Forgive me for the title but I couldn't help it. Nowadays, it's laughable that politics is all about "screwing" your opponents. If the ballot box cannot "fix" the problem for you, then just get the police to catch someone from your camp and allege SODOMY. Yup, the word is back in the news. SODOMY. For the next couple of days, everyone will be talking about this word. Forget the normal, lover-lover relationship that can get explosive (that's so old news) but here we have a coffee-boy aka Mole-Boy, telling the police my employer "did it" to me.
So the old ideas from 1998 are being rehashed to get Anwar Ibrahim and the main players are the police. According to the RPK head, this is in response to his allegation that he has proof to show misconduct during the 1998-1999 trial by the Head of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan dan the nations top judge, Tan Sri Gani Patail.
Abdullah Badawi was quick to release a statement that the BN government had nothing to do with this sordid affair. But denials are not good enough for the general public who have grown to distrust the government institutions such as the police, justice system and government controlled media. So this current affair merely would strengthen the belief of a conspiracy against Anwar Ibrahim.
Malaysiakini reports that Anwar Ibrahim is now holed up at the Turkish Embassy for fear this latest move would not only kill his political life, it would actually kill him.
Ketua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim kini sedang mendapatkan perlindungan di Kedutaan Turki di Kuala Lumpur.
Bercakap dalam satu sidang akhbar, Naib Presiden Azmin Ali mendedahkan Anwar berbuat demikian demi keselamatan dirinya.
"Beliau telah dihantar ke sana sejak jam 6 pagi tadi. Tidak siapa pun yang boleh menziarahi beliau kecuali isteri dan anak-anaknya," kata Azmin.
Source: Malaysiakini
What does this mean for Malaysia?
We are seeing slip-up upon slip-up and in truth it reveals the state of politics in Malaysia. It is a messy thing and all the players are shady characters. Can we honestly believe the rights and wrongs in all these things? Because regardless whether these allegations are proven, the people that would suffer are the rakyat. We suffer because of our choices. We put in a vote, in a process that is suppose to be good.
The "democratic" election process has failed us, giving us a government that is flip-flopping about. A government that is loosing the confidence of its people by the day. A government that can't safe-guard the safety of its people-haven't you noticed the number of hard-core crime has gone up since Pak Lah took over? A government that has reduced it-self to political bickering in the halls of legislation (barricading newsmen, name-calling MPs, etc) when the real issues are not dealt with.
When all these things are flying about and the sale of newspapers go up and the number of hits to politician blogs hit the ceiling. Real issues are not addressed. While the current government struggles to stay in power, when the police is tainted and the justice system is crumbling; the real issues are left in the back-room.
What happened to the corridor projects that are suppose to spurn economic growth in the various states? How will the government (realistically) reduce the high living cost of the rakyat? With the recent government approved price hike, the number of poor people have increased, what steps have been taken to reduce this number? The plight of the rural folks in Sarawak, fighting for their lands, which get stripped by government approved logging companies. Who's looking into that?
Malaysia is heading in a downward spiral. The system of government is failing us. The popular leaders are being tainted by those that are helplessly trying to cling to power and at the end of the day, we all get screwed. The nation has lost it's stature as being one of the most progressive country in South East Asia. Instead, we've become the laughing stock of the international arena because we stick stuck in SODOMY issues and a government, so confuse with itself and totally out of control, it has cease to function like a government mandated by the people to run the nation.
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The score card was red, much like Hari Muafakat which they had in schools last saturday, Pak Lah presented his report card to the cabinet. It always sounds good when you have to report yourself, your own score. You can make yourself sound nice but the rakyat have made their report (of you) very clear.
Reading through the points highlighted in the Malaysiakini report, I cannot stop myself from chuckling at some of the most vague statements ever.
Malaysiakini reported his words:
"Jelaslah bahawa pencapaian dalam tempoh masa pelaksanaan RMK9 setakat ini bukan hanya terbatas kepada perancangan mahupun retorik semata-mata, tetapi terjelma dalam pencapaian yang hakiki," katanya.
