Monday, September 29, 2008

Populists Economic Policies: Petrol Price

Sometime in the middle of last week, the govt decided to reduce petrol prices by 10 cents, stating that the world oil price has decreased. And since they are using a fixed 30sen subsidy system to detemine fuel prices, the amount the govt subsidises per litre is fixed. But what is not fixed is the total amount that the government must compensate to petrol producers. This is amount is decided by the number of litres of petrol that has been purchased by consumers like us.

Now here is where I'd like to give my 5 cents worth (used to be 2 cents, but due to rising inflation, it has now increased ;-p). And why do I think that my 5 cents is important? Because I majored in Economics, thats why!! Hehehe, well, actually this topic has been bugging me ever since I realised how much the govt spends on petrol susidies in our country.

Majority of the population in Malaysia finds that it is important that our govt not only continues, but to increase its subsisdies so we can enjoy lower prices at the pump.

My suggestion is definitely unpopular: Remove Subsidies totally and let us pay the world petrol price!!!!

Most of you would kill me if I was the Prime Minister but hear me out. Here is my reasoning:

First of all, before I totally reduce subsidies, I will lower import duty and excise duty for all vehicles. In 1 year, I will lower it to only a levy of RM5,000 per vehicle or 5% of the vehicle price (those under 2,000cc), whichever is higher. For cars that use alternative fuels or green vehicles, road tax will be waived for 5 years to encourage use of environmentally friendly vehicles.

And during that time i will slowly increase the price of petrol over 1 or 2 years, giving people time to adjust. The schedule as to how much per increase and when it will increase shall be released to the public to ensure there are no "midnight petrol kiosk madness" all over the country.

And what is my aim of doing that? Lets say the real world petrol price which we will pay in the future is RM 3.50 per litre (assuming it stays fixed for some time), we will pay RM1 per litlre more than we are currently doing. But if Taxes of cars were to be reduced, so for example, a fuel efficient Honda City will now cost RM60,000 to 65,000 including the new tax scale i mentioned. A Honda City now would cost at least RM 85,000.

With the new pricing structure, a person stands to save at least RM20,000 when he buys a new vehicle. That RM20,000 is enough to pay for another 20,000 litres of petrol (based on the extra amount that we will pay if subsidies were to be reduced). SO in this case, we will receive a "subsidy" on our petrol and still have lower car price. Lower car price means shorter car loan tenure or lower interests rates for us. Which will in turn, lead to greater savings.

And even better, lower prices will allow us to switch from gas guzzling cars to more fuel efficient ones, which in turn, will reduce pollution as these vehicles will emit less greenhouse gases.

Oh wait, I have not mentioned that all our tax money will not be spent on subsidising our own petrol. Also, if the subsidies were to increase, people will tend to waste the resource more than they will appreciate it. Ppl will overtravel unnecessarily, which will lead to higher petrol consumption, which will then lead to higher subsidies to be paid by the govt. Government savings from subsidies can then be used to develop and improve the country even further. The economy will defitely be boosted if money is spent on development, not on subsidies. Subsidies does not help the economy expand in anyway.

SO what i'm trying to say is that by making both petrol price and car prices reflect the world prices, the economy and the environment stands to gain. Of course the losers will be people who just bought vehicles or the poorer people. But the poorer people will stand to gain, once our local car manufacturers and low end vehicles are sold at sub-RM20,000 price tag, which I'm sure is possible. Plus a higher petrol price will then send a alarm to those people who cant afford to drive to wake up. Living beyond your means will only get them into trouble, but with a strong wake up call, they may still be able to salvage their finances.

Yes i know the increase in petrol price will lead to a general increase of price everywhere. But even without petrol price increase, the cost of goods will still increase anyway, so why let us live in a bubble-wrapped world. We have to start paying world prices for goods if we are to be globally competitive anyway.

And yes, the money can be used to help to poor Malaysians living below a monthly income of RM2,000 a month in cities and RM1,500 in smaller towns. Public transportation will definitely be improved.

