There is no point protesting against the petrol hike… the fuel subsidy was wrong and should have been gone long ago. It there is anything to complain about… it’s about corruption, poor public transportation and the government failure in improving our living standard for the past decade.

Inflation is something inevitable; what really strike Malaysians these days is the failure to improve our earning-capability since the 1997 economic crisis. With exceptions of a few professions, the salary and income levels of most jobs are not on par with inflation rate for the past decade… some sectors are actually falling behind the pre-1997 era.

Singaporeans are paying a despatch boy RM2500 a month while most fresh graduates won’t be getting that much in Malaysia. Off course there are arguments that the cost of living would be higher in Singapore, but their definite advantage is that their overall standard of living would not be affected as much by global effects because of their higher earning power.

The effect of globalisation has become more apparent these days; inflations and cost of living is not something that we can control alone unless the country is self-sufficient in everything. The logical option to keeping our living sustainable is to increase our production level, and thus the income level of general citizens… and it’s something that the government has to think and work on.

We need to have a plan, a solid idea of what we want our country to be in the next 5, 10 or 20 years. One of the reasons why I am not against removing the petrol subsidy is that the money could be better spent (set aside the corruption issue first) on other development instead of protection policies. It’s better to teach people to fish than to give them fishes.

What the lower income group should fight for are policies that could increase their income level and a fair distribution of wealth. It’s unthinkable that some working classes are earning less than RM500 a month; that’s an exploitation to our labour forces. It’s a fair thing that skillful workers or educated peope should earn more than those who are not… but surely the hardwork itself could be rewarded better.

Malaysia need to rebrand ourselves; we are branded as a cheap and resourceful place for foreign investors in late 80s and the 90s, but with the rising of China, India and Vietnam etc… we are not having the advantage we used to have. Malaysia need to learn to stop relying heavily on FDI and create our own branding… we need to optimise our profit levels and minimise wastage, and the government needs to lead by example and Malaysians should work hard on improving ourselves.

Finally, instead of blaming solely on the government for the hardship these days, some Malaysians need to reflect on ourselves too… some of us have been too complacent with ourselves for the past decade or two; some of us have been taking too many things for granted; some of us have been living inside caves for failing to realise what’s going around; some of us have been mere fools to think that government has to be responsible to spoon feed them forever.

The dire news is that the Malaysian swimmers won’t be able to use it on usual routines, but have to let the Australian national swimming squad to use it for acclimatisation process instead. [Thestar]

Not blaming the Aussies, they showed vision in renting the facility in 2005, that’s what a proper government related bodies should do… I call it proper planning. It would be nice if they could share the pool with Malaysians, but it’s their call, and it was us who gave them the rights.

Questions are, who were responsible for making the deal at the first place? Did the management of The National Sports Complex and National Sports Institute checked the schedule before agreeing the deal with the Aussies? What’s the excuse of not anticipating that our Olympic squad will be using the facility at the peak of preparation for the Olympic Games.

It’s not like Malaysians are having good chances to win a medal or two; but we have spend millions of ringgits and the swimmers and coaches have probably been working hard for the prime event… the least they should have is a proper training facility at ease, and yet someone flopped it needlessly.

And guess what, no heads will roll at the end of the day. We have heard of government wanting to cut off corruption and misconduct… but we have rarely heard of people taking responsibility (or be held responsibility) for the wrong things that they have done.

Update – the Aussies are willing to share the pool, thanks for that.

A farmer who usually fed the monkeys four bananas in the morning, and three at night, had decided to change the sequence to four in the morning and three at night instead… but the monkeys started complaining. So the farmer decided to switch back to the original routine, and the monkeys are happy again.

There is a proverb following the story, which are used to describe the stupidity of the monkeys (and some people) who are flip-flopping on something but are not making any difference after all.

Ok, I just realised how bad a story teller I am.

Straight to the point… the government will pay the salary of its officers and staff in two installments a month from August (instead of once), but frankly… does it matter if the salary is still the same at the end of the day?

Update July 2 – it’s back to the original banana routines.

