After 56 years under UMNO-led coalitions (Alliance Party and Barisan Nasional) the time has finally come for a change of government in the country. The people now have a choice since there is a workable two-party system in the country.
The spur for change has been fortified after seeing the many successes of the four states under the control of the federal opposition. Selangor, Penang, Kelantan and Kedah have shown remarkable achievements that will help define the people’s next choice of a new federal government.
The crumbs or “bribes” the present regime is giving such as BR1M, book vouchers and other forms of one-off bonus and pay-hikes just before the elections will not help change the negative perception the people have for the present regime.
They still perceive that the present regime is corrupt to the core.
And the weight of these bribes is affecting the poor more. The cost of living has risen burdening the poor more. Prices of commodities in the market are spiralling out of control, which is unfairly not in tandem with the small token sum given to the people.
The fact is that prices of almost all essential items in the market have gone up between 15 to 20 percent within the last six months.
Those who earn less suffer the most now with inflation that is driven by the political greed of politicians to remain in power.
Corruption and abuse of power
The NEP (New Economic Policy) introduced by the UMNO-led government in 1971 to restructure the society has failed to eradicate poverty among all races and also to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor after more than 40 years of its implementation.
As such 80 percent of the population still find it hard to make ends meet when prices of goods are spiralling out of control. The UMNO-led government has no economic acumen or mechanism to help reduce inflation to alleviate the plights of these people other than giving them crumbs as bribes to get votes from them in the coming general election – to be held any time before June. 2013.
With this social and economic gap it has also further polarised the people to a point where racial politics have shown no sign of ebbing under UMNO-led government.
The inherent philosophy of the NEP is notable – to eradicate poverty irrespective of race and to restructure the economy so that there will be a more equitable distribution of wealth among races in the country. But this noble objective has been derailed all because of racism, corruption and blatant abuse of the policy.
It has failed to restructure the society economically and has created another pool of marginalised citizens – deplorably hovering in our society with the less than 10 percent successful Malaysians.
It is the abuse of the NEP that has led to a nation more polarised. It is now an economy that is warped by political hegemony and cronies using their connections and influence to get hold of business opportunities from without giving in return any benefits to the ordinary people.
These are the private monopolists created by the sitting government. These enriched bumiputera and non-bumiputera under the NEP are those who are well-connected to those walking the corridors of power.
A new approach to the nation’s economic policy
There certainly has to be a new approach to the nation’s economic policy that will not sideline the economic interests of the Orang Asal and the Malays but should also be all-encompassing to help the marginalised groups among other ethnic groups.
It has to be a newly branded and executed policy that will help alleviate the plights of the poor irrespective of race or religion.
The NEP was never a stumbling block to the nation’s progress at the policy level. Only its implementation has been terribly inconsistent. The eradication of poverty did not embrace all races at the implementation level. The poor, among the Orang Asal and Indians especially, were left out.
There has to be an in-depth change to this. It now has to be a needs-based policy focusing more on the needs and plights of all ethnic groups in the country.
Beyond that, NEP policy has failed to generate competitiveness among certain ethnic groups in the country despite the long years of its implementation. This has led to them being too dependent on government assistance. It has failed to instil the “culture of competition” in those recipients of benefits.
The poor Malays and the Orang Asal are not to be ignored but the policy in general will have to be fine-tuned to also help other ethnic groups to stay away from a life of abject poverty and marginalisation. The racially discriminatory policies such as involving unfair quotas and privileges and business opportunities to benefit only a certain group of people will have to be overhauled to reflect a more social and economic justice involving all Malaysians.
A balanced policy that takes into account all the races will certainly encourage a healthier competition among the people.
Regrettably, the NEP has actually enriched the rich – many of whom have lost their heart for the country. After obtaining the benefits of the NEP they now have their wealth stacked in foreign banks and countries. They have even adopted devious means to get their money out of the country.
Hijacked by UMNO
The policy has been hijacked by UMNO to enrich its cronies of all races. And today the country sees a widening gap between the rich and the poor, with the rich finding new homes or sanctuaries overseas.
A report by the Department of Statistics – Household Income and Basic Amenities Survey Report 2009 – found that some 5.5 million Malaysians live in poverty despite the claim by UMNO leaders that it has been reduced drastically. UMNO’s political propaganda has it at less than 2 percent.
Despite the opulent resources found in the country, profits made by the rich under the NEP have failed to trickle down to the poor. The NEP has only created crony groups that are closely connected to UMNO and these are the people who have benefitted most for the past 40 years.
