ID :
198198
Sat, 07/30/2011 - 12:41
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/198198
The shortlink copeid
STREET DEMOS CAN UNDERMINE COUNTRY'S ECONOMY - UNIVERSITY LECTURER
KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 (Bernama) -- In the aftermath of the July 9 street
demonstrations in the federal capital by an illegal organisation called
Bersih (Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections) 2.0 and groups aligned to it
among them opposition parties, many individuals are perturbed by the potentially
damaging impact of the protest on the country's economy.
University Technology Mara (UiTM) Dungun campus political science lecturer
Che Hamdan Mohd Razali acknowledged that the protesters' demands centred around
freedom of speech and electoral reforms but noted that they they had not been
able to substantiate their allegations but instead hurled condemnations at the
government.
At a time when the government was trying its utmost to raise the living
standard of the people and make Malaysia a high income nation by 2020 via the
Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), National Key Result Areas (NKRA) and
Tenth Malaysia Plan (10MP), such aggression was a setback, he opined.
"The government is still banking on foreign investment to spur our economic
growth. There is only nine more years until 2020 left. That's not a long period.
"It is therefore crucial that a peaceful and conducive situation prevails
in the country so that investors will not hesitate to come," he said.
He said political and economic stability was important in ensuring peace. If
there was a crisis in politics, it would jeopardise the economy, and vice-versa.
"Both are interlinked and critical as a basic element in the growth and
development of the country," he stressed.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Ariffin, a medical officer in the private sector,
concurred that foreign investors would shy away from the country especially if
the foreign media played up incidents which were just "a storm in a teacup".
He feared medical tourism which the country was trying to promote would be
affected as well.
"Potential patients from other countries would think twice about coming here
for treatment if they believe we are a troubled country," he said.
Another academician, Abd Ghapa Harun, Senior Lecturer at the Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia's (National University Malaysia) History, Political and
Strategy Research Centre surmised that peace and harmony in the country could be
sustained if the government readily responded to the issues that were being
relentlessly harped on.
"For example, issues about corruption or the electiond - the govenrment must
respond to them immediately.
"Peace is not merely a demonstration-free situation. In a wider context, it
is taking further measures to avoid confrontations including through dialogues
and discussions before issues are blown out of proportion," he said.
-- BERNAMA
demonstrations in the federal capital by an illegal organisation called
Bersih (Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections) 2.0 and groups aligned to it
among them opposition parties, many individuals are perturbed by the potentially
damaging impact of the protest on the country's economy.
University Technology Mara (UiTM) Dungun campus political science lecturer
Che Hamdan Mohd Razali acknowledged that the protesters' demands centred around
freedom of speech and electoral reforms but noted that they they had not been
able to substantiate their allegations but instead hurled condemnations at the
government.
At a time when the government was trying its utmost to raise the living
standard of the people and make Malaysia a high income nation by 2020 via the
Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), National Key Result Areas (NKRA) and
Tenth Malaysia Plan (10MP), such aggression was a setback, he opined.
"The government is still banking on foreign investment to spur our economic
growth. There is only nine more years until 2020 left. That's not a long period.
"It is therefore crucial that a peaceful and conducive situation prevails
in the country so that investors will not hesitate to come," he said.
He said political and economic stability was important in ensuring peace. If
there was a crisis in politics, it would jeopardise the economy, and vice-versa.
"Both are interlinked and critical as a basic element in the growth and
development of the country," he stressed.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Ariffin, a medical officer in the private sector,
concurred that foreign investors would shy away from the country especially if
the foreign media played up incidents which were just "a storm in a teacup".
He feared medical tourism which the country was trying to promote would be
affected as well.
"Potential patients from other countries would think twice about coming here
for treatment if they believe we are a troubled country," he said.
Another academician, Abd Ghapa Harun, Senior Lecturer at the Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia's (National University Malaysia) History, Political and
Strategy Research Centre surmised that peace and harmony in the country could be
sustained if the government readily responded to the issues that were being
relentlessly harped on.
"For example, issues about corruption or the electiond - the govenrment must
respond to them immediately.
"Peace is not merely a demonstration-free situation. In a wider context, it
is taking further measures to avoid confrontations including through dialogues
and discussions before issues are blown out of proportion," he said.
-- BERNAMA
