Saturday, May 30, 2009

Kedah Land Policy - Pakatan Continue Elegant Silence

I heard from a Gerakan leader in Kedah that the State has not called off the 50 % Bumiputera in housing development (for swap Malay Reserve land) - an increase from 30 %.

He has written it in his blog article here - Pakatan Rakyat, One Malaysia and Kedah Housing Policy.

Why didnt Anwar Ibrahim or Lim Kit Siang take a drive down to Kedah and talk to Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak there?

Kedah initially announced that they will revert to the 30% quota housing policy in late 2008. In Feb 09, MB Kedah then slammed Tan Keng Liang for his press statement and reverted back to the 50% quota housing policy.

I have a lot of respect for the Malay reserve land because after all, this was once Tanah Melayu before the formation of Malaysia.

But I don't think this policy is in line with the ideologies of Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Kit Siang. Moreover, freehold lands have been developed and the remaining land left to build on is the Malay reserve land.

So does the 30 % quota policy apply as a blanket rule or not ? Are the Pakatan leaders People First Performance Now or are they Politics First Putrajaya Now ?

The Bumiputera land quota has been relaxed in Perak - under Datuk Seri Mohd Tajol Rosli Ghazali and the current MB Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Cheers to you, Dr Zambry. In the words of Dr Zambry,

"We don't want to live in a polarised world, but in the context of practicality, we have to discuss and study such policies."



Also, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak recently announced the financial sector liberalisation. Published HERE.


1 Malaysia is in Barisan Nasional. Minority Malaysia in Pakatan.

After Aminah Tape and A Thiruvenggadam's expose HERE and HERE, where is the voice of the vocal Teresa Kok, Lim Kit Siang, Teng Chang Khim and Anwar Ibrahim ?

How long will the "elegant silence" of Pakatan leaders on their own mess and the roar on Barisan Nasional's matters continue?


(Credits to NST and The Star for the photos)

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

whatever it is, pakatan did well to press the barisan people to liberalize and relax quotas in order to win back the hearts and minds of the people following their new found unpopularity, as shown in the Mar 08 election tsunami, and subsequent by-election losses, and the fear of participating in elections.

in the final analysis, it is not pakatan, but a large section of malaysian society, becoming disgusted with the ineffectiveness of the ruling party and their racialist policies, are making their voices heard through alternative channels like pakatan, and denying barisan a 2/3 majority in parliament.

Goh Wei Liang said...

So if BN liberalizes and Pakatan hinders competitiveness, people still support Pakatan and try to justify everything they do?

Correct me if I am wrong, "whatever it is" doesn't seem strong enough for a support to Pakatan.

Why pressure BN to liberalize while Pakatan leaders do the opposite ?

Does that mean Pakatan Rakyat supporters and leaders have all the while supported policies like NEP but only criticising BN on the surface for political gains among the non Bumiputeras?

Many questions remain unanswered. Again, argue this out if Pakatan can.

Anonymous said...

but the people have spoken on Mar 2008, isn't it ?

There must be a root cause for a big chunk of malaysian society to suddenly speak through pakatan isn't it ?

it is the policies, the cronyism in barisan, and the elitist attitudes of the barisan that no longer listens to people.

in a democracy, people want their voices to be heard, and this time it is through an alternative channel, since the other channel is blocked.

is it to say that this large section of society has gone cuckoo and denied barisan the 2/3 majority, and now they need to answer your request for justification?

if they are a teeny weeny minority, yes maybe, but not when they are a growing force in elections and by-elections.

because the people, they know the issues: the AP issue, money politics in umno, even a klang municipal councilor managed to build himself a palace, police brutality etc. All these are due to lack of transparency in a government that lost the ability to listen.

as i said, the people know the issues, and if pakatan hinders competitiveness, barisan would be winning like hell in the elections.

as i mentioned in the first post, in the end, it is not pakatan, but the people who spoke through pakatan. And they could jolly spoke through barisan too. Parties are just a vehicle of people's aspiration.

Goh Wei Liang said...

I can agree that the Bandwagon Effect is at work also here and the issues are largely at hand. However, if we want to call a kettle black, we have to look at the other option also.

I wish to point out to the people that they are not making things better by supporting the Opposition.

Many things go unanswered. Like this land policy. Is it competitive, is it good ?

