Scapegoats and Oxygen for the boss

Little birds tell me that the Prime Minister has washed his hands and distanced himself from the recent unwarranted mainstream i.e. TV3, Utusan and NST's attacks against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Daim Zainuddin. 

They say a recent meeting in Davos and London attended by powerful strategists and lowly operators had decided that they must find a scapegoat, or rather a few scapegoats for the leader's political survival. Not sure if Najib himself had attended the meeting of conspirators.

The blade, I heard, would fall on a few media bosses and at least one senior officer from Najib's office itself. The media bosses would be blamed for all the TV3/NST/Utusan attacks, including the lowly decision to use Anwar Ibrahim and other PKR politicians,  against Tun Dr Mahathir and Tun Daim. 

Guess who becomes more powerful and gets away scot-free despite being the low class mastermind and a direct messenger between Najib and the media bosses?

When the going gets dirty, we could safely expect more dirt to float.

On another note, it was learnt that both the Tuns had a brief meeting a few days ago and one of the Tun was told by the other that Najib had promised to get his boys to stop all media attacks and vouched that it was not his doing and that he was not in the know. 

Serious housekeeping and changes too were promised to the Tun, in exchange of some breathing space. 

I think the 'not his doing and not being in the know' is just another bloody lie but let's give him the benefit of the doubt and watch closely if extra Oxygen could do wonders.

Do the right thing Prime Minister, you can't go wrong

 

 

 

 

Rethink BR1M aid, say analysts 

By MUHAMMED AHMAD HAMDAN | news@nst.com.my 

REDIRECT: Call to focus on welfare, social programmes

KUALA LUMPUR: THE government's 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) cash aid programme to help low-income earners  tide over the rising cost of living, should have an exit plan, said some analysts who also believe that it should be given in other forms.

An analyst, who did not want to be named, said the government should shift its focus on improving the services provided by the Welfare Department (JKMM) and other aid agencies rather than continuing with the cash aid.

"BR1M is not the way. We already have various ways to help the poor like through those distributed through JKMM," he told the New Straits Times yesterday.

"I think they (the government) should focus on improving the existing aid agencies, including zakat (tithes) and others, rather than adding another inefficient delivery channel. I would just abolish it and redirect attention and funds to improving the services of JKMM and have more spotlight on it."

The government's BR1M programme has become a hot topic of discussion among Malaysians since it was introduced in 2012, with negative views seeming to outweigh the positive, especially those coming from economists and analysts alike.

They argue that while the cash handout would not have a significant impact on households, it was also not a good mechanism in reducing poverty in the long term.

Universiti Malaya Centre for Poverty and Development Studies economist Associate Professor Dr Fatimah Kari said the cash handout did not provide a holistic social protection programme or provide incentives to get out of poverty.

"As an economist, I don't believe in BR1M. The government must announce an exit policy for BR1M. This can be done by providing comprehensive social programmes that give access to public health, education and jobs."

Similar sentiments were shared by other economists who urged the government to fine-tune the aid programme to ensure it meets the objective of cushioning the impact from the rising cost of living.

Socio-economic Development and Research Institute (SEDAR Institute) executive director Ivanpal S. Grewalin, in a recent report, was quoted as saying that it was only appropriate for the government to refine the method employed, given that the payout amount would increase over the next few years.

Ivanpal added that the aid delivery could be channelled in other forms, including utilities rebate vouchers or even food stamps.

The BR1M money first started as a one-off cash payment of RM500 to households with an income of less than RM3,000 a month.

This year, the government has increased the amount to RM650, which will benefit some seven million people compared with last year's 6.8 million, amounting to a disbursement of RM3.7 billion.

The government also announced its intention to distribute the cash hand-out twice this year to enable recipients to use it within a specified time and in a more careful manner compared with a one-off hand out.

In light of the government's intention to increase the BR1M amount from time to time, economists warned that expanding BR1M or any social safety net might not be sustainable in the long run.

"This may sound cliche, but the government should come out with a more effective mechanism to teach the rakyat to fish rather than feeding them with fish," said another analyst. - NST

 

 

 

 

Maybe some of the Prime Minister's able advisors and apple-polishers may not like to hear this but Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had made it very clear from day one that BR1M was a bad idea.

Do read Dr M's thoughts in Fuel Subsidy (Sept 2013) and the latest BR1M (March 2014). It was crystal clear and some of us are very sure that months before penning his thoughts Dr M had infact relayed his reservations or rather objections to the Prime Minister himself.

Of course when it comes from Dr Mahathir many a consultant and self appointed financial gurus would find it hard to digest the logic, simply due to their bloated ego and misplaced motivation.

Something must be very wrong somewhere if those rating agencies and financial analysts, whom the Government of the day is so fearful of, demand us to do away with fuel subsidy but at the same time silently agree to wasteful handouts like BR1M.

Where is the logic ?

The fact that BR1M is being finally debated openly by the mainstream media, I pray, is a strong indication that the Government has finally come to a realisation that such handouts can't possibly go on. BR1M is absolutely irresponsible and even the handsomely paid foreign consultants and their ilk can't deny this fact.

As the Malay saying goes - Bila sesat dihujung jalan, pulanglah kepangkal jalan.

Just stop BR1M and, as those analysts are saying now (in the NST article above), go back to basics.

P/s I don't think we should appoint another consultant to review BR1M. TQ

 

Korporat galak amalan sikap anarkis - Zainuddin Maidin

The last line of this article by former Utusan Malaysia chief, sums it all up. If you can't be of any help, just don't be a bloody burden. 

