Hypocrisy in governance is a sign of ministers’ lack of interest on rakyat’s suffering

Politics and religion can never blend just like water and oil. The alchemy of greed however, made it possible by our politicians. Instead of a joint effort in devising policies benefiting and alleviating the rakyat’s plight, they have reduced themselves to skirmishes involving ministerial quotas and as such.

Are the people in corridors of power still ignorant? The band aid through BKM to counter the removal of essential good subsidies isn’t sustainable and how about those who do not fall under B40 category who are equally distraught?

There is a need to strike a balance between subsidy rationalisation and cash handouts to ensure that the poor are able to cope with the rise in the inflation rate.

Inflation in a technical definition is an increase in the level of prices of the goods and services that households buy measured by the Consumer Price Index which really is the measure of how expensive are goods getting.

What has our Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz done to really address the issues faced by the economy and rakyat with his knowledge in fiscal policy? He was quoted recently that Budget 2023 will continue to support economic growth and focus on reforms to improve the rakyat’s wellbeing, income and social protection as well as the competitiveness of Malaysian businesses and the move up the value chain but these fancy words and measures don’t seem to be trickling down. It should actually strengthen the government’s fiscal position but what about our government’s yearly balooning debt?

Why is he also ignoring the weakest link i.e. struggling taxpayers who are unable to afford basic sustenance? Perhaps if he had put more effort on the task at hand instead of pursuing political ambition by ‘adopting’ Kuala Selangor and focus on the nation as a whole, we could see the light at the end of this pandemic. Meddling with infrastructure projects such as Digital Nasional Berhad should be less prioritised at this point in time.

The next General Election is approaching and the dearth of political leaders in offering a pragmatic vision is even more frightening.

Pertubuhan Ummah Muafakat Putrajaya (PUMP) president Tun Faisal cited a recent survey carried out by the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) involving 1,259 respondents. In response, PPIM chief activist Nadzim Johan@Toqqi did not agree with the government’s plan to impose blanket bans on the sale and use of products for future generations, even though such proposals are well-intentioned. He believed that such bans could lead to other problems, including increasing the sales of black-market items and other criminal activities. In fact, this would harm the nation’s revenue which could be used for future essential subsidies.

Did Tun Faisal abuse the context and use it as sentiment in his political campaigning under Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) ticket ally? How do we identify ourself as a nation? Must we surrender our ideals and values in the hands of dubious elected representatives? Why are they not campaigning on real reforms against corruptions and bigger battles in eradicating poverty and injustices and providing quality education to the masses?

These are pertinent questions the Rakyat must demand from our political leaders before casting their ballot. It is our democratic right to elect and it is the elected representative’s duty to perform. Never forget your value in this country’s fate.

Ismail Hasnan, Concerned Rakyat

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