30th September
2021.
PRESS STATEMENT BY:-
TAN SRI DATUK ROBERT PHANG
MIOW SIN.
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.
CHAIRMAN – SOCIAL CARE
FOUNDATION
MALAYSIA’S NEW GOVERNMENT – SHOW YOUR PERFORMANCE
As Malaysia is slowly but surely moving from the pandemic to the endemic stage, God willing, in our battle against the Covid-19 crisis, the Rakyat look forward to the return of normalcy in yet another pandemic the nation is facing - political.
The recent signing of the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both sides of the political divide is certainly reassuring in cooling down the heated temperatures overhanging the political landscape for much of the period when the country is sparing no effort and expense in flattening the curve on the pandemic.
Politicians, of all people, should look at themselves in the mirror to take stock of the self-inflicting damage they have done in terms of undermining the country's political stability and future per se. Never in our history since Merdeka 64 years ago have we seen such political turmoils that led to Malaysia having four prime ministers in the past three years.
The big question now is for how long could this unprecedented MoU last? Certainly, it the hope of the Rakyat that there will continue to be political peace and stability without which all our efforts not only to contain the pandemic by saving lives and livehoods would be futile.
Covid-19 has made the country and the Rakyat so much poorer. In this regard, I call on the Government to spend prudently because it is obvious that the nation can no longer afford to spend beyond its means.
The Prime Minister has just unveiled the five-year 12th Malaysia Plan that will cost a total of RM400 billion to implement. It's a huge budget by any standard and everyone is asking whether, under the current circumstances, we could really afford it.
This is in the light of Malaysia's already ballooning and seemingly uncontrollable foreign debts. In this connection, I would also urge the Government to do away with undertaking prestigious projects or procurements to bring the expenditures to a more manageable level. The country is much better off actually without such costly projects.
It is also my deep concern that with hundreds of billion to be spent on huge projects, it will be fertile breeding grounds for corruption in the country. In fact, corruption can be considered another emerging pandemic.
And it doesn't help at all when the prime minister announced in Parliament this week that Seri Perdana, the PM's Official Residence, is undergoing renovations to the tune of RM30 million! According the prime minister, this is necessary to " ensure safety as well as to preserve the country's image during visits by key dignitaries". What kind of logic is this?
It's not only the timing of such extravagance that is highly questionable but more so the amount when millions among the rakyat are suffering with tens of thousands having lost their income amidst the massive closure of businesses.
I fully agree with former minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz that the nation's image rests with Seri Perdana's occupants and not the RM30 million renovations. And that it's a complete waste of public funds.
STAY HOME AND STAY SAFE.
“HUMBLENESS IS A GOOD VIRTUE, THE ARROGANT SHALL FALL AND THE MEEK WILL RULE THE WORLD”.
Tan Sri Datuk Robert Phang Miow Sin.
