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.
reduce the price lah! the people is already suffering now, talk about what future!??? if we can’t feed ourself now, how to talk about tomorrow??? we can find money from other way but not from the suffering rakyat!!!!
If Reduce cost of living (wastage, inefficiency, unchecked price rise) then we don’t need to suffer as much.
Its because of “too many sub-contractor” syndrome that prices get inflate and quality deflates.
Remove subsidy, turn PETRONAS into a non-profit organization, where all profits made are shared by the rakyat. Fuel’s running out anyway, why not let the rakyat enjoy it like the people of Venezuela and Nigeria. :-)
Subsidy or no subsidy is secondary. Only if the government can be clean without corruption and be smart by not spending unnecessarily, I am sure we rakyat will see more than RM20 billion flowing back into our country.
Sending one fellow to space, continue with the National Service program and more…
Gallivanter… and we will enjoy our economic growth just like Venezuela and Nigeria, how cool is that? :)
ahmog & Mun… true. It’s back to the point that our government is wasting too much on unnecessary stuff… the government really need to show their determination to cut useless spending and to fight corruption; and the current gov will need to do it fast… the people are losing patience.
if im the pm and if im a good hearted one, i will remain the subsidy of petrol and improve infrastructures since malaysia got the resources to do so. accordingly to tun mamak, our crude oil production is 650k barrel per day and malaysian used roughly 400k barrel per day. and accordingly to another site, only about 46% of each barrel of crude oil is process into energy which we use daily.
so we have an extra 250k barrel per day for export (not include the 46% per barrel theory), since the price for crude oil increases weekly, malaysia gets more profit. and we are only talking about oil. there are many countries dont have oil, just take asean countries for example : (singapore…opps cannot compare), thailand and vietnam, and they are developing their country at similar or higher rate as malaysia.
in malaysia we have palm oil, rubber, tin, fish and timber. these all are big money too. i dont see free “good” roads, good hospital with good staffs, free good school, and many more. we the malaysians funded the government too, with epf and proton…dont forget. so where is all the money gone?
population in malaysia is only 26 million, not 260 million. with so many advantages compare to our many countries, malaysia can do far, far, far, far more better. actually malaysia really boleh wan but because of bn, malaysia now taklah..
about anwar,
currently there is no one better than anwar. so i fully support anwar to be the pm. there will be independant bodies once pakatan take over eg. judiciary, anti-corruptions, and monarchy. so u see, it is not going to be like now. there will be check and balance. and as prime minister, he would not have the absolute power.
there will be freedom of speech in the media…and if anwar so sure of himself cannot deliver what he had promised, the media will give him nick-names. i dont think anwar will like that.
correction to post 7
there will be freedom of speech in the media…and if anwar so sure of himself…AND (HERE) cannot deliver what he had promised, the media will give him nick-names. i dont think anwar will like that.
Some brave sparks have said in the internet. Malaysia produces 750,000 barrels per day, and Malaysians only consume 400,000 barrels a day. Per day there are 350,000 barrels left for export, and per month this would be 10,500,000 barrels ! Patronas makes huge profits from export with the global price now at USD$136.80 (Monday) per barrel. Patronas needs no SUBSIDY ! Patronas sells to Malaysians on simple economic mathematics that LOCAL PRICE = LOCAL COSTS OF PRODUCTIONS + PROFITS. If so, then Malaysian PRICE could be less than ONE RINGGIT per litre. Simplistic ? No, it’s downright LOGICAL. Patronas has a duty to Malaysians: the reason for its very FORMATION. SUBSIDIES are usually imposed on imported commodities in order to enable citizens to purchase them. Patronas must not sell to Malaysians at international price, and then justify the imposition of SUBSIDIES. We don’t IMPORT from PATRONAS !
Abolishing the subsidies sounds simply enough, but it’s not feasible at all. The average salary of a Malaysian is simply not enough to support such an increase in fuel prices. Inflation would skyrocket.
At least all those Malay people on motorcycles would stop gathering in large crowds though, and all the illegal races and shit like that.