Three Months After 8 March

Three Months After 8 March
10 June, 2008

The problem of BN is lack of leadership, narrow-minded and poor policy thinking. Low implementation capacity and efficiency has damaged BN's credibility, resulting in failure to fulfil its promises.

By LIM SUE GOAN/ Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily

Three months after the 8 March general elections, the people can now assess whether BN listens to the people's voices, and whether Pakatan Rakyat is a reliable alternative to the government.

BN leaders were shocked three months ago and they tried to restore the people's support. However, with the passage of time, other than the reforms of judicial system and anti-corruption agency, BN is yet to have any specific performance. Instead, a fuel price hike has undermined BN's efforts and plans to regain the people's support.

Until today, BN is still unable to fulfil its manifesto under the slogan of “security, peace and prosperity” as the social order has no significant improvements and the fuel price hikes makes economic prosperity an illusion.

"To enhance public transport does not merely refer to increase the number of buses."

Fuel prices were scheduled to be increased in August but why must the government made an early announcement? It would only be in line with the political reality to make the announcement in August as Umno is going to have branch level elections in July. The hasty and high increment of fuel prices would definitely bring an impact to the political arena and the society. Can Umno stand the challenge?

The government's accounting lacks transparency, where exactly does the government spend the petroleum revenues? How much money has been spent on Class A contractors?

And now, the government has proposed four major measures to alleviate the people's burden. The measures, including to cut departmental expenditures, are in the correct direction. However, it makes people wonder whether the implementation capacity will be increased as well. During the last fuel price hikes, the government said it wants to enhance public transport using savings from reduced fuel subsidies but it did not give an explanation what has been done with this money and why there is no improvement to public transport.

To enhance public transport does not merely refer to increase the number of buses. More importantly, it is to upgrade the quality and efficiency. It would be like improving the public delivery system in which it is just like marking time as only the number of civil servants has been increased to attend to the problem but the mindset remains unchanged.

The problem of BN is lack of leadership, narrow-minded and poor policy thinking. Low implementation capacity and efficiency has damaged BN's credibility, resulting in failure to fulfil its promises.

Meanwhile, Pakatan Rakyat is in the right direction, including improving transparency, employing professionals and talents, developing education regardless of race, reducing the people's burden, issuing permanent land leases and attracting foreign investments. However, it lacks implementation capacity. For example, the name list of the Selangor municipal councillors is yet to be announced and the first new village permanent lease in Perak will only be issued before the end of this year.

Pakatan Rakyat needs to convince the people that it can do better than BN with more achievements, while BN must work hard to keep its regime. Healthy competition is a process of democracy.