TJ (agak-agak sahaja)

Kenyataan Akhbar LGE di PJ pada 27/9/2000.

Apakah Rakyat Malaysia Boleh Mengharap Satu Perbentangan Belanjawan Yang Mantap Dengan Bertambahnya Gejala Korup, atau Inflasi dengan Kenaikan Harga Petrol dan Tambang MAS, serta Penyalah Gunaan Dana Awam untuk Menyelamatkan Kroni Politik?

EKONOMI YANG KONON NYA MANTAP

PM Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamed menjanjikan satu belanjawan yang baik dengan alasan ekonomi sudah beransur pulih. Namun prestasi ekonomi negara sebenarnya tidak lah beredar sebagaimana yang disebut merata. Banyak peniaga masih mengadu tiada kecairan di pasaran, masalah mengutip hutang dan iklim arus niaga yang lembap.

Kiranya ekonomi memang pulih kenapakan Indeks KLCI tercungap-cungap untuk berada di atas paras 700. Lagipun belanjawan yang macam-mana yang dapat diharapkan oleh rakyat jika gejala korup berleluasa, inflasi bertambah dengan kenaikkan harga petrol dan tambang MAS, serta penyalah-gunaan dana awam untuk menyelamatkan suku sakat kroni politik?

KETELUSAN YANG TERUK

Indeks Ketelusan Korup Antarabangsa dengan jelas menunjukkan bahawa gejala korup semakin teruk. Di dalam senarai negara2 bersih, Malaysia tergelincir dari nombor 32 ke nombor 36 tahun ini. Markah yang dicapai pula turun dari 5.1 per 10 kepada 4.8 per 10. Dengan kata lain - GAGAL!

KORUP MEMANJANG

Gejala Korup yang semakin teruk boleh dilihat dalam beberapa kes penyelewengan:

1. Skandal Perwaja:
   Berbilion ringgit lesap tanpa penyelesaian
   

2. Skandal Yayasan Melaka:
   Dana pelajaran rakyat miskin digunakan untuk membeli barangan mewah peribadi. (sila lihat komen Mat Teropong di KM2)
   

3. Skandal Akaun Kerajaan Negeri Melaka: Lapuran akaun kerajaan menunjukkan RM105 juta lesap
   

4. Skandal Abul Hasan
   Tiada tindakkan di ambil bagaimana wang tunai berjumlah RM100,000 berada di dalam laci bekas Gabenor Bank Negara ini.

INFLASI

Negara dijangka dilanda kenaikkan inflasi berikutan kenaikkan harga minyak petrol, tambang MAS dan mungkin juga kadar awam seperti letrik. Mengapakah kenaikkan itu timbul sedangkan syarikat2 minyak mendapat untung yang berlebihan kerana harga jualan petrol antarabangsa yang meningkat? Adakah kerajaan BN mahu menyelamatkan SYARIKAT BESAR MINYAK ini dengan menyalurkan kenaikkan harga tersebut kepada pengguna pula?.

SALAHGUNA DANA AWAM

Contoh terakhir bagaimana dana awam disalah gunakan terserlah dalam kes ikat-tanggung (bail-out) RM3 billion oleh Danaharta kepada Hottick Investments Limited. Dengan Danaharta membeli RM3 billion pinjaman itu dari 4 bank dengan harga RM4, ia bermakna bank2 Malaysia dan pembayar cukai terpaksa menanggung kerugian RM3 billion ini.

Berikut adalah pecahan Pinjaman Bank berjumlah RM3 billion kepada Hottick untuk menguasai Philippines' National Steel Corporation (NSC) pada tahun 1997 dengan saham NSC sebagai kolateral:

1. Maybank: 925 juta
   
2. RHB: 925 juta
   
3. BBMB : 658 juta
   
4. Commerce Asset: 578 juta
   

Yang amat mengejutkan kita ialah kenapakah pinjaman RM3 billion ini hanya bersandarkan kepada saham NSC bukan asetnya? Kenapakah Bank Negara tidak mengambil tindakkan kepada 4 bank ini kerana memberi pinjaman yang tidak bertanggungjawab? Dengan NSC dirundung alam bangkrap, sahamnya sudah tidak laku. Kalau dapat balik pun cuma sekitar 10% sahaja - itupun kalau nasib baik.

Oleh kerana bank2 ini dimilikki oleh rakyat malaysia juga, ini bermakna kerajaan akhirnya terpaksa ikat-tanggung (bail-out) bank-bank tersebut. Sekali lagi - tiada tindakkan diambil terhadap peminjam Hottick. Lapuran Asian Wall Street Journal pada 19/9/2000 menyatakan hubun kait akrab antara Hottick dengan Halim Saad. Sehingga kini TIDAK ADA SEORANG pun pengarah atau pemegang sahamnya bankrap walaupun sudah meminjam tanpa membayar RM 3billion!