In the end, what i have said is pretty much my opinion on how our economy should work, but then again, i'm entitled to say it and i dont think reducing petrol prices is the way to go. And for our govt and other Opposition memebers who play with the petrol price issue, i urge them to stop it as it is of no benefit to the citizens. Educate them, tell them why being at world price is important. It maybe painful at first, but this is only short term, in the long run, everything will normalize.

Well, anyway, i just want to reduce wastage and save the environment at the same time. And i dont like the way the politicians try to sway the people by playing with petrol price. Its very damaging to the economy...

I wonder if there are any of you that concurs with me?



Boodyboy, out!!!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Political Satire at its best

After reading this blog post, i can't help but share it with you.
Its written by Huzir Sulaiman, the guy who used to contribute weekly columns in the StarMag.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Wide Angle 37 (spiked): The Malaysian Political Oscars!

WIDE ANGLE – Huzir Sulaiman

The Malaysian Political Oscars!
Our political situation is like something out of a movie – so here are the awards. The envelope, please…

The Wide Angle Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, headquartered for no particular reason in Skudai, presents this year’s Malaysian Political Oscars.

The most widely watched television event in Malaysia, the Political Oscar telecast reaches over 1 billion viewers, some of whom are dead, some of whom are 130 years old, and most of whom are registered at the same address.

How does it work? Members of the academy (all Malaysian taxi drivers who despite being allegedly the worst in the world at driving taxis are remarkably good at political analysis) vote on these awards, and the results are tabulated by the auditors of some large accounting firm who would rather do this sort of thing than real accounting work, which might explain the state of the economy.

Here are the nominees and winners.

Best Supporting Actor
It is a crowded field this year, with many stellar performances from both veterans and newcomers.

The nominees include private investigator P. Balasubramaniam in Missing; Pusrawi’s Dr. Mohd Osman in Rear Window; Zaid Ibrahim in Gone in Sixty Seconds; and Raja Petra Kamaruddin in An Inconvenient Truth.

But the Best Supporting Actor Oscar goes to Penang Umno leader Ahmad Ismail for his controversial performance in Pride and Prejudice.

Despite his recent success, which led to him being cast in Under Siege and Raging Bull, Ahmad has flatly refused roles in the films Anger Management and Atonement.

Best Supporting Actress
For her critically-acclaimed performance in Minority Report, this year’s Best Supporting Actress Oscar goes to Sinchew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng.

Interestingly, immediately after that film completed principal photography, Tan was the unwitting star of Catch and Release, a film that may or may not have been directed by Syed Hamid Albar, depending on which version of the studio press kit you read.

Tan spent just 18 hours on location, before quitting, citing creative differences.

Best Cinematography
For his impactful camera work in the V.K. Lingam vehicle The Conversation, the Oscar for Cinematography goes to Gwo Loh Burne.

(Although The Conversation was shot some time ago, due to his refusal to be credited for many months, Gwo Loh Burne could not be given the award earlier. When he finally came forward, this legal thriller was re-released in some markets as The Burne Identity.)

The Conversation beat out Entrapment, starring Chua Soi Lek, which also features an anonymous cinematographer.

Best Foreign-Language Film
Agricultural Study Tour, a Taiwanese sleeper hit, was shot entirely by coincidence, supposedly with no director and no funding.

Nonetheless, a sequel, Exile on My Taiwanese Farm: Peeling my Taugeh might be filmed next year with some of the original cast.

Best Original Screenplay
Jumper, written by Anwar Ibrahim, wins this year’s award. Although the film suffers from a cast of unknowns, whose number seems to fluctuate from scene to scene (though always at least 31), the script is undeniably original and exciting. It also has the potential for numerous sequels, which will prove profitable for the actors.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Written by a team of in-house screenwriters from the Attorney-General’s Studios, The Accused, starring Anwar Ibrahim, is allegedly adapted from instructions given by political superiors. A remake of the 1998 flop, but with many of the same actors and production team.

Best Actress
Seputeh Member of Parliament Teresa Kok was competing against herself this year with sterling performances in a slew of releases: Election; Woman on Top; Supergirl; and, in cinemas until last Friday, the black comedy Enemy of the State.

