UCAPAN PERBAHASAN BAJET 2017
YB TAN SRI DATO’ HJ MUHYIDDIN HJ MOHD YASSIN
AHLI PARLIMEN PAGOH
Tuan Yang di-Pertua,
1.Saya mengucapkan terima kasih di atas peluang yang diberikan kepada saya untuk mengambi bahagian dalam perbahasan Bajet 2017. Saya mengambil peluang ini untuk menyentuh beberapa perkara asas berkaitan dengan bajet dan pengurusan ekonomi negara.
2.Pertamanya ialah mengenai tadbirurus ekonomi (economic governance). Bercakap mengenai soal ini, saya tidak dapat lari daripada menyentuh satu isu yang amat menggelisahkan kita hari ini iaitu isu 1MDB.
3.Dahulu saya duduk di sebelah sana dan hari ini saya berdiri di sebelah sini pun kerana saya bercakap mengenai isu 1MDB. Saya meragui kewajaran Perdana Menteri menubuhkan 1MDB dan menjadi Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihatnya. Saya mempersoalkan mengapa 1MDB yang bermodal hanya RM1 juta tetapi menanggung liabiliti sehingga RM42 bilion disebabkan kerugian dan kehilangan wang yang tidak diketahui sebabnya. Akhirnya 1MDB menghadapi masalah kecairan wang tunai yang teruk sehingga tidak dapat membayar hutang piutangnya. Saya juga bertanya ke mana wang 1MDB lesap dan bagaimana sejumlah RM2.6 billion dijumpai dalam akaun peribadi Malaysian Official One?
4.Banyak perkara yang saya bangkitkan mengenai skandal 1MDB ketika saya masih di dalam kerajaan. Saya tidak bersetuju dengan Perdana Menteri hampir dalam semua perkara yang melibatkan 1MDB. Semasa di dalam kerajaan saya menolak pelan rasionalisasi 1MDB untuk menyelesaikan hutang-hutang yang bertimbun menerusi penjualan aset-asetnya yang diperolehi dengan harga yang murah daripada kerajaan kerana saya percaya ada elemen-elemen terselindung yang tidak dijelaskan dengan nyata. Pelan tersebut tidak dibuat oleh pihak pakar yang bebas, tetapi disediakan secara dalaman sahaja oleh Kementerian Kewangan. Seolahnya Malaysian Official One ingin menyembunyikan fakta-fakta penting mengenai penyelewengan 1MDB daripada diketahui oleh pihak lain.
5.Malah, selepas mesyuarat kabinet saya menghubungi mantan Peguam Negara dan bertanyakan beliau adakah wajar kabinet memutuskan pelan penstrukturan semula 1MDB. Bukankah itu tanggungjawab Lembaga Pengarah 1MDB? Peguam Negara bersetuju dengan pandangan saya dan kemudiannya keputusan kabinet ditukar daripada meluluskan pelan rasionalisasi 1MDB kepada mengambil maklum sahaja tentang cadangan tersebut. Jelas terbukti sekarang bahawa teguran saya terhadap pelan rasionalisasi 1MDB yang dibentangkan oleh Ahli Parlimen Tambun sebagai Menteri Kewangan II pada ketika itu adalah berasas bilaman apa yang diluluskan oleh Jemaah Menteri tidak dilaksanakan malahan apa yang berlaku hari ini berlainan sekali dari apa yang sepatutnya dilaksanakan.
6.Begitu juga apabila kabinet diminta meluluskan pembiayaan sebanyak RM3 bilion kepada 1MDB untuk membayar faedah pinjamannya. Saya berasa amat tidak selesa dengan keputusan itu. Bilamana syarikat 1MDB ditubuh, kabinet langsung tidak dirujuk. Kehilangan wang berbilion ringgit pun tidak tidak dilapor kepada kabinet. Tetapi apabila syarikat ini menghadapi masalah untuk membayar hutang, barulah Perdana Menteri merujuk kepada kabinet untuk meminta sejumlah wang yang besar daripada kerajaan. Ini suatu tindakan yang amat tidak bertanggungjawab dan bertentangan dengan prinsip tadbirurus ekonomi yang baik. Tiada ketelusan dan akuntabiliti. Saya amat tidak bersetuju dengan tindakan itu. Akhirnya, keputusan untuk meluluskan pembiayaan sebanyak RM3 bilion kepada 1MDB ditukar kepada kredit tersedia sebanyak RM950 juta.
7.Akhirnya, apabila masalah 1MDB menjadi semakin parah, kerajaan terpaksa menanggung semua hutang-piutang 1MDB yang asalnya berjumlah RM42 bilion dan sehingga tahun lalu meningkat kepada RM53 bilion. Jumlah ini akan meningkat dari masa ke semasa apabila ditambah faedah yang mesti dibayar. Ini adalah satu kerugian yang amat besar kepada rakyat kerana wang rakyat terpaksa digunakan untuk membayar hutang 1MDB. Adakah wajar rakyat menanggung beban hutang sedangkan wang 1MDB telah dicuri dan disalahgunakan sewenang-wenangnya oleh Malaysian Official One dan konco-konconya untuk berfoya-foya dan bermewah?
8.Saya berdoa semoga Malaysian Official One diberikan hidayah oleh Allah s.w.t. untuk mengakui kesilapannya, memohon maaf dan bertaubat nasuha di atas segala kemungkaran yang dilakukan. Rakyat yang bermaruah pastinya tidak akan bertolak ansur dengan kemungkaran. Malah adalah menjadi tanggungjawab kita semua untuk melawan dan mengubah kemungkaran. Sepertimana sabda Rasulullah s.a.w dalam sebuah hadith sahih:
Yang bermaksud:
Barangsiapa yang melihat kemungkaran, maka ubahlah ia dengan tangannya (yakni kuasa), jika tidak mampu maka (ubahlah) dengan lisannya, jika tidak mampu maka (ubahlah) dengan hatinya, dan itu adalah selemah-lemah iman.
9.Keduanya ialah tentang institusi-institusi penting negara seperti Jabatan Peguam Negara, Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia dan Polis DiRaja Malaysia yang gagal berfungsi atau menjadi, dengan izin, dysfunctional. Institusi-institusi ini telah disalahgunakan oleh Malaysian Official One untuk melindungi kesalahan jenayah besar yang telah dilakukannya. Peguam Negara dipecat, pegawai-pegawai SPRM ditukar dan dibersarakan, Gabenor Bank Negara diugut dan Ketua Polis Negara telah gagal melaksanakan amanah.
10.Integriti institusi-institusi ini semakin dipersoalkan. Ketika pihak berkuasa di luar negara mengambil tindakan undang-undang ke atas pihak-pihak yang terlibat dalam kegiatan pengubahan wang haram yang ada kaitan langsung dengan 1MDB, di Malaysia seolahnya tiada apa yang berlaku. Di Amerika Syarikat, Peguam Negara memfailkan saman ke atas individu-individu yang dikaitakan dengan 1MDB, termasuk anak tiri Najib Razak. Peguam Negara Amerika Syarikat menemui bukti-bukti kukuh mengenai perlakuan jenayah kleptokrasi yang terbesar dalam sejarah dunia yang melibatkan kehilangan wang berjumlah sekurang-kurangnya US$3.5 bilion atau RM28 bilion. Di Singapura, beberapa buah bank ditutup kerana terlibat dalam kegiatan pengubahan wang haram yang ada kaitan dengan 1MDB. Di Switzerland, pihak berkuasa kewangan negara itu mendapati beberapa buah bank melanggar undang-undang mengenai pengubahan wang haram yang dikaitkan dengan transaksi 1MDB. Semuanya bertumpu kepada skandal 1MDB yang mana Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihatnya adalah Perdana Menteri.
11.Tetapi di Malaysia tiada apa yang berlaku. Kenapa senyap sunyi? Seolah-olah siasatan terhadap salahlaku oleh mereka yang terlibat secara langsung dalam skandal 1MDB tidak dikuatkuasakan! Siasatan terhadap bekas CEO Shahrul Halmi tidak diambil. Pengerusi dan Ahli Lembaga Pengarah yang berhenti tidak disiasat dan dilepaskan begitu saja. Tiada seorang pun dipecat atau dihadapkan ke mahkamah atas salahlaku yang dibuat oleh mereka. Yang nyata seolah-olah segala yang berlaku ini disahkan oleh Perdana Menteri. Peguam Negara yang baharu pun tidak menemui sebarang bukti untuk mendakwa sesiapapun yang terlibat dalam skandal 1MDB. Walaupun ada bukti RM42 juta wang SRC International masuk ke dalam akaun Perdana Menteri, tetapi Peguam Negara mendapati Perdana Menteri tidak melakukan apa-apa perbuatan jenayah. Pelik dan ajaib! Kalau seringgit pun duit syarikat milik kerajaan masuk ke dalam akaun penjawat awam tanpa ada sebab munasabah merupakan satu perbuatan rasuah, inikan pula RM42 juta masuk ke dalam akaun Perdana Menteri. Bagaimana Peguam Negara boleh mengatakan ini bukan perbuatan rasuah? Betapa rosaknya institusi Peguam Negara di bawah telunjuk Malaysian Official One!
12.Seingat saya janji kerajaan bahawa isu dan masalah 1MDB ini akan diselesaikan pada tahun 2016 sebagaimana yang dibuat dalam cadangan rasionalisasi 1MDB hanya merupakan khayalan yang tidak mampu dilaksanakan dengan berlalunya tahun 2016 tidak lama lagi. Benarlah sebagaimana yang disebutkan oleh Ketua Audit Negara mengenai 1MDB bahawa tahap pematuhan (compliance) dengan tadbir urus korporatnya adalah di tahap paling lemah.
13.Isu ketiga yang saya ingin bangkitkan di Dewan yang mulia ini ialah tentang kedudukan kewangan kerajaan yang semakin meruncing dan ketahanan ekonomi negara yang kian lemah.
