The promises of NEM-1

I have yet to pen my 2^nd part of the NEM, we already hear SP Setia is keen to develop the land mentioned by the PM. Lu orang ingat lu satu orang sahaja tau bikin itu semua? For completeness, wont you be interested in developing the RRI 's land in Sungai Buloh and since the area around Jalan Stonor is also near Kampung Bharu, why not develop Kampung Bhary too. And KTM has plenty of land that can also be developed. Take that too.

So Mr. Amir Sham- will you go to the PM to say lets impose a moratorium- some sort of agreement between gentlemen thieves, the super league construction and developments companies will stay away from government contracts for the next 5 years? Do it my man. Otherwise, the NEM isn't implemented yet, it s already looking like the models of old.

This is the main point really. I have written many times about how we give in and buckle under ascriptive norms and reject achieved norms. We do thing out of habitual and conditioned thinking. We have policy makers and decision framers banking hopes of economic development on groups with ascribed status and qualities. That's probably because the decision makers and policy framers are themselves deficient in the first place. Let's begin by having a first class civil service that believes in dedication, professionalism and capabilities. Wed don't have civil servants in the mold of the late Zain Azrai or Tan Sri Thong Yaw Hong.

Thus we think GLCs, because of what they are, are capable of driving the economy. This is a wrong belief. GLCs have become a refuge for thieves and freeloaders. They have become a sad excuse for people to plunder from the state coffers. Mostly, they are not accountable for anything.

Don't take my word for it. Look at the information below:-

The GLC that is Malaysia's public face- MAS.

Two bailouts of Malaysia Airline System RM7.9 billion. At a time when MAS incurring losses every year, RM1.55 million used to buy three paintings to decorate its chairman's office.

The bailouts of GLCs.

Putra transport system bailout which cost RM4.486 billion STAR-LRT bailout costing RM3.256 billion National Sewerage System bailout costing RM192.54 million Seremban-Port Dickson Highway bailout costing RM142 million Kuching Prison bailout costing RM135 million Kajian Makanan dan Gunaan Orang Islam bailout costing RM8.3 million

Then there are those bloodletting and haemorrhaging projects.

Le Tour de Langkawi bailout costing RM 3.5 Million. Wholesale distribution of tens of millions of shares in Bursa Malaysia under guise of NEP to the Puteras in the Bumiputeras and Ministers worth billions of ringgits. Out of the RM 54 billion, only RM 2 billion is left. It would be interesting if we could do a profiling of the recipients of the RM54 billion.

APs scandal have been going on year-after-year going back for more than three decades, involving tens of billions of ringgits . What has happened to the condemnation of Tun Mahathir on the AP scandal? Since the exit of Rafidah Aziz, this issue has quietened down.

Alienation of tens of thousands of hectares of commercial lands and forestry concessions to children and relatives of BN leaders and Ministers worth tens of billions of ringgits

Look at the wasteful application of public money. Go to Kuala Terengganu to see for yourself how many white elephants like majestic mosques, roads paved with fanciful bricks, designer lamp posts, clock towers, Municipal Council buildings that looks more like Istanas, extravagant places of worship, refurbishment of residences of VIPs, abandoned or under-utilised government sports complexes and buildings, etc! Combined they could easily amount to the hundreds of billions of ringgits!

Where has the PETRONAS money gone?

Since 1997, PETRONAS has handed out a staggering 30 billion ringgit in natural gas subsidies to IPPs who were making huge profits. In addition, there were much wastages and forward trading of PETRONAS oil in the 1990s based on the low price of oil then. Since the accounts of PETRONAS are for the eyes of Prime Minister only, we have absolutely no idea of the amount.

Please take a look at all the GLCs in this country. Most of them are headed by second raters (sorry to be blunt) and those left behind when the first raters joined the private sector or ventured out on their own. We are left behind with non business graduates, who have no inkling about management and businesses but are given authority to do business on UR behalf.

So when the PM is sending signals that GLCs including SOEs (State Owned Enterprise) slowly retreat and let the real boys do business, I hope menteri besars of states in Malaysia will get the cue. Those GLCs on life support machines must be cut off from their misery. Spare us the agony.

Then we also apply the same approach when sizing up individuals. We think we can pick and chose winners. We ascribed to them an extraordinary prowess and capabilities based solely on who they are. The Puteras of the bumiPUTERAS.

By that we mean, we infer a person's capabilities solely on the basis of who she or he is. Hence for example, Mukhriz Mahathir is presumed to be excellent because the father was the previous PM. Somehow; we believe that skills and abilities are transmissible through genes. As another example, we believe that Hishamudin Hussin is good because the father was also at one time, a prime minister and that he is sure to inherit the lineage. This ignores the fact that he is there because he has only one qualification- that of being cousin to the PM. As soon as he opens his mouth, or esteem about him crumbles.

It is also a sign of backward countries and hence by implication low income countries that they move along ascriptive values. Advanced countries move along on achieved principles.

So it is heartening that this PM wants to carry out policies that embrace competitiveness, merits and capabilities. These are values consonant with achieved values.

Advanced countries which are also high income countries develop and expand and prosper on the principles of achieved norms. Those economic agents, leaders are chosen on the basis of what they can do which depend on their acquired skills and expertise.

You build a high income economy on the basis of achieved norms- on what you are capable and able of doing NOT on the basis of presenting yourself as who you are.

You see, the government has to set its house in order first. By that I mean it must regain the trust and confidence of the people. This government is suffering from one malady that many people are afraid of saying it loud and clear. It suffers from a crisis of confidence. The people must be confident that the government will carry out what it pledges. They are less interested in what the usual suspects say immediately following the speech of the PM- whether he/she is the boss of ISIS or any other think thanks.