TV PAKATAN RAKYAT

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ANSARI ABDULLAH, BATU SAPI : I NEVER WIN, BUT I NEVER STOP SERVING THE PEOPLE OF SABAH



BATU SAPI, Oct 30 – On the stump for PKR in one of the party’s more shaky by-elections to date, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged Batu Sapi folk to ask for “double the rations” of Barisan Nasional’s (BN) election “bribes”. The PKR de facto leader (picture) said that PKR was not out to compete with the ruling coalition’s massive election machinery but wanted to change the people’s mindsets instead. “We have to anticipate that (BN’s large machinery). I think in all our speeches, we say, please accept. Please ask for more.

“In fact, we said, please ask for more because this is the one by-election when you are going to get it and the next round will be in the next [general] election. “So please ask for double the ration because of inflation, the higher cost of living,” he told reporters here, smiling. Anwar however urged the people to use their vote wisely come polling day this November 4 by selecting PKR’s Ansari Abdullah as its representative in the parliamentary seat. Batu Sapi folk, he added, needed to learn the lessons from voters in states like Selangor, Kelantan and Kedah who were brave enough to make a change in government.

“We want to tell them (Batu Sapi voters) that there is nothing wrong with you accepting handouts from BN but use your vote wisely because it is after all, secret ballot,” he said. Anwar admitted that in the past, PKR’s campaign tactic was merely to attack the BN and its unfair policies. “And then they would come along with all their bribery and the people take it and feel indebted to vote for them. So I say, take it but vote wisely,” he said. Anwar had hit the Batu Sapi campaign trail with PKR’s Ansari yesterday but received less than rousing response from the local folk.

The Malaysian Insider reported this morning that several villagers in Kampng Gas had admitted that they were more favourable of BN as the ruling coalition was generous with its handouts during the elections period. In his speeches however, Anwar told voters that there was nothing wrong with accepting election sweeteners from BN but it would be a grave mistake to vote it into power. “If you are tired from work and hungry, go to the BN election camps and ask for food. If you are out of money, go to them and ask them for money. But give your vote to PKR,” he had told villagers in Kampung Gas and Kampung Lupak Meluas last night.

Today, he said that voters should pay close attention to what the BN had done for Sabah during its rule. “Look at the bridge incident with Ansari. It was good, in a way, not good that he fell but good because of the effect of the incident. This is not a question of one bridge in one kampung. “But everywhere we travel here, people say – Datuk, be careful of that hole, Datuk be careful of that broken plank. This is the risk the people face, even after 50 years of independence and revenue from timber in the billions... you cannot even build one bridge? I think you only need one or two huge logs to rebuilt all the wooden pathways in Kampung Gas,” he said. Anwar was referring to yesterday’s incident when Ansari took his second tumble since the start of the campaign period after a bridge collapsed in the village.

PKR elections director Fuziah Salleh, who was also at the press conference along with several other Pakatan Rakyat leaders, noted that in the past, the people of Sabah voted for BN merely out of habit. “They were used to it. But we want to tell them now that they will not stand to lose anything if they vote for the opposition. “In fact, they will get more than just the election sweeteners from the BN,” she said. Such handouts, she added, only came during the elections. “But in the five years that the BN governs, the people are left abandoned,” she said. Meanwhile, Anwar reiterated his view that PKR was likely still trailing behind in the race for Batu Sapi.

He however said that PKR had made plenty of inroads so far and would work round the clock to change its fortune. “One thing about things here in Sabah is that the contest is not so intense. The people, although there are many who are yet to support us, still keep open minds. “We went to visit them and they were friendly to us. They can see our ways and that we do not give promises, we tell them what we have done. Hence, I see a greater potential,” he said. Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, agreed and added that the people of Sabah could use the examples set by the Pakatan Rakyat government in Selangor.