14.Jelas, bajet untuk tahun hadapan dibentangkan dalam keadaan hasil kerajaan merosot hampir 10 peratus yang sebahagian besarnya disebabkan oleh kejatuhan harga minyak dunia. Purata harga minyak dunia telah jatuh daripada US$100 setong pada tahun 2014 kepada kira-kira US$52 pada tahun 2015, dan kini dengan purata kira-kira US$42. Akibat kemerosotan hasil kerajaan, defisit bajet negara kita telah meningkat kepada hampir 4 peratus pada bulan Ogos 2016. Begitu juga dengan hutang kerajaan yang semakin membebankan. Pada bulan Jun 2016, hutang kerajaan dilaporkan berjumlah RM655.7 bilion atau 53.2 peratus kepada KDNK. Jika diambil kira hutang 1MDB yang kini berjumlah lebih RM50 bilion, yang sebahagian besarnya dijamin oleh kerajaan, hutang kerajaan kepada KDNK adalah melebihi had 55 peratus yang ditetapkan.
15.Ini menunjukkan bahawa kedudukan kewangan kerajaan amat meruncing. Dengan bayaran faedah bagi hutang kerajaan meningkat daripada RM20.3 bilion pada tahun 2013 kepada RM28.9 bilion pada tahun 2017, kutipan cukai GST sebanyak RM30 bilion nampaknya akan habis digunakan untuk menampung bayaran faedah sahaja.
16.Malah, jika dilihat akan unjuran pendapatan tahun hadapan sekitar RM220 bilion, kerajaan mencadang akan membelanjakan sebanyak 97% daripada pendapatan negara untuk perbelanjaan mengurus. Ini amat merisaukan. Hanya lebih kurang RM5 billion sahaja yang ada untuk perbelanjaan pembangunan, maka dengan itu kerajaan terpaksa berhutang lagi sebanyak RM40 bilion untuk perbelanjaan pembangunan pada tahun hadapan.
17.Lebih merisaukan kita ialah ketahanan ekonomi Malaysia yang semakin lemah. Hutang isirumah telah meningkat secara mendadak daripada RM90 bilion pada tahun 1997 kepada RM847 bilion pada tahun 2015, iaitu pertumbuhan hutang sebanyak 841 peratus. Hari ini, hutang isirumah Malaysia mencecah 89.9 peratus kepada KDNK, iaitu antara yang tertinggi di Asia.
18.Saya bimbang dalam keadaan hutang kerajaan dan isirumah meningkat, rizab antarabangsa berkurangan, nilai ringgit jatuh, harga komoditi rendah dan kadar inflasi tinggi, negara kita tidak mampu bertahan jika berlaku serangan sepekulasi matawang, na’uzubillahi min zalik. Ketika ringgit kita diserang pada tahun 1997 sekurang-kurangnya rizab antarabangsa kita masih kukuh, harga komoditi masih tinggi dan kerajaan mempunyai sumber kewangan yang mencukupi untuk melaksanakan langkah-langkah rangsangan ekonomi dan mengeluarkan negara daripada krisis.
19.Malangnya, bajet 2017 yang dibentangkan oleh Malaysian Official One langsung tidak menunjukkan bahawa kerajaan serius serta mempunyai pelan yang jelas untuk memulihkan ekonomi negara dan mempersiapkan Malaysia bagi menghadapi sebarang kemungkinan buruk yang akan berlaku akibat ketahanan ekonomi negara yang lemah.
Tuan Yang di-Pertua,
20.Di awal ucapan saya tadi, saya menyebut tentang isu 1MDB. Mungkin ada yang mempersoalkan mengapa saya membangkitkan isu ini. Apa kaitannya dengan bajet? Apa kaitannya dengan kepentingan rakyat?
21.Kaitannya dengan bajet adalah jelas. RM53 bilion hutang 1MDB kini ditanggung oleh kerajaan. Tetapi malangnya, Malaysian Official One tidak menjelaskan secara terperinci bagaimana hutang piutang ini hendak dibayar oleh kerajaan.
22.Persoalannya, adakah kerajaan mempunyai sumber kewangan yang mencukupi untuk melunaskan hutang piutang ini? Tentunya segala tanggungan ini perlu dilunaskan dengan menggunakan sumber dana kerajaan, iaitu sumber sama yang diagihkan kepada kementerian-kementerian dan agensi-agensi kerajaan dalam bajet yang dibentangkan. Apakah nantinya kementerian-kementerian akan menerima peruntukan yang lebih kecil berbanding apa yang dijanjikan di dalam bajet kerana kerajaan terpaksa menggunakan sumber yang sedia ada untuk membayar hutang piutang yang ditanggung akibat penyelewengan dan kepincangan dalam tadbir urus negara? Persoalan ini mesti dijelaskan oleh Malaysian Official One.
23.Isu 1MDB juga mempunyai kaitan langsung dengan rakyat. Saya berjumpa dengan orang ramai dan bertanya kepada mereka 1MDB ini milik siapa? Mereka jawab milik Najib. Ada yang jawab milik Rosmah. Saya kata salah! 1MDB milik rakyat! Kemudian saya bertanya, siapa akan membayar hutang 1MDB? Mereka jawab rakyat akan bayar!
24.Rakyat sebenarnya cerdik. Mereka tahu skandal 1MDB membawa padah secara langsung ke atas nasib mereka. Yang cuba menafikan hakikat ini hanyalah Menteri-Menteri, pegawai-pegawai JASA dan cybertroopers UMNO yang sememangnya diupah untuk berbohong dan menegakkan benang yang basah!
25.Selain itu, skandal 1MDB mempunyai kesan negatif ke atas nilai ringgit yang menjunam. Ya, banyak faktor yang mempengaruhi kenaikan atau kejatuhan nilai matawang, tetapi skandal 1MDB adalah salah satu fakor utama yang mempengaruhi sentimen pasaran terhadap ringgit. Walaupun dikatakan asas ekonomi kita kukuh, tetapi kehilangan keyakinan terhadap Malaysia akibat skandal 1MDB menyebabkan nilai ringgit jatuh ke paras yang lebih rendah. Pakar-pakar ekonomi mengatakan berdasarkan perkiraan asas ekonomi, nilai ringgit kita tidak sepatutnya melebihi RM3.50 berbanding US$1.00. Yang lebih daripada itu adalah sentimen.
26.Sebab itu rakyat merungut mengenai kenaikan harga barang. Saya pergi ke pasar bertanya seorang makcik apa yang beliau beli? Katanya tak banyak tapi harganya lebih mahal daripada dahulu. Kalau dahulu dengan wang RM50.00 sudah boleh membeli barang satu bakul, sekarang dengan nilai yang sama hanya separuh bakul sahaja yang mampu dibeli.
27.Ini sebenarnya adalah kesan daripada kejatuhan nilai ringgit. Banyak barang makanan seperti sayur-sayuran, buah-buahan, beras, daging, kelapa dan lain-lain yang diimport. Apabila nilai ringgit jatuh, maka harga barang-barang ini akan menjadi lebih mahal. Jadi mana boleh dikatakan masalah 1MDB tiada kesan kepada rakyat. Kerana sentimen pasaran yang negatif terhadap negara kitalah, yang sebahagian besarnya disebabkan oleh skandal 1MDB, nilai ringgit kita jatuh, harga barangan yang diimport menjadi lebih mahal dan rakyat menanggung beban kos sara hidup yang tinggi.
Tuan Yang di-Pertua,
28.Saya ingin mengucapkan tahniah juga kepada Perdana Menteri. Beliau pandai menggunakan sumber yang ada untuk membina persepsi bahawa semuanya berada dalam keadaan yang baik. Dengan izin, everything is okay! Cash is King! Banyak gula-gula diberikan kepada rakyat dalam Bajet 2017. Tetapi gula-gula ini manisnya hanya sementara. Ia umpama candu ekonomi untuk membuatkan orang khayal sebentar dibuai mimpi yang indah-indah. Sedangkan penyakit sebenar ekonomi negara kita tidak dirawat. Ubat yang pahit tidak diberikan untuk memulihkan ekonomi negara yang sedang tenat.
29.Pembentangan bajet pada tahun ini pun agak berlainan berbanding tahun-tahun sebelum ini. Ada grandstanding. Ada props. Biasanya grandstanding dan props digunakan untuk mencantikkan sesuatu yang sebenarnya tidak cantik. Ia sekadar suatu silap mata untuk menutup kelemahan dalam pengurusan ekonomi negara. Kos sara hidup meningkat, hutang negara bertimbun, perniagaan perlahan, syarikat membuang pekerja, pengangguran meningkat, perbelanjaan pengguna menurun, hasil kerajaan merosot, peruntukan untuk kementerian-kementerian dipotong, wang dalam khazanah negara lesap dan sumber kerajaan digunakan untuk membayar hutang.
30.Namum, dalam keadaan yang meruncing sebegini pun, kita berasa amat kesal kerana kerajaan masih mengambil sikap, dengan izin, “business as usual”. Perbelanjaan untuk kebajikan rakyat seperti biasiswa, perkhidmatan kesihatan dan subsidi barangan asas telah dipotong, namun gaji dan elaun Menteri kekal seperti biasa. Malah projek-projek mega yang hanya menguntungkan beberapa kerat kroni diteruskan tanpa diusik sedikit pun. Tiada pun disebut dengan jelas bagaimana kerajaan bercadang menjana peluang pekerjaan untuk mengatasi masalah kadar pengangguran semakin meningkat.
31.Baru-baru ini ketika para mahasiswa kita yang berada di dalam mahupun di luar negara keluh kesah kerana tidak menerima biasiswa seperti yang dijanjikan dan para pesakit terpaksa membayar sendiri kos perubatan di hospital-hospital kerajaan, Perdana Menteri dengan bangganya merasmikan projek pengindahan Taman Tugu Negara yang menelan belanja sebanyak RM650 juta. Nampaknya, kerajaan pimpinan Malaysian Official One ini lebih mementingkan pengindahan taman yang pastinya menguntungkan segelintir pihak daripada nasib para pelajar dan pesakit di negara kita yang amat memerlukan bantuan kerajaan.
