Wednesday, June 23, 2010

DS Najib Diancam Kredibiliti Kerajaannya Walau 'Mudah' Penyelesaiannya

Saya kehairanan apabila membaca serangan jurublog ke atas Datuk Mohd Bakke Salleh apabila perlantikannya sebagai CEO baru Sime Darby diumumkan. Pelbagai sebab diberi dan aneka alasan dipakai untuk membuktikan beliau tidak sesuai. Namun, apabila ditanya kawan-kenalan tua-muda dari sektor korporat serta kepimpinan politik, amnya Datuk Bakke digambarkan sebagai seorang yang berwibawa dan dihormati baik kerana pencapaiannya mahupun keperibadiannya!

Jadi apakah mungkin di sebalik bantahan ke atas Datuk Bakke? Mungkin masalahnya bukan Datuk Bakke sendiri, tetapi persepsi buruk jurublog, mahupun rakyat amnya, terhadap kerajaan DS Najib kini, khususnya apabila memilih para pemimpin untuk mengurus-tadbir badan-badan korprat serta ekonomi berkaitan dengan kerajaan, seperti 'GLC'.

Dari mana datangnya persepsi buruk ini? Pada hemah jurublog, imej pentadbiran ini terjejas kerana kegagalan kerajaan menghukum atau menangani dengan telus salah-laku, penyelewengan serta, lebih buruk lagi, prestasi lembap yang dipaparkan oleh lantikan-lantikan kerajaan ke kepimpinan GLC. Malah, ada pula pemimpin GLC yang dibiar berleluasa sesudah mengaut untung peribadi dan lari pada zaman Pak Lah dahulu.

Pasti akan ada yang terus menyatakan, bagaimana dengan pemecatan DS Ahmad Zubir Murshid dari Sime Darby tempohari? Tak teluskah? Jurublog berpendapat bahawa, bukan sahaja pemecatan beliau terlalu lewat, tambah pula tak cukup sekadar beliau sahaja dihukum! Lembaga Pengarah Sime Darby, termasuklah Pengerusinya, Tun Musa Hitam, semua patut menangguh padah sama kerana membenarkan keadaan melarat begitu lama di bawah DS Zubir!

Malangnya untuk pentadbiran DS Najib, Tun Musa Hitam diberi peluang untuk mengumumkan perlantikan Datuk Bakke! Pengumuman dilakukan sewaktu kewibawaan Tun Musa dalam memimpin Lembaga Pengarah Sime Darby masih dipersoalkan, sekaligus mencemarkan keputusan untuk melantik Datuk Bakke! Malah, kerajaan DS Najib akan mendapat lebih kredibiliti dengan mengumumkan perletakan jawatan Tun Musa dari Lembaga Pengarah Sime Darby pada masa itu!

Salah langkah seperti ini melaratkan suasana, tetapi punca hilangnya kepercayaan rakyat terhadap keputusan korprat kerajaan adalah dari salah-laku yang lepas, baik di arena pentadbiran amnya, tetapi berhubung-kait dengan pengurusan GLC. Skandal BII-Maybank di mana Khazanah 'tertipu' sehingga merugikan negara sambil memperkayakan Temasek serta individu tertentu di negara-negara jiran hanya satu contoh di mana salah-laku tak terhukum.

Lebih buruk lagi, rakyat yang juga merangkumi ahli dan prefesional di sektor korprat semakin mual melihat mereka-mereka yang terlibat menjahanamkan kewangan GLC, yakni kekayaan negara-bangsa, masih lagi berkedudukan, malah diberi ganjaran lagi!

Ramai yang tidak hairan apabila TS Amirsham Aziz gagal memimpin pasukannya di NEAC untuk menggubal Model Ekonomi Baru yang boleh diterima-pakai oleh Rakyat. Malah ramai juga yang bertanya kenapa TS Amirsham diberi kepercayaan besar seperti itu memandangkan beliaulah 'kuda korprat' yang ditunggang arkitek skandal BII-Maybank dari Khazanah! Mungkinkah itu ganjaran dari beliau dijadikan 'kuda korprat'. Tetapi beliau dilantik oleh pentadbiran DS Najib...

Tak cukup sudah desakan hukuman dijalankan ke atas ikon-ikon korupsi untuk memulihkan kepercayaan rakyat kepada BN. Tak kiralah bertapa salahnya laku kerajaan Pakatan, tak pedulilah yang mungkin kes Datuk Norza Zakaria tak patut dibawa ke pengadilan sekalipun, kini Rakyat sudah mula menolak keputusan BAIK kerajaan, seperti perlantikan Datuk Bakke, kerana kewibawaan kerajaan BN semakin punah!

