Assalamualaikum...
Tak tau la betul ke tak. rasa macam fiction je nih. Tapi seronok baca
interview ni. Walaupun ianya MUNGKIN fiction, tapi fakta yang dikemukan
mungkin logik. Er... Maksud saya, logik untuk dituturkan oleh seorang YB
dari Parti Pemerintah. Bukan logik untuk dipercayai...
----- Message from birdtrax <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> on Mon, 6 Feb 2006
10:57:04 +0800 -----
Subject: Fwd: Malaysia boleh!!!
It's all about social obligation
MT: Thank you, Yang Berhormat, for agreeing to this interview.
YB: No problem. I am always happy to accommodate the media, even for
mosquito websites like Malaysia Today.
MT: Okay, YB, can we first talk about Proton?
YB: Sure, anything.
MT: Proton announced last year that it was a bumper year. Then we found out
recently that last year it lost money badly. Was the government lying to
the people?
YB: What has a bumper year got to do with making money? So we lost money.
So what? That was expected all along. We did not lie to the people.
MT: But why announce a bumper year then?
YB: Because it was a bumper year. And this year it is a steering wheel
year. And next year it will be a windscreen year. Therefore, according to
previous Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamadâ€(tm)s Wawasan 2020, by 2020 we
can expect to be manufacturing the whole car in Malaysia . Now, of course,
we are not yet manufacturing the whole car locally.
MT: So you do not expect Proton to make money until 2020.
YB: I did not say Proton will be making money in 2020. I said it will be
manufacturing the whole car in Malaysia by 2020.
MT: Okay, so the future still looks very bleak for Proton, even beyond
2020.
YB: Why must you people always equate success with making money? Our
success is measured by being able to manufacture the whole car in Malaysia
, not measured by the profit we make. Even if we make a loss we are still
successful, as long as the car is fully manufactured in Malaysia.
MT: But isnâ€(tm)t going into business about making profits?
YB: Thatâ€(tm)s whatâ€(tm)s wrong with you people. You always think that
going into business is just to make money. There are also other reasons you
know or not?
MT: Like what?
YB: Well, like social obligation.
MT: What social obligation?
YB: To assist the Bumiputeras.
MT: In what way do you assist the Bumiputeras?
YB: We create small and medium-scale industries, the sub-contractors and
component suppliers to Proton. Okaylah, Proton loses money, but these
sub-contractors make money. That is more important. That is the social
obligation I am talking about.
MT: But someone has to pay for these people to be able to make money.
YB: Sure, the car buyers of course. But then they cannot grumble. This
is…
MT: ...yes, I know...their social obligation..Okay, can we talk about the
Ringgit now?
YB: Sure.
MT: At one time the Ringgit was one-to-one with the Singapore Dollar. Today
it is so much lower. Does this not reflect that Singapore has better
economic policies than Malaysia ?
YB: No, it does not.
MT: And why do you say that?
YB: Well, Singapore has less people than Malaysia. So it does not need to
print so much money. Malaysiaâ€(tm)s population is many times bigger. So we
need to print more money. If not there would not be enough money for
everyone. If Singaporeâ€(tm)s population is the same size as Malaysia, then
they too would need to print more money. Then the Singapore Dollar would be
at par with the Malaysian Ringgit.
MT: While on the subject of Singapore and Malaysia, at one time MAS and SIA
were one airline called MSA. Then, after Singapore left Malaysia, MSA broke
up into MAS and SIA. But SIA makes tons of money while MAS is losing its
pants. Does this not yet again show that Singapore manages its economy
better?
YB: You are wrong on that point.
MT: Oh?
YB: Singapore did not leave Malaysia. It got thrown out of Malaysia .
MT: Okay, never mind, leave or thrown out, SIA is still performing better
than MAS.
YB: That is because SIA does not have any domestic flights. All its flights
are international flights. So it does not have to lose any money on
domestic flights. We need domestic flights you know or not? This is our
social obligation to the people, especially to those who live in East
Malaysia.
MT: But MAS is making money on its domestic flights. It is the
international flights that it is losing money on. MASâ€(tm) domestic
flights are not cheap because it does not have any competitors, until
recently of course with Air Asia coming onto the scene, so it can charge
more. It is the international flights that MAS is suffering because of the
stiff competition from many more-established airlines. So how can your
argument be correct?
YB: Well, our international flights cost more to run than SIA.
MT: How come?
YB: We have to pay more for our catering services. SIA does not need to.
MT: But why? Why canâ€(tm)t MAS pay the same price as SIA for its catering
service?
YB: SIA does not need to look after its Bumiputera contractors like MAS has
to. This is because of our...
MT: ...yes, social obligation.
YB: Thatâ€(tm)s right.
MT: Okay, never mind. Can we talk about the NEP now?
YB: Sure.
MT: The NEP was supposed to run for 20 years from 1970 to 1990, after which
it is supposed to have ended. Unofficially, however, the NEP is still in
existence. What do you have to say about that?
YB: But the NEPâ€(tm)s objectives have not been met yet, so it cannot end
yet, though officially of course it has already ended.
MT: Which of the objectives are you talking about?
YB: The NEPâ€(tm)s objectives of reducing the economic gap between the
haves and the haves-not and between the different races. This must be met
first before we can end the NEP.
MT: But this can never be achieved. There will always be disparity between
the people in any society. There will never come a time when there will be
no gap, either between different races or between different classes of
people. It is just not achievable and is an unrealistic and idealistic
objective.
YB: Yes, and that is why the NEP cannot end.
MT: But if we all know that it is unrealistic and unachievable, then why
set this as an objective, knowing we will never be able to meet it?
YB: We have to give the people hope. If they have no hope then they will
give up and not strive to better themselves.
MT: But isnâ€(tm)t this false hope? You know we will never see success. But
yet we make the people believe that we will. Never mind, I would now like
to ask YB about the elections.
YB: What about the elections?
MT: Why do we still have postal voters?
YB: This is to make it easier for people who cannot come out to vote to do
so. If not they will not be able to vote.
MT: But who are the people?
YB: Those officers from the Election Commission who are on duty on Election
Day, army and police personnel, and so on.
MT: But what is stopping them from coming out to vote even if they are on
duty? It is not that they are in the jungles or something like that. They
are in their offices or homes. And the polling stations are within walking
distance from where they live or work. In fact, for the Election Commission
officers, the ballot box is just a few feet away. Canâ€(tm)t they be given
ten or fifteen minutes to go and vote? After all, they can be given half an
hour or an hour to go do their prayers, eat, visit the toilet, and so on.
If they can get time off for all this, why not time off to go and vote?
YB: Actually it is more complicating than that. You make it sound so
simple. It is not that simple.
MT: Well, YB, maybe you can explain, especially the fact that not all
officers are on duty at the same time since they do shifts. And why must
members of their families vote by postal votes as well when they are not on
duty. In fact, some are just housewives.
YB: This involves the security forces so it is considered a matter of
national security. I cannot talk about it under the rules of the Official
Secrets Act.
MT: Okay, thank you so much for your time Yang Berhormat.
YB: My pleasure. And I hope you will print what I say and not tokok tambah
anything.
MT: Dont worry YB, what you have said is good enough to give the real
picture of the situation of this country.
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