Absurdity at its best

Can we get serious about tackling the real problems faced by the rakyat?

You know it’s the time of the year again where a big political gathering is taking place (aside from the general elections) when there is an intensified slew of ‘announcements’ and racist remarks, made by a certain party as part of its efforts to ‘protect’ the rights of a group of people living under constant ‘threat’ – a threat perpetrated by the rest of the people in the country, apparently.

Yes, I am wording my sentences very ambiguously because our Prime Minister had just made a u-turn on a promise he made in 2012 to repeal the Sedition Act.

If a journalist can be hauled up under the act just for doing her job, what more if it’s an opinion article, right?

Nonetheless, in this small space that I have in this column today, I’d like to raise a few things of which I am very concerned about.

Things, which I hope, might warrant a mention or two during this important meeting of the most influential leaders in the country.

Here you go:

1. Malaysia's household debt has risen to 86.8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) at-end of 2013. We now hold the record of having one of the highest household-debt-to-GDP level in Asia. Meanwhile, the average Malaysia household debt servicing ratio is 43.5 percent and 60 percent for government servants.

What it means is, on average, more than half of a Malaysian's salary goes to paying debts (housing, vehicle and credit card loans.)

2. Which probably also explains why majority of Malaysians have zero savings. The Malaysia Human Development Report 2013 this week revealed that nearly 90 percent rural and 86 percent urban households, had no savings. Meanwhile, 53 percent of households have no financial assets.

What it means that roughly one in every two Malaysians are vulnerable in the event of loss of income. It also means that if a breadwinner falls sick and loses his/her job, the family will find it very difficult to make ends meet. Loans will be at high risk of being defaulted.

3. So, it will probably come as no surprise that bankruptcy cases in Malaysia are on the rise too. 

4. And this leads me to what most Malaysians want (or need) but are finding it increasingly difficult to afford – property. The average residential property prices in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor had jumped more than 30 percent last year.

So, let’s say with a monthly salary of about RM4,000, you may be able to get a 600 square feet apartment located roughly half an hour from the city centre for about RM400,000.

What it means is you will be paying some RM1,500 month for the next 35 years for this property. But first, you must come up with least RM40,000 for the 10 percent down payment (If would take over three years of saving up RM1,000 a month to afford the down payment.)

5. Meanwhile, salaries have not kept up with the soaring property prices. Salary increases remains in single digits. Also, inflation is set to increase next year too with rising living costs triggered by the implementation of GST and the roll back subsidies on fuel, electricity and sugar.

Inflation is set to increase next year too with rising living costs. - File Photo

Moving away from bread and butter issues, there’s also the worry about safety. Crime rates in Malaysia have been on the rise.

My mother was recently a victim to a snatch theft. Within the last few years, I was robbed twice and almost car-jacked once. (I shudder to think what could have happened had I not escaped.)

Walking on the street is no longer safe. Once, I was groped while standing on a main street in front of a popular shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur. This happened in broad daylight, in front of mall-goers and tourists. Not forgetting the many horrifying encounters I have had with perverts and flashers in public.

So when the authorities come up with figures saying the crime rates are not serious, I am baffled.

How about education?

According to the 10th Malaysia Plan, 77 percent of our workforce only have SPM-level education. That means, only 23 percent of students go on to tertiary level. For the majority of Malaysians, their academic journey ends at secondary school.

What does that mean for our nation, which is aspiring to be high income nation, when only a quarter of the workforce have the capacity to go for ‘higher-skilled’ jobs?

My lists of worries can go on and on, and those mentioned above are supported by hard facts.

Instead of bringing current social and politics conditions to a new level of absurdity every day, I hope that such big political gatherings could spend some time revisiting these issues during their important party meetings and maybe, get serious about protecting the people (all 30 million of them, not just people of certain races).

- Source: Astro Awani