It is sometimes hard to understand what our ministers are saying.
If governments are not supposed to take care of the economy and its people, may I know why we have governments in place to begin with?
Second Finance Minister Johari Abdul Ghani said governments are not punching bags, meaning it is wrong to blame governments when the people are faced with problems.
Sometimes I think it is easy for those in government to forget, that worldwide, most governments are the source of their people’s problems.
They are abusers, corrupt, incompetent and they accrue privileges and obscene perks for themselves. So, what is so wrong if bad governments everywhere are used as punching bags?
As a minister, Johari must first differentiate between systemic problems and individual problems.
If a person is a gambler, a drug addict, a spendthrift or is lazy, then surely he/she must bear the responsibility of his/her own action. Blaming others, including the government, would be out of place.
But if citizens work full time, sometimes holding down two or three jobs, but still can’t earn enough to provide a decent living for themselves and their families, may I know who they should blame?
If law abiding citizens are constantly being harassed by snatch thieves, those who break into their homes, and mat rempits, may I know who they should blame?
If taxpayers can’t enjoy basic amenities, have no choice but to live in unhygienic conditions, and are often cheated by conmen and substandard/fake products in the market place, may I know who they should blame?
If privatisation often results in massive payoffs to cronies and concessionaires, may I know who the people should blame?
If government revenues are channelled to luxurious projects and if deserving students can’t get scholarships, may I know who the citizens should blame?
When the cost of living is decoupled from income, I think we cannot ask the people to drink brand-less cocoa, tighten their belts or change their lifestyles.
We need to analyse why inflation and taxes are growing faster than incomes and provide solutions.
Surely we know this is more than the people telling the government prices now are much higher than those during their primary school days.
Telling the people to tighten their belts or change their lifestyles is not managing the economy. That is squeezing the people.
Telling the people prices now are not like those during their primary school days is not being sensitive to the plight of people who can only articulate their problems simplistically.
As a minister, please don’t tell the people the prices of non-controlled items are subjected to “demand and supply” which has nothing to do with the government. This is not whether an item is price-controlled or otherwise; this is inflation management.
If in doubt with what I say, please consult the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank.
Johari also pointed out that those working in banks, public-listed companies (PLCs) and government-linked companies (GLCs) have no complaints about low salaries.
Assuming this is true, is this the end of the story? Surely as a minister, he must try to find out why certain sectors are doing fine while employers in other sectors are underpaying their workers.
TK Chua is an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.