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Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan is the Chairman of STAR Sabah and State Assemblymen for N33, Bingkor, Sabah.
He also contested in P180, Keningau garnering 11900 strong votes
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PRESS STATEMENT
“Government Clueless and Can No Longer be Trusted? - Dr. Jeffrey”
Kota Kinabalu: “While Malaysians rejoiced temporarily in welcoming the new year, the country continued with its downward spiral with the federal government showing that it is clueless and having lost touch with the common people” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, noting the various statements by the Ministers and the police big-wigs and the ad-hoc announcement of the 11 austerity measures by PM Najib culminating in the people’s protests amid celebrations to welcome 2014.
The government has failed the people and its recent policies on reduction of subsidies and price hikes are nothing more than stop-gap measures aimed at window-dressing the deep rooted economic problems caused by corruption, mis-governance, wastages and excessive spending.
The subsequent statements, promises and after-thought so-called austerity measures prove that the policies have not been well thought out and are in reality mis-steps.
These mis-steps have caused untold damage to the people which the Umno/BN government had promised to take care of in its PRU-13 BN Manifesto.
The damage is done and it may be too late.
Creating a Laboratory to study on Living Costs and promising to reduce the impact of rising prices is not prevention. Neither is it a cure of the ills of the people caused by rising prices.
Prices have already risen and now the government is only trying to rein in the price increases but forgotten that it is the government that caused the price increases in the first place.
It is just like giving poison to the people and then giving pain-killers without curing the poison.
The austerity measures announced by the PM confirms that the government did not consider austerity measures before the price hikes.
These measures including taking it out on civil servants are meaningless without targets and objectives. In any event, these so-called savings are so miniscule that it will do nothing to reduce the national debt or excessive government expenditure.
Similarly, the announcement by the DPM to form a committee to re-evaluate the rationalization of reduction of subsidies shows that the government decided to reduce subsidies without studying the impact of such a policy.
The government has got it wrong every step of the way.
More laughable are the reasons advanced by the police and Minsters on protests by the people against the price increases.
Rising crime has shown the inability and ineffectiveness of the police which is partly caused by incompetence and largely due to the deployment of police resources for political purposes to look after the interests of Umno/BN at the expense of safeguarding the people.
The police’s reasons for the protests and their actions before the media and television further confirms their shortcomings.
There is no denying that the price increases and the rising costs of living are caused by the government policies.
It seems that only the leaders and the Ministers are not aware of this cause.
The most affected are the ordinary people, perhaps up to 95% of the population, and there are no solutions in sight. Only some comic relief is given with moronic statements like no complaints by the people mean that they support the price hikes.
“Can the people be blamed for protesting the price hikes in the circumstances?” asked Dr. Jeffrey.
The saddest part is that of the reactions of the Umno pack and Umno-linked organizations with the numerous unwarranted police reports.
These blind followers and wannabes heroes may have their reasons for their personal vested interests but it shows their low intellect.
Worse to follow, is the inelegant silence of the Umno leaders and their indirect condoning of these foolish acts of the Umno pack.
What these Umno pack, blind followers and supporters of the Umno/BN leaders failed to realize is that the Umno/BN federal government failed to honour their promises given in the Umno/BN Manifesto during the May 2013 general elections.
The PM made a grand live-telecast of the launch of the BN Manifesto lasting more than 3 hours. The PM and his Umno/BN entourage then went round the country on its “Janji DiTepati” tour and canvassing the promises to reduce car prices, reduce tolls, no petrol price hikes, etc. etc.
In less than 6 months, the federal government’s policies went totally against the BN Manifesto.
Promise after promise were broken. No wonder, in the Peninsula, they referred to the tour as the “Janji DiCapati” tour.
As for PM Najib, he should seriously consider changing his advisers and many of his Ministers. If not, don’t be surprised that there will be a change of the Prime Minister soon.
All in, there can only be one and one only conclusion. The Umno/BN government can no longer be trusted anymore. More so, in the context of Sabah and Sarawak, the colonies of the federal government, which is not a true federal government of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak.
Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan
Chairman
STAR Sabah
02 January 2014
