10th Malaysia Plan paints a rosy picture but with alarm bells at backyard

Tawau, Jun 24, 2010: Member of Parliament for Tawau Datuk Chua Soon Bui's speech translated in English as follows:-

I wish to thank the speaker for giving me the chance to speak and deliberate on the RMK-10 (Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh, 2011-2015) presented by the Prime Minister on 10 Jun 2010, involving a total budget of RM 230 billion.

We can't deny that this RMK-10 has opened up to a lot of challenges, i.e. if the government is committed to achieve a high income nation with an average income of RM 38,850 per year by 2015, an average annual growth of 6% KDNK, the government should open up its friendly business and investment policies so that the private sectors driven economy can excel.

We can't but agree for more on the reduction of budget deficit from the current 5.3% in 2010 to 3% in 2015.

It is pointless to paint a rosy picture but with the alarm bells ringing at our backyard, as declared by YB Dato' Seri Idris Jala, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, that with a current deficit of RM 236 billions, and continuous subsidies of RM74 billions in 2009, Malaysia will go bankrupt in 2019 just like Greece.

Dato' Seri Idris Jala is a responsible and credible leader who always reveals the truths to the people.

As the treasury has come up with a figure of RM18.6 billions in 2009 as direct subsidies for the people, the people demand to know where the balance of RM55.4 billions (75% of the total subsidies) were used for.

Malaysia is considered as one of the highest subsidized country in the world and the people has the right to know whether the excess subsidies were due to excessive government expenditure, over-budgeted developments, corruptions, wastages and leakages.

Some of the recent highlighted cases are Sime Darby making losses of RM1.6 billion in the 1st quarter of 2010, Post Malaysia losing RM546 millions, Rawang-Ipoh double track electrified commuter costing RM1.43 billions with 32.9% cost overrun, and the loss of 3 million acres of L / M sectors of oil and gas fields.

It is not fair to cut subsidies across the board when poor people were made to suffer as a result of poor governance, corruptions, wastages and leakages, especially in Sabah with the highest poverty rate in Malaysia, with more than 60% kampung people living below the poverty line, their children suffering from hunger and the lack of basic health facilities.

I would like to highlight some of the relevant issues affecting the people in Sabah and especially in Tawau:-

(1) Ministry of Home Affairs

I would like to know how many children born from a Malaysian father and a foreign mother, with status of non-Malaysian, have applied for Malaysian citizenships, since 2000 until now and how many are still waiting for approval from Sabah and Tawau respectively. Please give the breakdown of their ethnic background. What plan does the ministry have to regulate their status as they don't go to schools and will be the burden our country eventually? Does the ministry any plan to use DNA testing to prove blood-line of the father-son relationship to expedite the application and prevent any abuse of granting of citizenship? If not, why?

(2) The worst infrastructures in Malaysia are in Tawau

People in Tawau are still suffering from electricity and water disruptions, many poor kampung people can't get clean water and only rely on rain water, they can't get electricity because they can't afford to pay for the installation fee of at least RM500, poor internet accessibility at only 20% leading to frustrations among the business sectors, schools, media etc., poor road access and interchange, poor Jetty and barter trade facilities to neighboring towns, no facility at "BATU" making it prone to illegal smuggling of people, drugs, subsidized Malaysian goods.

Basic facilities are considered luxuries in Tawau, which is not fair for the people of Tawau and Sabah when Sabah should be an equal partner of the 3 partnership since Sabah, Sarawak and West Malaysia joined together to form Malaysia in 1963.

The people of Tawau and Sabah has the right to know how long they have to wait and where their wealth from Sabah oil and gas revenue, timber and palm oil revenue and others had gone to?
I urge the relevant ministries to be responsible to the obligations of the people under the RMK-10, in particular, to be answerable on:

(a) when would the electricity supply to Tawau and Sabah be completely restored and guaranteed as in West Malaysia?
(b) When is the water dam going to be built and completed to ensure continuous clean water supply in Tawau?
(c) How many new roads or extension roads are going to be built in Tawau to ease the traffic jam?
(d) When is the Jetty and barter trade centre, the mini-CIQ going to be built as promised by many ex-federal secretaries?

Tawau will soon lose out in our competitiveness as a traditional barter-trade town due to marginalization and irresponsible authorities.

(3) Sustainable Green Power Supply for Sabah especially Tawau

Once again, I refer to the proposed coal power plant in Sahabat, Lahad Datu. Is the coal power plant worth the scarifying of all the rich biodiversity of natural resources in the environment and the people in Sabah, such as the largest coral reef, marine life, ecological hotspot, biodiversity in Darvel Bay, Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Maliau Valley and others?

