49 BN members of parliament embarked on their epic journey yesterday (Sept 8) to Taiwan on a study tour of the agriculture technology to waste taxpayers’ money.
It’s hard not to relate the visit as an attempt to prevent Pakatan Rakyat from forming a new government on Sept 16. Regardless, there are no justified reasons to send 49 MPs on a study trip to learn the industry and technology that most of them have no basic knowledge about… it’s a waste of money in every sense.
Well, BN might be able to delay Anwar’s takeover plan (if it’s happening) for a week or two… but at what cost? They are continuously throwing away people’s trust and gradually losing their original supporters with all these money wasting gimmick.
A report on findings of the studies conducted by Malaysia’s first space traveller, Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor at the International Space Station (ISS) will be presented to the cabinet by end of August. The report would be studied by the cabinet first before it is announced to the public. [via Bernama]
Although the second space traveller programme had not yet been decided on, Malaysia would still send Major Dr Faiz Khaleed to undergo training to ensure continuity of Malaysia’s space programme… now, this is what I call a waste of money.
The first Angkasawan programme is dubious, but there are rooms for debates whether the project will benefit our country in future or not. However, what’s the point of sending the second man for training when it’s still uncertain if there is any continuity with the programme?
Stop wasting our money.
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.
A friend of mine who is doing his PhD research at one of the local universities is chosen to attend a prestigious international scientific conference in June, fully sponsored by the government.
My friend is a smart guy, I have no doubt about that. The only problem is that lots of his time is spent on watching porns and downloading anime torrents… yes, that’s how easy it is to study PhD in our universities (or perhaps my friend is really a genius lol).
Can’t imagine how our government has managed to choose this fella to represent our country to meet with the best scientists around the world… well, have a nice trip regardless, my dear friend.
The Election Commission (EC) has scrapped the indelible ink plan for the March 8 general election following legal advice, its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said. He said that the decision made at a meeting today was also to ensure security and public order.
“Police investigations reveal that there are irresponsible people who bought ink from foreign countries in order to persuade those not familiar with the procedure to have the ink applied (to a voter’s forefinger or nail) before polling day,” he told a press conference at the EC headquarters, Putrajaya. [Bernama]
Abdul Rashid also said that the use of indelible ink would not be effective as the country’s constitution allows those who refuse to have their fingernail marked with the ink to still be issued with a ballot, and that the use of the indelible ink could infringe the constitutional right of a voter to cast his vote, especially if the commission tries to bar someone from voting for having an ink marked in his finger. [Malaysiakini]
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Opposition politicians and some bloggers have been heavily criticising the Monsoon Cup which is set to run on 27 Nov - 2 Dec 2007 in Pulau Duyong, Terengganu… but is Monsoon Cup really that bad?
FYI, Monsoon Cup is the last stage for this season’s World Match Racing Tour, a Grade 1 event recognized by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). Although sailing is not popular in Malaysia, the event is not as insignificant as some politicians claimed.
I can remember the criticism about organising F1 in Malaysia prior to the first race in Sepang, but organising the F1 race is probably one of the best decisions Malaysia has made in the 90s. The return is not just the financial gain during the race, but involves global branding which could help attracting foreign visitors (and probably investors) constantly.
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UMNO Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin said during the UMNO General Assembly about our subsidy system…
“Why should we give subsidised petrol to the already rich, who drive luxurious cars with high capacity engines? It should be meant only for the man riding a kapcai (low-cc motorcycle).”
He added that billions of ringgit could be saved and the money used instead to develop village roads, build more public infrastructure and construct schools.
His statement is half true. Malaysians have been pampered with all kind of subsidies all these years… perhaps it’s time to let the petrol price roamed freely and save the money for other benefits, to help the poor for example.
I would applaud if the billions Ringgit saved could be used to develop our villages… but I am afraid that we might use it for something else… paying for a crook bridge (that was never built), spending on new toys or sending a traveller to space. Who can guarantee that the money saved from the cut subsidy would be well spent?
In my words…
“Why should we spent money to send a man to space, who rides on a billion dollar spaceship with super capacity engines? It should be meant only for the men riding on wheels.”