Why do Malaysian politicians have so many worries?

Politicians have greatly praised the Chinese during the Lunar New Year. In particular, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed's remarks have inspired me.

During an interview with the Sin Chew Daily, Mustapa said that many Chinese businessmen still believe that economic and business policies in the country have always given protection to the Malays and are unfair to the Chinese, and the stereotype was form when the New Economic Policy (NEP) was introduced in the 1970s.

In fact, the concern should not lie only on the Chinese impression of the policies, but also the views of all races, foreign investors and the international society. After all, economic openness and liberalisation will ultimately benefit the country and the people, instead of a single racial group.

The implication of his remarks is, the country has been moving towards a free and open market, while various transformation plans have brought some results. Let's look into a few events to verify the effectiveness of the transformation plans.

The country and the people have subsidised the national car ever since Proton was launched to the market in 1985. To protect the national car, imported vehicles are taxed 100%, causing a heavy burden to the people over the past 20 years. A total of 105,519 people declared bankruptcy from 2005 until September last year, of which 25% was due to car loan default.

The DRB-Hicom has recently bought Proton. How could a private enterprise enjoy the government's subsidies? The automotive market remains closed and how should the stereotype be removed?

The asset declarations made by the Penang state government has triggered a controversy on whether the federal government should follow suit. BN leaders are opposed to it, claiming that it could harm them and their families while causing false accusations and blame.

However, asset declaration is not something new in many countries. The US has started to implement the asset declaration system since 1978, revealing that about 11% of lawmakers belong to the super-rich category.

In Taiwan, the Sunshine Law requires public officials of all levels to declare their assets online.

Why are Malaysian politicians having so many worries? Their worries of robbery and kidnapping are actually public security problems and should not be used as an excuse.

They refuse even to declare their assets, not to mention about implementing the Government Transformation Plan (GTP).

The Home Ministry also set 15 Feb as the latest deadline for the legalisation process in the 6P amnesty programme, which was originally scheduled on 10 January.

Prior to this, the government said with certainty that the deadline would not be extended but the people still guessed it would be. Unfortunately, the people have again guessed it right. The authority has extended the deadline for a few times, causing a delay in legalising eligible illegal foreign workers while tarnishing the government's credibility.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak introduced government, political and economic plans to help the country out of the middle-income status but if only some areas are opened up and some minor changes are made, while major policies, thinking and work culture remain as status quo, major progress can hardly be achieved.

To fight for swing votes and create a feel good atmosphere, the government must ensure that the reforms are put in place or nothing will be achieved.

-Sin Chew Daily