For many of us Workers’ Day is just another public holiday. But for workers at the raw end of development, it is a day to reflect on their rights as workers and their collective strength.
Even as I write, workers are gathering in Dataran Merdeka to commemorate the occasion.
What do they want? This year their principal demand is No Goods and Services Tax. They point out that Najib’s New Economic Model recognises that the gap between the rich and the poor is wide, and the country needs to move away from a low-income model. If that’s the case, why are there plans to introduce a regressive tax like the GST which will burden the poor the most, they ask.
The full list of demands in the May Day declaration endorsed by dozens of Malaysian civil society groups:
1. RAKYAT MALAYSIA BANTAH CUKAI GST. CUKAI GST MEMISKINKAN RAKYAT!
Di samping itu, tuntutan-tuntutan lain kaum pekerja ialah:
2. Kekalkan Cukai Korporat di tahap 27 peratus. Pengurangan cukai ini akan menyebabkan pengalihan beban cukai kepada rakyat biasa melalui Cukai GST
3. Gubal Akta Gaji Minima untuk semua pekerja dan mansuhkan polisi gaji murah
4. Wujudkan Tabung Pembuangan Kerja Dengan Segera – Bantuan terus kepada pekerja yang kehilangan kerja. Kerajaan harus memperuntukkan RM0.5 billion untuk mulakan tabung ini dan gunakannya untuk membantu mereka yang dibuang sehingga dapat kerja.
5. Cuti Bersalin 90 hari untuk pekerja wanita.
6. Menandatangani Konvensyen ILO berkenaan Pekerja Rumah dan juga instrumen antarabangsa yang berkaitan dengan perlindungan dan kebajikan pekerja.
7. Pengisthiharan Kesatuan Sekerja secara automatik dan pemansuhan undang-undang yang mendiskriminasi pekerja dan sebarang undang-undang baru bermotif memudahkan pembuangan pekerja oleh majikan.
8. Pastikan tempat kerja bebas daripada diskriminasi terhadap pekerja wanita. Gubal undang-undang Anti Gangguan Seksual.
9. Hak saksama kepada pekerja migran dan pelarian dan perlindungan dari dianiyai oleh pihak Majikan, PDRM, RELA dan Imigresen.
10. Kementerian Kewangan harus mengadakan perbincangan dengan bank-bank untuk menangguhkan dan mengurangkan bayaran bulanan pinjaman perumahan warga pekerja berpendapatan rendah .
11. Sediakan atau Laksanakan Skim Perumahan Rakyat pada harga yang mampu dibeli/dimiliki, lokasi strategik dan selesa untuk golongan yang berpendapatan rendah.
12. Hentikan penswastaan perkhidmatan asas seperti air dan hospital dan hentikan Skim Pembayaran Penuh Pesakit (Full-Paying Patients) di hospital kerajaan dengan segera.
13. Laksanakan Polisi ekonomi yang tidak mengira kaum dan jantina tetapi berlandaskan keperluan. Menuntut suatu model pembangunan yang saksama, yang memberi kepentingan kepada rakyat setempat di mana segala rancangan pembangunan mestilah dibincang dan dipersetujui oleh semua.
14. Iktiraf Hak Tanah Adat Orang Asal di Malaysia dan berikan hak milik kekal serta kukuhkan status tanah Rizab Orang Asli di Malaysia. Rancangan pembangunan tanah Orang Asli hendaklah berasaskan kehendak, keperluan dan aspirasi Orang Asli.
15. Mansuhkan segala undang-undang yang menindas dan mendiskriminasi para pekerja, antaranya ISA, OSA, EO, DDA, Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti (AUKU), Akta Pertubuhan, Akta Penerbitan dan Mesin Cetak.
16. Menuntut suatu sistem kerajaan yang benar-benar telus, bersih, kredible dan bebas dari segala bentuk rasuah, kronisme dan penyelewengan.
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Its not about GST so much as its about not giving the governtment new sources of funds. Those who don’t know that under Mahathir, the Total Factor Productivity of this country was essentially zero. Its not that they did not do anything productive but they wasted all of it. The productivity came from FDI and privatisation which were very considerable given the rise in income that was achieved. But they essentially wasted it all. Now there is no FDI and no privatisation. Where is our growth coming from? Essentially from oil revenue and losser monetary policy. There have also been… Read more »
Kat Penang siling.
Kat Terengganu satu stadium lagi.
Penang state assembly ceiling collapses (http://themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/61834-penang-state-assembly-ceiling-collapses)
Save save save !!! No maintenance !!! Then splash RM100 everywhere !!!
Got money to do maintenance/repair works or not ???
p/s: I expect many by-elections when looking at the title. OK this time the rocket is lucky.
Are you sure the collapse is due to no maintenance or shoddy workmanship?
Get the fact first before you (write).
I think GST is a great idea. Pay-As-You-Earn is broken because not everyone receives a fixed pay-packet for 40 hours per week in the office. My strong suspicion is that Malaysian workers’ righteous outrage at GST is mistaken. The source of the outrage is establishment figures – who don’t have a traditional pay-packet and who could easily judged by most workers to not really ‘work’. It is my view that they are deliberately misleading workers (using their greater ability to manipulate the media) as to the effects of GST. Pay-As-You-Pay is not unreasonable – everybody pays for things, that’s what… Read more »
Who are those taking to the streets to fight for the rights of Malaysians? Majority of them are not of the Malaysian Chinese or Malay race, is it not? Therefore it is incorrect for anyone to get so worked up with Indian Malaysians bashing/Chinese Malaysians bashing, for purportedly voting BN by Indians Malaysians, and for supporting PR and dumping BN by the Chinese in the Hulu Selangor by election. We are one united Malaysians, and we gotta be proud of that. Those fighting for the rights of Malaysians are not fighting for their own rights or their rights of the… Read more »
“Who are those taking to the streets to fight for the rights of Malaysians?”
