Since Merdeka, two million Malaysians have migrated overseas because
they do not see a future for themselves and for Malaysia. It is time
that we don't live in our past that is filled with hatred and fear. We
should look to the future filled with hope and harmony between all
Malaysians.
- To put the past behind us, we must stop the politics of race and religion.
- To put the past behind us, we must end corruption.
- To put the past behind us, we must abolish the suppression, oppression, repression of our basic human rights and freedoms.
- To put the past behind us, we must demand good governance and performance from our ministers.
To put the past behind us, we must stop the politics of race and religion.
Mengapakah kita terperangkap dalam permainan perkauman Barisan
Nasional yang cuba menakutan orang Melayu bahawa mereka akan kehilangan
hak mereka dan jawatan Perdana Menteri. Selagi kita mendukung
Perlembagaan Persekutuan, hak Melayu dan bumiputera terjamin
bersama-sama dengan hak sahih orang bukan Melayu. Sekiranya Pakatan
Rakyat menang, calon yang paling layak akan menjadi Perdana Menteri,
iaitu Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Jangan kita biarkan Barisan Nasional
terus memperalatkan isu perkauman anti-bukan-Melayu hanya untuk
mengekalkan kuasa. Adakah ini menguntungkan rakyat apabila BN tak mahu
jawab mana pergi RM52 bilion saham yang sepatutnya diberikan kepada
orang Melayu dan bumiputera miskin. Kita mesti faham bukan semua orang
Cina yang kaya. Sama juga, bukan semua orang Melayu yang miskin. Ada
ramai orang Melayu yang kaya macam Tan Sri Syed Mohktar dan Pengerusi
Eksekutif SYABAS Tan Sri Rozali Ismail. Mengapa minta rakyat Malaysia
berbangsa Cina balik China tetapi tak tanya sama menteri Cina yang
pernah pohon PR Australia.
Barisan Nasional akan menggunakan perkauman untuk menakutkan kita
kerana mereka sudah tiada isu lagi. Jangan kita menakutkan diri sendiri
dan terus menyokong sebuah kerajaan yg bersifat kroni & rasuah.
Hanya dengan perubahan kepada ketuanan rakyat dan bukan ketuanan UMNO
barulah kita boleh bebaskan diri daripada rasuah dan hidup bermaruah.
To attain peace Malaysians must stand united and reject those who
wish to divide us by preaching racial and religious hatred. If we want
to benefit from equal opportunities and realize our human potential we
must stop extremists from continually degrading others as inferiors so
as to uplift ourselves. Why should Allah not be allowed to be used in
the Bible when it is used in the Middle East?
We can only achieve harmony together. Despite our differences and
diversity, Malaysians can make our common aspirations of freedom,
justice, democracy and truth come true if we remember key values.
That it is not who we are that is important, but what we are that
is important; not the colour of our skin that is important but the
content of our character; and not our past ancestry that is important
but how we connect with the present and with each other to face the
future.
We can only be prosperous together. The time has come to focus on
the economy, in employment, education and business opportunities as the
conditions for prosperity. We must build human talent and be
performance-based.
For those who say that PR do not know how to govern, the 4 PR
states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan have proven our ability
by beating the other 10 BN states by attracting RM25 billion in
investments comprising 53% of Malaysia̢۪s total investments of RM47.2
billion in 2010. For the first time in history, Penang is now the new
champion of investments in Malaysia, coming out top in 2010 with RM 12.2
billion.
To put the past behind us, we must end corruption.
Tentang rasuah berapa banyak wang lagi yg kita nak hilang. Seorang
penternak lembu yang daripada muda sehingga tua tak boleh dapat pinjaman
berjuta-juta ringgit. Tetapi seorang keluarga menteri sungguhpun tak
ada pengalaman menternak seekor lembu pun boleh mendapat 250 juta
ringgit. Tapi wang digunakan untuk membeli kondo pula. Bukan sahaja
pemimpin-pemimpin kita jadi orang terkenal, tetapi lembu kita pun
terkenal. Tengoklah skandal-skandal lembu dan kondo. Sampai negara
Singapura yg banyak kondominium pun nak belajar macam mana boleh
menternak lembu dalam kondominium.
Mengapakah dalam skandal Forex Bank Negara pada tahun 90an apabila
Malaysia rugi lebih 15 bilion ringgit orang yg bertanggungjawab tidak
dihukum tetapi sekarang dilantik menjadi menteri dalam Pejabat Perdana
Menteri?
Bilakah kita nak hentikan kerugian wang ini lagi? Adakah 100
billion tak cukup? Kita nak 12 billion lagi. Jangan lupa 1 ribu billion
ringgit wang haram sudah mengalir keluar dari negara. Janganlah biarkan
wang negara terus disia-siakan, kita mesti berani membuat perubahan yg
boleh menjaminkan kehidupan anak-anak kita.
Barisan Nasional cannot reform to end corruption. Remember, if we
do not end corruption, Malaysia dies. If we end corruption, BN dies. The
choice is clear.
