Written by Rockettan
It is said that monotonous and repetitive event in everyday lives can sometimes be a source of inspiration ; if we bother to pay close attention to details and things around us. Surprisingly, my source of inspiration comes from my predicament from taking my shower . In Australia- at least in my house- there are two control knob for adjusting the temperature of the water. It takes delicate skills and patience to adjust the two knob together for the right temperature of the water to get warm shower, something I still could not fully grasp even in my second year in this foreign country. Turning either one of the knob more than the other one will surely get you jumping out from boiling hot water or shiver from the cold .
In this sense, against the backdrop of the initiation of Government Transformation Program spearheaded by PEMANDU, I believe it is imperative to get the right blend of policy planned and implemented to achieve the objective of transforming Malaysia into a high income country. Taking too extreme a policy is analogical to too much a turning to the hot shower knob and vice versa.
In the political context, with the emergence of strong opposition coalition under Pakatan Rakyat, the government needs to be able to allow space for dissent. I believe democracy work best when there are checks and balances among various government institutions as well as strong monitoring and criticism from the opposition. People must be given the basic freedom of expression through various channels. Stifling and clamping down opposition and people’s voice with full force will only backfire whereby anger and dissatisfaction among the public will risk boiling over. In a similar fashion as the boiling hot shower , the government risk hurting its credibility and legitimacy from taking too extreme a measure .
On the other hand, allowing too much dissent and unmonitored freedom of expression might risk inciting racial and sectional dispute. It is instructive to bear in mind the racial and religious sensitivities when expressing one’s view as Malaysia has a complicated social demography made up of different races with diverse cultural and religious practices. Hence, The right balance has to be struck whereby people must be given the rights to express their view regard to various issues without touching on religion and cultural sensitive areas.
In the economical context, the economic transformation program ( ETP) has been instrumental in striking a balance between government and private investment to boost the economy of the country. Through extensive collaboration with the private sector, the 12 NKEAs were determined and receive prioritized public investment and policy support. In this regard, the ETP is designed to be led by the private sector while the Government will primarily play the role of facilitator. This is perhaps a good way of rectifying the weaknesses of Keynesian economy theory – which encourage government intervention in the economy – which is seen to be crowding out private investment while at the same time also prevent free market system advocated by classical economy from jeopardizing consumer and ordinary folks’ interests
In addition, in the midst of encouraging private investment, there is a need to control the level of inflation rate that are at risk from spiking due to ‘ overheating ‘ the economy , by controlling and setting appropriate interest rate. In this regard, it is commendable that one of the NKRA’s aims is to address the cost of living. However, the government should not be too overzealous in cutting cost of living by providing higher subsidy or giving money to the poor. This measure will only fuel more demand in the economy and lead to higher inflation rates. The best way is to control the price level at appropriate level by curbing speculation among business and investors. In addition, the 1 Malaysia grocery shop is a right measure to help to tackle the rising cost of living, provided that the quality and safety of the groceries and food sold are monitored.
Besides, the New Economic Model ( NEM) had been unveiled by the prime minister which aims to replace the new economy policy and shift affirmative action from being ethnically-based to being need-based hence becoming more competitive, market and investor friendly. Even though this shift in policy should be applauded, there is a need to be cautious that in the attempt to create a level playing field, the Bumiputera economical rights and interest are not phased out altogether. In this regard, I believe the NEM has taken this issue into account in its formulation by attempting to encourage proactive participation by bumiputera business and provide real incentive for them to improve their business performance instead of the old way of handing out cash and business contracts with no string attached.
From social perspective, with the advent of globalization and modernization, there is a need to preserve traditional values from being eroded. Good values such as ‘gotong royong’ kind of community spirit, traditional courtesy need to be preserved from being subsumed by the culture of individualism, materialism and hedonism and uncontrolled sexual freedom propounded by western culture.
