February 7, 2012
Malaysian Politicians: Business First and Last, not Public Service
by J. D. Lovrenciear
Business, Not Service @www.malaysia-chronicle.com
Indeed one begins to wonder why is it that our Malaysian politicians are getting involved in businesses when they should be in the business of caring for the welfare and well being of the rakyat on a full time basis. Are they not paid a salary with perks to govern?
Almost everyone of the BN politicians are into some kind of business, with many of them involved in multi-million Ringgit schemes. Any wise and seasoned business man or woman — big or small– will not hesitate to tell you that to earn your bucks you have to eat, sleep and walk business. It is a 24/7 job.
More interested in mega-business
Now how on earth do our politicians have the time to be involved in healthy and wise politics serving in the best interest of the rakyat and the nation if they are also into mega-buck businesses?
Besides, one also wonders how on earth can they place rakyat first before self if they have their own profits to worry about, day and night. Should the government of the day not ban all politicians from indulging in business deals and leave business to the business world?
Not in Malaysia. Tun Dr Mahathir has already not only sowed the seeds through his grand plan of privatization, but has successfully nurtured it into a must-do political culture today. Name one politician in the BN fold who has not made money – not from his frugal savings from the wages but from all kinds of business deals, including wheeler-deals.
This is why the politics of Malaysia is inter-woven so intricately with corruption ranging from patronizing to compromising, from abuse of power to all kinds of coveted and secret approvals. And to provide enough insurance we have the Official Secrets Act to give blanket to all the unknown deals.
Indeed it is sad. It is heart breaking. It is devastating to the very soul of nation-building. When politicians place business as theit right and blank-cheque mandate, we compromise governance. And in that process the rakyat become poorer through lost and abused opportunities.
In Malaysia, you go into politics for business
In many forward looking nations elsewhere, successful businessmen surrender their business wealth in order to champion citizens’ interests and nation building. They bring to the field of governance their enriched knowledge of transforming economies for the people.
In our case, we get into politics to enrich our own families at the expense of the rakyat and the nation. Perhaps the learned and untainted minds of Malaysia should do a through study and publish the truth of how our civil servant-turned-politicians and street smart talkers turned political kingpins have amassed their own and their families wealth through their seeming political leadership.
No small wonder than that there is so much fear in making public the wealth and assets of politicians and so much of feet dragging till this date.
Poor Malaysians. They can only court the self-consolation in the face of that hopelessness of “apa boleh buat; jangi kita dapat sedikit cukup lah itu”.
J. D. Lovrenciear reads Malaysia Chronicle
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
The first group of UMNO MP’s were committed to public service. It’s only when Che Det became PM and promoted his Malaysia Inc. idea to create millionaires did we have the trend for politicians to get involved in business. Initially as silent partners but eventually the business side took over as they boldly accepted Directorship of companies and became active participants. Today politics is the stepping stone to business.
Before Anwar was removed Zahid Hamidi was a staunch supporter till Mahathir clipped his business ties causing him loss of funds to support his constituency. He had to go back begging shamelessly. Now he’s once again arrogant. Same with Tengku Adnan.
In USA was it MItt Romney who had to declare how much he is worth and the headlines for him is, too handsome, too rich and too pompous” to win the hearts of ordinary Americans.
But in M’sia its “too slack, to lazy to compete & too corrupt “gets you into politics and makes you money.
Then everyone around thems kowtow to them as if the sun shines out of their a*%$#*e. No wonder they can klentong ( thats Bullshit in malay) the people because they drive a shiny new European car, wear a Zegna and whatever Italian shoes and the people think they are legit and its all the moeny of the people who are kowtowing to them. These politicans must be thinking what fools and idiots the people are.
Over here people are almost uncomfortable to show they are rich but not there. They cannot wait to make money whatever way they can.
If it were a proper merit based system, we the people would be making the money because we choose to be in private enterprise.
Over there its them , they get wages and because they don’t want to be in business (its too hard) but they want to be rich, so anything goes.
Once I was driving in front of the MARA building when a security guard yelled , yelled at me to move my car because Menteri ( minister) was coming in a few nimutes. I was waiting for someone. I called him to my car & said, do you know who put him there as Menteri? You did, We did. So you are the Boss not him”. To which the guard went quiet and apologetically said, I am just doing my job”. I feel sorry for the people, they have given up their power to these monsters to take care of them, instead these monsters are stealing form them.
The triangle must be turned with the people at the top and these goons at the bottom.
