Lim Kit Siang

New Deal

Letters
by Toh Leong

I read CSL speech (MCA 58th AGM). Sound okay in rhetoric, but can he match it with actions. Walk the talk as he expects others who are not in power to do.

The PKFZ scandal persisted since three previous MCA transport ministers. Are they going to continue keeping quiet, and hope the people will forget?

The MCA believes in peaceful dissent. How come they did not support Bersih in the first place. Tear gas and water cannons were fired into a hospital. Its minister promised an investigation, but nothing happens. Looks like empty vessel making noises. there is absolutely no concern of the two new laws to replace the repressive ISA. At least, state that detention without trail is not in the best interests of the rakyat. It is a weapon of colonialists and repressive regimes.

He is right to say, “the rakyat want a more just society and a fairer business environment that emphasizes meritocracy, inclusiveness and transparency.” Will MCA be able to even speak out against negotiated tenders, IPP’s and other rent seeking projects. All Petronas dealings are hidden. What transparency are they talking about. Even the PM himself is helpless. His ETP, NEM, 1Malaysia, People First, are nothing but a load of talk, talk, talk, but absolutely no walk.

Robert Kwok has only the hotel business left in Malaysia. Genting and YTL have already set up businesses in Singapore. A year ago, I heard the capital flight amounted to RM888 billion. Isn’t that an indication of capital flight for safer havens.

There should be a total review of the education system. It is in shambles because of too much political input. Primary education should be confine to the 3R’s or perhaps 4R’s, viz reading, writing, arithmetic and perhaps reasoning. All kinds of rubbish are introduced into the primary school curriculum. There are no remedial teaching in schools. We have some students finishing secondary school, yet unable to read and write.

CSL talks of supporting the teaching of science and maths in secondary schools, but do not have the courage of bringing the party’s idea out in the open. Merely saying at an AGM is not good enough.

When subsidies were removed, MCA says nothing. When you remove fuel subsidies, transport and production costs definitely go upwards. Now you are suggesting handouts. Damn, don’t you know that it is better to “teach a child to fish than to fish for him.” After one handout, what is the poor man suppose to do? Vote for you because you gave one handout? On the top of it, you are supporting GST and stating that it will lower costs. Can any taxes lower costs. Have privatization of many government companies lower the costs of living for the people? The gomen is short of money and is looking at ways and means of pinching from the people.

MCA is supposed to represent the Chinese. It has be unable to mitigate on our behalf at all. It can’t even mitigate for itself. It was called the abused wife, but could not say anything. If we have Chinese ministers, does it make much of a difference. Someone says, they are like mannequins.