Source: Malaysiakini
Menaikkan kualiti hidup rakyat melalui peningkatan pendapatan per kapita daripada RM18,840 pada tahun 2005 kepada RM23,066 pada 2007.
Yup, government servants had a pay rise, 10% of their basic salary in 2007 hence no year-end bonus for that year. Increase earnings per capita should mean that the average salary earner has more buying power. Buying power means that the money would be pump back into the countries economy thus making us wealthier. We saw this in 1997, when Tun Mahathir initiated mega-projects in order to push the economy along. Get the contractors to buy, get the workers to work and money starts flowing within the system. But with the recent fuel price hike (which the BN MPs endorsed) our buying power has drop to zilch. Would I now spend money when the cost of products is high? Would I eat out? Would I (dare) go on vacation ala Cuti-cuti Malaysia? The banks should be reeling in pain because people are keeping their money in their accounts and making money from interest.
LOW PURCHASING POWER + HIGH PRICE GOODS/SERVICE = LOW QUALITY OF LIFE
It may have looked good for 2007 but it's the pits for 2008.
Pengurangan defisit fiskal negara dari 3.6 peratus daripada Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) pada 2005, kepada 3.2 peratus pada 2007.
Yup, they reduced government spending by killing off subsidies to fuel and terminating mega-projects. Does corruption fall under governmental deficits? Because I believe Pak Lah mentioned the need to eradicate corruption in 2004. Now, that would seriously bring the deficit figure down drastically because the government does not have to SPEND to bail out cronies or family-owned-consortiums.
Meneroka sumber pertumbuhan baru dan meningkatkan produktiviti pekerja.
Really? New growth areas? So Pak Lah reverted the countries push from ICT to Agriculture. New? It's back to the early days of independence or pre-war Malaya, when Malaya was well known for its natural resources. Actually, if we had the drive we could have imitated Taiwan's success in turning itself into one of the worlds biggest exporters of electronics but I think we are more content on planting coconuts.
Hampir 68,000 orang usahawan baru dilatih.
In two (2) years of RMK9 you only manage a number less than 100K? I was expecting more, my bad - wishful thinking goes nowhere.
kadar kemiskinan keseluruhan dikurangkan dari 5.7 peratus pada 2004 kepada 3.6 peratus pada 2007
Expect to see more people joining the poor listing this year.
Memperluas jaringan jalanraya ke kawasan luar bandar.
Tell that to the folks in Sabah and Sarawak. The East Malaysian money is fueling Semenanjung growth and how much of that gets pumped back to East Malaysia?
Looking at his list of "I did good", I also want to know about the failures. Were their any failures? Or are we like the Egyptians of old who only listed down their success stories and blacked out their failures. Under the RMK9 was the judiciary upgraded? Under RMK9, did our police force become better law enforcers? Under RMK9, did our election commission stand independent?
Did Pak Lah report on this? Report Cards are suppose to also list your short-comings and ways to improve them and we do not write our own report cards. So if the rakyat had a chance to write comments in Pak Lah's report card, I wonder what they will say?
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You are guilty until proven innocent. I thought that only applied in Italy where the courts determine your innocence rather than your guilt. Its a skewed way of doing things and in most cases its harder to prove your innocence than your guilt. So there is a chance even an innocent is sent to jail for their in-ability to prove that they are not-guilty.
So here is the case. Is Najib really innocent? Or are there elements of guilt in his dealings with the Altantuya case? His innocence would have been assured if at the moment his name was mentioned during the early days of the trial, he was investigated. Knowing the way Malaysian courts work (especially towards those who walk the corridor of power) he would have been acquitted and proven innocent. This would have settled it once and for all. But that did not happen. Instead, the judge made a funny statement that only three people were involved in the murder and no-one else. A statement which effectively closed all avenues to investigate possible links to other individuals. Thus, it set the stage for denials upon denials and denials are empty unless supported by proof.
At the moment it is a case of RPK's word against the collective word of Pak Lah, Najib, Rosmah and Khairy.
Malaysiakinireports that Najib denies his wife was ever involved as stated by RPK.
