KDN: PP17652/01/2013 (031593) FREE — NOT FOR SALE July 2013 | Issue 2, Vol. 2 REFSA Quarterly is a newsletter to update our generous donors on our activities and achievements. Visit us at www.refsa.org QUAR TERLY THE GOVERNMENT ISSUE Focus Paper | 20 Jan 2013 Bloated government needs cabinet and parliamentary rebalancing By: Ong Kar Jin and Teh Chi-Chang, CFA CartoonbyBL PM Najib has too many ministers and deputies he Malaysian Cabinet is bloat- housemen while the Higher Edu- and consultants cast serious T ed. Prime Minister Dato‟ Sri cation Ministry blithely licenses doubts over its ability as a Perfor- Najib‟s Cabinet comprises 30 new private medical colleges. mance Management & Delivery ministers and 38 deputies. Else- Also, the allocation of ministeri- Unit. where, the entire continent of al responsibilities is bizarre. Is it Time to rebalance. The admin- Australia and the 62 million pop- any wonder that construction istration has grown corpulent ulation of the UK are adminis- standards are shoddy when the while Parliament has been left tered by Cabinets of just 22-23 financial whizz-kids at the Minis- with scraps. The lack of parlia- ministers each. Malaysia has try of Finance are put in charge of mentary resources and poor nearly as many ministers as the licensing contractors? oversight over the ministries has 33 in India who attend to a nation PEMANDU just adds more fat. allowed a culture of complacency, more than 30 times as populous This unit was set up to and perhaps even arrogance, to as ours in a land 10 times larger. „transform‟ government and Ma- develop in the government. The Our tubby Cabinet is sclerotic. It laysia. However, it merely creates number of ministers and minis- is evident that the 68 ministers more duplication, and has also tries should be streamlined and and their deputies are unable to proven to be untrustworthy and their resources allocated to more communicate effectively. For ex- unreliable. It has lied to the Ma- effective uses by Parliament. ample, the Health Ministry grap- laysian public, and massive calcu- Why and how do we trim our Cabinet? ples with the issue of too many lation errors by its expensive staff Pg 4, 5 , 6 2 EDITOR’S NOTE EDITORIAL TEAM ay 5, possibly the most anticipated date among Malaysians in recent years, M turned out to be an anti-climax for many. The deafening calls of ubah to Executive Editor the federal government could not lever BN from their perch in Putrajaya. Teh Chi-Chang, CFA Most Malaysians were disheartened by the results of the 13th General Elections, but many forged on in their journey for change. Ordinary Malaysians took on the herculean tasks of analyzing and breaking down the poll figures. The creative Managing Editor designed infographics to explain how BN won government with a minority of Foong Li Mei popular votes: thanks to gerrymandering and malapportionment – concepts which many had trouble spelling previously, let alone understanding. The Black Art Director 505 rally to protest the poll results saw a flood of 120,000 supporters in and around the Kelana Jaya stadium despite stormy weather. Foong Li Mei This, to REFSA, is evidence that 5 May 2013 did change Malaysia. Perhaps not to the extent that a majority of us (51 percent, to be precise) would have pre- ferred, but it did wake us up to the blatant biasness of the electoral system, un- Contributors der which the BN coalition needed only 17 percent of popular votes to win (refer Ong Kar Jin to Pg 12). It stirred Malaysians to take charge of the information we have and break it down for the masses, mobilise mass protests against alleged polling Sandra Rajoo fraud, and reach out to the rural folks to find out what drives them to still vote for Ong Kian Ming BN. In short, Malaysians are doing for themselves the things that previously only Leong Wai Kuan a small minority in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) did. REFSA welcomes this. Our aim has been to inspire constructive discourse, not to occupy it. We like to think that our work had been one of the many forces of change that led Malaysians to become aware of bulky issues such as economics If you think you are and policies – they are meant to be broken down, not ignored. too small to make a On that note, this shall be the final issue of REFSA Quarterly from this editorial team. Each of us is dialing back from our commitment here, but we are certainly difference, try sleeping continuing to to work for Malaysia via other pursuits (see REFSA Replies on Pg 3). “in a closed room with We have enjoyed traveling on this journey of change with all of you. Let us all help keep our „rojak‟ nation on the path of