She wins the Best Actress Oscar, however, for her most famous role, Miss Congeniality, which has earned her praise from audiences and critics alike.

Best Actor
The big stars of yesteryear dominated the Best Actor category this year.

Nominees include S. Samy Vellu in Gone With The Wind; Dr. Mahathir Mohamed in V for Vendetta; and both Najib Tun Razak and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in the comedy Trading Places.

The winner, however, of the Malaysian Political Oscar for Best Actor is Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for his flawless, nuanced, masterful performance in Eyes Wide Shut.

Best Picture
The nominees for Best Picture in the Malaysian Political Oscars are all gripping epics.

They include the moving story of the many members of Parti Sosialis Malaysia, The Magnificent Seven; the Khairy Jamaluddin biopic Million Dollar Baby; the Hindraf saga, Out for Justice; and the tale of Gerakan in the Barisan Nasional, The End of the Affair.

The winner for Best Picture, however, is the story of the MCA’s struggle against the Internal Security Act, Look Who’s Talking Now.

Lifetime Achievement Award
For his astonishing film career spanning many decades, and including both commercial hits and small but critically-acclaimed art-house movies, Anwar Ibrahim wins the Lifetime Achievement Award.

His roles, in chronological order, include: Wild at Heart; The Young Guns; The Great Debaters; Sleeping With The Enemy; The Insider; The Sweet Smell of Success; Reversal of Fortune; Cast Away; The Accused; The Cell; Cry Freedom!; Into the Wild; Back to the Future; Mission: Impossible; The Perfect Storm; and, most recently, Eastern Promises.

Depending on the outcome of contract negotiations, Anwar’s next movies may include The King and I; Top Gun; and Great Expectations.

Alternatively, he may take roles in Crash; The Departed; and The Forgotten. That’s the thing about show business – you never know what the big stars will do next!

That’s all for this year’s edition of the Malaysian Political Oscars. See you on the red carpet next year!



Copyright © Huzir Sulaiman 2008. All rights reserved.


LOL!!!


Boodyboy, out!!!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Another Honest Politician

Once again, looking at this article, where ex-SAPP deputy said he stopped Badawi from asking the ACA to arrest the SAPP president is shocking.

This Raymond Tan, must be either very honest and smart or terribly stupid and straight. I know that SAPP has pulled out of the National Front coalition (Barisan Nasional in BM), and Raymond has quit because he doesnt agree with their stand.

But then with this shocking revelation, I don't know what he's trying to do. Is he trying to help speed-up our current PM's demise or does he really think he saved Yong Teck Lee's (SAPP President) asss and wants him to be grateful?

Let's look at the implication of Mr. Raymond's statement. He said, he stopped Pak Lah from ordering the ACA to bring in Yong Teck Lee for corruption after he made a statement of no confidence against the PM.

First, it shows that the ACA isn't independent at all. After Yong made that statement, the next day ACA were investigating claims that he was corrupted. Very suspicious to the ppl at that time. Now it has been confirmed to be true lah, ACA only targets selected people.

Secondly, it shows that our PM has misused his powersto orderthe ACA to start investigations.

Third, it shows that with a good relationship, you can get the PM to help do whatever you want.

Look, i dont know if Raymond is really stupid or not. What does he expect Yong to do now? Thnak him in public for influencing the PM? Hey, in fact, that what Yong should do. He shouldhold a press conference to do it. Thank Raymond in public for having the ability to ask the PM to not arrest Yong.

If i were Badawi, i would just send some sniper to shoot this Raymond down lah... Kacau saja. Not helping at all. Or even better, ask an anonymous threat to harm his life and then ask Syed Hamid Albar (the Home minister) to bring him in under the ISA to "protect him" indefinitely.

I don't know what else will be revealed over the following days. SHould be getting very exciting soon.