32.Kerajaan juga nampaknya langsung tidak prihatin dengan masalah kos sara hidup rakyat. Ketika rakyat mengharapkan bantuan kerajaan untuk meringankan beban yang ditanggung, kerajaan sebaliknya menghapuskan subsidi minyak masak yang pastinya akan menyebabkan harga makanan meningkat dan menambah beban kos sara hidup rakyat. Sedangkan isu sebenar iaitu masalah ketirisan dalam pengagihan subsidi kerajaan tidak diatasi dengan baik. Misalnya, kerajaan menanggung kerugian sebanyak RM540 juta setahun akibat kegiatan penyeludupan minyak masak yang gagal dibendung oleh pihak berkuasa.
33.Ini tidak termasuk ketirisan-ketirisan lain. Berdasarkan kajian yang dibuat ke atas Laporan Tahunan Ketua Audit Negara, kerajaan mengalami kerugian antara RM23 bilion hingga RM40 billion setahun disebabkan kelemahan dalam penguatkuasaan dan gejala rasuah dan penyelewengan yang berleluasa.
34.Kita juga sedang berhadapan dengan pertumbuhan ekonomi yang semakin perlahan yang sebahagian besarnya disebabkan oleh persekitaran luaran yang lemah dan keyakinan terhadap ekonomi domestik yang merosot teruk. Dalam keadaan ini, fokus seharusnya diberikan kepada usaha untuk merangsang permintaan domestik. Ini bermakna, peruntukan perlu diberikan kepada sektor-sektor yang mewujudkan peluang pekerjaan, dan pada masa yang sama menghasilkan aliran masuk pertukaran asing. Elaun pelaburan semula bagi sektor-sektor ini perlu diperkenalkan dan projek-projek yang mempunyai kandungan import yang tinggi boleh ditangguhkan.
35.Nasib pekerja boleh dilindungi dengan memperkenalkan skim insurans pengangguran. Laporan Bank Negara Malaysia menunjukkan hanya 1 daripada 10 rakyat Malaysia boleh menyara hidup lebih daripada 6 bulan jika mereka kehilangan pendapatan utama. Kos sara hidup juga boleh dikurangkan dengan mengurangkan kos barangan makanan. Antara langkah sementara yang boleh diambil ialah menghapuskan GST untuk barangan runcit tertentu seperti susu tepung, kicap, sos cili dan barangan asas yang lain. Untuk mengurangkan beban kos perubatan, terutamanya bagi penyakit kritikal, kerajaan boleh mempertimbangkan pengeluaran wang simpanan Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) untuk membeli insuran perubatan.
36.Inilah antara langkah-langkah yang sepatutnya diambil oleh kerajaan, bukannya menyuruh graduan yang telah melabur puluhan ribu ringgit untuk mendapatkan segulung ijazah menjual nasik lemak, ataupun rakyat berkerja siang dan malam sebagai pemandu Uber. Ini bukanlah penyelesaian yang rakyat harapkan daripada kerajaan. Tanpa disuruh oleh kerajaan pun mereka mungkin akan melakukan kedua-dua perkara ini untuk memperolehi rezeki yang halal dan menyara kehidupan.
Tuan Yang di-Pertua,
37.Bajet yang dibentangkan oleh kerajaan bukanlah satu bajet yang realistik. Ia langsung tidak memenuhi kehendak rakyat dari segi keperluan menangani kos sara hidup yang semakin meningkat. Ia juga tidak mengandungi satu perancangan yang jelas untuk merangsang pertumbuhan ekonomi negara, mewujudkan peluang-peluang pekerjaan baharu dan menambahkan pendapatan rakyat. Peruntukan kepada kementerian-kementerian yang bertanggungjawab menyampaikan perkhidmatan-perkhidmatan utama kepada rakyat seperti pendidikan dan kesihatan dipotong. Isu tadbirurus ekonomi (economic governance) tidak ditangani dengan baik sehingga menjejaskan keyakinan pelabur dan rakyat terhadap ekonomi negara.
38.Sebaliknya, pada pandangan saya, bajet 2017 hanya sarat dengan gula-gula politik sekadar untuk menutup segala kelemahan dan kepincangan Malaysian Official One yang telah mencuri dan merompak khazanah negara.
Terima kasih.
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ENGLISH VERSION
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2017 BUDGET SPEECH DEBATE
YB Tan Sri Dato 'Hj Muhyiddin Hj Mohd Yassin
PAGOH Member of Parliament
Mr. Speaker,
1. Thank you for the opportunity given to me to take part in this debate on 2017 Budget. I am taking this opportunity to touch on some basic issues related to the budget and national economic management.
2. Firstly on economic governance. Touching on this matter, I cannot avoid but harping on this issue that has been very disturbing to us until today, that is the issue of 1MDB.
3. I used to sit over there but today, I am standing on this side because I am going to talk about nothing else, but 1MDB. I have always doubted the reasons for the setting up of 1MDB by the Prime Minister who then became the Chairman of the Board of Advisors. I have been questioning why 1MDB, with a start-up capital of RM1 million, is now facing a liability of up to RM42 billion due to losses and loss of money without any unknown reason. At the end of it, 1MDB is facing the problem of a very bad cash liquidity that it just cannot pay back its massive loans. I have also asked where has the 1MDB money gone to and how that staggering RM2.6 billion could make its way into the personal account of Malaysian Official One?
4. There were just too many things that I raised about this 1MDB scandal when I was in the government. I did not agree with the Prime Minister in almost all the cases involving 1MDB. While in the cabinet, I rejected the so-called 1MDB rationalization plan to resolve the massive outstanding debts accumulated through the sale of assets which were acquired cheaply from the government because I believed that there were those hidden elements that could not be explained clearly. The plan was not carried out by independent experts but it was provided internally by the Ministry of Finance. So, it was as if Malaysian Official One wanted to hide important facts about 1MDB irregularities from being discovered by others.
5. In fact, after a cabinet meeting, I contacted the former Attorney-General and asked him whether it was appropriate for the cabinet to decide on the 1MDB restructuring plan. Was it not the responsibility of the 1MDB’s Board of Directors? The Attorney-General agreed with my view and then the cabinet’s decision was changed from one that passed the 1MDB rationalization plan into one that the proposal had been taken note of. It is now proven that my advice on 1MDB rationalisation plan as tabled by Tambun Member of Parliament as the Minister of Finance II at that time based on what was approved by the entire cabinet members was not done, and what is happening today is entirely different from what that should have been done.
6. Similarly, when the cabinet was asked to approve the financing of RM3 billion to 1MDB to repay the loan interests, I felt very uncomfortable with that decision. When 1MDB was formed, the cabinet was not at all informed. The loss of billions of ringgit was not reported to the cabinet. But now when the company was struggling to pay off the debts, only then the prime minister sought for a large sum of money from the government. That is a very irresponsible act and very much against the principles of good economic governance. No transparency, no accountability. I totally disagreed with such an action. Finally, the decision to approve the financing of RM3 billion to 1MDB was converted into standby credit of RM950 million.
7. In the end, with the 1MDB problem worsening, the government had to bear all the debts of 1MDB which originally amounted to RM42 billion, and up to last year, it had increased to RM53 billion. This staggering sum will increase from time to time, with interest that must be paid. This is a great loss to the people because the people's monies have to be used to pay 1MDB’s debts. Is it fair for the rakyat to bear the burden of the debts when the 1MDB money was stolen and misused arbitrarily by Malaysian Official One and his minions to entertain themselves and to live in luxury?
8. I pray that Malaysian Official One is given guidance by Allah to admit his mistakes, apologize and perform Taubat Nasuha for all the evils and wrongdoings he has committed. Rakyat who has dignity must not sit back and tolerate all those wrongdoings and evils. In fact, it becomes the responsibility of all of us to fight all those wrongdoings and make changes. As Prophet Muhammad S.A.W said in a sahih hadith:
Which means:
Whoever sees denials/disavowals, then change it with his hand (by way of using his power), if he cannot afford it, then change it through verbal means, if he is still incapable of doing it, then (change) by his heart, and that is the weakest of faith.
(Barangsiapa yang melihat kemungkaran, maka ubahlah ia dengan tangannya (yakni kuasa), jika tidak mampu maka (ubahlah) dengan lisannya, jika tidak mampu maka (ubahlah) dengan hatinya, dan itu adalah selemah-lemah iman.)
9. Secondly, on the position of important national institutions such as the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Bank Negara Malaysia and the Royal Malaysian Police which has been dysfunctional. These institutions have been abused by Malaysian Official One to protect the biggest criminal offences that he has committed. An Attorney-General was fired, the MACC officers were transferred and forced to go on retirement, the Governor of the Federal Bank was threatened and the Inspector-General of Police failed to carry out the mandate entrusted to him.
10. The integrity of these institutions has always been questioned. When foreign authorities are taking legal action against those parties involved in money-laundering activities that are directly related to 1MDB, in Malaysia, on the contrary, it is like nothing has happened. In the United States, the Attorney-General had filed a summons against individuals connected to 1MDB, including the stepson of Najib Razak. The Attorney-General of the United States had found strong evidence of kleptocracy criminal act the biggest in the world’s history, involving the loss of billions amounting to at least US $ 3.5 billion, or RM28 billion. In Singapore, several banks had been closed down for involvement in money laundering activities associated with 1MDB. In Switzerland, the country's financial authorities had identified several banks which had violated the laws on money laundering associated with 1MDB transactions. All of them are focusing on 1MDB scandal in which the Chairman of the Board of Advisors is the Prime Minister.
