Welcome promise of justice for everybody

I REFER to Tun Daim Zainuddin’s exclusive interview with Bernama on Sunday when he announced, as chairman of the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP), that in economic and financial management, the government should “ensure justice for everybody”.

This is a welcome breakthrough in the government’s economic policies. Interestingly, this was the original philosophy in the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1970. Unfortunately, this fair and reasonable thinking got distorted and derailed later due to abuse and cronyism. Then income inequality set in and seeped right through the whole economic and financial system. This unhealthy trend was then aggravated by corruption, expenditure wastage, inefficiencies and the politicisation of finance and economic management, as we now see from the red files revealed by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.

The NEP aimed to eradicate poverty regardless of race, but it also created many wealthy politically aligned business cronies and widened the gap between the rich and the poor. Although the NEP in all fairness did reduce overall poverty substantially, its poor im- plementation left too many Malaysians of all races in financial straits that made it exceedingly difficult for them to make ends meet and put food on the table.

The NEP itself provided more protection in trade and industry and caused less competition and more and higher inflation and wider corruption. Hence income disparities worsened and the people and voters showed their resentment and rejection at GE14.

Daim and the CEP have finally made a breakthrough in economic and financial management.

They must be highly commended for addressing the punitive problem of income inequality, regardless of race and religion.

We have to now move more strongly towards income-based economic and financial policies and phase out race-based economic policies. The poor of all races and religions must be shown the same compassion and care according to justice and our religious and moral values. All poor Malaysians must be helped as a matter of priority now, as Malaysians first.

As Daim said: “Once you ad- dress inequalities, everybody will be happy”. Yes, Daim and the Council of Eminent Persons, we are mostly happy already by your breakthrough in introducing new policies and new planning in the new government. We hope the pace of change gathers momentum, but in cautious and prudent ways.

We all hope that Daim and the CEP will carry on with their fresh thinking and planning and better implementation, so that Malaysia will continue to move forward for the benefit of all Malaysians and especially the less fortunate.

Like many, I also hope that the CEP will continue to serve all Malaysians as a National Advisory and Monitoring Council even after the first 100 days.

All we want is for the government, as Daim says, “To be fair to everybody and to take care of their welfare”, in the New Malaysia under zaman baru.

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir dan Batin to all Malaysians.

Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam Chairman Asli Centre for Public Policy Studies