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YOUR OPINION | “A monopoly justified by patriotism will continue to harm the country and the people …”
Tech giants turn to Muhyiddin after Wee’s ‘abrupt’ move
Iphonezours: Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong, you may not clearly understand the rules of cabotage, but when there is only one dominant company with no competition, it only makes the job costly and time-consuming, as shown by the repair time figures of the submarine cables.
At the end of the day, Malaysians will pay a higher cost and the country loses. Why can’t you think of such basic things and that is why this revocation of the cabotage policy exemption has been done so quietly?
Clearly your actions lately, from the Klang Valley Double Tracking project (KVDT2) to this revocation of the sabotage exemption, demonstrates his incompetence as a minister.
Sun: What a ridiculous move! A monopoly justified by “patriotism” will continue to harm the country and the people. Monopolies are always a threat to consumer welfare.
But Wee, who is president of the MCA, will not know. He belongs to a party that has traditionally dealt with “Towkay” interests, and has been roundly and repeatedly rejected by the electorate.
Public transportation is better than roads: A six-thirty transport minister taking matters into his own hands? Have you even consulted your own colleagues in the communications ministry or the Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Saifuddin Abdullah himself?
Surely, they also know better than what Wee does. Plus, when all the tech giants are knocking on your door, you can’t just ignore them.
This action will only make Singapore much more important and competitive than ever compared to Malaysia, further debasing the value of the Malaysian ringgit against the Singapore dollar.
Andy Vinodovich: Seriously, I don’t understand why the politicians in this country are sincerely trying to push Malaysia back technologically. I remember Myanmar between 2008 and 2010. It was the same scenario then, with the monopoly of a contractor run by the board.
Sometimes we didn’t have basic internet for weeks. Why? And now, this. Soon we may even have power supply problems in Malaysia and every household will have to install generators and voltage stabilizers.
RainbowSnake: This is an international scandal. As the big tech companies have pointed out, the inappropriate policy that had been decided by our government will also damage our nation’s image, affecting the decisions of other international tech companies to invest in our country and help boost our economy.
BluePanther4725: One by one, we notice how the Perikatan Nasional (PN) backdoor ministers fail in their work and subsequently harm the people and the country.
All Wee does well is open his big mouth to condemn DAP, but when it comes to real work, he’s totally incompetent.
Anthony Loke was a competent transport minister who has done a good job helping people, especially with his My50 and My100 schemes. Gobind Singh Deo was a competent Minister of Communications and Multimedia who improved our Internet services, making them More affordable and efficient.
The MACC should investigate Wee to see if there is any corruption and cronyism involved behind his decision that obviously hurts our economy.
SHGC: Dear Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, please make sure that Wee does not harm the country.
Everything from education, finance, governance, business … everything critically depends on a smooth, uninterrupted and fast internet connection.
Only the most capable companies, the best in the world, should get the job done. Think of the next generation!
Amoker: It is regrettable that Google’s needs have been the reason why this revocation of the cabotage exemption is being discussed.
This cabotage practice helps some of the oligopolies based in the peninsula as well as the great magnates of Sabah and Sarawak. Product cost increases for Sabahan and Sarawakian consumers. Ships that can go directly to Borneo from China or Japan are forced to dock on the peninsula first.
Why are parties like Parti Rakyat Sabah (PRS) or Sarawak BN not speaking out? While Google etc. are important, the needs of the Sabaha and Sarawak people are no less important.
Coward: That’s the perceived standard operating procedure (SOP) in Malaysia: once a field becomes profitable, the cronies will have their lunch so that the people in the chain it depends on can take part.
This is made worse when decision makers fail to explain the logic behind their moves and make abrupt decisions without consultation.
P Dev Anand Pillai: And do you want the younger generation to start new tech companies in the country?
So it is clear that we are a nation that simply thrives on corruption, cronyism, and monopolies. All in the name of ensuring that a small group of cronies control everything.
Hmmmmmmmm: As soon as I see statements like the one from the Malaysian Shipowners Association (Masa) congratulating Wee on his patriotism and “putting Malaysia first”, I have a strong feeling that politics is not based on merit.
If the Malaysian company believes that it has obtained the job on merit, it would never need to mention patriotism or put Malaysia first in its message because that would give the impression that it got the job because of that.
Shovel nose: These clowns in leadership don’t understand economy of scale if their lives depended on it.
Chronicity and how it helps preserve your short political life at the top of the junk heap while setting up your retirement fund in perpetuity is your only immediate concern. If you think they care about the nation and its people, think again.
Mass: Elimination of cabotage exemption does not block the business of tech giants
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