11. But in Malaysia, nothing seems to have taken place. Why the silence? The probes into wrongdoings by those who are directly involved in 1MDB scandal do not seem to be carried out! No action has been taken against former CEO Shahrul Halmi. There are no investigations against the Chairman and Board Members who have quit, and they are scot-free. No one is fired or brought to court for the wrongdoings they have committed. Only one thing is clear - that all these wrongdoings seem to have been approved by the Prime Minister. The new Attorney-General has not found any evidence to prosecute anyone involved in the 1MDB scandal. Although there is evidence of SRC International’s RM42 million monies placed in the account of the Prime Minister, but the Attorney-General finds that the Prime Minister has not committed any act of crimes. Weird and very strange, indeed! If one Ringgit Malaysia of government-owned companies is found in the account of civil servants without any reasonable reasons, that is already regarded as corruption, and surprisingly, RM42 million were put into the account of the Prime Minister. How can the Attorney-General say that this not corruption? How damaging the Attorney-General’s Chambers could be under the tight grip of Malaysian Official One!
12. As I could recall, the government promised that all issues and problems of 1MDB will be resolved in 2016 as outlined in the 1MDB rationalization plan but now it remains a myth as 2016 will soon end. True to what the Auditor-General has said on 1MDB - that its level of compliance in corporate governance is at its weakest level.
13. The third issue I want to raise in this August House is on government's financial position which is worsening and the country's economic resilience which is getting increasingly weak.
14. Clearly, this next year’s budget is set out amidst the government's declining revenue of nearly 10 percent which is largely due to the fall in the world oil prices. The average world oil prices have fallen from US $ 100 per barrel in 2014 to about US $ 52 in 2015, and currently, it stands at an average of about US $ 42. As a result of the declining government revenues, our national budget deficit has gone up to almost 4 per cent in August 2016. The same thing goes to the burgeoning national debts. In June 2016, it was reported that government debts stood at RM655.7 billion, or 53.2 per cent of GDP. If taken into account the 1MDB's debts which currently stand at more than RM50 billion which is largely guaranteed by the government, the government debts to GDP has now exceeded the prescribed limit of 55 per cent.
15. This clearly proves that the government's financial position is weakening. With the interest payment for government debts increasing from RM20.3 billion in 2013 to RM28.9 billion in 2017, it seems likely that the GST tax collection of RM30 billion will be used up to pay for the interests only!
16. In fact, looking at the projected revenue of about RM220 billion next year, the government is proposing to spend as much as 97% of the national income for management expenditures. This is very worrying. Only about RM5 billion is available to be spent for developments, then the government has to owe about RM40 billion for development expenditures next year.
17. What is making us more worried is the resilience of the Malaysian economy which is fast deteriorating. The household debt has risen sharply from RM90 billion in 1997 to RM847 billion in 2015, a growth of 841 per cent in debts. Today, Malaysia's household debt has reached 89.9 percent of GDP, said to be among the highest in Asia.
18. I am deeply concerned with the sharp increase in government and household debts, the decreasing international reserves, plunging value of the ringgit, low commodity prices and high inflation rate because our country will not survive in the case of speculative attacks on the currency, na'uzubillahi zalik min (I seek refuge from Allah). When our ringgit was attacked in 1997, our international reserves at that time were still strong, the commodity prices were still high and the government had sufficient financial resources to implement economic stimulus measures to take the country out of the crisis.
19. Unfortunately, the 2017 budget presented by Malaysian Official One does not indicate that the government is serious and has clear plans to revive the economy, or prepare the country for any eventualities that will happen due to weakening economic resilience.
Mr. Speaker,
20. At the beginning of my speech, I mentioned about 1MDB. Some may question as to why I raised this issue. What has it got to do with the budget? What has it got to do with the interest of the rakyat?
21. All these very much are interlinked with the budget. The 1MDB's RM53 billion debts are now being borne by the government. But unfortunately, Malaysian Official One does not explain in detail how the debts are to be paid by the government.
22. The question is whether the government has sufficient financial resources to pay off the debts? Of course, all these amortized liabilities should be paid using the financial resources of the government, the same fund distributed to government ministries and agencies as presented in the budget. Will the ministries be receiving a smaller portion of allocation unlike what has been promised in the budget as the government has to use the existing resources to pay the debts incurred as the result of irregularities and deficiencies in governance of the country? This issue must be clearly explained by Malaysian Official One.
23. The 1MDB issue directly involved the rakyat. I met people and asked them who owned 1MDB? There were those who said it is owned by Najib. And there were those who said it is owned by Rosmah. I told them they were wrong! 1MDB is ours, it is owned by the rakyat! Then I asked, who will pay the 1MDB debts? They said it is the rakyat who will have to pay up!
24. Actually, the rakyat are smart. They know the 1MDB scandal has very much affected their livelihood. Those who are still in denials are the ministers, JASA officers and UMNO cyber troopers who are paid to concoct lies and keep on telling lies.
25. Besides, the 1MDB scandal has a negative impact on the value of ringgit which continues to decline. Yes, many factors are influencing the appreciation or depreciation of the currency, but the 1MDB scandal is one of the main factors affecting the market sentiment for ringgit Malaysia. Although it is said that our economic fundamentals are strong but the loss of confidence in Malaysia as a result of 1MDB scandal has caused the ringgit to plunge to a lower level. Economic experts are saying that based on calculation of the economic fundamentals, the value of the ringgit should not have exceeded over RM3.50 compared to US $ 1.00. More than that, it is due to sentiments.
26. That is why people have been complaining about the rising price of goods. I went to a market and asked an auntie what were the goods that she had bought. She replied she just bought a few things as the prices were far more expensive than before. If in those years, with RM50 one could buy a basketful of goods, now, with the same value, he can only bring home a half basketful of items.
27. This is actually the effect from ringgit depreciation. Many foodstuffs such as vegetables, fruits, rice, meat, oil and others are imported. When the value of the ringgit fell, the prices of these goods will become more expensive. So, how could you say that the 1MDB problem has no effect on the rakyat? Because of the negative market sentiments towards our country which are mainly caused by the 1MDB scandal, the value of our ringgit fell and the prices of imported goods have become more expensive and the people have to bear the burden of the high cost of living.
Mr. Speaker,
28. I also wish to congratulate the Prime Minister. He has been very clever in making use of all available resources to build a perception that everything is just fine. Everything is okay! Cash is King! Many sweets are offered to the rakyat in the 2017 Budget. But the sweetness won’t last long. It is like an economic opium to make the people disillusioned and have sweet, beautiful dreams. The real disease is our economy which is not being treated. A bitter medicine is not prescribed to revive the ailing economy.
29. This year’s tabling of the budget is rather different than past years. There is grandstanding. There are props. Usually, grandstanding and props are utilized to beautify something that is actually ugly. It's just a trick to camouflage weaknesses and loopholes in the management of the national economy. The cost of living has risen, national debts piling up, business is slow, companies laying off workers, unemployment increasing, consumer spending is decreasing, government revenue is declining, allocations for ministries being cut, money in the national treasures has disappeared and government resources are being used to pay off the debts.
30. Despite this critical situation, we are very frustrated that the government still adopts “business as usual” attitude. The expenses meant for the welfare of the people such as scholarships, health services and basic goods subsidies have been cut but the salaries and allowances of the Ministers remain untouched. Even mega-projects that only benefit a handful of cronies continue to take shape. There is no clear explanation on how the government plans to generate employment opportunities to overcome the growing rate of unemployment.
31. Recently, when our students in and out the country were feeling restless as they did not receive the scholarships as promised and patients had to fork out their own money to pay for the medical cost at government hospitals, the Prime Minister, unashamedly, officiated the Taman Tugu Negara beautification project at a cost of RM650 million. Apparently, the government of Malaysian Official One is more concerned about the beautification of the park which certainly favours a few people from the fate of students and patients in our country who are in dire need of government assistance.
32. The Government does not seem to be concerned with the problem of the high cost of living burdening the rakyat. When people are expecting the government to step in to help ease their burdens, the government, on the other hand, abolishes the subsidy for cooking oil which certainly will cause the prices of food items to soar, thus increasing the burden of the people due to higher cost of living. The real issues, namely the problem of leakages in the distribution of government subsidies, on the other hand, have not been addressed properly. For instance, the government incurred losses of RM540 million a year due to smuggling of cooking oil that is still not contained by the authorities.
33. This does not include other leakages. Based on a study done on the Annual Report of the Auditor-General, the government suffered losses of between RM23 billion and RM40 billion a year due to weaknesses in enforcement, widespread corruption and malpractices.
34. We are also facing with a slow economic growth, largely due to weak external environment and confidence in the domestic economy which is weakening. In this situation, focus should be given to efforts to stimulate domestic demand. This means that allocations should be given to sectors that can create jobs and at the same time, able to generate foreign exchange inflows. Reinvestment allowances for these sectors should be introduced while projects with high import content be delayed.
35. The fate of the workers can be protected by introducing an unemployment insurance scheme. A Bank Negara Report showed only 1 out of 10 Malaysians could make a living for more than six months if they lost their main income. The cost of living can also be reduced by reducing the cost of food items. Some temporary measures that can be taken are abolishing the GST on certain grocery items such as milk powder, soy sauce, chili sauce and other essential items. In reducing high medical cost, especially for critical illnesses, the government can consider allowing the withdrawal of the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) for the purchase of medical insurance.
36. These are the steps that should be taken by the government, not telling those graduates who have invested tens of thousands of ringgit to get a degree, to sell nasi lemak, or people working day and night to be Uber drivers. This is not a solution that people expect from the government. Without being asked by the government, they probably will do both things in order to obtain permissible sustenance for their livelihood.
Mr. Speaker,
37. The budget presented by the government is not realistic. It does not meet the requirements of the rakyat in terms of the needs to deal with the high cost of living. It also does not have clear plans on how to stimulate economic growth, create opportunities for new jobs and increase the income of the people. The allocations for the ministries responsible in delivering key services to the people such as education and health, are cut. The issue of economic governance is not well addressed, thus affecting the confidence of investors and people towards the country's economy.
38. My view on this 2017 budget is that it is just full of “political candies” to cover up all weaknesses and shortcomings of Malaysian Official One who has stolen and robbed our national treasure.
