Our vindictive Federal Government

The latest display of Federal jealousy over a brilliant idea, is being played out when our DPM pointed out that under the National Land Code, the state government of Perak has no right to issue freehold titles to new villages. The titles are not given away free of charge, but the mere fact that the state government will be receiving at least a few hundred million and more importantly, is run by political opponents, must be stopped at all costs.

When the Terengganu state was run by PAS, oil royalties from Petronas were paid through federal channel via ‘Wang Ehsan’, just so that the state government was starved of state revenue. Now that the state is in BN hands, it is paid direct to the state amid publicity because of the forthcoming by-election in Kuala Terengganu. If this is not being spiteful, I do not know what is.

The Tourism Ministry had already stated its views of practically no cooperation with the state governments run by Pakatan Rakyat.

The Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur has 10 PR MPs out of 11. Yet the Mayor is a Federal appointee, and there is a Federal Minister in charge of Federal Territories. A few months ago, illegal extensions of corner shops in Setapak and Jalan Ipoh were demolished in a show of force, by a team of enforcement officers with heavy equipment in what the public perceived as punishment for voting opposition. This was well documented in YB Wee Choo Keong’s blogsite.

Never mind the inflated mega projects, mega contracts, take over of profitable mega companies, by cronies of BN. It is ok with Terengganu state Excos having Mercedes E Compressors but not Perak's Toyota Camrys.

The recent proposal of Sime Darby to takeover IJN, though temporarily shelved in view of the by-election in KT, is indefensible because the heart hospital is profitable and has cash balance of over Rm200 million. Why mess up a good organisation, which provides service to the poor as well? Is it because CIMB is looking for more business for its merchant banking division? Or is Sime desperate to show its profitability after the grand merger of plantation companies, with the impending recession?

BN is now capitalising on Husam’s statement that if PR takes over the government, PAS will introduce Hudud law. Well, Raja Petra had time and again tried to dispel this fear, based on the lack of numbers:

Malaysia Today: The constantly grumbling Chinese

Some Chinese say they refuse to vote for PAS because they are worried that PAS may implement Islamic laws. But how can PAS implement Islamic laws when they will never have a two-thirds majority in Parliament? PAS contested only 60 seats out of 222 Parliament seats. Then they went and won only 23 seats.

PAS needs about 150 seats in Parliament to change Malaysia from a Secular state into an Islamic state. But when they contest only 60 seats, even if they win all the 60 seats they contest it will still be only 60 seats. And they can’t win all the seats they contest. They can only win less than half the seats they contest. Where would PAS get the 150 parliament seats it requires?

I have news for BN. Some successful Chinese businessmen, though members of MCA, are willing to sacrifice MCA for a change, because of its impotency within BN. Don’t take my word for it, let the results of Kuala Terengganu show if the trend is there.