Change my lifestyle? Who me? - Urban poor in a kampong in Penang Island
Here they go again, telling you to change your life-style:
Malaysians Should Change Lifestyle To Manage High Oil Prices
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 (Bernama) — It is important for Malaysians to change their lifestyle to help bring down the consumption of non-renewable energy while measures are being implemented to alleviate the hardship arising from cost-push inflation, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said.
I am not sure what the pakciks and makciks in the kampongs, long-houses, estates, orang asli settlements, low-cost flats and urban pioneer settlements will make of this. And let’s not forget the migrant workers crammed 20-to-a-house. They are certainly not the ones cruising the roads in their Mercs or BMWs and spending RM10 on a cup of latte.
Here’s a response from Justin Choo:
Anil
Makciks and Pakciks, kampongs and long houses, may be far away in the rural areas. You have not mentioned the retired people like me. No more active income. Some still got to feed grandchildren. I live a very, very simple lifestyle. No smoking, no drinking, no gambling, no womanising (too old lah, and also not rich!), always stay at home, eat small breakfast, and two simple meals a day, drive an old red “taxi” Proton Saga, and wear shorts and T-shirt, and slippers. What lifestyle to change? The only change is upgrade! Eat the most sumptious cuisine in fine-dining style? Savour fine wines and caviar, birdnest soup, abalone with scallops, baked lobsters drenched in the finest red wine. Fly to New York, Paris and London for shopping, etc…. How nice.
Let’s see the Ministers leading by example and dumping their petrol-guzzling cars, with all the escorts and outriders, and taking public transport everyday.
Some quick points from the Budget:
The Budget deficit has crept up to a worrying 4.8 per cent of GDP this year (2008) despite record high oil prices.
Now we are bracing for a global economic slowdown, triggered by what some economists are predicting could be the worst US recession since the Great Depression. Can we really achieve the forecasted budget deficit of 3.6 per cent next year? Isn’t that forecast a bit too optimistic?
We seen to be spending a lot on infrastructure (the hardware), but what about improving the skills and capabilities of workers (the software, so to speak)?
What exactly has been done to promote sustainable jobs?
How are we going to protect workers from possible retrenchment? Will there be a retrenchment fund to assist such workers?
What is our policy on reducing reliance on migrant workers? Shouldn’t we have a minimum wage?
The unofficial inflation rate is probably closer to 10 per cent. It is good that the government has increased the minimum pension, but this is not going to substantially improve the quality of life.
More concrete policies are needed to deal with the following key areas:
- housing – perhaps greater subsidies for rentals of low-cost housing.
- public transport – greater investments and subsidies not just for the cities but all major towns across the country.
- health care – again, a worrying emphasis on health tourism at a time when there are not enough specialists in government service.
- food – more subsidies needed for essential food items to make them affordable.
- environment – what are we doing to slow down global warming and protect the environment?
When I saw the allocation of RM475 million for agricultural inputs, fertilisers and pesticides to assist padi farmers, the first thought that came to mind was that it would benefit corporate agriculture, especially the agri-chemical suppliers and the agrobusiness firms.
Are there any allocations to promote sustainable (organic agriculture) and research into renewable energy such as solar energy?
While it is good that the eligibility income threshold for social welfare aid has been raised, many people are still receiving insufficient assistance. One MP told me there is not enough assistance for single mothers. He said there are many such cases in his constituency such as the one he encountered of a single mother with four children who had run out of money and simply couldn’t afford to feed them all. How does this Budget help people like them?
Shouldn’t we be revamping our social security system to make sure no one is left hungry or homeless or without a balanced diet?
They talk the same thing every year, always look after those people within.
Talk is already cheap, now they talk ‘cheap talk’!
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
hahahahahaha soon they will become cheap people talking cheap talk this country is govern by a bunch of morons…. can’t the royalty do something about this???
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Changing your life style from eating grass to swallowing polluted air ?
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
The wives of minister should change their lifestyle like Perak MB’s wife, read below. To make it faster just kick those BN ministers out of Purtajaya.
http://datinserifatimah.blogspot.com/2008/08/makan-tengahari-bersama-pekerja.html
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
What can Pakatan Rakyat do to further oppose those budget plan? I think this can be fight in Parliament!
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
When AAB say that people should change their lifestyle, i guess he must be zzzzz… as he didnt realized that he is the one who (squandered) the nation’s wealth together with UMNO morons …
Maha… is packing his bags overseas…and what are you waiting for AAB and Najib?
