‘Ali Baba’ culture thriving despite PM’s economic reform policy

Rent-seeking, patronage and cronyism practices continue to thrive in Malaysia as proven by Putrajaya’s controversial decision to award a RM1 billion rail expansion contract to the George Kent engineering consortium that has reportedly farmed out 80 per cent of the job, the DAP’s Tony Pua said today.

The opposition federal lawmaker said he was stunned at how the prime minister could rave about his economic and government reform policies despite lucrative government projects being dished out to “cronies” of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

“We are completely aghast at how Datuk Seri Najib Razak can continue to talk about the ‘New Economic Model’ and ‘Economic Transformation’ when Barisan Nasional cronies continue to win lucrative government tenders via rent-seeking and patronage, and not because of competency, quality and price competitiveness.

“The award shows that Ali Baba-like contractors who survive on their political connections as well as their expert navigation of the government procurement processes continue to dominate in Malaysia,” Pua (picture) said in a statement.

Najib had announced the New Economic Model (NEM) policy in March 2010, to replace the decades-old New Economic Policy (NEP) introduced by his father and second prime minister Tun Razak Hussein, in a bid to overhaul government practices that were seen as lopsided and unfavourable to non-Bumiputera Malays as contracts were often awarded in a less-than-transparent manner and to close associates of those in power. Such practices have been branded “Ali Baba” culture by the opposition and other critics.

The award of the lucrative Ampang LRT extension project to the George Kent consortium last week has come under heavy fire following claims of political interference in the tender process, as alleged by PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli.

Pua referred to the latest report by a financial paper, The Edge Business and Financial Weekly, that had last weekend highlighted George Kent as having subcontracted out 80 per cent of the works for light rail transit (LRT) expansion project on the Ampang line.

The weekly reported anonymous industry sources as saying that subcontracting more than 30 per cent of the specialised work package was questionable as George Kent should have been originally selected for specific technical capabilities.

George Kent’s expertise is noted to be in the manufacture and supply of “control instrumentation, telemetry, pipes, valves and fittings, industrial and domestic water meters, boilers”, as well as “fibre glass reinforced polyester (FRP) panel tanks for bulk water storage”.

“But the industry feedback on the award as reported by the latest issue of The Edge is most damning on the integrity and credibility of the high-power Ministry of Finance committee headed by Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself,” said Pua, the DAP publicity chief.

 

 

 

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Ali Baba culture will obviously be thriving in a 40 thieves government.During our conman senile Doctor days, it was typically 5%. Now it's 20%? Maybe GK keeps 5% and the rest goes back to UMNO?

Well, a leopard never change its spot...if you want change, you change the goverment.

Only a massive upheaval can bring about change, only a change of government can give us back our right which is : Our right to the money , the public's money, taxpayers money, government revenue from oil , taxes , licenses, award of consultancy contracts and juicy fattened contracts is open transparent and under strict public scrutiny. This business of 'closed to public ' privately negotiated' tenders is all wrong. 

certainly ...Syabas insists on playing hardball to serve its political master....Uncertainty hits hundreds of Selangor projects after water denial

Manufacturers and developers in Selangor are complaining that they have been left high and dry after being denied water service from the state’s sole water distribution company and say that the ongoing uncertainty could have an economic fallout.

This comes after the power struggle between Selangor and the state government over the state’s water assets resurfaced recently with another round of finger pointing on both sides over who is responsible for the current impasse on the restructuring of the critical water industry in the state.

File photo of a water treatment plant in Selangor. Industries in the state say they have been denied water service by Syabas.
Businesses said at a forum organised by Selangor today that the uncertainty of not having water could have significant repercussions and in some cases have cost money to their respective companies.
A representative from rubber glove manufacturer Top Glove said Syabas rejected its application for water to be connected to its new headquarters.

“The repercussions to the state are obvious,” he said. “The effect (of water shortage) on businesses in Selangor will be severe.”

According to Nor Azme Diron, who is deputy director of the Selangor state economic planning unit, 234 projects have had their applications for water service “postponed” by Syabas.

No officials from Syabas were available to respond at the forum.

A representative from consumer goods manufacturer F&N said it suffered a five-day period with no water at its new RM300 million factory in Pulau Indah, a shortage which had cost the company “a lot”.

He noted that the company continues to use its factory in Petaling Jaya because Syabas was able to supply water to the older location although it was not able to supply to Pulau Indah.

“Pulau Indah is very crucial,” he said.

An assistant manager from the Mewah group, which also has a factory in Pulau Indah, said its previously approved application for water for its expanded factory there was cancelled in July.

“Our construction is ongoing,” he lamented.

One developer said he had “quite a number” of applications for water rejected by Syabas.

“As developers we feel jittery,” he said. “We are in a dilemma. Once we commit to deliver and if there is no water once a project is completed, we will be in deep trouble.”

