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A political rally in Umno’s bastion state, Johor, in GE13 |
From Malaysia’s Chinese business community’s point of view, economic recovery is only possible in 2018.
This is bad news for 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) Prime Minister Najib Razak who is struggling to keep his Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government afloat. (Read these for context: http://victorlim2016.blogspot.my/2016/09/with-1mdb-in-financial-coma-its-time-to.html and http://victorlim2016.blogspot.my/2016/09/oil-woes-haunt-1mdb-pm-najib-malaysias.html)
Najib also desperately needs to consolidate his premiership by seeking a new mandate from the rakyat (people) through a general election, and is said to be seriously considering calling for a snap 14th General Election (GE14).
However, that may be the only option left for him because GE14 is due in March 2018. By that time, the socio-economic and political woes and sufferings endured by Malaysians would have been too deep rooted.
In short, the damage and sufferings from the economic crisis would be too severe for Malaysians to have any sympathy for BN.
Does this mean Najib don’t have a choice to go the full five-year-term for BN before calling for a general election? He went the full term before seeking a new mandate from the people for BN in GE13.
Given such a scenario, it is likely that Najib is now discreetly preparing BN for a snap GE14. The Malaysian Election Commission (EC) has also been issuing statements on the renaming of constituencies and other matters related to the electoral system. (See accompanying report below).
The following are the two reports that places Najib in a dilemma in making his political decision whether to call for snap national polls:
"SLAP IN THE FACE FOR NAJIB: NO GOOD, RECOVERY POSSIBLE ONLY IN 2018 – M’SIAN CHINESE BUSINESSES NEGATIVE ON ECONOMY
Politics | September 15, 2016 by | 0 Comments
Most members of the Chinese business community have a bleak view of the country’s economic outlook in 2016 and 2017, according to a survey by the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM).
This is despite assurances from the government that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is able to steer the country through challenging economic times.
“For the year 2016, it is noted that some 76.1 percent of the respondents expressed that they were either pessimistic (19.1 percent) or somewhat pessimistic (57 percent),” said the report, which was released today.
The report, titled ‘ACCCIM survey report on economic situation of Malaysia for the 1st half of 2016’ says only six percent of the respondents felt optimistic about 2016, while another 17.9 percent were somewhat optimistic.
Fewer respondents are worried about 2017, however, with 65.3 percent saying they are either pessimistic or somewhat pessimistic about the national economy for that year.
Deterioration of the Malaysian economy
“Overall, the Chinese business community is pessimistic about the economic outlook for Malaysia for 2016 and 2017.
“Some measure of reversal and improvement, however, is expected in 2018,” the report states, adding that more than half of the respondents (54.5 percent) feel optimistic about Malaysia’s economy for 2018.
The report also says most Chinese traders think Malaysia’s economy deteriorated in the first half of 2016.
Meanwhile, 64 percent of the respondents said the nation’s economy was sliding while 33 percent said it remained unchanged.
“Nonetheless, the percentage of respondents who believed that there were signs of economic recovery continue to be miniscule.”
Government policies mainly to blame
Most respondents (41 percent) blamed government policies as the main source of economic deterioration.
The remaining factors are soaring operation costs and raw material prices (35 percent), intense domestic competition (29 percent) and drop in foreign and domestic demand (29 percent).
The report said many businesses complained of increasing compliance requirements, such as minimum wage, foreign workers’ levy, the Competition Act 2010 and the goods and services tax.
“This has not been helped by the overall weakness of ringgit Malaysia and the continued weak prices of commodities (e.g. crude palm oil and petroleum),” says the report.
The 406 respondents are from the following sectors:
I. Wholesale and retail trade (26 percent),
II. Manufacturing (21.4 percent),
III. Professional and business services (12.8 percent),
IV. Construction (8.4 percent),
V. Tourism, shopping, hotels, restaurants, recreation & entertainment (5.7 percent),
VI. Finance & insurance (5.7 percent),
VII. Others (20 percent).
About 78.6 percent of the respondents are domestic market oriented whereas the remaining 21.4 percent focus on both domestic and export markets (13.5 percent), while 7.9 percent focus solely on the export market.
– MKINI"
"Pua claims EC conducting single-biggest gerrymandering exercise
FMT Reporters
| September 15, 2016
"It's about stealing victory in the next General Election for BN," reiterates the DAP lawmaker.
KUALA LUMPUR: Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua called on voters in Damansara, and elsewhere, to protest “vehemently” at the “proposed election rigging exercise” by the Election Commission (EC). “It will deny them the equal rights in the Federal Constitution,” he warned in a statement.