Aiya, save it la !
When the Makkal Sakti people were on the street, they were fighting for the right of the Malays and Chinese too?
Please don’t make me laugh !!!
Oh! Ya, go on laughing and enjoy your Ikan Bakar.
As a supporter, I will not villify a race at will without having the statistics.
You are just another racist! You and Ibrahim Ali work wonders…
Cheers bro!
Ah … can’t take the heat and still wanna kacau kacau, O ?
Face the truth, if you dare.
Who are the Makkal Sakti people? Melayu? Cina?
What are the Makkal Sakti people demonstrating for? For orang Melayu? For orang Cina?
Or for themselves?
But then, you are just like them Makkal Sakti people … can’t take the heat and still wanna kacau kacau … and when the ugly truth hits, what you do ?
Calling other people “Racist” !
Wow !
I must be happy now. Being called a “Racist” by another racist. 🙂
point #15.
“Mansuhkan segala undang-undang yang menindas dan mendiskriminasi para pekerja, antaranya ISA, OSA, EO, DDA, Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti (AUKU), Akta Pertubuhan, Akta Penerbitan dan Mesin Cetak.”
————————
It looks like a pro PR supporters’ wishes rather than ordinary workers’ wishes. Laws that discriminate workers = AUKU, Printing and Press Acts, EO ???
Next time DO ask Karpal first before issuing such nonsensical declaration.
Aiyah, such good universal values are not owned by PR.
5. Cuti Bersalin 90 hari untuk pekerja wanita.
==
Less employers are willing to hire married women.
7. Pengisthiharan Kesatuan Sekerja secara automatik dan pemansuhan undang-undang yang mendiskriminasi pekerja dan sebarang undang-undang baru bermotif memudahkan pembuangan pekerja oleh majikan.
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I have reservation on forming worker unions without certain legal limitations. Irresponsible worker union may discourage foreign investment and destroy the healthy growth of our economy.
Have bad experience in dealing with worker union (official and unofficial one) in Indonesia. Illegal wildcat strike is too common over there and they have more power than management on how to run a profitable company.
11. Sediakan atau Laksanakan Skim Perumahan Rakyat pada harga yang mampu dibeli/dimiliki, lokasi strategik dan selesa untuk golongan yang berpendapatan rendah.
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The cost of “rumah rakyat” is kept escalating is due to rent-seeking practised by BN.
Open tender will reduce the high cost burdened by our poor rakyats.
16. Menuntut suatu sistem kerajaan yang benar-benar telus, bersih, kredible dan bebas dari segala bentuk rasuah, kronisme dan penyelewengan.
==
Then you better vote for PR. BN is un-reformable …
13. Laksanakan Polisi ekonomi yang tidak mengira kaum dan jantina tetapi berlandaskan keperluan. Menuntut suatu model pembangunan yang saksama, yang memberi kepentingan kepada rakyat setempat di mana segala rancangan pembangunan mestilah dibincang dan dipersetujui oleh semua.
==
This is the first goal in the 1970’s NEP. But UMNO hijacked NEP and turned it into a racist policy.
3. Gubal Akta Gaji Minima untuk semua pekerja dan mansuhkan polisi gaji murah
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The minumum salary scheme may not work as intended IF foreign worker salary is at 50% or lesser of local worker.
Impose hefty tax from 100-200% on employer who hired foreign workers.
2. Kekalkan Cukai Korporat di tahap 27 peratus. Pengurangan cukai ini akan menyebabkan pengalihan beban cukai kepada rakyat biasa melalui Cukai GST
===
In Hong Kong with about 13% corporate tax rate is more tax income pays to the government. Why? Lesser tax evading attempts from the companies.
1. RAKYAT MALAYSIA BANTAH CUKAI GST. CUKAI GST MEMISKINKAN RAKYAT!
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This is wrong perception.
Only 10% working people open file with Income Tax Authorities in Bolehland.
GST or VAT can ensure those tax evading people pay taxes indirectly. The pre-condition is personal income tax rate must be cut accordingly as in Singapore.
I know a kampong folk earns 20-30K per month from the agriculture. He always under report his actual income. In reality, many kampung folks earn more than 2K, but they have never opened file with Income Tax Department.
Actually gst is not too bad provided if certain pre-conditions are met and also if income tax is also reduced proportionately. As an Economist I can say GST is quite a flexible taxation system provided the abuses are checked. The main abuse of GST is double taxation. The second abuse and a point of irritation is getting retailers to collect gst for the government. For example, taxes on petrol are already in place and sneakily the Government puts a gst on petrol without rescinding on the other petrol taxes. Another factor is the Government should abstain from charging gst on… Read more »
Anil, Lemme, a non-proletariat, attempt a stab on GST, on this day reserved for the Proletariat. Image what if … our country is run by a responsible government for the past 53 years? This country would have its ups and downs in the 53 years since independence, just like everything else. But this country would be wealthy. For we have ample natural resource like timber, crude oil, tin, rubber, palm oil. We also have a lot of very able, very creative, and very hard working people. We have fertile soil. And most importantly, this country doesn’t suffer from devastating Monsoon… Read more »