BEST PRO-PEOPLE BUDGET

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah political and social activist Kanul Gindol said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has delivered the Budget 2013 as the best pro-people budget ever under just the right circumstances with the general election looming around the corner.

“This expansionary budget would benefit more Malaysian citizens. Besides huge funds for physical developments and human resource as usual, Najib has also targeted the low-pay citizens for goodies.

“It is election time, and the cash give-out under BR1M 2.0  in January speaks volumes of that political will of the ruling party to retain its popularity ahead of the general election which is due by April,” Kanul said in a statement, here, yesterday.

Kanul, 46, chairman of Gindol Initiative for Civil Society Borneo and secretary-general of United Sabah Tindal Organisation (Usto) said with the solid federal financial standing, Najib’s government could give out the one-and-a half month bonus to all civil servants.

“Najib looks set to deliver more if his party is retained as he is a leader with a very strong will to lead,” Kanul said.

Tabling the 2013 Budget in the Dewan Rakyat in Kuala Lumpur, yesterday, Najib, who is also Finance Minister, announced perks to boost investments designed to further advance the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and achieve the objectives of Malaysia becoming a high-income nation.

Meanwhile, David N. Matta, a civil servant from Sandakan, said the one-and-a-half month bonus for civil servants showed the willingness of the government to allocate substantial funds for the benefit of civil servants, especially those low and middle income earners.

“As a civil servant, most of us have been waiting for the housing allowance to be increased to RM450 from RM180 as demanded by Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public Service (QUEPACS).

“Unfortunately, our Prime Minister did not have that in the budget and we are still hoping for action to be action taken on that,” he said.

David also welcomed the government’s initiative to narrow the development gap between East and West Malaysia.

“As a Sabahan, I welcome the initiative based on our contribution to our economic growth, we deserve the same infrastructure and development especially roads,” he said. (BP)

CRIME INDEX: PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING

 

AGENDAS.....Politicians on both sides of the divide are of no help as many only want to pursue their own agendas by hijacking the current red hot issue of crime.

By : DAVE AVRAN

ACCORDING to the Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013, released worldwide on Sept 5, 2012, Malaysia’s overall score dropped slightly to 5.06 points and its world competitive score dropped to 25th place. Last year, Malaysia was the 21st most competitive with a score of 5.08.

Among the factors that brought our score down are two items related to perception on crime:

1. Perception on business costs for crime and violence, and,

2. Perception on organised crime

It’s true that public perception of the crime rates in Malaysia aren’t as good as they could be, as most perceive that the crime rate exceeds the figure reported by Pemandu.

Pemandu had recently announced that the crime index in Malaysia had dropped 10.1 percent between January and May this year compared to the corresponding period last year.

Based on the figures released by Reducing Crime NKRA director Eugene Teh of Pemandu, there were 63,221 cases between January and May 2012 compared to 70,343 cases recorded in the corresponding period last year.

When MARAH (Malaysians Against Rape, Assault & snatcH) asked how Pemandu came up with the statistics, Eugene said that the number comes from the reports keyed in at the various police departments.

“There is a flow beginning from when a complainant makes a report until it is inserted into the system. Called the Police Reporting System or PRS, the cases keyed into it will provide us with the crime index statistics. It is entirely possible that there are cases which go unreported thus making it tougher for us to compile the exact number,” said Eugene.

When asked if it was possible for Pemandu to detect unreported cases, he said, “The media can play a big role in spreading the message in informing the public to report crimes which have occurred. Should the police refuse to take your report, then the complainant has the right to lodge a complaint at the Police Bureau.”

Perception is everything

MARAH’s very existence is testimony that there is much public anxiety over the recent crime spree. Yes, we are told that the overall crime index has dropped and there is really no reason not to believe that the police are not doing their best to fight crime.

The last thing our police force would want is to have headlines of high-profile crime cases splashed across the newspapers. However, perception is everything and Malaysians, especially urbanites, do feel insecure with women and the elderly seeming to be the preferred targets.

As a journalist I can vouch that the police often update the media on a daily basis with the more serious crime cases – murder, abduction, drug seizures and armed robberies.

However, incidences of so called “lesser” crime also take place daily and rightly or wrongly, the police have often regarded such cases as “petty” crime given that they deal with thousands of cases.

As such “petty” crimes such as break-ins and snatch thefts are often relegated to the bottom but now with the proliferation of social media the public are better connected to reaching out to each other, and younger Malaysians are apt to share their experiences with the world.

Such incidents are now prominently posted on all the various social media platforms by the victims, complete with gory photographs which go viral in an instant. These incidents are then picked up by online news portals and lastly by the mainstream newspapers.

Our government officials and senior police officers have been quite vocal in not wanting to see such cases sensationalized in social media but subscribing to the ostrich mentality is not the answer as we definitely should not be in denial mode and these cases must be published factually and accurately and discussed in order to facilitate a quick and proper solution.

Politicians on both sides of the divide are of no help as many only want to pursue their own agendas by hijacking the current red hot issue of crime as a free ride to popularity, given the looming general elections.

Bashing the government and the cops is easy peasy but public apathy has also been identified as one of the reasons why criminals have become more brazen in committing crimes. Fighting crime isn’t the prerogative of the police alone.

