The more civilised countries of the world have enlightened leadership. Important decisions are discussed and debated, to arrive at the best and highest use of the available resources of the country. Decisions which require judgement, as in the allocation of funds for large projects, require maturity, education and intelligence. Civilised countries have institutions in place which ensure that major expenditures will also receive thorough scrutiny by the taxpayers. In some countries all funding must originate with the elected representatives of the people.

In Kuala Lumpur there is a federal parliament building. Its presence suggests there are elected representatives thereabout, carrying on parliamentary functions. It is a phantom and a farce. The parliament does not control the government. The prime minister controls the government. The parliament building is not a factor in Malaysian affairs. Malaysia is not a democracy. It has a third rate, third world leadership.

The existence of a parliament is something of a charade, shallowly supported, suggesting proposed projects are perused with perspicacity, and passed into law only after prolonged, prudent parlay and palaver by prepared parliamentarians. Only the presence of lively opposition members with hammering questions keeps the Umno-BN seat-sitters awake, if not alert.

In reality, Malaysia has a cabinet of ministers who make all decisions, informed of the prime minister's wishes. The cabinet is not a deliberative body. They do not put their always unanimous decisions to a vote of the parliament. That is considered a mere waste of time. Cabinet decisions are announced as law to be placed in the codes, immediately effective. Only the routine pronouncements of ministers make swifter law.

The cabinet ministers are chosen by the prime minister, and serve at his pleasure. Choreography is essential. Mental dexterity is essential in dodging journalist's questions. Education in ethics is a negative, as is sensitivity to veracity. As with federal court judge appointments, literacy ranks below leg-licking loyalty. One must assume a sense of humor is operative, as cabinet activities and decisions are often announced in an atmosphere of joviality and levity. The ministers enjoy spending the public's money.

Today the cabinet announced that the stalled Bakun Dam project is to be kick-started to life. The idea is to bail the millions now buried by bringing fresh bullion to the bargain, in the amount of RM 9 billion. This is only a preliminary estimate of final costs, the customary procedure in Malaysian mega-projects. The old estimate, however, was higher. It has been reduced by eliminating expensive submarine cables which were to deliver excess power generated across the South China Sea to peninsular Malaysia. The excess generating capacity is now to remain on standby in Borneo fueling future development.

In a previous column (Bakun: The Missing Feasibility study, Jan 16, 2001) the technical feasibility of the submarine cables was questioned, and the elimination appears a tardy acknowledgment of the tethers of technology. All power is now to be distributed within the island of Borneo.

But Borneo has no desperate need for such expensive electrical power, nor for water. The Bakun dam is thus another field-of-dreams megaproject providing power well beyond any realistic requirement. The finance minister says he has found the money, to be supplied by a foreign fund. Asked if it is in hand, he hesitates. "We are still talking," he says.

Given the present investment climate, there is unlikely to be any foreign fund willing to support this environmental disaster. The necessary economic fundamentals are full of fault. Annual interest at today's rates would be around RM 1 billion, which the government cannot afford. The sale of electricity in Borneo cannot generate this large sum, even if demand should increase significantly.

Malaysia has many serious problems, but the supply of electricity for Borneo is not one of them. One thus seeks another reason the cabinet announces its decision at this time. The more suspicious is the coming state elections in Sarawak. Election time largesse is expected, but a dam is different, offering mega-novelty. In addition to routine gifts ... paved roads, electricity, water, bicycles, sarongs and coconut fetching monkeys ... one may now add the jobs and subcontracts a revived Bakun Dam project promises.

A second reason is the dire shortage of US dollars Malaysia needs to stave off collapse of the economy. Recently a government agency was caught trying to foist fake bonds worth USD 5 billion on the London banks as collateral for a loan. Lately the prime minister has been pushing a variation of the Robin Hood story to twist money out of "the rich countries." Now this large project is to be funded by the foreign bond market. Repayment is for later, when all present parties are safe in retirement retreats free from the nuisance of extradition. If this is the game, it is certainly an obvious one, and has poor prospects.

If it is not to be dismissed as just another hollow pre-election promise, the finance minister must name a specific source for the foreign funds. If he cannot, there can be nothing further of substance. The tacit admission that the submarine cables were always fictional posits the present policy as prelude to further phantasms of political fancy. In the Malaysian parody of democratic government, the cabinet lacks prudence. In this affair they appear again dangling, dancing and prancing in a puppet parade, the all-powerful prime minister holding their strings.

While this basket of Bakun bread is baking, the country of Malaysia is burning.

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