Chong Zhemin

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan on Monday insisted that the government was still undecided on how to treat petrol and diesel when the GST comes into effect next April.

Ahmad Maslan further clarified that the ministry had not arrived at a decision on whether petrol and diesel would be gazetted as zero-rated or tax-exempted items.

Ahmad Maslan’s statement contradicted earlier remarks by Royal Malaysian Customs Department senior assistant director Ishak Daud saying that petrol and diesel would not be exempted from the GST, which comes into effect on April 1, 2015.

Is the BN government fearful of a voter backlash in the Pengkalan Kubor by-election if an announcement is made to impose GST on petrol and diesel? It is clear that Ahmad Maslan is buying time for BN to avoid making an announcement to impose GST on petrol and diesel before the by-election. Hence the flip-flop and the ambiguous reply from various departments and ministries would not be hard to comprehend.

Is BN government so incompetent that with less than seven months from the GST implementation date, BN is still unable to come up with a complete list of GST-exempt and zero-rated items? If BN needed more time to study and finalise the list of items, BN shouldn’t have rush through the implementation of GST taking the people and businesses by surprise.

Ahmad Maslan also said the decision to impose GST on petrol and diesel will be dependent on the fuel subsidy rationalisation programme. This is a mischievous way to confuse the people. Regardless whether the government decides to “rationalise fuel subsidy” or “impose GST on fuel”, the net effect will be the same – fuel subsidy will be removed which will directly lead to higher petrol and diesel prices causing a chain effect burdening the people.

Najib must immediately come clean and announce whether BN will impose GST on petrol and diesel. Let all Malaysians be the judge if the BN government is sincere to fulfil its first promise of the 13th general election manifesto – easing the cost of living.

Media Statement by Chong Zhemin, DAP Perak Economic Development Bureau Chief and Political Secretary to the Taiping MP on 17 Sept 2014

No Malaysian will believe Najib when he described the RM6 Billion injected to MAS as an investment rather than a bailout. Why would any sane investors want to “invest” in a company that has lost a total RM4.3 Billion for the past 3 years?

It is crystal clear that the RM6 billion injected to MAS is a bailout as it is use to save the airline from bankruptcy. Najib is deluded when he said the RM6 billion injected to MAS as an investment rather than a bailout.

The proposed MAS Act to facilitate staff transfer and to terminate or review contracts which are unfair to the airline is also controversial. The proposed MAS Act if come into effect will retroactively changes the legal status of the employment contacts of MAS staffs. The MAS Act is against natural right and unjust as it could nullify all current employment contracts with MAS.

Continue reading “Najib is deluded when he described the RM6 billion injected to MAS as an investment rather than a bailout”

According to a news report by The Malaysian Insider on 16 Aug 2014, Deputy Finance Minister Chua Tee Yong said the below during a GST seminar organised by the Secretariat For Empowerment of Indian Entrepreneurs under the Prime Minister’s department

“Come April 1, 2015, which is the date for GST implementation, the big companies will not want to do business with the non-GST small businesses as they can’t claim their input/output tax.

“This will sooner or later cause these micro and small businesses to become less competitive in terms of pricing structure.”

The above statement by Chua Tee Yong shows his complete ignorance towards the GST implementation subject matter. This is outright unacceptable and an outrageous mistake for a Deputy Finance Minister and an accounting graduate like Chua Tee Yong to commit.

Continue reading “Chua Tee Yong either failed his accounting or lied when he said big companies will not want to do business with non-GST small businesses as they cant claim their input/output tax”

Khazanah Nasional’s decision to take Malaysia Airlines(MAS) private is questionable given the current dire financial state MAS is in. MAS has lost a total of RM 4.3 Billion over the the last three financial period. There is no indication that a turnaround would happen in the near future based on the current cost structure MAS is operating in. Khazanah Nasional’s move to buyout MAS is akin to throwing good money over bad.

