A Kadir Jasin.............................. A Malay lawyer with officers in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta approached me on Sunday at my favourite kopitiam in Damansara Utama. He said it was not the taxation that concerns him but the manner in which government spends public money is worrying him. He did not think Mohd Najib argued the case on expenditure strongly and convincingly. He sees the government as extravagant and wasteful – giving token handouts to the millions and spending hundreds of millions funding the renovating official residents, officers and foreign trips of a handful of ministers and their shopaholic spouses. Incidentally, soon after presenting his so-called “bite the bullet” Finance Minister, who is also the Prime Minister, took off to London to attend the World Islamic Economic Forum. Biting A Dud Bullet Several former MPs, including those who had served as Ministers, saw the budget as a letdown, in particular over the claim that the Government is biting the bullet. “What biting the bullet, the Prime Minister is still trotting the globe and billions of ringgit are still being handed out?” asked one former Minister who had his salary cut by (Tun) Daim Zainuddin, during the economic crisis of the mid-1980’s. Another old-timer remembers how ministers were barred from travelling abroad unless absolutely necessary and to bring only one or two officers. Today they travel in droves. Also, those days, except on rare occasions, a Prime Minister did not double up as Finance Minister. People who were well versed in money matters were appointed Finance Minister. Today, it appears that whoever is the Prime Minister (good, bad or indifferent) is also the Finance Minister – a very dangerous and dicey situation for the country’s economy and finances. Wallahualam.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 09:08:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015