DO OUR MINISTERS DESERVE TO BE PAID PEANUTS?

PETALING JAYA: Elected Members of Parliament can earn up to RM10,000 in monthly perks and allowances.

According to Statute Paper No. 235 of the Members of Parliament (Remuneration) Act 1980, MPs are afforded monthly allowances such as for entertainment (RM1,500), personal driver (RM1,200), travel (RM1,500) and telephone (RM900).

It said MPs are also paid an allowance of RM200 per day when they attend meetings in Parliament and RM150 when they attend any meeting, briefing, seminar or event organised by ministries or government agencies at the federal or state level that they are officially invited to.

Besides that, MPs can also claim, while on official duty, food allowances (plus 25% for tips) and funds for hotel room and laundry charges, parking and toll fees, and money for them to buy warm clothing and ceremonial attire.

Other perks MPs enjoy are free medical treatment for themselves, their spouse and children below 21 at government hospitals and clinics, computer, car and housing loans, free firearm and motor vehicle licences, as well as pension and gratuity for their services under certain terms and conditions.

(From the Star 20 May, 2013)

You know what they say - if you pay peanuts, you'll probably get monkeys working for you. Former Singapore PM Lee Kuan Yew was quoted making the remark in justifying the astronomically high salaries Singapore ministers earn.

Singapore pays top dollar to attract the best brains to run the government. This also reduces the incidence of corruption. Prior to 31 December 2010, Singapore Prime Minister's annual salary was S$3,072,200, while the pay of ministerial-grade officers ranged between $1,583,900 and $2,368,500. A Committee to Review Ministerial Salaries appointed on 21 May 2011 recommended wage reductions, with the Prime Minister's salary being reduced by 36% (including the abolition of his pension) to $2.2 million (about US$1.7 million). Nonetheless, the Prime Minister remains among the highest-paid political leaders in the world.

Do you think our Malaysian ministers deserve a pay rise? Or do you think their low salaries is commensurate with their (lack of) experience and qualifications?

Postscript: The Sarawak state legislative assembly has just approved a 3-fold pay rise for ministers and assemblymen, to be backdated to January 1, 2012. The last salary adjustment was in 1992.  Click here for the full article.

Chief Minister of Sarawak Abdul Taib Mahmud will now draw a salary much higher than PM Najib's. It's a matter of time before we see a review of ministerial remuneration. The reward for retaining control of the government after GE13 - a huge pay rise? A sure bet since the PM is also the Finance Minister! By the way, CM Taib is also Minister of Finance and Minister of Resource Planning and Environment. So much absolute power in the hands of one man!

WHAT DO WE WANT FROM OUR LEADERS?

Now that the PM has announced his cabinet, what do the people think of his choice of ministers and deputy ministers?

Perhaps before we answer the question, we should look at the criteria for evaluating a candidate running for political office.

To help us out, let's look at Brett and Kate McKay's article "The Four Qualities of a True Statesman". It's based on Prof Rufus Fears' extensive research on statesmanship. Did the PM use these qualities as a yardstick in picking his cabinet?

THIS IS WHAT WE WANT FROM OUR LEADERS

• PRINCIPLES
• A MORAL COMPASS
• A VISION
• AN ABILITY TO BUILD CONSENSUS TO ACHIEVE THAT VISION

A Bedrock of Principles

The statesman builds a platform on a foundation of firm, unchanging, fundamental truths that he believes at his very core comprises his overarching philosophy. In the face of changing times, opposition and challenges, this foundation will remain intact. A statesman may change the details of his policies and his methods, but only inasmuch as expedient tactics serve to further his bedrock principles in the long run.

A Moral Compass

A statesman does not govern by public opinion polls, but instead makes decisions by following his own moral compass that is rooted in a sense of absolute right and absolute wrong. He is not a relativist. When he believes something is wrong, he plainly says it is so and does everything in his power to fight against it. When something is right, he is willing to overcome any opposition to preserve and spread it.

The statesman is ambitious—he must be to obtain a position of power— but there are things he simply will and will not do to get to the top. He is a man of integrity; he speaks the truth. He leads by moral authority and represents all that is best in his countrymen.

A Vision

A statesman has a clear vision of what his country and his people can become. He knows where he wants to take them and what it will take to get there. Foresight is one of his most important qualities, because he must be able to recognize problems on the horizon and find solutions good for both the short term and long term. The statesman keeps in mind not only the here and now, but the world that future generations will inherit.

The Ability to Build a Consensus to Achieve that Vision

A politician may have a bedrock of principles, a moral compass and vision, but if he lacks the ability to build a consensus around them, his efforts to change policies, laws and the course of history will largely be in vain.

