For
example, the external global economy is so weak and uncertain and
Malaysia is able to perform in the sense that we are back on track. I
mean, look at the euro zone countries. The economies there are
contracting. Look at the United States, they are talking about one or
two per cent growth. But Malaysia in the last quarter, we achieved 6.4
per cent. And I can quote you, I can read all kinds of statistics that
indicate we have built a very strong resilience in terms of national
economy.
And
when you talk in terms of benefit for the people, within three years,
from 2009 to the end of 2011, our GNI (gross national income) per
capita, it grew from US$6,670 to US$9,970. That's roughly a 49 per cent
(increase). There is no country in the world that has achieved that kind
of result.
So
when we go the polls, when we seek fresh mandate from the rakyat, the
people, we are going on a very, very solid track record. We can show to
the people that we have actually delivered.
Host: What will be your main message to the voters?
Answer:
My main message to the voters is that the best is yet to come. They can
see for themselves (what has taken place) in the last four years. The
achievements have been quite remarkable against the backdrop of a very
uncertain global economy.
Despite
the weak external economy, Malaysia actually bucked the trend. We are
going into the elections based on a very, very sound track record and
our message to the people is that look, we have done so much over the
last four years; if you give us the mandate, I assure you that we'll do
even better the next five years.
Bulbir
Singh, Seremban: Whatever the others may say, I know you will win and
win comfortably in the coming elections. How do you think Barisan
Nasional will fare?
Answer:
I would say that we are cautiously optimistic. When I say cautiously
optimistic, because when we come to elections, we cannot take anything
for granted. But I'm very encouraged by the fact that from the people's
response, especially when I go round, I see them turning up in big
numbers, I see them excited and looking forward to meeting me, shaking
hands with me.
At
the same time, we have done our assessments, numbers and we believe the
rakyat is behind us and the rakyat feel that their future is more
secure with Barisan Nasional.
Raziff Mohd Razalli, Penang: What are the steps taken by the government in terms of electoral reforms?
Answer:
Let me say categorically, that elections in Malaysia have always been
free and fair. If elections have not been free and fair, we wouldn't
have lost the two-thirds majority at the last general election in 2008
and we wouldn't have lost the five states either.
And
Kelantan as you know, has been under opposition rule for more than 20
years. Nevertheless, we are committed to strengthening the electoral
process.
To
that end, we have established an electoral select committee to
strengthen the electoral process. We considered demands of various
groups. And most of the demands have been met.
The
demands by Bersih, for example, seven out of the eight demands have
been met. For the first time, we will introduce indelible ink in the
upcoming elections. For the first time, Malaysians living overseas will
be allowed to vote and the Election Commission is scrutinising the
electoral list to make it as accurate as possible.
So,
I can assure you that the government is committed to strengthening the
electoral process and will do whatever we can to ensure that objective
will be met.
Syed
Abdul Rahman Syed Atan, Johor Baru: Have you come up with the (BN)
candidates' list and what are the criteria to enable one to be picked as
a candidate?
Answer:
(The list) Almost done but this candidates' list is... every time we
look at it, we always want to make changes or put up a better candidate.
I think this will go on until the last minute when the candidates' list
is announced.
I
think there will be little changes later but the basics are there. Most
of the seats have been decided and the criteria is winnable candidates.
In our opinion, whoever is categorised as a winnable candidate, we will
announce them as our candidate.
However,
we have to consider our component parties as we are a big family of 13
parties. We cannot fulfil everyone's expectations but the candidate has
to meet our criteria and be accepted by the local people.
Host: What are the main lessons we can draw from the Lahad Datu episode?
Answer:
Basically, we shouldn't take security for granted. I think we have gone
through a long phase of peace and stability in Malaysia. The communists
laid down their arms in 1989 and since then it has been a long period
of peace and stability in Malaysia.
But
that (Lahad Datu, Sabah) incident, in a way, is a wake-up call for us,
not only for the government but also the rakyat, especially the people
in Sabah... that there are external threats and that we must deal with
the threats. We must be prepared.
We
must make sure that the armed forces are well trained (and) that
includes the police as well. Our security forces should be well trained
and well equipped. And so, when we decide to spend on defence and
security, including for the police, people should not question that but
instead should see it as protecting our security, sovereignty and our
territorial integrity.
