Kuala Lumpur, 22 September 2018-The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) concluded its 3rd Liberalism Conference today. Many important issues were discussed, ranging from the role of GLCs in the economy, the cost of living and wages, as well as freedom of speech. In general, the speakers at the conference welcome the progress Malaysia has achieved since the historic elections on May 9th. But many speakers also challenged the new government on its willingness to deliver meaningful reform on the role of government in the economy and freedom of the media, and the need for a more informed, responsible debate on cost of living. Most importantly, the conference provides an important platform for a genuinely open discussion about the pressing matters facing the nation today.
The conference was opened by a presentation by IDEAS Founding President, Tunku Zain al-’Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz on “The State of Malaysia.” In his presentation, Tunku ‘Abidin touched upon the many advances made by the PH government since they came into power, such as the new appointments to the Judicial Appointments Commission that were made yesterday, the opening up of space for civil liberties and a government more responsive of civil society’s concerns. He ended his speech with the hope that Malaysians receive better citizenship education on the country and its values.
The first panel, “What should be the role of GLCs in the Malaysian economy?” analysed the question of government’s role in the economy. Prof. Geoffrey Williams focused on the new ways in which privatisation of GLCs can be done, categorising it into “responsible” and “conventional” privatisation. Dato’ Rais Hussin pointed out that a balanced approach is required when handling GLCs, as privatising entities such as CIMB and Maybank will incur bigger problems. Dr. Renato Lima de Oliviera emphasised that the least GLCs can do is be more transparent, so the public can evaluate whether or not they are pursuing their objectives. Prof. Terence Gomez questioned the reason why GLCs are called companies in the first place, as many of them pursue social objectives such as helping the poor, and are not actually doing business. Prof. Gomez also called out they government for not debating the role of the government in the economy, despite the extensive research that has been done on the matter. Overall, all panellists agreed that transparency and good governance is the way forward in handling GLCs.
The second panel, “High cost of living or low pay: which is the real problem?” aimed at exploring whether rising costs or stagnant wages were the problem facing many Malaysians today. Firdaos Rosli highlighted that costs of living is different than quality of living. He stated that Malaysians do not save enough, quoting data from the Department of Statistics showing that foreign labourers save more than Malaysians. Dr. Suraya Ismail stated that Malaysia’s wages as a share of GDP is low, and questioned how wages can be increased when we do not have jobs that actually pay higher wages. Prof. Yeah Kim Leng emphasised that the government can play its role by lowering cost of doing business, reduce regulatory burdens, reduce industry concentration, and promote open market competition.
The third panel of the day was on “Freedom of speech in Malaysia – the opening of discourse after GE14”, where the panellists explored issues such as censorship, media ownership and media regulation. Prof. Azmi Sharom emphasised that a society must be trusted to understand what is good and what is bad, without the need for government being the arbiter of truth. Gayathry Venkiteswaran stated that it is possible for media companies to be a profitable business and at the same time have a public service ethos. She mentions that Bernama and RTM need to break away from government, privatise and think about how to really engage in public service. Umapagan Ambikaipakan gave an overview of film censorship laws in the country, noting that both book and film censorship rules are heavily biased against those in the Malay language. All panellists agreed that licensing requirements for the media should be abolished.
Overall, this year’s Liberalism Conference showcased a broad spectrum of views regarding political, economic and social freedoms, with a strong emphasis on analysing what the role of the state should be in these three areas. The audience mainly consisted of students and members of society with a general interest in the current developments in Malaysia. At the end, CEO Ali Salman emphasised that for IDEAS, liberalism is not an ideology – it is an approach to how we conduct ourselves in everything we do. It is about being open to all views and having discussions based on evidence as opposed to mere rhetoric.
The Liberalism Conference is an annual exercise by IDEAS to deliberate on the overall progress towards “A Malaysia that upholds the principles of liberty and justice”, according to the vision pronounced by Tunku Abdul Rahman. The conference tracks progress and developments in Malaysia along these parameters: rule of law, free markets, limited government and individual liberty and responsibility. We believe that these values are necessary for a liberal and just Malaysia. The itinerary for the event, with the full list of panel sessions and speakers, is attached. Please note that the Welcoming Remarks were given by Ali Salman, and the second panel was moderated by Wan Ya Shin, Coordinator of the Social Policy Unit.