TARGETED SUBSIDIES? Careful lest you become the target of our ire!

Selamat Pagi Malaysia. Targeted subsidies! That seems to be the buzzword this week.

The word 'TARGET' brings to mind the image of a hunter, with a high-powered rifle with scopes, aiming his rifle at a deer, quietly grazing. in the distance, totally unaware that it has, but only, a few more moments to live before the hunter pulls the trigger of that high-powered rifle to kill it....not for food, but for sport. I am told that a well-placed brain shot from almost any rifle will kill anything. So who is being targeted for the kill by this Madani goverment?

And tell me Rafizi, what are these targeted subsidies supposed to do? Have you studied their impact on the people? When did you do the studies? In the last two or three months or longer? And where are these studies? Do share them with us, please.

May I suggest this....first, before you think about targeting any subsidies, address that 'discount' and subsidy mentality already embedded in the minds of Malaysians. After all, it is the government that has embedded them into the psyche of Malaysians! For example...

• The discount the government keeps giving for late fines defeats the purpose of fines.

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• The amnesty discount the government keeps giving to illegal pendatangs encourages them to datang here illegally.

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• The legal DNAA discounts given to politicians encourage them to do more illegal things, kan?

This discount and subsidy DNA has been embedded in Malaysians by the government. Ween them off discounts and subsidies first before you withdraw them, lest their withdrawal symptoms result in them withdrawing their votes from the Madani government at the next general election. Voters tak mudah lupa!

Target recovering money from corrupt politicians. There are billions waiting to be recovered. Target that tenders and negotiated tenders are open to public scrutiny. Target good governance. Target that the civil rights of Malaysians are ensured. Target things that really matters to us....the high cost of living, education, civil liberties, and our right to discuss and talk about the things that really matter to us without having to worry about being the target of the authorities because they think we are a threat to national security!

Address all these issues first before you target subsidies. If you do not, then you will be the target of our ire. Enough said.

comment:

Syed Putra

Under najib way back in 2010 during US financial crisis, , we had the opportunity to abolish fuel subsidy when it was about USD20 per bbl. Back then, we were paying higher locally then market rates. And gomen was earning money for every litre sold. Then under muhyiddin when we paid cheap fuel due to pandemic. Gomen should quickly announce removal of subsidies for fuel. Both times gomen just not thinking and working fast enough. Its a national tragedy but our problem is it takes too long to make a decision. Thats because competency in leadership is lacking. The removal of subsidies in 2007 in thailand was made when fuel was about usd100/ bbl overnight but was announced in advanced. But other stuff were pretty cheap thanks to china so Thai public did not really complain. And because currently their fuel are expensive, they are more receptive to EV's. Badawi in 2007 on the other hand was awashed with petronas money and announced hefty pay and pension rise for gomen workers and those in glc's instead without increase in effciency. This contributed to our ballooning gomen operating cost. We cannot continue spending RM80 bil in mostly fuel subsidies. That money better use on helping to alleviate poverty, giving orang asli, iban, dayak communities financial support. Currntly most sholarships end up with children of civil servants anyway.