Speech (Part 2) by Lim Kit Siang on the 2009 Supplementary Estimates in Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday, 6^th April 2010: 

Lowest Chinese and Indian representation in the civil service in the 53-year history of Malaysia – 5.8% Chinese and 4% Indians as at end of 2009

The other two factors which can cause the failure of NEM as identified by the NEAC are:

• Reform programmes have often met with strong resistance from powerful and vested interests, which subsequently forced their derailment; (Perkasa the extremist right-wing racist organization is one such “vested interests”) and

• The implementing authorities failed to stay the course, either due to a lack of political will or inherently administrative weaknesses.

Although NEM proposes a “big push” in policy actions and initiatives to kick-start the transformation process, what ‘big results” have been achieved in the 1Malaysia concept in the past one year?

How can the public have confidence in the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) when there is no seriousness or commitment by Barisan Nasional leaders in the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP), as demonstrated by the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had declared himself “Malay first and Malaysian second”?

It is sad and tragic that despite my challenge, not only Umno Ministers ran for cover, Ministers from MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other BN component parties also dare not declare that they are Malaysians first and their race whether Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or Iban second in keeping with the 1Malaysia concept.

I am not asking anyone to do what I dare not do, as I had declared in Parliament that I am Malaysian first and Chinese second.

I am also not asking anyone to forget or be ashamed of his or her ethnic identity. I am Malaysian first and Chinese second and I am also proud of my Chinese ethnicity.

However, something is very wrong when Umno and Barisan Nasional MPs are not prepared to come forward to declare that they are Malaysians first and their race second.

The episode in Parliament last Thursday where the Minister responsible for 1Malaysia GTP Roadmap, Senator Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon dared not respond to my challenge to declare that he is Malaysian first and second was most disgraceful for two reasons: firstly, Tsu Koon would have no hesitation previously in declaring that he is Malaysian first and Chinese second and secondly, Tsu Koon dared not declare that he is Malaysian first and Chinese second solely because he was afraid of stepping on the toes of UMNO leaders!

The NEM has admitted that the failure to restore public confidence in the independence and professionalism of national institutions is a major cause in the erosion of our international competitiveness.

For instance, although lip-service is given to a 1Malaysia Government, the latest answer from the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz to my question on the latest ethnic composition of the civil service show that we continue to go backwards instead of forwards in 1Malaysia nation-building.

As of 31^st December 2009, the racial breakdown of the Malaysian civil service comprising 1,247,894 employees are:

This the worst multi-racial composition of the government service, with the lowest Chinese and Indian representation in the public service in Malaysian history of 53 years.

This is clearly seen from the three sets of comparative figures of the racial breakdown of the civil service in the past four decades:

It is clear that the Government is setting the worst example of a 1Malaysia Government.

One major upshot of the lack of confidence in government policies is the exodus of human capital, where the country is losing the skilled talent needed to drive future growth.

Since the March 2008 general election, 400,000 best and brightest Malaysians have emigrated overseas, comprising not just Malaysian Chinese and Indians, but more and more Malays.

I do not see any effort by the government in the past year since Najib became Prime Minister aimed at ending the exodus of Malaysian talents abroad.

The Deputy Prime Minister cum Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said in Paris yesterday that the government through the Public Services Department (PSD) will offer 1,500 scholarships to top Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) students under the overseas undergraduate scholarship programme.

This is a far cry from the 2,100 scholarships for students to study abroad last year.

Several years ago, I had already proposed that the Government give the top 200 SPM students full scholarships to appreciate and retain talents in Malaysia.

I am disappointed that the government has awarded only 30 national scholarships for top SPM students last year when the government should have no problems in awarding the top 200 or even top 500 SPM students full scholarships awards - as all it needs to do to find the money by just cracking down on corruption or leakages in government procurements and tenders.

The press has reported the case of the top SPM student in Penang, Bukit Mertajam girl Edwina Tang from Convent Light Street, Penang who scored 13A+ but who was not selected for the 30 national scholarships.

This is most unfair and I call on the Cabinet to reconsider and to increase national scholarships for top SPM students to at least 500 receipients.

Restoration of public confidence in the key institutions in the country has made little progress in the past year.