The future generations, or even the Great Creator of our Earth will not forgive us for what we have decided today to build the coal power plant.

Are the TNB or SESB aware that there are many independent power providers (IPPs) who share the same concerns and are ready to come forward to provide various forms of renewable and sustainable energy with the government provisions of RM 1.7 billion, including hydro, biomass, gas from Kimanis and others.

IPPs and experts say the power supply from coal power plants is not the only viable solution to overcome the shortage of power supply in Sabah.

Therefore, I urge the Prime Minister and the relevant ministers to listen to the appeals of the people and seek alternative energy sources according to the national renewable green energy plan and to abolish the plan to build the coal power plant in Sabah.

(4) Ministry of Transport

a) It's always so embarrassing when asked by the people and tourists about the appalling condition of smelly and dirty public toilets at the Tawau Airport. With shortage of water supply, thousands of travelers per day were fed up when forced to hold their breaths or bought mineral water to flush the toilets or clean their hands. With regular disruption of water supply since 1999, why are people in Tawau deprived of even the installation of extra water tanks at the airport so that Water board can send water to be stored in case of sudden disruption of water supply. It is causing negative image about Tawau especially for the first time travelers.

b) The people also wanted to know why the operation of all the restaurants, cafes and food outlets at Tawau Airport are monopolized by one company from Sandakan ? Why no fast food chain stores e.g. Kentucky or McDonald are allowed to operate at the Tawau airport with a daily capacity of thousands of passengers and operation staffs. It is a torture for the travelers whenever there is a delay of flights, with passengers having to put up with low quality food. Sometimes the food outlets there didn't even have enough supplies and closed at early hours.

c) Why wasn't there any golden lounge at Tawau Airport for the first class MAS travelers when space is available after the airport has been operated for more than 10 years?
I urge the Minister or Deputy Minister to come down personally to see the long sufferings of the passengers and rectify these problems as soon as possible. We don't need to reach RMK-10 to rectify all these.

d) The people of Tawau wanted to know objective of charging the convenience Fee of RM5 by Air Asia levied with credit card online payment? Why were extra charges imposed on group booking of 20 persons with total charge of RM100 and one time service only?

(5) Ministry of Health

a) What new facilities or development would be allocated to Tawau General Hospital under the RMK-10? Is there any plan to build an Oncology department or Cancer specialist hospital in Kota Kinabalu or Tawau as most of the cancer patients from Sabah are referred to Kuching, Sarawak or Kuala Lumpur for treatments. This has caused great financial and moral burden to the families of the patients. It is high time that the people of Sabah are not deprived of all these necessities.

b) I urge the Minister and the authority to review and raise the medical fee for foreign patients. Many foreign workers are still getting treatments from our government hospitals, with a mere RM15 fee, and continue to send stacks of medications back to their countries. Illegals getting treatments for their chronic and acute diseases in Tawau and Sabah had cost millions and greatly burdened our nation. Why should our country be subsidizing for the benefits of non-Malaysians and risking Malaysia's eventually led to bankruptcy?

(6) Ministry of Education

a) With numerous appeals to the relevant authorities and Deputy Education Minister on the status of children, who are classified as non-Malaysians as they are born from a Malaysian father and a foreign, they are still not allowed to attend government schools. Even though the Ministry and the Deputy Education Minister had made several announcements to allow these children to be admitted to government schools, the officers at the ground level are still not implementing the order. I urge the Deputy Education Minister to personally come down to resolve the problem as soon as possible, as the schools had started more than six months ago.

b) A serious problem had occurred in many government secondary schools in Tawau, that is, there are Form One students who still could not read, write or do arithmetic, and they are neither slow learners nor special children. I urge the Ministry to take immediate action to set up special classes with additional teachers and facilities, so as to help these students, as the problem had burdened the teachers and the schools concerned.

Conclusion:

The restructuring of Subsidies should focus on ensuring the very poor and under privileges benefit especially in Tawau and Sabah, rather than giving it to the undeserving ones.

I also urge the government to reconsider the raising of LEVY, the implementation of GST, with the impending increase of petrol, diesel and gas, it is going to have a snow balling effect on the cost of living.

As it is, the poorest Malaysians are in Sabah with a higher cost of living average by at least 20%, How much poorer do the Malaysians in Sabah have to suffer and what extra steps would be taken to tackle the poverty in Sabah under the RMKe-10?