38 DAP MPs to focus on inequality in the first parliamentary debates on the Royal Address
The 38 DAP MPs shall focus on the issue of inequality affecting Malaysians and the powers between the Federal government and the states in the first parliamentary debates on the Royal Address beginning this week. The six issues of inequality involve:-
the democratic disparity of not having clean electoral process and complying with the principle of “one-person, one-vote, one-value” principle causing unfair election results where the party winning the popular votes lost the elections(PR winning a majority 51% of the popular vote yet only winning 40% of the seats)
the economic disparity between rich and poor highlighted by the failure to wipe out poverty and the highest poverty rate in Malaysia in what should be the richest state of Sabah;
the fiscal disparity between revenue and spending caused by the refusal of the Federal government to implement open competitive tenders to address corruption, waste and inefficiency resulting in a possible introduction of the Goods and Services Tax(GST);
the disparity of distribution of powers of the Federal government and the state government requiring greater decentralisation of powers where the Federal budget takes up 92.1% with the total state budgets contributing the remaining 7.9%.
the bargaining power disparity between the Federal government and Sabah and Sarawak, where they do not enjoy equal bargaining power as promised, by being allocated only 5% of oil royalty and the failure of Sabah BN to fulfill their promise to follow PR in increasing oil royalties to 20%;
the rights disparity where voters are being punished by abuses of power from politicians who take revenge for their electoral losses as done by the Melaka state government in closing down the Jonker Walk night market.
DAP Parliamentary Leader and MP for Gelang Patah Lim Kit Siang shall lead off the debates today followed Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong. DAP MPs will be the voice of all Malaysians who want to send a strong message in Parliament that “the power of the people is greater than those people in power”.