Bercakap kepada pemberita di Parlimen hari ini, Najib berkata akuan Raja Petra itu satu "pembohongan dan sampah" semata-mata.
Najib juga menyifatkannya sebagai satu tindakan terdesak untuk mencemarkan imej politik beliau.
Source: Malaysiakini
Pak Lah has denied receiving any report as stated by RPK and went one up by saying Najib is innocent. Can we really trust Pak Lah on his word when all this while we've been hearing mere rhetoric from him?
Khairy has been brought into the picture and again, I believe he would deny any involvement. So there is a lot of denial going around among this circle of 'friends'. Who then is telling the truth?
Malaysia being Malaysia, we tend to go with the majority. The more people denying would mean it is the truth, even if the truth is a lie. In this case, Najib would be painted as a trust-worthy man who is speaking the truth but he made a blunder.
"Mencemarkan imej politik beliau" that was the statement he made. Does RPK have a political agenda? I don't think so. RPK is bringing back to light (in a genius way) what should have been done in the first place; the day Najib's name was mentioned during the trial - he should have been investigated. This has happened, in a rather round-about way. There is no political agenda here. It's a human agenda, an innocent person was killed and all those involve need to prove their innocence. Why didn't Najib allow himself to be investigated and proven innocent at the onset of the Altantuya trial? Did he have anything to hide?
Najib at this juncture would be stained for life. Even if he is proven innocent, the stigma of being entangled in a murder would stick. Plus, it's not just him - his wife is entangled too. Whether RPK proves himself right or not, the damage would have been done.
Folks, RPK will take the fall - which ever way the courts would decide it. If RPK proves his case, Najib would fall and Pak Lah and gang would be seen as a bunch of liars. If RPK is proven wrong and sent to jail, Najib would be cleared but he would be tainted and can we really trust this man to be the next PM? Politically Najib will survive (politics is weird in Malaysia) but much is desired from him as a person.
If Najib was really innocent, he should have allowed himself to be investigated from the beginning of the Altantuya case. Get my drift? An innocent man would strive to prove his innocence anyway possible because in Malaysia, you're guilty until proven innocent.
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Why debate about something that has been done? SHOULDN'T the debate be done before you make a decision? And you know what folks? The whole debate about the price increase of fuel had nothing to do with meeting the needs of the rakyat.
Instead it was clearly a show of who can win the most votes. Yes, the BN MPs voted for it and won convincingly while the Pakatan Rakyat fellas all voted against it. It wasn't a vote to help the rakyat, instead it was merely a motion to see who could win bragging rights in parliament. A "stick it up your ass" move to see who had more clout than the other.
So why debate after the price hike? Don't our elected leaders know that it is harder to reverse a decision than it is to not decide in the first place? Did we have a chance in hell to have the price hike reverse? It was merely a blanket move to save face. When our elected representatives (MPs) decided to 'endorse' the price hike, it also should mean that we all (the rakyat) agreed towards the price hike. But it is not the case. I for one, do not agree to the price increase but who listens to a small voice like me?
I would not want to sell lipsticks in Kelantan, I'll go bust. How quick for the council to say that it is not a ban but rather 'nasihat' (advice) to women working in their premises. Malaysiakini reports:
Bergincu dan berkasut tumit tinggi sehingga mengeluarkan bunyi tidak dilarang kepada pekerja Islam, jelas Majlis Perbandaran Kota Bharu-Bandar Raya Islam (MPKB-BRI).
Etika berpakaian itu hanya sekadar nasihat yang tidak diperkuatkuasakan dalam peraturan di bandar itu, jelas pengarah perhubungan awamnya Azman Mohd Daham hari ini.
Source: Malaysiakini.
So wearing lipstick and high heels can lead to rape? Come on, that's the best they can offer? It's like saying, over-usage of cell-phones would cause brain cancer. What were these guys thinking, no wonder they have Sisters In Islam fuming. Women in Malaysia are independent and capable citizens. Heck, there are more women in universities in Malaysia then men. In the coming years, it will be the women who would rise into prominence in any given field in Malaysia so please don't insult them with petty rulings that serve to merely highlight the fact that men are lustful creatures. If the sight of lipstick and the sound of high heels turn them on...Malaysian men have serious issues.
