Rafidah: Our system among "the best in the world", no need for reforms

Former senior minister Rafidah Aziz insisted that Malaysia's administrative system was among "the best in the world", brushing aside any need for reforms, which she termed as being an "abused word".

“If it is atrocious, I wouldn’t be standing here. Don’t blame the system, blame some parts of the system.  It’s the guys implementing the policies, the new generation. They don’t understand what needs to be done,” Rafidah, the long-time International Trade minister, told a lecture series on Friday.

“The word reform has been so well abused. Never use it unless you mean it.  If there was a lack of accountability, we will be like Egypt. The government is made up of people, they cannot be perfect every time."

But her words are unlikely to draw much agreement from Malaysians, who in 2008 voted for change and reform to weed out racial politicking and entrenched corruption in the system.

Own reputation not good

Indeed, Rafidah's own reputation is not unblemished. Known as Mrs AP for the authorized permits to import motor vehicles that she was accused of having lavished on her own family, Rafidah is certainly regarded by many to be on the A-list of corrupt Umno leaders. She has repeatedly denied wrongdoing but was dropped from the federal Cabinet in 2008 despite retaining her Kuala Kangsar parliamentary seat.

"It is sad that at this late stage when we are almost at the next general election that Rafidah is talking about staying stagnant. But a whole way of life that the Umno elite has grown accustomed to over the past 5 decades is ending. They and Rafidah are not ready to accept this realty yet. They want to retain the same old system that benefits them while the rest of the country suffers," PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng told Malaysia Chronicle.

Dr M too

Apart from Rafidah, former premier Mahathir Mohamad has been very active over the past few weeks, commenting on various issues. Not only did Mahathir defend several large deals unveiled by Najib over the past month, he warned that the country would go to the dogs if Malaysians did not give the BN a two-thirds victory at the 13th general election, widely expected to be held this year.

"Dr Mahathir stressed that what was important is for BN to win by a two thirds majority at all levels, state or national, because only that result can determine whether a government can be formed or not," Bernama reported Selangor BN coordinator Mohd Zin Mohamed as saying in a statement out last weekend.

The Pakatan Rakyat led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim chalked unprecedented gains at the 12th national polls held in 2008, denying the BN its long-held two-third majoriity of the seats in Parliament for the first time in 5 decades. Pakatan is rated as having an even chance of wresting the federal government in the GE-13.

Malaysia Chronicle