Thank You.
YB TAN SRI DATO’ HJ MUHYIDDIN HJ MOHD YASSIN
AHLI PARLIMEN PAGOH
Tuan Yang di-Pertua,
1.Saya mengucapkan terima kasih di atas peluang yang diberikan kepada saya untuk mengambi bahagian dalam perbahasan Bajet 2017. Saya mengambil peluang ini untuk menyentuh beberapa perkara asas berkaitan dengan bajet dan pengurusan ekonomi negara.
2.Pertamanya ialah mengenai tadbirurus ekonomi (economic governance). Bercakap mengenai soal ini, saya tidak dapat lari daripada menyentuh satu isu yang amat menggelisahkan kita hari ini iaitu isu 1MDB.
3.Dahulu saya duduk di sebelah sana dan hari ini saya berdiri di sebelah sini pun kerana saya bercakap mengenai isu 1MDB. Saya meragui kewajaran Perdana Menteri menubuhkan 1MDB dan menjadi Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihatnya. Saya mempersoalkan mengapa 1MDB yang bermodal hanya RM1 juta tetapi menanggung liabiliti sehingga RM42 bilion disebabkan kerugian dan kehilangan wang yang tidak diketahui sebabnya. Akhirnya 1MDB menghadapi masalah kecairan wang tunai yang teruk sehingga tidak dapat membayar hutang piutangnya. Saya juga bertanya ke mana wang 1MDB lesap dan bagaimana sejumlah RM2.6 billion dijumpai dalam akaun peribadi Malaysian Official One?
4.Banyak perkara yang saya bangkitkan mengenai skandal 1MDB ketika saya masih di dalam kerajaan. Saya tidak bersetuju dengan Perdana Menteri hampir dalam semua perkara yang melibatkan 1MDB. Semasa di dalam kerajaan saya menolak pelan rasionalisasi 1MDB untuk menyelesaikan hutang-hutang yang bertimbun menerusi penjualan aset-asetnya yang diperolehi dengan harga yang murah daripada kerajaan kerana saya percaya ada elemen-elemen terselindung yang tidak dijelaskan dengan nyata. Pelan tersebut tidak dibuat oleh pihak pakar yang bebas, tetapi disediakan secara dalaman sahaja oleh Kementerian Kewangan. Seolahnya Malaysian Official One ingin menyembunyikan fakta-fakta penting mengenai penyelewengan 1MDB daripada diketahui oleh pihak lain.
5.Malah, selepas mesyuarat kabinet saya menghubungi mantan Peguam Negara dan bertanyakan beliau adakah wajar kabinet memutuskan pelan penstrukturan semula 1MDB. Bukankah itu tanggungjawab Lembaga Pengarah 1MDB? Peguam Negara bersetuju dengan pandangan saya dan kemudiannya keputusan kabinet ditukar daripada meluluskan pelan rasionalisasi 1MDB kepada mengambil maklum sahaja tentang cadangan tersebut. Jelas terbukti sekarang bahawa teguran saya terhadap pelan rasionalisasi 1MDB yang dibentangkan oleh Ahli Parlimen Tambun sebagai Menteri Kewangan II pada ketika itu adalah berasas bilaman apa yang diluluskan oleh Jemaah Menteri tidak dilaksanakan malahan apa yang berlaku hari ini berlainan sekali dari apa yang sepatutnya dilaksanakan.
6.Begitu juga apabila kabinet diminta meluluskan pembiayaan sebanyak RM3 bilion kepada 1MDB untuk membayar faedah pinjamannya. Saya berasa amat tidak selesa dengan keputusan itu. Bilamana syarikat 1MDB ditubuh, kabinet langsung tidak dirujuk. Kehilangan wang berbilion ringgit pun tidak tidak dilapor kepada kabinet. Tetapi apabila syarikat ini menghadapi masalah untuk membayar hutang, barulah Perdana Menteri merujuk kepada kabinet untuk meminta sejumlah wang yang besar daripada kerajaan. Ini suatu tindakan yang amat tidak bertanggungjawab dan bertentangan dengan prinsip tadbirurus ekonomi yang baik. Tiada ketelusan dan akuntabiliti. Saya amat tidak bersetuju dengan tindakan itu. Akhirnya, keputusan untuk meluluskan pembiayaan sebanyak RM3 bilion kepada 1MDB ditukar kepada kredit tersedia sebanyak RM950 juta.
7.Akhirnya, apabila masalah 1MDB menjadi semakin parah, kerajaan terpaksa menanggung semua hutang-piutang 1MDB yang asalnya berjumlah RM42 bilion dan sehingga tahun lalu meningkat kepada RM53 bilion. Jumlah ini akan meningkat dari masa ke semasa apabila ditambah faedah yang mesti dibayar. Ini adalah satu kerugian yang amat besar kepada rakyat kerana wang rakyat terpaksa digunakan untuk membayar hutang 1MDB. Adakah wajar rakyat menanggung beban hutang sedangkan wang 1MDB telah dicuri dan disalahgunakan sewenang-wenangnya oleh Malaysian Official One dan konco-konconya untuk berfoya-foya dan bermewah?
8.Saya berdoa semoga Malaysian Official One diberikan hidayah oleh Allah s.w.t. untuk mengakui kesilapannya, memohon maaf dan bertaubat nasuha di atas segala kemungkaran yang dilakukan. Rakyat yang bermaruah pastinya tidak akan bertolak ansur dengan kemungkaran. Malah adalah menjadi tanggungjawab kita semua untuk melawan dan mengubah kemungkaran. Sepertimana sabda Rasulullah s.a.w dalam sebuah hadith sahih:
Yang bermaksud:
Barangsiapa yang melihat kemungkaran, maka ubahlah ia dengan tangannya (yakni kuasa), jika tidak mampu maka (ubahlah) dengan lisannya, jika tidak mampu maka (ubahlah) dengan hatinya, dan itu adalah selemah-lemah iman.
9.Keduanya ialah tentang institusi-institusi penting negara seperti Jabatan Peguam Negara, Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia dan Polis DiRaja Malaysia yang gagal berfungsi atau menjadi, dengan izin, dysfunctional. Institusi-institusi ini telah disalahgunakan oleh Malaysian Official One untuk melindungi kesalahan jenayah besar yang telah dilakukannya. Peguam Negara dipecat, pegawai-pegawai SPRM ditukar dan dibersarakan, Gabenor Bank Negara diugut dan Ketua Polis Negara telah gagal melaksanakan amanah.
10.Integriti institusi-institusi ini semakin dipersoalkan. Ketika pihak berkuasa di luar negara mengambil tindakan undang-undang ke atas pihak-pihak yang terlibat dalam kegiatan pengubahan wang haram yang ada kaitan langsung dengan 1MDB, di Malaysia seolahnya tiada apa yang berlaku. Di Amerika Syarikat, Peguam Negara memfailkan saman ke atas individu-individu yang dikaitakan dengan 1MDB, termasuk anak tiri Najib Razak. Peguam Negara Amerika Syarikat menemui bukti-bukti kukuh mengenai perlakuan jenayah kleptokrasi yang terbesar dalam sejarah dunia yang melibatkan kehilangan wang berjumlah sekurang-kurangnya US$3.5 bilion atau RM28 bilion. Di Singapura, beberapa buah bank ditutup kerana terlibat dalam kegiatan pengubahan wang haram yang ada kaitan dengan 1MDB. Di Switzerland, pihak berkuasa kewangan negara itu mendapati beberapa buah bank melanggar undang-undang mengenai pengubahan wang haram yang dikaitkan dengan transaksi 1MDB. Semuanya bertumpu kepada skandal 1MDB yang mana Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihatnya adalah Perdana Menteri.
11.Tetapi di Malaysia tiada apa yang berlaku. Kenapa senyap sunyi? Seolah-olah siasatan terhadap salahlaku oleh mereka yang terlibat secara langsung dalam skandal 1MDB tidak dikuatkuasakan! Siasatan terhadap bekas CEO Shahrul Halmi tidak diambil. Pengerusi dan Ahli Lembaga Pengarah yang berhenti tidak disiasat dan dilepaskan begitu saja. Tiada seorang pun dipecat atau dihadapkan ke mahkamah atas salahlaku yang dibuat oleh mereka. Yang nyata seolah-olah segala yang berlaku ini disahkan oleh Perdana Menteri. Peguam Negara yang baharu pun tidak menemui sebarang bukti untuk mendakwa sesiapapun yang terlibat dalam skandal 1MDB. Walaupun ada bukti RM42 juta wang SRC International masuk ke dalam akaun Perdana Menteri, tetapi Peguam Negara mendapati Perdana Menteri tidak melakukan apa-apa perbuatan jenayah. Pelik dan ajaib! Kalau seringgit pun duit syarikat milik kerajaan masuk ke dalam akaun penjawat awam tanpa ada sebab munasabah merupakan satu perbuatan rasuah, inikan pula RM42 juta masuk ke dalam akaun Perdana Menteri. Bagaimana Peguam Negara boleh mengatakan ini bukan perbuatan rasuah? Betapa rosaknya institusi Peguam Negara di bawah telunjuk Malaysian Official One!
12.Seingat saya janji kerajaan bahawa isu dan masalah 1MDB ini akan diselesaikan pada tahun 2016 sebagaimana yang dibuat dalam cadangan rasionalisasi 1MDB hanya merupakan khayalan yang tidak mampu dilaksanakan dengan berlalunya tahun 2016 tidak lama lagi. Benarlah sebagaimana yang disebutkan oleh Ketua Audit Negara mengenai 1MDB bahawa tahap pematuhan (compliance) dengan tadbir urus korporatnya adalah di tahap paling lemah.
13.Isu ketiga yang saya ingin bangkitkan di Dewan yang mulia ini ialah tentang kedudukan kewangan kerajaan yang semakin meruncing dan ketahanan ekonomi negara yang kian lemah.
