Fcuk if I care whether the stock market reaches teh 1200 mark and make a few people rich in time for the election, if proves nothing.
Sure the stock market is up, why not when the EPF is helping to prop it up and you don't need to be an Oxford graduate to understand that this upward trend is nothng more than a tool for extracting money from EPF coffers to like political warchests.
While you may need to be an Oxford graduate to come to the conclusion that the election is not going to come soon, the rest of the country is not keen to arrive at the same conclusion.
Let us list some of the things that we still want from our current political leaders
A leader not a sleeper: the country needs someone who can see far ahead and chart a path through the future and lead Malaysia towards a clear goal and we will know when a leader has a clear goal when he can explain it to us in words of one syllabus and we understand and believe him. In case the leadership is still wondering Islam Hadhari is not a future goal, it is a fancy term for moderate Islam and we are already practicing it even before you thought of the term.
What is the country’s long term plans goals and plans how to get there?
You say Biotech? Then explain to us what we want to focus on. Stem-cell and its related disease prevention and treatment? Natural remedy from herbs and making us a hub for its research and production? Genetic Modifications for food production? Well you did want agriculture to be revived as a source of income.
Show us a good example, sleeping on the job has become a national joke, people accuse the PM of handing power to his son in law, no one remembered voting him into office.
Reform the political system in Umno to create opportunities for true leaders to rise, we need dynamic leaders who are truly concerned about their people and country
Inspire us. So far we have had an absent PM and a crumbling administration.
Transparent Government: When the Prime Minister goes around telling everyone that it was PNB and not the Government that bought a new business jet for him to travel on, it is a clear indication that even at the top most level there is hanky panky and deliberate distortion of truth and irresponsible misleading of the country.
Why should highway concession agreements be secret? It is certainly no threat to the national security if foreign governments know how much margin these concessionaires are making but it is certainly political dynamite if the current administration or those in the current administration have been featherbedding the contracts.
Corruption is on the rise and it is done more openly now. Maybe the Government thinks corruption is the best way to create a larger Malay middle class but I think the community is capable of doing that on their merit and abilities. There are many able and willing Malay entrepreneurs who do not get the job because they don’t know the right people or do nto offer kickbacks.
Responsible Government: Give the people what they want – a Government that cares for them and takes care of them in time of need, a caring administration that understands the people’s needs and aspirations.
Why no free textbook? This is a weathervane for the Government’s attitude towards the common people. Sure it costs RM100million extra a year but that spending will be greeted by millions of happy faces and our future generation are ensured of better access to education material so why not spend it. After all Ministries spend millions on advertising better morals, sports and youth activities and politically motivated ‘thank you Paklah and BN’ billboards not to mention countless millions more on ministry sporting and social events. This is befeor we start talking about the new business jet for the PM which costs RM200 million.
Whats with tolls everywere and all going up? Back to the super secret concession agreements. Tell us so we can understand why it should be secret. We are paying for a public infrastructure project through tolls, should we not know how much margin these companies are making? If it is out in the open and the margins are too fat then those negotiating the contract on our behalf i.e the Works minister would be well advised to decide not to give it out to the companies involved if he would like to keep Sungai Siput. After all privatizing infrastructure projects is a way of maintaining a surplus budget or balanced budget for the Government and the same project can be financed by public sector borrowing and be paid back through taxes. If the Govt is convinced that these new fangled highways will bring economic benefit then there is nothing wrong in borrowing to pay for it. Privatization should only take place if it is clearly proven to be a more efficient way of spending the money and by efficient we do not mean spending it faster but getting the most value from our money.
National competitiveness. We are no longer a very cheap place for factories and neither are we academically strong enough to take centre stage in terms the service industry and this is a worrying situation. What are we doing about the educations system to help us remain an economic powerhouse? Kneejerk reaction like using English to teach science and mathematics are proving to be problematic and causing undue difficulty for many rural kids be they Malay, Chinese or Indian. Our universities are producing graduates that lack basic communications and thinking skills and employers are complaining that these new degree holders are not quick to learn on the job.
This is clearly not an exhaustive list but one that popped into my mind first thing int eh morning and could be typed out in 15 minutes or less. We will visit this issue again.
