Emergency parliamentary motion on Monday on crisis of competitiveness with Malaysia fallng 12 places from 16^th to 28^th ranking in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2005 and  losing for the first time in international competitiveness to Thailand

Media Conference Statement (3)
by Lim Kit Siang  

(Petaling Jaya, Friday): I have this morning given notice to the Speaker, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah to move a motion of urgent, definite importance on Monday on Malaysia’s crisis of competitiveness, fallng 12 places from 16^th to 28^th ranking in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2005 and  losing for the first time in international competitiveness to Thailand.

The motion explained that the Minister for International Trade and Industry, Datuk Paduka Rafidah Aziz  in her written reply to my question highlighted the denial syndrome afflicting her Ministry when she  tried to gloss over the gravity of the nation’s crisis of competitiveness by giving weak and indefensible arguments challenging the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2005 and  claiming that Malaysia’s competitiveness was still strong when ‘looked at in a specific and broader context, and not only focused on one indicator’.

The motion said:

“In refusing to acknowledge Malaysia’s deteriorating international competitiveness, the Minister for International Trade and Industry was doing her Ministry and the nation a grave disservice, as Malaysia will not regain her competitiveness and fulfill the Prime Minister’s goal of giving top priority to excellence and the enhancement of the nation’s competitiveness to rebrand Malaysia in the global marketplace if the government continues to be blinded by a denial syndrome and refusal to  own up to   Malaysia’s crisis of competitiveness.

“Parliament must debate Malaysia’s crisis of competitiveness to place it  as the priority agenda of the government, particularly the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, if

(i) Malaysia is not to  lose out in the  race for a proper stake in the global marketplace;  or

(ii) fail in the Prime Minister’s  campaign to rebrand Malaysia internationally as a corporate nation   with integrity, quality, security, service and efficiency.”

(01/07/2005)