Press Statement Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town, On 28.12.2013.
UMNO’s Misuse Of Government Powers To Fund A Racist And Extremist Perkasa Before The General Election Is Not Surprising But MCA, MIC And Gerakan’s Professed Ignorance When They Were In Government Shows That They Are Either Lying Or Completely Irrelevant And Powerless In A BN Coalition Government.
UMNO’s misuse of government powers to fund a racist and extremist Perkasa before the general election is not surprising but MCA, MIC and Gerakan’s professed ignorance when they are in government shows that they are either lying or completely irrelevant and powerless in a BN coalition government. Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali admitted receiving funds from government agencies such as the National Security Council (MKN), National Civic Bureau (BTN) and Special Affairs Department (Jasa) to garner Malay votes to help BN win the last general election.
For BN to fund a racist and overtly anti non-Muslim and anti non-Malay organisation like Perkasa that seeks to marginalise non-Malays and non-Muslims as 3rd-class citizens is abominable and exposes the sham of Prime Minister’s Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s slogan of 1 Malaysia. UMNO can no longer blame non-Malays and non-Muslims for not supporting UMNO and BN because their strong suspicions that UMNO is behind Perkasa is now proven correct.
BN and UMNO should give a full accounting of the public funds that are also contributed by non-Malays and non-Muslims that ere made available to Perkasa. BN and its component parties in MCA, Gerakan and MIC should publicly apologise for trying to deceive and delude the public that they are multi-racial and fight for all Malaysians. Perkasa has nothing else to offer to Malaysia to deal with the most pressing issues of fighting corruption and rising cost of living.
With UMNO openly backing of Perkasa, the continued participation of MCA, Gerakan and MIC in BN only shows their craven subservience to UMNO to cling on to the perks and privileges of office. Clearly BN will continue to play the racial card because they fail to provide sound policies and a bright vision of the future that will fight corruption and lead to stronger communities, a higher standard of living and sustainable development.
The failed leadership of BN that is not people-centric is highlighted by the imposition of GST of 6% and price hikes in petrol, electricity, sugar, school stationery, school bus fares and highway toll hikes after the general elections. Even before the price hikes, middle-class and lower income groups are forced to go heavily in debt to make ends meet.
The World Bank in its Economic Monitor report on Malaysia on Dec 10, expected household expenditures in 2014 will be further affected as the government continues to cut subsidies. It said that Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia or BR1M will cost the government RM7.1 billion, so the actual cut in fuel subsidy is expected to expand from 23% today to 28.6% in 2014 to meet savings targets.
Malaysia’s record household debt to GDP ratio of 83.5% is the second highest in Asia and is expected to rise higher after the price hikes. At a time when the public is suffering from the higher cost of living, BN cronies and their family members are continuing to live in luxury with expensive tastes not only in Malaysia but also buying expensive properties overseas.
BN’s refusal to fight corruption can be seen by their refusal to implement open competitive tenders and make public declaration of assets of leaders of government. Instead BN attempts to cover up the burning issue of corruption and extraordinary wealth of BN cronies and family members as well as price hikes by playing the extremist racial and religious card.
DAP reminds BN that such desperate tactics did not work during the recent general elections when BN gathered only 47% to PR’s 51% in terms of popular vote. After these serial price hikes, public anger at the realisation that they were deviously tricked by BN would have enabled PR to win an even higher popular vote if a general election were held now.
LIM GUAN ENG
—Mandarin Version —–
槟州首席部长林冠英于2013年12月28日在槟城乔治市发表声明：
巫统滥用政府拨款权力，在大选前资助种族及极端组织土著权威，这不出奇，但是马华、国大党及民政党这些执政成员竟然声称他们不知道，证明他们不是说谎，就是在国阵执政联盟里，毫无关系、毫无权力。
巫统滥用政府拨款权力，在大选前资助种族及极端组织土著权威，这不出奇，但是马华、国大党及民政党这些执政成员竟然声称他们不知道，证明他们不是说谎，就是在国阵执政联盟里，毫无关系、毫无权力。土权总秘书赛哈山赛阿里承认他们曾接受政府机关的资助如：国家安全理事会、国家干训局和（新闻部）特別事务局，以在大选中赢取马来人的选票。
国阵如此支持像土权这个种族性、公然反非穆斯林及反非马来人 的组织，他们边缘化非马来人及非穆斯林，可憎地视他们为三等公民，揭露了首相拿督斯里纳吉一个马来西亚的口号是多么虚假无耻。巫统再也不能怪罪非马来人及非穆斯林不支持巫统及国阵，因为他们强烈怀疑巫统为土权撑腰，如今已经被证明是事实的。
国阵及巫统应该交代清楚公共拨款，他们也是非马来人及非穆斯林所贡献的，为什么会拨给土著权威组织。国阵及他们的成员党马华、民政党及国大党应该给公开道歉，因为他们企图欺骗及迷惑群众，指自己是多元种族、为全民而斗争。在我国面对反贪及百物上涨时，土权组织什么也做不了。
巫统公开支持土权组织，马华、民政党及国大党继续留在国阵里，只显示他们对巫统的趋炎附势，以维持自己的权力与官位。很明显地，国阵会继续玩弄种族牌，因为他们无法提供良好的政策及美好的未来愿景， 对于反贪、强化社区、提升生活水平及可持续发展已经束手无策。
国阵的失败领导不是以民为本，这从大选后他们征收6%消费税、汽油涨价、电费涨价、白糖起价、学校文具、校车费涨价、大道收费起价可以看出。早在百物涨价前，中产及低收入群体已经被迫举债来过生活。
世界银行在12月10日针对马来西亚的经济观察报告指出，2014年的家庭开销将受打击，因为政府继续减少津贴。它说，一马援助金将耗费政府71亿令吉，所以2014年汽油津贴缩减将从目前的23%扩大到28.6%，以达致“节流”的目标。
马来西亚家庭债务的记录是国内生产总值的83.5%，排亚洲第二，估计百物上涨后还会继续上升。到时，公众将承担更高的生活水平，国阵的朋党及他们的家庭成员继续奢侈的生活，不只在马来西亚吃尽山珍海味，也在国外购买昂贵的产业。
国阵拒绝反贪，可以从他们拒绝推行公开竞争招标、公布政府领袖的财产可以看出。反之，国阵还企图通过种族及宗教牌，掩饰各种烫手山芋同，如：贪污、国阵朋党及家庭成员积累不寻常财富、以及百物上涨。
行动党要提醒国阵，他们那种手段在大选期间行不通，让他们只获得47%的选票，民联获得51%。在一轮又一轮的起价后，愤怒的公众已经被国阵欺骗了，如果现在就举行大选，民联绝对可能以更高多数票取胜。
林冠英