Saya melihat sendiri peminjam2 bank menjadi bankrap kerana hutang kurang dari RM50,000. Adakah pinjaman berbillion lebih bagus kerana tidak bankrap? Kegagalan dan ketidak sungguhan kerajaan dalam mengambil tindakkan terhadap peminjam keparat ini hanya menunjukkan bahawa gejala kronisma masih tetap hidup dan bernyawa dinegara kita.

Dengan keadaan korup dan masalah hutang yang lesap menghantui ekonomi, sebarang belanjawan yang baik pun akan runtuh. Yang pasti nya belanjawan itu hanyalah cuba menyembunyikan kegagalan dan tanggungjawab kerajaan. Rakyatlah yang akan menanggung bahana nya nanti di hari kemudian.

Rencana Asal:

Press Statement By DAP National Vice-Chairman Lim Guan Eng In Petaling Jaya On 27.9.2000.

What Type Of Good Budget Can Malaysians Expect Next Year With Worsening Corruption, Inflation With Increase In Petrol Prices And MAS Fares As Well As Abuse Of Billions Of Ringgit Of Public Funds To Bail Out Well-Connected Companies?

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Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamed's promise of a good budget next year as the economy is doing well is not reflected by actual market conditions, whether in the local capital stock market or in the real economy. Many businessmen have complained that there is no liquidity in the market, causing difficulty in collecting debts, and that business is slow.

If the economy is really progressing that well, why is the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Composite Index(KLCI) struggling to stay above 700 points? Moreover, what type of good budget can Malaysians expect next year with worsening corruption, inflation with increase in petrol prices and MAS fares as well as abuse of billions of ringgit in public funds to bail out well-connected companies.

The latest Transparency International Corruption Perception Index has clearly shown that corruption has worsened in Malaysia. In a list of clean countries, Malaysia slipped from 32nd last year to 36th this year. Worse Malaysia's score of 5.1 last year out of 10(being highly clean) and 0(highly corrupt), fell to 4.8 this year. This is the first time in history that Malaysia has failed such a corruption test by failing to even obtain the minium 5 points to pass.

Malaysia's worsening corruption crisis can be seen with the unresolved multi-billion ringgit Perwaja scandal, the use of scholarship funds meant for the poor to purchase luxury items for personal use as happened in the Melaka Foundation scandal, the unverified accounts of Melaka State Government's accounts where RM105 million can not be traced and the failure to act against a former Bank Negara Governor who was unable to justify why he had RM100,000 cash in his office.

Secondly, inflation is also expected to increase next year following the rise in petrol prices, MAS fares and possibly public utility rates. Such increases comes despite huge profits by oil companies from rising petrol prices. Is the BN government protecting BIG OIL by passing on the price increases to consumers instead of to oil companies?

Finally, the abuse of public funds to bail out well-connected companies continues unabated. The latest example of such misuse of public funds is the RM3 billion bail-out by Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Bhd(Danaharta) of Hottick Investments Limited. Whilst Danaharta bought the RM3 billion loan from 4 banks for RM4, it is finally Malaysian banks and taxpayers that has to foot the RM3 billion bill.

The four banks are Malayan Banking Bhd. and RHB Bank Bhd., which lent about 925 million ringgit each to Hottick, while Bank Bumiputra and Commerce Asset-Holding Bhd. lent 658 million ringgit and 578 million ringgit, respectively. The RM3 billion loan was to finance Hottick's investment in the Philippines' National Steel Corporation(NSC) in 1997 and secured by shares in the NSC.

What is shocking is that the RM3 billion loans is not secured by NSC's physical assets but by its shares. Why did Bank Negara fail to take action against the four banks for making out such huge and irresponsible loans? With NSC facing bankruptcy, the shares are worthless and the four Malaysian banks would be fortunate to get back even 10% of their loans.

Since Malaysians owns all the banks, the government will finally have to bail out these banks. Again, no legal action is taken against the borrowers of Hottick. Asian Wall Street Journal in its report on 19th September 2000 linked Hottick to Tan Sri Halim Saad. Until today none of the directors or shareholders are bankrupt despite having borrowed RM3 billion.

I have seen borrowers of less than RM50,000 loans from banks being made bankrupt. There is probably some perverse moral lesson here that the only way to profit from borrowing from a bank is to borrow in billions of ringgit, and not in small sums. The failure and lack of will of the government to punish those responsible and instead decide to protect the borrowers only goes to show that crony capitalism is alive and well in Malaysia.

With such huge corruption and debt restructuring problems facing the Malaysian economy, any good Budget is a false dawn. Talk of good budget is only intended to hide the failure to observe transparency and accountability as well as postpone the costs and consequences to be paid by Malaysians.

- LIM GUAN ENG -