Moreover, in the aspect of education, another National key results area is in improving student outcome. Even though there is a need to improve academic excellence and literacy rate among students, students should not be bogged down by excessive workload and pressure to perform well. In addition, students who perform well academically should not be pressured to involve themselves in the science stream. A balance can be struck by encouraging student to think creatively and allow them to explore their interest and innate potentials. In this regard, bright student should be encouraged to take a combination of science and humanity subject in secondary school and university level to allow them to develop into holistic individuals. . Society can only flourish in long run when science and humanity both has an equal place. Moreover, school ranking and reward for top performing school should be done in a moderate manner so that no schools and students are sidelined or suffer from inferiority complex. Society can only flourish in long run when science and humanity both has an equal place.
Besides, the area of social welfare and equality is also one of the National Key result area identified by PEMANDU. Government aims to create a long term system that helps create opportunities for the underprivileged. This will be done through creating job opportunities, increasing basic wage, finding business opportunities and providing welfare assistance. While these initiatives should be applauded, it should be borne in mind that provision of welfare payment should not be too excessive to the extent of burdening the government and fuel the lackadaisical attitude among the underprivileged. We should take heed from the economic turmoil suffered by Greece and Spain from too large social welfare payment and benefits without improving the economic productivity. The underemployed and underprivileged people should be encouraged to improve their skills through various government funded courses and education opportunities. Technical education should be provided for them to allow them to improve their prospect of obtaining better paid jobs.
In conclusion , the ‘ voice of moderation ‘ propounded by the prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak need to be taken seriously and be the pivotal concern to be taken into account in any policy formulation and implementation. I believe that when a right balance has been struck and moderation and objectivity precede extremism and subjectivity , the government transformation program will be able to achieve great success and propel Malaysia to become a high income nation .
Friday, March 16, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Stop Lynas , Save Malaysia !
I bet nothing could catch the eye of Malaysian more than the recent controversies surrounding Lynas’ controversies. Tempers flared, nerves wrecked, anxiety mounting as Malaysia braces itself for the dawn of the rare earth plant – which bring Malaysian down a nostalgic trip to the Tanah Merah incidents which caused thousands to suffer from leukemia and high rate of birth defects- after Lynas corporation obtained a two year temporary operating license from the Malaysia’s atomic Energy Licensing Board.
It is announced by Lynas Corporation that the Malaysian Plant will process rare earths mined in Australia at its Mount Weld project. The granting of temporary license is a boost to Lynas corporation as it seek to galvanize its operation to offset China’s dominance of the supply of rare earth material which is crucial to manufacture a range of products from smartphones to wind turbines.
The announcement spark fear among residents surrounding the area designated to build the plant and subsequently the rippling fear reached wide section of the society as it is well-known that radioactive leakages do not confined to certain areas whereby a large area of peninsular Malaysia is at risk of suffering from the dire consequences of radioactive rays should accidents happened.
In order to fully comprehend the reasons why people are so fearful when It come to radioactive material and to throw some light on the extensive damages that might ensue from radioactive leakages , it is imperative to bring to attention some of the worst nuclear accidents .
In the early morning hours of 26 April 1986, a testing error caused an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in northern Ukraine. During a radioactive fire that burned for 10 days, 190 tons of toxic materials were expelled into the atmosphere. The wind blew 70% of the radioactive material into the neighboring country of Belarus. Almost 20 years later, the people of Belarus continue to suffer medically, economically,environmentally and socially from the effects of the disaster. The explosion of the reactor at Chernobyl released 100 times more radiation than theatom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (1) At the time of the accident, about 7 million people lived in contaminated territories,including 3 million children. Until today, c ontroversy still rages over the number of deaths that should be attributed to the accident, with estimates ranging from as little as 62 all the way up to 985,000. In the Gomel region of Belarus, incidence of leukemia has increased 50% in children and adults. In addition to thyroid cancer and leukemia, UNICEF reports that between 1990 and 1994, nervous system disorders increased by 43%;cardiovascular diseases by 43%; bone and muscle disorders by 62%; and diabetes by 28%. Moreover, Swiss Medical Weekly recently published findings showing a 40% increase in all kinds of cancers in Belarus between 1990 and 2000.
I am not here to incite fear and fear mongering is not my intention. Even though rare earth plant is somehow different from nuclear plant, one stark reality stand out : that is they both are at risk of radioactive leakages. Despite the fact that Lynas and BN government has promised that the rare earth plant is safe and accident will not occur, the promises are not sufficient to pacify the general public.