Instead, a better option is to let MAS emulate the footsteps of Japan Airlines(JAL) in 2010 by filing for bankruptcy. Filing for bankruptcy under Section 176 of the Companies Act 1965 would allow MAS come under creditors protection and restructure its operation in a shorter timeline.
Continue reading “Najib must explain the real reasons behind the decision of spending RM1.4 billion of tax payers’ money to take MAS private”

Khairy should stop being a hypocrite by equating a personal facebook status update to the act of a road bully. While the facebook status update by Kelvin Yip is inappropriate, it was a personal facebook status update(not a public status update) which is only limited to his facebook friends. This could be clearly seen from the facebook setting from the screenshot Khairy posted.

If Khairy insists that Kelvin Yip should be charged, he must answer the more pertinent question in this issue – under what act should Kelvin Yip be charged? Is it the Sedition Act that Najib promised to repeal more than two years ago?

If Sedition Act were to be used in this case, what about the people(which includes Khairy) who were distributing and sharing the screenshot of the status update? Weren’t they as guilty as they were promoting feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Malaysia?

If Khairy is serious in seeking justice for all and ask for all deserving criminals to be charged, Khairy needs only to look into the mirror. What about the UMNO Youth who publicly storm DAP Headquarters in KL vandalizing private property? Do they deserve to be charged? Why is there no action taken despite nationwide police reports lodged against UMNO Youth?

Media Statement by Chong Zhemin, DAP Perak Economic Development Bureau Chief and Political Secretary to the Taiping MP on 1 Aug 2014

31 May will go down in Malaysia’s history as one of the most important day within the next decade of nation building. It will determine if Malaysia politics is going to take a paradigm shift to a new era of politics which is based on ideas, opinions, policies, and principles. Or if Malaysia would revert to the old politics where racial and religious issues continue to dominate and played up by politicians to cling on power.

Over the past year, our nation has been riddled with a myriad of problems including the Allah controversy, confiscation of the Malay bible, persecution of opposition leaders, rising cost of living, the implementation of GST. Instead of focusing on the real issues that would affect the bread and butter of ordinary Malaysian, race and religion continue to be played up to divert the attention of the main issues.

Presuming Najib see out his term, the next General election will be 4 years away. However, you as a Teluk Intan voter have the chance to put things right on track for this country on the 31 May. By voting in DAP candidate, Dyana Sofya as the MP of Teluk Intan, we will send shock waves to the entire nation.

Dyana is young, a female, Malay and a Muslim. But none of these matter as she is the same as we are, a Malaysian. Therefore, I urge all Teluk Intan voters regardless of age, sex, race or religion to stand solidly behind Dyana and send her to parliament for she upholds the principles of justice, freedom and equality.

Over the past fifty seven years, we have been brainwashed by the ruling party that we need to vote our own race in order to safeguard our community interest and survival. Malays to vote for a Malay, Chinese to vote for a Chinese and Indians to vote for an Indian. The time has come for us to think out of the box, we want a Malaysian who can fight for us.

Teluk Intan is a mixed constituency where none of any race forms more than 50% of the electoral. This racial composition is also identical of Malaysia’s which make the by-election of significant importance.

By giving Dyana a strong solid backing and convincing victory, Teluk Intan can send a resounding message to the entire nation – the days of racial politics are gone. Let us show to Malaysia that Teluk Intan is colour blind and we vote according to the candidate credentials not based on age, sex, race or religion.

If Dyana wins the by-election, she would not only be the first female Malay MP for DAP, she would also be the youngest MP in the current Dewan Rakyat. In the 1997 by-election, Teluk Intan wrote history and created miracle when DAP capture the Teluk Intan seat overturning a huge majority by Gerakan in the 1995 General Election. Can Teluk Intan do it again? Yes we can. Let us write history and create miracle. Let Diyana, a political greenhorn pull off an upset against the President of Gerakan, Mah Siew Keong in his stronghold Teluk Intan.

For too long, we allow the racial and religious bigots to roam free in this country. It is time for all patriotic Malaysians to reclaim our nation from being hijacked by the minority extremist. Malaysia needs to move forward, and the journey starts from Teluk Intan.

Will 31 May be the watershed moment in Malaysia politics? The decision is in your hands. 531, Vote for Dyana, break the wall, break racial politics.

Open letter by Chong Zhemin, DAP Perak Economic Development Bureau Chief, Political Secretary to DAP Perak Chief and a Teluk Intan voter