Of course, the term colonialism is not often used when it's locals ripping off other locals. It's like apartheid. It only happens when whites oppress blacks. These terms don't apply when Javanese suppress Achehnese or when Burmese oppress Karens.

But look at the substance. Has any major sector of our economy not been exploited by our new in-house colonial masters from the Barisan Nasional? A lot of criticism has already been directed at the shitty strategies of the Beautiful Water Consortium and the business climax of water suppliers Puncak Niaga in 1998 (when Klang Valley taps went dry). In both cases lousy service went public while profits were privatised.

Petronas used one billion (of the public's) ringgit to bail out a shipping company owned by one of The Sons while the EPF has poured billions (again, of the public's) ringgit into questionable purchases on the stock market. These are the old stories.

Public transport, too

Let's not forget the less spectacular cases. Back in 1997, the bus companies of Kuala Lumpur were forcibly merged so that "public transport could become more efficient". On paper it sounded great.

Under one consortium, busier routes could cross-subsidise the less profitable ones thereby improving services. Moreover, since we are a Maju Jaya country, we need buses that look new and shiny.

However, the reality was painful. On the first few days of the takeover, thousands of commuters turned up one or two hours late for work because Intrakota wanted to "optimise" (read: minimise) the number of buses that it had to provide. To add insult to injury, the ticket price was increased from 60 sen to 90 sen.

Three years later, commuters still have to stand and wait for Intrakota buses longer compared to the old mini-buses. And on top of it, the crony-controlled company is still whining about making losses (just like Parkmay, another crony-controlled forced consolidation of bus companies). How is it that mini-buses could provide a faster, more frequent and cheaper service and still make profits? What the hell is wrong with Intrakota?

The answer is self-evident. There is a parasite somewhere in the system sucking out money. There was also a conflict of interest, because

Diversified Resources Berhad, the company which owns Intrakota, also wanted to sell more Proton cars. And since selling cars is more profitable than selling bus tickets...well what more needs to be said?

Remember that Barisan political attack advertisement before the elections? "Don't gamble our future". Now that Perak has given a solid mandate to the Barisan Nasional, on April 15, it was announced that the state government is considering merging all of Ipoh's bus companies into a single consortium "to further improve public transportation and ease congestion".

It sounds chillingly familiar. After KL's experience, we are entitled to ask: Will Ipoh's public transportation be colonised by a crony monopoly?

'Semua sapu'

In the past one month, what other reports have we heard about the Barisan's fantastic progress and development? Well, drum roll please, are you ready... it's time to privatise road-tax collection! (trumpets on cue).

On April 16, the Pan-Malaysian Lorry Owners' Association asked for an assurance from the government that the new privatisation, by June 1 as sources have it, would not result in additional charges.

"I hope it will not be like the privatisation of vehicle inspections to Puspakom," said the association's president Er Sui See diplomatically. He explained that Puspakom had broken its promise that any subsequent vehicle inspection within one year would be free. But Er, the trouble is, road-tax collection is being privatised to the same guys - a subsidiary of Puspakom.

Yes, road tax, can you believe that? Every part of the government that makes money (for the rakyat) is ripe for privatised exploitation. Semua dia orang mau sapu.

What's next? Public hospitals and the smart schools? Hey, how about the collection of cukai tanah and traffic compounds? Tell you what, why not privatise the police force and the judiciary as well?

The Petaling Jaya Municipal Council collected good money from easy-to-use parking coupons. Money which can be used to alleviate floods, provide day-care centres for babies and improve playgrounds right?

Wrong. Even the parking system has been privatised to some crony in the expensive and inconvenient Park and Display system - on Jan 1, one month after the elections. Will there be any part of the government left unprivatised? Sure, all those departments that don't make money. The rakyat will still be paying taxes for those. So even if the opposition wins the next elections, so what? Ha, ha, ha, they'll only get an empty shell!

And what about KL International Airport? First of all, there is the dubious need to sink RM9 billion in a spanking new airport when Subang could have been expanded. One fabulous reason given was that our super caring government did not want to evict squatters from land reserved for Subang's expansion!

Fine, billion ringgit wastage does not count. After all it's the government's money, not ours, right? What really irritates us wise voters is the need to pay a few ringgit extra for taxis home from KLIA because Airport Limousine Malaysia Bhd has grabbed this economic sector, disallowing competition from other taxis.

Such gimme-gimme-the-money privatisation contracts are, after all, the way that the Entrepreneur Development Ministry "develops" entrepreneurs to face global competition. But yet another Intrakota situation developed. This time, instead of buses, the number of taxis had been optimised (read: minimised) from 1,500 down to 757 so much so that in early April, many passengers ended up waiting for hours for a ride at KLIA.

Finally, on April 8, the Entrepreneur Development Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz had to salvage the situation by blaming the taxi monopoly. "The situation is disappointing, especially when we have a world-class airport that is not supported by good transport services," he said.

Housing rip-off

Ah, private profit, public hassle, what's new? Housing is another area ripe for exploitative profits.

By right, it should be regarded as an essential item, just like rice, sugar and condensed milk. Like healthcare, it should be a basic human right, a service, not a commodity to fatten Datuks and developers.

Some sort of price control should have been instituted so that the right of everyone to own one lousy house takes priorty over the right of some millionaire speculator to buy up 10 bloody houses. After all, our Third World champion is always talking about how Asian human rights are all about providing "economic rights" like food and jobs rather than "political rights" such as free speech.

The BN practises what it preaches by allowing its developer friends to hold Malaysian housebuyers hostage by collecting money first before laying a single house brick - instead of the build-first-sell-later system practised in Australia ("You bloody well prove that you can do it first

mate" in Ozzie-speak). And when their developer friends abandon projects, the same BN politicians make pious statements in the media about the need for "tough action against errant developers".

It continues to allow Sing-dollars to buy up empty condos to "goreng" prices upwards while Malaysians struggle with meagre low-cost housing. This struggle came to a boil recently in Penang.

The state government had three years to prepare for the repeal of the Rent Control Act. But while luxury condos continued to be built, why didn't the government strictly enforce the requirement that 30 percent of all housing development should comprise low-cost units?

Last month, we have heard all about how double-storey shophouses in Georgetown are partitioned into 24 cubicles, with each family living here for RM60 a month. Imagine the toilet-sharing. Sometimes the roof, or even the whole first floor has collapsed and only plastic sheets keep out the rain. Well, congratulations to Penangites for their solid support of the BN. What a solid future theyhave ahead with them!

After all, remember how Penangites were thanked for voting Barisan back in 1995? By having their airport yanked away to Kedah. Ironically, only the economic crisis had sufficient power, not Gerakan or MCA, to save Penang's airport.

During the recent elections, the powerful Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon promised that the rent decontrol issue would be resolved. Maybe the BN thought that Penangites are such an easy going lot that with some good char koay teow in their bellies, all would be forgotten. They hadn't bet on a group called Save Ourselves (SOS!) rising up to demand that the state government keep their lousy word. Still, instead of lending money to poor tenants to buy low-cost flats, the state government is giving a RM100 million loan package for landlords to do renovations!

Well, Malaysia Boleh (!) reward the shadow colonial masters, those businessmen and developers who bankroll and finance politicians. One might even ask, did Penangites elect wakil towkay or wakil rakyat ?