Observations by MCA Deputy President Datuk Seri Dr Ir Wee Ka Siong when debating on the on the mid-term review of the 11th Malaysia Plan 

I highlighted my observations and concerns when debating on the mid-term review of the 11th Malaysia Plan at the Parliament today.

Integrated Public Transport System 
Top of my list is the absence of an integrated public transport system, which should be a priority if the Pakatan Harapan government is sincere in lessening the burden of the rakyat. An integrated public transport system, especially one that facilitates interstate travel, would encourage economic growth, and yet the government prefers to champion the third national project instead of improving the public transportation network.

Trade 
I also took note of the lack of strategies to face the challenges of the trade war between United States and China. Since both superpowers are important trading partners of Asean, how should Malaysia navigate around the trade war? I don’t see any discussion on this in the mid-term review. Also, what are the efforts to elevate bilateral trade between Malaysia and China, which hovers around US$100bil? The four areas of concern are bird’s nest, palm oil, musang king and tourism.

New taxes
Talks are rife that the government will introduce new taxes to raise government revenue, including inheritance tax, capital gains tax, wealth tax, soda tax, etc. These are expected to attract backlash from the public, if implemented. My advice to the government is, do not hastily introduce taxes that will add to the pressure of the people. Focus on prudent management of your finances instead. Why push for third national car project and the Crooked Bridge when you say the country is debt-ridden? Please adopt a pragmatic approach in federal administration for the sake of the future generations.

Public Service
While we welcome strategies to strengthen the delivery of public service, I do not see any concrete action plans that would lead to their implementation. For instance, what is the jurisdiction of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission and when will it be established?

SMEs & low-income groups
Action plans to strengthen the economic status of bumiputera and to assist Chinese and Indian low-income groups are not clearly defined.

I also pointed out the inconsistencies between Pakatan Haparan’s promises and its actions by drawing attention to the closure of the Secretariat for the Advancement of Malaysian Entrepreneurs (SAME). Set up to serve Chinese small and medium entreprises (SMEs), SAME ceased to operate following GE14 while Special Secretariat for Empowerment of Indian Entreprises (Seed) and Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit (Teraju) are still running. Shutting down SAME runs counter to Pakatan’s promises to elevate SMEs.

The SMEs need government’s assistance. Policy flip-flopping, as what happened to the foreign workers’ levy, is not conducive to their growth. While Malaysia hopes to reduce reliance on foreign workers in the long run, the government needs to pay attention to the sectors currently facing shortage of workers. One such sector is the furniture manufacturing industry in Muar.

Local election 
Local election must be introduced when reforming public administration. Leaving local election out of this midterm review report raises doubts as to whether this promise will be fulfilled by Pakatan Harapan. What happened to your promise of implementing local election within three years?

Anti-corruption 
Pakatan Harapan has promised efforts to curb corruption in its election manifesto, such as ensuring that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) reports directly to the Parliament instead of the Prime Minister, and revising the Witness Protection Act 2009 and the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010. But these are not enough as long as MACC is not entrusted with prosecutorial power. I urge the government to showcase its commitment in eradicating corruption by amending Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitutions and provisions in the Criminal Procedure Code that vest the power to prosecute solely in the hands of the public prosecutor.

Open tender
Pakatan Harapan government is eager to encourage healthy competition and reduce leakage in the government procurement process through open tender. However, the mid-term review said: “Meanwhile, exception for direct negotiation will be reviewed in line with international standards and best practices, among others including the agreement on government procurement under the World Trade Organisation.” What happened to your insistence on open tender?

Also, can the government explain whether the Penang undersea tunnel project was awarded via an open tender that was in line with the World Bank standards?

B40 & “leave no one behind”
The mid-term review said the current Poverty Line Income (PLI) model will be reviewed, and the Multidimensional Poverty Index will be adopted to complement the PLI. However, the PLI i still maintained at RM960 for Peninsular, RM1,180 for Sabah and RM1,020 for Sarawak. The government should review this PLI by taking into consideration Bank Negara’s “living wage” concept, Khazanah Research Institute’s “Different Realities” report as well as the Human Resources Ministry’s 2016 report titled “A Guide on Starting Wages – 160 Selected Skills Jobs”.

In Bank Negara’s analysis on living wage, it estimated that the living wage in Kuala Lumpur two years ago was about RM2,700 for a single adult, RM4,500 for a couple without a child, and RM6,500 for a couple with two children.

New villages
Pakatan Harapan had in the past said in its alternative budget that it would set aside millions of ringgit to rejuvenate Chinese new villages. What had happened to this goal? The 613 new villages nationwide have not been given any funds by the Pakatan government. I urge the government not to neglect these new villages.

Mosques
Projects to build two mosques – previously approved by the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department – in Kampung Parit Awang Yong Peng and Kampung Parit Haji Ali Parit Raja in Johor are now in limbo. The Pakatan Harapan government must see to the completion of these two mosques for the local Muslim communities.

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Datuk Seri Dr Ir Wee Ka Siong
MCA Deputy President

-MCA Online-