The 2008 Budget: An Election "Sweetener"

I have not gone through the 2008 Budget in detail but I would like to post my general comment on it. In my next entry, I will provide both the plus and minus points of the budget for all of us to discuss.

CERTAINLY THE 2008 BUDGET MANAGES TO AROUSE A FEEL GOOD FACTOR AMONG THE PEOPLE IN LIGHT OF THE UPCOMING GENERAL ELECTION. APART FROM PROVIDING VARIOUS SWEETENERS TO THE PEOPLE, THE BUDGET DOES NOT ADDRESS OTHER PRESSING ISSUES SUCH AS HOW TO SPUR DOMESTIC ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES AND WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO DO IN FACING STIFF COMPETITION IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET LIBERALISATION. THE BUDGET ALSO FAILS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE. I WOULD HOPE TO SEE THAT EFFORTS ARE BEING PUT IN PLACE (PARTICULARLY IN THE MONETARY TERMS) TO ACHIEVE THE GOOD GOVERNANCE OBJECTIVE BUT SADLY I HAVE NOT SEEN THIS IS TOUCHED IN THE BUDGET. HOW ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT’S ASPIRATION TO SEE A HEALTHIER MALAYSIAN SOCIETY? I DON’T THINK THE GOVERNMENT IS SERIOUS AS THE “SIN TAX” (TAXES ON CIGARETTES AND LIQUOR”) HAS REMAINED IN ITS CURRENT RATE. I WOULD LIKE TO MAINTAIN THAT I AM NOT IMPRESSED BY THE BUDGET 2008. IF I WERE TO MAKE COMPARISON, THE RECENTLY RELEASED AUDITOR-GENERAL’S REPORT HAS DONE A RELATIVELY BETTER JOB.

I read both the The Star and New Sunday Times on Sunday (September 9) and thought that it was the former which did a better reporting by highlighting the mismanagement of public funds as contained in the Auditor-General's Report.

Is Malaysia an Islamic or Secular State?

The debates are still on-going but there appears to be no seriousness in Malaysia to end the polemics once and for all. Ending the polemics might not be possible but if there is a forum to explain to the men-in-the-street of whether Malaysia is an Islamic or secular state, then, I think, the issue would continue to be sensasionalised. The national-level forum should involve high-ranking government officials, academics, community leaders and those approriate individuals. The discussion should stick to fact than emotion by looking at the Federal Constitution--the highest law in Malaysia and the basis in which Malaysia was born. So far, the PM and DPM have failed to give satisfactory response on the issue. The MCA representative, so far, did a better job by furnishing various documents to support the secularist argument. But I, in particular, am touched by the analysis by Dr. Chandra Muzaffar of JUST who neither stated Malaysia being an Islamic state nor a secular one. He simply stated that Malaysia is a country that practices parliamentary democracy. I like Dr. Chandra's moderate and conciliatory approach than that of DPM and other UMNO politicians. The PM could have done a better job had he defended his view convincingly and invited Malaysian to a healthy debate on the issue. In the final analysis, to answer the question posted, my view is that MALAYSIA IS NOT AN ISLAMIC STATE, NOR IS IT A FULL SECULAR STATE. IT IS A SEMI-SECULAR STATE THAT PRACTICES PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY. By SEMI-SECULAR it is meant that though the element of being a secular country exists in the Malaysian Constitution, one must not forget the fact that there're also religious elements being practised in the administration particularly those related to the religion of Islam. But those elements do not make Malaysia an Islamic state. It is just that it has been practised as part of the Malaysian heritage. We should preserve and defend the constitution as it is and ensure that it is not misinterpreted to serve the veiled interests of certain people.

Growing Unemployment in Malaysia? Perhaps here's the proof...

I went to accompany my cousin for a job interview at Kolej Yayasan Sabah. We did not expect that so many people (mostly young graduates) would attend. We came quite early, at 8.30 a.m. The first group of people who came with us numbered around 30-40. Then, after one hour later, the number swelled to 50, 60, and 100 just before lunch break. By 1.00 p.m. the number of people came to 200 and growing. This scenario reflects the problem facing the Malaysian workforce in particular young and fresh graduates. Based on my random conversations with those who attended, I knew that they were really desperate to find a job. In fact, my cousin has been jobless (I mean failing to find a permanent job) for 2-3 years after getting his degree from a public university. In Sabah, one can see a lot of shopping complexes being built not to mention countless of other construction projects. Well, I am not sure if these could be translated into jobs that would benefit the locals particularly the young graduates. The problem is, I think, there're too many university graduates with limited number of jobs created. In the economic terms, the supply has outnumbered the demand. Certainly, the economist, Mohd. Ariff of MIER, is right when he said that despite Malaysia's encouraging economic development, the serious problem of unemployment still persists. I am worried that if this problem continues, Malaysia's pool of human capital would be wasted to the detriment of our dream to achieve Vision 2020.