If there is going to be meaningful restoration in the confidence of the judiciary, then the country cannot have a well-known Umno lawyer as the Chief Justice. The first step, therefore, on the road to national and international confidence in the judiciary must start with a new Chief Justice.

Public confidence in the police remains at an all-time low. One of the benefits promised to the people in 2020 outlined by the New Economic Model is to enable Malaysians to live, work and play in safe locations without the fear of crime.

This is outrageous as the core function of any government is to ensure that its people can live, work and play in safe and secure environment, not haunted by rampant crime and the fear of crime.

Three decades ago, Malaysians can go about free from crime and the fear of crime was an unheard-of concept. It is an indication of the failure and even breakdown of the Barisan Nasional government to deliver its its most fundamental duties to society that today, Malaysians suffer from the double curse of high crime index and the fear of crime.

Corruption is another major factor of public confidence as well as determining international competitiveness. Hardly any progress had been achieved in the battle against corruption in the past year of Najib premiership.

1Malaysia GTP Roadmap demarcates three areas most prone to corruption and should be the of focus of the anti-corruption activities of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, viz:

• Regulatory and enforcement agencies;

• Government procurements;

• Grand Corruption (Political corruption).

What has the MACC to show in the campaign against “grand corruption” in the past year? How many top political leaders had been arrested and charged in court for corruption?

Why have no top political leaders been arrested and charged for corruption in the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal, as no one believes that a few officials and functionaries could be wholly responsible for the scandal without “green light” from their political superiors.

The second Finance Minister, Husni had stated publicly that Malaysia could have lost RM28 billion from “leakages” in government procurements and contracts.

The Prime Minister had himself admitted that only RM2 billion remained in the hands of bumiputeras out of the RM54 billion shares allotted to bumiputeras since the NEP.

Easily some RM50 billion would have been lost to the national treasury from the issue of APs for vehicles since the eighties.

How is the NEM to ensure that these NEP abuses of power and corruption would not recur under the NEM?

In his biography of the fourth Prime Minister, “Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times”, Barry Wain openly alleged that at least RM100 billion were wasted or burned in the 22 years of the Mahathir premiership.

Why was there no Royal Commission of Inquiry into such a serious allegation and why is the Home Ministry still withholding the release of the book to the bookshops?

Let me stress that Najib must be Prime Minister of all races and regions in the country.

The NEM made specific mention of focussing on Penang to establish it as “leader on sustainability and liveability”, proposing as “measures for action” (i) improve security for both the living and business environment; (ii) enhance the Georgetown conurbation; and (iii) redevelop the waterfront and ensure seamlessness like Hong Kong-Kowloon. There is also the proposal to “adopt a city strategy to reinvent Penang as a leader for sustainability”.

In his speech on March 20 unveiling the NEM, Najib mentioned the Klang Valley and Johore Bahru but omitted reference Penang. This is like cutting one’s nose to spite one’s face and should not be the conduct of a Prime Minister for all Malaysians.

Finally, I want to end with a special reference to Sabah as ordinary Sabahans feel that they had been marginalised and left out of the national development and progress for since the formation of Malaysia some five decades ago.

If the Prime Minister is serious and sincere about inclusive growth, the Federal government should make Sabahans feel a full and equal part of 1Malaysia,and I recommend five priority areas for its immediate attention and action:

1. Satisfactory resolution to the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah, causing the Sabah population to multiply from some 400,000 during the formation of Malaysia in 1963 to over three million today. During his visit to Sabah last September, the Prime Minister had promised resolution of the illegal immigrant problem and this seems to have been completely forgotten.

2. Eradication of poverty in Sabah. Barisan Nasional had promised to eradicate poverty in 2000 but it is now 2010 and Sabah has the highest poverty rate in the country.

3. Massive development of basic infrastructure in Sabah to provide roads, piped water, electricity and broadband to Sabahans.

4. Raising the 5% oil royalty payment to Sabah government to 20%.

5. Re-opening of the inquiry into the “66” air-crash in Kota Kinabalu on June 6, 1976 which killed Sabah Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens and State Ministers, Datuk Salleh Sulong, Datuk Peter Mojuntin and Chong Thien Vun to address the many questions and doubts of Sabahans about the true cause of the Double Six tragedy 34 years ago.

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Ipoh Timor