‘Chua does not understand business’

The Malaysian Indian Business Association says that Chua should not touch on subjects he does not understand.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Indian Business Association (MIBA) said today that Dr Chua Soi Lek is talking through his hat when he claimed that the Malaysian economy will be disrupted if the opposition comes into power.

MIBA president P Sivakumar said that it is very unbecoming of a mature politician to say such a thing.

The Star quoted the MCA president as saying that Pakatan Rakyat was only out to grab political power at all cost and it had no vision or plans for the betterment of the country.

“Malaysia is still very attractive to foreign investors, with less corruption and more tenders in relation to businesses,” Sivakumar said.

“If only privatisation can be reformed, business opportunities will definitely increase,” he added.

Sivakumar said that privatisation is very useful but the government (be it Barisan Nasional or Pakatan) must do away with rent-seeking and policy failures must be checked. This will help reform privatisation and improve business opportunities in Malaysia.

“As a medical doctor, Chua should not comment on topics that he is not well versed in. It is very misleading and irresponsible of him to say that the economy will come to a standstill if the opposition takes over,” he said.

He stressed that Chua, being an MCA leader, should not be scaring the Chinese community by saying such things.

According to Sivakumar, the government should also think again on government-linked companies (GLC) and pave the way for more individual players to compete and grow.

“This way, we can see a more sizeable middle-class growth and it will be easier for the government to monitor inflation,” he said.

Sivakumar claims to have spoken to a few businessmen and foreign investors at conferences recently and they are happy with the open tender system, saying it is more transparent and easier to do business.

“They are not interested in who runs the government, as long as the business is cost-effective and the system to obtain tenders is out in the open. They are more than happy to do business with us.” he said.

He claimed that Pakatan is doing well with the open tender system in accordance with the International Standards in the Emerging Global Economy’s guidelines, especially in Penang and Selangor.