In his Budget 2017 speech recently, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said the definition of prudent spending by the government is similar to a sensible father or head of family manages his finances to meet household needs. In other words, if previously we could afford expensive toys, however, in the present situation we could continue to do so but within our means.

I think it is wrong to compare a sensible father or head of family’s way of managing finances to his way of managing government finances. Here’s why.

1. A sensible father earns honest money by performing labor through free trade and free exchange. But the government collects taxes from people under coercion. To say no is not an option. To say no means the government will jail the sensible father.

2. A Malaysian can become bankrupt, a taxpayer can become bankrupt, a sensible father can become bankrupt. But a government cannot become bankrupt, technically speaking.

3. A sensible father doesn’t spend money more than he takes home. But the government spends our hard earned tax monies like there’s no tomorrow.

4. Of course a sensible father accumulates debt; a household accumulates debt at their own risk. The government accumulates a massive government debt that poses a serious risk to millions of taxpayers. How about that?

5. When the economy goes bad, a sensible father will quickly change his way of finances. Spend less, pay debt and save more. But the government is doing exactly the opposite. It spends and taxes more and is going deeper into debt. No meaningful cuts.

Since he managed to name many individuals during his budget presentation last Friday, I would like to know if he could name the sensible father in the real world as well, who could operate as the government i.e. taxing strangers at the roadside and if not, hold a gun at their head and make them pay.

And at the same time his finances remain at a manageable position (borrowing Bank Negara’s phrase) after taking up more debts and more spending than income for many years.

To solve the debt, instead of paying them and regret he has been living beyond means, the sensible father goes to the bank asking for a raise in his debt limit, increase his spending and taxing more strangers every day everywhere.

If I were him, I won’t be able to name him because such a father won’t exist.