KHAIRY: REJECT FAIRYTALE PROMISES
‘They are false hopes created merely for political mileage’
KUALA LUMPUR
THE people who put Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on a pedestal were yesterday reminded not to be trapped in “misplaced nostalgia” as there were many things the former prime minister did that Malaysians were paying for now.
Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the people must reject “fairytale promises” made by the opposition as these were false hopes created for political mileage.
He said some people might ask why Dr Mahathir’s misdeeds were only being raised now, and he explained that it was only because there was greater freedom for everyone to speak up.
“Some may ask, why were we quiet then? Why did we not speak out?
“It is simple — there was never any freedom of speech before, be it outside or inside the party.
“Critical newspapers were shut down, political critics were silenced and thrown into prison during Op Lalang,” he said, adding that the Memali tragedy also enabled Dr Mahathir to act against his opponents, ostensibly on the grounds of national security.
“I am not saying that all that happened during his time was bad... but what I can’t accept are the ‘fairytales’ that during Dr Mahathir’s time, everything was perfect and beautiful.
Khairy pointed out the 1988 constitutional crisis, which saw the removal of judiciary figureheads due to alleged misconduct.
“Courts were fully controlled until the chief justice (then lord president) was sacked without any strong reason… and don’t forget, the then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was punched until his eyes were swollen.
“In the party, government and country, there was a culture of fear,” he said, labelling Dr Mahathir an iron-fisted leader.
“And, now, Dr Mahathir is speaking as if he is holier than thou, and we are the evil dictators,” he said, adding that Malaysians should be mature, sharp and objective when evaluating leaders.
“It’s not wrong to look up to a leader, but base it on an objective analysis instead of emotions and myths,” he said in his opening remarks at the Umno Youth assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre here yesterday.
Going into Dr Mahathir’s past controversies, Khairy said the senior politician had allegedly caused losses amounting to billions of ringgit, apart from allegedly bailing out family members and friends.
“That is why old records have to be reviewed. There are those who asked why we’re digging up stories from the past.
“My answer is simple, the past needs to be studied and understood so that young voters will not make simplistic conclusions and illogical deductions that the old days were better. Because of this, they may end up thinking that Dr Mahathir is better than (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak), and, therefore, vote for Dr Mahathir’s party.
“We should dissect illogical reasoning, and destroy it.”
Khairy said while it was true that the Petronas Twin Towers, Sepang International Circuit and Putrajaya were Dr Mahathir’s legacy, people must remember most of the development then was focused in the Klang Valley.
“What about other areas? In his time, we did not see projects like the economic corridors in Bandar Iskandar, the north, east coast, Sabah and Sarawak... Or the Vision Valley in Negri Sembilan.
“What’s the biggest development in the east coast? What happened, and I will never forget, was that the East Coast Highway in Terengganu was cancelled when Barisan Nasional lost there in 1999!”
On the opposition, Khairy said the people must not let themselves be duped by promises which would not be fulfilled.
“How can the opposition propagate abolishing tolls when their state governments are not only approving the development of
z more tolled highways, but are also shareholders in concessionaires?”
On the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN), the opposition pact had made a shift in its promise to write off student debts.
“They said they would delay payments. Debtors only needed to start their repayments once their salary reached RM4,000.
“The issue is, if this suggestion comes to fruition without a plan to boost the economy and create high-income jobs, many graduates will take a long time to reach the RM4,000 threshold.
“This will cause the funds in PTPTN to dry up. What will future generations use to go to university then? The opposition clearly does not care about tomorrow.”
Khairy also debunked allegations on the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
“Like it or not, we pay taxes. Why? Because taxes are the way to fund development, channelled to where it’s most needed, and invested for the future.
“When the Sales and Services Tax (SST) was abolished and GST was introduced, many had disapproved. But, last year, the GST collection amounted to more than RM41 billion.
“The RM41 billion is not going to line anyone’s pockets as claimed. It is being used to make roads, build highways, fund tertiary education, upgrade schools and pay for hospital operations and government clinics, among others.”
He said more than 170 countries had implemented GST, and it was not scrapped, even upon changing governments.
Khairy questioned the integrity of opposition leaders and cited cases of dubious acquisition of properties, especially Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s bungalow and a PKR Youth leader’s “Disneyland” house in Ampang.
“Are there really no leakages in the opposition? The third Klang Bridge, which cost RM41 million more than originally estimated; the case of selling sand permits; local councils purchasing goods at double the market value; open tenders turning into direct negotiations; and, consultancy fees for highways and tunnels reaching RM305 million — are these not leakages?
“How do they intend to save RM20 billion a year when they cannot prevent leakages at the state level?”