Government business — Sakmongkol AK47

April 28, 2011

Government business — Sakmongkol AK47

APRIL 28 — The PM announced a slew of projects. He said these are part of the great ETP. My first reaction is since when does the PM of Malaysia become the chief spokesman for corporate Malaysia? Whether private companies have their business plans announced by the PM or not, they will still expand their business. It's also disturbing to know that the PM is repeating some EPP that were already announced before.

So, if the business plans of private companies are all owned and belong to private companies, is it necessary to have them announced by the PM? The answer is no. Each year Shell, for example, has new investments. Each year their people in various departments submit capex expenditures and what not. They do that as a matter of fact and business-like without demanding they be announced with much fanfare. It carries them out unannounced thus far. Its shareholders will come to know of these business plans whether are announced or otherwise in official newsletters or published annual reports.

Even if the PM announces them, it doesn't add any substantial value other than placing the business plans in high-profile mode. The government doesn't have a hand in the business plans of private companies. It doesn't spend a single sen.

I am more interested if the government announces its plans over the spheres it controls directly. People are interested to know the future of the general price levels. They want to know whether government will do anything that will increase the price of RON 95 petrol. Very soon people will be making noises on the frequent increase in RON 97 petrol. It's as though, you keep RON 95 down by upping the price of RON 97. Then, the price of RON 95 is kept artificially low as a matter of expedience. Very soon doing so will be seen as market unfriendly.

Whereas the PM has been talking about market-friendly approaches. The NEM, for example, is said to be the NEP with market-friendly approaches. Well, in the case of managing the price of petroleum, this administration's approach is market unfriendly.

I am also puzzled as to why government departments want to pay Tricubes 50 sen per email. You mean to say, despite the millions of investments in IT infrastructure and training, the people manning the IT facilities in government departments cannot hook up to Gmail and Yahoo? Does it cost that much to send emails directly through Gmail and Yahoo?

This emergence of Tricubes and its business plan are very suspicious. Suddenly those trained in computer abilities in government departments appear to have lost their skills overnight. They now want to farm out the sending of emails to a company known as Tricubes. The public will be asking why?

Of course, its voluntary you say. But the government is paying on our behalf for a service that can be gotten free. This simply means creating an artificial business plan to justify spending public money. — sakmongkol.blogspot.com

* Sakmongkol AK47 is the nom de plume of Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz. He was Pulau Manis assemblyman (2004-2008).

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/breakingviews/article/government-business-sakmongkol-ak47