Aliran Monthly : Vol.31(1) Page 1 For Justice, Freedom & Solidarity PP3739/12/2011(026665) ISSN 0127 - 5127 RM4.00 2011:Vol.31No.1 COVER STORY Year of publicity stunts, slogans and spin Genuine people-centred reforms and greater respect for human rights and civil liberties remain an illusion by Martin Jalleh ast year, 2010, was a LL period of public rela- LLL tions, publicity stunts, political rhetoric, populist slogans and pure pro- paganda puff by Prime Minister Najib Razak and his BN govern- ment. They put up a perfect ‘per- formance’ of “1Malaysia: People First, Performance Now”, with the rakyat being offered a pipe- dream and a pie in the sky! Najib’s flagging image was re- engineered by Apco Worldwide, a global public relations con- sultant. He was portrayed as a premier who was ready and rar- ing to redeem Bolehland with his purported radical reforms and to “transform Malaysia through a comprehensive innovation process”. Surely Apco would not have to contend with the fact that as a former Defence Minister Najib had left a “disgraceful” legacy of financial mismanagement, ir- regularities in procurement, wastage and even serious alle- gations of kickbacks, bribery and corruption. Public amnesia paved the way for public rela- tions. Aliran Monthly : Vol.31(1) Page 2 EDITOR'S NOTE Genuine people-centred reforms and greater respect for human rights and civil liberties in Malaysia re- CONTENTS main an illusion. Instead what we see are publicity stunts, slogans and spin, says Martin Jalleh as he takes us on a tour of the major areas of concern in COVER STORY the country. ••• Year Of Publicity Stunts, Slogans And SpinSpinAnd 222 The economy, while serving fabulous wealth for a ••• It's A Sham; It's A Show; few, has also seen a capital flight. Leaders remain It's A Shame - It's Our Economy! 666 in denial or indulge in flip-flops on economic policy ••• Najib Takes Country Into A Leap as they tout farcical reforms. The economy drifts Of Greater Losses 101010 along listlessly in the face of scandalous losses suf- ••• Damning Diaspora Data 121212 fered by GLCs while mismanagement, ‘leakages’ ••• Malpractices, Mismanagement And and the squandering of public funds have reached Misuse Of Funds 131313 alarming levels. Even as the country’s debt level ••• Best Bloated Bureaucracy! 151515 rises, the bureaucracy remains bloated, bleeding the ••• Pathetic And Powerless Parliament 171717 fiscal budget. Many Malaysians voted with their feet, ••• The Accused, Absurd, Arrogant AG 242424 as they emigrated to greener pastures. ••• Gani's Glaring Double-Standards 252525 ••• Public Confidence In Police Faced with this grim scenario, the institutions of PlummetsPlummetsPlummets 272727 democracy have been unable to rise to the occasion. ••• MACC Stumbled, Struggled And Parliament is pathetic and powerless, weighed down Strangulated Itself 313131 by Executive dominance. The Attorney General has ••• A Compromised Judiciary 404040 been reduced to a caricature of absurdity and arro- gance, his double-standards evident to many. Pub- lic confidence in the police has plummeted. The FEATURES demonstration of ‘self-strangulation’ by the MACC’s ••• A Watchman's Journal 191919 legal head epitomised the state of the anti-graft body ••• No Plastic Bags... Won't Die-lah 222222 while the judiciary sank to new lows, its impartial- ity apparently compromised. OTHERSOTHERSOTHERS On a different note, Angeline Loh discusses if Ma- ••• Subscription Form 383838 laysians are ready to take on the ‘no plastic bags’ ••• AppealAppealAppeal 393939 challenge while Wong Chin Huat reviews Francis Loh’s book ‘Old vs New Politics in Malaysia’. Published by Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara (ALIRAN)(ALIRAN)(ALIRAN) Aliran is an organisation for ‘social democratic 103, Medan Penaga, 11600 Jelutong, reform’. We advocate freedom, justice and Penang, Malaysia. solidarity; comment critically on social issues, offer analysis and alternative ideas keeping in mind Tel: (04) 658 5251 Fax: (04) 658 5197 the national and global picture based on universal Email: [email protected] human rights and spiritual values. We are listed Please indicate if it is a letter to the editor on the on the roster of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Founded in 1977, Aliran Homepage : http://www.aliran.com welcomes all Malaysians above 21 to be members. Contact the Hon. Secretary or visit our webpage. Printed by Konway Industries Sdn. Bhd. Plot 78, Lebuhraya Kampung Jawa, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang Aliran Monthly : Vol.31(1) Page 3 Their publicity blitz included the the right path towards attaining sia, the reverse has taken place. PM in a pleasantries-and-photo developed nation status by There has been an unprecedented session with the US President (ar- 2020”. rhetoric of irresponsible politick- ranged by lobbyists reportedly ing, racist extremism and religious costing RM25 million). Najib’s