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If Malaysia does not buck up on the anti-corruption front, Indonesia and China may overtake Malaysia before 2020 in the annual Tl CPI both in ranking and score

Just before I came up to the rostrum, I was reading the Jakarta Post report today “We are the best at anti-graft: SBY”, as follows:

Amid intensifying reports of massive corruption implicating many of his Democratic Party members, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono claimed on Wednesday that his administration had conducted the best anti-corruption campaign in Indonesia’s history.

“We have carried out the most aggressive anti-corruption measures in this country’s history,” the President said in his speech before 128 foreign envoys assigned to Indonesia in a meeting held at the Foreign Ministry office. Continue reading “If Malaysia does not buck up on the anti-corruption front, Indonesia and China may overtake Malaysia before 2020 in the annual Tl CPI both in ranking and score”

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DAP: RM97b in hidden loans pushes public debt over legal limit

By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 16, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — The DAP today accused the government of not reporting RM96.9 billion in loans it has guaranteed as public debt, which would push the amount of federal loans above the 55 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) allowed by law.

Party publicity chief Tony Pua said the combined public debt of RM455.7 billion reported last year and the “off-balance sheet” financing would amount to RM552.6 billion, or 65.2 per cent of the economy.

“For all intents and purposes, even though these loans are not taken by the government, they are essentially government debt or otherwise known as contingent liabilities.

“This expanded figure would then constitute 65.2 per cent of our GDP, well above the 55 per cent federal government loan limit as defined in the Loan (Local) Act 1959 and Government Funding Act 1983,” Pua (picture) said in a statement today.

Malaysia’s national debt has been a hotly debated issue after the Auditor-General said in October it grew by 12.3 per cent to over RM407 billion in 2010, or 53.1 per cent of GDP. Continue reading “DAP: RM97b in hidden loans pushes public debt over legal limit”

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Dalam pilihanraya lalu lebih 1 juta ahli Umno keluar parti semasa mengundi … Kali ini bagaimana?

— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 15, 2012

15 FEB — Saya telah diberitahu oleh rakan-rakan dalam Umno yang parti itu akan membawa Tengku Ahmad Rithauddin, Pengerusi jawatankuasa disiplin parti, ke setiap negeri melalui badan-badan perhubungan Umno setiap negeri. Tujuannya ialah untuk memantau permasalahan yang besar didalam Umno dalam pilihanraya umum nanti, iaitu sabotaj oleh ahli-ahlinya sendiri.

Saya telah banyak menulis tentang kerapuhan sokongan ahli-ahli Umno terhadap partinya. Tidak pernah saya terlupa dalam pilihanraya 1999 dan 2008 begitu ramai ahli-ahli Umno telah mengundi parti-parti pembangkang dan itu merupakan satu perkara yang begitu ‘normal’ dalam Umno sekarang ini. Parti itu sedar yang ia tidak boleh mempercayai ahli-ahlinya apabila sampai waktu pilihanraya.

Umno ini merupkan satu parti besar tetapi masalah menguruskan ahlinya pun besar. Ahli-ahli Umno sekarang bukannya seperti dahulu, hanya mengikut lenggang dan tari pemimpin mereka. Sekarang mereka lebih kritis dari dahulu. Dalam pilihanraya yang lalu lebih dari 50 peratus (1.6 juta) ahli-ahlinya telah bertukar haluan dengan mengundi parti-parti ‘alternative’.

Jika semua ahli-ahli Umno itu menyokong partinya, masakan ramai calon-calon Umno telah rebah bergelimpangan dalam pilihanraya yang lalu kerana ditolak oleh pengundi-pengundi termasuk oleh ahli-ahlinya sendiri. Inilah masalahnya jika sebuah parti itu terlalu bergantung kepada jumlah ahlinya. Banyak parti-parti didunia ini termasuk di negara kita ini, berjaya tanpa ahli yang ramai. DAP hanya mempunyai 135 ribu orang ahli sahaja tetapi undi yang diperolehi oleh parti ini dalam pilihanraya yang lalu melebihi dua juta orang. Continue reading “Dalam pilihanraya lalu lebih 1 juta ahli Umno keluar parti semasa mengundi … Kali ini bagaimana?”

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Not a penny more, BN

— CL Tang
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 15, 2012

FEB 15 — After handing out one-off payments of RM500 to the poor, the government turns around and is now asking for a handout from the taxpayers, under the guise of paying for an improved healthcare system.

The people must now realise that this is a government that has neither the vision nor the will to move Malaysia forward in the global marketplace. After a lousy victory in 2008 general elections, the Barisan Nasional (BN) government has virtually been on a re-election campaign mode since, devising short-term populist agendas such as KR1M, BR1M, etc., none of which addresses the current malaise the country is facing — stagnant wages in the face of rising costs in the midst of a long-drawn out, slow global growth.

As it stretched out is left hand to hand out cash to poor households, its right hand is dipping into the pockets of ordinary Malaysians to fund its lavish spending and greedy cronies. Continue reading “Not a penny more, BN”