And
I keep on saying that when it comes to security, sovereignty and
territorial integrity, there are no compromises. We are doing what we
can to ensure Malaysians, in any part of the country, feel secure, safe
and that their future is safeguarded by the government.
But
at the same time, when it comes security, it should not be a role just
for the security forces or the government but the rakyat, too. It is
important for the rakyat to do their part and provide support for the
men in uniform as well as to what the government is doing.
ISKANDAR
Naziri, Sarikei, Sarawak: How far has the Sabah incident affected
Malaysia's efforts in facilitating the peace process in southern
Philippines?
Answer:
Those two are quite separate because the peace process in southern
Philippines is essentially between the Philippine government and the
MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front). And the MILF continues with their
discussions and negotiations within the context of framework agreement.
So, within a certain time frame, they will reach a final agreement. But
the group that is causing problem is the group that is different from
the MILF.
(As
you know) They have certain groupings there or warlords so to speak and
that is the result of an outlandish claims by the Jamalul Kiram group.
They are seeking something that we cannot concede to nor something we
can recognise.
As
a result, they have resorted to violence and that is unfortunate but we
will deal with it in a way we think that is appropriate.
Host:
Your take on foreign media claims that this group of Sulu terrorists
have been instigated by groups that are anti-Aquino (referring to
Philippines president Benigno Aquino III), pro-opposition and those paid
to create trouble. You have said that both governments (Malaysia and
Philippines) would investigate this. What is your next course of action?
Answer:
We have to continue with the investigations. When I spoke to president
Aquino, he told me that they would begin their investigations. He made
some interesting remarks and said : "Look, these people (the terrorists)
are quite poor, they certainly do not have the means to launch such an
operation against Malaysia and so, he (Benigno) thinks that they are
funded from somewhere."
There
appear to be some strong suspicions but we need to investigate and have
some evidence first before we can point fingers at anyone. So, we are
at the stage of investigating (and) we will work closely with the
Philippines government. We must get to the bottom of this.
Agatha
Martha Yong, Keningau, Sabah: I would like to thank the government for
the setting up of the Special Security Area in Sabah which I see as a
good move. My question is can the public infrastructure be improved as
well?
Answer:
We must carry out both (SSA and (improvement to) public
infrastructure). We are aware that Sabah needs additional allocations
for basic infrastructure such as power and road network. And if we look
from the aspect of the National Key Results Area, a large portion of the
allocations for public amenities is for Sabah and Sarawak. So, there
will be a balance in public amenities between Sabah, Sarawak and the
peninsula.
Since
Sabah is big, for sure, it will take time before we could put all the
public infrastructure (in Sabah and Sarawak) to be on the same level as
in the penisula. We are very committed and will continue to allocate
large sums to improve the infrastructure in Sabah.
Host:
In view of the recent armed intrusion, do our security forces have
adequate capabilities and assets to safeguard the security of the
nation?
Answer:
Yes, they do. The assets that we have are sufficient but this is an
on-going process. I think in terms of dealing with armed intrusion, we
certainly have the assets.
But
as I said, this is a wake-up call. There are gaps in terms of our
capabilities but we hope we will be able to close the gaps. For example,
the coastline of Sabah is simply enormous.
I
mean the eastern seaboard, we are talking about 1,500km of coastline,
is a huge area to cover. We certainly need to put in more assets (and)
we certainly need to have a better surveillance system.
But
no matter how strong a nation, like for example the United States,
which shares a common border with Mexico, (it) cannot stop the Mexicans
from crossing into the US.
Putting
it into perspective, if you know the area, if you go and have a look on
the ground and the situation in Sabah, then you will realise that it is
a huge challenge.
Nevertheless,
we have some ideas and we will certainly put in place a better
surveillance system and tighten up the security in Sabah.
Host:
Datuk Seri, the opposition in their recently-launched manifesto for the
general election had promised that they will bring down the prices of
cars. Do you think that this is only a gimmick?
Answer:
I would also like to buy cheaper cars myself but it's a process that
has to be seen in a realistic term. That's why the government has taken a
step-by-step approach.
First
of all, we have asked the companies to reduce the prices on a
voluntarily basis and lately, for quite a number of models, the prices
have actually dropped from RM3,000 to RM15,000. This is quite a
significant reduction.
