Fishing’s over, now fulfill your promises!
Image from americancowboy.com
What happens after all the sloganeering?
Parti Rakyat Malaysia is unhappy with the newly formed Pakatan Rakyat government for not fulfilling their election promise to undertake a 20 percent reduction of the assessment for residents in the 12th General Election.
In a press statement issued via email, PRM Vice President Koh Siew Yong ask: Was such a promise made by the Pakatan Rakyat merely meant for fishing votes during the election? (Ouch!).
According to THE STAR:
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the state government could not reduce the assessment rate at present but the people need not to pay the fines imposed on them due to late payment since January this year.
A discount of 70% is given for the fine imposed on assessment arrears until Dec 31 last year while the fine since January this year is given a 100% exemption.
Is this reason convincing and unacceptable enough for the people, for PRM?
“NO,” says Koh (not Tsu Koon). Instead, PRM wants the PR Govt to fulfill its election promise by:
- putting a greater check into the running of the local authorities
- direct them to pull up their socks
- reduce wastage and corrupt practice
- check abuses
- check cronyism
- practise openness and transparency in the administration and good governance as promised
Are they already doing all these?
Koh says the assessment rate need not be that high, yet they can still deliver quality and good services to the people. He cited a bridge project in Selayang Pandang which only costs RM400K. But during the BN time, it took RM1.2 million to get it completed. He added:
The electorate is fed up with the BN arrogance and measures, dissatisfactions accumulate, and chose to cast their vote for the Pakatan Rakyat . The demand of the electorate is clear and obvious, they want an authetic reform and change.
The electorate has very high expectations on the Pakatan, just as they did to the Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi in the 2004 11th General Election, when unprecedented support were given to him but he let them down.
Thus the Pakatan Rakyat government must value the people’s mandate and prove that it can outperform the BN government, otherwise the Pakatan will be thrown out of office come the next election.
A hard-hitting advice indeed. But better the rude awakening now, then to wake up in shock (like Pak Lah did) in the next 13 GE, don’t you think so?
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Same thing, different colour
So sad
Jed Yoong - May 8, 2008 at 6:41 am
[...] Capt. Juan Moll wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptImage from americancowboy.com What happens after all the sloganeering? Parti Rakyat Malaysia is unhappy with the newly formed Pakatan Rakyat government for not fulfilling their election promise to undertake a 20 percent reduction of the … [...]
Fishing » Blog Archive » Fishing’s over, now fulfill your promises! - May 8, 2008 at 7:09 am
[...] stabil. Malahan keadaan ekonomi sebelum dan selepas pilihan raya tidak banyak berbeza pun. Susan Loone reports Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), who should also be in the PR ‘cos their candidates [...]
» While PAS scores more points in Kelantan, PR in Selangor… - May 8, 2008 at 7:12 am
No…it is not the same thing, different colour. At the very least, there is now a check & balance in place. Every politician will be at his or her toes avoiding blatant misdeeds. It is a different thing & different colour. Please don’t blank this small step towards better accountability. Promises made during GE? How many actually believe such tooth fairy promises? Many are just protest voters. Pakatan should just govern properly and start easing the rakyat burden. Even a small improvement can be a welcome relief. Also act to set RPK free!
whispering9 - May 8, 2008 at 7:20 am
It would not be possible for the new Govt to to go around willy nilly reducing assesments etc. simply because the earlier BN would have made contracts committals that are binding. Failure on the new Govt`s part to honor those contracts would draw litigation (and rightfully so) for liquidated damages which would be an additional burden on the tax payer.
Only when these committals are revised/cancelled and new ones drawn up can there be any reductions.
hutchrun - May 8, 2008 at 7:45 am
This is an example:
Back in the Selangor State Secretariat, members of the executive council walked into bare offices, save for a table, after they were sworn in. Everything was missing – from staplers to fax machines. So, they all got new ones. The state government paid more than RM1,500 each for the fax machines. You could get the same model for one-third the price at any electrical shop. But then, the purchases had to be made from “registered contractors”. So, what the contractor does is walk to the shop, pick it up for RM500 and sell it for three times the price. No questions asked.
http://sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=21981
Now that needs the ACA to do some work – doesn`t it?
hutchrun - May 8, 2008 at 7:48 am
Memilih kerajaan tidak seperti membeli pakaian,ternampak yang lain sudah mahu ubah fikiran.Jangan kita ashik sebok menagih janji…sedikit sebanyak sudah pun nampak perubahan dan terasa kepuasan yang di harap-harapkan.
khalib - May 8, 2008 at 8:00 am
I will keep pushing and pushing for transparency and people friendly policies. But I wouldn’t call it same thing, different colour, just yet.
