Achieving Malaysia's Potential

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

14 July 2015

Kuala Lumpur - Today, 14 July 2015, marks the 40th day of the passing of my dear wife.  As I overcome the sadness of her absence, I feel freer now to reflect upon and address the goings on in Malaysia during the last several months.

2.  We are being constantly bombarded with an overdose of news about the sorry state of our national finance.  Controversies abound and purported mega financial scandals are being discussed and gossipped over social media.  Gripes about this situation are making the round.  Not least is the dire strait that our sovereign fund, 1MDB, finds itself in.

3.  However, the reality is that all these remain mere talk and nothing has changed.  In effect, currently there is much confusion in the people's minds which have to process statements whose veracity is suspect and might not reflect the true situation.

4.  We earnestly hope that there is still honour left in our beloved country and that there are honourable men who have the relevant facts to put the matter to rest.  They should stand fast by their principles and take the moral high ground to assist in the resolution of the problem.  If this were the case, surely there is no necessity for us to waste time instituting inquiries and investigations.  Knowing the facts and the problem not telling the truth is not an option.

5.  Such an action would enable the country to restore our battered and damaged image and dignity within the world community.  This is essential in our effort to rebuild the confidence that was painstakingly developed by our founding fathers.

6.  Most importantly, we must stay focussed on the more immediate concern facing our people; that is, the economic and financial difficulties due to the shrinking Ringgit and the indifferent take-home salaries and wages made worse by the spiraling cost of such essentials such as motor fuel and burdensome impositions such as the GST.  Given the crisis we are facing, it would not be unreasonable to defer the GST as it has a negative impact on ordinary people.  To mitigate the loss of revenue, it could be replaced by some other taxation.  We must alleviate the hardship of the people in their trying to make ends meet.  We must address how the ever increasing living cost can be mitigated and overcome.

7.  It is undeniable that life is a constant struggle for the many.  They worry about the future of their children and grandchildren.  They fret about the continuously deteriorating quality of life.  Indeed they deserve better.  A particular socio-economic issue creating much worry among the people is the lack of a financial safety net to provide economic security for retirees.

8.  Worries about unemployable graduates must necessarily lead us to the type of education that we are giving to our children.  This does not quite prepare them for employment.  What should we do?  Perhaps the country could adopt a national education policy that can withstand the test of time.

9.  We must, therefore, stop bickering, squabbling and politicking.  We must close ranks and come together to achieve the rich potential that has always been our feature.  We should consider a total overhaul of the system.

On that note, I wish every Malaysian "Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri" and happy holiday ahead.

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

Member of Parliament Gua Musang

Kuala Lumpur

14th July 2015

27 Ramadhan 1436H