The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Perception and reality - Lim Sue Goan Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:20 PM PDT Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had mentioned about the war of perception for more than once. If the BN's conclusion for losing votes of urban and young voters in the 13th general election is because it was defeated in the war of perception, I am afraid that it would find it very difficult to regain the support of these voters in the next general election. The so-called perception may refer to cognitive errors or biases, is that really the case? Transformation plans have indeed brought some gratifying data. For instance, the ETP had announced a total of 149 projects with a cumulative total of RM211.34 billion in committed investments as of December 31, 2012. Also, the national per capital income has increased from US$6,700 in 2009 to US$9,970 in 2012. These data are credentials for the BN's growing prosperity claim, insisting that the country is not as bad as described by the alternative coalition. However, they should collect data more comprehensively and make multifaceted comparisons to get a more realistic picture. Malaysia's economic growth reached 5.6% last year but it had slowed sharply in the first quarter of this year to 4.1%, while household debt had risen to 82.9%. Despite the salary increment, car and housing loans have led to the rising household debt. According to a survey, nearly 90% of respondents believed that they could not afford the real estate, feeling that their salary increment rates were too low to catch up with the rising speed in housing prices. Also, car prices, except for national cars, have not yet been lowed and these were the reasons why urban residents were not happy. While it is committed to reducing the fiscal deficit, the government must not neglect the soaring household debt. In terms of crime, the crime rate had dropped by 27% over the past three years. As of April this year, the crime rate had also dropped by 3.1% compared to the same period last year. According to a survey, however, 52.8% of people were still feeling insecure and were worried about security problems. The OXY robbery gang continued to break into ATM machines even after the police announced to have round-the-clock hourly patrols nationwide to prevent ATM thefts. And now, restaurants and eateries have become the new targets of robbers. The reduced number of people staying outside at night showed that instead of a stereotype, members of the public are really feeling insecure. Meanwhile, the problem of human rights violation was not just plucked out of the air. From 2000 to February 2011, as many as 156 deaths in custody were reported and there were four custody deaths in two weeks recently, attracting even international media to cover the deaths. Amidst the call for an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), which was proposed but rejected and replaced by the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), it was discovered that the only investigator of the EAIC has been one of the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) officers involved in Teoh Beng Hock's case. How could the people be convinced as instead of being demoted, he was actually promoted to hold such an important post? In addition, other National Key Results Areas (NKRA), including improving student outcomes and improving urban public transport, have failed to leave a good impression on the people. According to the 2011 Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS), Malaysia was the worst performing nation of the 59 participating countries in terms of marks scored. Only 19% of Kuala Lumpur residents are taking public transport is not a satisfactory datum either. Therefore, the people judge based on facts, rather than perception. They should immediately recognise the reality and intensify reforms to hope for a change in the public's view. - Sin Chew Daily, June 20, 2013 |
| Time to clear the air - The Straits Times Posted: 19 Jun 2013 05:07 PM PDT THE blight of haze, originating in forest fires in Sumatra, is once again badly affecting Singapore and Malaysia, along with Indonesia itself. These countries have been choking on the problem for the past 16 years since the great South-east Asian haze of 1997, a disaster that disrupted air and sea traffic and business activities and resulted in US$9 billion in economic, social and environmental losses. Yet, the deplorable pollution continues, prompting ordinary people, visitors and investors to ask if the problem is beyond the capacity of Jakarta to solve. The mood of public disquiet in Singapore was reflected in the reaction of Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who said: "We need the Indonesians to enforce their own laws." Legal convention imposes strict liability on land owners who allow anything that causes harm to escape. Alongside this is the common law duty of care that each owes to "neighbours" not to cause them injury. The same, of course, cannot be simply applied to neighbouring countries. As Foreign Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam noted, Singapore cannot intervene in what sovereign Indonesia does or fails to do. Unfortunately, one strand of the Indonesian response has been to deflect blame by arguing that Malaysian and Singaporean palm oil companies investing in Indonesia might have been responsible for the fires in Riau province. This is an astonishing rejoinder. Even if the companies using slash-and-burn techniques are foreign-owned, they are operating on Indonesian soil and are subject to national laws. If there is sufficient evidence, it is Indonesia that should name them and prosecute offenders. Singaporeans and Malaysians who are outraged by the blatant conduct of offenders would cheer such action. They might also go further by exerting public pressure on them, perhaps to the point of boycotting their products. Before any action, they must allow the law to take its course. The truth, sadly, is that rogue firms thrive in permissive regimes where commercial interests overshadow environmental concerns. That situation can be changed only by an act of political will and faithful implementation of laws with sufficient bite. What Indonesia's neighbours could do is to nudge it towards ratifying the agreement on transboundary haze pollution which Asean adopted in 2002. Some critics fault the pact for not taking concrete action, for example, by imposing sanctions, especially if assistance to fight recurring haze is unreasonably declined. Nevertheless, the agreement remains a starting point in addressing an environmental and health hazard that respects no borders. Indonesia should act to resolve a problem that literally clouds relations with its neighbours. - The Straits Times, June 20, 2013. |
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