Mungkin inilah masanya DS Najib menunjukkan kepimpinannya bukan sahaja sebagai penyatu-padu antara rakyat berbilang kaum, tetapi juga keberanian beliau mencantas lalang-lalang dan kulat yang kian mereputkan kewibawaan kerajaan beliau... sebelum terlambat...

Monday, June 14, 2010

Cutting Scholarships... Another Reason Why DS Nazri Aziz Should Be Sacked!

I had recommended that DS Najib consider dropping DS Nazri Aziz from his Cabinet in his recent cabinet re-shuffle. Whilst this didn't happen as the re-shuffle was more focussed on changes in the MCA leadership and MIC's post-Samy Vellu preparations, there was much disappointment and continued hope that some heads will roll in the near future.

One minister I didn't mention for the chop, current EPU minister, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (TS NMY), is currently more popular for removal, especially among the GLC, corporate and business conscious bloggers. This follows the on-going spate of scandals among GLCs, from Sime Darby through POS Malaysia, the former an example of a continuous explosive affair whilst the latter a simmering pot of disaster as TS NMY's boys in Khazanah and the GLCs spin a cover-up.

However, DS Nazri, perhaps upset that the limelight of political confusion has been off him, and focussed on the non-politician DS Idris Jala to boot, has decided to seize it back in a dramatic fashion... it seems DS Nazri wants to abolish overseas undergraduate Scholarships! Worst, in an age when many doubt the quality of local grads, especially from peripheral IPTAs, DS Nazri wants to deprive many Malaysians from getting quality education abroad!

For this DS Nazri surely should be sacked! I have had the pleasure of having run through DS Idris Jala's presentation on Subsidy Rationalisation and found it comforting that EVEN DS IDRIS AND PEMANDU DOES NOT PLAN TO HAVE SUBSIDIES IN EDUCATION CUT; i.e. no scholarship cuts planned at all according to government plans before DS Nazri saw the wisdom in opening his mouth! ... did I get that wrong? Hope not ...

Rather than cut our overseas undergraduate scholarship budget, why doesn't DS Nazri think about cutting minister's overseas holidays budgets first? Not enough? Of course. So then lets start with some more real serious stuff to cut first which is on DS Idris Jala's proposal:
  1. Stop subsidising IPPs for the Gas or Fuel they use to run to produce Electricity! I am sure the YTLs and Malakoffs have by now fully recovered their high cost of capital to start their plants AND THEN SOME. In addition, it is surely unethical to continue to subsidise a private enterprise that is making so much money it is expanding on the back of subsidies instead of giving scholarships...

  2. Stop giving away APs and instead have all those people who can afford it actually PAY the high cost of these cars! I say it is sick that a rich man can afford to get an AP and hence get a hundred thousand ringgit discount to bring a Ferarri into the country, especially when the same hundred thousand ringgit could pay for 2 years of a Medical Student's scholarship or all of 3 years of tuition fees for an undergraduate Pharmacy student in Australia.

  3. By all means, stop paying Highway concessionaries to stop them from raising toll rates. If toll Highway users are upset, tell them to learn to car pool - they won't anyway, Petrol is still too cheap from subsidies for Malaysians to want to bother sharing cars or even try public transport! Tell them if they just RM1/day higher tolls, maybe a few talented kids from Bario or Kuala Sepetang will get a chance to study Engineering in the US.

  4. etc.

  5. etc.

  6. et al.

But for gods sakes, don't cut any of our scholarships! DS Najib, please sack DS Nazri before he loses you the election...

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Rombakan Cabinet Yang Melegakan Lagi Mengecewakan

Akhirnya jelas kepada semua, rupa-rupanya, rombakan cabinet DS Najib hanyalah tertumpu kepada parti-parti komponen MCA dan MIC sahaja. Perkara ini mungkin melegakan begitu ramai pemimpin UMNO, terutama penyandang jawatan, terutama sekali mereka yang kelihatan tidak efektif ataupun dicemuh oleh rakyat. Namun atas sebab yang sama, Rakyat juga pasti ramai kecewa yang begitu ramai pemimpin yang ditolak mereka masih dikekalkan oleh DS Najib.

