Selamat Hari Merdeka!

Fly the Jalur Gemilang. Our country is exactly fifty-one years old coming August 31, 2008! Though I celebrate August 31 as the National Day but deep down in my heart I only recognize September 16 as the real Malaysia Day. For September 16 is the day the Federation of Malaysia was formed. I will cling to this for the rest of my life.

The Government has just tabled Budget 2009. On the Budget, it is essentially an expansionary budget, a deficit budget to ease the burden of the people, hence themed “A Caring Government”. I don’t see the Government doing well enough to push the limit of better efficiency and governance, let alone addressing unwise spending (ie. closed tender, corruption).

I had a brief look at the budget, all I see is increasing excise duty specific on cigarettes, increasing the eligibility criteria for welfare assistance, benefiting government pensioners, channelling financial assistance to victims of calamities, increasing current tax rebate, and so to name. The Government also plans to reduce import duties on various consumer durables and road tax on private passenger vehicles with diesel engines. Full import duty exemption will be exercised on several food item.

My mum used to tell me that no matter how high the mountain is, if you keep blasting it for granite (money), it will diminish one day.

It’s more of expanding the budget to help the poor, needy, lower class and lower middle class citizens. Lot’s of spending are spent on these group. I know it’s important to address their grouses and to improve their lives but heck, the government is not even talking how are they going to generate income for all these expenditures. Don’t tell us that you are going to suck in money from our Petronas. Though I am not an economist, I know such shouldn’t be the long term plan.

I see vast potential in Sabah and Sarawak. An allocation of RM3bil and RM3.3bil is provided for Sabah and Sarawak respectively to implement various projects. This is supposed to be goodies for the two BN strong backbones. But I am also interested to know if the fate of Sabah and Sarawak will be the same as Penang should some of the Member of Parliaments decided to cross over. We never know?!

On construction and agricultural, a sum of RM35bil will be expended during the period 2009 to 2014 to improve public transportation while RM5.6bil will be allocated as incentives to agriculture entrepreneurs to reduce production costs and encourage higher agriculture output.

On education, RM160mil will be allocated to provide better education opportunities as well as improve health and basic amenities for the Orang Asli. These are the groups which really need better access to facilities!

You know what? I have been thinking that I should really go back to my own state after graduating. I want to bring home what I learned in West Malaysia. This is really a road not many people choose to take, most Sarawakians after completing their studies in the West prefers to settle down there. I beg to differ from the thoughts that Sarawak has no opportunity. It has, just that we have to discover the opportunities there.

Seriously, I still think the Government is not addressing the construction industry which was robust back then. Civil engineers are having bad time lah…

To all fellow Malaysians, I would like to wish all of you Selamat Hari Merdeka!

I would like to modify a quote from Mohandas Gandhi, “I like Malaysia, I do not like our politicans. Our politicians are so unlike Malaysians.” Dear MPs, please be reminded that we voted you because we trust you to run the country and not to give you the power to rule over us. You must remember that you are a nobody if not for us, you are somebody because of us.

Selamat Hari Merdeka and Awal Ramadhan!