Let's Teach China About Transparency

Open scrutiny of government plans will encourage investment, says PM - The Star, 1st Nov 2006

• Malaysia has recommended its policy of transparency and open scrutiny of government plans and policies to China and other Asean countries as a means to increase investment in their countries.
• Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said greater information flow and transparency, especially on economic and industrial development, was vital.
• “Information of this nature, especially when they pertain to new opportunities and changes to rules and regulations, must be shared with and disseminated to the private sector in a systematic and effective manner,” he said.
• In Malaysia, he said, it was a practice that government plans, such as the Third Industrial Master Plan and Ninth Malaysia Plan, were open to public scrutiny.
• “I recommend this Malaysian example to China and to other Asean countries,” he said in his keynote address at the Third China-Asean Business and Investment Summit here yesterday.

This is so funny. Now our PM is teaching China how to do business. Does anyone know that China's economy is expected to grow at 10.4% this year?

You can't blame the PM for this statement, it is true that all Malaysians were being given a chance to scrutinise the government plans, nobody was jailed for talking about it right? The only thing is while we were scrutinising, was there any explanation given? Was there any concrete action being taken other than calling ASLI's report "rubbish" without providing any proof? I call this dictation rather than transparency. So what is the difference? With or without scrutiny, back to square 1.

I have not seen the transparency in our government when leaders are chosen based on "certain" criteria, problem is "dicussed" closed door and statistic never exist. This is my 3rd calling, Najib, I want to see the data on Bumi's equity. I have been asking properly as requested by PM and I still have doubt, when are you showing it to me?

Link: True Man With Courage - Dr Lim Teck Ghee, Certain Criteria, Future Malaysia Leader, Buying Time