青年就业(三): 在第四次工业改革世代发光发热

“在新世界里，并不是大鱼去吃小鱼，而是快鱼去吃慢鱼。” －世界经济论坛创办人兼执行主席克劳斯·施瓦布（Klaus Schwab）－

我们身处的世界瞬息万变。美国通用电气公司在2014年的咨询报告书《未来就业》（The Future of Work）中估计，今天进小学的孩子，有65%会在未来从事今天还不存在的新工作。[1] 以一支短片讲述世界未来趋势而激起全球讨论的《你知道吗？》（Did You Know?）制作者McLeod, Scott及Karl Fisch则估计，以现有的科技变化速度来看，在四年制的理工学士课程中，学生在第一年所学到的约50%学科知识，在第三年的时候就已经过时。[2]

人类正在进入第四次工业革命时代。人工智能（Artificial Intelligence, 简称AI）、机器学习、大数据、物联网（Internet-of-Things, 简称IoT）、立体打印（3D printing）、纳米科技和其他新科技，将会在我们不久的将来带来革命性的改变。科技正以前所未见的方式取代工作。

青年就业(二): 怎样解决马来西亚青年的失业及低度就业现象？

我在青年就业(一)文章里讨论了在贩卖椰浆饭和当优步司机的年轻毕业生背后，潜藏着马来西亚经济所面对的深层次结构性问题, 以致青年面对失业和就业不足（低薪金）的双重打击。我们需要重新思考和调整整个经济结构，为青年创造更多就业机会，不仅是就业机会，而且还是能够提供可观收入，发挥潜能及施展愿景的良好的就业机会。

以下是政府应该做的五件事，来创造一个更适合马来西亚青年的经济。

青年就业（一）：贩卖椰浆饭和当优步司机的年轻大专毕业生

敦马哈迪最近有关年轻毕业生贩卖椰浆饭和当优步司机的评论，招来国阵数名政治人物的负面批评。甚至连本应对马来西亚青年的经济状况有更好理解的青年与体育部部长凯里，也诉诸否定和歪曲事实的低下手段；他更应该向民众解释，政府在处理这个现象背后的经济结构性问题上究竟做了什么。

年轻毕业生当然可以选择贩卖椰浆饭和当优步司机。但我们要问的问题却是，贩卖椰浆饭和当优步司机是否真的是他们的兴趣和梦想，还是他们其实是被迫的，只因为他们无法在他们受训的领域内获得薪资不错的工作？

在贩卖椰浆饭和当优步司机的年轻毕业生背后，潜藏着今天的马来西亚青年所面对的深层次结构性问题。

Putting aside the past, for the future

I am a 27-year-old member of DAP. When the announcement was first made that Bersatu will join the opposition coalition, I could not stomach it.

I shook my head at the idea of working with a political party with a race-based façade. We the opposition had fought long against the laws, policies, the institutional and social fragmentation that occurred during former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s era – how could we turn our backs on our work all these years and now sleep with the devil (so to speak)?

I figured that there must have been a reason for this move, and instead of criticising, chose to first listen to my leaders. In doing so, I effectively had a mirror held up in front of me for a good, hard look. I realised that the questions I asked, had too, reflected of me. Let me explain why.

东海岸铁路计划(ECRL)造价大增至700亿令吉?

百乐镇州议员杨美盈于2017年10月13日（星期五）在八打灵再也所发布的媒体文告。

布城务必要回答东海岸铁路计划（ECRL）要马来西亚人民买单的成本是否已经去到700亿令吉。

我们关切The Edge有关ECRL的造价可能会大增至700亿令吉的报导[1]。

当建造ECRL的计划首次对外宣布的时候，东海岸经济区域发展理事会（ECERDC）的总执行长拿督杰巴新甘姆（Datuk Jebasingam Issac John）在2014年4月被报章引述说，ECRL工程的造价将会是大约300亿令吉。为ECRL工程完成可行性研究的HSS综合私人有限公司在2015年12月在其公司简介及能力报告中披露，它已经研究了ECRL原本计划当中的545公里长的路线，而这项工程的造价将会是290亿令吉。

政府在去年随着路线的长度增加而宣布这项工程的造价是550亿令吉，这比HSS的可行性报告所预估的价格还要高出80%。然后，我们现在面对着它的造价会大增至700亿令吉的可能性！我们想要布城厘清，ECRL要马来西亚人民买单的确切成本究竟有多少？

ECRL to cost more than RM70 billion?