And what's up with the media blockage in parliament? This is probably the most stupid decision you can make in terms of public relations. You should be nice to the media and then they'll be nice to you. Right now, the current government has lost a lot of brownie points with the media. Somehow I just feel the guys over in parliament have just shot themselves in the foot by banning the journalists from having full access to elected MPs. Information (no matter how bias) should reach the masses and we want to hear it straight from the horses mouth when it's still breathing hot. Not some stale vomit from the official mouthpiece called Bernama.
I'm in total awe of these people's pure lack of foresight and their incredible level of stupidity.
More than 100 journalists are staging a boycott after the Parliament administration cut media access to the building’s lobby and barricaded the area.
Source: Malaysiakini
So let the boycott begin, let them know that the will of the people cannot be stifled by silly things like lipstick bans or media blackout. It's high-time that debates should be done BEFORE any major move rather than after, because after would mean that you have side-step the rakyat and the debate is merely a rubber-stamp exercise for bragging rights to see who score more points.
Folks, we're screwed and screwed BIG time by the people who are suppose to govern us. Can you honestly say, you have confidence in this government?
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King Leonidus would be proud. He stood with 300 men against a horde of invading Persians and a legend was born. He single-handedly help shaped the course of civilization as we know it today. I am proud to say, Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK) is making that stand and he's going to shape Malaysian history.
Malaysiakini is abuzz (the MSM is silent on this) with RPK's statutory declaration that Najib's wife was at the crime scene where Altantuya was murdered. Malaysiakini reports:
"It's mindboggling!" - that's how Raja Petra Kamarudin's statutory declaration alleging that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak's wife was at the murder scene of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu was described today.
Source: Malaysiakini.
This would put a wet blanket on Najib's aspiration to be the next prime minister. Would you like having a PM whose wife likes to blow-up stuff? I mean maybe she was a quarry worker in a past life but that's one wicked woman there.
So let's not forget, this government is already having a massive headache in managing itself ever-since the General Election, now they have to contend with runaway MPs plus you have a deputy prime minister with an elephant skeleton in his closet. The plot just keeps on thickening and its better than anything Stephen King could write. Yes, the drama in Malaysia is "mind-boggling" better than anything we could watch on tele.
In other countries, government officials would resign with a hint of speculation of scandal but in Malaysia our government seems to thrive with scandal. So people like RPK are heroes, for they expose our government officials for who they really are. Robbers and liars.
So Najib, what would you do now or is your wife going to blow up RPK with C4?
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A sinking ship will always be a sinking ship, no matter how you spin it; the ship will sink and the person who normally sinks with the ship would be the captain. Yup, the captain would sink with the ship. So in Malaysian politics, the ship is sinking and the captain chooses to ignore the signs and probably pass the captain-ship to another and get them to sink with the ship. Smart move by this shrewd captain.
Malaysiakini reports Ku Li as saying UMNO has lost its credibility:
A push from within ruling coalition Barisan Nasional for an unprecedented no-confidence vote against the premier shows the leadership has lost all credibility, a senior ruling party figure said.
Source: Malaysiakini
Yes, UMNO has lost its credibility among it's fellow BN component parties. No matter how it is spin, the ship is sinking and someone would have to sink with it. A few days ago, we heard talk that Najib would take over and then came news of SAPP no confidence vote against Pak Lah. A no confidence vote against Pak Lah is also a no confidence vote against UMNO and the blow came from one of the king-maker states - Sabah. Sarawak would definitely be watching this as they hold the other half of the coin that could make or break the current ruling government.
How timely. Najib would inherit a ship destined to sink and with all that's hanging over his head; he'll probably sink with it.
The slide of no-confidence in Pak Lah can be traced all the way back to 2005. Yes, after a resounding victory in the 11th GE, Pak Lah made promises, which till today remains unfulfilled. 2005 also marked the emergence of favourite-Son-in-Law, the fella that irked Tun Mahathir so much.