When the plan was first announced in March, MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has said that the free water policy is implemented by reducing the cost per unit of usage and the state government (and the taxpayers) need not pay subsidies to Syabas… looks like Pak Lah is not the only one that is good at flip-flopping.

Well, Selangor folks would not need to pay the water bill from their own pocket, but is the water really free? Those money are coming from the state government after all… money that can be spent on improving infrastructures, productivity and quality of living in other ways which in the end will benefit the people in long term.

Is this the right thing for the Selangor government to do? I am not sure. I don’t like the concept of subsidies (of any kind) at the first place… Malaysians have been pampered for way too long with the subsidies, so long that some of us have been taken it for granted and lost the sense of competitiveness.

Update June 19 – the water is not really free, seriously. Consumers will still have to pay a RM6 minimal (service) charge to Syabas.

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.

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.

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.

The government is supposed to announce some measurements along with the price hike today… will have to read the papers later tonight to see what is happening.

On the other hand, 78 cents hike should be a shocker for most Malaysians… it’s by far the biggest margin we have ever had. The extra fuel cost doesn’t concern me much; what worries me is if the government could control the side effect of the fuel hike… as other products and services would be calling for price hike as well.

Update – shoot, electricity rates going up as well, 18% for homes and 26% for business users from July onwards. This increment could cause more damage than the fuel hike actually; we can try to save on fuel… but we don’t have much option with electricity.

The government also announced a new rebate system for vehicles of different classes as well as a reduction on road tax [details at Bernama and Thestar] which actually opens more rooms for debates of unfairness…

Since that I am working from home, I need to drive less often… but hey, I am getting the same rebate for my car like other car owners. Also, I have a motorbike at home that I rarely used, but heck… I am going to get RM150 rebate regardless; how odd is that?

The rebate is probably aimed to curb the foreign vehicles issue, but the government could be overlooking it by creating more confusions and controversies domestically.

[Official media statement from the PMO about the subsidy restructuring]

Update June 11 – The government has announced that the prices of petrol and diesel will not be raised any more in 2008 even if the global oil price reaches US$200 a barrel. [Bernama]

1. Federal Development Department scrapped and replaced by Sabah State Development Office, with its operations placed directly under the state government’s supervision.

2. Formation of a cabinet committee on illegal immigrants to be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to discuss and solve the perennial illegal immigrants’ problem in the state.

3. RM1 billion allocation from the prime minister’s special allocation to be distributed according to development requirements in Sabah.

The media is reporting that Sabahans are getting lots of benefits, but it’s not really the case. Set aside the extra RM1bil allocation, the first two actions are not something of a bonus, it’s something that should be done years ago.

If the BN government didn’t lose their 2/3 majority in March, these issues might be overlooked once again after the election. Still, it’s better late than never.

However, don’t take their promise for granted yet. One of the biggest issues with our BN government is on implementations… they do come out with decent ideas and policies occasionally, but often failed to meet the objectives due to poor executions.

Promising is one thing… delivering the promises is another story.

The Lee Kah Choon controversy has probably been put to rest following the former Gerakan deputy secretary-general’s decision to quit the party.

Lee has earlier accepted the posts of director of Penang Development Corporation and chairman of the executive committee of InvestPenang, which was strongly opposed by BN leadership.

Lim Guan Eng said that he had not anticipated any controversy when he appointed Datuk Lee Kah Choon. [Bernama] Thing is, Lim Guan Eng had to be really stupid to think that the appointment was not going to create any controversy… and frankly, I don’t think he is that naive.

Look, it’s not wrong for Lee Kah Choon to accept the posts; Alan Greenspan was chairman of the US Federal Reserve for 2 decades under different presidency… it’s the best example that governmental and political difference could be bridged for the best interest of the people.

I won’t doubt Lim Guan Eng’s intention to use Lee’s experience to serve the Penangites, but Lim was obviously trying to kill two birds with one stone… by taking the chance to screw BN as well, which he obviously succeeded.

It was a tough call to make for BN, as this issue is almost unheard of in the past… saying that it’s all right for Lee Kah Choon to do so would signal encouragement for their former leaders to serve the Pakatan Rakyat; while saying no (which they did) would make them look bad.

