Comment on Removing Subsidies - May 2010

All we have heard from the government is how the people has to sacrifice for future generations. If we are sincere in sharing the burden and spreading the hardship around, there has to be a clear policy and action on the other side of the equation. If there is any element of unfair policies, the people will not support this.

This has to go hand in hand with removing rent seeking policies and businesses. Based on an estimation by Barry Wain in The Malaysian Maverick, the costs of these are $4 Trillion. Subsidies of $ 74 billion a year is miniscule compared to the leakages.

Remove........=........Remove
Petrol .................Close/Negotiated tender of contracts
Eletricitity.............AP
Food....................Bloated civil service
Toll..................Little Napoleans and promote based on meritocracy