“There may be three choices in this by-election, between BN, PKR and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP). I have explained however that the only ones that have track records are BN and PR. “SAPP has no record, not even if you take into consideration the fact that SAPP candidate Datuk Yong (Teck Lee) was the chief minister for two years,” he said. Yong is also vying for the Batu Sapi seat, along with PKR’s Ansari and BN’s Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin. “PR in Selangor has only governed for less than three years and we already showed our capabilities. We do not wait until the elections to deliver promises,” he said. ~malaysianinsider.com~

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PKR’s Ansari Abdullah prefers to ignore Barisan Nasional taunts of him being a “recycled” candidate, instead he maintains that “God and the people” will decide the by-election winner here. The PKR Tuaran division chief pointed out this afternoon that his focus was not on the fact that he had lost in several elections before but on winning the present one. “I never count how many times I contested before. To me, whether I win or not is not for the BN or the SAPP (Sabah Progressive Party) to decide; it is for God and the people,” he told reporters after his candidacy for the race was confirmed this morning.

BN deputy chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had called Ansari a “recycled” candidate this afternoon as the latter had failed in several election bids. In Elections 2008, Ansari had contested in the Tuaran parliamentary seat and the Sulaman state seat but lost in both areas. He was also said to have contested in numerous other elections but had never been successful. Reports even said that when Ansari, known to be a loyalist to PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was announced as a candidate at the Hakka Association Community Hall near here on the weekend, a number of PKR members left in protest. Instead of Ansari, they had wanted Sabah PKR chief Ahmad Thamrin Jaini to lead the contest in Batu Sapi.

Today however, Ansari quelled all questions on his eligibility in the polls and pointed out that it was “people power” that would ultimately determine the victor in this by-election. This, he added, was proven in the last general election. “BN can lose five states plus the Federal Territories. There is no reason why they cannot lose in Batu Sapi when the have lost in Sibu,” he said. The people, he added, were stronger than the BN. Pakatan Rakyat’s DAP achieved a shocking victory during the Sibu by-election this year when its candidate Wong Ho Leng defeated BN’s Robert Lau Hui Yew of the Sarawak-based party Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) during the contest.

Despite the slim 398-vote majority victory, the loss had dealt a severe blow to BN, who had held the seat for the past five terms in the 1990, 1995, 1999, 2004 and the 2008 general elections. Ansari also would not be discouraged by talk that Sabah folk had little regard for PKR’s political antics on the national arena, claiming that the opposition PR pact had done well in the last general election. “I hope we will be given a chance to win. Whether by one vote or 10,000, it is still a victory and that victory is not mine but the people’s and PR’s,” he declared. Ansari also pointed to the BN government’s failure in developing Sabah, claiming that he had been shocked to discover the poor living conditions in Sandakan, north of Batu Sapi here.

“I have been working 20 hours a day for the past one week. I have been to Sandakan so many times and little did I realise that when I went in, that what we see from the outside near the road is only the tip of the iceberg,” he said. He described the living conditions to be “as bad as that of Jakarta’s and Manila”. “Just go to the villages and see the amount of filth, the lack of hygiene, lack of water and electricity. The people do not seem to be living in a country that has been independent now for decades,” he said. Ansari has two contenders in the fight for the Batu Sapi state seat, which fell vacant following the death of MP Datuk Edmund Chong Ket Wah in a biking tragedy.

The long-serving PKR politician will be facing Chong’s widow, Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin of BN’s Sabah-based party Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and former chief minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), a former BN partner here. Batu Sapi has 25,582 voters, including 1,535 postal voters.The constituency near Sandakan comprises 59 per cent of 15,099 Muslim Bumiputera; 38 per cent of 9,737 Chinese; 2.69 per cent of 698 non-Muslim Bumiputera; and 0.22 per cent or 57 others. Chong had won the seat with a 3,708-vote majority over independent Chung On Wing in Elections 2008.

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Analysts have lambasted Budget 2011 for neglecting key reforms and ignoring plunging foreign direct investment (FDI), and instead rely on turning Kuala Lumpur into a major metropolis with projects of grandeur. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s budget plan includes several large construction projects — such as the RM43 billion new KL MRT project, the RM5 billion 100-storey Warisan Merdeka tower and the RM26 billion KL International Financial District — and expectedly denounced by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) as an election budget that was honed to win votes over resolving fundamental economic issues.

