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Tweaked crime statistics: Who should respond

Dr Lim Teck Ghee
CPI

Below we are reproducing views from several CPI columnists and regular contributors on the whistleblower’s letter detailing the way in which crime statistics have been processed to provide the misleading conclusion that crime is on the decline in the country.

We await with interest the official response – whether from Hishamuddin Hussein, the Home Minister or Koh Tsu Koon and Idris Jala, the two ministers concerned in the Prime Minister’s Department or from Ismail Omar, the Inspector General of Police.

We had earlier published the letter of explanation on the collection and recording of crime statistics by ACP Razali Mohamad Yoosuf in response to the initial article by myself on why our police are impotent against the tide of rising crime.

We look forward to publishing any further response from ACP Razali and his colleagues in the PDRM or from any other of the alleged implicated stake players on the latest developments on this subject which is of so much concern to our citizenry.

It is important that some official response be forthcoming because at risk is not simply the public’s confidence in crime statistics and the police but at risk is also the public’s confidence in the other officially generated statistics on the country’s development as well as the public’s perception of the professionalism, independence and integrity of the civil service.

Few Malaysians will ever again look at official statistics without wondering how they have been fudged and manipulated by the government for political advantage. Continue reading “Tweaked crime statistics: Who should respond”

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Is Malaysia’s IPO Boom Overhyped?

– By Dhara Ranasinghe
CNBC
27 Aug 2012

Malaysia is marking itself out as the IPO destination to beat this year with a string of billion-dollar-plus deals. Impressive, for sure, but don’t take the booming IPO market as a sign that Malaysia is poised to become a regional financial hub, experts say.

The reasons for this, they add, are simple: once the slew of big Malaysian companies seeking new listings runs out there is likely to be a dearth of initial public offerings (IPOs) in Malaysia. Because Malaysia is still developing open and liquid capital markets, foreign firms looking to list in the region are likely to pick Singapore and Hong Kong over Kuala Lumpur.

All the big companies listed in Malaysia this year are local firms. To really develop itself as a centre for IPOs, Malaysia needs to attract new listings from big foreign firms in the way Singapore and Hong Kong have done in the past, analysts add.

“Part of the boom in the Malaysian IPO market can be explained by the well-developed pension system in Malaysia, which has allowed for growth in domestic demand for equities,” said Herald Van Der Linde, Head of Equity Strategy, Asia-Pacific at HSBC in Hong Kong.

“However, when it comes to comparing Malaysia with Singapore and Hong Kong, these markets are much larger, more diversified and much better developed. As such, they can compete for global IPOs. This is unlikely to happen in Malaysia yet,” Van Der Linde said. Continue reading “Is Malaysia’s IPO Boom Overhyped?”

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Let the truth be upheld

— Mooreyameen Mohamad
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 27, 2012

AUG 27 — The recent article by Anonymous Policeman that claimed crime statistics are being massaged listed serious allegations about police conduct, and clearly raised questions about the veracity of the crime statistics itself. PEMANDU has repeatedly said that it depends on the police to present the data for reporting and that the data from the police were never massaged by PEMANDU.

However, if what is claimed by the article is true, then there are serious questions that need to be asked: is the police force under undue political pressure to perform their duties and therefore dispensed with their charter of being “Mesra, Cepat dan Betul” (friendly, fast and correct)? And, most importantly, keeping our eyes on the real goal of all this, how to deal with the situation?

First and foremost, in order to manage any situation properly, PEMANDU and the police must work with real data to size up the problem properly and to deal with the problem in the most appropriate manner.

If data has been massaged for whatever reason, the real depth and scale of the problem would be unknown, and resources may be misdirected accordingly due to the false data. So, data integrity is, needless to say but still important to remember, of the utmost importance. Continue reading “Let the truth be upheld”

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Why Join Politics?

Media Statement by Yeo Bee Yin on joining the Democratic Action Party on Monday 27 August 2012 in Kuala Lumpur:

My mom has rightly asked, “you can have a decent and comfortable life now already, why choose such a hard life?” The reason is because I love this nation and desire to see a better Malaysia.

I have met just so many young and bright Malaysians who left home for better opportunities abroad. If all of these continue, we’ll soon reach a point of no return.

Therefore I decided to join DAP to make a change. I do not want to be a bystander as my country is going through one of the most important turning points of history, either for the better or worse future. I do not want to regret at the latter part of my life, seeing my country at peril, just because people of my generation have not done enough and have chosen comfort over sacrifice. To quote Edmund Burke (埃德蒙·伯克), “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”.

I believe that Malaysian youths can make a difference, and am always encouraged by Apostle Paul who wrote in a letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set an example in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, faith and purity.” Continue reading “Why Join Politics?”

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Was Najib aware of doctored crime statistics which caused him to single out a “safe Malaysia” as the theme of his Hari Raya message last week?