14.Jelas, bajet untuk tahun hadapan dibentangkan dalam keadaan hasil kerajaan merosot hampir 10 peratus yang sebahagian besarnya disebabkan oleh kejatuhan harga minyak dunia. Purata harga minyak dunia telah jatuh daripada US$100 setong pada tahun 2014 kepada kira-kira US$52 pada tahun 2015, dan kini dengan purata kira-kira US$42. Akibat kemerosotan hasil kerajaan, defisit bajet negara kita telah meningkat kepada hampir 4 peratus pada bulan Ogos 2016. Begitu juga dengan hutang kerajaan yang semakin membebankan. Pada bulan Jun 2016, hutang kerajaan dilaporkan berjumlah RM655.7 bilion atau 53.2 peratus kepada KDNK. Jika diambil kira hutang 1MDB yang kini berjumlah lebih RM50 bilion, yang sebahagian besarnya dijamin oleh kerajaan, hutang kerajaan kepada KDNK adalah melebihi had 55 peratus yang ditetapkan.
15.Ini menunjukkan bahawa kedudukan kewangan kerajaan amat meruncing. Dengan bayaran faedah bagi hutang kerajaan meningkat daripada RM20.3 bilion pada tahun 2013 kepada RM28.9 bilion pada tahun 2017, kutipan cukai GST sebanyak RM30 bilion nampaknya akan habis digunakan untuk menampung bayaran faedah sahaja.
16.Malah, jika dilihat akan unjuran pendapatan tahun hadapan sekitar RM220 bilion, kerajaan mencadang akan membelanjakan sebanyak 97% daripada pendapatan negara untuk perbelanjaan mengurus. Ini amat merisaukan. Hanya lebih kurang RM5 billion sahaja yang ada untuk perbelanjaan pembangunan, maka dengan itu kerajaan terpaksa berhutang lagi sebanyak RM40 bilion untuk perbelanjaan pembangunan pada tahun hadapan.
17.Lebih merisaukan kita ialah ketahanan ekonomi Malaysia yang semakin lemah. Hutang isirumah telah meningkat secara mendadak daripada RM90 bilion pada tahun 1997 kepada RM847 bilion pada tahun 2015, iaitu pertumbuhan hutang sebanyak 841 peratus. Hari ini, hutang isirumah Malaysia mencecah 89.9 peratus kepada KDNK, iaitu antara yang tertinggi di Asia.
18.Saya bimbang dalam keadaan hutang kerajaan dan isirumah meningkat, rizab antarabangsa berkurangan, nilai ringgit jatuh, harga komoditi rendah dan kadar inflasi tinggi, negara kita tidak mampu bertahan jika berlaku serangan sepekulasi matawang, na’uzubillahi min zalik. Ketika ringgit kita diserang pada tahun 1997 sekurang-kurangnya rizab antarabangsa kita masih kukuh, harga komoditi masih tinggi dan kerajaan mempunyai sumber kewangan yang mencukupi untuk melaksanakan langkah-langkah rangsangan ekonomi dan mengeluarkan negara daripada krisis.
19.Malangnya, bajet 2017 yang dibentangkan oleh Malaysian Official One langsung tidak menunjukkan bahawa kerajaan serius serta mempunyai pelan yang jelas untuk memulihkan ekonomi negara dan mempersiapkan Malaysia bagi menghadapi sebarang kemungkinan buruk yang akan berlaku akibat ketahanan ekonomi negara yang lemah.
Tuan Yang di-Pertua,
20.Di awal ucapan saya tadi, saya menyebut tentang isu 1MDB. Mungkin ada yang mempersoalkan mengapa saya membangkitkan isu ini. Apa kaitannya dengan bajet? Apa kaitannya dengan kepentingan rakyat?
21.Kaitannya dengan bajet adalah jelas. RM53 bilion hutang 1MDB kini ditanggung oleh kerajaan. Tetapi malangnya, Malaysian Official One tidak menjelaskan secara terperinci bagaimana hutang piutang ini hendak dibayar oleh kerajaan.
22.Persoalannya, adakah kerajaan mempunyai sumber kewangan yang mencukupi untuk melunaskan hutang piutang ini? Tentunya segala tanggungan ini perlu dilunaskan dengan menggunakan sumber dana kerajaan, iaitu sumber sama yang diagihkan kepada kementerian-kementerian dan agensi-agensi kerajaan dalam bajet yang dibentangkan. Apakah nantinya kementerian-kementerian akan menerima peruntukan yang lebih kecil berbanding apa yang dijanjikan di dalam bajet kerana kerajaan terpaksa menggunakan sumber yang sedia ada untuk membayar hutang piutang yang ditanggung akibat penyelewengan dan kepincangan dalam tadbir urus negara? Persoalan ini mesti dijelaskan oleh Malaysian Official One.
23.Isu 1MDB juga mempunyai kaitan langsung dengan rakyat. Saya berjumpa dengan orang ramai dan bertanya kepada mereka 1MDB ini milik siapa? Mereka jawab milik Najib. Ada yang jawab milik Rosmah. Saya kata salah! 1MDB milik rakyat! Kemudian saya bertanya, siapa akan membayar hutang 1MDB? Mereka jawab rakyat akan bayar!
24.Rakyat sebenarnya cerdik. Mereka tahu skandal 1MDB membawa padah secara langsung ke atas nasib mereka. Yang cuba menafikan hakikat ini hanyalah Menteri-Menteri, pegawai-pegawai JASA dan cybertroopers UMNO yang sememangnya diupah untuk berbohong dan menegakkan benang yang basah!
25.Selain itu, skandal 1MDB mempunyai kesan negatif ke atas nilai ringgit yang menjunam. Ya, banyak faktor yang mempengaruhi kenaikan atau kejatuhan nilai matawang, tetapi skandal 1MDB adalah salah satu fakor utama yang mempengaruhi sentimen pasaran terhadap ringgit. Walaupun dikatakan asas ekonomi kita kukuh, tetapi kehilangan keyakinan terhadap Malaysia akibat skandal 1MDB menyebabkan nilai ringgit jatuh ke paras yang lebih rendah. Pakar-pakar ekonomi mengatakan berdasarkan perkiraan asas ekonomi, nilai ringgit kita tidak sepatutnya melebihi RM3.50 berbanding US$1.00. Yang lebih daripada itu adalah sentimen.
26.Sebab itu rakyat merungut mengenai kenaikan harga barang. Saya pergi ke pasar bertanya seorang makcik apa yang beliau beli? Katanya tak banyak tapi harganya lebih mahal daripada dahulu. Kalau dahulu dengan wang RM50.00 sudah boleh membeli barang satu bakul, sekarang dengan nilai yang sama hanya separuh bakul sahaja yang mampu dibeli.
27.Ini sebenarnya adalah kesan daripada kejatuhan nilai ringgit. Banyak barang makanan seperti sayur-sayuran, buah-buahan, beras, daging, kelapa dan lain-lain yang diimport. Apabila nilai ringgit jatuh, maka harga barang-barang ini akan menjadi lebih mahal. Jadi mana boleh dikatakan masalah 1MDB tiada kesan kepada rakyat. Kerana sentimen pasaran yang negatif terhadap negara kitalah, yang sebahagian besarnya disebabkan oleh skandal 1MDB, nilai ringgit kita jatuh, harga barangan yang diimport menjadi lebih mahal dan rakyat menanggung beban kos sara hidup yang tinggi.
Tuan Yang di-Pertua,
28.Saya ingin mengucapkan tahniah juga kepada Perdana Menteri. Beliau pandai menggunakan sumber yang ada untuk membina persepsi bahawa semuanya berada dalam keadaan yang baik. Dengan izin, everything is okay! Cash is King! Banyak gula-gula diberikan kepada rakyat dalam Bajet 2017. Tetapi gula-gula ini manisnya hanya sementara. Ia umpama candu ekonomi untuk membuatkan orang khayal sebentar dibuai mimpi yang indah-indah. Sedangkan penyakit sebenar ekonomi negara kita tidak dirawat. Ubat yang pahit tidak diberikan untuk memulihkan ekonomi negara yang sedang tenat.
29.Pembentangan bajet pada tahun ini pun agak berlainan berbanding tahun-tahun sebelum ini. Ada grandstanding. Ada props. Biasanya grandstanding dan props digunakan untuk mencantikkan sesuatu yang sebenarnya tidak cantik. Ia sekadar suatu silap mata untuk menutup kelemahan dalam pengurusan ekonomi negara. Kos sara hidup meningkat, hutang negara bertimbun, perniagaan perlahan, syarikat membuang pekerja, pengangguran meningkat, perbelanjaan pengguna menurun, hasil kerajaan merosot, peruntukan untuk kementerian-kementerian dipotong, wang dalam khazanah negara lesap dan sumber kerajaan digunakan untuk membayar hutang.
30.Namum, dalam keadaan yang meruncing sebegini pun, kita berasa amat kesal kerana kerajaan masih mengambil sikap, dengan izin, “business as usual”. Perbelanjaan untuk kebajikan rakyat seperti biasiswa, perkhidmatan kesihatan dan subsidi barangan asas telah dipotong, namun gaji dan elaun Menteri kekal seperti biasa. Malah projek-projek mega yang hanya menguntungkan beberapa kerat kroni diteruskan tanpa diusik sedikit pun. Tiada pun disebut dengan jelas bagaimana kerajaan bercadang menjana peluang pekerjaan untuk mengatasi masalah kadar pengangguran semakin meningkat.
31.Baru-baru ini ketika para mahasiswa kita yang berada di dalam mahupun di luar negara keluh kesah kerana tidak menerima biasiswa seperti yang dijanjikan dan para pesakit terpaksa membayar sendiri kos perubatan di hospital-hospital kerajaan, Perdana Menteri dengan bangganya merasmikan projek pengindahan Taman Tugu Negara yang menelan belanja sebanyak RM650 juta. Nampaknya, kerajaan pimpinan Malaysian Official One ini lebih mementingkan pengindahan taman yang pastinya menguntungkan segelintir pihak daripada nasib para pelajar dan pesakit di negara kita yang amat memerlukan bantuan kerajaan.