In enlisting others in government that serve with him to support his initiatives, he knows that their willingness to do so is based on the pressure they feel from their constituents to align themselves with the statesman’s vision. Thus, success ultimately hinges on his ability to convince his country’s citizens of the soundness of his philosophy.

To win their hearts, the statesman shuns media campaigns and instead harnesses the power of the written, and especially the spoken, word; he is a master orator. His lifelong study of great books and the lessons of history allow him to speak to the people with intelligent, potent, well-reasoned arguments.

Instead of tailoring his rhetoric to the public mood, he speaks to the very best that exists within people, understanding that powerful rhetoric can articulate, bring forth and activate sometimes deeply buried ideals. His authority derives from his belief in what he says. He does not make emotions soar and burn with empty promises, but instead keeps his word and does what he says he will do.

(Read the original article here.)

Let's look at our PM's new cabinet, and evaluate these ministers above using Prof Fears' criteria. By the way, include the PM as well in the evaluation.

If you have the time and interest, go to Amirul Ruslan's blog. He has taken the trouble to post links to wikipedia for background information on each of the ministers and deputy ministers. Don't be surprised to find nothing much mentioned about most of them. Yet we are supposed to accept them and trust them to lead the country of 29 million people.

And if the first public statements made by the PM and by the new Home Minister are anything to go by, the future doesn't augur well for the people of Malaysia, especially for those who did not vote for the ruling political party in the recent general elections.

Unbecoming of a PM to make such a remark. The people have a right to choose who they want.

He has no right to tell those who didn't vote for the ruling party to 'leave the country'. The country doesn't belong to him. 

Not a positive start for the new cabinet in winning over the people's confidence. And going by Prof Fears' criteria, how many cabinet ministers do you think made the cut? Start the countdown from 5. 4? 3? 2? 1? O?

HOW CAN WE WATCH THIS VIDEO AND NOT FEEL GUILTY?

Stuck in an ocean of trash

Anyone who views this video below and remains unaffected by it must have a heart of stone. I think we are all guilty in one way or another of contributing to the unrelenting, merciless pollution and destruction of this beloved home planet of ours.

One-third of the young birds on Midway Island die from eating plastic items which they thought was food. Imagine if these birds were human babies. Perhaps that is the only way we can truly understand the magnitude of the devastation we have wreaked on the environment and the countless millions of animals and birds we may have knowingly or unknowingly, directly or indirectly killed.

ASTRO Kasih volunteers must be commended on their recent efforts to clear underwater trash at at 14 dive sites surrounding the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park here from April 6-13. Altogether 134 divers from Malaysia as well as France, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, USA, Lithuania, Switzerland, Hong Kong and the Netherlands collected over three tons of marine debris, including plastic bottles and bags, fishing lines, nets, cans and tires.

Astro volunteer divers picking up tin cans, plastic bags 

Surely the least we can do is help by reducing our use of plastic and keeping our beaches clean. 

FOR MOTHERS EVERYWHERE - A TRIBUTE AND A PRAYER

My two gorgeous daughters - so proud of how they have turned out.

To my four grandchildren, may you grow up with all the right values your mother has instilled in you.

This video below is specially for my two daughters who are remarkable mothers in their own right. Two different and opposing ways of raising their children, but nonetheless, my grandchildren have grown up to be loving and caring - just like their moms! Oh, and smart too!

And to my dearest mother who raised six children on her own when she was widowed at the age of 29, I owe you a lifetime of gratitude for all your sacrifices in bringing me up.

And for all mothers everywhere, a prayer for you on this special day.

REACTION TO GE13 RESULTS FROM ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY

The Straits Times (ST) is a Singapore English daily, the New Straits Times (NST) is a Malaysian English daily It is easy to confuse the two..

This morning I had an interesting chat with a group of Singapore friends. They had many questions to ask about the results of Malaysia's 13th General Elections held last Sunday 5 May. Were all the allegations of elections fraud true? Is the situation tense in Malaysia? Are the people happy with BN's win? Will Najib be the new PM for the next five years? What do the results mean for the country's future?

I was told that Singaporeans had been following the elections keenly. The Straits Times had dispatched a team of 15 correspondents and photographers to several key towns to provide up-to-the-minute reports and analyses of GE13.

Extract from the ST:

RARELY has there been an election campaign up north that has drawn so much attention from Singaporeans. Both online and off, in coffee shops and offices, Malaysia's general election has proved to be quite a talking point.

