Budget 2011 - Najib Tun Razak's Speech

TRANSFORMATION TOWARDS A DEVELOPED AND HIGH-INCOME NATION

Mr. Speaker Sir,

I beg to move the Bill intituled “An Act to apply a sum from the Consolidated Fund for the service of the year 2011 and to appropriate that sum for the service of that year” be read a second time.

INTRODUCTION

1.Praise be to Allah, for enabling me to table the 2011 National Budget. Indeed, this is a significant budget. This Budget is a precursor in our final efforts towards achieving Vision 2020, which is 3,365 days or 9 years, 2 months and 17 days away.

2.On this auspicious Friday, I present a budget that lays the foundation for Malaysia to become an advanced nation. Over the last 18 months, the Government has taken measures to propel the country towards becoming a developed and high-income economy.

Electricity tariff reduced by up to 5% (updated)

The following news is extracted from "The Star Online" dated 11 February, 2009.


PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians will get to enjoy slightly cheaper electricity beginning next month.

Some 5.2 million domestic users and households will get a 2.54% reduction in electricity tariffs while commercial and industrial users will have their rates cut by 2.7% to 5%.

On average, the price of electricity will come down to 31.31 sen per kWH (kilowatt hour) as compared with 32.5 sen per kWh (kilowatt hour) previously.

Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Mansor said the electricity rates would be reviewed again on July 1 and subsequently every six months to ensure that they reflect the global price of gas and coal.


“We hope that this reduction will benefit all users, particularly those in the industrial sector, and help lower their cost of operation during this economic crisis.

“For the domestic users, the Government would have liked to reduce their electricity rates by a bigger margin. However, when we last reviewed the electricity tariffs last July, we only allowed a slight increase in the rates despite the soaring prices of oil and gas at that time,” he said.

Last year, the tariffs were raised by 12% for consumers and 26% for industrial and commercial consumers. The last increase before this was in 2006, when rates were upped by about 14%.

“The reduction today will better reflect market prices. Our energy generation is also by coal, which has not shown any significant reduction in price,” Shaziman said, adding that in fact the price of coal was now at RM307.70 (US$85) per tonne, up from RM271.50 (US$75) per tonne last July.

“Although coal only comprises 28% of electricity generation in the country, the cost of purchase makes up 20% of the entire fuel costs,” he said.

Last week, he had announced that Malaysians might get their electricity rates reduced by between 5% to 10%.

Shaziman said another reason for the lower than expected reduction was that the Government had decided to divert 100 mmscfd (million standard cubic feet per day) supply of gas meant for the electricity sector to the industries starting this year.

“This is meant to spur the economy as well as enhance investors’ confidence in Malaysia.

“It is now up to the Economic Planning Unit and the International Trade and Industry Ministry to decide which industries will benefit from this extra supply of gas,” he said.

Shaziman said the ministry had also received the green light from the Government for the Energy Commission to look into the terms for the renegotiation of existing agreements between Tenaga Nasional Bhd and the independent power producers.

“We want to look into the terms carefully so that we don’t have to backtrack in our renegotiations when something new arises,” he said.

Shaziman said Malaysia was also in discussion with a power company in Indonesia to sell electricity to Sumatra due to the high demand there as well as to reduce the high reserve margin of electricity here.

“We are thinking of building an electricity grid to export power to Sumatra . We already had a couple of meetings with the company PLN,” he said.

Dear Fellow Sarawakians,

Don’t be overjoyed by the above news!!! Eventhough the news did mentioned that the electricity tariff will be reduced for Malaysians. DON’T BE MISLED!!! The reductions are applicable to “SEMENANJUNG ONLY” NOT FOR SARAWAK!!!

Problems of unemployment

Unemployment is a universal and major setbacks of a modern civilisation. Like anywhere else in the world, unemployment rate in Sarawak is considerably high.

To understand the root cause of this problems, we must relate it to our government’s labour policy. When the government allows the recruitment of cheap foreign labourers into the country, it has some side effects on the local labour market. It has since spoiled the chances of local people to secure employment especially in the manufacturing sectors. When the employer have wide choices of cheap labour supplies, especially from Indonesia, our local citizens are being deprived of their common rights to job opportunities. Not only that, the availability of cheap labour markets also has deprived the local citizens of better pay structures. Take for example in the plywood manufacturing industries, with the Indonesian labourers ready to take up these jobs for a daily wages of RM8 – RM9, surely the employers would opt for these labourers. How could local people survive with this kind of wages especially so, when the cost of living is on the rise. If these cheap labour supplies were not available to these employers, the chances for demanding higher daily wages for locals would be better.

Another setback and disadvantages of over-dependent on foreign labourers is that the country tend to lose in the forms of foreign exchange, that is when the money is taken out of the country or the outflow of cash. So, the government should review this policy, especially the state government, so as to help the local citizens, not foreigners.

Not only Indonesian labourers pose a threat to our local labour markets, the intrusion of skilled workforce from the peninsula are also a threat to the citizens of Sarawak, which deprived us of our opportunities to secure good employment especially in the oils and gas industries. This is very prominent in the case of MLNG, ABF and oil palm plantations where top jobs are dominated by semenanjung people. Others includes such areas as teaching profession, police force and the military.