But it did not take long before bigotry emanating from Perkasa image was further propped up Apco’s plastic public relations and within Umno, in particular with his “First Lady” receiving an and the PM’s pretence began to Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia. obscure award there, highlighted peel off. The Opposition posed in a very costly advertisement in very pertinent and pointed ques- By the end of 2010, Najib, who fan- the New York Times, paid by tax- tions at his grandiose proposals. cied himself as the Father of Trans- payers. They even presented alternatives, formation, had this to show – far- for example, the DAP’s Budget! cical changes, fantasised figures, Najib was continually cast as one Bloggers poked fun at the piece- flip-flops, a frail economy, failing who was confident, competent meal initiatives. institutions, flawed policies (like and even courageous in reviving the New Economic Model (NEM)) the country’s comatose economy Najib wanted to be a spinmaster and a fraudulent Perak govern- with his slew of acronyms, show- himself: he insisted that 1Malay- ment. case of plans and pledges, and sia was his very own creation; it spate of potential privatised is not political but merely a tool to An illusion projects costing trillions! foster unity! His logic spun out of control when faced with the fact Najib gave himself away when For spinning illusions, Apco is that it is a concept propagated by whilst staunchly defending paid RM77 million of taxpayers’ a government that promotes a Malay rights at the 61st Umno money a year. Malaysia is the race-based party system, which is Annual General Assembly, re- consultancy’s highest paying cli- the main obstacle to our unity! vealed that ‘crushed bodies’, ‘lost ent. The government think-tank lives’, ‘ethnic cleansing’ if the sta- ‘Performance Management on Further, as was pointed out by tus quo was not kept! 1Malaysia Delivery Units’ (Pemandu) was Lim Kit Siang, 20 months since the has nothing to do with unity but set up at the price of RM66 mil- introduction of Najib’s 1Malay- with Najib keeping his “throne” lion, with RM36 million going to in Putra-jaya, no matter what! American consultancy firm McKinsey and Co. Najib’s political masquerade came off again when, at the BN The Pemandu operating budget convention in early December, he for 2011 will be as high as RM729 made a vicious attack on Pakatan million – Pemandu (RM40 mil- Rakyat calling it “anti-national”, lion), National Key Result Areas “evil”, “very dangerous” and (RM334 million) and National “despicable”. Najib proved to be Key Economic Areas (RM355 mil- as superficial and shallow as his lion). (Subsidy cuts were expected reforms, and this is the man who to save about RM750 million in wanted to teach Obama modera- 2010 - more than enough to pay tion! for Pemandu’s operating bud- get?) As the think-tanks churned out more transformation programmes Out of Pemandu’s labs came a and the judiciary played its part plethora of projections, in the sodomy case, Najib and a programmes, powerpoint presen- “transformed” Umno continued tations, persuasive charts, para- Lim Kit Siang: 20 months after on with their scare tactics, saber- phernalia and promising plans 1Malaysia, the reverse has taken rattling tricks, sinister theatrics, that “will position the nation on placeplaceplace scandalous political thuggery Aliran Monthly : Vol.31(1) Page 4 and silly “traitor” and “treason” which publishes UMNO’s and its labelling. right wing offshoot Perkasa’s mouthpiece, Utusan Malaysia, re- Najib’s 1Malaysia dream was re- corded a pre-tax loss of RM10.682 duced to an illusion each time it million in the first nine months of became glaring that the PM and 2010. his deputy were in collision and were far from being of one mind Najib took the country to great when it came to issues such as the “heights” and depths in 2010. economy, inter-faith or ethnic re- Our 2009 national debt rose to 53.7 lations or whether to continue per cent of GDP, its highest level courting Pas in the name of Malay in five years. There was an exo- unity. dus of money from Malaysia on a scale which surpassed that dur- In December 2010, the PM be- ing the Asian crisis. Malaysia’s trayed himself when he chickened Paul Low: Laid the blame on the FDI plunged 81 per cent, and we out of reforming the NEP, which federal government were the only Asean country to ex- according to CIMB Group CEO perience negative FDI flow in Nazir Abdul Razak has been record worsened in 2010 and that 2009. “bastardised”. Najib relegated the Bolehland was returning to NEM to merely a “trial balloon” “Mahathir’s era” – a period Malaysia was seen to be more cor- and backtracked from his commit- known for its intolerance of dis- rupt than ever by Transparency ment that affirmative action sent. According to Suaram, they International (TI) in its global Cor- would be implemented based on were “signs of a closing society”.