It’s a situation where BN would be on losing end for whatever decisions they made… it’s all about minimising the damage, and I don’t think they made the right decision.

It seems like Lim Guan Eng triumphs again… but playing dumb? Give me a break.

The reformation plans are mostly focusing on improving the effectiveness and transparency of ACA, but there are a few big questions that remain unanswered. The biggest question is probably on how authoritative the ACA could be after the overhaul.

It’s reported that the final say on prosecution still lies on the Attorney General. Now, what would happen if the AG has ordered to stop an investigation prematurely?

The current AG Abdul Gani Patail has done it before, and who are going to stop AG from doing it again? And what freedom is ACA actually having if this situation is allowed to happen in future?

The reformation has to go hand in hand with other authorities, and there are lots of complications that need to be cleared to ensure a really independent ACA that could operate without any interference. Getting the right people to lead the ACA is another debatable issue too.

It’s a long way to go obviously, but it’s better than doing nothing. We’ll see how things are improve as time goes by.

Besides, reforming ACA is one thing… I think we need to overhaul our law and constitution regarding corruption as well. I believe there are many loopholes in our current system that could be exploited without breaking the law. ACA would be helpless in these situations regardless of how independent they are.

For those who are cheering that the Palace has won the tug-of-war between the Umno central leadership… please think twice of the complications involved.

There are flaws when it comes to appointment of a new MB… it’s a regret that the people would have no final saying of who should be the MB.

Thing is, the people have voted for a particular party to take charge of the state government… and shouldn’t we let that ruling party to decide on who is the best candidate since that the people have given them the mandate?

How is it supposed to be a good thing when the Sultan has veto-like power to defy the governing party’s decision in appointing the MB? How is it supposed to be a good thing when the Sultan has the power to intervene the people’s chosen state government’s decision?

Yes, the Sultan probably doesn’t need to listen to Badawi and central government as long as the new MB is approved by majority of the state assemblymen… but if Pak Lah didn’t give the approval, would the majority Umno assemblymen dare (or want) to defy their political leader in this matter?

And what would happen if Pak Lah and the Umno leaders decided not to back off? Terengganu would have a non-functioning state government continuously isn’t so? And before people start laughing at Pak Lah and Umno, do mind that it’s not them who put up the fire from the very beginning… it’s the special someone.

I am not a big fan of royals, I would admit that. I won’t stop others from worshipping the royals though; it’s their rights, and it’s obvious that some Sultans are popular figures among the public… but when it comes to administrative matters, I am not going to give approval for any of the Sultans to intervene.

By all means, I would be glad if the royals are using their influence for other projects to improve the quality of life of the citizens… but when it comes to governing matters, leave it for democracy.

Those whose supply is linked to bulk meters – including flat, apartment and condominium dwellers – will not enjoy the free water just yet. [Thestar]

The state government and the water distribution concessionaire Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) are working on replacing the bulk meters (with individual meters)… but seems like it might take a while because of some complications.

Frankly, I would rather have cleaner water than free water… the water quality in Klang Valley has been pathetic in recent years. Set that aside, the free water should be welcome news for the lower income group.

I know there are arguments that the move might be unwise because it would encourage wastage, and that the rich would benefit from the policy. Thing is, if the poor could benefit from the free waters… it serves no harm for the rich and middle levels to enjoy the benefits as well isn’t it?

Besides, contrary to the subsidised petroleum and goods, the free water policy is implemented by reducing the cost per unit of usage… the state government (and the taxpayers) need not pay subsidies to Syabas. [Thestar] The only possible loser here is Syabas and its shareholders.

As of water wastage… it happens regardless of whether the water is free or not. People are wasting water because it’s cheap; a household of 4 would rarely used more than RM20 of water… those who would misuse the free water are probably wasting it right now, as RM20 doesn’t matter much to these people.

The challenge here is educating people to appreciate our water resources, be it free or not. It’s a matter of morals and social responsibility, which is another long story. At the meantime, appreciate the new policy, Selangor folks.