We gave BN 50 years to screw it up – lets be honest, so many of people automatically voted BN for umpteemth years, except perhaps the GE12.
There is still a mentality which considers BN the “respectable” party, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.
We should at least give PR a few months to get its arms around the problems.
kittykat46 - May 8, 2008 at 8:29 am
Pakatan Rakyat shall move and progress faster and do not disappoint your voters!
We will open up our big eyes to see what you can do.
Thus, we also will provide you more time frame to fullfill your promises but do not delay because your voters have too much enoughs.
Put a dateline to your promises and we will O.K. for you or else we K.O. you later.
lovemalaysiaforever - May 8, 2008 at 8:51 am
We should at least give PR a few months to get its arms around the problems. – kittykat46
Exactly. For instance they inherited those “registered contractors” who charge 3 times the going rates which is in turn borne by the taxpayers. Obviously someone`s subsidising someone`s mercedes/bungalow, overseas trips etc.
There`s a massive clean-up job ahead.
hutchrun - May 8, 2008 at 8:51 am
::::: Same thing, different colour ::::::::::
not really. don’t just stab PR just for the sake of it. They have not even warmed their seats & you’re already letting fly.
soh hai - May 8, 2008 at 8:51 am
Yeah, the people could tolerate aome 40 out 50 years of compounding abuses of power by the BN, yet suddenly became strangely impatient now. Very unnatural and sounds much like BN instigations.
wits0 - May 8, 2008 at 8:58 am
What’s fair is fair
What’s unfair is unfair
Let’s keep what’s fair as fair
Let’s change what’s unfair to be fair
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng – 080508
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Thur. 8th May 2008.
Samuel Goh Kim Eng - May 8, 2008 at 9:05 am
Susan,
In my state, 1 MP (DAP) was being sued for “false” election propaganda. Although I voted for an Opposition party, u know lah, even before voting day,
I can smell some horshits promises. Since the interim government, the BN was abysmal, what to do?
Hunk - May 8, 2008 at 9:06 am
Yeah, give PR a chance.
Damocles - May 8, 2008 at 9:30 am
we shall able to see and compare BN and PR performance after the 2 months in administration…
Who is doing a better jobs? I bet you have the answer…
But wait, this is only 2 months…. pls give them some time, ie, 100 days and i sure there will be a distinct different… who will come up as the winner? No one knows.
Pls be bit more patient… (i know a lots of people here is very impatient with BN already)…
Be fair to both…. (if there still any left)
George - May 8, 2008 at 9:31 am
Yes, it is not fair to criticize PR for now. They are in power for two months only and don’t even form federal government. Please remember that we have not given them any victory yet, the victory is still with BN gov.
If you ask me, I’m willing to forgive their promise if they realize the promises is too difficult to fulfill. Everybody makes mistakes anyway. What is more important is intention. Look at Lim Guan Eng taking economic flight. Look at every good things PR is trying to do. Sometimes there are hindrances.
Well, pls remember that BN has been given 50 years to rule and now it is still ruling as it has won the 12 GE. PR has been trying hard to improve and benefit the people but it is still limited to states. Whether they managed to fulfill their promises or not, the most important is intention. That differentiate between good and bad.
Eric - May 8, 2008 at 9:41 am
KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor government has not lived up to the Pakatan Rakyat’s promises of lower taxes and free education, the deputy prime minister said.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the failure of Selangor would be an “eye-opener and a lesson” to voters.
He said the Federal government had long predicted that opposition parties would have difficulty fulfilling their promises made in the general election.
Najib was referring to Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s announcement on Monday that the state government was not in a position to reduce quit rent by 20 per cent as promised in the Parti Keadilan Rakyat election manifesto.
