The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Umno-BN terdesak menamatkan sistem kronisme AP penjualan CPO? Posted: 12 Oct 2012 08:54 PM PDT 13 OKT — Keputusan Cabinet semalam untuk menurunkan cukai ekspot minyak sawit mentah (CPO) dan menamatkan quota AP penjualan CPO tanpa cukai sebanyak 5 juta metric tan, pastinya mengizinkan pelbagai pihak, khasnya pengilang penapis kelapa sawit (refiners) menarik nafas lega. Perkara ini adalah sebahagian isu yang saya bangkitkan dalam ucapan perbahasan Belanjawaan saya pada hari Khamis lalu, yang mendesak kerajaan supaya segera mengambil tindakan segera atas isu ini. Saya telah tegaskan dalam perbahasan bahawa Kementerian Perladangan dan Komoditi mesti mengubah ke struktur duti ekspot yang rendah, fleksibel dan terbuka supaya syarikat penapisan minyak sawit Malaysia boleh berdaya saing dengan Indonesia. Malaysia sebelum ini mengenakan duti ekspot 23 peratus yang tidak fleksible atas CPOnya, berbanding Indonesia yang bukan sahaja serendah 13.5 peratus tetapi mempunyai regim duti ekspot yang fleksible mengikut pergerakan harga CPO dunia. Krisis isu penapisan minyak sawit ini bermula pada bulan Oktober tahun lepas. Seharusnya masalah ini di selesaikan secepat mungkin, tetapi Kementerian gagal mengambil apa-apa tidakan selama 10 bulan. Menjadi lebih parah lagi apabila dua bulan lalu, Kementerian bertindak dengan meningkatkan jumlah kuota AP minyak sawit sebanyak 2 juta metric tan lagi. Peningkatan AP minyak sawit ini bukan merupakan satu langkah yang bijak, tetapi telah memburukan lagi situasi yang sudah teruk. Ini disebabkan kebanyakkan kuota diberi kepada syarikat syarikat yang memang tak berupaya untuk menjual CPO. Penambahan 2 juta metrik tan CPO kepada pasaran yang sudah lembap nyata gagal menarik minat pembeli-pembeli baru. Menteri Tan Sri Bernard Dompok minggu lalu mengakui dalam penerangangnya kepada media bahawa masih ada 2.5 juta metrik tan AP yang tak terjual. Malah penambahan AP ini telah menyebabkan satu situasi dimana CPO tidak dapat di hantar kepada pembeli kerana tangki-tangki minyak sawit di loji-loji penapisan dan pelabuhan-pelabuhan sudah sesak penuh dengan minyak kelapa sawit yang telah diproses, tetapi tak terjual. Kesesakan logisitik ini mencetuskan satu "backlog" yang bukan sahaja "mencekik" industri hilir tetapi telah merebak ke industri huluan serentak menyebabkan rantaian bekalan lumpuh (choked the supply chain). Ramai pengusaha sawit termasuk Palm Oil Refiners Association of Malaysia (PORAM) dan pengusaha kilang sawit bahawa tangki-tangki di kilang sawit (oil mills) kini sudah pun dekat penuh, dan pengeluar dan peneroka FFB (fresh fruit bunches) dipaksa untuk menjual buah-buahan mereka kepada pengilang dengan harga murah dan dengan diskaun. Ramai pemerhati industri sawit juga percaya bahawa dasar penambahan 2 juta AP tanpa duti ekspot ini adalah factor utama yang menyebabkan kejatuhan harga CPO yang mendadak baru-baru ini. Dalam perbahasan Belanjawaan saya yang menekankan betapa kerajaan Umno-BN terus-terusan enggan dan tidak bersedia merungkaikan system monopoli, sistem rentier atau kronisme yang sebenarnya beperanan mengherot pasaran yang seharusnya mesti diiznkan berfungsi secara efisien dan berkesan. Sistem menopoli secara jelasnya adalah petualang besar yang merosakkan pasaran sekaligus, menjejaskan pendapatan rakyat dan meningkatkan kos saran hidup. Monopoli dan memberi keutamaan kepda kroni dalam pelbagai urus-tadbir perniagaan termasuk beras, gula, telekomunikasi, akhbar, penerbangan, media satelit seperti Astro, lessen teksi, dll, secara langsung menjejaskan kos saran hidup rakyat dan mengurangkan pendapatan boleh berbelanja mereka (disposable income). Atas nama ketelusan dan kebertangungjawaban saya juga mendesak Kementerian mendedahkan nama-nama penerima AP yang telah mendapat menfaatkan dari sistem pemberian hak menjual tanpa duti ekspot disamping yang merupakan the big-boys (KLK, IOI, Kwantas, FELDA, United Plantation) yang telah diberikan AP dahulu untuk membantu mereka supaya menjadi lebih kompetitif kerana mempunyai kilang penapis di luar negara. Persoalannya siapakah pihak penerima AP penjualan CPO yang lain, yang ada yang mendakwa, seperti AP kereta juga, yang tidak ada apa-apa pengopersian kilang mahupun "network" marketing global, tetapi diberikan AP hampir 600 ribu tan setahun dan membuat keuntungan ratusan jutaan atas perniagaan seperti ini. Berapa jutakah diberikan kembali kepada penguasa politik pemerintah dalam urus-tadbir yang mengherot pasaran ini? Persoalan kedua, meskipun bersifat teknikal, adalah mengapakah perlu tunggu sehingga awal tahun depan untuk merungkaikan sistem AP yang jelas telah mencekik industry dan rakyat dinegara ini? Dua bulan lebih adalah masa yang panjang yang akan memburukkan lagi keadaan backlog yang telah "stroke"kan seluruh "supply chain" komoditi ini. Jelasnya ketika berlaku pertentangan kepentingan, Umno-BN lebih mementingkan kroninya dari membela rakyat, peneroka, pengusaha dan membantu membangunkan industri-industi di negara ini. Masa untuk merobah dan menamatkan kesemua kebejatan dan kebobrokan urus-tadbir kewangan dan pembangunan yang mengorbankan rakyat dan membela kroni telah sampai! * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. |
