— Gomen Man
The Malaysian Insider
Sep 29, 2012
SEPT 29 — Is this it? This is not a Budget, what was announced yesterday by Finance Minister Najib Razak was vote-buying through the liberal use of taxpayers’ funds.
Yesterday was making Malaysians more addicted to handouts, the opiate of the masses.
Idris Jala, aka the salesman, can talk all he wants about GST and Malaysia’s readiness to wean itself of subsidies and Najib can go on about cutting the budget deficit but this government did this country a great disservice yesterday: it mortgaged the future for short-term gain.
And it also did the virtually impossible: it cut taxes, gave out more money and said that it would still cut the deficit. Najib should bottle this miraculous potion and sell it to the US.
The finance minister unashamedly said later that Malaysian should vote BN for more of WHAT WE HAVE TODAY! No talk about high-income economy; reducing dependency on foreign workers, etc.
This is WHAT WE HAVE TODAY:
1) A completely corrupt political and civil service elite. The only difference in these two groups is that it appears only the civil servants are being charged in court. Ministers wantonly flaunt their wealth, their wealth accumulation usually the result of kickbacks from privatisation awards to their cronies.
2) A country divided. The mainstream Malay media and Umno have positioned the Chinese as ungrateful. Under the veneer of unity, this is a country fractured and in dire need of rehabilitation and reconciliation.
3) The country’s debt is rising and is at an all-time high. And it is not 53 per cent of the GDP as announced in the Budget but 67 per cent. This includes government guarantees. The red flag should be raised when debt ratio to GDP is 55 per cent. It is now 67 per cent and you can bet that a government which does not know anything apart from spending will make our grandchildren pay dearly.
4) Rent-seeking has always been a feature of privatisation in Malaysia. Now the leaders of this country offer us liars and award contracts to companies which have no track record for billion ringgit deals. The inflated cost will be borne by you and me and our children.
Yesterday’s Budget was very much in keeping with a BN government which has tried to paper over cracks and gaps in this country by money.
It is like a parent who, devoid of any ideas of proper parenting, has decided to buy the affection of his children.
#1 by monsterball on Saturday, 29 September 2012 - 3:06 pm
Can anyone buy love with money?
If so…all women will marry rich man only.
To me…Najib is out to proof Malaysians can be bought with money.
Whose money is Najib giving out from?….umno B own savings or our money?
To me…he is putting on hold…not to steal for personal gains….party and cronies.
After 13th GE…if he succeeds to win….the stealing will continue.
He has hinted to all his crooks to tighten their belts…and we know why too.
Keep stealing non stop…sure to be defeated.
Give back some…find suckers…hopes is there.
#2 by monsterball on Saturday, 29 September 2012 - 3:20 pm
Najib announced 11/2 month bonus for all Govt servants.
WOW!!!.. our country under umno B and Najib’s leadership must be extremely rich …right now.
All I know….electricity bills and car petrol …tolls are killing me.
And the Economists….Accountants..have all exposed …our country is getting poorer and poorer each year.
No comment from Najib…just doing the opposite..taking the role of Father Christmas..
showing off ….keep printing money….until one day..our Ringgit will be worthless….all for his own survival.
#3 by monsterball on Saturday, 29 September 2012 - 3:33 pm
The expected 13th GE to be in November… gone gone gone.
It is now expected to be after Chinese New Year…around March…and Najib can delay no longer than April 2013.
The delay is clear enough signals…Najib has no confidence over his so call huge popularity.
#4 by yhsiew on Saturday, 29 September 2012 - 3:59 pm
///The country’s debt is rising and is at an all-time high. And it is not 53 per cent of the GDP as announced in the Budget but 67 per cent.///
Which foreign investor wants to invest in a country with this kind of government debt?
#5 by rockdaboat on Saturday, 29 September 2012 - 11:16 pm
I for one will not fall for this con job! I will vote the opposition parties, even if they field a chim!!!!!!!!!!!
#6 by sheriff singh on Sunday, 30 September 2012 - 12:10 am
‘….It is like a parent who, devoid of any ideas of proper parenting, has decided to buy the affection of his children….’
Can money, lots of money, buy love ?
Ask Jho Low who spent RM 5 million trying to ‘buy’ Elva Hsiao’s (a Taiwanese singer) love, but alas she rejected him and saw him only as a ‘small little brother’. Poor Jho.
Will Najib succeed in buying the people’s love ? Or will they, some ‘ungrateful people’ as Mahathir termed it, give him the finger, maybe all their fingers ?
#7 by sheriff singh on Sunday, 30 September 2012 - 12:17 am
A friend e-mailed me a short while ago and said ‘the budget is like an open house. People tuen up for the free food (and other freebies) and not to wish the host selamat whatever. It’s the free food dummy, it’s the free food’, he said.
Yes, we Malaysians are always looking for the open houses.
#8 by waterfrontcoolie on Sunday, 30 September 2012 - 2:32 pm
The Gomen is assured that money will buy them the votes as they have had done their homework over the last 35 years of educational policy. We have educated people who would only believe in the local toilet Media with no questions asked no matter how stupid they sound. OMG! we can only hope that we are wrong and that the majority of them would actually take the cash rightly theirs and then cast their votes based on the reality of the candidates they are presented with!