Part of it was simply due to the fact that the Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold of Johor - Singapore's closest neighbour - was in play for the first time in decades.

Suddenly, the Malaysians who live in Singapore or who commute here for work became an important constituency. Johor chief minister Abdul Ghani Othman even spent half a day visiting Singapore during the campaign.

The other, bigger reason, was the possibility of a regime change.

(Click here to read more.)


This shouldn't come as a surprise as Singapore and Malaysia share a common history. Many Singaporeans have family members in Malaysia, many of the republic's corporate leaders were born in Malaysia, and thousands of Malaysians study and work in Singapore.

So how have Singaporeans reacted to the news that BN has won?

Going by the reports in the ST, the BN's win was generally welcomed as it meant Singapore-Malaysia ties would continue unaffected, and there would be no disruptions in business deals especially for Singapore companies that have invested heavily in the Iskandar region in Johor.

I am sure the Singapore PAP government is also relieved as the results send a subtle message to the people that it is not that easy for the opposition to topple the ruling party.

My Singapore friends praised the courage of Malaysians for uniting and standing up against what they see as injustice and corruption. I had to agree with them. Malaysians are no longer afraid to speak out against what they see as injustice and corruption. Riot police, tear gas and water cannons no longer stop them. The threat of arrest no longer cows them into silence.

The massive crowd that turned up at Kelana Jaya stadium on 8 May to protest against the GE13 results. Despite having only two days to organize the rally, the turnout was beyond expectations, thanks to social media, 

They say there is strength in numbers. This is so true in the Malaysian context. That is where the courage springs from - the knowledge that there are hundreds of thousands who share the same aspirations and want the same things for themselves and their children. That they are not alone. That is what has galvanized the people to come together as one united front to press for justice.

Power will always belong to the people. History has repeatedly shown this to be so.

ELDERLY COUPLE IN TUSSLE OVER OWNERSHIP OF THE MATRIMONIAL HOME

Husband See Fong Mun vs wife Chan Yuen Lan over what the judge wryly referred to
as 'an old folks' home.

(This news article from The Straits Times dated 8 May is posted here in full as it is of interest to senior couples. It concerns a court case of husband vs wife over claims to rightful ownership of property. Such cases are not that uncommon these days. Read why the judge ruled in favour of the husband. To access other ST articles online, subscribe to ST.)

Husband wins claim over $20m Chancery Lane bungalow
By K. C. Vijayan Senior Law Correspondent

A TUSSLE by a couple in their 80s over who owned a $20 million bungalow in Chancery Lane has been settled in favour of the husband by the High Court.

Justice Choo Han Teck found retired businessman See Fong Mun, 86, had paid for the house that was bought in 1983 but registered in the name of his wife Chan Yuen Lan, 88.

At the heart of the issue was whether the property belonged to the person who paid for it or the person in whose name it was registered.

The case helps make clear that a registered legal owner of a property paid for by another can be treated as a trustee of the property for the payer, who is the real owner of the benefit from the property. To arrive at the decision, the court will look at all the circumstances, including the intention of the parties at the time of purchase and from whom the monies came, and decide if it was being held either in a resulting or constructive trust.

In the case of the Chancery Lane bungalow, Justice Choo found that it was held in a resulting trust because from the start, the couple had both intended for the property to belong to Mr See.

Three days before the purchase was made in 1983, Madam Chan signed a power of attorney authorising her husband and their eldest child Cliff to take charge and manage the house.

But in April 2011, she revoked the 1983 power of attorney, a move that prompted her husband to seek a High Court order to nullify her action.

In his written judgment released yesterday, Justice Choo noted wryly in the opening sentence: "This is a case about an old folks' home - a very large and expensive house."

The double-storey house sits on a plot of land just over 20,000 sq ft, and is a good class bungalow in an upscale neighbourhood.

The couple married in 1957 and Madam Chan stopped working as a hairdresser after marriage. They have three children, aged 55, 53 and 51. The now-retired Mr See was the sole breadwinner except for one year, and Madam Chan depended on the household income he gave her, the judge noted.

Mr See was a self-made millionaire who started two companies. In 1983, when he turned 55, he bought the bungalow with money put together from various sources, such as his Central Provident Fund savings and a $290,000 loan from Madam Chan. Justice Choo found the loan was repaid and could not be considered as her share of the purchase of the house.

Madam Chan, defended by lawyer Simon Jones, had also argued, among other things, that Mr See had bought the house as a gift as he felt "guilt-ridden" by an extramarital affair with his secretary.

But the judge found the overall evidence to be very weak and was not convinced that Mr See bought the bungalow "out of sheer conscience or moral responsibility".

