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By Reme Ahmad, The Straits Times MEASURES taken by the Malaysian government to save RM2 billion a year are seen as a good start, but are not enough, say consumers, workers, politicians and bloggers.
'More needs to be done by the government in order to get back the people's confidence,' Umno leader Datuk Sazmi Miah said. On Monday, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi announced cuts in the allowances of Cabinet ministers, a freeze on civil service recruitment and a scaling down of official events. He also postponed major projects and purchases. The belt-tightening followed last week's price increases of 41 per cent for petrol and 63 per cent for diesel. Electricity tariffs will also go up by as much as 26 per cent for some consumers from next month. Despite all that, Datuk Sazmi was reported by AFP as saying: 'Basically, all government servants (including ministers) should take a 10 per cent pay cut to help the people. Even the private sector can take a cut, put it in a basket and give it back to the people.' Consumers Association of Penang president S.M. Mohamed Idris said the money saved by the government should be used to help lower income groups. The government has said it would save RM13.7 billion in fuel subsidies by raising fuel prices. But the increases are sure to stoke inflation, with the central bank saying it will hit a 10-year high of 4.2 per cent this year. Many Malaysians were shocked by the news that Datuk Seri Abdullah cut back entertainment allowances for ministers by 10 per cent and limited their overseas holidays to Asia - and for no more than a week - because they were unaware that ministers even had such lavish benefits. Few knew that ministers and deputy ministers receive RM12,320 and RM6,000 a month, respectively, in entertainment allowances. The Prime Minister himself gets a monthly entertainment allowance of RM18,865, while his deputy receives RM15,015. Even fewer Malaysians knew that they, as taxpayers, paid for ministers to vacation annually anywhere in the world. An influential blogger, aisehman.org, wrote: 'Since the allowance is given to the individual, does this mean that entertaining people on a personal basis is part of official ministerial duties? Why should it be so?' Training consultant Veronica Akiew said in online newspaper Malaysiakini: 'Are these expenditures necessary? Like entertainment and all? 'Do government agencies need to hold lavish events in hotels at public expense?' The opposition has lost no time capitalising on the news. Parti Islam SeMalaysia plans a mass protest in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. All three main opposition parties also plan to draw 100,000 protesters to downtown Kuala Lumpur on July 12.
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Also, why should we Rakyat pay them should they don't work for the people???
Typical useless cabinet members we have over the years, quality is the worst ever.