I am glad the tsunami hit Barisan Nasional because now, we will have a party who will be cleansed of opportunists, corrupt members and many more.

However, cronyism is a bad word by itself. In China, people call it "guanxi". In Australia and United States, they call it connections and networking.

So it depends how you view cronyism, most of the time it is a political context.

Will PAS, DAP and PKR govern better ? Who will be the next clear leader after Anwar Ibrahim ?

Many question need to be answered before we are convinced that the other side is greenr.

Malaysian politics are bound to continue with this instability for a decade or so.

BN is to be blamed for their poor communications skills and information delivery.

Pakatan is strong with their "ministry of information" in Malaysiakini and other blogs. All very organized and clear directories are in place.

BN cannot argue or present their side of story at all efficiently as they are all scattered even in blogs.

The people heard only one side. What about the other side ?

We shall await the day when both side of the political world present themselves accordingly in the media and the cyber world.

That time, Malaysians who are mature can decide better. After all, perfect information (or at least near perfect) provides a better understanding of cases.

Writings anonymously however, is not encouraged because that will mean that we hide behind identities while presenting cases.

At least, an identified person who speaks stand up for what he thinks.

Anyway, I appreciate all comments and also respect the privacy accorded by law and ethics.

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

networking is good, but not to the extent of gaining the advantage over others through political connections. That's corruption.

The govt should be all malaysians for all malaysians, not just a few in power.

How does a councilor amassed so much money to build himself a palace? Why must a few umno people be beneficiaries of the AP ? even Khir Toyo got suspended, for a reason. Muhammad Taib got caught in australia with a briefcase of banknotes. All these are guanxi ?

also, why must education be the subject of quota after 52 years ?

people are looking for signs of change, but the hour came, but change did not come. In everything, there is a saturation point. So the people voted for change. As simple as that.

people are better informed now that alternative media is available. Before, there were only the barisan controlled mainstream newspapers.

Anonymous said...

Blogger:I wish to point out to the people that they are not making things better by supporting the Opposition.


yeah right, let the current hunta or overlords have a hedgemony and complete dominance in all matters - financial, judicial and security forces.

and let's have them in power for another 50 years.lol.

ah tiam fah

Anonymous said...

Surprise to hear from you about problem in KEdah.have you been to Kedah especially area like pendang Sik and so on. Here 95% are Malays.If you read the news carefully the policy in Perak is applicable in certain areas and not ALL of Perak.Can Zambry do the same in Gerik(Tajol's area)?And then PR managed to solve many problems related to land faced by chinese in 9 months, while after 50 years, BN has no remedy for the chinese's problems.Why The BN keep Mum about all these problems?

lebai said...

New villages in the country had seen a lot of progress since Independence. Some 90 per cent of the villages now have completed infrastructural facilities. All under BN government.

Anonymous said...

Of course la, otherwise pay tax for what ?

Jimmy Tham said...

lebai,

Infrastructural facilities like what? Temple? Church? New School? Sports facilities?

Maybe I missed out on it, new toll roads (better connectivity), mosque (communal integration) and less frequent electricity cut (after all we have excess from bakun).

The badminton and basketball court in my new village were built using public donation by the way.

Anonymous said...

jt:The badminton and basketball court in my new village were built using public donation by the way.


that's right jimmy.
look at football in malaysian or the FAM. tHEY the politicians have been running sports in this country for 50 years.

Look at the national league or team - worst standard in 50 yrs. cannot compete with singapore or thailand.

why? because these same politicians get their hands into every pie & it turns to shit.

seri maluku

Anonymous said...

Hmm. A Masters of Economics student, ok lets see how smart you are.

You wrote :
"Why didnt Anwar Ibrahim or Lim Kit Siang take a drive down to Kedah and talk to Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak there?"

To that:
"Why didn't Goh Wei Liang bother to even mention about the Port Klang FTZ fiasco."

Now I will explain how the two are related. First your coverage is biased, as it just attacks Pas, PKR and DAP. You are implying that the Pakatan alliance be held to a higher standard than BN.

So how can you expect a logical sane thinking individual to reconcile the obvious double standard?

And the Kedah MB does as controversial as it seems, is still legal. What is reported in the PKFTZ is not. So trying to argue with you on an ethical or value basis is like wrestling with a snake - you can twist and contort and bring up a small issue to counter the overwhelming evidence that shows Malaysia to be in an advanced state of decline due to the abuse of power and endemic corruption, which so happened whilst the BN was in control.

