KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 — The MCA has called for the abolition of the 30 per cent Bumiputera equity requirement.
“Economic policies should be further liberalised and equity restrictions which limit business development should be abolished so companies will be more competitive in this challenging economic situation,” party president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said in his opening speech at the 55th MCA General Assembly today.
“There are businesses already running but are suddenly told orally that they must have a 30 per cent Bumiputera equity and then given a year to meet this requirement. If not, their licences will not be extended. It has happened and is still happening.”
He said the policy was causing capital flight and that “the implication is when investors flee, these outlets will be empty and operators of office buildings and shopping malls are Malaysians. So there is a chain reaction.”
The outgoing MCA president said the implementation of policies was not consistent with the thinking of the Cabinet and national leaders.
“I have no problems with our leaders, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak, with their role in the Cabinet and Barisan Nasional,” he said of the BN chairman and his deputy.
“The problem is not the leadership but people on the ground.”
He cited the “prejudice and narrow-mindedness” of government officials in the handling of licences and tenders as an example.
“Before, it did not matter if a supplier was Bumi or not for projects and contracts below RM50,000.
“Suddenly at the end of 2006, a circular said this was only for Bumis under the Government Procurement and Services Policy. But I thank the PM and DPM for correcting it when it was brought up in the Cabinet.”
Ong, however, stressed that “we need a solution, not fire-fighting”.
“At the structural level of the government, this has to stop. We must put in place a system of monitoring where the private sector can reach authorities quickly to correct these shortcomings.”
He also said the public was “disgusted with politicians in the BN who make extreme racist statements or threaten other races”.
“Among them are those who have amassed great wealth soon after holding positions in the party or local council.”
Ong highlighted the issue of religious freedom as the government has given guarantees of freedom of religion as enshrined in the constitution.
“When a non-Muslim converts after marriage and then divorces, the authorities do not deal with issues such as custody of children and family estate according to the principle of religious freedom,” he told the 2,378 delegates present.
The former Housing and Local Government Minister also called on the government to have an adequate allocation for vernacular education.
“The MCA can no longer go around collecting contributions. Do not wait for us to make noise and then consider a new allocation so parents will not scold the MCA or MIC.”
In praising Abdullah’s plan to introduce reforms before he steps down in March, he added that the people were living in a state of fear due to the rising crime rate and the cost of living.
“We have seen the price of fuel drop. But how come the prices of goods do not drop as well?” he asked.
He said that all these issues created a “perception problem”.
“Umno is seen as being far more dominant and decides on important policies, then other parties must defend these policies in the name of ‘BN spirit’.”
“The power sharing is sincere from leaders but the perception is that it is just lip service.
“This must be addressed by BN and corrected. If not, component parties can do everything but people will not be convinced,” he said.
But Ong said he trusted the “wisdom of our leaders" to carry out the necessary “amendment of laws and even the constitution” to address the negative perception of the BN.
Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
18/10/08
PEOPLE'S POWER
1 comment:
There is a difference between UMNO and Barisan Nasional. I want to make it clear that it is not the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, but the UMNO government. It is not the government, but UMNO. Barisan Nasional is a coalition of unequals, not equals. UMNO is the big brother in BN. Therefore UMNO must be held responsible; and more importantly, UMNO must not be allowed to hide behind the BN banner. UMNO is the enemy, not BN. UMNO is a racist party which has perfected the art of divide and rule. If moderate Malays, the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, and the Chinese and Indians unite, then they can vote UMNO out of office.
For decades UMNO has strengthened her position by destroying the independence of the judiciary. So much so that high officials and the Police can almost act with impunity.
I have come to the conclusion that the easy solution is to completely defeat UMNO in the next elections. We have to vote racist UMNO out of office. UMNO is bent on divide and rule, which has affected Malaysia badly. It is for the next generation of Malaysians to undo the damage done to Malaysia by UMNO. There is a dire need for moderate Malays at the political level. There is also a need for the natives of Sabah and Sarawak to form a third force to protect their own interests. Imagine how UMNO had dealt with Sabah; from a rich state, Sabah has been reduced to a poor state subservient to UMNO. There has to be an explanation. The only way is UMNO has to be voted out of office. The younger generation of Malaysians do not like racist politics and UMNO must be taught a lesson by the younger generation by voting UMNO out of office. Please vote for any party but UMNO/BN.
To my Sabah and Sarawak brothers and sisters I tell you that historically UMNO has always avoided a Royal Commission of Inquiry as much as possible many times. Historically, UMNO has misused the Internal Security Act numerous times. Any political party that is an accomplice to UMNO is also the enemy. Any political party that is a co-conspirator to UMNO is also the enemy. To my Sabah and Sarawak brothers and sisters I say that you should form a third force. A third force would require unity among Sabahans and Sarawakians.
We have to get into the habit of putting people in office through votes, and removing people from office through votes. Nobody should be allowed to topple the government. We have to institutionalize the multi-party political system, one person one vote, and an independent judiciary.
In the 2004 elections (11th General Election), the voters gave good support to Mr.Abdullah Badawi. But reforms did not come. Why? Probably because UMNO had done well in the elections. If UMNO had done well in the elections, then the election results tell UMNO that the voters are satisfied with the status quo. If the voters are satisfied with UMNO, then no reforms are necessary. In the 2008 elections (12th General Elections), UMNO did not do well, but she managed to win. UMNO did lose the 2/3 majority in the Parliament, but she did win, nevertheless. Will UMNO undertake reforms now? I would not be surprised if she did not. Why should she? UMNO is still the winner in the elections; and she can plan to rise and may even succeed to rise again. So, as long as she wins, she will never undertake the reforms. So, how do the voters get the reforms that they need? The voters will get the reforms when UMNO is completely defeated in the 13th General Elections. If UMNO wins zero seats in the next elections (13th General Elections), then some other party would have to rule Malaysia. Let us call it Party B. If UMNO is completely defeated in the next elections (13th General Elections), then Party B would rule Malaysia. Would Party B undertake reforms? If Party B does not undertake reforms, then voters would know what to do.
There is no doubt that UMNO has used gerrymandering to strengthen herself. If we removed gerrymandering from UMNO, then there would be a reduced UMNO. So the non-UMNO voters of Malaysia have good reasons to vote against UMNO.
It is possible that UMNO has used the Police Force to strengthen herself. The Police Force is required to be neutral. But is the Police Force neutral? I appeal to the Police Force to be neutral.
UMNO is a race based political party and also the big brother of BN. So, the complete defeat of UMNO in the next elections is the only way to get reforms. The complete defeat of UMNO in the next elections is the only way to get a new beginning.
UMNO is inclined to believe that Malaysians cannot do anything if they are in any way dissatisfied. The voters, however, have to send a strong message to UMNO that the voters can do something: the voters can vote.
So, the next step for Malaysians is to completely defeat UMNO/BN in the next elections.
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