Media Statement by Yeo Bee Yin, State Assemblywoman for Damansara Utama on Friday 13 October 2017 in Petaling Jaya.

Putrajaya must answer if East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) will cost Malaysians up to RM 70 billion.

We read with concern the report on The Edge Malaysia regarding the potential ballooning of ECRL cost to up to RM 70 billion [1].

When the plan to build ECRL was first announced, the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) CEO, Datuk Jebasingam Issac John was quoted in the newspaper in April 2014 that the ECRL project would cost around RM30 billion. In December 2015, HSS Integrated Sdn Bhd, which completed the feasibility study of the ECRL project, disclosed in its Corporate Profile and Capability statement that it studied the originally proposed ECRL route of 545km long and the project would cost RM 29 billion.

Last year, with some additional length to the route, the government announced the cost at RM 55 billion, which was already approximately 80% increase based on the feasibility study by HSS. Now we are looking at the potential further balloning of cost up to RM 70 billion!

We would like to seek clarification from Putrajaya as to how much exactly will ECRL cost the Malaysian people?

While we welcome rail infrastructure project in the east coast, we are perplexed at the high price tag. ECRL is set to be the most expensive mega infrastructure project our country has ever built. Nevertheless, the most expensive mega project in Malaysia was awarded to a China’s firm - China Communication Construction Co Ltd (CCCC) at an exorbitant price without an open tender. We have in our previous statements compared ECRL cost to other rail projects around the world and showed how the price tag of RM55 billion was unreasonable. One of The Edge articles rightfully described the ECRL as the world’s costliest railway of its class.

The cost of the ECRL project will affect the price of the passengers’ train tickets as well as the cargo’s freight fees - the higher the project cost, the more expensive the train tickets and freight fees will be. When the prices of passenger train tickets and cargo transportation are not competitive as a result of bloated project cost, the ECRL will likely become under-utilised and become an expensive white elephant. Otherwise the government needs to subsidise it to keep the price competitive through tax payers’ monies. Either way the rakyat will eventually need to pay for it.

Therefore, we strongly believe that the Malaysian people deserve to know more details on the cost structure of the project. In the light of the risk of further ballooning of construction cost, we urge Putrajaya to disclose the detailed breakdown of cost of the project.

Perhaps the MCA president and transport minister Liow Tiong Lai, who has been singing praise about the project, can hold a dialogue with concerned Malaysians to explain in detail as to how come ECRL cost so much?

[1] http://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/newsbreak-ecrl-cost-balloon-due-doubletrack-feature

MCA Land Grab in PJ and Its Perverted Definition on “Public Service”

Media Statement by Yeo Bee Yin, ADUN for Damansara Utama on Friday 29 September 2017 in Petaling Jaya.

MCA Land Grab in Petaling Jaya (PJ) and Its Perverted Definition on “Public Service”

Since our exposé on MCA land grab in Petaling Jaya on 14 September, three MCA leaders - MCA Selangor vice-chairperson Tang Chong Sang, former Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara (PJU) Chew Mei Fun and the now MCA PJU division chief Tan Gim Tuan, has come forward to justify the 1 acre land grab in PJ at RM1 per sq ft on the ground that MCA will use it for “public service”.

The question is, if MCA really intended the land for "public service", there's absolutely no need for MCA to "own" the land. If fact, if it is for public service, the land should be owned by the state government.

The question Malaysians would like to ask MCA is, what guarantee can they provide that the piece of land will be used for public service?

In fact, why is it that MCA is now in applying for the land to be rezoned and converted from “water body” to “commercial" land?

马华在八打灵再也的抢地，以及它对于“公共服务”的歪曲定义

百乐镇州议员杨美盈于2017年9月29日（星期五）在八打灵再也所发布的媒体文告。

马华在八打灵再也的抢地，以及它对于“公共服务”的歪曲定义

自从我们在9月14日揭发马华在八打灵再也抢地，马华的三位领袖，即马华雪兰莪副主席陈章成、前八打灵再也北区国会议员周美芬以及现在的马华八打灵再也北区区部主席陈锦传都纷纷出来辩解，马华以每平方英尺1令吉的价格购下在八打灵再也的1英亩的土地，是因为马华将会把这个地段用在“公共服务”上。

这里的问题是，假如马华真的要把地用在“公共服务”上，它是绝对没有必要要“拥有”这块地的。事实上，假如它是用在公共服务上的话，这块地应该是由州政府所拥有才对。

马来西亚人民想要问马华的是，他们可以如何保证这块地将会用在公共服务上？