So state what your principles are. And on another unrelated note, I see your an economics graduate, let me ask you - do you think speculators brought the ringgit down or was it due to the a much higher than reported rate of inflation?

Goh Wei Liang said...

The very famous Wenger Khairy blogger. Thank you for coming to my site. My level of intelligence in Economics need not be tested.

Whatever I say, there are bound to be people who agree. Have you heard of the saying that economists never agree on something ?

Speculators played in Thailand and the Government there were left with peanuts in the reserves to stabilise the dollar to Baht. Matters continue to spiral out of control when it was discovered that the housing available exceeds the population by approximately 5 times. Debts and heavy foreign borrowings in South Korea also hit South East Asia when they realise they could not continue to service their debts.

As such, the bandwagon effects were at work and investors began to pull out of an already burning Asia.

Speculators surely had a hand, but I was still young at that time and I am not sure if the speculators came to Kuala Lumpur to play a fool with our markets or not. And I admit I did not do much research on the 1998 crisis, at least not in depth.

I maintain my stand that I will not comment on things that I am not sure and I do not have sufficient information on.

As for the PKFZ, there are legal restrictions to it and I shall respect the law. I maintain my stand again that those who broke the law especially embezzlement of funds should be brought to a Court of Law.

In the Court, our Constitution and legislation should be in place where the defendant has a right to defend himself/herself. And the defendant has the rights to declare himself/herself innocent until proven guilty.

Again, given the legal restrictions IMPOSED BY PwC, I shall respect that matter and we should not jump to any conclusions until proper proceedings and in depth investigations are carried out.

The Kedah MB's policy is indeed legal but it is not in line with Pakatan ideologies which they have been preaching to the world and the masses in Malaysia.

Abuse of power and corruption should not exist and I encourage Watchdogs to continue to provide the check and balance, be it to Barisan Nasional State Governments and Federal Government or to Pakatan led states.

Check and balance should not be subjected to BN only, but also to Pakatan policies. Given that the blogosphere is saturated with Pakatan supporters and they tend to check on BN only, I feel duty bound to provide the same for Pakatan's policies to provide a balanced Malaysia and for a better future.

Once again, it is my honor to have you here, Wenger Khairy, as my guest reader.

Thank you and have a good day everyone.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Goh Wei Liang's elegant silence on the PKFZ fiasco is deafening....

Anonymous said...

You are extremely welcome, and indeed I do thank you for your accolade.

I do welcome you to my blog.

However I do disagree on the no comment stance on the speculator issue. The reason being you clearly state that you support Dr Mahathir. And there must be some substance to supporting him, after all he left us a legacy of a devalued currency, and a much higher cost of living. Not many Malaysians have the chance to study finance and economics, and thus, a learned opinion from yourself would go a long way in casting light on this issue. I did find a study by the World Bank that addressed this issue.

Anyhows, till we meet again..

Anonymous said...

Hello pak. TOLONG JANGAN PILIH KASIH PAK.KALAU NAK KOMEN, JAWAB SEMUA SOALAN PAK.ADA YANG SEBUT PASAL JUMLAH PENDUDUK DI KEDAH YANG 95% MELAYU.kALAU BAGI BAGI BANYAK SIAPA NAK BELI PAK-BERUK-BERUK DI HUTANPAK.KALAU ZAMBRY DAN NAJIB TULUS, MINTA DIA ORANG RELAX PERATURAN TERSEBUT DI SATU MALAYSIA.
JANGAN LARI DARI MENJAWAB, KALAU TIDAK MAHU JAWAB JANGAN BUKA MULUT DAN LAGI BAIK JANGAN BUKA BLOG.

Goh Wei Liang said...

To Wenger, it is my pleasure indeed to hear from you. Tun Dr Mahathir has consistently blamed the financial speculators for the Asian Financial Crisis. I can say that Tun Dr M, Tan Sri Nor Yakcop and Tun Daim are the leaders in the circle of the financial crisis in Malaysia and the people behind the ringgit.

I am not too sure about the criticism on the speculators activities in Malaysia but I am willing to hear.

Also, Tun M's consistent criticism on the financial speculators for the downfall of Asia in 98 is what I support and advocate as proven in the case of Thailand.

