Comments on: [1603] Of liberal Malaysia, welfare-based Selangor

By: Samuel Sing

Samuel Sing — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:08:59 +0000

No country practices pro-market or pro-socialism absolutely. The most important question is that what policies / action that will benefit people in the short term & long term. There’s no magic wand. Water is scares product, if u subject this “product” to pro-market principles, half the population would be in dire straits. Capitalism & Socialism are economic philosophies NOT ECONOMIC gospels.Just like NEP, its not a Gospel as some people project it. It’s just a policies, with clear objectives & goals to benefit the disadvantage portion of society. I think its important to try to find a good balance.

By: the __earthinc » Blog Archive » [1614] Of free water and personal responsibility

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:59:55 +0000

[...] Khalid administration recently announced its intention to provide the residents of the state with 20 m3 of free water supply. The intention is noble but the sustainability of the policy is in doubt. While Selangor does [...]

By: nat

nat — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:29:43 +0000

i mean seriously, am i the only one with a sense of humour?

haha

By: Hafiz Noor Shams

Hafiz Noor Shams — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:00:03 +0000

John, BN actually has pursued free market policies. For instance, the liberalization of the financial sectors (the sudden increase of foreign banks in Malaysia in recent years is a proof) as well as the opening up of the retailing sectors (TESCO has been allowed to enter and soon, Wal-Mart). They have promised to liberate the automotive industry (though admittedly, the liberalization is slow) Oster, Indeed, there has never been a party calling for small government. But my message is that, BN is relatively more pro-free market than many others. The word relative is important in our discussion. On liberal, I suggested none so ever of "a simple linear relation between regulatory strictness and economic prosperity". Even liberal policies have regulations. And indeed, government is not the only source of market distortion. That is granted. But the point is, it does when it pursues welfare policies and within our context, the free water policy.

By: oster

oster — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 07:35:08 +0000

I’ve never seen a single party in Malaysia preaching Small Government. BN’s initial policy announcements are always vague and no conclusions can probably be concretely drawn from any new price control (there WILL be controls, because as said, no one at the top believes in Small Government).

As for your assertion that liberal means better, I would object to any notion that there is a simple linear relation between regulatory strictness and economic prosperity (collective economic prosperity perhaps). Government is not the only source of market distortions.

cheers

By: johnleemk

johnleemk — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:29:54 +0000

Well, I suppose my perceptions are kind of biased because the first political people I heard speak of the free market in Malaysia were from PKR. I cannot say much about the DAP’s stance either pre-Tony Pua. However, I think PKR has never been quite clear in what it wants to do economically – they have two competing capitalist and socialist factions that have not quite triumphed just yet. Nevertheless, I was and am more optimistic about PKR simply because until Shahrir Abdul Samad came along, I never heard a BN politician espouse the free market, unless it served his purpose in allowing him to divert more government funds into his own pockets (as freeing up subsidy monies will do).

By: Hafiz Noor Shams

Hafiz Noor Shams — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:21:46 +0000

indeed, but i said in relative terms.

nevertheless, price control, subsidies, all that have seen gradual liberalization up until the months before the election. I don’t see how PAS and PKR would do those liberalization. Malaysia under BN still practice statist policies but it is more liberal from most others. I’m unsure how liberal DAP is though.

By: johnleemk

johnleemk — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:19:45 +0000

Hm, if you ask me, BN has been pro-big business, but that is not quite being pro-free market. Price controls, subsidies galore, willy-nilly granting of monopolies to cronies, five-year plans…

By: Hafiz Noor Shams

Hafiz Noor Shams — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:45:54 +0000

I believe BN has consistently been relatively more pro-free market compared to PAS and PKR. BN only halted those liberal policies when election was coming up to appeal to the masses.

DAP’s pro-market stance relative to its traditional social-democratic position is only a recent phenomenon. I think it started only after Tony Pua joined DAP.

The key word is relative because obviously, none actually come close to free market ideal because all of these parties frequently uses the state to achieve its objective. BN, despite its relative pro-market position, still maintain statist policies.

By: nat

nat — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 03:41:03 +0000

ppl once asked mahathir what books he liked to read.

tdm: oh, tom clancy, michael crichton, etc..

journalist: don’t you read any… intellectual books?

tdm: no. i leave that to anwar.

anwar = john: bla3 free markets bla3

tdm = nat: gun totting chicks??! hahahahahahahaha