Welcoming YAB Dato Sri Naji Tun Razak as PM

I welcome YAB Dato Sri Najib Tun Razak as the new Prime Minister of Malaysia. I have every confidence that under his dynamic leadership, Malaysia will continue to prosper and become a developed country. Although YAB Dato Sri Najib has taken over the leadership at a challenging time, I am confident that his vast experience and profound knowledge will help steer Malaysia out of the current economic slowdown. I am also confident that as UMNO and Barisan Nasional leader, YAB Dato Sri Najib will continue to enjoy the full support and loyalty of all Barisan Nasional component parties and the various communities in our continued efforts to make Malaysia a role model of ethnic cooperation and respect. My heartiest congratulations to him.
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My views on the Mini Budget

The RM60 billion stimulus package is bold but I feel that more could be done to increase the confidence of the business community as well as the people in general, especially the vulnerable groups. In short, the government needs to bring back the “feel good feeling” to boost consumer spending and investor confidence – a situation where the people is not too scared or worried to spend and the businessman is confident of better times ahead.

Greater efforts must be done to rectify the unemployment situation. While I laud the government’s move to help retrenched workers by offering companies tax incentives to employ retrenched workers, I feel that the focus should be directed more on helping employers to retain their workers. At this time of uncertainty, few companies would be able to afford to take in new workers. The challenge is more to retain their existing workers and not have to retrench them. For this, I feel that the government should help employers by giving them cash rebates for contributions to the Employees Provident Fund, similar to Singapore’s Jobs Credit Scheme. The MCA had proposed that the government pay 10 percent of the 12 percent contribution by employers to the EPF. I urge the government to seriously look into this so as to preserve jobs in the current economic downturn.

I agree that preserving jobs and helping the unemployed and new entrants to the employment market get jobs is a tall order for any government. The DPM has pointed out that the unemployment rate for this year is expected to be 4.5 percent compared to 3.7 percent in 2008. Since October 2008, when the crisis first hit us, 25,000 workers have been retrenched and nearly 31,000 have been temporarily laid-off. The challenge for the government is to ensure that the local workers are not asked to leave before the foreign workers. I agree that this is a very fragile situation. It is a fact that locals have long shied away from certain jobs which they considered dirty, dangerous and demeaning – commonly known as the 3Ds. And employers from these sectors have no choice but to take in foreign workers or they risk having to stop operations. With Malaysia having enjoyed a technical full employment rate for years, Malaysians can afford to be choosy. Some have even opted to work in other countries which offered higher pay to do the same work. But Malaysian workers have to know that times have changed. Jobs are scarce not only here but in other countries as well. Maybe it is time for employers and workers to find an equilibrium that would encourage Malaysians to take over such jobs from foreign workers.

Measures outlined in the Mini Budget put emphasis only on the demand side with little focus on the supply side. I feel that to strengthen consumer confidence, more should be done to liberalize the economy. For this, I hope the government will come out with more specific guidelines on the new role of the Foreign Investment Committee as announced by the DPM. Removing any doubts or hindrances will make Malaysia a more investor friendly place for FDIs. The government should also help to ease the setting up of new businesses by short circuiting the process of obtaining licenses, possibly by capping the period between application and approval, similar to what the government had done for the issuance of Certificate of Fitness for buildings.

Finally, of utmost importance is that the measures outlined in the Mini Budget must be implemented swiftly and effectively.Hidden text
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Mini Budget

I welcome the announcement of the Second Stimulus Package (Mini Budget) at the Dewan Rakyat today. There is however talk that the Mini Budget could go as high as RM40 billion. The higher allocation will be most welcomed as it would give the economy the much needed boost. However, I feel that the injection of the extra capital to the economy should be accompanied by increased efforts to improve three main areas of the economy:

· The government should facilitate the employment/intake of more experts in various sectors. This can be done by attracting foreign experts in areas which Malaysians do not have the expertise as well as relooking at efforts to reenergize the “brain gain” policy with a view of getting more Malaysian professionals to come back.
· Expediting the issuance of business licenses by further liberalization and by removing conditions that may hinder the process ie. equity requirements and cumbersome application process.
· Encouraging the flourishing of entrepreneurship especially small and medium scale entrepreneurs through credit facilities and other incubator services.

I am confident that if such measures are adopted quickly and efficiently by the government, they will greatly help in ensuring the effectiveness of the second stimulus package.
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Wong's resignation not necessary

The circulation of nude pictures of Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong constitutes a gross violation of her private life and those responsible for such a despicable act should be punished according to the law. I hope the police will investigate the incident thoroughly and swiftly. The circulation of the nude pictures is done with bad intentions. As such, I would disagree with any calls for Wong to resign her post as this does not reflect her work as an assemblyman. I hope all those who have the pictures will come forward and help the police in their investigations. They should also stop circulating these pictures and not be a participant of this despicable act.
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Facing the Economic Realities

The comments by executive director of the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), Samsuddin Bardan that 10,000 Malaysians have lost their jobs since 1 January 2009 due to the global economic slowdown show that the economic situation in Malaysia is not as rosy as pictured. Malaysians should face the reality of the situation and take the necessary steps to face the challenges ahead. There is nothing wrong with Malaysia as the current economic situation is a consequence of the global economic crisis as Malaysia can’t be isolated from the effects. I agree with the call of the MEF to the government to release the second economic stimulus package as soon as possible to keep the hard-hit companies afloat. At the same time, the government should urgently remove any hindrances or red tape that might be a dampener to the setting up of new enterprises. With an expected drop in consumption, now is a good time for the government to pump in funds to develop and upgrade schools, health clinics and other construction projects. This will stimulate economic activities and inject back confidence amongst contractors, retailers and other supply chains.
Despite the fact that the Year of the Ox started off on a pretty pessimistic note – with the MEF comments, the International Labour Organization reporting that up to 51 million jobs worldwide could disappear by year-end and the collapse of the Irish government due to economic worries – all is not lost for Malaysians. My hunch is that as the Year progresses, we will begin to see positive signs. The Malaysian government has already taken urgent steps to address the situation through the economic stimulus packages aimed at various sectors and the US and China governments have undertaken urgent measures to stimulate the economy. The results of these concerted global efforts will soon kick in. I am confident that the current situation would not be as bad as the Deep Depression in which the world took ten years to recover.
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Investigate A. Kugan’s death without prejudices

I welcome the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan’s assurance that police will carry out a full investigation into the death of A. Kugan who died while he was in police custody. The IGP’s comments that there will be no cover up are important in reassuring the public of transparency in the police investigations. I urged the police to carry out a thorough and fair investigation into what happened, without any prejudices. The quick, transparent and affirmative action by the police in getting to the bottom of what led to A Kugan’s death and to mete out the necessary punishment for the culprits (if any) will reflect the professionalism of the Police force in carrying out their duties without any discrimination or biasness and thus increased the confidence and perception of the people towards the Police.
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Gong Xi Fa Cai

I wish all Chinese in Malaysia Gong Xi Fa Cai. I wish you and your loved ones health and prosperity in the Year of the Ox. The Ox symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work and perseverance. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character that exercises resolution and fearlessness when accomplishing a task. Although we are in the midst of economic uncertainties, I am confident that if Malaysians will adopt these characteristics, we would be able to override the effects of the current situation. With this, we can certainly look forward to a better year ahead. I also take this opportunity to urge Malaysians to drive carefully when commuting to and from their home towns as well as during their visitations. Let us all celebrate this time together by renewing ties with our families and friends, including those of other races in the true Malaysian spirit of Muhibbah! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
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