Only a two-party system that upholds freedom, justice, truth, democracy and public integrity can ensure that Sarawak’s rich natural resources benefit Sarawakians. A two-party system requires a strong opposition which can not only deny BN’s its customary two-thirds majority but also able to form the government.
The coming state general elections is a crucial crossroad for Sarawakians to choose between BN’s politics of patronage, cronyism and corruption or PR people’s government. PR people’s government is centered on 3Es of enabling the people with skills and education, empowering them with rights or opportunities and enriching the people by ensuring an equal share of the fruits of economic success.
Why are so many Sarawakians still poor and Sarawak not the richest state in Malaysian when it is blessed with natural resources of timber, oil and gas and land?Unfortunately Sarawak is also full of “crocodiles of the two-legged kind”. BN’s politics of patronage, cronyism and corruption has robbed Sarawak of their birthright.
Timber has been over-logged until the rivers are contaminated into brown water. Sarawak only receives oil and gas of 5% of revenue. Land is forcibly taken away from natives leaving them homeless or dislocated. Town landowners worry about the renewal of lease premiums at a high price. The time has come to stop over-logging, increase oil and gas royalties to 20% and return land to the people and natives.
Only a two-party system or a change in government can guarantee the people’s rights are respected. We propose an immediate stop to taking away native land and automatic renewal of lease premiums at nominal cost. In Penang, the state government wanted to give freehold title to low-cost houses free of charge but was stopped by BN. Renewal of lease premiums is set automatically to 99 years at only 10% of market value.
To redress the gross neglect, improve the economic welfare and uplift the educational standards of the Dayak community, we propose a RM1 billion Dayak Endowment Fund headed by Dayaks that are elected by the Dayak community.
We will provide a fixed sum every year for all schools including Chinese and mission schools to ensure that they are well-equipped and provided with electricity and water. We will also provide transport subsidies for all school-going children in urban and rural areas.
We will wipe out hard-core poverty. We will provide free wifi at all the major population areas in towns and rural settlements.
Sarawak is rich enough to afford all these if we stop corrupt practices. We will fight corruption by implementing an open tender system, separate business from politics and ban Chief Minister, EXCOs, MPs, ADUNs, Councillors from being granted state land or contracts. To restore prosperity to Sarawak we will implement good governance based on Competency, Accountability and Transparency. This is already done in Penang.
PR have shown our good governance. In Penang we have not only being praised by the Auditor-General Report for being the best financially managed state but also praised by Transparency International for establishing integrity in leadership. Penang is going green and leading in green practices such as “No Free Plastic Bag” campaigns and water treatment through 3R of Reduce, Reuse Recycle. Penang is also the Silicon Valley and the most livable city in Malaysia.
Most important of all Penang is now the new champion of investments in Malaysia, coming out top in 2010. Penang replaced the previous 2009 champion Sarawak with RM 12.2 billion in 2010. Penang was No. 4 in 2009 with RM 2.1 billion but shot up 5 times to No.1. On the other hand Sarawak went down from No.1 in 2009 with RM 8.5 billion to No. 4 with RM3.9 billion in 2010.
This is the first time in history that Penang is No.1 in the country. By putting in RM12.2 billion, this is an extraordinary vote of confidence by both foreign and local investors in the PR state government of Penang. The No.2 state is another PR state of Selangor with RM 10.6 billion.
In fact the 4 PR states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan combined comprise RM 25 billion investments or 53% of the total investments in Malaysia of RM47,177 million in 2010. These 4 PR states alone can beat the rest of BN Malaysia!
Jangan cakap PR lagi tidak pandai memerintah. Dalam tiga tahun sahaja, PR telah melebihi apa yang BN tak dapat buat dalam 51 tahun!
Hampir RM2 Juta Untuk Mengujudkan Setiap Pekerjaan Baru Menunjukkan Ketirisan(Leakages) Ekonomi Dalam Bentuk Amalan Rasuah Dan Penyelewengan Kewangan Yang Hanya Boleh Diatasi Dengan Kemenangan PR Dalam Pilihanraya Besar Akan Datang.
Kerajaan BN telah mengumumkan 19 lagi projek permulaan (EPP) di bawah Program Transformasi Ekonomi yang akan menjana pelaburan hampir RM67 bilion, RM36 bilion pendapatan kasar negara dan mewujudkan 35,000 pekerjaan baharu untuk menjadikan Malaysian sebagai negara berpendapatan tinggi. Dengan kata lain RM 67 bilion diperlukan untuk mewujudkan 35,000 pekerjaan baru ataupun hampir RM2 juta untuk setiap satu pekerjaan baru.
Adakah RM2 juta diperlukan untuk wujudkan satu pekerjaan baru? Ia memang satu rekod. Jumlah besar RM2 juta untuk setiap satu pekerjaan baru menunjukkan ketirisan ekonomi dalam bentuk amalan rasuah dan penyelewengan kewangan yang hanya boleh diatasi dengan kemenangan PR dalam pilihanraya besar akan datang. Jelas yang akan bengkerapkan Negara bukanlah Program 100 Hari PR tetapi amalan rasuah dalam BN.