And
according to our plans within the next five years after AFTA (Asean
Free Trade Agreeement) kicks in and our Free Trade Agreement with Japan
and Australia, the reduction in production cost for most foreign cars
will be about 30 per cent.
Basically,
Malaysians can look forward to cheaper cars but the same time, this
approach has the advantage of not disrupting the second-hand car market
and making Proton (national car) to be more competitive.
So, it will be a win-win situation and we believe that this is the way forward.
Sabariah
Salman, Teluk Intan, Perak: The opposition's manifesto: abolish toll,
reduce petrol price and free education, can these be achieved?
Answer:
That's not all they have promised. They had made a lot of promises.
That's just part of it. The hardest part to believe is their promise to
increase household income to RM4,000 in five years' time. In their Buku
Jingga, they had said two years but in their manifesto its five years.
Moreover, they also want to abolish toll, reduce petrol price, (give) free education and many other promises in the manifesto.
The
question is, from where are they going to finance this? This was not
stated in their manifesto. Many of their 2008 promises were not
fulfilled. Many were just empty promises.
And
even one of their leaders had said that manifestos are not promises.
Based on their track record of 2008 manifesto, the confidence and trust
are questionable, how and how far they will fulfil their promises.
The
point is that it is not complete as it did not reveal how it's going to
be achieved. Nothing is free in the world. There must be a party which
will have to bear the cost for the abolishment and reduction.
Host: When will you launch BN's manifesto?
Answer:
We will launch BN's manifesto at the right time, meaning not too soon
and not too late, so that when we launch it, the rakyat will pay
attention to it and we will have time to spread information about the
manifesto. But I think, according to our plans, we will launch it after
Parliament is dissolved.
Baharudin Mohd Shah, Subang Jaya: What is the government going to do about the issue of public transport?
Answer:
We are doing it right now actually. As you know, we have a massive
project, the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) project, which is on schedule and
within budget. We have implemented RapidKL, launched RapidPenang and
RapidKuantan, our Light Rail Transit is picking up. So we believe that
by embarking on this public transport system, we will provide the public
with an alternative.
What
the public wants is a public transport system that is reliable and
affordable and the government is committed and in the next few years, we
will see the government being able to deliver a public transport system
meets the expectations of the people.
Nor
Haslam Hamzah, Kuala Selangor: The Selangor state government seems to
be shaky on the water issue, and will BN regain Selangor?
Answer:
I hope so, too. We don't want power for the sake of it. In the past
five years, we have seen that if the federal and state governments are
not from the same party, problems may arise.
Problems
that should not be politicised like water, where the (Ffederal)
Government's intention to provide enough water with the Langat 2
project, which to date has yet to be given the development order by the
state government.
(Now)
we have to fork out RM600 million and another RM121 million just to
look for a short term solution. But for the long term, we have to (carry
out) the Langat 2 (water project).
If
not, it will burden the people. And many projects are on hold now
because of no guarantee in this water issue; the housing projects by
private developers, investors opening factories, it's not certain (to
take place).
This is making it difficult for the people and stunts the national development process.
That
is why we are committed to work and hope that the rakyat will give us
the confidence and trust that Selangor is too important to be left like
this.
If we are given the mandate, God-willing, we will carry out development in line with the federal government.
Shah Raiduan Zaluha, Belawai, Sarawak: What is the government's commitment to ensuring vibrant economic growth?
Answer:
By transforming the economy, in essence, our transformation agenda for
the country is predicated on a clear way forward, a road map actually,
which indicates clearly how we want to achieve the status of a fully
developed economy, a high income economy by the year 2020.
That
entails making the whole government process more efficient. For
example, the World Bank has recognised us as a very competitive country,
25th in the world. Malaysia has been credited for being the 12th most
efficient country in terms of ease of doing business. We are number one
in terms of access to credit in the whole world. KL has become the
fourth best city in terms of shopping destinations. There have been many
accolades we have achieved within a short period of time. If we
continue with this, I'm confident, God willing, we will achieve high
income (nation status) by 2020 and realise our aspirations of being a
fully developed nation.
Ali
Kutty Mohamed, Kota Baru, Kelantan: People are saying BR1M (1Malaysia
People's Aid) is just a temporary gimmick and a political one. We would
like to know the reasons behind it.