| More than just the right to vote Posted: 12 Oct 2012 04:31 PM PDT OCT 13 — There's more to women's rights than just the right to vote. Though universal suffrage for a number of developing countries remains an elusive and long fought battle for many women, we are fortunate that in Malaysia this fundamental right as a citizen has been secured almost from the very onset of the birth of this country, as rightly pointed out by the prime minister. But I hope he doesn't forget that it was the pioneers of the women's rights movement back in the pre-Merdeka days who utilised the power of politics to secure that right and to ensure that the voice of women would not only be heard and counted, it would also help shape the future of the country and its people. The women's rights movement in Malaysia has a proud history and whose work continues on to this day. I am absolutely certain that women such as Tun Dr Fatimah Hashim (of Kaum Ibu and a former Cabinet member), Khadijah Sidek (of Kaum Ibu Umno and Kaum Ibu PAS) and Tan Sri Aishah Ghani (also a former Cabinet member) would have been appalled and would have disagreed with this assessment of the women's rights movement in Malaysia. A woman's right to vote is not an end in itself. The vote provides a way to participate and the means to an end which is the improvement and betterment of women and society in Malaysia. There continues to be much which needs to be done and, based on recent history, most of it depends on the voice of women carried forth through the organisations which form the substance of the women's rights movement. We cannot just depend nor place the burden solely on the government. The right to vote, unfortunately, does not directly bequeath upon a person the ability to put food on the table, provide the means to bring up a family or result in an improvement in the quality of life. Perhaps a better understanding of the status and quality of life for women in Malaysia is needed. If that's the case, for a spot of bedtime reading, may I recommend the alternative report written to assess the government's progress in implementing the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)? Recently launched, its chapters document not only areas where we have progressed in improving the lives of women in Malaysia but also, just as importantly, where we continue to fall short. It's like a report card for Malaysia. Please do read it. It's a real page turner. Why is an alternative report written by NGOs the only report available as opposed to a government progress report on CEDAW? Unfortunately, the answer to that is despite the fact that the Malaysian government acceded to the convention in July 1995, it has only reported to the CEDAW Committee once. The government, led by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, prepared a combined first and second report in 2004 and appeared before the committee in 2006. The government is obligated by the convention to submit a report to the CEDAW Committee every four years. Yet, it has not done so and the next report was due four years ago. Hence, in the continued absence of the government report, the women's rights NGOs decided to submit the alternative report. When we read the report, we will realise why we cannot afford to wait the years for the government to naturally become aware of the issues highlighted and to take action. The government needs and depends on the women's rights movement to highlight these concerns for it to address. Take a look at the report and you will see issues and concerns related to the participation of women in the workforce as well as in politics and decision making; the practice and implementation of laws which discriminate women; the problems of teenage pregnancies and maternal mortality; the continued practice of child marriage; the sexual abuse of women and girls in east Malaysia; gender-based violence; and many other issues of concern to the women in Malaysia. Much of the advancement on women's rights in Malaysia can be credited to the advocacy work done by civil society organisations working hard to convince and work with the government on various initiatives such as gender discrimination and domestic violence. This symbiosis has and will continue to make an impact on the lives of millions of women in Malaysia. No leader in a democratic country can ever afford to lose the support and participation of women. In a previous article, I indicated that we must listen and respond better to the needs of women and girls. The women's rights movement is an essential component to that commitment. We must do better. Let's not be complacent and take women, and their vote, for granted. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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