DAP Chinese New Year Message By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 10.2.2016.
BN’s Twin Ang Pows Of 100% Increase In Workers Levy And Amendments To The Official Secrets Act(OSA) To Impose Life Imprisonment And 10 Strokes Of Rotan Will Not Overcome Malaysia’s Economic And Political Crisis Caused By Financial Scandals Of RM 42 Billion 1MDB And RM 2.6 Billion Donation Scandal.
BN’s twin ang pows of 100% increase in workers levy and amendments to the Official Secrets Act(OSA) to impose life imprisonment and 10 strokes of rotan will not overcome Malaysia’s economic and political crisis caused by financial scandals of RM 42 billion 1MDB and RM 2.6 billion donation scandal. Malaysians were hoping for an abolition of the much-hated GST during the recalibration of the 2016 Budget on January 28th by the Prime Minister due to the plunge in the oil prices to less than USD 30 per barrel.
Unfortunately, the GST was not abolished and only minor adjustments made for cosmetic purposes(Indah khabar dari rupa) that did not make any difference in the incomes of ordinary Malaysians or assist the suffering small businessmen. Instead businesses were mercilessly hit with a 100% increase in the foreign workers’ levy that whilst the increase in the Federal government’s coffers with an additional RM2.5 billion, would definitely cause many small and medium businesses to close shop.
Ordinary Malaysians and small businesses are already suffering from paying an additional tax of more than RM20 billion yearly in taxes as a result of GST. By paying an additional RM2.5 billion from the 100% increase in foreign workers’ levy, is a most unkind ang pow during the Year of the Monkey. Instead of giving an ang pow to the rakyat, the Federal government has given an ang pow to itself to save itself at the expense of the rakyat.
Another ang pow was delivered from the Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali, who announced that he was considering an amendment to the OSA 1972 to include life imprisonment and 10 strokes of the rotan as punishments for those who leak secrets. Even journalists would be considered as criminals for protecting or refusing to reveal the sources by invoking journalistic ethics.
Such a draconian measure would not only make a mockery of democracy, human rights and freedom of the press, it would only criminalise journalists and whistle-blowers that expose corruption. Exposing corruption may require some inside information and such amendments would deter official corruption from being exposed. Whistle-blowers should be protected and not the corrupt if the information is proven later as correct.
Apandi even justified such harsh punishments be comparing the leaking of official secrets is a serious offence in China which carries the death sentence. Perhaps Apandi needs to be reminded that corruption in China is also punished with a death sentence. Does he intend to make similar amendments against the corrupt?
Such twin ang pows have not helped to restore the declining value of the ringgit to its former level of RM3.20-3.50 to 1 US$. How does it help Malaysians economically? Clearly these OSA amendments are intended to intimidate and frighten whistle-blowers to cover-up future or prevent them from exposing and publishing any further financial scandals as well as distract attention from the government’s failure to act on the current financial scandals.
LIM GUAN ENG
—- CN Version —-
民主行动党秘书长及峇眼国会议员林冠英于2016年2月10日在吉隆坡发表的民主行动党农历新年献词。
国阵发出两封大红包，一是调涨100%外籍劳工人头税，二是要修改官方机密法令成为可判终生监禁及10鞭鞭刑的刑法，这两封大红包无助于解决由一马发展公司420亿令吉丑闻及26亿令吉捐献丑闻所造成的马来西亚经济与政治危机。
国阵发出两封大红包，一是调涨100%外籍劳工人头税，二是要修改官方机密法令成为可判终生监禁及10鞭鞭刑的刑法，这两封大红包无助于解决由一马发展公司420亿令吉丑闻及26亿令吉捐献丑闻所造成的马来西亚经济与政治危机。在1月28日当石油跌至30美元一桶及首相重新调整预算案的时候，马来西亚人原本更希望看到更可恨的消费税可以取消。
很不幸，消费税没有取消，只是稍微粉饰太平的调整（雷声大雨点小），对于大马普罗百姓的收入及小型商家的苦楚根本无济于事。相反却残忍地加剧从商的困难，提高外籍劳工人头税至100%，联邦政府可从中获得额外25亿令吉，这无疑绝对会导致众多的中小型企业关门大吉。
大马普罗百姓与小型商家已经因为每年需要需要额外缴付超过200亿令吉的消费税而陷入困境。
如今，雪上加霜地提高100%再征收多25亿令吉的人头税，这是猴年最“大吉利是”的大红包。原本应该送红包给人民，联邦政府却反过来用人民上缴的钱给自己送红包来自救。
另一封大红包就是总检察长阿班迪所送，他宣布他将考虑修改1972年的官方机密法令，以涵盖终生监禁及10鞭鞭刑作为重惩泄漏机密的人士，届时即便是新闻从业员基于新闻道德要保护或拒绝透露消息来源，也将会被列为罪犯。
如此苛政严刑，不仅可视为对我们民主体系的羞辱，也是对我们的人权、媒体自由的百般嘲弄。当新闻从业员和吹哨者尽责揭露贪污腐败之际，竟然被视为罪犯，叫人情何以堪？众所周知举报贪腐需要内线情报，修法以后势必会让相关人士不敢检举贪污，最后只能让大鳄继续逍遥法外。若吹哨者的消息正确，他们就应该受到保护，但为何现在我们却反其道变成保护贪腐者？
阿班迪以中国为例，指当地泄漏官方机密者是要判处死刑的。我在这里也要提醒他，在中国，贪官的唯一出路也是死刑，阿班迪是不是应该要等量齐观，对贪腐者施行严刑峻法？
这两封大“红包”无助于提升我们不断贬值马币，让后者回到3令吉20仙或3令吉50仙兑1美元的昔日水平，更遑论帮助刺激我们的经济？显然的，修改官方机密法令志在恐吓阻止吹哨者，让丑闻缠身的贪官获得保障，继续逍遥法外，同时转移人民的视线，让大家暂时忘却在金融丑闻面前政府的失灵。
林冠英