The need for more rational opposition and government (updated)

(Updates at the bottom)

An uncle (my father's younger brother) sent me this Wassap message earlier this morning,

"Petronas jual kat Saudi royals, proton jual kat china man. Apa lagi yg boleh jual ek?"

I actually sighed when I read it.

I believe my uncle who hardly used to care about politics asked those questions after reading or hearing stuff written or said by pro-opposition people.

I know my uncle has lots of complaints about the government (as so do I) but he really needs to get his facts right.

In reply I forwarded him the link to this commentary,

Good that opposition’s Pengerang pledge remains an empty promise

Hopefully my uncle, who is highly educated and I always respect will read it.

Really, it's not about selling Petronas to the Arabs.

I was in the thick of things in Johor when the Petronas' Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex project was started in 2010.

It's really a good project as pointed out in the commentary.

excerpts :

The PIPC project, which is the brainchild of former Johor menteri besar Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Othman is one of the largest industrial developments in the region as well as Petronas’ largest downstream investment on a single site.

It was estimated to generate RM18.3 billion Gross National Income (GNI) by the year 2020 and help to create 8,600 high-income and high-skilled jobs.

I hope the opposition will find better targets than this project.

Honestly, it makes them look stupid whenever they tried to attack it.

I also noted that even Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad doesn't seems to think too badly of the project as he hardly criticise it unlike the other projects in Johor such as Forest City.

As for selling off Proton to the Chinese, in the first place, I don't think it's going to be so.

I forwarded my uncle the link to this story;

Maker of Peugeot, Citroen eager to partner Proton

Yup, I think it's going to be the French.

I told my uncle that I think it's not such a bad move too and forwarded the link to this previous post of mine,

Maybe Dr Mahathir wouldn't mind the Japanese too much

excerpts;

Of course the potential foreign partner will want some control over Proton to make things work, thus that 51 per cent stake.

I don't see anything wrong with that.

It's better that way than letting Proton suffer the way it is now.

I think a reliable foreign partner will do good for the company, particularly in correcting the bad practices currently plaguing the company which brought down the Proton badge in the eyes of even Malaysians.

For example, a foreign partner with controlling power can get rid of vendors who supply substandard parts for the Proton cars.

I was made to understand that many of these vendors got their work with Proton via political connections and no matter how bad they performed in supplying parts for the cars, they were always retained.

Proton people can't get rid of them because they would pull their "cables" to stay on the job.

That's how Proton cars became famous for their faulty power windows, cheap plastic interior, making funny noises just weeks after purchase, etc.

I was informed that Suzuki, which is Proton's first choice for the partnership had declined the tie-up and now it's going to be the French company which is going to get it.

Well, maybe the French are not as good as the Japanese, but I think they will not be too bad either.

All in all, I believe the opposition can do better than harping on Petronas and Proton.

They should find real issues which directly affect the rakyat and argue them based on facts instead of just playing on sentiments.

For example, I think this one by Johor Amanah is a reasonably good effort,

STATUS RUMAH MEWAH : MB JOHOR MENGELIRUKAN

3 Februari 2017

1. Semalam YAB MB Johor membuat penjelasan terhadap bayaran pelepasan status bumiputera kepada bukan bumiputera yang dibayar oleh pemaju perumahan sebenarnya membantu bumiputera.

2. Ini adalah kerana setiap lot perumahan bumiputera yang ditukar, pihak pemaju akan dikenakan bayaran 7.5% dari harga jualan. Bayaran ini akan dimasukan dalam Tabung Perumahan Bumiputera. Jumlah terkumpul dalam tabung ini sejak 2013 adalah RM600 juta.

3. Beliau juga menjelaskan kelonggaran proses penukaran status lot bumiputera kepada bukan bumiputera tidak melibatkan kuota Rumah Mampu Milik Johor (RMMJ) tetapi hanya 'rumah-rumah mewah'.

4. Kenyataan YAB MB seolah-olah kelonggaran kepada pemaju untuk menukar status kuota lot bumiputera kepada bukan bumiputera adalah perkara biasa dan hanya melibatkan rumah-rumah mewah. Bahkan sebaliknya akan  menguntungkan bumiputera kerana bayaran akan dikenakan kepada pemaju bagi setiap lot yang diluluskan.

5. Hakikatnya dalam polisi perumahan Johor berkaitan kuota lot bumiputera dinyatakan 40% daripada harga rumah dibawah RM200,000 hendaklah diletakan dibawah kuota lot bumiputera, 30% daripada harga rumah antara RM200,000 - RM300,000 hendaklah diletakan dibawah kuota lot bumiputera dan 20% daripada harga rumah melebihi RM300,000 hendaklah diletakan dibawah kuota lot bumiputera.Bermakna rumah teres 1 tingkat dan rumah teres 2 tingkat yang berharga dibawah RM450.000 adalah termasuk dalam ketogeri harga tersebut. Ianya bukanlah merupakan jenis rumah mewah seperti yang disebut oleh YAB MB. 

6. Secara amnya rumah mewah adalah rumah daripada jenis rumah kluster, rumah berkembar, rumah banglo dan kondomium yang berharga melebihi RM500,000. Oleh itu jelas kenyataan YAB MB sangat mengelirukan rakyat.

7. Isunya bukan bayaran 7.5% yang dimasukan dalam Tabung Perumahan Bumiputera tetapi setiap rumah yang diletakan dibawah kuota lot bumiputera dengan harga jualan 15% lebih rendah daripada harga pasaran seharusnya dijual kepada pembeli bumiputera kecuali setelah memenuhi syarat seperti 50% projek perumahan sudah siap atau 90 hari dari tarikh jualan masih ada lot bumiputera yang tidak laku barulah dibenarkan pemaju membuat permohonan untuk pertukarsn status. Tetapi dalam kes rasuah yang berlaku sekarang pihak pemaju telah melakukan penipuan dengan menyatakan semua lot telah habis dijual sedangkan pihak pemaju meletakan nama pekerjanya yang berstatus bumiputera sebagai pembeli.

8. Amanah Negeri Johor mencadangkan supaya lot-lot kuota bumiputera ini hendaklah diuruskan oleh SUK (Bhg Perumahan) sepenuhnya tanpa campurtangan daripada pihak pemaju perumahan. Ini sama seperti yang dilakukan kepada RMMJ (dahulunya kuota kos rendah) yang diuruskan sepenuhnya oleh SUK (Bhg Perumahan) tanpa campurtangan daripada pihak ketiga.

AMANAH DEMI NEGARA

DZULKEFLY BIN AHMAD
Timbalan Pengerusi
Parti Amanah Negara
Negeri Johor Darul Takzim

It sounds proper and even have a suggestion on how to make things better.

I also think this got something to do with all those luxurious condominiums being built around JB.

I contacted my friend in Kota Iskandar about it and she said the state government will answer the Amanah's statement in details based on facts and statistics as soon as possible.

Well, that's good opposition work on one side and good issue management by the other.

I think most of us want that, instead of all the usual nonsense we have to put up with from both sides these days.

I will publish the state government's reply once I get it.

UPDATES

I think this is the state government's reply,

3,000 units of Bumiputera quota in Johor converted to international lots