Bankrupt in Nine Years

I read with much concern Minister Idris Jala’s prediction that Malaysia will be bankrupt in nine years time. And soon, citizens may have to face a serious reduction in subsidies by the government.

At the rate that our nation is going, many are not surprised that we’ll stumble and fall way before our predicted expiry of nine years and collapse in five years instead. Why the skepticism?

Is it because of the infamous Malaysian ‘tidak apa’ attitude? Is it because of our poor financial management? Or is it wastage of funds by building white elephants? Is it misuse by those in power? Or is it the lack of transparency?

We taxpayers demand for an honest answer followed by substantial proof that the government is truly doing all that it can before choosing the last option of reducing subsidies for the public.

How can the government run out of money? How is it that the rich get richer here while the average class and the poor suffer in silence? Once fuel subsidy is reduced, there will be a significant rise in the prices of essential products. How are the average class and the poor going to cope with this drastic increase when they are barely meeting minimum necessities as it is now?

Not to mention, we still have to pay toll and new taxes – what with news of wanting to implement GST. The cost of living keeps increasing in Malaysia as well as everything else – except our pay. Citizens can’t even cut fuel expenses by opting to use public transportation. It is shameful to admit that after so many years, our public transportation standards are mediocre, at best!

One may argue that Malaysians pay less than some of our neighbouring countries for fuel. But we are exporters of oil while other countries like Singapore and Thailand are fuel importers! We should compare our figures fairly with countries like Brunei, a fuel exporter country, to see if we can have their stats at all!

Some observers are even comparing the state of our economy to Greece!

I believe that without the political tsunami in 2008, we citizens would still be in the dark as to our country’s deficits.

We citizens need to change with times and be brave enough to voice out what we need to say. In a democratic nation, public opinions should reach the government through and through. And the government should be leading a reformation of the nation that will benefit the people they serve. Sadly, the Malaysian lackadaisical attitude is what’s to blame for making us immune to bad governance after so many years.

Our government needs a clear foresight on what to do to bring about a holistic change for the betterment of our beloved nation. Irrationality and injustice affects not just the county’s image and progress but also hinders nationalism. Innovate yet remain relevant to your cause.

Be it a state led by BN or PR: PLEASE. Let us regain our trust in your governance that we may pull through our endeavours TOGETHER as a nation.