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
hello fahmi
datin has nothing to do with the BN lar…i think what she did was noble …since when you see tajol rosli wife prepare, share and cook meals for their worker???? got r?
some may claim its for publicity but i think the whole idea for them is not publicity because people need to know – WHY VOTING FOR PR is the right thing. without them sharing, you wont know
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Interesting perspectives.
Carmelo Lisciotto
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Yeah, went to datin’s blog. Looks like they don’t accept other races there as well, even as workers. Ah well, its all the same.
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Hi malaysian niah,
what fahmi meant was Perak MB’s wife is a good example of changing lifestyle and not like the extravagant wifes of other BN MPs. Datin cook at home to save cost instead of going to posh restaurant and a kind angel appreciating the contribution of the workers concerned.
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I do not understand these peabrained leaders.
we are talking about bread and butter and they are talkinga bout changing our lifestlye.
they brought the price of petrol down by 15sen.big deal.nothing has gone downyet…we see prices going up up up..
The domestic trade ministry is another walking mayat department..
where is the implemention and the enforcement???
Don’t they realize that somewhere out there there is a makcik with 5 kids trying to survive and a single mother with 2 kids trying to pull through for the month..why can’t these ….. go for a leap and see for thtmselves instead of driving around in their 4 wheeldrives and mercs???
Gee! when will this country have leaders with conscience???
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Dear Anil,
“Change the life style.” This is bulls***!!!
I happened to come across a single mother with a pension of less than RM700 and having to look after 6 children with two of them still in college and the rest still schooling. Just imagine to ask them to change their life style from having just hardly one meal a day with salted fish almost everyday. I almost shed my tears listening to the grivences faced by a wife of a soldier who was killed in an operations fighting for the peace of the nation.
Please open your eyes dear Politician and lend me your ears. All those are Very Very Cheap Talk. They (present government)only want the soldiers blood and tears but never look after their family welfare when they perished in the caused to safe guard the nation.
Dear Pak Lah and Najib, please take a short break and find out more on the suffering faced by the single mother of ex soldiers. As for Apai, I am lucky to stay in the long house with abundance of jungle produce provided the Sarawak jungle is still virgin. Apai need not change the life style cause all the while Apai been eating “Paku and Midin”.
Apai
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Looking at the ‘friendly budget’ from the surface,it seems to be impressive but, if one study deeper into it, big companies benefited the most from it. Civil servants are laughing to the bank…another angpow! when they not too long, have their pay increased. For the fortunate, even free electricity for bill not more than $20.00 is not given with a open heart.
It is not a question, if we need adjust to our life style, it is a must.
Ordinary folks can only dream, the day they can send their wives to London or New York to do shopping!
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
its so sad to say thsi. we have one way to go under this fella: DOWN.
he proposes record budget and with oil prices a record for the beneift of the country, we are running a significant deficit.
if i am the finance manager for the country, I WILL SACK HIM.
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Thanks, Anil, for the analysis of the Budget from a Chartered Accountant’s point of view.
The questions you posed will raise much needed awareness among the ignorant, myself included.
Keep up the good work. Cheers.
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
the problem is the BN government is aiming for the stars and the moon, when the basic infrastructure is not even there. When you can’t even follow the auditor general’s recommendations or act on all the incompetance from the govt sector, an e.g all thAT outcry that we are computerising our govt offices, how many times have you gone to a govt office and hear this familliar term “computer down”, instead of reinventing the wheel or for that matter spending money on grandiose schemes like the angsakawan (lame duck astro-tourist) , fighter jets, submarines, longest roti chanai , ketupat, 100,000 merdeka signatures (jaguh kampung mentality) to show how patriotic these morons are, we should go back to the basics, instead of inventing or spending money on a supersonic flight when the bloody clogged longkangs can’t even get unclogged, floods. I SAY GO BACK TO BASICS, NO USE TO BUY SUPER COMPUTER IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE STAFF knowledgable to run / use it. UMNO AND BN have a fascination on hardwarewhen the fundamental software is not there oris there but don’t want to utilise it (non-bumis). this is a unmitigated disaster, I may not be an economics, but at least I CAN RUN MY FAMILY’S BUDGET, ask any housewife to run our finances and the ministry and they would do a better job. first of all they will get rid of all the lame ducks sitting in a-cond offices and unproductive meetings with huge amount of paperwork, all gaya no action. the local housewife will sell all the a-conds as it is a waste of tax-payers money and cut back on the electricity bill, get rid of all the unnecessary expenses, this govt needs to be changed.
there is a worldwide outcry
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
cthe world wide outcry is regarding companies selling pesticides, go google monsanto pcb scandal, india fertiliser crises of the PUNJAB, the fertilisers are killing the soil, GM products. there is a worldwide grain patenting scheme going on wherby these fertiliser companies are claiming the rights to all the food seeds worldwide, this is not widely acknowledged in malaysia, it happening but nobody is talking about it.
