How should we judge a government?

In Malaysia, if you don't watch television or read newspapers, you are uninformed; but if you do, you are misinformed!

"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." - Malcolm X

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience - Mark Twain

Why we should be against censorship in a court of law: Publicity is the very soul of justice … it keeps the judge himself, while trying, under trial. - Jeremy Bentham

"Our government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no
responsibility at the other. " - Ronald Reagan

Government fed by the people

Government fed by the people

Career options

Career options
I suggest government... because nobody has ever been caught.

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?
Corruption is so prevalent it affects English language?

When there's too much dirt...

When there's too much dirt...
We need better tools... to cover up mega corruptions.

Prevent bullying now!

Prevent bullying now!
If you're not going to speak up, how is the world supposed to know you exist? “Orang boleh pandai setinggi langit, tapi selama ia tidak menulis, ia akan hilang di dalam masyarakat dan dari sejarah.” - Ananta Prameodya Toer (Your intellect may soar to the sky but if you do not write, you will be lost from society and to history.)

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Baradan Kuppusamy need not worry

There is no need for The Star's Baradan to worry about the seeming lack of economists other than Tony Pua. The opposition's criticisms of BN's economic policies seem to centre on the indiscriminate distributions of large amounts of government funds to various ministers to be chanelled to their cronies. Whatever so-called economic policies with impressive sounding names like 'transformation', acronyms and initials, have turned out to be nothing more than rhetorics without much substance. The mismanagement of funds, leakages and wastage bordered on the ludicrous, as evident in the Auditor-General's Report annually. Therefore, it can be safe to say that even without doing much planning, just carrying out the administration (don't forget we have civil servants who are the ones really carrying out the work regardless of who are the political masters, unless they opt to sabotage) could have been better than the many high sounding policies with the main aim of enriching themselves, draining national resources. For example, instead of distributing Rm250 million to NFC to experiment on large scale farming, aid to existing cattle farmers based on proper assessments could have been more effective and cheaper too. Setting up those 1Malaysia shops are totally unnecessary, duplication of work and unfair to genuine establishments.

With a credible coalition of parties to take over BN, there will be more people who are willing to come back from overseas to do their national service. I believe there are already several top economists and technocrats already helping out in Penang and Selangor. For Baradan to expect a full shadow cabinet or a proper shadow budget when most information are kept secret under Official Secrets Act is both futile and unnecessary. Pakatan state governments like Penang and Selangor have proven beyond doubt their ability to cut costs and improve on their administrations. I believe the voters are willing to give Pakatan a chance to prove themselves at the next election. Only when they could not perform to expectations then, should Baradan worry.

Malaysia Today: Economic policies that do not add up
http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/guest-columnists/45235-economic-policies-that-do-not-add-up

From Malaysia Chronicle:

'Yet Pakatan holds a treasury of talent with economic specialists including PKR's Rafizi Ramli, DAP's Tony Pua and PAS' Dzulkefly Ahmad to name a few. Opposition Anwar Ibrahim himself was a former star Finance minister, who was rated as one of Asia's best during the 1990s.

Soi Lek also failed to acknowledge the widespread corruption in the BN government and was completely silent on the RM888 billion the internationally-renowned Global Financial Integrity body had said was siphoned out from Malaysia in illicit outflows during the period 2000 to 2009.

Neither did he mention that Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department Idris Jala and Koh Tsu Koon had both warned Malaysia would go bankrupt by 2019 due to excessive debt and uncontrolled spending.'

More:

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=23449:soi-lek-pakatan-lacks-bns-economic-expertise&Itemid=2
Link

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