Pakatan raps Putrajaya for dropping equality panel

PR has accused Najib of bowing to right-wing opposition to his proposed reforms. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers have criticised the Najib administration for dropping the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) from the New Economic Model (NEM), saying it showed a policy flip-flop. They also said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s omission of the panel showed that Malay rights group Perkasa was dictating the country’s economic policies.
“That depicts his character, (which is) one, spineless; two, his penchant for flip-flopping; and three, no clue what he is doing,” PAS central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad told The Malaysian Insider yesterday, referring to the PM.
“He should say, ‘I’m the prime minister. The buck stops [with] me. I’ll take the risk and do it my way’. This guy is so populist; he doesn’t know what he wants at the end of the day,” added Dzulkefly.
National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) member Datuk Dr Zainal Aznam Mohd Yusof said yesterday the council had proposed the EOC but that failed to appear in the final part of the NEM, which was launched last December.
He accused the Najib administration of succumbing to Perkasa and lacking the political will to implement reforms, including the formation of the EOC.
Dzulkefly said Najib’s decision to forgo the commission would send the wrong signals to investors about Malaysia’s purported commitment to liberalisation.
The Kuala Selangor MP also claimed that Najib was “beholden to Perkasa”, highlighting the newly launched Unit Peneraju Agenda Bumiputera (Teraju).
Najib announced yesterday that the unit was set up to co-ordinate and drive Bumiputera economic participation through new and existing initiatives.
These include the public listing of Bumiputera companies with a market capitalisation of over RM1 billion this year.
PKR deputy president Azmin Ali has said dropping the EOC contradicted Najib’s “1 Malaysia” concept, which promotes equality.
“You talk about 1 Malaysia, but at the same time, your economic policies are still based on race,” said Azmin.
“You don’t give equal opportunities to all Malaysians,” added the Gombak MP.

PR claimed Dr Mahathir was dictating public policy through Perkasa pressure. — file pic

Azmin said PR’s stand was that economic policies should be needs-based and not race- based. “Our position is clear and we will continue to maintain that,” said Azmin.
“It is very unfortunate that Perkasa is dictating the economic policies of the country. When you talk about economic policies, you have to take care of all Malaysians, irrespective of race, religion and colour,” he added.
The Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman claimed that Indians had been marginalised in the estates for the past 50 years while the Chinese, many of whom stay in the city, faced urban poverty.
“He (Naijb) is moving backwards, not moving forward,” Azmin continued.
The NEM had received a lukewarm response from investors due to a lack of detailed policies and an apparent rollback of Bumiputera quota reforms detailed in its debut last March.
The bold recommendations set out in the first part of the NEM to boost competitiveness by reducing quotas appear to have been sidelined in the second part, which was launched in December.
Malay rights groups led by Perkasa had lambasted the NEM for attempting to make affirmative action more market-friendly, forcing Najib to call the policy a “trial balloon” shortly after its debut.
DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke said Najib’s decision to forgo the EOC reflected weak leadership.
“If Najib cannot even take on Ibrahim Ali, he cannot claim that he is a strong leader with strong political will to carry out reforms,” said Loke, referring to the vocal Perkasa president.
Loke also claimed that Najib was yielding to pressure from Perkasa and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“If Najib cannot distance himself from this particular Perkasa agenda, or (from being) dictated [to] by Mahathir, he will be a very short-term prime minister,” said Loke.
Dr Mahathir is Perkasa’s patron and has warned Umno against alienating the group, claiming that the ruling party would suffer declining support in the next general election by doing so.
Loke added that the problem was in BN’s reluctance to implement reforms, and not in a lack of good policies.
“Whatever is written in the NEM and ETP (Economic Transformation Programme)... are good policy recommendations, which we in Pakatan can support. But the problem is... they don’t have the will... to carry out those plans,” said the DAP Socialist Youth chief.
“We have all the confidence that Malays can compete as [well] as other communities. I think progressive and young Malays have the confidence,” added Loke.
“It (equal opportunity) will not be at the expense of the Malays,” he added.
Loke also said it was pointless to talk about the 1 Malaysia concept after Najib dropped the EOC.
“1 Malaysia is empty rhetoric (and) an empty slogan without policy back-up,” said Loke.
MCA central committee member Loh Seng Kok had also urged the government to explain why it had excluded the EOC from the NEM.
“Has it been replaced by another mechanism to enhance economic competitiveness for the nation? Is it already included in other (economic) programmes or packages?” asked Loh.
“(The government) should give a solid reason why they are dropping it,” added the MCA deputy publicity chief.