vox populi small thumbnailFREE VOXPOP We've had a reasonable year, but the country's competitive position is on a slippery slope downwards. Najib is just shouting as a 'jaguh kampung'.


Anwar: Growth or not, M'sia losing competitiveness

Wira: In 2009, our economy contracted 3.8 percent year on year. Last year we expanded 7.2 percent, also year on year. Simply saying, in the past two years under Najib, we achieved [(7.2-3.8)/2] average growth, or an annual growth rate of +1.7 percent from Jan 2009 to Dec 2010.

Meanwhile, actual inflation has gone up more than 10 percent over the same period. The civil service has ballooned.

Come on, even while sleeping on the job, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had performed better. The Malaysian GDP growth averaged about 4.6 percent per annum over his five years in office.

Is PM Najib Abdul Razak proudly calling a celebration to mark his ‘sterling’ performance as prime minister the past two years?

Kit P: As a person who works on the frontline in the Malaysian export industry, I can vouch that what Anwar Ibrahim said is true. We've had a reasonable year, but the country's competitive position is on a slippery slope downwards. Najib is just shouting as a 'jaguh kampung' (village champ).

Docs: I think Anwar need not point out to us that Malaysia is losing its competitiveness. I think that's pretty obvious. Look around us: Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore are doing well and facing a resurgent economy despite the global economic slump. We have lost manufacturing to Thailand and Indonesia due to their cheaper workforce and improving political stability in those countries, and on our part our numerous restrictions for foreign investors in Malaysia (e.g. APs, New Economic Policy, corruption, 30 percent bumiputera equity, etc.).

As for the knowledge industry (e.g. biotech, IT), finance and banking, that's moved down south to Singapore along with our country’s wealth (non-bumiputera are moving from Malaysia to Singapore due to economic and political uncertainty here) and brains (Singapore is the largest importer of our nation’s intellectual citizens).

Anonymous_3e8f: Bank Negara, I no longer trust you. Illegal money transfers, RM800 billion in leakages - where's the action despite the offer of assistance from the body that highlighted the matter?

Keturunan Malaysia: Growth my foot! Walk the streets, ask the man on the streets, ask the businesses along the streets, ask the households, and then come back with the real answers.

What is growing is corruption, crime... indeed even thieves and robbers having to compete with the police nowadays. What is growing is the Najib administration’s budget, which revealed it had allocated a whopping RM3.956 billion this year to finance operations in the Prime Minister’s Department.

The number of civil servants in the PM’s Department has also increased from 21,045 in 2003 to 43,544 in 2010.

This is more than a whopping 100 percent increase despite the government pledge to streamline its administration through e-government. You want more examples of ‘growth’?


Low cops-to-people ratio in Selangor


Ghkok: The home minister said "crime rate went down"? That is the biggest joke I've heard on the matter. Residents in my area are living in fear. Just last week, three robbers entered my neighbour's corner house and almost severed her brother's hand while trying to break in. In another incident, three robbers in a Proton Waja took a parang and robbed kids playing basketball.

There are break-ins everyday and everywhere. Shops, residential houses, petrol stations, 7-11s, etc are targeted. Cars, motorbikes, bicycles, handbags, handphones, notebooks, etc are stolen. Everything and everyone is a target.

The Selangor government’s proposal for an auxiliary police force is a proposal that is highly supported by Selangor residents.

The KPI for crime rate should be measured by the number of criminals arrested and convicted. Since the Home Ministry can't get the job done, let the state do it.

Ma'arip: It will not do any good if there are more policemen if their priorities are wrong. After all, the police are always so busy firing water canons at peaceful demonstrations, hitting pregnant women and people in custody, interfering with opposition’s forums, arresting people wearing black, etc.

Disgusted: Every time we talk about the rising crime rate the excuse given is the lack of manpower. Why is it then when there is a peaceful demonstration there seems to be overwhelming numbers of police to whack and arrest these peaceful demonstrators?

However, when a burglary or robbery is reported it takes hours for the police to arrive even though the police station is less that 1km away. As for the Rela, we only see them in raids on construction 'kongsis' or vice dens. When it comes to other crimes related incidences, they claim they have no power to act.

We can see them all over guiding traffic at private functions, especially BN or Umnoputra's private parties and events.

Are they BN's private security? Why can't the government recruit more police to the force as they do the civil service and ensure that they do the job of keeping law and order and protecting the rakyat instead of only catching illegals in road corners and letting them go after getting gratification?

Sarajun Hoda:  The crime index could have been manipulated. The statistics must be false. We see more crime every day and more and more police reports get lost in files. The favourable statistics have been manufactured by the BN government to fool the people.

The police should prove the statistics are real. The people's perception is the opposite, with more atrocities carried out by the police themselves. Reform the police, make them more responsible to the people before the people themselves reform the police. The upheavals in the Middle East can happen in Malaysia.

Guest: Even a kindergarten kid could figure it out. A low police to people ratio means crimes cannot prevented. And then the Selangor government would be blamed by BN for its inability to govern the state. So, then they will tell us it’s better for the rakyat to back the BN.


Ambiga to MACC: Resign if you're not heeded

Confused: Its shameful to compare the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to the ICAC of Hong Kong. Imitation products can still have quality, but not in this case.

Loyal Malaysian: Well said, Ambiga Sreenevasan. Those people at MACC are only interested to please their political masters. They are not making a difference to the battle against corruption in our country.

KSN: Ambiga, your call to MACC is appropriate. But if they resign where are they going to find jobs to take care of themselves and their families? Who will employ these gutless characters? Besides there are many perks there. The only time ACA worked was when the late Harun Hashim headed it.

Terus: Say all you want, but the people appointed into MACC are friends of the ruling government and benefit from their positions. Even the blind and naive can see that MACC targets selectively in their investigations.

Dappy: MACC should close shop and stop wasting tax payers’ money to pay a huge workforce that is useless. Why no prosecutions against the ‘big fish’? The rakyat are not stupid.

Chandran Sukumaran: MACC, AG Chambers, PDRM, the judiciary are all controlled apparatus that work against the rakyat who are against Umno/BN.

 

 

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