Analysts point out that the government also appeared too fixated on big projects. “This budget has nothing about the NEM (New Economic Model). It doesn’t liberalise the economy further,” political analyst James Chin told The Malaysian Insider. “The budget should restructure the economy to attract foreign investment. But they didn’t want to rock the boat because of the election coming,” he added. There is wide speculation that Najib may call for snap polls by the first half of 2011 to capitalise on the strong economic performance and his high approval ratings, although a general election is not due until March 2013.

Budget 2011 targets a 2.8 per cent rise in spending and aims to shrink the deficit to 5.4 per cent of gross domestic product next year, from 5.6 per cent this year thanks to sustained strong growth. According to the Budget, Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy is expected to grow five to six per cent in 2011 after a seven per cent expansion this year and a 1.7 per cent contraction in 2009. Chin, a Monash University professor, also lambasted the RM212 billion spending plan for not addressing the 81 per cent dive in FDI last year and pointed out that it was impossible to become a developed nation without foreign investment.

“Where is the FDI component? We can’t achieve developed status without foreign investment...and expertise,” said Chin. Private investment grew only two per cent on average between 2006 and 2010, and was expected to be 10.8 per cent of GDP this year, rising to 11.3 per cent of GDP next year. RAM Holdings group chief economist Dr Yeah Kim Leng echoed Chin’s points and said that legal and regulatory reforms were more important than building hard infrastructure to attract investors. “When you build, if you don’t undertake the reforms to enhance the quality of services and skills level to support a first class, world class operating unit, then you also fail,” said Yeah.

“You cannot say that FDI now is determined by the city. When they say people look at the city, they have already assumed that the macroeconomic policies are similar across countries, which liberalise the market,” he added. Like Chin, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang has also noted that the Budget 2011 tabled last Friday did not reflect the objectives of the NEM to transform Malaysia from a middle income country to a high income economy, but was focused on mega projects instead. He accused Najib of trying to outdo former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, citing the 100-storey Warisan Merdeka tower that is expected to cost RM5 billion and will be the tallest tower in Malaysia upon its completion in 2015.

Kenanga Investment Bank economist Wan Suhaimi Wan Saidi pointed out that the Najib administration should focus on economic policies instead of just developing Kuala Lumpur in its bid to attract foreign investment. “The city is the facade, but the real thing is what runs the country, especially for emerging economies,” said Wan Suhaimi. “If you look at a resource-rich country like Malaysia, you have to look at the bigger picture, like how the ruling party governs the economy and how it distributes its wealth in terms of regulations,” he added. Besides the controversial Warisan Merdeka tower, Najib announced the redevelopment of the Sungei Besi Air Base and the Rubber Research Institute land in Sungai Buloh, as well as the construction of several new highways.

The economist also noted that talented human capital was crucial to transform Malaysia to a high-income economy. “They should stress on people. What is the point of having grand cities if you don’t the human resources?” asked Wan Suhaimi. Najib has announced in his Budget 2011 speech that a Talent Corporation will be set up early next year to arrest the country’s growing brain drain problem that is threatening his vision of turning Malaysia into a high-income nation by 2020. About 700,000 Malaysians are currently living abroad, with half of them in Singapore, while the rest can be found mostly in Australia, Britain and the United States.

The number of Malaysian migrants rose by more than 100-fold in a 45-year period, from 9,576 Malaysians in 1960 to 1,489,168 Malaysians in 2005, according to the World Bank. Political analyst Dr Lim Teck Ghee backed Wan Suhaimi’s views and cited the lack in local talent as Malaysia’s Achilles’ heel. “More important is producing the skilled manpower needed to man the plants and factories, especially the high value ones. This is really our Achilles' heel which no amount of beautification projects can put right,” said Lim. “Making KL and other major towns in the countries more attractive to investment is only a small part of the problem,” he added.

Companies have complained about the lack of skilled labour in Malaysia and economists have cited this problem as a hindrance in the country’s ability to attract more high-technology industries. About 80 per cent of the country’s workforce only has secondary school education. Like his peers, the Centre for Policy Initiatives director also slammed Budget 2011 — which is 2.8 per cent higher than this year’s budget total – for dismissing the country’s falling FDI and the NEM. “The 2011 Budget seems to have been prepared with the FDI issue and the NEM relegated to the sideline. But then it was clearly an election budget so what else can we expect?” said Lim. ~themalaysianinsider.com~