Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has announced on Monday some government cost cutting measures to save public spending amounting to RM2 billion anually, which include freezing of paid leave for Cabinet members, aspects on travels for ministers, deputy ministers, government officers abroad, prohibiting renovation works on offices, postponement in asset purchases and the holding of official functions etc. [Bernama]
The measurements include a 10% reduction on entertainment allowance and restrictions on paid vacation for ministers and deputy ministers, which would be limited to the Asean region only and the duration should not exceed one week. Previously, the paid vacation is borne by the government to any destination once a year.
It’s a step forward for the government to cut wasteful spending, kudos for that… but they could really try a bit harder. 10% cut on the entertainment allowances mean nothing much; the ministers (and deputies) will still get a decent allowance to spend on I-don’t-know-what entertainment purposes.
Besides, why should we pay for their overseas vacation when we can’t afford to bring our family for overseas holidays? It’s not like the ministers are not getting paid… their monthly salary is higher than 70% (probably close to 90) of the Malaysians for goodness sake.
The paid vacation should be scrapped completely; and unless there is a good reason for the entertainment allowance, it should be scrapped as well. There are probably some other dubious expenses not mentioned in the plan… and there are definitely rooms for further improvements.
If the government has the determination to cut the petrol subsidy and forced the people to change our lifestyle, at least show their own determination to make a strong cut. It’s a good start, but not good enough.
What would you do with the petrol subsidy if you are the Prime Minister?
Would you choose to save billions of dollars from the subsidy to improve infrastructures (schools, hospitals, public transports etc.) or to continously using it to make Malaysians happy?
Ask me anytime, and I will tell you that we should abolish the subsidy system completely… probably not in one shot, but definitely in near future. The money could be better spent elsewhere than to pamper Malaysians with cheap petrol.
The problem with our government is always on how they would spend those extra moneys… the wastage and corruption have given them some bad reputation in recent years; and it’s understandable that lots of Malaysians no longer have faith with them.
But let’s say Anwar has took over the government, and let’s assume he is an absolutely clean and capable politician… do you think he should abolish the subsidy and use the money to build something else, or to reduce the petrol price instead?
So, same question to Anwar too, who constantly promised to reduce the petrol price. Does he believe that it’s the right thing to do to reduce the petrol price, or is it just a gimmick to gain popularity so that he can become the Prime Minister? Would he not prefer to use those money to build the future instead?
Politicians are never clean… an absolute honest man can never be a politician.
Sharing a few stories…
The hawker: Cash strapped, TV, handphone
I have a friend that always complained on how tough life is, and how difficult it is to make ends meet. He is a hawker, his wife the helper, and has three kids.
Some hawkers are rich, but he is not… I am not really sure why. A couple of years ago, his eldest son finished Form Five, came out to work, got his first pay… and the first thing they did was spending most (if not all) of the salary to buy a new TV.
My friend is still crying on how tough life is… but he got a new company now, with his dear son complaining just about the same thing.
Last I checked, the son use a handphone that is five times more expensive than mine.
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Former PM Tun Dr Mahathir has written a comprehensive article about the Tun Salleh Abas saga and the judiciary crisis in 1988, which Tun M himself was heavily involved in.
Facts, fictions, arguments, debates, excuses, or whatever… I have no way to verify what Tun M has written. It’s undeniable though, at least in public expression, that the 1988 crisis has marked the downfall of Malaysia’s judicial independence… and Tun M can never hide from that fact, ever.
Some thoughts from other bloggers (and their readers) about the latest petrol price hike on June 5…
Kean Jin ll Undebug ll Paul Tan ll Fireangel ll Lobaksoup ll Lucia Lai ll Emily ll Beng ll Stocktube ll Foongpc ll Messyc ll Cyberpartygal ll Silflay ll Jeff Ooi ll Galvin ll Hanief ll Eddie Law ll Rocky ll Kenneth Lee ll SK Thew ll Audie ll Kuan Chong ll Malaysiacity ll Mindspring ll Zubli ll Susan Loone ll Anwar Ibrahim ll Eli Wong ll Damien Tan ll Crankshaft ll Kit Siang ll KY ll BJ
Comment is closed here, please share your thoughts at the previous post instead.
Petrol price is hiking up 78 cents to RM2.70 per litre by Wednesday midnight, while the diesel is going up RM1 to RM2.58. Seems like it’s worth being kiasu after all.
With the continous record breaking rise of crude oil price, our price hike seems inevitable. It’s a logical decision for the government to cut the subsidy… the only question that always puzzle me is how they are going to spend the extra money saved from the reduced subsidy.
So far I haven’t heard anything to improve our public transportation system, or to find alternative ways to reduce petrol consumptions in the country… nobody really knows where the money saved from the previous price hike had been used.
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The petrol stations’ business is extra-good these two days with rumours flying around that the fuel prices will increase today (or tomorrow).
The phenomenon showed two things…
1. Some Malaysians are kiasu
2. Some Malaysians believe in rumours rather easily
Are you one of those kiasu Malaysians that love to believe in rumours?
Update – The rumours turn out to be true this time… fuel price going up 40%.
We should abolish the quota system of the Public Services Department (PSD) scholarships once and for all. Well, maybe not now… but it should be made as a goal that should be achieved in near future.
Why should racial issue came into questions when deciding who is more fitting to accept a government scholarship for further education? It should be based on their academic achievement, the economic background, and to some extend their co-curricular achievements.
Lots of fuss have been created since the government decided to increase the non-bumi quotas from 10% to 45%. The most recent argument came from Umno Youth Education Bureau that it’s not a good idea because increasing the quota for non-bumiputras without increasing the actual number of scholarships has drastically affected the bumiputras.
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