AUG 11 — Why is the government fudging over the issue of giving back
what it owes the Kelantan government? That’s RM7.4 billion. The deal and
agreement was signed between the Kelantan government and the federal
government represented by the first chairman of Petronas, Tengku
Razaleigh Hamzah.
Why the double talk? Why the need to form a special committee
overseeing the payment of oil money owed? Is it because Umno is so
accustomed to playing the role of the rent seeker?
I have asked earlier, wouldn’t it save public funds if the government
asks Tengku Razaleigh what the agreement entails? He is still Umno,
right? So why is he treated with mistrust? Najib was carrying his bag
when he was working for Tengku Razaleigh.
And why is it the federal government implicitly mistrusts the
Terengganu government by controlling the oil royalties that should be
given to Terengganu? During Abdullah Badawi’s time, the appointment of
the oil money was effectively controlled by Patrick Lim and his cohorts.
Terengganu’s money was being managed by people at the Federal level
because the Terengganu folks won’t know how to handle the money.
So you have the floating mosques, the crystal mosque, the Monsoon Cup
complexes, a village consisting of a constellation of RM1 million
holiday homes in Pulau Duyung and all that. Every kilometre, you have
grandiose mosques built where polyclinics are more needed. You have
ample number of mosques in Terengganu.
The answer is, because the federal government wants to command the
use of the money and appoint it to uses it thinks fit. All in
furtherance of its political interests. This flouts the cardinal rule
of better we to manage our money than someone else. The states must
have independence in managing their own finances.
The truth is, the federal Umno leaders themselves don’t trust the
provincial Umno leaders. Also the federal government jealously guards
its concentration of powers. It will not allow the functioning of the
true concept of the federation of independent states with their own
legislative assemblies.
The oil money was first transferred into a Terengganu Sovereign Fund
and later absorbed into 1MDB.
Now, it’s given back to Terengganu on the
quiet, fearing that Kelantan may want the same. But the money is applied
in questionable ways. Is the oil money used to build the RM1 billion
new palace for the Terengganu Sultan? The oil money it seems is more
generously applied to the benefits of the elite and selected few.
The monies are justifiably owed to the state. The essence of a
federation is the arrangement whereby each state exercises its own
autonomy over a broad range of matters including control over its income
and subsequent appointment of that income. The federal government has
no business to restrict this independence.
So why is the federal government acting as the obsessive big brother
to the individual states? The answer is because Najib Razak, like the
PMs before him, likes to concentrate power in his hands or in the hands
of a selected cabal consisting of likeminded and pliant minds with the
support and connivance from the business cronies.
We have seen the adverse effects of this; the drive to extend the
scope of government, in general, is mostly led by men of good will who
will be the first to rue its consequences. The meaning of this artful
description simply means, power corrupts the power holders.
Najib and those economic commissars must understand this. The great
advances in civilization have never come from centralized government. We
don’t advance because of a directive from central government.
Similarly, our economy will not advance because, Pemandu directs it.
Economic advances are the product of individual geniuses in Balakong, in
Old Klang Road, in Sungai Besi, in Felda schemes and the result of the
exertions of the mind and body of individual entrepreneurs.
They do not come from central government.
Just look at the pace of economic advancement between the Malaysian
Chinese and Malays. Why is the pace of economic advancement of Malays
slower than that of the Malaysian Chinese?
The general answer is, the Chinese are largely left to develop on
their own individualism depending primarily on the exertions of their
minds and body. The Malays, on the other hand, depend on central
directives and, using the favourite words of the PM, initiatives and his
patronage. How clever and omnipotent is Najib to think that he can plan
for the entire country? He is no bigger than the market.
The people in Balakong, in Sungai Besi, in Old Klang Road, in Sungai
Buloh Industrial area, as well as in other places are able to develop
better and faster because, central directives are weakest there.
Because of that, as we are now seeing, the Chinese are forming a
better check on the excesses of the government. Umno responds to this by
vilifying the Chinese and driving a wedge between harmonious race
relations Malays are missing out on this action.
By relying primarily on private enterprise, the Malaysian Chinese can
ensure they become an effective check on the powers of a government.
Not only that, economic power IS an effective protection of freedom of
speech, of religion and of thought.
Will the Muslim scholar arrive at a different personal view if he
were a man of independent resources not depending on the government for
his livelihood?
Ask an independent scholar what he thinks and we will get a different
answer and indeed he will likely say, support to Umno and its political
cabal is forbidden and haram. — sakmongkol.blogspot.com
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