Life is set to Get So Tough (GST)

The stage is being set for a hard, harsh life for Malaysians.

COMMENT

Life for Malaysians is expected to get tougher once the Goods and Services Tax comes into effect in 2015.

If Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders would just send their scouts to conduct casual conversations with people like me, they will find that the going is already tough for many Malaysians.

While the government takes care of civil servants when the cost of living increases, those employed outside the public sector work long and hard for pittance.

People say the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) should do something about this injustice and reward workers fairly. But while the MEF does have a say in regard to private sector workers, it is really the government who should go about setting things right.

The BN government has failed to address the problem of rising costs and have, to a large extent, neglected the working man.

The government complains that the revenues collected from 1.2 million Malaysians who pay income tax are insufficient to cover the nation’s expenses and to develop the country further.

But if the government were to arrest the rot of corruption in its own backyard, it will be possible for Malaysians to be free of the GST. More than that, education from nursery to tertiary level can be made free, healthcare and housing made affordable and the prices of goods and services kept under control.

With the present continuous hike in prices and the gradual withdrawal of government subsidies, there has been an acceleration in the rise of prices of goods and services, especially for items that are needed on a daily basis.

BN, sometimes known as Barang Naik, has earned the strong dislike of the people.

While the affluent in this country continue to sit pretty and enjoy life, people in the working class experience quite a different life.

There is now in this country a widening gap between the haves and have-nots. This is due partly to BN’s creation of a governing elite through the specious affirmative action.

This malaise must be quickly addressed by the opposition coalition of Pakatan Rakyat (PR). It must play its check-and-balance role to ensure that the country is not hijacked by BN and the people held for ransom. PR has to inform the rakyat of their rights as citizens.

It is crucial that checks and balances be in place, especially with the impending imposition of the GST and the prospect of stagnating incomes.

This unfairness has to be rectified. Malaysians of all walks of life must come together to say “no more” to the tyranny, bullying and oppression by the elite in this country who have failed to ensure in the first place that the wealth of the nation is equitably distributed.

This failure is causing untold misery to the ordinary Malaysian. While VIPs move on to become VVIPs, most Malaysians earn a miserable living and are kept in limbo.

When will this injustice stop? It will only stop when Malaysians come together and stand united in the fight against corruption, which has bred the elite class. It will only stop when Malaysians answer the wake-up call to fight for fair play, justice and meritocracy.

Christopher Fernandez is a social critic and commentator.