Boodyboy, out!!!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

September 16th, not just another day

One may argue that everyday is not just another day. I truly agree. But which is memorable? Will today be memorable? Well, we have another 6 hours to go. It may or may not happen. I'm not holding my breath. I'm already not expect it to happen anytime soon. All i'm willing to believe is that the day will come. The day the 50 over years of tyranny will end (actually, it may not be 50 plus years, it may be much shorter than that cause the ppl became more tyrannical over the recent decades) .

Yesterday, was an extra special night for the supporters of the "govt-in-waiting" in Kelana Jaya Stadium. It was part Malaysia Day celebration, part declaration for a change. I bet when they sang the "Negaraku" most of the people there never sang it with more passion than they have ever done in their life. And i bet that showed how much they loved their country, despite its ups and downs, mismanagements, and more often, misquotes. Yet, all who converged there yesterday night were there to show that the new generation of people are looking beyond racial lines. Its about time we deleted the Kaum and Agama Column in all sorts of application forms. We are all Malaysians, and that is how we want it to be seen.

Anyways, moving on, I think its going to be an interesting few weeks ahead for all Malaysians. Regardless of whether we are active participants or not, any of the developments will definitely affect us. I'll just wait eagerly in anticipation... (Oh, btw, most news website are almost inaccessible due to high levels of traffic. Looks like there are lots of eager beavers like me ;-)


Boodyboy, Out!!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

What comes after the Hungry Ghost Festival?

Come guys and girls, take a guess. What event comes after the Hungry Ghost Festival this year. It may not happen next year or the year after that. It didn't happen the year before and the year before last.

Got you guessing, didn't I? hehehe...

Its definitely not the Mooncake Festival as it happens every year after the Hungry Ghost Festival. Take another guess...

Don't Know?

Give up?

Are you sure you don't want to tembak 1 last time? ;-p

Well, the answer is.....
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
The Hungry Police Festival, thats what!!!! Yes this year, this festival happens immediately after the Hungry Ghost Festival. It has occured in different times every year, and once in a very long while, it happens twice a year.

Yes this is the time when there just traffic roadblocks just manned by about 3 policemen only. its rare for there to be like 10 in an operation during this festival, because if the police are hungry they ain't so keen on sharing, especially with so many people...

Suddenly everywhere u go at night (especially highways) will suddenly be in a jam for no reason. The line could be a few kilometres long, and you must be wondering if it could be due to an accident or something. But the fact is that, it is just due to the extra "vigilance" of our traffic policemen during this time of the year.

Look, i'm not generalising all traffic cops to be "hungry" during this time of the year... I mean some are only hungry over this month-long festival, some are hungry all year long (very unfortunate), while i'm sure most of them are not hungry at all.

I think i've mentioned this in my previous posts last year in my multiply page. But then again, we cant stop the festival from happening unless something is done to satisfy their hunger at employer level. The employers know why this is happening and has allowed this to continue happening, and this is why we end up having this festival every year. You can ask any motorist on the road who is stuck in a roadblock at night what they think. They can tell you the same thing, Hungry Police Festival.

Just like the Hungry Ghost Festival, when we see these things happening, we cannot do anything to kacau or raise a protest as we might be "victimised" later. This is especially true among the Chinese as we were thought by our parents to try our best not to notice these activities. And since we've been doing this from you, its not difficult to transfer what we learnt here to the Hungry Police Festival.

Here I am just wondering, if there were any VIPs that were caught in a congestions caused by these roadblocks. And if yes, what did they think was going on? Do they actually think that the police are just being extra hardworking and upholding the traffic laws during this period while they drive past?

Sigh... Just forget about what I said. i guess I'm just annoyed because of the fact that I had passed 4 roadblocks (which caused tremendous jams) at night already... 4 times is about 10 days and on different highways. There are months that go by without even me having to pass a single roadblock on my way back?

Extra vigilance or Hungry Police Festival

You decide...


Boodyboy, out!!!

Friday, September 5, 2008

Why should I apologise?

This is taken from the Star website. Can be seen here also:

************************************

Friday September 5, 2008

Ahmad: Why should I apologise?

By ANDREA FILMER


GEORGE TOWN: Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail has refused to apologise over his racist remark calling the Chinese community “immigrants who do not deserve equal rights”.