32.Kerajaan juga nampaknya langsung tidak prihatin dengan masalah kos sara hidup rakyat. Ketika rakyat mengharapkan bantuan kerajaan untuk meringankan beban yang ditanggung, kerajaan sebaliknya menghapuskan subsidi minyak masak yang pastinya akan menyebabkan harga makanan meningkat dan menambah beban kos sara hidup rakyat. Sedangkan isu sebenar iaitu masalah ketirisan dalam pengagihan subsidi kerajaan tidak diatasi dengan baik. Misalnya, kerajaan menanggung kerugian sebanyak RM540 juta setahun akibat kegiatan penyeludupan minyak masak yang gagal dibendung oleh pihak berkuasa.
33.Ini tidak termasuk ketirisan-ketirisan lain. Berdasarkan kajian yang dibuat ke atas Laporan Tahunan Ketua Audit Negara, kerajaan mengalami kerugian antara RM23 bilion hingga RM40 billion setahun disebabkan kelemahan dalam penguatkuasaan dan gejala rasuah dan penyelewengan yang berleluasa.
34.Kita juga sedang berhadapan dengan pertumbuhan ekonomi yang semakin perlahan yang sebahagian besarnya disebabkan oleh persekitaran luaran yang lemah dan keyakinan terhadap ekonomi domestik yang merosot teruk. Dalam keadaan ini, fokus seharusnya diberikan kepada usaha untuk merangsang permintaan domestik. Ini bermakna, peruntukan perlu diberikan kepada sektor-sektor yang mewujudkan peluang pekerjaan, dan pada masa yang sama menghasilkan aliran masuk pertukaran asing. Elaun pelaburan semula bagi sektor-sektor ini perlu diperkenalkan dan projek-projek yang mempunyai kandungan import yang tinggi boleh ditangguhkan.
35.Nasib pekerja boleh dilindungi dengan memperkenalkan skim insurans pengangguran. Laporan Bank Negara Malaysia menunjukkan hanya 1 daripada 10 rakyat Malaysia boleh menyara hidup lebih daripada 6 bulan jika mereka kehilangan pendapatan utama. Kos sara hidup juga boleh dikurangkan dengan mengurangkan kos barangan makanan. Antara langkah sementara yang boleh diambil ialah menghapuskan GST untuk barangan runcit tertentu seperti susu tepung, kicap, sos cili dan barangan asas yang lain. Untuk mengurangkan beban kos perubatan, terutamanya bagi penyakit kritikal, kerajaan boleh mempertimbangkan pengeluaran wang simpanan Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) untuk membeli insuran perubatan.
36.Inilah antara langkah-langkah yang sepatutnya diambil oleh kerajaan, bukannya menyuruh graduan yang telah melabur puluhan ribu ringgit untuk mendapatkan segulung ijazah menjual nasik lemak, ataupun rakyat berkerja siang dan malam sebagai pemandu Uber. Ini bukanlah penyelesaian yang rakyat harapkan daripada kerajaan. Tanpa disuruh oleh kerajaan pun mereka mungkin akan melakukan kedua-dua perkara ini untuk memperolehi rezeki yang halal dan menyara kehidupan.
Tuan Yang di-Pertua,
37.Bajet yang dibentangkan oleh kerajaan bukanlah satu bajet yang realistik. Ia langsung tidak memenuhi kehendak rakyat dari segi keperluan menangani kos sara hidup yang semakin meningkat. Ia juga tidak mengandungi satu perancangan yang jelas untuk merangsang pertumbuhan ekonomi negara, mewujudkan peluang-peluang pekerjaan baharu dan menambahkan pendapatan rakyat. Peruntukan kepada kementerian-kementerian yang bertanggungjawab menyampaikan perkhidmatan-perkhidmatan utama kepada rakyat seperti pendidikan dan kesihatan dipotong. Isu tadbirurus ekonomi (economic governance) tidak ditangani dengan baik sehingga menjejaskan keyakinan pelabur dan rakyat terhadap ekonomi negara.
38.Sebaliknya, pada pandangan saya, bajet 2017 hanya sarat dengan gula-gula politik sekadar untuk menutup segala kelemahan dan kepincangan Malaysian Official One yang telah mencuri dan merompak khazanah negara.
Terima kasih.
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ENGLISH VERSION
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2017 BUDGET SPEECH DEBATE
YB Tan Sri Dato 'Hj Muhyiddin Hj Mohd Yassin
PAGOH Member of Parliament
Mr. Speaker,
1. Thank you for the opportunity given to me to take part in this debate on 2017 Budget. I am taking this opportunity to touch on some basic issues related to the budget and national economic management.
2. Firstly on economic governance. Touching on this matter, I cannot avoid but harping on this issue that has been very disturbing to us until today, that is the issue of 1MDB.
3. I used to sit over there but today, I am standing on this side because I am going to talk about nothing else, but 1MDB. I have always doubted the reasons for the setting up of 1MDB by the Prime Minister who then became the Chairman of the Board of Advisors. I have been questioning why 1MDB, with a start-up capital of RM1 million, is now facing a liability of up to RM42 billion due to losses and loss of money without any unknown reason. At the end of it, 1MDB is facing the problem of a very bad cash liquidity that it just cannot pay back its massive loans. I have also asked where has the 1MDB money gone to and how that staggering RM2.6 billion could make its way into the personal account of Malaysian Official One?
4. There were just too many things that I raised about this 1MDB scandal when I was in the government. I did not agree with the Prime Minister in almost all the cases involving 1MDB. While in the cabinet, I rejected the so-called 1MDB rationalization plan to resolve the massive outstanding debts accumulated through the sale of assets which were acquired cheaply from the government because I believed that there were those hidden elements that could not be explained clearly. The plan was not carried out by independent experts but it was provided internally by the Ministry of Finance. So, it was as if Malaysian Official One wanted to hide important facts about 1MDB irregularities from being discovered by others.
5. In fact, after a cabinet meeting, I contacted the former Attorney-General and asked him whether it was appropriate for the cabinet to decide on the 1MDB restructuring plan. Was it not the responsibility of the 1MDB’s Board of Directors? The Attorney-General agreed with my view and then the cabinet’s decision was changed from one that passed the 1MDB rationalization plan into one that the proposal had been taken note of. It is now proven that my advice on 1MDB rationalisation plan as tabled by Tambun Member of Parliament as the Minister of Finance II at that time based on what was approved by the entire cabinet members was not done, and what is happening today is entirely different from what that should have been done.
6. Similarly, when the cabinet was asked to approve the financing of RM3 billion to 1MDB to repay the loan interests, I felt very uncomfortable with that decision. When 1MDB was formed, the cabinet was not at all informed. The loss of billions of ringgit was not reported to the cabinet. But now when the company was struggling to pay off the debts, only then the prime minister sought for a large sum of money from the government. That is a very irresponsible act and very much against the principles of good economic governance. No transparency, no accountability. I totally disagreed with such an action. Finally, the decision to approve the financing of RM3 billion to 1MDB was converted into standby credit of RM950 million.
7. In the end, with the 1MDB problem worsening, the government had to bear all the debts of 1MDB which originally amounted to RM42 billion, and up to last year, it had increased to RM53 billion. This staggering sum will increase from time to time, with interest that must be paid. This is a great loss to the people because the people's monies have to be used to pay 1MDB’s debts. Is it fair for the rakyat to bear the burden of the debts when the 1MDB money was stolen and misused arbitrarily by Malaysian Official One and his minions to entertain themselves and to live in luxury?
8. I pray that Malaysian Official One is given guidance by Allah to admit his mistakes, apologize and perform Taubat Nasuha for all the evils and wrongdoings he has committed. Rakyat who has dignity must not sit back and tolerate all those wrongdoings and evils. In fact, it becomes the responsibility of all of us to fight all those wrongdoings and make changes. As Prophet Muhammad S.A.W said in a sahih hadith:
Which means:
Whoever sees denials/disavowals, then change it with his hand (by way of using his power), if he cannot afford it, then change it through verbal means, if he is still incapable of doing it, then (change) by his heart, and that is the weakest of faith.
(Barangsiapa yang melihat kemungkaran, maka ubahlah ia dengan tangannya (yakni kuasa), jika tidak mampu maka (ubahlah) dengan lisannya, jika tidak mampu maka (ubahlah) dengan hatinya, dan itu adalah selemah-lemah iman.)
9. Secondly, on the position of important national institutions such as the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Bank Negara Malaysia and the Royal Malaysian Police which has been dysfunctional. These institutions have been abused by Malaysian Official One to protect the biggest criminal offences that he has committed. An Attorney-General was fired, the MACC officers were transferred and forced to go on retirement, the Governor of the Federal Bank was threatened and the Inspector-General of Police failed to carry out the mandate entrusted to him.
10. The integrity of these institutions has always been questioned. When foreign authorities are taking legal action against those parties involved in money-laundering activities that are directly related to 1MDB, in Malaysia, on the contrary, it is like nothing has happened. In the United States, the Attorney-General had filed a summons against individuals connected to 1MDB, including the stepson of Najib Razak. The Attorney-General of the United States had found strong evidence of kleptocracy criminal act the biggest in the world’s history, involving the loss of billions amounting to at least US $ 3.5 billion, or RM28 billion. In Singapore, several banks had been closed down for involvement in money laundering activities associated with 1MDB. In Switzerland, the country's financial authorities had identified several banks which had violated the laws on money laundering associated with 1MDB transactions. All of them are focusing on 1MDB scandal in which the Chairman of the Board of Advisors is the Prime Minister.
