'Whatever one might say of him, let us not forget that he is an inventor and an innovator. He invented the concept of ‘negotiated tender' as opposed to open tender. He also re-invented the OSA.'
With Dr M as friend, who needs enemies?
Tan Teng Wah: The crossfire between Dr Mahathir Mohamad and minister Nazri Abdul Aziz bears very little significance, except that both of them are bringing out into the open what many of us already knew. If you like, you could give them an even score of 1-1 for this skirmish.
And at best, it could be exploited by the opposition as mentioned by the writer. But will it change anything given the awkward situation BN/Umno are now in? Are they willing or can they afford to discard their racist stance?
Abraham Lincoln once said. ‘No matter how much cats fight, there always seems to be plenty of kittens.' This quote is, to a great extent, is relevant in our present political scene.
Detty: Whatever one might say of Mahathir, let us not forget that he is an inventor and an innovator. Mahathir invented the concept of ‘negotiated tender' as opposed to open tender.
Mahathir also re-invented the OSA to make sure that those who disclose anything that embarrasses the government - like the terms of a closed-tender contract - would have committed a crime.
Thus contracts could be given out without transparency resulting in costs far exceeding the original contract cost like the Shah Alam Hospital contract . Though it happened after Mahathir's era, it is a direct result of Mahathir's inventions.
We should appreciate and value such an ‘inventive' and ‘innovative' PM for it seems many countries are jealous of Mahathir's approaches and are zealously studying them for possible implementation.
John Smith: I am all for the Goods and Services Tax but we must make sure that it is implemented in a way that nobody can avoid it. A wholesale sales tax, on the other hand, is far easier to evade.
The advantage of GST is that all along the chain, businesses are highly motivated to keep detailed records with a full audit trail. The Inland Revenue Department can obtain from a wholesaler a full list of all suppliers and the amount of GST paid to each.
The wholesaler will definitely keep these records because without them the wholesaler cannot reclaim this tax and stands to lose 4% of costs!
It is then very easy to cross-reference this with the GST records of the supplier to ensure that the GST paid by the wholesaler has been fully accounted for. The final benefit is at the end retailer - because there is no motivation to 'forget' to charge GST.
The retailer already paid GST on his supplies; and he can only reclaim that GST by complying with charging GST on his own sales. He stands to lose personally by not complying.
Wira: Basically, I support the concept of GST because it taxes on consumption. It means everyone who consumes will pay.
The rich who consume more will pay more. It is also a comprehensive system of tax collection where taxes are collected for the value-added portion in a manufacturing and supply chain. Essential items which are in the basket for the compilation of the inflation rate of the country are probably exempted from GST.
However, against the backdrop of rampant corruption, I see futility in this exercise as the few billions to be collected this way will be easily squandered away by greedy and unscrupulous politicians and civil servants.
So please make a serious effort towards the eradication of corruption in this country before you introduce GST. As a start, may we have more transparency please?
Najib fails annual test of human rights
Azmil Tayeb: Najib doesn't care what the world says about his connection to the Mongolian murder Altantuya Shaariibuu. Only Malaysians can remove him at the next general election. I hope Malaysians vote him out so that Pakatan Rakyat can re-open the Altantuya case and put him in the dock to answer any allegations against him.
Watchman: Suaram's report is important as it is a written indictment on BN's performance. This report can be read by everyone, including potential investors.
However, our future depends on us. When enough Malaysians have woken up to the government's poor human rights record as well as the corrupt practices of BN, we can then get rid of BN.
