Jumaat, 29 April 2011

Philosophy Politics Economics

Philosophy Politics Economics

Limp reforms fuelling brain drain

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 04:59 AM PDT

Pakatan: Limp reforms fuelling brain drain
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal April 29, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — The government's failure to see through announced reforms were partly to blame for the country's chronic brain-drain problem, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers claimed today

Opposition leaders today said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's inability to deliver on promises of equality and a "needs-based" economic model, coupled with his "conceding" to ultra-Malay voices within his own party will only result in Malaysia being mired in the middle-income trap.

"Najib is not addressing the critical issues affecting talent in leaving the country... His message of inclusiveness is lost in translation as existing policies are discriminatory against the non-Malays in the country. This has been verified by the proportion leaving the country," DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua said today.

According to a World Bank report yesterday, more than one million Malaysians currently live abroad. The report stated that policies favouring the majority Malays were contributing to the country's brain-drain while holding back its economy and limiting foreign investment.

Today, Pua said Najib's "U-turn" over his heavily-publicised New Economic Model (NEM) has left little room in the country's competition for talent.

"The fact is these policies do not encourage competition and a poor economy will deter prospective talents from staying. He has failed in an attempt from moving from a race-based culture to a needs-based," Pua told The Malaysian Insider.

In a Bloomberg news service report, World Bank senior economist Philip Schellekens was also quoted as saying that foreign investment could be five times the current levels if the country had Singapore's talent base.

"Migration is very much an ethnic phenomenon in Malaysia, mostly Chinese but also Indian," Schellekens told Bloomberg in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

Governance issues and lack of meritocracy are "fundamental constraints" to Malaysia's expansion because "competition is what drives innovation," he said.

For the full story, read it here.

Tony Pua to strike out Syabas suit

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 10:38 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: Petaling Jaya Utara member of parliament Tony Pua has moved to strike out the defamation suit filed against him by Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas).

In a Bursa Malaysia filing yesterday, Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd said solicitors of its unit Syabas were served with a striking-out application by Tony Pua on April 26.

It also added that at a hearing yesterday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court had directed both parties to resolve all affidavits in reply by the next case management scheduled on May 19. The court had also fixed the defendant's striking out application to be heard on May 30.

From The Star

Will Najib Stop 50sen Payment for 1Malaysia Email?

Posted: 28 Apr 2011 07:47 PM PDT

The "1Malaysia Email" Entry-Point Project (EPP) has only become more intriguing with contradictory clarifications, exposing the continued malaise in the current administration system

The "1Malaysia email project" circus is continuing as Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak continues to maintain an elegant silence over the project despite the obvious complicity of various agencies under the Prime Minister's Department and the Finance Ministry under his charge.

Despite Najib's attempt to wash his hands off the project by claiming that the RM50 million project will not be funded with Government money, Pemandu officials as well as the project owner, Tricube Bhd's CEO himself have admitted that Government agencies will be required to pay 50 sen per email sent to registered users. This will result in millions being spent by each government agency should they be sending just 1 email to the forecasted 15 million users.

What's more, despite Najib's denial that the project will be funded by the Government, Tricubes has disclosed that they have received seed capital of RM5.5 million for the project from Malaysia Venture Capital (MAVCAP), a fund wholly owned by the Ministry of Finance.

To add further to the ludicrous confusion, MAVCAP immediately made an indirect denial that the investment was meant for the 1Malaysia email project, but instead is for another subsidiary of Tricubes, Tam Tam Sdn Bhd which is involved in mobile salesforce automation products.

In a Twitter exchange with Khairy Jamaluddin, Umno Youth Chief who had earlier called the Pemandu officials "little Napoleons" for defying the Prime Minister's clarification that the Government isn't footing a single sen for the project, he insisted the officials are still to be blamed because they didn't brief the Prime Minister properly - "obv they are to blame b/c didn't brief PM properly". (Apr 27 1.32pm)

Regardless of whether Khairy's comment was made in jest or in all seriousness, now that we have established the fact that Government agencies will be unreasonably required to pay 50 sen for every email sent to a registered 1Malaysia email user, will Najib who is both the Prime Minister and Finance Minister issue or initiate the directive to stop all Government agencies from committing to such exhorbitant fees?

Instead, Najib must direct all government agencies interested in providing electronic communications for bills and statements, should require citizens to provide their own emails, whether Gmail, Yahoo!Mail, Hotmail or other email providers for such communication. By doing so, government agencies will be able to communicate with ordinary Malaysians by sending unlimited email at absolutely no cost! If banks and credit card companies can do it today, there's absolutely no reason why Government agencies are unable to do the same.

The above circus over a "simple" RM50 1Malaysia email project, instead of showcasing a reformed Government machinery under the various initiatives like the GTP, ETP, EPP etc, has instead exposed the fact that all is not well within the Najib's administration. The various government departments, whether due to sheer incompetence or vested interest, is the biggest hindrance to a successful implementation of Government "transformation" programmes. And if Najib continues to take a hands-off approach like he's doing for the "1Malaysia email project", then all the King's horses and all the King's men will not be able to will not be able to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
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