pre-Election Show.6 [ IJN Privatization ] Democracy Showblasted - to show that they are so so and getting democracy now !

21th December Malaysiaparty 's [SPot] Special Report
(picked from themalaysianinsider.com) :
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/14507-when-yes-men-say-no

When yes men say no!
COMMENTARY

DEC 19 - Maybe it's democracy finally at work but the Cabinet's swift if not subtle rejection of Sime Darby Berhad's bid for IJN is a salutary lesson that top-down leadership is no longer vogue in Malaysia.

There was a time when a nod from the prime minister, his deputy and senior ministers would virtually assure any deal or proposal to go through as civil servants and political wannabes scramble to sycophantically serve their political masters. Case in point would be the Proton national car project, Petronas Twin Towers, Putrajaya administrative capital and the Bakun Dam project, among others.

All done despite objections and criticisms.
malaysiakini to post this ==>
But such decisions are harder to push through by the day with the proposed IJN buy-out the latest in line of deals undone due to a combination of internal opposition and public outcry despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Economic Planning Unit endorsing the proposal.

Yet, it floundered at the Cabinet meeting today - a sign of times that those in power are not as sure footed as before. And maybe some people in various levels of the administration have found their voice and courage to object and say no.

Of course, another reason for the Sime Darby proposal meeting stiff opposition is Malaysia's mixed experience with privatisation.

The smorgasbord of public utilities and services privatised over the past two decades have seen some hits and misses that have made the people leery of putting more public institutions in private hands.

Among them are Tenaga Nasional Berhad, which now buys power at fixed prices from independent power producers, or Telekom Malaysia Berhad which still depends on the government for public projects, or Malaysia Airlines which is now a virtual airline with assets owned by another government-linked company, and the endless ribbons of privatised highways that require government compensation to keep toll charges low.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who always supported and today admitted that privatisation started during his time, has joined the bandwagon against putting IJN in private hands.

"I seldom oppose privatisation but this is one instant (sic) when I feel privatisation is the wrong thing to do," Mahathir wrote in his popular www.chedet.com weblog today.

Mahathir, who underwent a heart operation in 1989 that led to the establishment of IJN, admitted his personal attachment to the medical facility has led him to oppose the Sime Darby proposal as "the IJN is really the institution that is physically closest to my heart".

"Maybe I am biased because I owe my life to IJN. But I think as a corporatised institution the IJN has done extremely well," he said, adding it should be left alone as it is.

"The Barisan Nasional government is not too popular today. Why do something that may give the opposition another issue to belabour the government."

A trenchant critic's prophetic words which the Cabinet probably considered when deciding to politely decline Sime Darby's proposal despite the big guns backing it.

And an indication that might may no longer be right with enough people saying so.
(above picked from http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/14507-when-yes-men-say-no)