CoFfEE witH PUNithAN

SO ITS ABOUT TIME.................WILL THIS BE NAJIB'S 1ST WALK AS PM???

Najib had said in a Bloomberg interview that he was working towards the gradual liberalisation of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in the not too distant future.

He said there should be gradual liberalisation of the NEP as and when bumiputras begin to feel more confident of competing with others domestically and globally.

Najib added that he was glad to note more bumiputras were becoming confident of competing and doing well.

POLICIES ARE MEANINGLESS IF THE DELIVERY SYSTEM STAYS UNREFORMED...

MIC’s Information chief Datuk S.K. Devamany said it would be good to review the NEP.

“I hope it can be done in a manner which will not affect unity and harmony of the country,” said the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

He added that apart from Government policies, the next aspect which had to be looked into was the delivery system to “ensure that the ordinary man can feel the effects of the policy.”

VOICE OF NEW MCA LEADERHIP........

MCA vice-president Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said this was especially important as the world faced a global scale financial crisis.

“The equity pie should be more liberalised as multi-racial cooperation is of utmost importance. Genuine partnership is more meaningful than equity per se,” Liow said at the MIC Deepavali open house at PWTC yesterday.

He said the corporate equity share requirement between bumiputras and non-bumiputras should not be at the expense of competitiveness.

“We can have equity share but do not limit it by percentages. It is time we look at merit and the competitiveness of a company. Equity share has to open up, so that competitiveness becomes the priority,” he said.

Liow, who is Health Minister, said a cohesive working relationship between bumiputras and non-bumiputras was more important to ensure consistent economic growth.

He said the Government had taken many measures to improve competitiveness, such as allowing 100% foreign equity or any amount of local/ foreign or bumiputra/non-bumiputra mix in the manufacturing sector.A similar move should be expanded to the trading and services sector as well, he said.

MALAYSIAKINI REPORTED THAT PAS'S STAND ON THIS DIFFERENT FROM PKR'S. I WONDER WHAT IS PAKATAN'S STAND ON THIS?

PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub said that the 30-percent equity must be retained and defended "even if the target has been reached"
(ref: PAS Youth warns MCA not to harp on NEP)

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i would like to quote YB DATUK ZAID IBRAHIM ( former de facto Law Minister)