Crisis Brewing in Sabah PKR (Part 2)

I mentioned elsewhere in my writing (see, for instance, Malaysiakini [www.malaysiakini.com/letters/64324]) that PKR could become a force to be reckoned with in Sabah in the upcoming general election and that Dr. Jeffry's participation would put Sabah politics into limelight again. But the present leadership struggle in PKR would eventually weaken the party and give the impression that it would fail to pose a real challenge to Sabah BN led by UMNO. In this entry, I would like to write about the causes of the internal party squabble in PKR. It had been indicated earlier that Anwar wanted to replace Awang Tengah as Chief of Sabah PKR. Anwar's suggestion, however, was shot down by some especially by Sabah PKR Secretary, Kanul Gidol who suggested that the majority's voice must not be ignored when choosing the leader to lead Sabah PKR. The question that needs to be answered now is: why did Anwar prefer Ansari than Awang Tengah?

A source in PKR said that Ansari's Islamic appeal and his "convincing" approach to politics had caught Anwar's attention. Further, this source added, Ansari had managed to establish a "strategic alliance" with PKR's Director of Elections, Azmin Ali. It was suggested that it was probably Azmin who told Anwar to choose Ansari, considering the fact that Azmin has always been seen as Anwar's trusted ally cum adviser. Ansari's group has pointedly remarked that Anwar must be given the opportunity to appoint any individual to lead Sabah PKR as the party's constitution clearly states that the appointment of state leaders rests in the hand of the president (hence, Anwar's wife, Dr. Wan Azizah).

But Anwar's action, according to this source again, went against the larger agenda of the state PKR which wanted someone who understands what the state and its people need. The state PKR does not want to be told what to do and it wants to chart its own future in Sabah. Then, I asked this source, since PKR is a federal party and is headquatered in KL, doesn't this mean that it has direct control over Sabah and its policies must reflect the nation's interests at large? Well, this source unequivocally said no and insisted that Sabah must be treated differently. So is this struggle to pursue the "Sabah Agenda" contained in the "Tambunan Declaration" signed between Dr. Jeffry and Anwar Ibrahim? It might probably be yes according to the tune of Dr. Jeff's response to my questions when I asked his involvement in PKR. The lines are clearly drawn here and unless Anwar and his federal counterparts find the most appropriate solutions to solve once and for all PKR's internal party squabble in Sabah, they might have to face the risk of losing the support of the dissenting group which champions the Sabah Agenda.

The Lun Bawang Did It Again!!!

Here's the pic of my latest article on the 2006 state election in Sarawak. If you wish to read the article, please let me know and I would give you a copy (but only on a first-come-first-serve basis as I am running out of copy). I would continue providing more analyses on the voting pattern of the indigenous communities in Sarawak as their voting behaviour is not so much influenced by ethnic and economic factors as one can see in other constituencies.

I also provide here the excerpt of the article:

"The BN's overall results seem to be reflected in the Ba'Kelalan constituency, which shows the Lun Bawang voting for the opposition candidate. Even though the popular votes between the opposition and the BN candidates were split between 49% and 51%, it is argued that the Lun Bawang
are divided on development, NCR land and religious outlook"

Crisis Brewing in Sabah PKR

The Star, Tuesday, July 17, 2007 contained the following report:

"KOTA KINABALU: All is not well with the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in Sabah with a tussle over who is going to be the state chief. Sabah PKR secretary Kanul Gindol said 20 of the 23 division heads want incumbent Awang Tengah Awang Amin retained as state party chief. However, Kanul said that PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had informed them that lawyer and Tuaran division head Ansari Abdullah may replace Awang Tengah. “I have made it clear that I want Awang Tengah or the party’s vice-president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan to head Sabah PKR,” Kanul said yesterday. He said that several Sabah division leaders had made their stand known when party secretary-general Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim came to listen to their views at Dr Kitingan’s house on Friday. Claiming that Sabah PKR would “disintegrate” if there was a change in the leadership, Kanul said that Sabah was the only state where no one had been officially named to lead although Anwar had promised to do so within two weeks after party elections in May. When asked about Kanul’s statement, Dr Kitingan said it was Kanul’s personal opinion. “I feel that the views of the majority should be maintained. But the leadership may see things in a different angle and may feel that certain moves would strengthen the party here.” He said he would meet Anwar in the next couple of days to discuss the matter. Sabah PKR deputy chairman Christina Liew insisted that there was no crisis in the party and described the bickering as normal in any party"

When I met Dr. Jeff to interview him about my research on Sabah politics, he spoke passionately about his struggle with his new party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat or simply PKR. His participation in PKR was rather unique. He went to Tambunan and announced "officially" that he was going to fight for the people's rights through PKR. He even sealed an agreement known as "Tambunan Declaration" with PKR's adviser and one-time UMNO's strongman, Anwar Ibrahim. I thought Dr. Jeff chose Tambunan because he wanted his involvement in Keadilan to be dramatic, following his brother's (Pairin Kitingan) rise to prominence in Tambunan in 1985. But now, all seems not to be well in PKR Sabah with the latest power struggle to helm the post of Sabah PKR Chief. According to PKR's constitution, the presiden of the party has the prerogative to appoint state chief. But some in Sabah PKR maintained that Awang Tengah was suitable to be chief based on the majority voice of all divisions throughout the state. Anwar, it was said, wanted Ansari to replace Awang. It was not immediately known why Anwar preferred Ansari. But it seemed to indicate that Anwar wanted someone who could lead Sabah PKR to prominence as what Dominique Ng had done in Sarawak by contributing one PKR seat to the State Assembly. But all eyes are now on Dr. Jeff. Would he be taking on his brother in Tambunan? Or would he be able to making an impact through PKR? Well, the upcoming general election would probably show how relevant Dr. Jeff still is in Sabah politics.

Filipino Refugees in Sabah: the Federal Govenment Must Not Take the Easy Way Out

Here's the newspaper report (The Star, Tuesday, July 17, 2007) about the Federal Government's alleged plan to give PR (Permanent Residence) status to Filipino refugees in Sabah:

"KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has rejected a federal proposal to issue permanent resident status to thousands of Filipino refugees in the state. Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman said any proposal on a solution to the longstanding refugee problem should involve discussions with the state government. “We should be consulted on such issues,” Musa said amid mounting opposition from Sabah Barisan Nasional parties to a proposal that Filipino refugees be given PR status in a move to resolve the problem, which has been plaguing the state since the 1970s. Musa said he had contacted Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz to inform him about the state’s firm stand on the issue. Nazri has been reported as saying that PR status would be given to refugees now holding the IMM13 immigration pass. “We hope that from now on we will be consulted on whatever matters involving illegal immigrants and refugees,” Musa told delegates at the Keningau Umno division meeting Tuesday. On June 26, Nazri, in written reply to a Tuaran MP Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau, had said that the Federal Government planned to issue PR status to the 10,000 to 15,000 refugees, who had fled the civil war in the Philippines in the late 1960s. However, Nazri’s statement was met with criticism from both ruling Barisan parties as well as the opposition with Musa saying that he was not consulted on the matter"

Well, okay, finally the Federal Government has proposed a plan to solve the refugee problem or possibly the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah. But giving the PR status to those refugees would create the impression that the Federal Government is seeking the easy way out to solve the perennial problem. The proposed solution would be practical if the Federal Government takes into account the following:

• are those holding IMM13 immigration pass are "genuine" refugees and not those who have been brought into Sabah illegally? The Federal Government must establish their identity and investigate whether they were the ones allowed by the Malaysian Government to seek refuge in Malaysia after the civil war erupted in the Southtern Philippines.
• it was alleged that Musa and the State Government had not been consulted? Was this true? And then, how come matter concerning to Sabah's security was conviniently ignored by the Federal Government by not consulting state leaders? The federal and state leaders must sit down and brainstrom to find the most acceptable solutions to the problem. They also must not ignore the sensitivity of the people who have voiced out their dissatisfaction for long.
• the suggestion made by Nazri's counterpart in the PM's Deparment, Bernard Dompok, to a certain extent, is worth considering. The State Government might have to shoulder the potential political, social and economic problems posed by the refugees if there were given the PR status. To ease this burden, Dompok had proposed, that the refugees be distributed to all over Malaysia.
• the Federal Government must introduce a long-term plan to ensure that Sabah is well protected from the influx of illegal immigrants from the Southern Philippines. With the advent of advance technologies such as the GPS and so on, the problem of having to monitor Sabah's large boundaries and its close geographical position to the Southtern Philippines would no longer arise.
• the Federal Government must investigate if these refugees had been used by certain quarters before for political expediency (i.e. to vote during elections) and must ensure that no one would used them again for such a purpose.

Unless the Federal Government explains the rational behind the move to give these refugees PR status with all quarters in Sabah properly consulted, the move would surely be miscontrued as another attempt to absorb non-Sabahans into the official population statistics.

Lina Joy Issue

After much anticipation, the judgement on the Lina Joy's conversion from Islam to Christianity had finally been passed down by the Court of Appeal. Two of the presiding judges ruled in favour of the National Registration Department's decision to retain Lina's religious status in her IC while the dissenting judge, Richard Malanjun, argued that the NRD had been erred in disallowing Lina to change her religious status. Comments after comments had been posted on print and online newspapers, not to mention on internal blogs all over the world. I, for one, had expected that such a decision would finally be made, looking at the complex and intertwining nature of the Shariah and common laws in the Federal Constitution. As a Christian, I did not take heart when the decision was made. The judges had done their best to deliver a fair and balanced judgement in such a sensitive and much publicised issue. I see this issue as pure technical in nature. The problem lies solely on how one interprets the Constitution by looking at the political and social reality in Malaysia. The Federal Constitution itself had been drafted based on the "social contract" achieved between the various ethnic groups in Malaysia. The Federal Constitution is clear about this matter and I am in no position to comment. But since the issue of freedom and human rights have been brought into the picture, the government must carefully re-examine Lina Joy's and that of others' arguments that their freedom to believe have been abused or rather not respected. I hope the approriate authorities and responsbile NGOs would not stop from here and would continue recommending rational and practical solutions on the issue of freedom of religion in Malaysia. In the meantime, I urge all Christian in Malaysia not to be emotional and continue to pray for Lina Joy and others who have faced such a difficulty.

Dompok's Resignation

Dompok probably does the right thing by resigning as chairman of the Parliamentary Select Community on Integrity after failing to get the National Registration Department's officials to answer some of the pertinent issues regarding illegal immigrant problems in Sabah. Dompok has been quoted as saying that it is better for him to resign than sitting at the committee without doing something constructive. Calls have been pouring in for him to reverse his decision--the lastest from the President of the Transparency International (Malaysia) and President of the Malaysian Council of Churches.

It is not immediately known why Dompok has suddenly resigned from the committee. But newspaper reports have shown that he is arguably at loggerheads with the de-facto law minister, Nazri Aziz, who questioned the committee wanting to quiz the NRD officials. Nazri said it was not the committee's functions to call on individuals to testify before it as its main role is to obtain feedback and make recommendation to the government on issues related to integrity.

If the government is serious in tackling ineffectiveness in the civil service and to ensure Malaysia is free from corrupt practices, it should ensure that the committee be given the approriate powers and clear jurisdictions. The grey areas between the related government agencies' roles with that of the committee must be tackled to ensure there is no overlapping and redundancy in tasks assigned to them.

The prime minister must either appeal Dompok to stay or find another credible person to head the committee. He also must make sure that the committee's credibility be restored and its presence respected by all levels of society. Abdullah has introduced a number of committees and commissions since taking over the premiership from Mahathir and it is a high time for him so show that his efforts are translated into constructive actions for the betterment of the nation as a whole.

By Way of Introduction

Welcome to AP Political Insights!, a simple blog dedicated to analysing current issues in Malaysian politics especially in Sabah and Sarawak. This blog aims at:

a. analysing current political issues in Malaysia especially in Sabah and Sarawak
b. providing an independent analysis on Malaysian politics
c. providing a platform for anyone to exchange ideas, opinions and suggestions on Malaysian politics
d. sharing with readers about the author's research, work and daily reflections

Readers are welcome to comment on the articles posted. But please be constuctive and rational!