Answer:
I can assure you that this is part and parcel of our overall economic
strategy new economic strategy for the country. As you know, we have
been giving out a lot of subsidies in an indirect manner. For example,
our petroleum subsidy. That costs us RM23 billion a year. And the other
subsidies and incentives amount to RM30 billion a year.
But
by going through this route of indirect subsidies, there is a lot of
wastage taking place. For example, when you give subsidy for petrol,
people (in) the higher income bracket will also be able to avail
themselves to that subsidy.
Foreigners,
tourists and foreign workers will benefit from it. Not to mention, some
of them will be selling diesel across the border. There is a lot of
wastage that takes place because of subsidies which basically are not
efficient and not targeted.
So,
as a significant shift in our policy, we have gone for a more targeted,
focussed subsidy. We have decided that people with income below RM3,000
will receive BR1M. And that's really the target group we want to
assist. So by doing BR1M, even though there is BR1M 2.0, which is bigger
than BR1M 1.0, the total cost is only about RM3 billion.
Compare
that to the RM30 billion in terms of indirect subsidy and incentives.
We believe BR1M is well received, it is fair and equitable, it helps the
right people and so, we will continue with BR1M. BR1M is not an
election gimmick, it is a deliberate shift in our economic strategy to
be more targeted, focused.
In
the future, when we continue with BR1M, we will see that we make
adjustments in terms of the amount, depending on the affordability of
the government, the level of income, all these things, we can compute.
And there is also another argument in terms of economic impact. As you
know, GDP or GNI increases. It's a combination of investment plus
consumption, plus export minus import. When people get BR1M, they spend.
So what happens (is that) the local economy gets a strong impetus. And
that helps to fuel our economic growth.
So,
you can see, in terms of being inclusive, helping the lower income
group, BR1M is very effective and secondly, in terms of stimulating the
economy. So the shopkeepers, the people who sell products, even petty
traders, for example, will benefit from BR1M because when people get
money, they go out and buy things and services that they require and
services and that is good for the local and domestic economy.
Host: A reader from Sabah had asked if the government is doing anything about street crime?
Answer:
Yes, we are committed to reducing crime but we did not promise that we
will abolish or that we can do things that will abolish and reduce to
zero crime in this country. We didn't promise that.
What
we promised was a steady reduction of crimes in this country. And based
on statistics, for example in 2009, the reported crime was at about
210,000 roughly. And in 2011, it went down to 160,000. And within the
same period, snatch and street crimes came down as much as 40 per cent.
But of course, you will hear your friends or family members or yourself,
of situations of which you have been robbed or you know people who have
experienced some sort of crime against them. That's because crime still
takes place in this country. So, instead of arguing about statistics --
I don't think we want to engage in that kind of polemics -- what we
need to do is to work closely together with the government, with the
police, with law enforcement agencies, the private sector, local
resident associations for example.
Help
to reduce crime. For example, under the 2013 Budget, the government
gave out quite a number of incentives so that people who invest in
appliances and equipment to reduce crime, like CCTVs for example, will
be able to get income tax reduction or corporate tax reduction.
This
will help and if everybody pitches in and helps out, over time, you
will see a reduction in crime rates. And, of course, there are new
initiatives, like this patrol on motorcycles. We have approved 1,000 of
them, to patrol the neighbourhoods and so forth. The government is
thinking of new ways to combat crime. Yes. I would like to underscore
that. The important thing is there must be a total effort by the rakyat
to combat crime.
Amirul
Fikri Mohd Zain, Terengganu: What is the government doing to check the
brain drain, to woo back Malaysians working in Singapore? Answer: Since
we launched the initiative, especially through TalentCorp, we found that
between 2011 and 2012, (more than) 1,600 Malaysians overseas had
returned home, as compared to the past 10 years where only 1,100 people
had returned home. Based on the figures, the trend is encouraging. We
also need to create jobs which give more reward because if our reward is
not well balanced with the salary and rewards, like in Singapore and
globally, because TalentCorp has no boundaries, it leans towards
countries which offers better rewards.
If
we are asking our Malaysians to return home, we must provide challenges
or better opportunities than before. This is what we will do. We can
give opportunities for Malaysians to come back and serve the country. I
hope in the process of us moving to a high income and developed nation,
more Malaysians will decide to come back.