“We are unsure what to do,” he added.

Selangor state officials maintain however that there is no need for water rationing as there is sufficient supply of treated water and a special water committee has been formed by the state that meets with Syabas daily to resolve disputes and issues.

Nor Azme noted that usage was currently well below Syabas’ distributive capacity — at 2,944 million litres per day (MLD) versus 4.34 MLD respectively.

The “gap” of 1.34 MLD or 32 per cent of the total was either wasted water through leakage or stolen water.

He said that several mitigation projects such as boosting capacity at the Sungai Labu treatment plant were currently under way.

Pakatan Rakyat, which helms the state, has accused the Barisan Nasional federal goverment of “manufacturing” a water crisis.

Observers however have said that the current stalemate was due to politics, with neither side willing to budge.

Selangor state executive councillor Teresa Kok said today that there has still been no response from the federal government, which has its own committee to look into the issue, to overtures made by the state to return to the bargaining table.

“The people and industries are facing problems,” she told reporters. “We urge the deputy prime minister (who chairs the federal committee) to sit down with Selangor.”

She also said that it was not that the state was opposed to the Langat 2 treatment plant per se, but the plant had to be part of a holistic restructuring of the state’s water industry.

Selangor is Malaysia’s richest and most developed state.

A lack of progress on restructuring the water industry could not only hit the state’s residents and industries but also that of the nation’s capital Kuala Lumpur which is also covered by Syabas.

 

 

 

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If Syabas insists on playing hardball to serve its political master, the people of Selangor ought to remove the master from the equation this GE13. Selangorians Always Be United, 

Selangor govt refused the increase in tariff simply because it is un-necessary. Why make the people pay more for water when there's no need to? Selangor govt is saying that there's more than enough water to go around without having to build Langat 2 or increase the tariff. These are all just ways to fill the pockets of BN cronies. 

If Malaysia were to tell Singapore that it wants to shut off its water supply to Singapore, it could be a declaration of war. Syabas saying it will not supply to a a consumer of water is indeed declaring war.

Syabas action will simply make the rakyat understand that in order to take control of our destiny, we must remove UMNO/BN from the federal government. 

They know their dirty political tactics actually hurt the people of Selangor and the rakyat of Malaysia in large but they do anyway. This is the kind of government we don't need.

The water shortage is created by UMNO. 

Umno and BN thru' their crony attack dog syabas is now sabotaging Selangor's economy and eventually Selangorians livelihood in order to take "back Selangor by all means" as said by najib the Selangor umno chief. So Selangorians should remember this umno/bn blackmail and ransom at the polling booths. I, my family, my friends etc will certainly remember this act of sabotage, blackmail and ransom during PRU13.

UMNO dogs As usual ...be filled full feed...Najib launches 1 Malaysia Privilege Card for police, soldiers

In yet another measure of appreciation of the services of police and military, the government has introduced the 1 Malaysia Privilege Card for the 241,000 officers and men of the two forces.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, when launching the card and its portal, www.1mprivilege.my here, said the initiative under the National Blue Ocean Strategy 6, or NBOS 6, enabled the cardholders to enjoy discounts of between five and 25 per cent for products and services offered by about 20 participating companies.

“Hopefully, the card can add to the purchasing power or disposable income of the people,” he said at the launch at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre, here.

Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi were also present at the event.

The initiative under the NBOS 6 strategy involves the cooperation of the three ministries to enable the cardholders to enjoy the discounts on essential goods, sports equipment, vehicle spare parts, hospitality industry services and health products, among others.

The list of participating companies and their offers are available on the portal.

The prime minister said cooperation between police and military had provided the country with many benefits, and cited the sharing of the recruit-training centre by the two forces as saving the government hundreds of millions of ringgit.

Najib (picture) said faster achievement of the objectives was necessary to bring about greater national transformation, besides the generation of creative ideas and implementation of the agenda more speedily, accurately and with integrity.

“I believe that through such efforts and the policies implemented by the government, the nation will achieve the success we aspire for. However, all our desires must be founded on security, peace and stability,” he said.

“This is the guarantee of our future, besides our commitment to uphold the rule of law. You are the ones who guarantee that our dreams can become reality. You are the unsung heroes who contribute and sacrifice a great deal for the people and country,” he said.

The prime minister then toured the exhibition booths of the participating companies.

Earlier, Husni, in his speech, said the 1 Malaysia Privilege Card initiative would be implemented in three phases, beginning with the uniformed police and military personnel, followed by the retirees of the two forces and then those in the other categories of services to be identified later.

He said that from today, the card would be distributed in stages to the 241,000 officers and men of the two forces, comprising 130,000 soldiers and 111,000 policemen. — Bernama

 

 

 

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The vote buying exercise has reached the police & armed forces. By giving 25% discount to their purchases, Najib is telling them that by voting BN, they will get the privileges. So, who pays for the subsidy? Taxpayers!