The state government will, instead, be giving incentives so that people settle their arrears
- NST
hutchrun - May 8, 2008 at 9:44 am
Some people want things in a hurry
They don’t understand the new government takes time
To get the house in order before running……….
Don’t these people know about training?
In any game one needs warm exercises
Before one can go out to play the game
BN got over 50 years
Yet many people don’t complain
When Pakatan Rakyat has 2 months now
They start whining about their self interests
Even when you have a new job
You are put into probation for 6 months
Before you can think of doing grandeur projects
You have to learn the ropes so to speak
Likewise any new government taking over
The leaders need time to go through its motion
Before PR leaders can implement the promises
Even learning drivers have to go passing tests
Before they can get their licenses to drive….
So I suggest give them 6 months
By then PR will learn what need to be done
Doing the easy ones first; the hard ones take time
To me it is a fair game………….
Until then I keep my view………….
caravanserai - May 8, 2008 at 9:49 am
Yes caravanserai, the people need to be understanding.
Do you think we should revert to BN simply because PR failed to fullfil few promises??
Eric - May 8, 2008 at 9:53 am
The PR Govt need to seriously stop all questionable leakages of monies, payments, commissions, margins, fees, mark-ups to dubious people or souces; review all existing contracts signed with the State, which do not take into account the interest and welfare of the people; get rid of all current rent-seeking arrangements and kill any such proposal coming from anyone, inside or outside the Govt.
Then, the PR Govt can afford to give rate assessment discount of even more than 20%, I’m quite certain.
Can YAB MB Tan Sri and his Team, please do something, now that you guys are calling the shots!
Robert Teh - May 8, 2008 at 9:54 am
The expectation differs than when we put AAB in. Fundamentally, we should pose this question to states in BN whom seemed to be not doing anything different. BN memorandum promises as much , and more during GE12. Why Najib is shouting about when his party is even slower out of the block than PR?
Economy is stagnant
Security not improved
Re-use of draconian tools.
Kudos on judiciary and ACA ‘independence’ talk but no real substance in blueprint or plan.
I still see some BN posters around and laughts at it. I am sorry PRM and BN, do your job first.
amoker - May 8, 2008 at 10:19 am
Whatever it is give the new PR government the opportunity to proof their worth. Cleaning up the mess that had been left over by the previous BN goons is not an easy task. I am very sure Tan Sri Khalid has a formidable plan for Selangor. Get the corrupt fellows to pay up for all the wheely deally they have been doing all these while. Remember was not built in a day, rebuilding is a mammoth task. Get your resources together and get on with it. Pakatan Rakyat is here to stay for another fifty years.
Maverick - May 8, 2008 at 10:20 am
Let’s give the new party gov’t a chance to perform. Remember there is nothing free in this world, except maybe air….something has to give! If the gov’t gives free / discounts for everything, how is the gov’t going to run the state properly. The cleaning of the streets need money, the polution control, garbage control, and so on…..all needs money.
At least there is a check & balance now (compared to the previous gov’t), and hopefully prudent management of taxpayers’ monies…
max - May 8, 2008 at 11:20 am
At this initial stage of inception the PakatanRakyat goverment by all mean should be allowed to perform without having to face too much interference from us.The people to whom we have collectively given the mandate to govern the state for us, are not to be regarded as a bunch of unrealised incompetent.We just need to assure them our continual support and with a little bit of trust would certainly improved our live as well as the destiny of our children and the next generation.So please be patient.
khalib - May 8, 2008 at 12:09 pm
No offence, but I find it amusing that so many people left comments about how we should give PR the time to deliver on the goods.
But reality remains the same. They are NOT giving the people what they promised when they were campaigning before the elections. It’s a case of promises that are broken, simple as that.
They should be given a good shake to wake them up about what they had previously promised the people, or else they’ll just end up being hollow. No “isi”. We don’t want that.
I think it’s good that PRM is sending this reminder to the PR reps about the promises they made and that they should keep them.
It’s way better than Najib saying that PR will continue to fail on delivering their promises. I’ve got news on it on my site if anyone’s interested.
su - May 8, 2008 at 12:24 pm
THE BN FAIL TO DELIVER SINCE 2004 ELECTION PLEDGES AND PROMISES!
