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Criteria For Bailout Of Privatized Companies
By Tan Seng Giaw
30/8/2001 12:44 am Thu

Criteria for bailout of privatized companies

Statement by Dr Tan Seng Giaw, DAP National Vice-Chairman and MP for Kepong on the reiteration by the Prime Minister Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad of the Government's rescue of privatized companies for social reason.

28.8.2001

Let the Malaysian Government announce the criteria for the bailout of any company-the criteria acceptable to people within and outside Malaysia

Since 1983, the Malaysian Government has privatized 203 companies. It stresses the benefits such as between 1996 and 2000 17,442 civil servants going to the private sector and savings amounting to RM49.3 billion.

Facilities such as highways have improved and the earnings of Tenaga Nasional Berhad are in the hundreds of millions because of captive market. But, are these privatized projects value for money?

No doubt, a well-run company is good. How many of the 203 companies are run well?

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir said," Privatized companies like other companies can fail and a number of the privatized companies in Malaysia had failed due to the economic turmoil of 1997/1998."

"We have learnt a lot about the pitfalls and we are now more careful," he added.

BAILOUT CRITERIA

Let us know about the pitfalls and the criteria for the rescue of failed companies to prevent social problems such as unemployment. What Malaysians don't want to see is the bailout for certain privileged individuals, not for the public.

U.S.A. and UK have bailed out certain companies before. What criteria have they used?

The failure of certain companies such as Indah Water Konsortium, IWK, for sewerage and Malaysian Airlines System, MAS, are not all due to the economic crisis. For example, people especially those with individual septic tanks refuse to pay IWK that promises better and centralized sewerage system.

The Government pays RM8 per share for MAS equity whereas the market price is over RM3. Whatever the excuses of the Government, the people cannot accept this. Then, there are many things in MAS that cause public unhappiness. For instance, the domestic routes lose about RM1 million a day. There are over 40 Boeing 737 aircrafts plying the routes some of which are not popular. The size of 737 fleet is supposed to be the largest outside U.S.A.

Why does MAS purchase Boeing 777 passenger liners when there are not enough routes for them? There were over ten Airbus A330 flying certain international routes and only one for 777, from Dubai to New York. After the company bought over ten 777, B330 were laid idle, so that 777 could be flown to justify the purchase. The Government should investigate these so that the public would know the truth.

Each new passenger liner can cost up to US$164 million. The deal is usually done through an agent. Each agent collects 5 to 7% commission. If we take 5% for ten aircrafts of US$165 million each, the commission comes up to US$82.50 million or RM313.5 million.

We maintain that there is a need for a public inquiry on MAS including the details of the Government purchase and Petronas involvement in the MAS saga.




Abdullah - prove police human rights violated at Kesas Highway

Media Statement by DAP National Chairman Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, 29th August 2001:

Abdullah Badawi should not delay any further and should come out with a full statement on the Suhakam inquiry report on widespread police violation of human rights at the the Kesas Highway last November as well as specify and list out the police human rights which had been violated

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The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Dr. Rais Yatim said on Monday that the Cabinet would discuss the 66-page report of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) on its human rights inquiry into last year's Kesas Highway/Jalan Kebun gathering and that the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will be issuing a statement on the Suhakam inquiry report after the Cabinet meeting.

I do not know whether such a government statement would be forthcoming after today's Cabinet meeting, but Malaysians are entitled to answers to three questions:

  • Why there had been no proper and detailed government response to the Suhakam inquiry report, particularly with regard to its findings on widespread police violation of human rights and recommendations, ten days after its being made public, especially as the Suhakam report had earlier been circulated to the various relevant government authorities before its publication on 20th August 2001?

  • Why is the Cabinet only discussing the Suhakam inquiry report today and not much earlier when the Suhakam report had been confidentially submitted to the various relevant government authorites in view of its importance?

  • Was it necessary for the Cabinet to approve the Home Ministry or Police response to the Suhakam inquiry report, when it specifically concerns police violation of human rights?

    The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has made ferocious attacks on the Suhakam report virtually accusing the Suhakam commissioners of being 'anti-national' and being influenced by the West, without fully reading or responding in any manner to the specific findings and recommendations of the Suhakam inquiry report.

    The Suhakam inquiry, which held hearings spread over 20 days with a total of 46 witnesses who gave evidence, came to the definitive conclusion and finding that the police had been guilty of widespread and multiple violation of human rights, arising from the Kesas Highway incident, which include:


    1. the use of force on persons present at the scene of the assembly;
    2. causing damage to private property;
    3. confiscating private property;
    4. causing injury to persons in detention;
    5. delay in providing medical treatment for injured detainees and failure to provide medication prescribed for injured detainees;
    6. the cruel and inhuman treatment of detainees;
    7. taking advantage of the situation of a detained person for the purpose of compelling him/her to confess or otherwise incriminate himself / herself.
    8. Gathering security intelligence from persons detained for a specific offence.


    As the Suhakam inquiry report had given specific details of these widespread police and multiple human rights violations, the government and the police must come out with a detailed response to these specific findings.

    In the past ten days, top government leaders, including the UMNO Youth leader and the Minister for Youth and Sports, Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein had protested against the Suhakam report for disregarding the human rights which they said the police are also entitled to.

    Malaysians can agree that the police, like all sectors of Malaysian society, also enjoy human rights. But the government must spell out what are the police human rights which had been violated at the Kesas Highway incident. Although the police are also entitled to human rights enjoyed by all Malaysians, the police definitely do not have the human right to violate and trample on the human rights of the common citizenry.

    Abdullah Badawi should not delay any further and should come out with a full statement on the Suhakam inquiry report on widespread police violation of human rights at the the Kesas Highway last November as well as specify and list out the police human rights, if any, which had been violated at the same Kesas Highway incident.

    - Lim Kit Siang -