'Idris Jala can stay if Pakatan takes Putrajaya'

What’s the difference between the government’s New Economic Model (NEM) and Pakatan Rakyat’s Buku Jingga (Orange Book)?

“Political will,” said PKR strategist Rafizi Ramli in a panel discussion at the 5th Malaysian Students Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

He said Pakatan is likely to retain some elements of NEM should it clinch federal power as both plans share some similarities.

Rafizi added that this include retaining the services of Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Idris Jala - the man picked by PM Najib Razak to implement the reforms.

"I cannot speak on behalf of Pakatan, but I'm sure if we are in Putrajaya, most probably Idris Jala will remain where he is,” he said.

However, Rafizi stressed that what sets Pakatan apart is its political will to bring reforms even in the face of vested interest.

“A lot of the principles in the NEM are more or less the same (with the Buku Jingga), but it depends on whether or not the government has the political will to undo past (unfair) agreements (with the private sector)," said Rafizi.

Idris, who was also part of the panel discussion, responded to Rafizi’s comments with a smile.

"Thanks, (at least) there is an agreement here," he quipped.

The ‘Propelling Malaysia Forward Through Transformational Programmes’ panel saw a rapid-fire exchange involving Idris, Rafizi and PJ Utara MP Tony Pua on what need to be done for Malaysia to lift itself from the middle-income trap.

Making up the four-member panel was MCA central committee member Ti Lian Ker.

Politicians must walk the talk

Pua echoed similar sentiments, pointing out that while the BN's reform programmes are good, the government has not always followed through with it.

"The documents are similar, but the difference is in political will. Without political will, any document is useless. Take the example of the 1Malaysia concept in the GTP (Government Transformation Programme), I'm sure 99 percent of people in this room accept the concept.

        

“But when we have senior government officials like the deputy prime minister (Muhyiddin Yassin) saying that his race comes first before being a Malaysian, then it is contradictory. Politicians must believe in their own policies if they want to carry it out," he said.

The DAP parliamentarian made a bold political statement at the event by wearing a bright yellow T-shirt.

Earlier Pua rebutted suggestions by the moderator that the opposition coalition's Buku Jingga was merely a populist measure, stressing that Pakatan did not have the resources to produce an extensive policy document such as the GTP.

 

"It is unrealistic to compare the GTP and ETP to the Buku Jingga, which is only around 30 pages. Pemandu's budget last year was around RM70 million, we do not have that kind of money. What is important is for us to have a clear set of principles," he said.

'Money don't grow on trees'

However, Idris pointed out that the plans by Pakatan, such as increasing the allowance of teachers and reducing fuel prices, would be fiscally impossible to achieve.

“The Buku Jingga wants to ensure all household makes at least RM4,000 a month - that will cost an additional RM93.9 billion. Where are you going to get that kind of money? It’s impossible, money don’t grow on trees,” he said.

Idris also lamented that despite the results that has been delivered through the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), the opposition continued to criticise the government.

However, Rafizi countered that while the government has a strong long-term plan, it has failed to act swiftly on immediate issues such as tackling corruption and ensuring transparency in governance - a point in Pakatan's Buku Jingga which Rafizi claims has been achieved in Selangor.

“We have demonstrated that we can deliver in Selangor. It is unthinkable that we could have increased our reserves by RM200 million to RM300 million.

“As soon as we became the government, we made sure the land (and mining) were properly managed, and that provided us revenue for the free water programme, money for the elderly and grants for university students,” he said.

The two-day summit, which began today, is organised by the United Kingdom and Eire Council (UKEC) and will see several prominent personalities including ministers, politicians and scholars sharing ideas with top student leaders from across the country.