The freed EO detainees

There is a deep set reluctance among the public to step forward and give evidence. Many fear testifying in the courts as the lengthy court process is actually a hindrance to the police and prosecution to dispatch these thugs to jail.

Furthermore there are also those who fear repercussion to their personal safety and those of their loved ones as the perpetrators make bail before you can say “Jackrabbit”.

The government has indeed spent a large amount of money aimed at reducing the number of crimes in Malaysia, including 71% of the budget in the NKRA to reduce street crimes, increase prosecution of violent offenders and increasing public satisfaction of the police services.

Another hotly discussed topic is the abolishment of the Emergency Ordinance and the repeal of the ISA and the Sedition Act.

There is fear that former detainees are now freely rampaging back to their bad boy ways. These ex-EO detainees are being blamed for the recent spike in crime although there is no real data to back this claim.

Last year, more than 700 people were detained under the EO and although the police have justified the use of the EO to bring in criminals that they cannot charge in court due to insufficient evidence, they themselves have also been accused of abusing the EO.

What we need is solid preventive act to deter these thugs and restore public confidence. At the same time the public also need to play their role as responsible citizens in ensuring that crime is prevented.

The prevention of crime is vital towards the building of a peaceful and safe Malaysia. While crime fighting is undoubtedly the responsibility of the authorities, the public can also play an important role by looking out for themselves and their local community.

It is every individual’s duty to report a crime to the police. The information provided could be used to prevent other crimes and help keep other people safe. The police simply cannot be omnipresent everywhere all the time.

(NOTE : Dave Avran is the founder of MARAH (Malaysians Against Rape, Assault & snatcH).

NO TAX ON SMOKES WILL COST NAJIB VOTES’

DISAPPOINTED.... Big tobacco companies disappointed with the government for not increasing cigarette prices.

By : TEOH EL SEN

PETALING JAYA: The absence of an increase taxes on cigarettes in the 2013 Budget may cause a portion of Barisan Nasional’s votes to go up in smoke, according to Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control secretary-general, Shaari Ahmad Junid.

“He is not getting my vote. Rest assured, I will get as many of my friends to not vote for him as well,” Shaari told FMT.

For the second time since last year’s budget, Najib has chosen not to touch the so-called sin taxes of tobacco and alcohol, despite the two being traditionally an item in past budgets.

And Najib’s decision has riled up Shaari, whose organisation has been lobbying for an increase in taxes on tobacco by at least 100%, and had recently sent the government a petition on the matter.

“I’m very disappointed. He didn’t even mention it. He had a chance to do it, but he didn’t. What is Janji Ditepati (Promise fulfilled) if you sign the the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and don’t follow it up?

“Najib talked about ‘enhancing the well being of the rakyat’, but how can you call it a budget about sejahtera (well being)?”

“He also mentioned about building more 1Malaysia clinics, but he must know the saying ‘prevention is better than cure’.

“Rather than having more clinics, I’m not saying don’t build them, he must also think about stopping people from getting sick,” he said.

He added that a recent published study also indicated how tobacco can drain a lot in the health budget.

He also argued that increasing taxes would not cost the tobacco industry huge losses as their profit margin was high.

MELALAP TO HAVE NEW TOWNSHIP

CEREMONY....Musa (fifth right) with from right: Rubin, Sukarti, Radin, Pairin, Ghulam and Raime jointly launching the Melalap town ground-breaking ceremony.

TENOM: Melalap, a sub-district near here with a population of about 5,000, will be getting a new township, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman. He said the project would take a substantial period to complete as the area was presently an oil palm plantation belonging to Sime Darby Bhd.

“We appreciate Sime Darby chairman Tun Musa Hitam’s gesture to let us have the site for rebuilding the town. I suppose it is also part of Sime Darby’s corporate social responsibility,” he noted.

He said the new township would have various amenities such as an administrative building, shops, a recreation area and a school.

Musa said the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government is committed to defending fate and future of the people of Sabah.

He said the creation of a new Melalap township is a promise fulfilled to reciprocate the commitment and cooperation of BN leaders here wanting to see the people enjoy progress.

Musa said the role played by BN leaders in developing Tenom, especially Melalap was a responsibility they must fulfill to enable the people to enjoy the fruits of development brought about by the BN government.

“I believe that without cooperation, we would not be able to develop the Melalap town,” he said in his speech at the Melalap town’s ground-breaking ceremony here yesterday.

“I am confident that this new town will be equipped with various facilities that can provide comfort to the community, especially the increasing pace of socio-economic development which means better living standard for the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Infrastructure Development, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitiangan told reporters that the creation of the Melalap town showed the commitment of the BN government.

“Pledges and promises are kept,” he said, adding that Pairin and the elected representatives in Tenom had submitted a plan to realise Melalap town a long time ago.

Eventually Sime Darby had agreed to give 200 acres of its oil palm land to the state government for the purpose of rebuilding Melalap town.

Meanwhile, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datuk Radin Malleh, who is also Melalap state assemblyman, said the first phase of the project would involve 23 acres while the second, 20 acres. The following phases would involve 20, 65 and 60 acres. (BP)