... and I wonder what the Prime Minister and Nazir Razak's brother Najib Razak has to say about Azran Osman Rani's 'act of bravery'...

PENGARAH Urusan Kumpulan dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan CIMB, Datuk Seri Nazir Razak telah memuji Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif AirAsia X Azran Osman Rani kerana pandangannya yang terus terang terhadap Utusan Malaysia dan Perkasa.

Katanya, sikap terus terang inilah yang menjadikan dia pemimpin besar dengan keupayaannya menunaikan tanggungjawabnya sebagai CEO AirAsia.

Menurut sebuah akhbar, Nazir ketika melancarkan prospektus AirAsia X kelmarin berkata, "sesetengah orang mungkin memikirkan Azran melampau dalam kata-katanya tetapi apakah yang dapat kita harapkan apabila kita mempunyai seorang pengerusi seperti Rafidah Aziz".

Saya tidak tahu dalam soal apakah yang dimaksudkan oleh Nazir sebagai sikap terus terang Azran. Adakah tanggapannya Utusan sebagai akhbar rasis kerana menyiarkan berita 'Apa Lagi Orang Cina Mahu' atau ugutannya untuk menarik iklan AirAsia daripada Utusan Malaysia.

Bagi saya, tanggapan Utusan sebagai rasis adalah subjektif. Ia bergantung kepada aliran pemikiran atau kecenderungan seseorang dan juga latar belakang pendidikannya, dan itu adalah hak masing-masing.

Tetapi yang saya rasa tidak wajar ialah sikap tidak toleransi Azran yang kerana tidak bersetuju dengan pendirian Utusan telah mengugut untuk menarik balik iklan AirAsia daripada Utusan kerana pendirian Utusan bertentangan dengan pemikirannya.

Sentimen dan prajudis telah mempengaruhi tindakannya.

Apakah ini sikap seorang yang terpelajar yang percaya pada kebebasan dan demokrasi, keterbukaan dan globalisasi? Apakah ini bukan merupakan penyalahgunaan kuasa atau tindakan yang tidak rasional?

Pada pandangan saya, oleh kerana Nazir menganggap Azran sebagai seorang pemimpin besar kerana tindakannya itu, maka bererti beliau merestukan amalan sikap anarkis CEO atau Ketua-ketua Pegawai Eksekutif dalam badan-badan korporat atau syarikat besar.

Dalam perkembangan kapitalisme Barat, korporat gergasi dan syarikat-syarikat perniagaan besar semakin berkuasa, malah melebihi kuasa kerajaan dan mengancam kebebasan media atau memperalatkan media dengan kuasa wang mereka.

Inilah kuasa yang tidak kelihatan kepada orang ramai, sebaliknya rakyat hanya nampak kuasa kerajaan yang menekan kebebasan media khususnya akhbar.

Berhubung dengan perkara ini, saya suka memetik sedikit daripada tulisan seorang penulis terkenal British, Anthony Sampson dalam bukunya The Essential Anatomy Of Britian-Democracy in Crisis.

Kata Sampson; "The link between newspapers and big business had a longer- term effect: for journalist have constrained from reporting or criticising the excesses of financial boom, by pressures from owners, advertisers and public relations men, who helped set the agenda of the business pages. Enterpreneurial owners naturally dislike the critical and investigative function of reporters".

Pandangan Sampson ini menepati pandangan bekas Perdana Menteri Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad dalam suatu jamuan makan malam Kesatuan Wartawan Kebangsaan Malaysia (NUJ) pada tahun 1990 yang mana beliau berkata, bukan sahaja kerajaan yang memberi kesan kepada kebebasan akhbar tetapi juga kepentingan perniagaan, pemilik, pengarah-pengarah dan juga kepentingan populariti.

Utusan sendiri tahu banyak hal yang negatif mengenai AirAsia telah disembunyikan bersama-sama dengan akhbar-akhbar lain demi kepentingan iklan atau wang daripadanya, tetapi nampaknya ini sahaja tidak cukup kepada Azran.

Beliau merasakan bahawa untuk Utusan mendapat iklan daripada AirAsia maka perlulah Utusan mengikuti kecenderungan sosial dan politiknya. Maka tekanan kewangan perlu dikenakan ke atas Utusan.

Tentulah semangat Azran bertambah tinggi dengan sokongan Nazir, adik kepada Perdana Menteri Malaysia yang tidak memahami krisis keyakinan yang sedang dihadapi oleh Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dan juga UMNO.

Nazir tidak memahami bahawa tanpa sokongan daripada Utusan Malaysia memerangi anasir-anasir yang menghakiskan keyakinan kepada kerajaan, maka tidak mungkin UMNO akan dapat mengekalkan sokongan orang Melayu kepadanya yang menambahkan kerusi UMNO di Parlimen, menawan kembali negeri Kedah dan Perak dan menambah kerusi di Kelantan.

Barangkali Nazir memikirkan tanpa Utusan Malaysia menyerang balas terhadap sikap melampau orang Cina, maka Barisan Nasional akan mendapat sokongan orang Cina.

Sebenarnya Nazir menambah masalah yang dihadapi oleh Najib dan UMNO. 

- TAN SRI ZAINUDIN MAIDIN ialah Karyawan Tamu Institut Pemikiran Tun Dr. Mahathir, Universiti Utara Malaysia.