Since then everything has been fire-fighting all the way. UMNO grew pompous and so did their fellow BN component parties. They forgot who they were serving and treated ordinary Malaysians like little kids they can bully at the playground. Yes, Malaysians were bullied and we fought back the only way we knew - through the ballot box.
The lost of confidence in Pak Lah since he trumped himself into power in 2004 was a steady slide. His rhetoric just did not sink in any more and finally, the BN component parties are speaking up and it had to come from east Malaysia. Don't expect the semenanjung parties to do this, no they are too stuck up in butt-kissing that they don't have the balls to do anything except take a dive with the sinking captain. The east Malaysian parties now hold court and this is our time to take the helm and show the other fellas how to run the show.
Let's see who would follow through with SAPP. Would a Sarawakian party send a no-confidence notion to the ruling government? Let's wait and see.
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Just how much do our ministers make? And is the amount really value for money? Think about it. Our ministers and elected reps to parliament are paid out of the rakyat pockets. Tax money is used to fund their services and what nots. So by right, the ministers work for us and shouldn't the rakyat have the power to sack ministers who do not do their work?
Malaysiakini gave a glimpse into the entertainment allowances our ministers get:
Ketika ini, elaun keraian sebulan perdana menteri adalah RM18,865, timbalannya (RM15,015), menteri persekutuan (RM12,320) dan timbalan menteri (RM6,000).
Source: Malaysiakini
A 10% cut would mean, PM is short RM1,886.50, Deputies RM1,501.5, Federal Ministers RM1,232 and Deputy Federal Ministers RM600. Total amount saved is RM2 billion.
Does this really show our elected reps really have a heart towards what the rakyat are facing? It doesn't even dent their salaries. Why not 50%? Besides entertainment allowances DO NOT affect work performance. By right if there were no entertainment allowances, the ministers could still do the job, wouldn't you think so?
So why not lead the way and show the people you care? Rid all entertainment allowances, use local cars, pay your own utility bills, fuel bills and all not WORK related allowances.
Why can't our ministers go to work using the LRT or bus? The Mayor of London goes to work by foot and subway. Because to him, any excess money spent is at the cost of the people. He is to serve the citizen of London and not to be served. Can our leaders live up to this or do they expect pampering from the rakyat?
As a tax payer, I want to see my tax money be channeled to the places where it is really needed. I want to see better public utilities, better roads, better schools, better houses for the poor and a more efficient civil department. Why can't these things be implemented?
Is it wrong to say that being a minister in Malaysia is all about self-gain and position? There is no thought to serve the people or to safe guard the welfare of the society; instead it is all for self-gain. The monetary return of being a top official in government is high but can our ministers say that they would forgo all such monetary perks to serve the people?
I am amazed with the attitude of our government officials in the face of the fuel hike and the coming spike in living cost. They should share in the pains of the rakyat because where would they be if the rakyat did not sacrifice their vote or pay their taxes?
Really, are we getting what we are taxed for?
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Would changing the government change anything?
You see changing governments would not stop the rise in oil prices. Changing government would still keep the price of goods in the top selves of things. Fix income earners like government servants will feel the thrust of the sharp knife called inflation. Economic factors does not know government.
Changing government would not change the economic state of our lives. It's the State of the government that change the economic state.
A government, which is able to manage change of policies, the financial standing of the country and well-being of the rakyat, is a government who knows what they are doing. It plans well and manage well.
Pak Lah's government seems to be fighting fires as they set it. Pak Lah says he would ease the pain of the rakyat, as reported by Malaysiakini:
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today reiterated his stand that he would introduce measures to ease the pain felt by the people as a result of the recent fuel price hike.
Source: Malaysiakini.
Didn't they think of this before the raise the fuel price? Or is this just the way the current government handles matters. Fight the fire as you set it?