Sebaliknya Program 100 Hari PR akan selamatkan negara dengan pulihkan ekonomi negara. Jangan lupa bahawa Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Dato Idris Jala sendiri yang telahpun menyatakan bahawa Malaysia mungkin bengkerap pada 2019.
BN mungkin lupa dengan projek mega ini tidak ada kena-mengena dengan masalah rakyat biasa yang berpendapatan rendah. Malaysia mengalami Gini coefficient ataupun ketidakadilan perbezaan pendapatan di antara yang kaya dan miskin yang paling tinggi di Asia Tenggara. Kumpulan termiskin golongan bawah 40% penduduk hanya memiliki 14.3% pendapatan negara sedangkan golongan atas 20% memiliki 50% pendapatan Negara. Dengan kata lain lebih 10 juta rakyat Malaysia dalam golongan bawah 40% penduduk menerima purata pendapatan RM1,500 sebulan.
Golongan ini yang akan dibantu oleh Program 100 Hari PR yang di antara lain manambahkan insentif kepada anggota kerajaan tertentu, bantu peneroka FELDA, wang penghargaan warga emas RM1,000 setiap tahun, wifi percuma untuk semua pekan di seluruh Malaysia, menghapuskan tol lebuhraya dan juga mengurangkan harga minyak untuk orang miskin.
PR bukan cakap sesuka hati kerana telahpun dilaksanakan di negeri di bawah pemerintahan PR. Sungguhpun banyak program telah dijalankan oleh kerajaan negeri yang di bawah PR, tidak ada satu negeri pun yang bengkerap. Sebaliknya ia lebih kukuh seperti Pulau Pinang yang telah dipuji dua tahun berturut-turut oleh Lapuran Ketua Audit Negara 2008 dan 2009. Malah Pulau Pinang dianggap sebagai mempunyai prestasi terbaik di negara pada 2009.
Dengan lebihan bajet paling besar dalam sejarah Pulau Pinang sebanyak RM 88 juta pada 2008 dan RM 77 juta pada 2009, pelbagai program dijalankan di antaranya:
· Membasmi miskin tegar dengan memastikan setiap keluarga mempunyai pendapatan sekurang-kurangnya RM500 sebulan
· Peruntukan pendidikan tahunan kepada sekolah agama rakyat, sekolah mubaligh, sekolah cina dan tamil sebanyak RM 11.3 juta pada 2010.
· Rebat air RM100 setiap keluarga sederhana rendah dan bawah sebanyak RM 17 juta pada 2008-9
· Program penghargaan warga emas sebanyak RM20 juta setahun dengan pembayaran RM100 setiap tahun kepada yang lebih 60 thaun dan wang pengurusan jenazah RM1,000 kepada waris. Program ini akan diperluaskan kepada OKU dan ibu tunggal tahun ini.
Semua program pro-rakyat tidak pernah dilaksanakan zaman BN memerintah selama 51 tahun tetapi dapat dibuat dalam 3 tahun PR memerintah. Wang penjimatan daripada urustadbir CAT dan program anti-rasuah yang dipuji oleh Transparency International membolehkan “dividen” anti-rasuah dalam bentuk program di atas dibayar dan dilaksanakan.
Ketirisan ekoran penyelewengan kewangan dan amalan rasuah setahun melibatkan sekurang-kurangnya RM 28 bilion setiap tahun dalam kerajaan Perseketuan. Banyak program 100 hari PR seperti membayar RM1,000 setiap tahun kepada warga emas melebihi 60 tahun boleh dilaksanakan. Dengan 2.1 juta warga emas, pembayaran RM1,000 setahun hanya melibatkan RM2.1 bilion setahun yang tak sampai 10% RM 28 bilion. Ada baki lagi.
Tetapi semua program rakyat ini hanya boleh berlaku jika Sarawak hentikan daripada menjadi “fixed deposit” BN dan sokong PR.
Let Us Restore The Dignity Of Sarawakians By Embracing The Future For A Sarawak That Is Cleaner, Greener And Fairer For All.
Even in this modern world, good values and principles still matter. Despite our differences and diversity, we can seek common ground and unity in that we are all Malaysians with equal political rights and economic opportunities.
Malaysians can make our common aspirations of freedom, justice, democracy and truth come true if we remember that is not who we are that is important, but what we are; not the colour of our skin that is important but the content of our character; and not our past ancestry that is important but how we connect with the present and with each other to face the future.
All Malaysians must reject the negative campaign that foments violence and breeds hate amongst us to hide their corruption and accumulation of extraordinary wealth.
We can only be better together. We can never be better by making others worse than us. Never forget when we oppress others down, we also go down to the same level as those being pushed down. We can never be superior by labeling others as an inferior race or worse.
The time has come for Malaysians to choose carefully. Do we want to be inclusive or exclusive, diversity to be our source of strength or for us to split, divided and discriminated? I believe that the silent majority amongst Malaysians will make a choice for a shared society that celebrates peace, inclusiveness, diversity, excellence and is non-discriminatory.
We are all fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. Let us restore the dignity of Sarawakians embrace the future for a Sarawak that is cleaner, greener and fairer to all.
Pakatan Rakyat,
Kerajaan Berjiwa Rakyat,
Martabatkan Rakyat!
Opening Speech By Penang Chief Minister And DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng During The DAP Sarawak State Annual Convention In Kuching On 23.1.11.