Sunday, October 17, 2010

Budget boosts bloated bureacracy

I only wish to make three comments on Najib’s new RM221 billion budget, which incidentally is the biggest for Malaysia since 31 August 1957.

No 1 and the most troubling – 75% of the humongous allocation goes to operating expenditure, which means we have a bloody bloated bureaucracy. Looks like the Malaysian Civil Service is just another system for dispensing out the monthly dole, signifying our welfare state status for the last thirty years, since Ops Isi Penuh in 1981.

More worrying is there’s only a wee portion left for major infrastructural development, which leads us to comment No 2.

No 2 and I have to ask, why we are into the largest, longest and laughable nonsense again. Why are we wasting precious funds (of only 25% of budget) on more white elephants, like the RM5 billion 100-storey building?

Yet the government has a nerve to tell the public to tighten their belts, warn them of more reduction and eventual removal of subsidies, which incidentally I support but which becomes untenable to justify when we waste money on useless projects.

The PM and his ministers and advisors should snap out of their standard mentality and stop treating the country like their own houses, requiring awe-inspiring decorative pieces or attempting to keep up with the Joneses.

What the public need is a major infusion of public-function infrastructures like mass transit system (to reduce public over-dependence on petrol-thirsty motor vehicles), toll-free highways, safe bridges and walkways for the remote kampungs, safe and modern bicycle paths from urban centres to schools and public facilities (to promote health, reduce road traffic and to save on petrol), a modern system of water reserves including massive underground reservoirs (for a very arid future when water becomes more valuable than gold), schools, health facilities, etc.

No 3 – finally I couldn't but help notice that the lion’s share of the budgeted development goes to the Klang Valley region. The government must be thinking Malaysia is only Selangor and only Selangor is Malaysia, congesting the majority of its budgeted projects in Selangor (including KL).

It’s f* time it allows Selangor (& KL) to consolidate on their (many half-past six type) projects and considers instead greater regional development in, for example, Seremban, Malacca, Ipoh, the Teluk Intan-Sitiawan stretch, Penang Island, the Bukit Mertajam-Sungai Petani-Baling-Gerik region, Alor Setar, KB, Kuala Terengganu , Kuantan, Termeloh etc. I would love to see more settlements (inclusive of industries) in the beautiful green region along the East-West Highway.

Then there’s the equally beautiful KK–Kota Belud stretch, the coastal region from Sandakan-Sempurna-Tawau and all the interior regions in Sabah and the vast distances of Sarawak as well.

Finally, it should begin trimming off the excessive fat on the public service very obese body.

10 comments:

  1. Ridiculous isn't it?75% of budget just to keep an otherwise mostly unemployable civil service going!And they're still thinking of sending the second man into space!

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  2. Dear Najib, stop copying mugabe!

    November 2009
    http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/fees38.17884.html
    Mugabe says 'good salaries' approved for civil servants

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  3. Budget for the cronies
    Bee Anne never changes
    Every year singing the familiar song
    The running dogs will bark in unison

    The people's barking
    They get silenced immediately
    You don't hear it in newspapers
    Only the flowery bloom printed

    GST postponed afraid to implement
    Bee Anne tries to tell the people
    We listen to your pleas
    Then the service tax raises to 6%

    The road to development status
    It isn't with funding the pdrm of $350 million
    What are the police trying to upgrade?
    Increasing police force crimes still hiking

    The toll rates stay constant
    What will the Bee Anne pay?
    The toll operators still laughing to the banks
    At the taxpayers expense

    And the mega projects
    One with 100 storey high
    Transforming the country?
    Its' the people silly!

    The candy bars
    The low income earners can't
    Housing for first timers
    Only 50% discount on stamp duty

    We can't have pied pipers
    Blowing horns dulling our senses
    Our debts are rising..........
    Our oil reserves are disappearing

    The people wait
    The call of GE13
    This is the battle in the boxes
    The Waterloo of our time

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  4. civil service is their vote bank.

    and the great 1Malaysia stands before the retired service association and speka like Ibrahim. Gee, get well Ibrahim fast else your vacuum will be filled quickly by the 1Malaysia General.

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  5. I like this comment best from a reader in Malaysian Insider: "I am very happy with this budget. At least our poor can now wear genuine Armani or CK underwear without havig to buy the celup ones at Petaling Street". :) lol

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  6. PM tries to follow Dr.M footstep by creating another icon during his reign.

    If it is a 100 storey "Warisan Rakyat" which is a 100 storey apartments for the Rakyat, I will fully support it. But, since it is going to be for commercial only, why not build 200 storey ? The reason being if you build 100 storey now, the next PM will build 120 storey to surpass you and the following PM will build 150 storey to surpass his predecessor and never ending. So you build 200 storey now, it can last you for a few tens of decades.

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  7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pinnacle@Duxton

    Ok Ok OK, I never agree with this idea.....Lajib can copy this.....Oooi, make sure it's in RM not S$

    P.S : Now I understand why opposition there stood against Mah Bow Tan

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  8. Ktemoc,
    You should write another story based on this lead

    http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/dr-m-promotes-china-model-as-alternative-to-democracy/

    Last time, look East but now Japan got a new government from new party. So, he look to China. Why can't he look Down South? Felt hurt because kenna kow kow by the Grand Old Lady

    Ktemoc,
    If Mahathir's wife were Madam Kwa, ahem.....we won't be paying through our noses on Plus expressway charges. Probable, we would be given Malaysian National Share. Hahaha
    Singtel share given to Singaporeans is suck but hmm....that's negara berkebajikan. Before you start condemn the family of nepotism, LHL's younger brother is a remarkable person.....Netter than Nazir Razak....Hehehe

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