Buat masa ini, jurublog ingin menumpukan perhatian kepada muka-muka baru dalam kabinet secara amnya. Saya sebenarnya gembira mendengar YB Datuk Wira Chor Chee Heung dilantik Menteri Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, kerana beliau dari Kedah. Dengan kedudukan beliau sebagai Naib Presiden MCA yang kini berkementerian, mungkinkah ini akan membantu usaha MCA Kedah untuk menarik kembali undi bangsa Cina ke BN di negeri tersebut?

Malangnya, gembira saya tidak setanding kecewa apabila melihat DS Ong Tee Keat digugurkan langsung dari kabinet. Tahulah beliau kalah, tetapi DS Chua Soi Lek telah mengesyorkan beliau dikekalkan, apatah lagi kerana popularnya DS Ong TK baik di kawasan Parlimennya mahupun di kalangan Rakyat yang mahukan isu skandal PKFZ diselesaikan. DS Ong TK terserlah sebagai tokoh pembenteras rasuah yang meggasak isu PKFZ! Ada apa-apakah disebalik penggugurannya?

Kecewa lagi apabila mendengar akan perlantikan calon DS Samy Vellu, Datuk G Palanivel sebagai Timbalan Menteri. Kecewa kenapa? Di tempatnya sendiri, Hulu Selangor, beliau tak cukup popular untuk dicalonkan bertanding PRK baru-baru ini, apakah perlantikannya akan menguntungkan BN? Mungkinkah ia hanya sekadar membantu DS Samy mempertahankan legasinya kelak?

Akhir kata, saya tak kenal anak DS Chua Soi Lek. Beliau mungkin berbakat benar orangnnya dan layak menduduki jawatan Timbalan Menteri. Malangnya, memandangkan ayahnya merupakan Presiden MCA, ini akan mewujudkan imej nepotisma dilemparkan ke atas DS Chua dan MCA sekali lagi. Ramai faham dan simpati apabila YB Chua dicalonkan mengantikan ayahnya ke Parlimen Labis pada PRU12, tetapi perlantikannya ke Timbalan Menteri mungkin keterlaluan...

Yang kita harapkan adalah rombakan kabinet untuk menyuntik semangat dan tenaga baru kepada kabinet DS Najib menjelang PRU13. Paling kurangpun, pengguguran 1-2 Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri yang ternyata tidak membantu, malah menjejaskan harapan BN menjelang PRU13. Nampak gaya, harapan tak tercapai kali ini. Wallahualam ...

Who To Leave Out Of DS Najib's New Cabinet?

Smses have been flying around about a new cabinet to be announced by DS Najib today or tomorrow. Rather than pitch for any new additions, I would suggest that the following ministers' relevance be reviewed. I would argue that they are primarily vote losers, not vote winners. Even if not dropped, they should be moved from their current portfolio, except no 1 and 2, they have to go:
  1. DS Nazri TS Aziz - Much disliked due to his frequent verbal abuse of Tun Dr M, opposition, critics, bloggers... actually, everybody! Being a big shot's son does not help, personafies the image of UMNO 'nobles' at its worst, arrogant and disconnected from the Rakyat. Recent taxi rate hikes backfired with taxi drivers claiming it was 'to his benefit' and saving of BN's blushes at the Budget vote would not have been necessary if he did his job as party whip!

  2. TS Koh Tsu Koon - What is the point of having this man, known as an ultra-racist in civilised clothes even among some Penang Chinese, still in cabinet? He lost PRU12, his party lost the state of Penang, the party still struggles for leadership, with BN cringeing at the idea of a Gerakan candidate for the potential Batu by-election, and he cannot do any cabinet work! DS Najib had to appoint DS Idris Jala to do TS Koh's work! Just sack TS Koh already!

  3. DS Hishamuddin Hussein - Some would argue it would have been worst leaving him in the Education Ministry, unfortunately, I am not so sure! As the custodian of our police and internal security forces, he may have not presided over as enormous boo-boos as his predecessors, Pak Lah and TS Syed Hamid, but his penchant for seeking the media spotlight does not suit a ministry that works very much in the background... when it is doing well...

  4. DS Rais Yatim - As one who supported his bid for UMNO Vice President on the back of his experience, I am actually disappointed at how poorly DS has performed in his 'super-ministry'. He remains cultured and well spoken, but appears to be overwhelmed by the ideas of the day and the media tools now needing to be mastered in the increasingly 'post-digital' era. It's about ideas man... let them roam... don't just tell us... build your message with us...

I am sure to have incited some anger and hatred... again... but then what to do? I'm hardly the only person saying the above.

PS - I didn't mention explicitly about the new 'private' being made a Cabinet Minister as the idea is too moronic to contemplate. DS Najib does still want to win PRU13, I am sure.

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