“Why should I apologise? I didn’t do anything wrong. Those who do wrong should apologise but I haven’t done anything,” Ahmad said when The Star met him outside his Bayan Baru office yesterday.

He, however, refused to comment on whether the press misquoted him.

Sounding calm and collected on the phone, he said a full statement on what transpired would be released after a Penang Umno liaison meeting tomorrow.

Man in the news: Ahmad gesturing as he replies to a question in Bayan Baru yesterday. He said he had been leading a sepak takraw team to a tournament in Bangkok.

He added that he would not say much at present, but wanted to clear up the issue of reporting to the police.

Police are currently investigating five reports lodged against Ahmad under the Sedition Act 1948 for uttering the remarks at a ceramah on the eve of the Permatang Pauh by-election.

He said there were reports of his going to the Bukit Mertajam police station on Wednesday night (to make a statement).

“I want to make it clear that I never told anyone or informed anyone that I would be there. It was their assumption,” he said.

Ahmad recorded a statement at the police contingent headquarters in Penang Road at about 10pm the same night while pressmen from television, online and print media were waiting for him on the mainland.

Asked where he had been over the last few days, Ahmad confirmed that he had been leading a sepak takraw team to a tournament in Bangkok.

“My phone has been on and off, but a lot of my anak buah (supporters) have been calling me, so maybe that’s why it has been hard to get through,” he said.

On the alleged misappropriation of funds involving now-defunct company Popular Profile Sdn Bhd (PPSB), Ahmad said he had resigned before any action was taken on the company.

“This issue has nothing to do with me. Action is taken on a company, not on a personal capacity. Moreover, I resigned from the company on Sept 1, 1998. What happened after that, I don’t know.

“The Chief Minister (Lim Guan Eng) shouldn’t be using his political muscle and power to attack me,” he said, adding that he would not say more on the land deal until he had checked the details.

Lim had recently attacked Ahmad on a 1997 land deal involving PPSB, in which Ahmad had been a director. Lim alleged that the company had cheated the state of RM500,000 in a deal involving 4.2ha of industrial land in Bukit Minyak.

************************************

Well believe or not, I'm actually with this guy. Why should he apologise? As a person who is speaking the truth, he shouldn't apologise. He's only calling a rose a rose. Nothing more than that. It may be hard on our ears but it is the fact. Trust me, the truth hurts. So why are all the people angry at him when all he said was the truth, no matter how ugly it may sound, but he had the guts to say it. After all, most Chinese in coffeeshops always talk about how they are not given the same rights and etc. lah... So finally we have a UMNO dude who is brave enough to tell the world the truth.

Even the DPM, was there when he made that statement didn't disagree immediately. Which actually meant that he agrees in principle what was said that night. He just didn't have the guts to tell the public thats all. And why did he take so long to apologise? Because ppl were angry. he only sorry because ppl are angry, not because the statement was wrong. (Cue the song by Rihanna, Take A Bow; look at the lyrics here.) Ok lah i quote the a few of the lines from the song here:-

An' don't tell me you're sorry 'cause you're not
Baby when I know you're only sorry you got caught

But you put on quite a show
Really had me going
But now it's time to go
Curtain's finally closing
That was quite a show
Very entertaining
But it's over now (but it's over now)
Go on and take a bow...


Thank goodness we still have people like him, who are dead straight honest, with his no-beating around-the-bush, takes-no-prisoner approach. Its ppl like our other minister and leaders are those who do not tell us the truth, telling us that we are equal. They are the liars!! Screwing us from the front is OK, just dont tell me nice things then stab me in the back lah!

If there was an award for having the guts to be honest award, we should give it to him.

Sigh, but then again, its because of our government's inconsistent use of the law that I'm not as brutally honest as he is out in public. Had i been as honest as he is, I would be in jail eating nasi lemak everyday, and probaly sing negaraku and recite the rukun negara till my voice is coarse...

Hey man,

Thanks for the honesty!! Please do it more often. We don't need anymore hypocrites in Malaysia, we want ppl to tell us the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help us God.

Boodyboy, out!!!