All Malaysians are equal irrespective of race and religion
University places should be allocated based on examination results, not race or other forms of quota. We need the best people to manage the country. Entry and promotion in the civil service, police and army must similarly be based on educational qualifications and work experience.
Koon Yew Yin, Free Malaysia Today
Dear Dr Mahathir,
Under the leadership of Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition could not defeat the Barisan Nasional (BN) government in the last two general elections in 2008 and 2013. If the 2018 election had been contested under Anwar’s leadership, it is highly probable that Najib Razak would have remained as prime minister and that BN would still be in power today.
All Malaysians are fully aware that without your heroic intervention and the tremendous amount of time and effort you put into pulling together a chaotic and disorganised opposition, and taking the case against Najib and his corruption to the people, especially the Malay rakyat, Pakatan Harapan (PH) could not have won the right to form the government.
I know you are facing a lot of difficulty in the appointment of ministers because every high-ranking politician in PH now thinks he or she deserves to enjoy the fruits of power and should be considered for a leading role in the new government.
It is clear that you cannot please everybody and that only a very small number of parliamentarians can become ministers. As prime minister, you have the right to use your discretion to choose the right candidates from the list submitted by each coalition party.
I have full confidence in your judgment and ability to assemble the best possible team to lead the country out of the political wilderness that Najib and BN led the country to.
Vision 2020
So please continue exercising the power you have as prime minister. Make any appointment you see necessary to reform the country, repair the damage and take the country and the younger generation forward in your long stated mission for Malaysia to become a fully developed, vibrant and progressive society with an advanced economy.
When you were the prime minister of Malaysia, you openly declared your Vision 2020. Now at 92 years old, you have managed to change the government and become the new prime minister. Syabas!
Your ultimate aim now is likely to achieve your Vision 2020 to make Malaysia a fully developed and successful nation, not a failed one.
The task is difficult as we have already lost 20 years as well as billions of ringgit through 1MDB and other failed projects of the Najib administration.
My book, ‘Malaysia: Road Map for Achieving Vision 2020’
In 2012, I published my book “Malaysia: Road Map for Achieving Vision 2020”. The book analyses why and how the country has failed to make any headway in achieving the goals of 2020 and what stands in the way.
I hope you can remember that I gave you a copy of my book when you were campaigning in Padang Rengas, Perak, about six months ago.
It is my humble request that you read my book to see the deep hole that BN rule has dug for the economy and society, and to serve as a reminder of some of the major challenges that you and PH will face in the coming years.
The best way forward
For now, I wish to emphasise again the following sectors in which the new PH government needs to prioritise a meritocratic system:
1. University places should be allocated based on examination results, not race or other forms of quota. We need the best people to manage the country.
2. Entry and promotion in the civil service, police and army must similarly be based on educational qualifications and work experience. There must be no political or party interference in the civil service. We need the best people to manage the country.
3. Follow the World Bank’s procurement guidelines for all contracts, major or minor. All contracts exceeding RM10,000 must call for an open tender and the cheapest contractor should be given the contract should he fulfil the other conditions of eligibility. You must review all those large contracts and concessions given by the BN government without open tenders, for example, the East Coast Railway contract which is the most expensive per km in the world.
4. Finally, but perhaps most importantly, the PH government must not only acknowledge that all Malaysians are equal under the law irrespective of race and religion, they must also fully practice it.
Koon Yew Yin is a retired chartered civil engineer and one of the founders of IJM Corporation Bhd and Gamuda Bhd.
