GOVERNING WITHOUT A COMPASS By Rafidah Aziz

 

GOVERNING WITHOUT A COMPASS

by Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz

It is with concern, when one reads about YET ANOTHER entity, to be established...this time to " Regulate the HALAL Industry ", along with the several more, to "regulate", "look into" and "cater for", various areas of Economic and Business activities.

We should begin to wonder whether...

....the retinue of "Advisors" , "Experts" etc, who are attached to the Prime Minister, and many of the Ministers, KNOW...

... what is already there...

....What has already been done...

....and what is actually still functioning..

...BEFORE advising their bosses to make those " Proposals?"

Eg...In the case of the HALAL INDUSTRY, and "Syariah Compliance", THE MALAYSIAN HALAL CORPORATION (MHC), established in September 2006, has been actively Promoting all relevent areas of the HALAL Industries Sector.

In fact, there is already in place The HALAL INDUSTRY MASTER PLAN 2030.

Suffice to say Malaysia does NOT need to WASTE Public Funds to set up another body for the HALAL Products Sector.

Then there is the continuous MUSHROOMING of ...

...." Task Forces"

.... "Commitees" etc, ad nauseum...

....supposedly to "cater for" some "sub-sector" , "sub area" ...of the larger Sector..which ALREADY has its own BOARD/OVERSEEING Entity...with all- encompassing Jurisdiction and Authority.

And YET.. No Reports have been presented..let alone actual actions undertaken..by the new entities.

Again, Public Funds are aimlessly spent...which could have been better channelled, to the RELEVENT Sectors, Groups and Sectors, in the Society and the Economy.

Lately the Prime Minister told the International Community, ...that ...

"Malaysia mahu supaya Laut China Selatan kekal sebagai ZON PERDAGANGAN YANG BEBAS".

Persoalannya, semenjak bila telah di bentuk "ZONE Perdagangan Bebas" ..." FREE TRADE ZONE"...di Laut China Selatan.

Ia BUKAN seperti FREE TRADE AREA, di Pulau Pinang, dsb

Mungkin yang dimaksudkan ialah "EEZ"...atau EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE ?

Siapa yang menasihatkan Menteri dan Perdana Menteri?

THAT is the kind of Problems that will arise, when...

....there are TOO MANY COOKS...to spoil the broth

.....NO COHERENCE , and COORDINATION, in Policy Formulation...and the approach of "TO each, His or Her own", in ministerial decision making,  especially which involves Public Funds.

....NO NATIONAL GOVERNANCE COMPASS to lead the Nation Forward...some are Ad Hoc decisions...or without Cost Benefit Analysis and the necessary FOCUS on RESULT OUTCOMES (which are NOT always in QUANTIFIABLE forms...but more importantly, QUALITATIVE, in Nature).

.....WHEN ONLY POLITICAL considerations Drive Policies, and Measures

.....When little weightage, is placed upon the LONGER TERM IMPACT and Effects...BEYOND the "next PRU/ General Elections...of WHATEVER POLICY initiatives , are being mooted.

Political MYOPIA has set in.

.....Some "Policy Proposals", seem set to be dragging Malaysia, backwards and DOWNWARDS.

Already, Malaysia has fallen far behind, in several KEY Areas, from our "contemporaries",  "our Asean Neighbours, and Developing Countries, further afield.

EXCEPT, of course, being ranked tops in CORRUPTION .

This Narrative can go on...

It is hoped that THOSE WHO are holding PUBLIC TRUST, to GOVERN our Nation, Malaysia... Will STOP acting, behaving, and being "POLITICIANS," as such....but LEARN to be STATESMEN...

POLITICIANS THINK ONLY of the NEXT ELECTIONS...

BUT STATESMEN THINK about the NEXT GENERATION...

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.