What jobs are left for us, the Sarawak citizens? Obviously, we don’t have much choices, but to work as labourers (kerja kontrak or berkuli dengan Cina) on a daily rate basis, and this accounts for a large number of local workforce. Others might be farmers by tradition, fisherman and other odd jobs. Some who are lucky enough might be able to secure better jobs such as clerks, teachers, police, doctors, lawyers, but too few.

Where is justice? There’s a proverb “Anak kera disusukan, anak sendiri mati kelaparan”, which match our present situation in Sarawak. People, wake up from your sleep, it’s time to realize your destiny.

Is this a wise investment?

Is this one of the long term investment?

It depends on how you view the scenario.

Why certain people can obtain gambling licence compared to licence for coffee shop, coffee house, sundry shop and the likes?

Why is it so difficult to put our hard earned currency into the likes of ASB, ASN....?

When was the last time you received your bonus from this investment?


I purposely don't write long articles on this, so that we could together think by ourselves.

5-foot way vegetable vendors

The scene at the 5-foot way at Sg. Plan, Jalan Tanjung Kidurong, Bintulu new shophouses is an eye sore.   Vegetable vendors line-up at the 5-foot way doing their daily business starting as early as 2pm in the afternoon.   This place also has been self-converted into "pasar malam" too.   As a result the road in between the two shophouse buildings is congested.

The efforts of these vendors, mostly bumiputeras, are commendable.   They work hard in order to earn better income for their family.   The involvement of bumiputeras in business is in line with the government's aspirations.   Unfortunately, they do not have a proper place to do business, as you may see in the following pictures.

In conclusion, I would say that:

-  This reflects the inefficiency of the local authority, BDA or Bintulu Development Authority in maintaining a well organized town.   I doubt whether the enforcement officers are doing their jobs.   This is common diseases within the government departments, regardless of what departments.

-  I order to cope up with this situations, the authority concerned should come up with a practical solution such as building "pasar tamu" in this area which serves as business premises for these vendors besides maintaining clean and beautiful town.

BEWARE OF CONMEN

Beware of 2 shops operating at the ground floor of Parkcity Mall in Bintulu. These 2 shops are bloodsuckers operated by conmen @ gangsters. They have valid trading licence, but the products sold are doubtful. 

Modus operandi : if you walk into Parkcity Mall and passing by these 2 shops, if they think you are vulnerable, they will try to stop you and approach you. Then they will tell you their shops are offering lucky draw if you purchase products from them. They will then try to convince you by telling you about the valuable prizes that you are going to get if you win the lucky draw. If you are convinced, you’ll be asked to press computer buttons to generate lucky draw. Of course you will win 1st prize as the draws has been pre-set. In order to get the prizes, you’ll be asked to pay thousands of dollars. If you have credit cards, they will ask you to sign papers authorizing them to withdraw your money. Once you signed, you are finished. No way you can recover back your money. You will not be in a position to make a complain or lodge a police report since you have sign the authorization papers. Legally you’ll lose. They have black and white, that is your sale and purchase contract, backed up by valid trading licence.

So, be wary and be careful. Don’t be fooled and become their next victim. This has happened to the friend of my friend. He has lost rm5,000 to these conmen.

Pass this message to all your friends or anyone you know wether they are in bintulu or anywhere in sarawak.

Together we fight crime and injustice.

Home of the scavangers

Passingby the place, I can't possibly stand the stinking odour.   I almost vomit.   That place is rubbish dumping site at jalan tanjung kidurong, bintulu.   It is the home of flies, rats and cockroaches.

Probably you would not believe it, when I say it is the home of scavangers too.   They live there and earn their living collecting and selling used tin cans, alluminium, iron, bottles and just about anything that can be sold.   Visiting the site, sending your heart down the sadness alley.

At times, I was puzzled thinking what makes them scavangers.   Is it that they wanted it that way?   Is this their destiny?   Or maybe it is easy for them to earn their living by being scavangers.   Are they the victims of global modernisation?   Or is it they rather become scavangers than working and contributing to the growth and development of their state?   Is there not enough jobs for them in their beloved Sarawak?   Then, why are there thousands of foreign workers from Indonesia and Bangladesh flocking into our state and enjoying good working conditions and all the benefits as compared to these scavangers?


Who enjoys the benefits of our oil and gas industries such as MLNG, ABF and our fluorishing oil palm plantations.   As far as I know, all the good positions in these industries are being dominated by outsiders, the West Malaysians.   These outsiders conquered our land.   What has the state government done?   Nothing.   The state government under the leadership of Taib Mahmud has turned deaf ears and blind eyes regarding the plight of the Sarawakians.   What is the meaning of Politics of Development?

Our state government did not give priority to Sarawakians in terms of job distributions.   The rights and benefits of Sarawakian, being the indeginous people is not protected by the policy of Politics of Development.   Our rich state is being colonised and conquered by the west malaysians the same way as the British used to colonise malaya during the pre-merdeka era.   Nobody dare to speak up and fight these unfairness.

Sarawakians, wake up and may God give us one Tunku Abdul Rahman who can lead our way towards independence and away from being further colonised in the modern world.