Host: What are your plans, sir, for the Indian community in terms of economy, social status and leadership?
Answer:
We recognise the contribution of the Indian community. For example,
they worked our estates and made Malaysia the number one rubber producer
in the world. They worked in our railways, in JKR (Public Works
Department) for example, so they played their part in the development of
Malaysia and we must recognise that.
The
estate communities, the new generation, they want to leave the estates
and so, we need to have a programme to manage this kind of urbanisation
or the movement from the estate to the urban areas. Having recognised
this, the government has undertaken a number of new initiatives, for
example, more places for Indians in the universities. We announced
matriculation programmes specifically for Indians -- 1,500 places. It
used to be 500, we increased it by 1,000 more places.
I
launched this programme in Port Dickson last week, this programme which
gives more places for Indians in polytechnics, for example. Indians who
otherwise would not be able to get diplomas and later on, degree
programmes.
We
have given out micro-credit, for example, for small businesses,
micro-enterprises, through Tekun for example, through Amanah Iktihar
Malaysia. We have given more money to Indian schools because the
achievement of Indian students in Tamil schools must be increased so
that they will be able to have better opportunities in the future.
We
have increased the allocation for Indians in terms of skills training.
We have done many things and this has been recognised by the Indian
community and I use the Indian word nambikei. Nambikei in Tamil means
having the confidence and trust. And if the Indian community gives us
the confidence and trust, I'm sure we can do even more for the Indian
community in the future.
Host:
If BN is given a strong mandate in the coming general election, what
will be your focus in making Malaysia a better place to live, work and
do business?
Answer:
I like to use the word "when" (instead of "if"). Insyaallah, when we
get a fresh mandate from the rakyat, I would like to approach it with
all humility. I'm not taking things for granted at all. I'm not just
saying that the people must or will. I'm presenting a compelling case to
the rakyat. I'm telling the rakyat, look, we need a strong government
in this country. We cannot afford to have instability.
Instability
will come from a weak government, and all the good things we have done,
all the achievements we were able to deliver for 50 years, can
evaporate in a short period of time.
This
is not the time to experiment. This is the time for us to put our faith
in a government that has a solid track record, a government that has a
very clear plan for the future and a government which is able to
deliver. We cannot gamble on the opposition because they don't have a
common platform, they have different ideologies, dramatically opposing
ideologies from one party to another and of course, fundamentally, they
are not even registered as a political party.
They
are standing on three different platforms, three different symbols. And
even the question of who should lead the party in the event that they
be able to form the government is open to a lot of uncertainties because
they have not decided in terms of finality of who is to be their
leader. So, my message to the people of Malaysia is we have a bright
future.
Host: When you think of the rakyat and the nation, what comes to your mind and heart?
Answer:
I think of the future of Malaysia and the rakyat all the time. As you
know, I have put my heart and soul into the job. I have never worked so
hard like I have done (since becoming prime minister).
And
I believe we can do so much for Malaysia. We can bring Malaysia to
greater heights, the potential for Malaysia is simply enormous. And that
is why I'm seeking a strong mandate from the people.
Instead it digresses to become a piece of grandstanding by Ramesh as if to imply that Kulasegaran (second from left)
cannot speak for himself and needs the permission of his superiors in
Pakatan Rakyat to say anything substantive on the consultations between
Hindraf and the opposition coalition with respect to preparations for
the GE13.
Hindraf
must realise that one swallow does not make a summer. The energising
and sustenance of a movement for change is a long, patient and
collaborative endeavour.
Before
I get into discussing the whys of this question, I need to put it
clearly that politicians on both sides of the divide do indeed want to
kill off the Hindraf blueprint.
Delay
tactics by engaging us in meeting after wasted meeting to drag this
process on for as long as possible to minimise any impact of a breakdown
in our talks was attempted. But that did not work either.
Our
theory is that both BN and Pakatan are just puppets. The real power
lies with the puppet masters at the back. The puppet masters are the
political and economic elite of the country. They are the people who own
this country - all the major assets of the country are owned by them.
So,
Hindraf is meeting the elite, eye-to-eye, with our blueprint demands.
Hindraf is effectively demanding that the elite accept that they
committed these atrocities and demand they atone for it by implementing
comprehensive programmes of correction.