"A man nearing retirement age who had just fallen in love with another woman was unlikely in the circumstances to scrape together a $1.8 million fund from multiple sources to buy a house... as a gift to his wife," he noted.

Mr See, represented by lawyers Lim Seng Siew and Lai Swee Fung, claimed his wife had asked for the property to be put in her name "as the husbands of all her friends had done so and she wished to flaunt it to her friends". Mr See agreed in exchange for her written agreement confirming that he was the sole and ultimate owner.

The veracity of his claim was disputed by two sons, who were on opposing sides.

"As neither account was inherently unbelievable, my finding could only be based largely on credibility," said Justice Choo, who found the older son Cliff to be a "more measured and candid witness".

He also noted that Mr See's affair did not lead him to divorce his wife, and the house has remained their matrimonial home. Madam Chan had lived in it since 1983 until the lawsuit started last year, when she moved out, but not at his behest.

ARE SENIORS TRULY THE HAPPIEST DEMOGRAPHIC AS SURVEYS SEEM TO SHOW?

The new 'old' do not fit the negative stereotype image of seniors who are frail, senile and decrepit. Definitely time for new labels for the new 'old'.

(Thanks, Missy Joe, for pointing Seniorsaloud to this article from canada.com in response to our earlier blog post "Time for New Labels for the 'New' Old" of 23 March)

Seniors are the happiest demographic in Canada, according to a survey released Monday, with people 66 and older outshining all other age groups in terms of overall contentedness, optimism about aging, the sense that “age is just a number,” and the belief that you should never stop living life to the fullest.

Despite this positive outlook, however, the study finds seniors continue to battle unflattering stereotypes about loss of independence, reduced mobility, diminished mental capacity and inability to keep physically active. In fact, nine in 10 Canadians associate aging with something bad.

Click here to read more...

Like Canadians, seniors in the United States are generally happy with their lives as the survey below shows. Read the full article in US Today.

What about here in Singapore? Are seniors here happy? If this government report is anything to go by, the answer is Yes! The government continues to promote programs that ensure future generations of older Singaporeans enjoy an active, healthy and productive lifestyle as they age. That makes for happy seniors anywhere in the world.

MY FELLOW MALAYSIANS...LETTER FROM RAFIZI

(With the 13th Elections just two days away, this letter below is a timely read. Please share with your friends if the sentiments expressed below resonate with you. Rafizi Ramli belongs to a new breed of young Malaysians that we want in our next government.)

My fellow Malaysians

I was born in a small wooden house surrounded by rubber trees about 36 years ago. My first recollection of life was that of a water well because my house did not have a running water supply until much later.

Like many kampung Malay kids, I grew up not having much of anything. My worldview was shaped by my surrounding. Since some of my elderly cousins became teachers, I wanted to go one step ahead of them – so I started my young life wanting to be a university lecturer (which was the coolest job I could think of when I was eight years old).

Although life was difficult and we were always conscious that we wouldn’t have enough to go around, I grew up with full of pride. My parents raised us not to be apologetic about anything. From a very young age, I learnt that a man’s mortal enemy is his own self pity.

Thus, I grew up in a family environment that was full of energy and positivity. Living a dignified honest life on my own terms becomes an objective that I pursued doggedly from a young age.

We are, after all, the master of our own fate and fortune.

It is this belief that forms the bedrock of my conviction that for Malaysia to progress, we must heal from the self-inflicted wound of mistrust, mediocrity and mismanagement.

After four decades of divisive policies that favour only the well connected elites of the society, the cancerous downside effects on the society’s morale and self-confidence are all too apparent. The very prerequisite that can make this country great again – pride in ourselves – diminishes by the day.

The Umno elites predictably resort to scaremongering and running down the very group they claim to protect i.e. the Malays.

Every day, the Malays are being fed with a concoction of lies that they cannot survive on their own without the government’s protection. The good Malays were systematically replaced by the mediocre Malays in every sphere when the Umno-led BN government ditched meritocracy in exchange for mediocracy – it was no longer skills, qualifications or business acumen that get you a big break, it was which Umno or BN ministers you know.

The unintended consequences of such selfishness and shortsightedness were devastating to nation-building efforts. A culture of mediocrity and mistrust perpetuated by the Umno-led BN government finally allows for mismanagement of the nation’s wealth to go unchecked.

I have always advocated that a change to a needs-based policy (from race-based) is not only morally right to ensure fairness to all, more importantly it is a necessity to instil pride and goodwill in every single Malaysian so that we can move on confidently.