11. But in Malaysia, nothing seems to have taken place. Why the silence? The probes into wrongdoings by those who are directly involved in 1MDB scandal do not seem to be carried out! No action has been taken against former CEO Shahrul Halmi. There are no investigations against the Chairman and Board Members who have quit, and they are scot-free. No one is fired or brought to court for the wrongdoings they have committed. Only one thing is clear - that all these wrongdoings seem to have been approved by the Prime Minister. The new Attorney-General has not found any evidence to prosecute anyone involved in the 1MDB scandal. Although there is evidence of SRC International’s RM42 million monies placed in the account of the Prime Minister, but the Attorney-General finds that the Prime Minister has not committed any act of crimes. Weird and very strange, indeed! If one Ringgit Malaysia of government-owned companies is found in the account of civil servants without any reasonable reasons, that is already regarded as corruption, and surprisingly, RM42 million were put into the account of the Prime Minister. How can the Attorney-General say that this not corruption? How damaging the Attorney-General’s Chambers could be under the tight grip of Malaysian Official One!
12. As I could recall, the government promised that all issues and problems of 1MDB will be resolved in 2016 as outlined in the 1MDB rationalization plan but now it remains a myth as 2016 will soon end. True to what the Auditor-General has said on 1MDB - that its level of compliance in corporate governance is at its weakest level.
13. The third issue I want to raise in this August House is on government's financial position which is worsening and the country's economic resilience which is getting increasingly weak.
14. Clearly, this next year’s budget is set out amidst the government's declining revenue of nearly 10 percent which is largely due to the fall in the world oil prices. The average world oil prices have fallen from US $ 100 per barrel in 2014 to about US $ 52 in 2015, and currently, it stands at an average of about US $ 42. As a result of the declining government revenues, our national budget deficit has gone up to almost 4 per cent in August 2016. The same thing goes to the burgeoning national debts. In June 2016, it was reported that government debts stood at RM655.7 billion, or 53.2 per cent of GDP. If taken into account the 1MDB's debts which currently stand at more than RM50 billion which is largely guaranteed by the government, the government debts to GDP has now exceeded the prescribed limit of 55 per cent.
15. This clearly proves that the government's financial position is weakening. With the interest payment for government debts increasing from RM20.3 billion in 2013 to RM28.9 billion in 2017, it seems likely that the GST tax collection of RM30 billion will be used up to pay for the interests only!
16. In fact, looking at the projected revenue of about RM220 billion next year, the government is proposing to spend as much as 97% of the national income for management expenditures. This is very worrying. Only about RM5 billion is available to be spent for developments, then the government has to owe about RM40 billion for development expenditures next year.
17. What is making us more worried is the resilience of the Malaysian economy which is fast deteriorating. The household debt has risen sharply from RM90 billion in 1997 to RM847 billion in 2015, a growth of 841 per cent in debts. Today, Malaysia's household debt has reached 89.9 percent of GDP, said to be among the highest in Asia.
18. I am deeply concerned with the sharp increase in government and household debts, the decreasing international reserves, plunging value of the ringgit, low commodity prices and high inflation rate because our country will not survive in the case of speculative attacks on the currency, na'uzubillahi zalik min (I seek refuge from Allah). When our ringgit was attacked in 1997, our international reserves at that time were still strong, the commodity prices were still high and the government had sufficient financial resources to implement economic stimulus measures to take the country out of the crisis.
19. Unfortunately, the 2017 budget presented by Malaysian Official One does not indicate that the government is serious and has clear plans to revive the economy, or prepare the country for any eventualities that will happen due to weakening economic resilience.
Mr. Speaker,
20. At the beginning of my speech, I mentioned about 1MDB. Some may question as to why I raised this issue. What has it got to do with the budget? What has it got to do with the interest of the rakyat?
21. All these very much are interlinked with the budget. The 1MDB's RM53 billion debts are now being borne by the government. But unfortunately, Malaysian Official One does not explain in detail how the debts are to be paid by the government.
22. The question is whether the government has sufficient financial resources to pay off the debts? Of course, all these amortized liabilities should be paid using the financial resources of the government, the same fund distributed to government ministries and agencies as presented in the budget. Will the ministries be receiving a smaller portion of allocation unlike what has been promised in the budget as the government has to use the existing resources to pay the debts incurred as the result of irregularities and deficiencies in governance of the country? This issue must be clearly explained by Malaysian Official One.
23. The 1MDB issue directly involved the rakyat. I met people and asked them who owned 1MDB? There were those who said it is owned by Najib. And there were those who said it is owned by Rosmah. I told them they were wrong! 1MDB is ours, it is owned by the rakyat! Then I asked, who will pay the 1MDB debts? They said it is the rakyat who will have to pay up!
24. Actually, the rakyat are smart. They know the 1MDB scandal has very much affected their livelihood. Those who are still in denials are the ministers, JASA officers and UMNO cyber troopers who are paid to concoct lies and keep on telling lies.
25. Besides, the 1MDB scandal has a negative impact on the value of ringgit which continues to decline. Yes, many factors are influencing the appreciation or depreciation of the currency, but the 1MDB scandal is one of the main factors affecting the market sentiment for ringgit Malaysia. Although it is said that our economic fundamentals are strong but the loss of confidence in Malaysia as a result of 1MDB scandal has caused the ringgit to plunge to a lower level. Economic experts are saying that based on calculation of the economic fundamentals, the value of the ringgit should not have exceeded over RM3.50 compared to US $ 1.00. More than that, it is due to sentiments.
26. That is why people have been complaining about the rising price of goods. I went to a market and asked an auntie what were the goods that she had bought. She replied she just bought a few things as the prices were far more expensive than before. If in those years, with RM50 one could buy a basketful of goods, now, with the same value, he can only bring home a half basketful of items.
27. This is actually the effect from ringgit depreciation. Many foodstuffs such as vegetables, fruits, rice, meat, oil and others are imported. When the value of the ringgit fell, the prices of these goods will become more expensive. So, how could you say that the 1MDB problem has no effect on the rakyat? Because of the negative market sentiments towards our country which are mainly caused by the 1MDB scandal, the value of our ringgit fell and the prices of imported goods have become more expensive and the people have to bear the burden of the high cost of living.
Mr. Speaker,
28. I also wish to congratulate the Prime Minister. He has been very clever in making use of all available resources to build a perception that everything is just fine. Everything is okay! Cash is King! Many sweets are offered to the rakyat in the 2017 Budget. But the sweetness won’t last long. It is like an economic opium to make the people disillusioned and have sweet, beautiful dreams. The real disease is our economy which is not being treated. A bitter medicine is not prescribed to revive the ailing economy.
29. This year’s tabling of the budget is rather different than past years. There is grandstanding. There are props. Usually, grandstanding and props are utilized to beautify something that is actually ugly. It's just a trick to camouflage weaknesses and loopholes in the management of the national economy. The cost of living has risen, national debts piling up, business is slow, companies laying off workers, unemployment increasing, consumer spending is decreasing, government revenue is declining, allocations for ministries being cut, money in the national treasures has disappeared and government resources are being used to pay off the debts.
30. Despite this critical situation, we are very frustrated that the government still adopts “business as usual” attitude. The expenses meant for the welfare of the people such as scholarships, health services and basic goods subsidies have been cut but the salaries and allowances of the Ministers remain untouched. Even mega-projects that only benefit a handful of cronies continue to take shape. There is no clear explanation on how the government plans to generate employment opportunities to overcome the growing rate of unemployment.
31. Recently, when our students in and out the country were feeling restless as they did not receive the scholarships as promised and patients had to fork out their own money to pay for the medical cost at government hospitals, the Prime Minister, unashamedly, officiated the Taman Tugu Negara beautification project at a cost of RM650 million. Apparently, the government of Malaysian Official One is more concerned about the beautification of the park which certainly favours a few people from the fate of students and patients in our country who are in dire need of government assistance.
32. The Government does not seem to be concerned with the problem of the high cost of living burdening the rakyat. When people are expecting the government to step in to help ease their burdens, the government, on the other hand, abolishes the subsidy for cooking oil which certainly will cause the prices of food items to soar, thus increasing the burden of the people due to higher cost of living. The real issues, namely the problem of leakages in the distribution of government subsidies, on the other hand, have not been addressed properly. For instance, the government incurred losses of RM540 million a year due to smuggling of cooking oil that is still not contained by the authorities.
33. This does not include other leakages. Based on a study done on the Annual Report of the Auditor-General, the government suffered losses of between RM23 billion and RM40 billion a year due to weaknesses in enforcement, widespread corruption and malpractices.
34. We are also facing with a slow economic growth, largely due to weak external environment and confidence in the domestic economy which is weakening. In this situation, focus should be given to efforts to stimulate domestic demand. This means that allocations should be given to sectors that can create jobs and at the same time, able to generate foreign exchange inflows. Reinvestment allowances for these sectors should be introduced while projects with high import content be delayed.
35. The fate of the workers can be protected by introducing an unemployment insurance scheme. A Bank Negara Report showed only 1 out of 10 Malaysians could make a living for more than six months if they lost their main income. The cost of living can also be reduced by reducing the cost of food items. Some temporary measures that can be taken are abolishing the GST on certain grocery items such as milk powder, soy sauce, chili sauce and other essential items. In reducing high medical cost, especially for critical illnesses, the government can consider allowing the withdrawal of the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) for the purchase of medical insurance.
36. These are the steps that should be taken by the government, not telling those graduates who have invested tens of thousands of ringgit to get a degree, to sell nasi lemak, or people working day and night to be Uber drivers. This is not a solution that people expect from the government. Without being asked by the government, they probably will do both things in order to obtain permissible sustenance for their livelihood.
Mr. Speaker,
37. The budget presented by the government is not realistic. It does not meet the requirements of the rakyat in terms of the needs to deal with the high cost of living. It also does not have clear plans on how to stimulate economic growth, create opportunities for new jobs and increase the income of the people. The allocations for the ministries responsible in delivering key services to the people such as education and health, are cut. The issue of economic governance is not well addressed, thus affecting the confidence of investors and people towards the country's economy.
38. My view on this 2017 budget is that it is just full of “political candies” to cover up all weaknesses and shortcomings of Malaysian Official One who has stolen and robbed our national treasure.
Thank You.
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