“Democracy is based upon the conviction that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people.” Harry Emerson Fosdick
How about government servants? Those big “pegawai”?
How about the chief of police?
Make a new law to prevent our MPs from engaging in business?? No can do. That would be a gross violation of their right to free speech guaranteed by the country’s constitution.
Over here too we have U.S. Congressmen engaging in activities which ordinarily would qualify as insider trading and therefore a crime. They sit on all sorts of committees drafting legislation and are privy to highly privileged information which they then (and their families) would use to invest and trade in stocks and make profits for themselves and their families.
Pak Semper,
Tolong jaga adik Siwi untuk Bean sementara waktu. Jangan pulak jadi macam Sir Lancelot.
“Today ( in Malaysia ) politics is the stepping stone to business ” – Semper fi. True, they want to throw a stone to get two birds !
But wait till our population gets to 70-80 million people. It will be them all the Way, these people of the “politikus” culture rushinto Politics. If we are still alive by then, we will be able to witness this scenarion : desperation…sheer desperation. Whilst in Politics conffered with ‘powers’, only the exclusive few will rush to open Sundry shops, bicycle shops, repair shops, eating shops, all other types of shops, including Empat-ekor Number shops ( you name it ), it will be ‘grabs’ for the political Desperados.
The only thing left for the 95% public to do may be do road-sweeping, street cleaning, and grab whatever ‘food’ left in Dustbins, for them & their families. & the rest of them do cleaning in the public toilets….etc.
Far fetched ? , but wait for the Malaysian Spring like worst than the Arab Spring to happen, then the Desperate Idiots in Politics will know what Life is about – but right now, few if any, understand Human Affairs, real ” Goons” they are….
Until the master race starts to walk up from their meaningless pride, it is unlikely we will have a competent and benevolent government.
Only corrupt governments holds on at all cost and ours is not ashamed of dirty tactics.
And you can hardly call the flimsy excuses to siphon public funds business.
No tolls if Pakatan captures Putrajaya
Athi Shankar
January 28, 2012
Pakatan Rakyat pledges to be a caring federal government if it comes into power.
GEORGE TOWN: Pakatan Rakyat will abolish toll collections in the North-South highway and on Penang Bridge and it will also hand out RM1,000 annually to senior citizens, if it captures Putrajaya in the next general election.
These pledges, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Pakatan will never “run away from”. He said people can put their faith in Pakatan’s promises.
“If we capture Putrajaya, we will immediately abolish the North-South Highway toll. “We will also abolish toll collections on Penang Bridge.
“We will not run away from our promises,” Lim told a cheering crowd at a Chinese New Year open house co-hosted by Seri Delima assemblyman RSN Rayer and Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh.
Also present were state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh and Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun.
Karpal was however, absent due to a prior engagement. Lim said while Pakatan will abolish toll collections on road which were already enjoying huge profits, it will retain concessions in other areas.
Lim, who is Penang Chief Minister, pointed out that PLUS had collected RM24.3. billion in toll collections on the North-South Highway, which was built on a RM6 billion budget.
“Cut-throat” BN government
Lim said given that PLUS had raked in a RM18.3 billion profit, it was now time to abolish it.
He slammed the Barisan Nasional federal government’s plans to increase current toll rates and continue its collections for years to come.
He said the people must be ready for change to stop the ‘cut throat’ toll collections of BN and PLUS.
Lim called on the people to vote for Pakatan if they wanted tolls to be abolished.
“BN said it cannot be done. Yes it cannot be done if it is BN. “But under Pakatan, it can be done,” he promised.
Lim, who is Bagan MP, said Pakatan would also give RM1,000 cash yearly to all senior citizens, regardless of their race, religion or political backgrounds.
He said Pakatan would not discriminate against senior citizens, even if they were from Gerakan or MCA.
“We will even hand out the cash to Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon if he wants it too,” Lim said.
He also said that Penang aims to be the cleanest, greenest and safest state in the country and his government would work hard to achieve the goals.
i beg to differ.
They all went into politics not for business. They, from #1 to the lowly AJK cawangan kepala of sort, went/wanting to go, into politics to cheat, steal the Rakyak’s money, of course with official crooked endorsement/non-repayment of loan or grant/1sided deal and all manner of shenanigan xmalu acts….
There are also many who believe running a Business (with almost no guarantee of success) is a full time job, done thru personal integrity, honesty, diligence, frugality and common sense. None of which the bolehland politicians seem to have, let alone understand.