The deep seated distrust toward government and Lynas is perhaps due to the flashing memory of the Tanah Merah incidents approximately 20 years ago. In the year 1992, Mitsubishi Chemicals shut down its rare earth plant in perak after residents there blamed the plant for birth defects and a high rate of leukemia cases.
Moreover, accidents are sometime unavoidable due to human error or mother nature. While Chernobyl accident can be blamed on human error, the earthquake in japan has resulted in radiation from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant which cause extensive damages. Even when the risk of accident is low, it is not worth the risk considering the potential calamities that will be caused by radiation.
It is clear that the BN government is oblivious to its mistake in allowing Mitsubishi chemical to operate the rare earth plant in Perak by citing the overriding economic benefits that such investment will bring to Malaysia. It is commonly accept that foreign investment must be accepted with open arms to fuel the economy. However, that is not the case in Lynas’s investment. Due to the fact that Lynas will enjoy a 10 year tax break and its likelihood to employ foreigner to operate the plant for the very reason that Malaysian are not well-trained in nuclear field, the investment will only result in minor to none job creation to locals and zero tax benefits to government in a decade. Such a small benefits could not be used as a justification to allow such risky investment at the expense of human’s health and environment.
In addition, not only the temporary permits was issued by the ministry without proper consultation with the public , the public was not permitted to study the relevant documents. Moreover, opponents have raised concern the government did not give the public enough time to examine and comment on Lynas's safety plan before the Atomic Energy Licensing Board granted the temporary operating license.
It is, in my opinion, that due to the fear of radiation and lack of proper consultation that act as catalysts that spark wide protests from the people . In Feb 26, 2012, The Sun daily reported that at the Kuantan Municipal Council field here as more than 5,000 supporters of Himpunan Hijau 2.0 gathered to protest against the construction of Lynas Corporation's rare earth processing plant .
Despite the clear indication of widespread rage and anger over the granting or the license, the BN government has attempted to paint a rosy picture over the whole issue whereby the National Atomic agency has announced that 97 % of the public support Lynas’ investment from its survey while Utusan Malaysia has reported that Himpunan Hijau failed miserably from low pubic participation.
The unwillingness to listen to the people’s grievance and ignorant nature of the government is in conflict which the democratic system of government which is the pillar of Malaysia’s political system since independence and undermine the credibility and relevance of the BN government . What has happened to the maxim of governance by the people, of the people, and for the people? In democratic country, people’s voices should be heard and respected, and freedom of expression must be honored. The political tsunami in the 2008 election should be a wake-up call to the BN government that people want the government to be more transparent and accountable to the people. There are gleams of hope when the administration under Najib has announced has make a series of announcement to transform Malaysia, from the Government Transformation program to Key Performance Indicator. However, the refusal of government to listen to the people in the Lynas’ controversies shows that slogan remain slogan and has not been translated into concrete action.
People’s patience has a limit and when it come to a boiling point in the coming election, BN government will regret their action and the only remedy at that time is to lick its wound and hope that it has not acted in the way it had.
It is announced by Lynas Corporation that the Malaysian Plant will process rare earths mined in Australia at its Mount Weld project. The granting of temporary license is a boost to Lynas corporation as it seek to galvanize its operation to offset China’s dominance of the supply of rare earth material which is crucial to manufacture a range of products from smartphones to wind turbines.
The announcement spark fear among residents surrounding the area designated to build the plant and subsequently the rippling fear reached wide section of the society as it is well-known that radioactive leakages do not confined to certain areas whereby a large area of peninsular Malaysia is at risk of suffering from the dire consequences of radioactive rays should accidents happened.
In order to fully comprehend the reasons why people are so fearful when It come to radioactive material and to throw some light on the extensive damages that might ensue from radioactive leakages , it is imperative to bring to attention some of the worst nuclear accidents .