The famous bandwagon effect is synonymous to the Thai case led by George Soros fund called Quantum Fund if I am not mistaken.

However, Wenger, I am glad to read any reports or hear any opinions that you are willing to share. I do visit your blog, although I have not posted any comments all these while :)

Keep on blogging and keep Malaysia in our hearts continue our passion to develop Malaysia.

Pak/Cik Anon perlu sabar dan bertenang. Soalan banyak dan akan dijawab. Namun soalan berkaitan dengan kerabat Di Raja, saya ni bukan jurucakap Istana. Ada soalan tentang kontroversi takhta ke, apa-apa sahajalah, sila tanya pihak Istana.

Berkaitan dengan kes Kedah, kalau tak silap saya dahulu Lim Kit Siang dan pemimpin Pakatan sendiri yang heboh dan marah dengan polisi Datuk Seri Azizan. Kini, DS Azizan tukar pendapat dan balik semula kepada polisinya.

Inilah yang saya ingin ketengahkan kepada pihak pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat.

Memanglah Kedah tu 95% Melayu. Namun polisi sebegitu, saya hairan. Kalau dibina projek perumahan baru, dan tak ada 50% pembeli Bumiputera, apakah yang akan berlaku ? Jawablah soalan saya.

Apakah tidak akan berlaku kes bina rumah tapi tak ada orang beli atau tinggal hanya kerana kuota tersebut?

Di Perak, Dr Zambry dan DS Tajol sedar bahawa polisi itu perlu diberi kelonggaran. Oleh itu, polisi 30% kuota dan ke bawah dikuatkuasakan bagi mengelak masalah perumahan.

Memanglah saya mengaku, saya ni kadang kala berpihak kepada Barisan Nasional. Namun kami semua perlu sedar.

Ramai yang sibuk mengkritik Barisan Nasional dari segi polisi dan pertuturan pemimpin. Tiada yang memberi fokus kepada polisi Pakatan Rakyat.

Adakah pemimpin Pakatan begitu bersih, suci dan berkebolehan sehingga tiada cacat cela dari segi kepimpinan, kerajaan dan polisi mereka?

Salahkah sekiranya saya melihat aspek Pakatan Rakyat?

Saya ni hanya berumur 23 tahun. Tiba-tiba ramai pula yang datang marah-marah. Orang kata, siapa yang makan cili, dia rasa pedas.

Lagipun, apakah tiada kebebasan bersuara dan berkongsi pendapat ? Apakah semua soalan yang ditujukan kepada blogger seperti RPK, Lim Kit Siang dan Anwar Ibrahim dijawab?

Pak/Cik Anon bersabar. Kalau ikut ideologi seperti yang saya analisis atas diri Anon, bahayalah negara kita.

Kebebasan bersuara dan berbincang Anon. Hayatilah keunikan hak dan kebebasan ini.



BERKHIDMAT UNTUK NEGARA

Ikhlas,
WL Goh

Anonymous said...

GW: Speculators surely had a hand, but I was still young at that time and I am not sure if the speculators came to Kuala Lumpur to play a fool with our markets or not. And I admit I did not do much research on the 1998 crisis, at least not in depth. (in reply to wenger)

--

Mr Goh ah.. BN during DrM's time was one of the biggest speculator in foreign currencies - from pound sterling to USD.
They made loads of money BUT then -they also eventually lost tonnes of it.
These guys were like drunkards and not to mention DIAM the guy with the biggest stack of chip$.

LiarsPoker.

Jamal said...

Tan Keng Liang should continue to remind MB Kedah Azizan that PAS do not own Kedah.

I find it amazing that DAP and PKR is keeping silence even knowing what PAS is doing in Kedah. When their team member do someting wrong, it is okay.....cover up or keep silence. THis is what we call hypocrite Pakatan.

Richard Khoo said...

There is nothing elegant about Pakatan Rakyat silence in Kedah about their increase of the 50% Bumi Quota. Thank god that at least a leader from gerakan Tan Keng Liang speaks out before things are too late!

In fact, it only makes people hate Pakatan Rakyat for following PAS's stupid ideology.

Yes, ANwar and Lim Kit Siang should drive down to Kedah to meet Kedah's menteri besar and give him a lecture on how to manage Kedah.