TERJEMAHAN DAN ULASAN RINGKAS

Kerajaan sepatutnya menolong 1/4 JUTA pekebun kecil dan peneroka yang mengusahakan ladang kelapa sawit yang kini terhimpit akibat kemerosotan harga minyak kelapa sawit. Bukankah rata-rata mereka ini rakyat yang sudah lanjut usia mereka dan bumiputera belaka? Jika Umno memang tidak mahu melayu hilang di dunia, ia sepatutnya turun ke ladang, bukannya asyik naik ke pentas bercakap kununnya membela, sedangkan di rumah penuh dengan harta yang dibalun dengan rakusnya.

Malangnya wang sejumlah RM8 bilion itu digunakan untuk membantu dua tiga kerat kroni yang rugi walaupun mereka membolot perniagaan dari projek penswastaan yang diceburi. Beberapa peristiwa yang berlaku akhir-akhir ini menunjukkan kerajaan memejam sebelah mata membantu kroni yang sudah tenat tetapi membiarkan sahaja rakyat melarat dan merana:

1. MAS sudah rugi 4 tahun, tetapi berkat penjualan saham pada kadar yang amat tinggi, ia mampu untung tahun ini. Naluri pula dapat bernafas semula kerana bayaran tunai RM 1.79 bilion itu akan dapat melunaskan hutang serta membungakan keuntungan bersih juga akhirnya walaupun ia kelihatan rugi pada awalnya. (BTS, Bloomberg)
   

   
   

2. STAR dan PUTRA diberi konsesi untuk mengurus dan menyelenggarakan kedua-dua sistem itu walaupun mereka ternyata gagal sehingga diambil alih oleh kerajaan dengan kos RM6 bilion. (STS)
   

3. Time dotCom Bhd dilanggan terkurang 75% memang memalukan dan sepatutnya kerajaan mengambil iktibar dari kemerosotan ini bahawa pelabur luar dan dalam negara sudah tidak yakin lagi kroni akan dapat memberi pulangan yang memuaskan kepada pelaburan. Kes ini akan menyebabkan institusi kewangan semakin terheret dan mungkin terbenam dan dana kerajaan juga yang akan membelinya satu ketika nanti, termasuk Tabung Haji kerana ia turut memilikki saham Time Engineering. Time Engineering meminjam melalui bon RM3.9 bilion (AWSJ).
   

[PUTRA (Projek Usahasama Transit Automatik) milik Renong itu telah berhutang lapuk dengan bunga mencecah RM44.6 juta daripada hutang RM2 billion selepas hasil tidak dapat menampung perbelanjaan.

STAR (Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan) pula dimilikki oleh KWSP dan Taylor Woodrow dan lain-lain dana awam.]

Harga minyak kelapa sawit yang merudum teruk dari RM2,377.50 se tan pada 1998 kepada dibwawah RM700 se tan sekarang telah menyukarkan SUKU JUTA peneroka. Ia melibatkan 2 JUTA penduduk dalam skim seperti FELDA dan FELCRA merana tetapi kerajaan lebih menyayangi kroni yang beberapa kerat sahaja. Padahal rakyat lebih layak untuk menerima bantuan berbanding Naluri, STAR dan PUTRA kerana mereka membanting tulang dan menyumbang lebih undi buat BN sekian lama. Siapa yang tidak bersyukur sebenarnya?

Kerajaan sepatutnya menyalurkan RM8 bilion ini buat 2 JUTA rakyat daripada kroni kerana kroni tumbang akibat ketidak-cekapan mereka sendiri. Jika tidak kerajaan harus bersedia untuk berkubur kerana 2 juta itu boleh menggoyahkan BN menjelang pilihanraya umum nanti. Jangan menyesal di kemudian hari....

-Kapal Berita-

Rencana Rujukkan:

Source: [BUNGARAYA]

Redirect RM8b MAS/Star/Putra bailouts for palm oil smallholders

Media Statement by DAP National Chairman Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, 14th February, 2001:

Call for the cancellation of the RM8 billion bail-outs of Naluri's MAS stake, STAR and Putra and the channelling of the funds for more deserving purposes, as billion-ringgit stabilisation funds to assist the two million Malaysians hard hit by the palm oil price crisis

The following three reports in the past two days have intensified the public sense of unease and disenchantment over the accountability, transparency and integrity of the Barisan Nasional government with regard to various recent decisions it had made involving mammoth sums of public funds:

1. "Thanks to the controversial sale of its 29.09% stake in national carrier Malaysian Airline System Bhd, Naluri Bhd expects to stage a turnaround for the current year ending Dec 31, 2001 after suffering four years of losses. Naluri, which will be on a strong financial footing with negligible borrowings and some RM864.5 million cash after the sale and debt repayment, has identified two fast-growth industries which it may want to invest in."
   

2. "Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan Sdn Bhd (Star) and Projek Usahasama Transit Ringan Automatik Sdn Bhd (Putra) will continue to operate and manage Kuala Lumpur's light rail transit (LRT) systems despite losing ownership of their assets to the government. Sources said the government will lease back the operation and maintenance of the LRT to Star and Putra after acquiring the assets of the two firms for RM6 billion under its massive urban transport restructuring scheme."
   
   

3. "Time dotCom's IPO 75% undersubscribed - Time dotCom Bhd's initial public offering (IPO), the largest ever in Malaysia's history, has received poor response from the investing public. Applications were received for only 142.86 million shares, or 25% of the total made available for public subscription."
   

Time dotCom's IPO fiasco has made Malaysians even more "unwilling buyers" in the deal involving the government's RM1.79 billion bailout of Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli's 29.09 per cent stake in MAS through Naluri and even more convinced that the RM8 per share paid by the government for the MAS shares, which is a hefty premium of over 90 per cent on MAS's last audited net tangible assets per share of RM4.18 at the end of March 2000 and 120 per cent above MAS's traded price of RM3.86 at the time of the deal, was such a gross overpayment as to tantamount to a criminal breach of trust and a heinous misappropriation of public funds.

The announcement that STAR and PUTRA will continue to operate and manage Kuala Lumpur's light rail transit (LRT) systems despite being bailed out to the tune of RM6 billion by the government made the Malaysian taxpayers feel that they are the sole losers after having to foot the RM6 billion bill as taxpayers.

Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or political beliefs, are entitled to ask why a select few are never losers as the taxpayers have always to foot mega-bills for their mismanagement, incompetence or follies as in the bailouts of Tajudin Ramli, STAR and PUTRA.

Malaysians are entitled to stand up to declare with one voice: "Enough is Enough!" and that there should be no more bailouts for a select few, that the government can take over the 29.09 per cent MAS stake, STAR and PUTRA but not at the price of RM8 billion of taxpayers' money as the previous owners must take their full "appropriate haircuts" as laid down in the National Economic Action Council guideline for government bailouts.

The RM8 billion bail-outs of Naluri's MAS stake, STAR and PUTRA should be cancelled and the funds channelled for more deserving purposes, as the establishment of billion-ringgit stabilisation funds to assist the two million Malaysians in the Felda, Felcra and smallholder schemes hard hit by the palm oil price plunge crisis.

The crash of the palm oil prices from the average of RM2,377.50 per tonne in 1998 to below RM700 per tonne has created a crisis for a quarter of a million oil palm smallholders in the country who are more deserving of government assistance than Naluri, STAR and PUTRA.

The Cabinet should set up a special task force to bring immediate relief and financial assistance to the victims of an unprecedented collapse in the palm oil prices.

- Lim Kit Siang -