Ketua Pembangkang and DAP Secretary-General, Mr. Lim Kit Siang, today issued the following statement (24.9.1973):
LPN should reorganize itself to eliminate maladministration, inefficiency, bungling, corruption and bureaucratism
On Saturday, 22nd Sept., while I was motoring up to Penang to attend the 7th Anniversary Dinner of the Penang DAP, I experienced first hand how stupidly, without imagination whatsoever, the authorities are trying to cope with the second rice crisis this year.
Leaving Bagan Serai and the Perak State Border, and coming to the Sungai Krian Bridge, there was a roadblock and check, presumably to prevent the people of Perak from smuggling rice into Penang.
Having passed the roadblock and crossed the Sungai Krian Bridge, there was another roadblock, this time presumably to prevent the people of Penang from smuggling rice into Perak.
The distance between the two roadblocks is hardly 100 feet, separated only by the Sungai Frin Bridge.
What’s purpose can be served by setting up two roadblocks only 100 feet distant, apart from multiplying public inconvenience, raising transport charges and consequently the price of rice further, waste of public funds and personnel?
This episode illustrates the utter lack of co-ordination, the bungling, maladministration in the LPN and the government authorities – which is clearly one of the causes of the chronic rice crisis in Malaysia.
The LPN and the government should reorganize itself and eliminate all forms of bungling, maladministration, inefficiency, corruption and bureaucratism if it is to competently discharge its duties to ensure that Malaysians get enough cheap rise for all needs.
Call on LPN to instantly issue rice licences to the 20000 rice dealers in Malaysia by this week to avoid further disruption of rice trade
In a week’s time, all rice dealers’ licences would have expired, and without the renewal of these licences, it would be an offence to trade in rice.
Applications for renewal and new licences for rice trade was made several months back by the 20000 rice dealers in the country, but up to date, the majority of these applications have not been renewed or approved.
Why is this so? Why is the LPN dragging its feet on routing renewal of licences? If the LPN cannot competently and efficiently handle the renewing and application for new licences, it is no wonder that the LPN has landed the country is such a big mess on rice.
If the 20000 dealers are not given their new licences by the end of this month, which is less than a week away, there will be a nation-wide disruption of rice trade in the country, giving rice to even more acute rice crisis.
The LPN should instantly renew the licences for the 20000 rise dealers, and must accept full responsibility for any rice disruption of supply arising from its mishandling of the renewal of rice licences.
UMNO Muar Pantai hits out at Tan Sri Syed Nasir for claiming no rice shortage
Yesterday, at a rice briefing, the Director of the LPN, Haji Mohd. Noor Hassan, said that the problem now is more that of price than supply, implying that there is ample supply of rice in the country.
This has always been the LPN claim right from the beginning of the crisis, although rice was not to be found in the shops and markets. In fact, it is such irresponsible LPN statements asserting that there is no rice shortage which had been the cause of misunderstanding between shopkeepers and consumers, especially in the kampongs in the previous weeks.
The kampong people, told by LPN officials over radio, television and press that there was no reason for rice shortage, went to the shops to buy rice, and when they could not get rice because the shopkeepers could not get rise supplies, misunderstandings took place.
In this connection, it is noteworthy that the UMNO Muar Pantai Division has just passed a resolution deploring the statement by LPN Tan Sri Syed Nasir Ismail recently that press reports that the Muar bumiputra shops could not get rice from the LPN were ‘falsehoods.’ Tan Sri Syed Nasir is M.P. for Muar Dalam.
The Muar Pantai UMNO Division strongly protested against Tan Sri Syed Nasir’s statement.
This illustrates the gap between the LPN’s world and the real world of the people.
It is time that the LPN officials get out of their air-conditioned offices and come down to the kampongs, estates and towns to find out how grave a burden the rice crisis has brought to the ordinary folks of Malaysia.