Effectively, charged Pua, a vote in the redelineated Damanasara was not worth even a quarter in gerrymandered seats. “It’s designed to give the advantage to Barisan Nasional (BN),” added Pua who is also DAP National Publicity Secretary.
The MP claimed the EC has virtually confirmed that it was conducting the single-biggest gerrymandering exercise in Malaysia. “It’s about stealing victory in the next General Election for BN,” reiterated Pua.
He was referring to the EC officially publishing its proposed redelineation of electoral boundaries on Thursday.
He cited Damansara as a case in point.
Petaling Jaya Utara, renamed Damansara, will become the single largest constituency with 150,439 voters, an increase of 76.2 per cent from 85,401 in 2013.
Damansara will displace Kapar as the single largest constituency, he noted. “The latter’s voters will be reduced from 144,159 to 100,456, a reduction of 30.3 per cent.”
He reckons the reasons in the two seats was to add to the majority where BN was unlikely to win. At the same time, the EC has reduced the majorities in seats which BN may be able to re-capture.
Pua went into intricate details on the “gerrymandering exercise”.
The absurdity of creating a monster Damansara seat, with more than 150,000 voters, was even more outrageous when compared with other seats, he lamented.
Putrajaya remains the smallest constituency in the country with only 17,627 voters (11.7 per cent of Damansara).
Perak remains the state with the highest number of low voter seats with Lenggong at 28,078 (18.7 per cent of Damansara), Padang Rengas at 28,727 (19.1 per cent), Kuala Kangsar at 33,113 (22 per cent), Parit at 33,638 (22.4 per cent) and Gerik at 33,832 (22.5 per cent).
Even within Selangor, which has 2.08 million voters and 22 parliamentary seats, the disparity was “unjustifiably” huge, continued Pua.
Sabak Bernam has only 37,126 voters (24.7 per cent of Damansara).
The discrepancy in the number of voters for constituencies within Selangor was “repugnant”, he summed up. “The average number of voters per seat should be approximately 94,500."
FMT Reporters
| September 15, 2016
"It's about stealing victory in the next General Election for BN," reiterates the DAP lawmaker.
KUALA LUMPUR: Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua called on voters in Damansara, and elsewhere, to protest “vehemently” at the “proposed election rigging exercise” by the Election Commission (EC). “It will deny them the equal rights in the Federal Constitution,” he warned in a statement.Effectively, charged Pua, a vote in the redelineated Damanasara was not worth even a quarter in gerrymandered seats. “It’s designed to give the advantage to Barisan Nasional (BN),” added Pua who is also DAP National Publicity Secretary.
The MP claimed the EC has virtually confirmed that it was conducting the single-biggest gerrymandering exercise in Malaysia. “It’s about stealing victory in the next General Election for BN,” reiterated Pua.
He was referring to the EC officially publishing its proposed redelineation of electoral boundaries on Thursday.
He cited Damansara as a case in point.
Petaling Jaya Utara, renamed Damansara, will become the single largest constituency with 150,439 voters, an increase of 76.2 per cent from 85,401 in 2013.
Damansara will displace Kapar as the single largest constituency, he noted. “The latter’s voters will be reduced from 144,159 to 100,456, a reduction of 30.3 per cent.”
He reckons the reasons in the two seats was to add to the majority where BN was unlikely to win. At the same time, the EC has reduced the majorities in seats which BN may be able to re-capture.
Pua went into intricate details on the “gerrymandering exercise”.
The absurdity of creating a monster Damansara seat, with more than 150,000 voters, was even more outrageous when compared with other seats, he lamented.
Putrajaya remains the smallest constituency in the country with only 17,627 voters (11.7 per cent of Damansara).
Perak remains the state with the highest number of low voter seats with Lenggong at 28,078 (18.7 per cent of Damansara), Padang Rengas at 28,727 (19.1 per cent), Kuala Kangsar at 33,113 (22 per cent), Parit at 33,638 (22.4 per cent) and Gerik at 33,832 (22.5 per cent).
Even within Selangor, which has 2.08 million voters and 22 parliamentary seats, the disparity was “unjustifiably” huge, continued Pua.
Sabak Bernam has only 37,126 voters (24.7 per cent of Damansara).
The discrepancy in the number of voters for constituencies within Selangor was “repugnant”, he summed up. “The average number of voters per seat should be approximately 94,500."
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