his 1Malaysia to snare non-bumi votes. MooHeeDin and Mamakthir tell the right-wingers not to worry, their bumi rights will be protected. They play this good cop-bad cop routine so many times, and when this doesn’t work for them, RM50 angpows and free sewing machines will be given to buy votes.
Yes, there is strong political will to deceive the rakyat.
Thanks for confirming it, Encik Zainal. We knew it all the time.
We also know what to do about it. Lets see if we all have the human will, for our future generation.
This is another example of strong political will….
http://malaysiakini.com/news/155488
The investor market is not stupid, and is reading that this government has the political will to continue stealing.
///Perkasa hijacked NEM, says NEAC man///
Boolshit, it is jib who hijacked malaysia!
THIS is news? Seriously, how many people out there thought this was NOT happening? Day one, the critics have said it was happening.
Its simply pathetic this is NEWS. That should not be issue. The issue is we knew it and how come we let it happen? The issue is how we could have let Najib let it happen?
The answer is that our system is pathetic. The Mahathir created BN system created mediocre leaders. It simply is pathetic as far as renewal and improving Malay leadership is concern. The hope of Malay leadership, and Malaysia leadership is for it to be dynamic. BN has to go at least for once. All political parties and leaders should be expendable..
Kogan, oh Kogan! If only you had been killed in Egypt
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/08/AR2011020806421.html
After the disclosure by the former US Ambassador, I am sure that people in Washington know what has been going on in Malaysia for many years.
Unlike Egypt, a major nation in the ME, could it be that US officials do not consider Malaysia to be a strategic ally in Asean as both Singapore and Indonesia are important nations in this region ?