Allegations of corruption are not new when it involves Sarawak, for instance. The rich plunder resource-rich Sarawak where the natives in the state live in abject poverty. Sarawak may be one of the richest states in the country with a population of 2.5 million but the poverty rate still stands high. People in Sarawak are some of the poorest in the country.
Sarawak and Sabah have the dubious distinction of being the poorest place in Malaysia and yet the two states are rich in natural resources. Going by the purchasing-power index for basic needs it can be affirmed that more than 80 percent of the native population in these two states are considered relatively poor.
A report, based on figures from the Economic Planning Unit and the respective State Planning Units in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, confirmed that Sabah and Sarawak were the poorest and second poorest states respectively in Malaysia,
Over 80 percent of the prime forest in these states has been exploited for timber. And even with so much wealth accrued there, which includes oil and gas, the states are still under-developed. This condition is not only confined to Sarawak and Sabah under the present UMNO-led government. It has also affected states like Pahang, Perak, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan awfully.
The present regime has actually failed all these states.
No political will
In most cases, allegations of shady land deals in businesses have gone uninvestigated and thus for the past many years illegal deals involving huge number of properties have only enriched a few who are well-connected to some untrustworthy politicians.
The corrupt have found all the tricks and manoeuvres to circumvent the laws of the country to get rich using some sneaky lawyers. Foreign banks are ever ready to co-operate with these scums and crosiers. And we see illegal money flowing out of the country in the rate of billions every year.
The rich and the well-connected dare to do this because of the weak government apparatus. Government offices and the corruption agency oftentimes have no clout to intervene due to political interference. There is also no political will to stop these transgressions just because too many others are equally involved – all well-connected to those walking the corridors of power.
A report mentioned that, “as the country heads to what will be the closest fought general election since independence, rich unpatriotic Malaysians have been in a buying spree of properties overseas in trying to salvage the questionable wealth ahead of political change”.
These wealthy Malaysians who have benefitted from the NEP are now scrambling to buy properties overseas, joining the ranks of many other shady characters from other countries.
Western and many rich Asian countries have always attracted money from capital flight as well as from questionable wealth. This “Abandoning Malaysia Plan” is now taking place against a backdrop of political uncertainties, huge capital outflow and a sharp decline in the country's trade surplus.
Have they now all abandoned Malaysia after making massive wealth through the NEP?
“Dirty money “was siphoned out
Washington-based financial watchdog Global Financial Integrity (GFI) recently reported that “some RM200 billions of 'dirty money' was siphoned out of Malaysia in 2010, putting the country second in Asian and third in the world for global capital flight”.
Greed among the rich and the powerful has no limits. Corruption has destroyed the fabric of the society under the present regime. In a patronage kind of politics corruption will always help entrench the positions of those in power and this will in turn benefit the cronies.
They bribe the ordinary people with crumbs just before elections to remain in power. Having secured their political position they embark on enriching themselves and the rent-seekers.
The voters have to be edified that these crumbs given to them is not going to guarantee a good life for their future generations when the country’s resources are being depleted and robbed by a few in the name of NEP.
Hopefully it’s time for all Malaysians see a new government helming Putrajaya with new policies and political will to curb cronyism and corruption. It has to be a government that is accountable and transparent. It should be able to adopt a new economic policy that disfavours rent-seekers and the corrupt and will not make any race in the country feel alienated.
It has to adopt better governance and work towards a new needs-based economic policy that will ensure the poor among all ethnic groups are not marginalised.
Reject a regime that is known to be corrupt
The gap between the poor and the rich has to be tapered and the economic policies of a new government should be a needs-based economic policy. They should have a fine policy – perhaps a refined version of the NEP that is fair to all Malaysians.
The policy should entail social justice for all Malaysians in the field of education and the economy. It has to be a policy that is backed by a strong political will to curb abuse of power and corruption that if left unbridled can derail the country’s economy.
The flow of “dirty money” from the country should be reined in with stringent laws. All dubious business transactions using foreign banks, countries and irresponsible lawyers and politicians should be unreservedly eliminated.
The people now have a choice whether to keep or reject a regime that is known to be corrupt, undemocratic and practises racial politics or to choose a government that promises social justice, economic accountability and transparency, and non-racial politics.
Change is what the people yearn for now. If a new government comes to power after the next general election it certainly has to walk the talk to convince the common people.
Malaysia Chronicle
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