When in his Hari Raya message last week the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak pledged “a safe Malaysia” by assuring that all agencies responsible will be more effective in tackling crime to enhance security in the country, it raised eyebrows and queries among thinking Malaysians for two reasons:

Firstly, the assurance of a safe country is the most basic and fundamental duty of any functioning and successful government. The Barisan Nasional Government has claimed to be a very successful government, even making the Barisan Nasional election theme “Janji Ditepati” the 55th Merdeka Day/49th Malaysia Day theme! Why then the need to make such a pledge after 55 years of governing the country, unless Malaysia is no more as safe a country for its citizens, investors and tourists as in the past decades?

Secondly, the “safe Malaysia” theme of Najib’s Hari Raya message is even more baffling when his government has been trumpeting its extraordinary success and “Big Wins” in its Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and National Key Result Area (NKRA) in reducing crime – i.e. in 2011, drop in street crime by 39.7% and drop in overall crime index by 11.1% although Malaysians have never felt so unsafe in public places or even in the privacy of their homes!

Now, Malaysians are beginning to understand why Najib has made “a safe Malaysia” the main theme of his Hari Raya message last week. Continue reading “Was Najib aware of doctored crime statistics which caused him to single out a “safe Malaysia” as the theme of his Hari Raya message last week?”

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Why I joined the DAP

By Dr Ong Kian Ming
The Malaysian Insider

AUG 27 — Before joining the DAP, I have never been a member of any other political party despite having worked for two think-tanks that were linked to the MCA and Gerakan. Why am I making the decision to join a political party now and why did I choose the DAP?

I believe that our country is at a critical juncture in its history where for the first time since achieving our independence, we have a credible and strong opposition capable of governing at the federal level. This has been most clearly demonstrated in the state governments in Penang and Selangor which have vastly outperformed their predecessors in terms of delivering transparent, accountable, responsiveness and caring governments.

At the same time, despite the various transformation initiatives which have been rolled out by our Prime Minister Najib Razak, there is still a glaring absence of fundamental structural reforms that are necessary to spark a genuine process of transformation. Not only is there the business-as-usual way of ill-conceived and murky deals being done — via the various 1MDB-linked land and asset acquisitions, just to name one — we also see a disturbing ramp-up in fear-mongering attempts by the BN-linked papers such as Utusan in order to raise feelings of ethnic insecurity.

Things seem to be getting worse for the country as a desperate regime clings to power, seemingly at all costs. As such, the time for sitting on the academic sidelines and commentating as an analyst is over. It is time, at least for me, to take the plunge and to play a more active role to bring about a necessary regime change in the country. Continue reading “Why I joined the DAP”

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BN: Stop creating illusionary fear

— CL Tang
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 26, 2012

AUG 26 — Day in day out, Umno and MCA have been frightening the people with their doomsday scenario should Pakatan Rakyat wrestle power from their clutches.

MCA leaders keep harping to the Chinese electorate that a vote for DAP is a vote for PAS. Should Pakatan come to power, MCA suggests, rather ludicrously that DAP will bow down to PAS’ demands for the implementation of hudud law.

Never mind that PAS would not have the numbers to push this through parliament since their Pakatan partners, DAP and PKR, would never accede to it. In fact, PAS would have to rely on the other sole dominant Muslim political party, Umno, to have any chance of making hudud law a reality. Can MCA President Chua Soi Lek secure a promise from big brother Umno that it will never consider such a political alliance? If it is not able to do so, then it should refrain from lambasting DAP for its alleged subservience to PAS, when MCA dare not even stand up to Umno when it is being bullied. More importantly, MCA must stop using the threat of hudud law as its main political weapon against DAP, as it raises unnecessary fear and unease among the main races in Malaysia.

Umno leaders have been painting a picture of apocalypse should Pakatan win power. “Don’t take Malaysia’s peace and harmony for granted”, they exclaim over and over again, suggesting that Malaysia’s stability and race relations are so fragile that a change of power in a fair election could throw the entire country into chaos and mayhem. The May 13th incident is being cited again and again. Continue reading “BN: Stop creating illusionary fear”

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Kick them out

— Sam Peh
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 26, 2012

AUG 26 — There are two options that the BN government relies on: deny even in the face of evidence or keep silent.

The first option was used by Koh Tsu Koon (can anyone explain to me why he is still around? Didn’t he get trounced?) when he told the MCA newsletter that he was unaware that a circular had been sent out by the National Unity Department of the Prime Minister’s Department asking Chinese and Indian students to make up the numbers for the National Day Parade. For their troubles, they would get some cash and a T-shirt.

Koh said no such was needed. But the problem with that bare denial is that circular has been sent to several institutions of higher learning and that it appears that The Malaysian Insider has got its hands on one such circular. Of course, the MCA newsletter will publish anything without checking. Instead of taking the word of a Cabinet minister (who trusts these chaps?), their reporters should have called up the Department of National Unity or even checked with a few private institutions but I suppose that would involve doing some real journalism.

The second BN option is silence when faced with a troublesome issue. Sometimes, the silence is because Putrajaya believes that the issue will blow over. (That is why Putrajaya kept quiet for months while PKR lifted the veil of the NFC scam). Continue reading “Kick them out”