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Let’s change the lifestyle of UMNO first by reducing their salary to less then 50% kekekeke, after all I understand that … SIL salary is bout RM120K per month!!! reduce his salary to RM60K per month will not hurt him much rite???
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
There are many people still buying cars that cost a few million dollars each. These people are also buying houses costing from RM5 million up to even RM20 million. They buy watches like Breguet and Frank Muller costing RM100,000 or more each. Some go up to RM800,000 each and yet, there are buyers in Malaysia.
And they are not foreigners. They are Malaysians.
They buy Giorgio Armani suits, Gucci handbags. Theur cloths are all couture ie each piece runs in the thousands. Like a shirt costing a few thousand ringgit.
Strangely, these people are not the business community people who are usually rich ie like the ceos, managing directors or businessman. Neither have they inherited wealth from the parents.
They are not even the aristocrats who have had money for generations.
Neither have they stuck the Sports Toto 6/52 Mega Jackpot.
It is a new group of people. Where are they getting the money? The money seems to be flowing to them unlimitedly.
Big question is….where is the money coming from?
They also must change their lifestyle.
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Anonymous said…
The BN Government is afraid more cans of worms will be spilled by RPK so they banned his blogsite and because of this Present Moronic Government is corrupted and dirty therefore on the pretext of helping the Rakyats, they could (squander) more money from the Budget Deficit 2009 and from which with most of the deficit Money coming from Petronas. Beware that the Money allocated is for their own … Cronies’ pockets expenditure and not for helping the Rakyats. Look for example at the Crystal Mosque’s and Mariner Club’s Fiasco in Terengganu’s Billions in Wang Ehsan, Billions had been lost as white elephants. Also Johore’s Scenic Bridge, Penang’s Second Bridge & LRT Projects are canceled at their whims and fancies at the last minutes and this very scenarios could happen again despite being the promised Projects in the Budget 2009 as anything could happen last minutes with the Flip Flop, Incompetent and Sleeping PeeM in Power.
The same could happen to all the empty promises of aid and help to the Rakyats these could all be lip service only unless it is monitored by reputable NGOs. On the irreversible Food Prices inflation, the unnecessary Moronic previous price hike on Petrol & Diesel had caused great permanent damage to the Food Price Structure and even if the price cut to Petrol and Diesel revert to their original prices prior to their hike, it will not revert the Food prices back to their original state and only the PeeM is to be solely blamed for his unwarranted Fuel Price Hike. His 2009 budget did not help the Rakyats’ quelled their immediate hardship suffered nor did that help them solve their Transport Problems immediately with multiple schemes but none available immediately with all the empty rhoterics but nothing concrete that could solve their immediate problems after years of neglect from this incompetent sleeping PeeM. Come Sept 16, 2008 send him home to sleep forever he is no longer needed.
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
The sleepy head has been singing the same old song since 2004. As I see it, the budget will help his cronies more than the actually deserving. As you have pointed out, the needs of the poor kampong folks,the estate workers, the rumah murah dwellers and such have not been addressed….
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
malaysian niah..
as a perakian, sad to say i haven’t seen tajol’s wife until today. don’t know why lah. maybe she’s to shy or too busy shopping overseas
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
What lifesyle lah? Few weeks ago, i saw one guy bought ‘sotong basah’ for RM3 at Kamunting wet market. I’m sure there are many others like this guy. Pity to them and their families….
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Anil,
Makciks and Pakciks, kampongs and long houses, may be far away in the rural areas. You have not mentioned the retired people like me. No more active income. Some still got to feed grandchildren. I live a very very simple lifestyle. No smoking, no drinking, no gambling, no womanizing (too old lah, and also not rich!), always stay at home, eat small breakfast, and two simple meals a day, drive an old red “taxi” Proton Saga, and wear shorts and t-shirt, and slippers. What lifestyle to change? The only change is upgrade! Eat the most sumptious cuisine in fine-dining style? Savour fine wines and caviar, birdnest soup, abalone with scallops, baked lobsters drenched in the finest red wine. Fly to New York, Paris and London for shopping. ETC ETC…. How nice.
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
What life style do they still want us to change????? We are already struggling to meet our daily basic need. They can do much more to help us like reducing foods and abolishing all toll in the city as it really cost alot to any ordinary family.
Complain about this comment
Like or Dislike:
0 
0