It is not fair to burden the young Malaysians with the baggage of the past.

They have every right to grow up believing that they can achieve their fullest potentials under the Malaysian sun if they are morally upright, honest, industrious and smart. They deserve a society that can feel good about itself, without the bitterness of mistrust and racial connotations. They need to have the confidence that the government will take care of the most vulnerable groups in the society regardless of background and affiliations.

Our young Malaysians deserve to grow up in a positive environment that thrives on the utmost confidence we have in ourselves and our capabilities, only then can we break free from the ghost of the past which inhibited Malaysia’s potential all this while.

We have a lot of work to do if we hope to accomplish this. We need to fix the schools because fixing the schools means we fix the society. We have to ensure that the good ones in the society are given the best opportunity to soar to the sky while we build a net to catch those less fortunate so that no one is left behind.

Malaysians have to look at each other differently. Instead of looking at our differences, we are better off cherishing the common fondness that binds us together – our colourful food does more justice as a testimony to our ability to appreciate each other than we ever dare to give credit to ourselves.

A lot of my friends said that I am a foolish dreamer. They taunt me that there is a fine line between idealism and foolishness. Yet each time detractors belittle my dream of a better Malaysia for all, I am constantly reminded of the beautiful words of a song from the past:

“You are still so young to travel so far, Old enough to know who you are, Wise enough to carry the scar, Without any blame … ”

Malaysia is a young nation. It has gone through a lot and the experience accelerated its maturity. It may have erred in the past, but its future is the brightest on this side of the horizon. Let us look forward to that future and leave the past behind without any blame.

Looking back, I am ever grateful that I was able to cast my inferiority earlier on in my life. I could because I had a good support system and a good education.

The future of our society lies in our classroom and with our young people. I am glad that while I may have pursued a different professional career, the yearning for teaching and knowledge never dies. Deep inside I have always been a student and a teacher that allowed me to go through a journey of humility to see life from different perspectives.

We must ensure that education reforms become an obsession of our next government because every child deserves a chance to cast away his/her inferiority and inhibition earlier on in life, so that they can do wonders later on.

As we go to the polling station this Sunday, I hope my fellow Malaysians hold our heads high and look to a brighter future. The days when we are put down by our own government shall be over. We shall be the master of our nation’s destiny and fortune.

I may be relatively young, foolish and naïve to hope for better things for Malaysia. I don’t pretend to know what my fellow Malaysians want, but I offer my youth, energy and undying love to make it a better home for everyone.

Because we owe it to our young people and ourselves to put Malaysia where she deserves.

Rafizi Ramli, 5 May 2013
Rafizi is the candidate for the Pandan parliamentary seat in the coming general elections.

WORK BEYOND 65? WHY NOT?

There was a time not too long ago when workers looked forward to their retirement at the age of 55, before the official retirement age in Malaysia was raised to 58, and then to the current 60. I recall many of my former colleagues in the teaching profession opting for early retirement at 40!

For the private sector in Malaysia, the retirement age has remained at 55. This is set to change when the Minimum Retirement Act 2012 comes into effect on 1 July 2013. In Singapore, under the Retirement and Re-employment Act which was implemented in 2012, employers must offer re-employment to workers turning 62, at least up to 65.

Straits Times 2 May

Whatever the retirement age, there will always be mixed views from the stakeholders. The government can't please all parties concerned, and compromises have to be made.

Employers see the new minimum retirement age in terms of higher costs in payroll and healthcare provisions. Fresh job seekers see fewer opportunities open to them while ambitious young professionals see a longer wait for career promotions.

A Straits Times reader expresses her views on the employment of older workers

What about older workers? Their views about retirement have certainly changed. While there are still many who can't wait to clock out for the last time at their place of work, a growing number want to continue working as long as possible. And it's not just to keep themselves physically and mentally busy. More importantly, they need the financial security that a steady job offers. As it is, many are struggling to cope with the rise in the cost of living.

Whatever retirement savings they may have accumulated over the years are insufficient to see them through the next 20 or more years. The longer life expectancy of 76 is both a boon and a bane. There are housing mortgages and insurance premiums to pay, car loans and credit card debts to settle. Many still have to support their elderly parents and finance their children's further education.

Mr Lim is representative of baby boomers who have to work for as long as possible to make ends meet.

Older workers simply can't afford to retire at 55, 60 or 65. For young people who oppose raising the retirement age, be thankful that your working parents are self-supporting, and not a financial burden to you.

(For more articles on older workers and re-employment, type the key words in the Seniorsaloud blog search box in the right hand column.)