To put the past behind us, we must abolish the suppression, oppression, repression of our basic human rights and freedom.
How can we have a clean government when we do not have clean
elections? Hanya pilihanraya bersih boleh memastikan sebuah kerajaan
bersih. The next government should be decided by Malaysians and not by
phantom voters or Bangladeshis or Myanmarese. Saya percaya kita mahu
rakyat Malaysia dan bukan pengundi hantu atau rakyat asing yang
menentukan siapa menang kalah dalam pilihanraya umum ke-13.
We do not want our children to live in fear of oppressive laws as
we have lived. A Pakatan Rakyat government will abolish the UUCA, the
Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act and restore
local government elections.
Kita tidak boleh menerima penyalahgunaan kuasa dimana rakyat Malaysia boleh mati dalam tahanan.
When can we find justice for Teoh Beng Hock, Ahmad Sarbani and A
Kugan? When will we have Freedom of Information & Freedom of Speech?
When can we have justice that is not only done, but is seen to be done.
To put the past behind us, we demand good governance and performance from our ministers.
Malaysia can be an international and intelligent country. We must
have digital intelligence with broadband connectivity. We must also have
integrity intelligence, so ensure that only honest people are the
decision-makers. We must have institutional intelligence under the rule
of law. We demand good governance and performance from our ministers.
Has the Transport Ministry done its duty to run our airports and
seaports well? Look at the Penang International Airport whose completion
has been delayed more than 3 times. And the Penang Port is to be
reduced to be a feeder port and privatized to a 3rd party at the expense
of Penangites. Why is there no consultation with the people of Penang
to restore the port to its former glory? Instead of looking after
airports and ports, the Transport Ministry is more interested in vehicle
registration numbers and wants to increase the maximum traffic fines to
RM2,000.
Director-General of Tourism is wrongly charged of corruption but
the Tourism Minister finds nothing wrong with spending RM1.8 million in
doing up her Facebook page, when we all know that it can be done for
free.
The Health Ministry wants to privatise healthcare when it should be
a public good given as an affordable right to all Malaysians. Why allow
the wastage of public funds and affect the quality and affordability of
drugs when drugs are bought through a middleman at higher prices when
it could be bought cheaper direct from the manufacturers, some of which
are operating in Malaysia.
The Housing and Local Government Ministry opposes local government
elections in Penang, denying our fundamental democratic right to elect
our councillors and our mayors.
We believe that Malaysians deserve better. For the last 50 years,
the wealth of the nation has been robbed. Let us protect the future of
our children by ensuring we have a people-centric government that
protects you instead of harming you, that rewards you instead of
stealing from you, that respects you instead of abusing your rights. Let
us clean up Malaysia to save our children's future.
We must put the past behind us where profits matters more than our
health. Lynas concerns all of us because if Lynas is allowed to operate,
Barisan Nasional will proceed with building two nuclear reactors. If we
continue to put health above profits, what is the use of having all the
money in the world if you cannot enjoy it healthily?
The next elections shall be fought on the economy. We refuse to
allow BN to use race as the issue in the next elections. We need to
increase the incomes of our poor or else they will fall victims to the
Ah Longs. For example, Bank Negara's Annual Report 2010 revealed that
Malaysia's household debt at the end of 2010 was RM581 billion or 76 per
cent of GDP, thus giving us the dubious honour of having the
second-highest level of household debt in Asia.
In addition, the Malaysian household debt service ratio stood at
47.8 per cent in 2010, meaning that nearly half of the average family's
income goes to repaying debts. As a rule, banks would not lend money to
those whose total servicing of loans exceeded one third of their income.
In other words, we are spiralling into an indebted nation.
According to the New Economic Model documents, the bottom 40% of
Malaysian households are living with a monthly average income of RM1,500
(and three-quarters of them are bumiputera) while 60% of the households
(of four persons averagely) live with a less than RM3,000 income, which
is near subsistence if one lives in the cities.
These are families living in fear. We will help them live with
dignity and not in fear, by increasing their incomes and cutting down
their costs, with a minimum wage, getting rid of monopolies, expanding
internet connectivity and encouraging creativity, innovation and
productivity.
South Korea is a very good example of a nation that chose
democracy, performance and freedom of opportunity to become a developed
country. With a population of 48 million, its GDP per capita of
USD20,000 is more than double Malaysia's. But in 1970, South Korea's per
capita GDP was only USD260 compared to Malaysia's USD380 we used to
regularly beat South Korea at football. And now our children are fans of
K-pop culture and their football team are regulars at the World Cup.
Only when we free ourselves of fear of change, can we be free to
prosper. BN cannot change. They need to be changed, for BN wants to rule
by fear.
Thomas Jefferson has said "When the governments fear the people,
there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is
tyranny".
The choice is yours, my friends. I urge you - Let us change so we can have liberty and live with dignity.
Closing remarks by Lim Guan Eng at Debate 2.0 on Sunday, 8th July 2012