Where is the transformation? — Lim Sue Goan
May 25, 2012
MAY 25 — Some government officials asked me on several occasions whether the transformation plans could help in securing Chinese voters’ votes. I was unable to give them a definite answer.
The evolution of recent events has conflicted with the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), causing people wonder what has gone wrong.
After the Bersih 3.0 rally, many remarks about the Cold War were made. They have even mentioned about the Communist Party and Karl Marx’s power seizing approach. Could these remarks occupy the front pages of mainstream newspapers if the country has achieved transformation?
It has been chaotic in recent weeks. Manhunt operations were launched and suspects were charged. Some people performed butt exercises and set up stalls in front of Bersih co-chairman Datuk S. Ambiga’s house, while Perkasa members demonstrated outside the Penang chief minister’s house.
Political talks were frequently disturbed and if even national leaders are distracted, who will still care about the transformation plans?
Many court cases have been derived from the dismissal of the then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1998, and much national resources were spent. Unexpectedly, history repeats itself today.
Many political cases are pending trial, and when the government spends a lot of resources, the people would be the one to pay the bill. Would the same mistakes repeat if they are determined to transform?
To fight for power, some people have staged funny shows, including Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali and Kuala Lumpur Petty Traders Action Council chairman Datuk Jamal Md Yunus. If politics has been transformed, there wouldn’t be room for these people to stage their shows.
If they really want to transform, why should they still be bounded by decisions made in the past? The Kuantan Chinese independent school issue serves as the best example here. Would the transformation plan be successful if the policy fails to transform?
Politicians become disorientated and time is wasted for war of words and confrontation. How much energy is left to promote the transformation plans?
As for the economic transformation plan, no more progress about it has been heard since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak revealed the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) Annual Report 2011 on April 2.
Prior to the introduction of the ETP, the New Economic Model proposed to gradually abolish racial quota system has now been abandoned.
What results have been achieved by the ETP? The country’s GDP grew 4.7 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared with a 5.1 per cent growth in the same quarter of 2011 and 5.2 per cent growth in the fourth quarter of 2011. The economy has apparently slowed down and would the economy be able to transform under the shadow of the Europe’s debt crisis?
The share swap deal between Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia has been called off due to political interference. MAS Group still registered a loss after taxes of RM171 million for the first quarter ended March 31. How is it going to get out of the plight? It is the first wake-up call when state enterprises failed to completely transform.
The second wake-up call was sounded when the World Bank pointed out in the biannual East Asia and Pacific economic update that Malaysia should accelerate economic reform measures and abandon the “quick win attitude”, to achieve the high income economy target drawn up by the government.
The “quick win attitude” was referring to the government’s move to stop reducing subsidies and increasing taxes, which have slowed down the pace of reform.
If money distribution is also part of the ETP, it has blurred the focus and confused the people. Is politics the priority? Or economy?
In short, if the transformation plans fail to bring substantive changes, everything is likely to return to the square one. — mysinchew.com
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