At
this time of crisis the people are most concerned about the just and effective
implementation of the 250 billion ringgit
Prihatiin Economic Stimulus Package. (PESP). They
would like to see the PESP benefit directly those who are most needy in our
society.
While
Malaysia as a whole has done better than many other societies in Asia, Africa
and Latin America in ensuring that development reaches the targeted groups, we
have also had our share of deviations and distortions. If we had performed
better than others especially in the first 19 years of Merdeka, it was partly
because we had as our Deputy Prime Minister and then Prime Minister an
extraordinary visionary-administrator who was totally committed to the
effective implementation of people oriented policies and programmes. Tun Abdul
Razak Hussein not only strengthened processes and procedures that delivered the
goods to the people but also nurtured a generation of multi-ethnic civil
servants imbued with knowledge and skills and a deep sense of dedication to the public good.
Unfortunately, over the decades the quality of the civil service core has
declined and mediocrity reigns today.
This
is why so soon after the launch of the PESP, allegations are emerging of
wrongdoings. Aid recipients are being short changed, according to some sources.
It is said that in some rural communities there is pilferage. Complaints about
the wrong people benefitting from assistance programmes it is said are not
being investigated by the authorities.
There
are also videos showing rice bags with portraits of certain political leaders
emblazoned on them being distributed to the poor in certain parts of the
country. In some instances, the name of the leader’s political party is also
highlighted. This is crude and vulgar if it is authentic. Aid for the people
even if it is funded by a certain individual or party should not be exploited
for cheap publicity. The identity of the person or the organisation should not
be put on display. Civil servants may not be responsible for such misdeeds but
they should try to discourage such practices among politicians.
They
should also advise political leaders, ministers included, not to don on
personal protective equipment which are in short supply in any case just for
the cameras at a time like this. It is
the sort of posturing that we can do without if we are serious about
concentrating upon the people’s well-being.
To
ensure that both politicians and civil servants display good behaviour as
required by the Rukunegara, the panel that has been established to oversee the
implementation of the PESP should be given the necessary powers to act. It
should not only look into the various programmes under the PESP but also
recommend action against errant implementers.
This means that the panel should not just comprise politicians and civil
servants from the government.
At
least 3 independent members should be appointed to sit on the panel. One could
be a representative of a small and medium enterprise (SME) outfit who can speak
with authority on behalf of his/her constituency; the second could be a
representative of the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) since the current crisis
has a strong health dimension; and the third could be the leader of some
respected consumer body. Since the three proposed representatives will be in a
panel overseeing implementation of the PSEP they can alert the government to problems
at the outset itself.
More
important, the panel should present a preliminary report on issues of
implementation to parliament when it convenes on the 18th of May
2020. It should be a ‘no holds barred’ report revealing all the challenges
faced by the government in two months of the PSEP’s implementation. Both sides of the Dewan Rakyat should
contribute towards finding solutions. It could well be the beginning of the
process of the government and the opposition working together for the larger
good of the nation in the midst of one of the most complex national emergencies
we have had to face in our 62 year history.
Dr Chandra Muzaffar.
Kuala Lumpur.
1st of April 2020.
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