DAP wants to meet 'nothing to hide' Pak Lah
Published: Mar 13, 2006 5:15 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
DAP wants Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to keep his word on being transparent and agree to meet with a delegation from the party.
DAP wants Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to keep his word on being transparent and agree to meet with a delegation from the party.
During a recent special briefing for 4,000 Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders, Abdullah, who is BN chairperson, said the opposition can see him on the 30 sen increase in fuel prices.
The premier, who criticised the opposition for taking advantage and riling-up the public, added that the government has nothing to hide and is willing to explain to its critics why the increase is justified.
"DAP hopes the prime minister will show he has nothing to hide and is transparent by meeting the delegation who wants to impress on him the public's anger over the explanations for the price hike," said party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng in a statement over the weekend.
"The government is seen as uncaring and unsympathetic of the suffering and extra financial burden placed on lower income groups," he added.
According to Lim, BN's decision to mobilise its 4.5 million members to explain the reason for the price hike highlights how 'unjustified' the increase is.
He said Malaysians have also rejected the government's 'hypocritical and double standards' call to adapt and change their lifestyles in accordance with the price hike.
Dealing with corruption
Despite the government's claim of managing the country's resources responsibly and prudently, Lim (left) said there are five examples to the contrary.
The first, he said, was the government's failure to deal with corrupt officers who profited from the diesel subsidy at the public's expense.
He said fishermen received a diesel subsidy by being charged RM1 per litre. The diesel subsidy for fishermen rose sharply from 326 million litres in 2002 to 1.2 billion litres in 2005.
However, Lim said the amount of fish caught declined from 1.29 million metric tonnes in 2002 to 1.2 million metric tonnes in 2005.
"Clearly, someone is becoming extremely rich in selling this subsidised diesel illegally to non-fishermen. The most likely suspects are officials from the relevant ministry who approve the supply of diesel to go up nearly 900 million litres (from 326 million to 1.2 million).
"At an average of 30 sen difference from the market price, the country has lost nearly RM300 million to those who abuse the subsidy," he added.
Apples and oranges
The second example, he said was the government's double standards in asking the people to change their lifestyles, but does not practice what it preaches.
"The government must show leadership by example and instruct all its ministers and senior government staff to take public transport, reduce expenses and live modestly," he added.
The third example, was the unfair comparison with certain countries, which Lim termed as a 'fallacy'.
"We do not want to compare fuel prices with oil exporters like Brunei but only oil importers like Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia who are forced to pay higher prices.
"One cannot compare apple with oranges. If Malaysia was to compare our fuel prices with other oil exporters, our prices are amongst the highest," he said.
Fourth, the DAP leader said if Malaysia's oil is expected to be exhausted by 2010, there is greater urgency to let fuel price find its real market level of RM2.46 per litre so the nation can be prepared for the day where it has to import oil at US$65-70 per barrel.
"Removal of subsidies prevents market distortion in the actual prices of our products, improve efficiency, cut down losses due to smuggling and forces the economy to be more competitive and Malaysian workers to be more productive," he added.
Petronas' billions
However, he warned that removing the subsidies would have a strong social cost on the poor.
"To alleviate the high cost of living, Petronas huge profits should be shared with Malaysians. Petronas profits of at least RM35.5 billion for the 2004-2005 financial year would allow every Malaysian to take home at least RM1,500 per annum.
"Instead of giving to every Malaysian, such profits should be given to the needy," he added.
If a non-oil exporter like Singapore can give S$2.6 billion (RM6 million) cash to its people, why can't the Malaysian government do the same when Petronas has earned nearly RM500 billion since its inception in 1971? he asked.
In stating his fifth example, Lim asked if the people would really benefit from the improvements in the transportation system or development projects from the RM4.4 billion savings in fuel subsidies from the recent price hike.
The last time when the price went up and billions were saved, he said the people did not see any benefits.
"Malaysians want to see some direct benefits from our oil resources instead of it being squandered and siphoned off by cronyism and corruption," he added.
During a recent special briefing for 4,000 Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders, Abdullah, who is BN chairperson, said the opposition can see him on the 30 sen increase in fuel prices. The premier, who criticised the opposition for taking advantage and riling-up the public, added that the government has nothing to hide and is willing to explain to its critics why the increase is justified.
"DAP hopes the prime minister will show he has nothing to hide and is transparent by meeting the delegation who wants to impress on him the public's anger over the explanations for the price hike," said party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng in a statement over the weekend.
"The government is seen as uncaring and unsympathetic of the suffering and extra financial burden placed on lower income groups," he added.
According to Lim, BN's decision to mobilise its 4.5 million members to explain the reason for the price hike highlights how 'unjustified' the increase is.
He said Malaysians have also rejected the government's 'hypocritical and double standards' call to adapt and change their lifestyles in accordance with the price hike.
Dealing with corruption
Despite the government's claim of managing the country's resources responsibly and prudently, Lim (left) said there are five examples to the contrary. The first, he said, was the government's failure to deal with corrupt officers who profited from the diesel subsidy at the public's expense.
He said fishermen received a diesel subsidy by being charged RM1 per litre. The diesel subsidy for fishermen rose sharply from 326 million litres in 2002 to 1.2 billion litres in 2005.
However, Lim said the amount of fish caught declined from 1.29 million metric tonnes in 2002 to 1.2 million metric tonnes in 2005.
"Clearly, someone is becoming extremely rich in selling this subsidised diesel illegally to non-fishermen. The most likely suspects are officials from the relevant ministry who approve the supply of diesel to go up nearly 900 million litres (from 326 million to 1.2 million).
"At an average of 30 sen difference from the market price, the country has lost nearly RM300 million to those who abuse the subsidy," he added.
Apples and oranges
The second example, he said was the government's double standards in asking the people to change their lifestyles, but does not practice what it preaches.
"The government must show leadership by example and instruct all its ministers and senior government staff to take public transport, reduce expenses and live modestly," he added. The third example, was the unfair comparison with certain countries, which Lim termed as a 'fallacy'.
"We do not want to compare fuel prices with oil exporters like Brunei but only oil importers like Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia who are forced to pay higher prices.
"One cannot compare apple with oranges. If Malaysia was to compare our fuel prices with other oil exporters, our prices are amongst the highest," he said.
Fourth, the DAP leader said if Malaysia's oil is expected to be exhausted by 2010, there is greater urgency to let fuel price find its real market level of RM2.46 per litre so the nation can be prepared for the day where it has to import oil at US$65-70 per barrel.
"Removal of subsidies prevents market distortion in the actual prices of our products, improve efficiency, cut down losses due to smuggling and forces the economy to be more competitive and Malaysian workers to be more productive," he added.
Petronas' billions
However, he warned that removing the subsidies would have a strong social cost on the poor.
"To alleviate the high cost of living, Petronas huge profits should be shared with Malaysians. Petronas profits of at least RM35.5 billion for the 2004-2005 financial year would allow every Malaysian to take home at least RM1,500 per annum.
"Instead of giving to every Malaysian, such profits should be given to the needy," he added. If a non-oil exporter like Singapore can give S$2.6 billion (RM6 million) cash to its people, why can't the Malaysian government do the same when Petronas has earned nearly RM500 billion since its inception in 1971? he asked.
In stating his fifth example, Lim asked if the people would really benefit from the improvements in the transportation system or development projects from the RM4.4 billion savings in fuel subsidies from the recent price hike.
The last time when the price went up and billions were saved, he said the people did not see any benefits.
"Malaysians want to see some direct benefits from our oil resources instead of it being squandered and siphoned off by cronyism and corruption," he added.
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