Why privileges only for police and military personals.What about the low income groups and retirees.After all ,the money coming from tax payers.

Hello PM. What about us senior citzens and retired civil servants? Did we not contribute to the betterment and glory of this country. If not for our sweat and toil where would this country be? The Police and military can wait and contribute first bf getting rewards. As usual you have forgotten us though we gave it all for this country

If you want to help the people, help the poors! Distribute of the cards to income group below RM1000 is more effective!

MCA sex porn star senile....Soi Lek claims DAP eyeing MCA’s spot in BN

DAP harbours ambitions of usurping rival MCA from the ranks of Barisan Nasional (BN) by building on its gains in Penang, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said today in a new round of offensive ahead of a looming general election.
“The DAP ultimately wants to be in the government like in Penang and now they hope to be the government at federal level,” the MCA president was quoted in a report by The Star today.

“DAP politicians are like any other politicians, for them it is the thirst for power.”

Dr Chua also claimed that the opposition party would eventually run out of assets with which to develop the northern state if it does not gain access to the resources that came with being part of the federal government.

“Penang has limited resources and how long can (Penang Chief Minister) Lim Guan Eng tender his land?” Dr Chua was quoted further by the MCA-owned newspaper.

The former minister also advised the Chinese against thinking the community would have the power to determine the winners of the next general election.

“I would like to remind the Chinese community, if you support the DAP thinking that the Chinese are the ‘King maker’ then you are wrong,” he said.

Chinese-based MCA and multiracial DAP have continued to exchange blows in the contest for urban Chinese votes, which is the mainstay of support for both parties.

The skirmishes have hitherto surrounded issues such as Chinese vernacular education and hudud, or Islamic penal law, which MCA accuses DAP of supporting vicariously through its partnership with PAS in the larger Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact. PKR is the third party in the informal alliance.

But recent remarks by a Johor Umno lawmaker seeking for hudud to be applied even on non-Muslims have put the BN component on the back foot.

Today, Dr Chua sought to defend Umno against DAP’s attacks on the subject.

“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has already said it very clearly that Umno will not implement hudud,” Dr Chua said.

“None of the Barisan states even think of amending its state constitutions to implement hudud,” he said.

 

 

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Your interpretation of things doesn't make any sense because the MCA and the DAP are of two different breeds - one is a lapdog, while the other is a pit bull!

Soi Lek, why don't you bring MCA into DAP ? Afterall mca is not much of a political party. Your party need good leadership and not robbers. MCA has all these years pretended to represent the chinese but in fact only did so for your own club members and NOT THE CHINESE. I'm sure that mca can live with dap, have no fear as long as you don't cheat the public.

A loser in the last General Election sounding like a sour grape. UMNO will be courting DAP if they get less than 70 seats. They brought Gerakan into BN after the May 13, 1969. MCA is afraid and CSL knows exactly what UMNO is capable of. But he forgot putting UMNO and DAP together as coalition is akin to mixing oil and water. One is as corrupt and dirty like the black oil discharged from our car engine after it has finished its use while the other is clean, clear and transparent like the fresh spring water from the Alps.

At least, in DAP we trust! But, DAP will not betray Pakatan Rakyat! Lim Kit Siang had slogged for 45 years and he is not going to sacrifice and betray the trusts of the Rakyat. If DAP wants to join UMNO, they would had done so much earlier, when they were courted!

No, this is just another suspicion of the jealous MCA because of the overwhelming support of the Rakyat for DAP!

Chua Soi Lek, PRU 13 is near, please tell us more about policies, not nitty gritties like DAP wanting to take the place of MCA in BN. Such tactics do not work anymore. Rakyat are too smart. We want to hear, what you have to offer to the Rakyat, to Malaysians. We want to hear your stand on the illegal immigrants, who are now legalized? We want to know what happened when their children starts fighting for places in schools and universities?

Tell us why you are so quiet on HUDUD for ALL as proposed by a Johor UMNO rep and reportedly agreeable by Puteri UMNO? Why are you running away from this serious issue and instead asking why DAP is working with PAS?

PAS = HUDUD for Muslims. UMNO/sycophants = HUDUD for ALL? Scary, scary, real scary indeed and MCA/MIC/GELAKAN are all so quiet. TAKUT!

save  Malaysia!

remaining fish's lives...once again the pandy kutty try to cheat the people...Putrajaya to study oil revenue payments to Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang

Putrajaya today pledged to look into a “fair” distribution of cash payments from petroleum revenue to Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu, in an apparent move to resolve a long drawn-out dispute over oil income that will likely be used as a key campaign issue in the coming polls.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (picture) was quoted by Bernama as saying that a special committee will study the cash disbursements within the next six months before making its recommendations to the federal government.

