Who really needs to be helped?

I noted with despair the argument in Parliament about the Lack of stats on Sabah and Sarawak bumis (which) upsets MPs!

It does not really matter about who owns what or which! What really matters to all is that anyone who is in need of help should be helped, irrespective of race, religion, gender or creed!

There's no point shouting about the un-equality in equity etc.

Bottom line is, everyone should be made to be able to live within an aceptable living condition, and nobody should be made to suffer to live within it.

This is what the ruling BN-led governance have failed to deliver since independence! They need to be booted-out!
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The Star Online > Parliament

Thursday October 13, 2005

Lack of stats on Sabah and Sarawak bumis upsets MPs

HARDLY half an hour had gone by during question time, but it was enough for a yelling match to take place in the Dewan – the first of several yesterday.

The trigger for the raised tempers in the morning was a question by Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau (BN – Tuaran) asking if there were statistics on equity ownership involving Sabah and Sarawak bumiputras.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Joseph Entulu Belaun’s reply that the Government had only begun compiling such statistics last year and they could only be revealed next year irked many MPs, including Wilfred.

The MP said: “Efforts to increase involvement in the corporate sector and raise equity ownership of Sabah and Sarawak bumiputras were contained in the Eighth Malaysia Plan.

“The Plan ends this year. How is it that the Deputy Minister is saying that mechanisms to raise the equity ownership levels of Sabah and Sarawak bumiputras are only going to be implemented now?

“What has happened over the past five years?”

When Belaun admitted that he could not give details on the equity ownership breakdown for the ethnic groups and that Wilfred could be correct about the lack of mechanisms, M. Kulasegaran (DAP - Ipoh Barat) stood up and shouted: “All talk and no action.”

Amid shouts from Barisan MPs like Datuk Ronald Kiandee (BN – Beluran) to not politicise the issue, Chong Eng (DAP – Bukit Mertajam) stood up to ask when the Barisan government would start to look after the minority groups of Sabah and Sarawak and when the 30% equity ownership target would be met.

“Bumiputras do not comprise only of Malays in Peninsular Malaysia,” she said.

To this, Belaun said there might be many things which could be disputed with statistics.

“But no one can dispute the fact that the equity ownership levels had gone up,” he said.

When he challenged the opposition to name a group whose welfare today was in a worse shape than before independence, Kulasegaran immediately said: “The Indians.”

The war of words between MPs from both sides of the House continued later over the issue of education.

Datuk Liow Tiong Lai (BN – Bentong) said that in a multi-cultural country, certain issues should not be politicised.

This prompted the DAP MPs to raise their voice in protest, with Chong Eng asking if Liow wanted to debate the matter.

But Liow continued his speech, adding that Chinese education should not be politicised, irking the Opposition who started protesting over the remark.

There was also heated exchange between Kulasegaran and Devamany Krishnasamy (BN – Cameron Highlands) over the DAP man's remark that the MIC was play-acting when it said it would “close shop” if the Government did not attend to its request for Indian equity to be raised.


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