by TK Tan
Pakatan Rakyat leaders at the DAP National Congress on 15th December 2012 in PISA, Penang
PENANG – The new Pakatan Rakyat federal government needs to champion an economic philosophy that is in solidarity with the 99 percent majority so as to create a sharing society, DAP national secretary general Lim Guan Eng said in opening speech for the party’s 16th Congress, here.
Lim stresses that DAP’s position on the economy which is based on the solidarity principle will encompass several points.
Lim says that corruption is the most important obstacle for the Malaysian economy to move to the next level. “To eliminate the culture of corruption prevalent in BN’s Malaysia, Pakatan Rakyat will be implementing 6 integrity steps and making the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission entirely independent with powers of prosecution.”
He added that the 6 integrity measures of fighting corruption are instituting public declaration of assets of the Chief Minister and the EXCO members, implementing open competitive tenders, barring family members from involvement in government contracts, protecting genuine whistleblowers, removing leaders with extravagant lifestyles and coming clean on political donations.
He believes that under Pakatan Rakyat, Malaysia will be in the top 30 rankings, improving from its 2012 ranking of No. 54 in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index by the end of its first term.
Lim also reaffirms its endorsement of the common economic policies of Pakatan Rakyat outlined in The Common Policy Platform, Buku Jingga and Pakatan Rakyat Alternative Budgets, which focuses on uplifting the household income of the bottom 60 percent to boost domestic demand and hence the national economy as a whole.
“Some of the key policies will include a minimum wage policy, reducing the influx of unskilled foreign labour; abolishing monopolies and cronyism; transparency; abolition of the North-South Highway toll and better provisions of essential government services such as public health, public housing, public transport, education, utilities and infrastructure,” he elaborated.
Equitable Economic Agenda
Another key policy mentioned by Lim is to support the Equitable Economic Agenda (Agenda Ekonomi Saksama) framework of the PR state governments that aims to abolish poverty, narrow the wealth and income gaps, end corruption, cronyism and nepotism, and provide equal opportunities, as well as genuinely assist the weakest in the society.
Lim also reiterated DAP and Pakatan Rakyat support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and small and medium industries (SMIs) by providing support for market access, research and development grants, tax exemptions, grants and aid for the industries to upgrade in terms of technology and skills. “We will conduct a full revamp of the Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (Inland Revenue Board) to end hostile and aggressive tax raids on SMEs/SMIs.”
Not forgetting Sabah and Sarawak, Lim re-emphasize PR’s commitment to end the unfair distribution of oil revenues by increasing oil production shares from the present 5% to 20%, which will assist in upgrading and building new infrastructure in Sabah and Sarawak.
“We will also stop the land grabs in Sabah and Sarawak to ensure that the native population retains their inherent native customary rights over their ancestral land and conduct a massive effort to help the poorer communities in Sabah and Sarawak in wiping out poverty by the end of our first term. We will also demand the end of the cabotage policy in Sabah and Sarawak that has been one of the causes of high consumer prices,” Lim elaborated. – The Rocket