It seems this government is unable to think beyond the immediate tomorrow. The rebate idea seems good for the day but in the long run it would in suck us dry. The monetary rebate seems good at RM2.70 but would it stay the same when the fuel price hits RM4.00? Would the rebate amount go up in tandem with the fuel price? At the end of the day, all the savings from the subsidy-cut would be pump back to paying off rebates.
Why not this...float the price of fuel. Drop all subsidies but,
1) Rid all road-taxes, keep the insurance but rid the tax.
2) Rid all toll payments.
3) Improve public transport.
4) Introduce reusable energies. Equatorial country but how much solar energy do we use?
Drastic changes, yet if Malaysians are resilient, we could weather through this. This is the time we should be creative and look for ways to counter our dependence on fossil fuels. Change government, sure why not? But first lets not start fires we have to fight.
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Pak Lah has called for the rakyat to be resilient and weather the fuel hike, Malaysiakini reported this in the article: PM: Understand reasons for fuel hike. Yes, we understand. The global oil price per barrel is expected to reach USD150 (yesterday it stood at USD138) sometime this before the year end. With the idea that the fuel price would be reviewed on a monthly basis, then be prepared for a change every month or so. Which direction the price change would take, we all can infer. It'll most likely go north. Plain logic, oil price goes up, subsidy goes up; to lower subsidy then hike fuel price. So expect the price to go higher than the current RM2.70.
Even fellow BN component parties are condemning the hike, as reported by Malaysiakini:
Presiden Parti Maju Sabah (Sapp), Datuk Yong Teck Lee mengecam tindakan kerajaan menaikkan secara mendadak harga minyak seperti diumumkan kelmarin.
Sapp, sebuah parti komponen BN, memberi amaran kepada perdana menteri tentang ketegangan besar BN, manakala Pemudanya mendesak Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dan kabinetnya meletakkan jawatan.
Yong, bekas ketua menteri, berkata keputusan kerajaan yang terburu-buru meningkatkan harga minyak boleh memburukkan lagi masalah yang dihadapi BN.
Beliau juga mempertikaikan perdana menteri sama ada beliau sudah mengkaji segala akibat kenaikan harga minyak.
“Jika kerajaan hilang kepercayaan rakyat, maka ia lebih payah untuk mentadbir,” katanya.
Source: Malaysiakini
Yes, this hike is not a decision by just the PM but by the ruling BN. Since they swore unwavering support to Pak Lah then surely all decisions made by Pak Lah has the consensus of the BN parties. But from SAPP's response, it seems they were not consulted on the move; if not why are they so up in arms because of it? Or is this a precursor to the fact for the Sabah band-of-jumpers to jump ship to Pakatan Rakyat?
Yes, Malaysians are resilient, we have allowed this Pak Lah BN government ruling rights since 2004. We cut it down in the 12th GE because of their inability to follow through with their promises. And if all things go well, by September 16; they could be replace. Yes, resilient but our patience is running out. We may have endured another 5 years under Pak Lah but with the hike (talk about bad timing), he may not last pass September.
I think the hike would be acceptable if subsidies would instead be shifted to other items such as foodstuff. Meaning, the price of fuel may be high but the cost of food so low, our living cost balance out the fuel price. Like the higher the fuel hike, the cheaper the cost for a meal. This way people would still be able to put food on their tables. The poor can afford to eat. As of the moment the so-called rebates only benefit vehicle owners but the non-vehicle owners still feel the pinch from the escalating price of food and essential items. So regardless of the rebates, we all still suffer. The rebates do nothing at all except lower the cost of road-tax.
We not only need a government that is caring, we also need one that is smart enough to put the welfare of the rakyat first instead of their own pockets.
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Was the fuel hike intention ever discussed in parliament? Was the notion of reducing the fuel subsidy brought before the representatives of the people? Did we ever have a chance in hell to put our opinion forward concerning raising the fuel price?
NO!
And it will stay this way unless and until this current government is replaced with one that is truly people-friendly. Thrash the idea that the people are given the chance to be heard. The only time the rakyat is needed is when election is round the corner and even then, we are told, that we only can vote one way. Heck, even the election is rigged so only THIS particular government wins. But we showed them didn't we and we need to continually show them who the boss is.
