Same Ol' Story.....

First of all, I want to applaud Datuk Idris Jala for his "revelation" that this country could /will potentially go bankrupt financially if our nation continued to give out subsidy and do borrowings to keep up with our financial situation. I am 100% in support of his revelation of our nation's financial situation but what I am questioning is the governance part. So what if we were to take away all the subsidies and tighten our belts in the national spendings but what happens to the excess monies; where do they go ; is there proper governance or it is another magician trick of taking the money out from the left pocket and putting it into the back pocket or the right pocket? Listen, for the past 53 years we have had this problem of good financial governance in our country. I am not even questioning the subsidies, concessionaires and what not. It is not a new issue anymore. How not to have this problem that we are facing today when we continue to plunder our nation with white elephant buildings, nonsensical spendings, privatising our highways, sending people the moon, building crooked bridge, buy submarines, buy aircrafts whereby engines land up somewhere in a third nation airstrip, shoot some satellite to the open sky or even give out scholarships after scholarships while scholarship/study loan defaulters list longer than the toilet paper roll in our bathrooms! Explain first to the people how things like that doesn't eat into the finance of our country. That's why, I still say that everyone in the our nation's Parliament today is guilty of this unnecessary spendings. The blood of this nation is in your hands, you Policy makers! The people had voted you in the Parliament with hope that you are to do what is right for the nation and instead, you , the politicians, had come up with more plans to plunder the country resources. It is like the famous Malay proverbs, " Harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi."

I quote from a group of elderly people comprising of two Malay men, one Chinese man, an Eurasian and one Indian man who were obviously good friends in a park I went jogging one evening. As they gathered to rest, one of the Malay man said this and I quote in translation to the BM they spoke to one another, " I don't understand this country. We have so much wealth in natural resources and we are definitely not a poor country! What has happened to our country today? Where has all the money gone? This is worst case of corruption I've ever seen in my whole life!" This was agreed by all his friends who echoed the same. Then the Indian man spoke, "Yunno, I was not happy when I came to know that this rich Datuk's son, don't want to mention names-lar, got scholarship to study overseas-lah on JPA scholarship some more. He already got two children studying overseas on JPA scholarship some more. Aiyoo! Why can't lar they give it to a more deserving case -lar! Where is the fairness, lar? " Again, they agreeed in unison. Well, that's the sentiments that is being echoed by a group of elderly people. I just smiled and left the resting area for them to discuss more. Need I say more?

I believe that in all fairness that the Government is to be given the chance to do what is right and to do needful rectifications but if for the past 53 years we are still having this same old "sickness" of corruption hanging over our heads, how are we to progress? Then, the Government had failed its people. As a layman on the street, I need to know that every ringgit I pay to the government agencies goes into worthwhile nation building [ not the physical building! ] activities and not into some dirty pockets. The last time I checked with some friends in Sabah and Sarawak, there are still many places which are still without basic necessities such as clean piped water and electricity supply. Look, it has been 53 years and do the companies/politicians have to be told that these folks need their water and electricity supply to their homes? Are politicians turning deaf, dumb and muted senses to all these needs? So, okay, some may argue that they are not in the ruling party bandwagon, then by all means, use the peruntukan meant for your constituent , get the best price and not some inflated pricing for the works. I dare you to ask any government contractor today and see if the prices of works had not been inflated? Many years ago, audit teams had discovered shocking prices to shocking items, right? If I remembered clearly, the issue just died down and soon, no news were heard about it. This is what I meant by governance....where is the governance? Sure, the contractors have to feed their family and getting a profit from the works they do. I am not going to "rob" them of this livelihood or stop them from getting a profit for they dearly deserved so but if the prices are at a ballooning price or ten folds then that's wrong. If those people in power of the day/authorithy constantly ask the question , " Tiada apa-apa kah?" or " Saya tak minta, kamu kasi kan?" or "Boleh jadi kawankah?" then this country will DEFINITELY be in ruins one day.

The other wastage mentality is the numerous, constant, time-wasting and unproductive meetings. I have dubbed such people in these meetings as "KKK" or Kumpulan Kuat Karipap! It is always "Kita makan dulu baru cerita." with a spread of curry puffs [ which wil probably puff their egos and heads more! ], sweetened tea which will probably send all of them to the hospital for serious diabetes , kuih keria [ everyone can be beria-ia and built a career ! ] and kuih lapis [ so that they can get inspiration to hide all the dirt; layer after layer to hoodwink the people ]. Yeah, I've seen it and been through it all before. When will we ever learn?

So, we need to tighten our belts, kan? .....hmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnn..... whose belt again?