Media statement by Lim Guan Eng in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 1^st October 2011: 

Will the Prime Minister apologise over the flip-flop whether he is going to abolish Bumi quotas or ask the press to correct their false reporting? 

Will the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak apologise over the flip-flop whether he is going to abolish bumi quotas or ask the press to correct their false reporting? The Prime Minister was reported by Malaysiakini on 27 September and in Bernama on 28 September 2011 that that there was a need to "run or go away" from quotas for Bumiputeras.

However on 30.9.2011 Friday, Najib insisted that he absolutely did not say that bumi quotas will be abolished. Since Bernama had reported on the need to "run or go away" from bumi quotas, will action then be taken against Bernama or any other BN-controlled paper for false reporting? As it is hard to imagine a government news department like Bernama daring to misquote or misrepresent what the Prime Minister said, will the Prime Minister be compelled to apologise for saying the wrong thing?

Failure to fully and comprehensively implement open tenders has led to scepticism amongst many investors of the seriousness of Najib in implementing the New Economic Model. Open tenders can lead not only to record budget surpluses by cutting down costs but also help to cut down corruption. Penang's adoption of an open tender system has led to record budget surpluses, the top investment destination in Malaysia for 2010 and praise from Transparency International.

The Malaysian economy can do even better especially when at least RM 28 billion have been lost annually from waste and corruption. In fact the Global Financial Integrity Report prepared by World Bank economists gave an even more horrifying estimate of RM888 billion of "illicit money"(black or corruption money) secretly taken out of the country over a 9 year period.

*Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary General & MP for Bagan