progress, and keep the new governments, a mosquito. federal and state, accountable. - African Proverb Selamat Jalan! ” Li Mei Managing Editor Cutting the fat in Cabinet Infographics explain how and why we should trim the tubby Cabinet of 68 Digging into Oil and Gas ministers and deputies. T H E Pg 4 to 6 REFSA scoped out the oil and gas industry. Find out little-known facts and key issues surrounding this ETP failed, again GOVERNMENT ISSUE crucial sector. The Economic Transformation REFSA explores how our Back cover (Pg 24) Programme (ETP) Report 2012 new government came to is out - this time with bigger power, and what steps it blunders and regression! should take to keep us on Tale of the tape Pg 8 to 11 the path of progress. To help Malaysians choose, we pitched Minority rules? the star players from the opposing teams, Barisan Nasional and Pakatan BN lost the popular vote in the 13th General Elections, but won power to Rakyat against each other. rule. How did that happen? Our Pg 16 & 17 infographics illuminate. Pg 12 & 13 Differences decoded In transformation we trust Many felt that voting in the 13th General Elec- tions is just choosing the lesser evil. We disa- REFSA took a stand in the run-up to the 13th General greed - read our infographics on the real dif- Elections. We explain our choice. ferences between BN and PR. Pg 15 Pg 18 to 21 Published by: Research for Social Advancement (REFSA), 2nd Floor, Block A, Wenworth Building, Jalan Yew, Off Jalan Pudu, 55100 KL. This edition of REFSA Quarterly is available in electronic form only. Please feel free to print and share with your friends. 3 REFSA REPLIES | The REFSA team’s take on current issues QUESTION: Beyond REFSA, how are you paving the way for a better Malaysia? Chi-Chang, Chief-At-Large Wai Kuan, Chief of Everything Else (CoE) With the grassroots: my neighbours, I will stretch the capacity of our con- residents‟ association and city coun- cil. Longkang politics is as important sciousness by teaching more yoga and learning taichi. Along the way, I as pontificating on government poli- also hope to get to know some of the cies and engaging PEMANDU in a high-level deconstruction of the ETP. 47% of my fellow Malaysians who voted for the coalition that opposes My neighborhood is crumbling: rats proliferate; the playgrounds, roads and drains need mine. On a more mundane level, I will repair. I will demand better hygiene in our neigh- sweep my front and back yards, clean the longkang bourhoods and hawker stalls for a start. But we can‟t and do so for my neighbours too. Don‟t rely entirely just demand - we ourselves must participate too! Can on your government and especially not on poorly- we behave like everyday is Bersih day? We all acted paid, unskilled foreign workers to do everything for neighbourly and left no litter that momentous day. you. Adopt a road or park, clean and maintain them Federal government might be out of reach, for now, quietly. Then start a community campaign and invite but local improvements are well within our influence. your neighbours to join you; share the fun with your ADUN or MP. Sandra, Contributing Editor Kar Jin, Intern Extraordinaire It has always been my contention I‟m currently the secretary for the NGO that education is the key to driving coalition Suara Rakyat 505. With the change, and it is one area I often re- analysis and fact-finding experience visit even while being involved else- from REFSA, I hope to develop a more where. Developing young minds may informed, socially conscious and strate- seem a tiny contribution in the big gic way of civil disobedience. More than scheme of things, but the little ripples that, I hope a third force beyond politicians from both we each create in our own small way will add up to sides will emerge: grassroot activism that is truly for one big tidal wave, I believe. Lecturing, giving cours- the people and by the people. Soon, I‟ll be off to Yale es and judging English-related competitions in University, where I hope to learn how to contribute schools fill my days currently. Also, through Parents meaningfully to Malaysia, or even better, the world! Action Group for Education (PAGE) Ipoh I submitted Editor‟s note: We hope Kar Jin lasts longer than Dr Devaraj Jaya- a couple of memoranda on education to the MoE kumar, MP for Sungai Siput. At Yale in the 70s, the good doctor task force, with suggestions on how we can go for- dropped out after two years to serve Malaysians in Sarawak. ward in this contentious but so important area. 4 INFOGRAPHIC | 6 March 2013 Published by: Research for Social Advancement (REFSA), 2nd Floor, Block A, Wenworth Building, Jalan Yew, Off Jalan Pudu, 55100 KL.