The Orange Solution: Malaysia's lifeline and BN's death warrant

The Orange Book, or Buku Jingga, was released by Pakatan Rakyat on December 20^th last year. It was a formulated and agreed upon by all parties in Pakatan Rakyat, and signed by the leaders of PKR, PAS and DAP. The Orange Book was their solution to Malaysia’s economic, governance and social woes.

It was a stunning agreement, underlining Pakatan’s unity, and the proposals outlined in the Orange Book have the potential to solve Malaysia’s problems, if Pakatan is only given the chance to implement them. In contrast the BN offers Malaysians empty rhetoric and more mega projects like the ‘Wawasan’ building.

In response to rising prices that are severely burdening Malaysians, the BN raises the electricity tariffs and promises to take away petrol subsidies! The BN responds to rising prices by raising prices!

They have no plan but stumble around, arms flailing in the air, false smiles painted firmly on; a clueless bunch of incompetents grimly clinging on to power.

By the time they study it, we'll be dead

The Orange Book presciently noted in December 2010 that Malaysia’s competitiveness has suffered due to the BN’s weak policies and ineffective government. Sure enough, our competitiveness ranking fell 6 spots from 10^th to 16^th in the latest World Competitiveness rankings published last month. The BN’s response was a weak “We will study it”.

When our competitiveness decreases, we will be less able to compete with other countries. Less of our products will be bought. Our revenues will go down. We will get less investments, because corporations would rather put their money in more competitive economies.

We will lose jobs and new job-creation will suffer. Our prices will go up, our income will be affected. We will then become even less competitive. We will be trapped in a vicious cycle. Meanwhile, the BN government will be ‘studying it’. They will also, unhelpfully, raise electricity rates and take away subsidies.

The killer blows

The Orange Book’s core policies are based on four primary goals. First, it will ensure a transparent and trueDemocracy to reflect and empower the supremacy of the rakyat. Economically, this is critical because without transparency corruption and wastage cannot be curtailed.

Corruption and wastage consumes RM28 billion a year from public monies. In contrast, petrol subsidies amount to RM10 billion. If corruption and wastage can be stopped there will be no need to take away the petrol subsidy. To do that, we must have transparency. This we will not get from the BN. While raising electricity rates, they doggedly defend the IPP subsidies and untransparently refuse to make public the IPP agreements.

Second, the Orange Book promises a dynamic and sustainable Economy through the implementation of various measures. Eliminating waste, ensuring accountability, disavowing wasteful protectionism, accepting the reality of globalization, investing in human capital and creating a harmonious nation that works together are all part of Pakatan’s MEA (Malaysian Economic Agenda).

Third is Social Justice to ensure the development of rights and the respect of human dignity. This is sorely needed in Malaysia. Our human rights record is dismal and Suhakam appears to be a toothless tool of the BN, rather than the protector it should rightfully be.

Human rights activists are thwarted at every turn and often themselves targeted. Suspicious deaths in custody continue unabated and affects all citizens of Malaysia, regardless of race, and not discriminating of station in life. A Kugan was Indian, Teoh Beng Hock was Chinese and an aide to a an Assemblyman while Ahmad Sarbani was a senior customs officer.

Fourth is Federal-State and foreign policies that are based on principles of fairness and justice. Most vexing is the treatment of opposition states by the Federal BN government. The BN seems to be operating on the principle that if it is able to stunt the development of opposition states, then the citizens there will vote for the BN at the next election.

The fact that Kelantan has remained in PAS’s hands for so long despite the BN’s machinations should have educated them that such methods will not work. But they carry on regardless. Holding back any State in Malaysia from developing is an abuse of power and it will affect the entire country’s economy. The BN faces a different electorate today, one that will not tolerate being pushed around, and they are overdue in accepting this reality.

Kelantan has had to go to court to get their rightful share of oil revenues. A Pakatan government will solve this in one stroke by increasing oil royalties to Kelantan, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak to 20% from the current measly 5%. And it will be done regardless of who rules in these states. There will be no step-children. The nation will move forward as one.

Can BN change?

The current BN administration has clearly failed Malaysians in all these areas. They are trapped in a web of their own making. If Najib Razak were to wake up tomorrow morning and decide to adopt Pakatan’s Orange Book to save the country, he would be quickly ousted by vested interests. The BN cannot change and will remain unreformed.

We will have to change them, by relegating them to the opposition benches, in the next General Election. - Malaysia Chronicle