In the early morning hours of 26 April 1986, a testing error caused an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in northern Ukraine. During a radioactive fire that burned for 10 days, 190 tons of toxic materials were expelled into the atmosphere. The wind blew 70% of the radioactive material into the neighboring country of Belarus. Almost 20 years later, the people of Belarus continue to suffer medically, economically,environmentally and socially from the effects of the disaster. The explosion of the reactor at Chernobyl released 100 times more radiation than theatom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (1) At the time of the accident, about 7 million people lived in contaminated territories,including 3 million children. Until today, c ontroversy still rages over the number of deaths that should be attributed to the accident, with estimates ranging from as little as 62 all the way up to 985,000. In the Gomel region of Belarus, incidence of leukemia has increased 50% in children and adults. In addition to thyroid cancer and leukemia, UNICEF reports that between 1990 and 1994, nervous system disorders increased by 43%;cardiovascular diseases by 43%; bone and muscle disorders by 62%; and diabetes by 28%. Moreover, Swiss Medical Weekly recently published findings showing a 40% increase in all kinds of cancers in Belarus between 1990 and 2000.
I am not here to incite fear and fear mongering is not my intention. Even though rare earth plant is somehow different from nuclear plant, one stark reality stand out : that is they both are at risk of radioactive leakages. Despite the fact that Lynas and BN government has promised that the rare earth plant is safe and accident will not occur, the promises are not sufficient to pacify the general public.
The deep seated distrust toward government and Lynas is perhaps due to the flashing memory of the Tanah Merah incidents approximately 20 years ago. In the year 1992, Mitsubishi Chemicals shut down its rare earth plant in perak after residents there blamed the plant for birth defects and a high rate of leukemia cases.
Moreover, accidents are sometime unavoidable due to human error or mother nature. While Chernobyl accident can be blamed on human error, the earthquake in japan has resulted in radiation from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant which cause extensive damages. Even when the risk of accident is low, it is not worth the risk considering the potential calamities that will be caused by radiation.
It is clear that the BN government is oblivious to its mistake in allowing Mitsubishi chemical to operate the rare earth plant in Perak by citing the overriding economic benefits that such investment will bring to Malaysia. It is commonly accept that foreign investment must be accepted with open arms to fuel the economy. However, that is not the case in Lynas’s investment. Due to the fact that Lynas will enjoy a 10 year tax break and its likelihood to employ foreigner to operate the plant for the very reason that Malaysian are not well-trained in nuclear field, the investment will only result in minor to none job creation to locals and zero tax benefits to government in a decade. Such a small benefits could not be used as a justification to allow such risky investment at the expense of human’s health and environment.
In addition, not only the temporary permits was issued by the ministry without proper consultation with the public , the public was not permitted to study the relevant documents. Moreover, opponents have raised concern the government did not give the public enough time to examine and comment on Lynas's safety plan before the Atomic Energy Licensing Board granted the temporary operating license.
It is, in my opinion, that due to the fear of radiation and lack of proper consultation that act as catalysts that spark wide protests from the people . In Feb 26, 2012, The Sun daily reported that at the Kuantan Municipal Council field here as more than 5,000 supporters of Himpunan Hijau 2.0 gathered to protest against the construction of Lynas Corporation's rare earth processing plant .
Despite the clear indication of widespread rage and anger over the granting or the license, the BN government has attempted to paint a rosy picture over the whole issue whereby the National Atomic agency has announced that 97 % of the public support Lynas’ investment from its survey while Utusan Malaysia has reported that Himpunan Hijau failed miserably from low pubic participation.
The unwillingness to listen to the people’s grievance and ignorant nature of the government is in conflict which the democratic system of government which is the pillar of Malaysia’s political system since independence and undermine the credibility and relevance of the BN government . What has happened to the maxim of governance by the people, of the people, and for the people? In democratic country, people’s voices should be heard and respected, and freedom of expression must be honored. The political tsunami in the 2008 election should be a wake-up call to the BN government that people want the government to be more transparent and accountable to the people. There are gleams of hope when the administration under Najib has announced has make a series of announcement to transform Malaysia, from the Government Transformation program to Key Performance Indicator. However, the refusal of government to listen to the people in the Lynas’ controversies shows that slogan remain slogan and has not been translated into concrete action.
People’s patience has a limit and when it come to a boiling point in the coming election, BN government will regret their action and the only remedy at that time is to lick its wound and hope that it has not acted in the way it had.
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