According to the national news agency, the committee will be chaired by former Chief Justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad, and its members will include legal experts from within and outside the country, and representatives from the Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu state governments consented to by the Sultan of the respective states.

The prime minister was quoted as saying in a statement that the committee would be tasked to identify the states that would be eligible to receive the cash payments from petroleum revenue in the east cost of the Malay peninsula.

“The special committee will also determine the method and quantum of the cash payment to the states concerned,” he was quoted as saying, adding that over the past six months the government had held several internal discussions on the issue of the cash payment.

With the committee’s formation, the prime minister hoped the issues raised by state governments in the east coast would finally be resolved in a “fair, transparent and equitable manner”.

Petronas had signed a profit-sharing deal shortly after being incorporated in 1974 where the states of the federation receive five per cent in royalties for fossil fuel discovered in their territories and sold by Petronas.

When Terengganu fell to PAS in 1999, then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ordered Petronas to rescind oil royalties in September 2000 on the grounds that the opposition party did not have the ability to manage the funds of over half a billion ringgit annually.

The royalties were instead channelled through wang ehsan (goodwill payments) which opposition leaders and some BN politicians have claimed were mismanaged and directed to prestige projects such as the Monsoon Cup and the Crystal Mosque.

In August 2010, PAS-controlled Kelantan launched a suit against Petronas for failing to pay royalty for oil and gas extracted within its territory including the overlapping areas with Terengganu, Thailand and Vietnam which has seen joint-development deals with the federal government.

It says it is owed RM800 million annually since 2005 but Putrajaya has disputed the state’s claims over the territorial waters where the joint-development projects are located.

Najib insisted today that based on the law, Kelantan was not eligible to demand the cash payments from petroleum revenue, saying that currently no petroleum production is carried out within Kelantan territorial waters.

“The federal government takes the stand that in terms of the law, Kelantan merely has the right to demand cash payment from the petroleum revenue extracted from the state’s waters, that is an area located not exceeding three nautical miles from the state’s coastline,” he was quoted as saying.

Despite this, however, the prime minister pointed out that in November 2009 he had announced in Parliament the granting of cash payments to Kelantan.

“This decision was made based on the need to continue to develop the state of Kelantan and to boost the people’s prosperity. The allocation was channelled through the Federal Development Department (JPP) Kelantan,” he said

 

 

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Decades of dragging it's feet and now with the very real possibility of getting kicked out of office, Najib's trying to appease the voters... Again! A little too late!!

Please do not forget Sabah and Sarawak. While at it, what about timber royalty?

he wants to mention about gave rm 4 billion to government servants ....but how come he has robbed billions of public money......

Najib reminds civil servants of ties to administration

 

The nation’s continuing success over the years is built on the close co-operation between the government and the civil servants.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the good ties went back to the nation’s independence as evidenced by the understanding between both parties.

“The co-operation and support of civil servants in implementing government decisions help us to solve the people’s problems,” he said when breaking fast with Pekan district civil servants tonight.

Without this, the nation’s big transformation from over 50 per cent poverty during the early independence years to what it is today could not be achieved.

“The government’s poverty eradication efforts are among the best. We changed the nation’s status from agriculture to medium to high agriculture.”

Najib said the government had given special attention to the welfare of civil servants via various initiatives to keep the bond strong.

“Earlier this year we gave civil servants pay rise of 7 to 17 per cent involving an allocation of more than RM4 billion.

“Recently, we announced bonus of half month salary in conjunction with Aidilfitri celebration in recognition of civil servants.”

He urged civil servants to remain dedicated in carrying out their duties while the government continues to look after their welfare within its means

 

 

 

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Does he not know that civil servants are above politics and only serve the govt of the day. Be it BN or Pakataan. Civil servants owe no allegience to Najib or his govt. This is like telling them "you help me I help you" The PM has lost his balance and can be seen pleading to all and sundry to vote for him a his coronies. Please Mr. PM cut the crap and save it for you election speeches after Parliament is dissolved.

PM should not use threat and remind civil servants to be loyal to the BN. Let us remind the PM that civil servants salary is being paid by tax payers and not BN.

najib talks like as though he gave his grandfather's money. I hope civil servants realise what type of person Najib is. They should put nation first and not the handouts from najib.

Civil servants only owe their fiduciary duties to the nation and rakyat who pay their salary and not BN government! Owe NOTHINg to BN government and when to GE 13, 

They must know and remember it is their duties to serve the people of Malaysia and not the government or any party. They are not in debt to the government for their lively hood but only carrying out the orders . They must decide very carefully who to vote for the country's future and their children's future. Take Singapore and S. Korea progress as an example of good governance and vote wisely for the future of their children.vote BN out to save country!