At least give the PR state govts a chance to change things gradually. They have inherited the numerous problems created by BN.
Things cannot be changed overnight but for the PR state govt are defininatly going in the correct….correct…correct direction.
And yet we have BN ex-sore losers creating problems either at federal level and also at civil service level…
PR will deliver………..
Devan - May 8, 2008 at 2:13 pm
PR would have to break 9 more promises before I start calling voters to switch back to BN/MCA/MIC….yuck!
Don’t you have enough of BN ruining this beautiful country??
kai - May 8, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Even if PR fail to fulfill its promise, does it mean worst than BN?
Will it be a good enough reason to revert to BN?
Eric - May 8, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Manifesto and promises must not necessarily be the basis of our support towards Pakatan Rakyat. Honestly speaking, we do not want to say that the only purpose of us getting them into the state goverment was just merely to allow them to fulfil their promises as per the manifesto. Next day you find them missing, dissapeared into the thin air. We want them to perfom and for sure we expect them to deliver fast, but not by pressing them,pushing them to meet our unscrupulous demand at this critical point of time.Inorder for them to settle in properly,Pakatan Rakyat must be assured of our sincere and undevided support. If you are amongst the fence sitters you better decide now either to be in or out, because we can not afford to place Pakatan Rakyat on a trial basis anymore.With the type of mentality and attitude( naturally )found in some of our people, I don’t think we would be able to keep them running smoothly for the benefit of our children. Why should we ever think of going back in time.
khalib - May 9, 2008 at 12:08 am
The PR is making progress and efforts have been made to alleviate the hardship and difficulties of the Rakyat. Within a matter of two months, let us see what the PR have done compared to what BN did. For 50 years, you have screwed up the national economy and squandered the national resources under the guise of the NEP which merely benefited the UMNO cronies. No wonder Bn have created so much problems of late because of self interest.
BN you are not being fair to the five states under PR. Every move is made to block their progress. Please assess what you have done the past two months – nothing but rhetorics, protests, provocations of the masses against the sultan of Perak, turning the pariliament into a circus, charging RPK, arresting peaceful demonostrators, beating up the protestors at Cheras for clearing the barricade etc Besides, more worms are coming out from thehcans as investigations progress.
Look at the death rate in the NS Programme. It is a shame and the person who is responsible should be sacked. But then his skin is so thick – as thick as the thorny durian skin. There is a public outcry to disband the NS programme until further notice. All the expenditure is to be stopped. The ACA must move in to investigate and establish who are the people involved in the supply of services and goods. If only discipline is instilled in schools, colleges or universities, the country would have saved by the millions.
Next we must go after the GLCs. The non-malays must be given a chance to head some of these corporations and turn them around. MInd you the other races mainly contribute to the national treasury which have made use of their money to purchase or set up these companies. So do you not think that the non malays have a lien over these GLCs. They do not belong to UMNO alone!
I can name 101 wrongs of the BN. So give your co-operation to the PR; otherwise, the public will judge you again whether you are fair or not. You must not punish the five PR States for there will be a bigger backlash otherwise the next four years if not sooner.
For heaven’s sake, release the 5 Hindraf detainees. If you have any charge against them, charge them; if not release them. Who is running the Govt? BN or UMNO? If you stiill value BN, then release the detainees otherwise the other component parties should leave BN in dignity and leave UMNO to stand on its own. It is so divided now that it is just there for show.
Another laughing stock is the explanation of how the fund was derived in sending a Malaysian up to the outer space. Where did the money come from? 75% from Russia? Come on, it was all from Malaysia, right? Now don’t try to pool wool over the eyes of the public that Malaysia was not the sole funder or payer of the cosmo-trip? What happened to the big C…? How much and to whose pockets?
The country is undergoing a serious crisis – racial discrimination, unfair distribution of wealh, unrest and dissatisfaction, high cost of living, prices of food in particular have gone up unannounced etc. By cutting and moving budgets from the Housing MInistry to subsidise the purchase of rice is just not bloody on! You should be cutting the defence budget for such purpose, see what sort of fellows we have in the cabinet!
Just get angrified the more I write. Anyway, I hope this message reach some m…t h…ds.
Billau Chris - May 12, 2008 at 4:57 pm