Selangor should Avoid Off-Budget Spending

Media Statement written by Yeo Bee Yin, Committee Member of Selangor Agencies, Statutorary Bodies and Government-Link-Companies (GLCs) Select Committee (JP-ABAS) and State Assemblyperson of Damansara Utama on Thursday 10 September 2015. 

Selangor should avoid off-budget spending via Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) and incorporate such expenditure into the State Assembly approved Budget.

Recently controversy erupted in Selangor legislature when JP-ABAS tabled a report on Dahrul Ehsan Investment Group (DEIG) and expressed its concerns over the newly formed state-owned investment firm. 100% owned by MBI, DEIG will be the holding company for the 74 GLCs currently under MBI with a combined land bank of more than 5,000 acre of state lands and a combined asset value of RM6.3 billion. It is to also to be the “investment holding-arm for the state of Selangor.” [1]

The proponent of DEIG believes that DEIG is necessary in order to separate the conflicting objectives of MBI between people’s welfare and profit maximizing. It is also to ensure “sustainable value creation and broaden Selangor state’s income base away from its current reliance on land related levies and taxes” [2] by rationalizing the 74 GLCs under MBI and consolidating their assets under DEIG. 

I believe that the objectives of the formation of DEIG are noble. In fact, as a commitee member of JP-ABAS, the select committee has gone through many cases of low performance of Selangor GLCs and one of the reasons is the conflicting social and economic functions of GLCs resulting in GLCs inability to benchmark the firms’ financial and operational performance indicators against the industrial average and subsequently the lack of corporate discipline to improve their performances. In addition, restructuring of GLCs and asset consolidation is also what JP-ABAS was pushing for in December 2014 state assembly session by tabling a select committee report listing the reasons why it needs to be done. 

Nevertheless, I believe the above objectives do not need to be achieved by forming DEIG. 

Malaysia Day: We Are Better Together

Happy Malaysia Day! Since Merdeka Day leading to Malaysia Day, I've been thinking about this question - what made our forefathers from different communities joint hand to give birth to this country, which we now call home? Did they really know each other? Did they really love each other? I don't think so.

I think perhaps what they thought then was that it was better that they learn how to live together despite the differences to achieve a greater goal - freedom from colonialism. They knew that it was better to live together despite the differences than to live under the tyranny of the colonialist. I believe it was the pragmatism of our forefathers and their desire for freedom that bind us together. Our forefather realised that WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER.

What has Bersih 4 achieved?

“So what exactly has Bersih 4 changed?” a lot of people asked. Many detractors said it was nothing but an “urbanites-feel-good” rally. I beg to differ. 

KiniBiz Online: Does Selangor need another state investment arm?

By Sherilyn Goh

The Selangor state assembly has been heated over the past few days over the debate on the operations of an obscure state investment arm known as Darul Ehsan Investment Group (DEIG), a new entity incorporated to manage state investments under the purview of the existing Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI).

The main reason for the heated debate is that the DEIG is answerable chiefly to its board of directors headed by the Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali. It is not subject to any state enactments and as a result, is not required to table its financial report to the state legislative assembly, raising concerns on whether there is sufficient check-and-balances in place.

The lack of oversight has struck concern among the assemblypersons, as this had come while the controversy surrounding self-styled strategic development company 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which had cooked up RM42 billion in debts, is far from over. 

Incidentally, 1MDB is also a Finance Ministry-owned company reporting to among others, its board of advisers chaired by Prime Minister Najib Razak who is currently finding himself embroiled in the 1MDB scandal. 

The virtually unknown state investment arm to-be (at least up until last month), was quietly established as a private limited company under the Companies Act 1965 from as early as December 4, 2014, just three months after Azmin Ali was appointed Menteri Besar. This was following the ‘Kajang Move’ which saw former Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim ousted from office.

Independent Integrity Units a Step Closer to Ombudsmen Enactment

Yesterday I tabled a motion in the state assembly session to urge the State Government to make all the integrity units of the agencies in Selangor fully independent. The motion was subsequently passed. This is a step closer for us to enact Ombudsmen law. Ombudsmen enactment will further strengthen the check and balance system of Selangor legislature. Hopefully we'll see that through before this term ends. If you are interested to know more, see below the full motion speech. 

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My 3 Concerns on DEIG

Media Statement by Yeo Bee Yin, Committee Member of Selangor Statutorary Bodies and Government-Link-Companies (GLCs) Select Committee and State Assemblyperson for Damansara Utama on Wednesday 19 Aug 2015.

We call upon the state government to restrict its involvement in businesses, redefine the role and jurisdiction of Darul Ehsan Investment Group (DEIG) and focus first to establish proper accountability mechanism for Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI).

While we welcome MBI’s plan to consolidate and restructure the 74 GLCs under MBI to ensure the GLCs are run efficiently, we are very concerned with MBI’s proposed method - through the formation of a new state investment company Darul Ehsan Investment Group (DEIG).

100% owned by MBI, DEIG will be the holding company for the 74 GLCs under MBI with a combined land bank of more than 5,000 acre of state lands and a combined asset value of RM6.3 billion. It is to also to be the “investment holding-arm for the state of Selangor.” [1]

Below are my three concerns on this newly formed state investment company.  

My YSEALI Experience

It's been more than a month since I am back from the US and Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI). I had been wanting to write down my experience but was a bit too pre-occupied with other things since touching down especially catching up with works. Anyway, here it is, better late than never. :) 

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It's 25th April mid-night, I looked at my empty suitcase and thought, "o crap, I am flying tomorrow night to the US and I have not prepared anything!" After all, I have just finished a crazily packed day. Our office has been busy since the beginning of the month - we completed SS2 Wall Art project in the first week, ran anti-rape campaign together with All Women Action Malaysia (AWAM) in the second week, organised Youth Leadership Camp (LEAP) in the third week and just launched Change Your World's anti-human trafficking campaign on 25th April. I needed to cramp everything so that I could spare some time to go the US without short-changing our annual goals. 

Frankly, at this stage, being an introvert, all I wanted was to retract to my personal corner (you'll understand that if you are an introvert too, haha), definitely not to attend leadership program with many new people to meet and connections to make, not to mention the hassle to pack in the middle of the night! Argh. I started to regret and thought to myself, "Why on earth did I apply to this YSEALI?". 

But I was reminded of the reasons I applied to this program - to learn new knowledge, to gain new information, to challenge my current perspectives and to seek new ways of doing things. A person will only move backward if he/she starts living in his/her own world and repeating everything he/she has done before. So I cleared my mind, got myself a coffee, opened my eyes wide, and yes, started packing. And off I went to the U.S on Sunday 26th April 2015!

5 Things I Learnt in the US and YSEALI

MCMC must explain why Sarawak Report is blocked?

Media Statement by Yeo Bee Yin, DAP Social Media Strategist and State Asselywoman for Damansara Utama on Monday 20 July 2015.

MCMC Must Explain How the Decision to Block Sarawak Report Website Was Made

We are greatly disturbed by the action of the Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in blocking access to whistleblower website Sarawak Report. We have not forgotten the incident when BBC’s “kangkung” webpage entitled “#BBCtrending: Be careful what you say about spinach” was blocked temporarily in January 2014.

Whether the websites are blocked temporarily or partially, such practice sets a dangerous precedence for Internet freedom in Malaysia. It seems to us that Putrajaya has increasingly abused its power in Communication and Multimedia Ministry to restrict the dissemination of news that are not in favor of the ruling government.