So, we take to the streets and guess what, "Where is your police permit?" Get a permit? We all know no-one could ever get a permit unless it happens to be people from BN but then they all support Pak Lah and that means they all support the fuel hike. So forget about them to think about the people.
Malaysiakini reports on the street protests:
Timbalan ketua polis negara Datuk Ismail Omar, dalam kenyataan hari ini berkata, berdasarkan maklumat hasil risikan polis, terdapat beberapa pihak sedang merancang mengadakan siri demonstrasi di beberapa lokasi di seluruh negara.
"Tujuan demonstrasi ialah untuk membantah kenaikan harga petrol dan diesel. Di sini saya ingin menegaskan sebarang perhimpunan perlu mendapatkan permit daripada ketua polis daerah," katanya.
Source: Malaysiakini
We can afford to keep the subsidies as mentioned by Tun Mahathir plus by comparing ourselves with oil-producing countries, RM2.70 is the highest price for fuel. The government compares our prices with non-oil-producing countries.
Why compare a car to a stool? Venezuela charges RM0.16/litre to its citizen. So please tell me where the heck did this government get its math education? We can sell fuel cheaper to our citizens and that should have been the way to go. Sure lift the subsidy and sell fuel direct to our citizens.
The only reason I can see why our fuel prices is pegged to the world market price is because we buy the fuel we export.
Meaning we sell our fuel out, it gets processed and then we buy it back. Get my point? That's the only reason why the price is tied to the world market price because we buy it back at market value. Far-fetched idea but it makes sense to me.
So let's keep protesting because we never had the chance to voice our opinion before the fuel hike so it's logical we voice it after the hike. Does this government expect its rakyat to keep quiet when our very lives are affected by such a stupid move?
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My dad threw a fit when he heard of the fuel hike. "Why can't we, a petroleum producing country sell fuel cheaper to its own citizens?" was his question. I shrugged my shoulders and wondered myself. Honestly, I want the government to give us answers as to why we can't sell fuel to our own citizens at a cheaper rate?
The other thing, which bothers me is the fact everything else will go up. Food items will hit the ceiling and the overall cost of living would go up by 40-60%. Subsidies aside, I totally hold the government responsible for this added stress on my living. And I would throw crap at the next minister who tells me that I should change my lifestyle to suit the times. The truth of the matter is that normal citizens of Malaysia are already earning too little to cope with the times.
Malaysiakini reports:
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is clinging to power after disastrous polls, but disarray in the ruling party, a strong opposition and deep subsidy cuts make his future highly uncertain, analysts say.
Source: Malaysiakini
Crime will go up as desperate people scratch out a living to cope with these changes but I think the worst spill over effect of this fuel hike is that the poor have just become poorer. With the little that I earn right now, I am poor. In fact, I am now broke and surviving hand to mouth. With increase prices for food stuff and what nots, I will have to cut out a lot of things from my budget.
First thing to go would be insurance. Who needs life insurance or what ever crap insurance there is when I can't put food on the table?
Secondly, eating out will now be a luxury, which spells ill for stall owners across Malaysia. Who would want to eat out if the price of noodles cost RM5?
Thirdly, why bother driving? I'm thinking of cycling to work. A prospect that would mean I have to get up at 5 am in order to be in the office by 8 am. So when will Malaysia have hybrid cars?
What irks me to the max is the fact, by hiking the price up, the government has not clearly given us a means to counter check the rise in other things. Did they give thought about the rising price of food that is hitting the world? The shortage of rice and the need to import rice from neighboring countries would only increase the price of rice sold in the marketplace. Why? Fuel price to transport the goods would be passed down to the consumers. And what about all the corridors, launched by Pak Lah before the election? Would they take off because construction will be affected by the fuel hike. Would the buildings even go up?
Folks, be prepared for the spill over and it will be massive because these are bad times not only for Malaysia but globally. I just think the hike is too steep and also bad timing.
It is time to change government but I don't think even the new government can undo what has been already done.
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