‘It is better that if the worker tries to manage with the present take-home pay than to have less savings upon retirement.’
On 'Workers, say no to 3% EPF reduction'
SM Mohamed Idris: Workers should not reduce their share of the Employment Provident Fund contributions (EPF) from 11% to 8% as proposed under the Supplementary Budget.
This is because a reduction in the monthly contribution will mean less retirement savings.
The EPF has often said that for most workers, their savings are already insufficient to see them comfortably through their old age.
There will even be less available when the contributions are reduced.
Taking into consideration that at retirement age, the worker will find it more difficult to get a job, it is better that he tries to manage with the present take home pay than to have less savings upon retirement.
In the long run, it is better for workers to stick to the 11% contribution rate. (The writer is president, Consumers Association of Penang)
Hariharan Kalimuthu: I wonder how effective can our finance minister be? He is also our DPM and already has thousands of issues to handle.
It is very doubtful how he could handle the very important portfolio of finance. To make matters worse, we are nearing a global recession.
Only in Malaysia dow we have the PM or DPM carrying also the title of finance minister.
I strongly believe our financial management is not effective because of this.
On Raja Petra freed following court ruling
SH Huang: I am highly disturbed by the illegal detention of Raja Petra Kamaruddin. Who should pay for this wrongful detention?
Isn't there a law that states that whoever detains another should pay the price for negligence or ignorance of the law?
Is there one set of laws for one party and another set for another party? The law is blind and does not differentiate.
To make sure that the law is not abused, I would like to suggest that whoever gave the order for RPK’s detention should taste the same medicine.
Put him in a cell for the same number of days and grow lallang in front of the window so that the person can see it to remind him that he should not abuse the law.
I feel sad that RPK has suffered .
It is none other than the PM who has oftentimes said that ‘No man is above the law.’ Just apply it to all and sundry.
Tyong: I am glad to hear that RPK has finally been released. Thanks to Judge Syed Ahmad Helmy who declared RPK’s detention as unconstitutional and illegal.
Now I hope that justice will be served on the police and Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar for simply putting RPK in prison for so long.
This should be done so that next time they will think properly before simply putting others under ISA.
Siew Wah: I received the news of the release of our beloved Raja Petra Kamarudin with jubilation.
I had all along believed that Raja Petra Kamarudin was detained without basis under the ISA and the announcement by the honourable Justice Syed Ahmad Helmy to declare the detention unconstitutional is a just act.
Raja Petra Kamarudin’s release is to be celebrated by all Malaysians who believe in true justice.
Peter Ooi: Thank God that justice is seen to be done. RPK went to jail for telling the truth and was unjustly punished.
Now that he is free, practically every Malaysians rejoices over his new found freedom.
RPK, welcome to back. Take a good rest and spend some time with your family who missed you dearly during your detention.
On Inconceivable race supremacy promoted here
Arbibi Ashoy: To claim that race supremacy does not exist in the US or Europe as the writer asserts is untrue.
The fact that Barack Obama is considered a ‘black’ man and not a ‘white’ man, despite his mother being white, is racism itself.
This is no different from the days of slavery when children of mixed parentage were considered as half-castes and sold as slaves.
Of course, we now come to the issue of Israel. The support shown by the US and Europe towards Israel shows the blatant hypocrisy of people like the writer.
Umno's concept of Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy), as bad as it is, pales in comparison to the horror and despicability of the concept of Zionism.
Israel's forcible expulsions of Palestinians from their homes and constant bombardment of their villages is nothing short of ethnic cleansing yet the West continues to support such atrocities.
It is Zionism that resembles Nazism and its concept of the ‘chosen race’ is similar to Adolf Hiter's claim of Aryan supremacy.
I support an end to Umno-backed racism in Malaysia. I hope that Malaysia will lead the world on issues of human rights by abandoning institutionalised racism.
Robert Lim: Congrats, Barack Obama. We should all look forward to a kinder, gentler America that will take its place as the true leader of the world now.
Obama's victory is not just a victory for African Americans but for all Americans who desire multi-racialism to work.
By the way, George W Bush and his father George Bush and also Abraham Lincoln actually breached the colour bar set by the White or European Americans. They were the first three Native American mestizos to become American presidents.
And Obama is the fourth, courtesy of his recently departed maternal grandma. Malaysia, actually, did even better as all its PMs have the genes of minorities. Tunku Abdul Rahman's mum is Thai.
Abdul Razak Hussein's great-grandma is northern Indian while Hussein Onn's great-grandma is Turkish.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad's grandpa is southern Indian while Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's mother is born to a Chinese father (from Georgeown) and a Berunai Malay mother (from Brunei and Sarawak, like Anita Sarawak and Dayang Nurfaizah).
And our prime ministers-in-waiting Najib Abdul Razak and Anwar Ibrahim are both part Indian (northern in the case of Najib and southern in the case of Anwar).
In Gani Patail, we've got a Kadazandusun, Chinese and Indian as attorney-general, and
an Indian as second finance minister, Nor Mohamad Yakcop.
And a Bajau married to a Chinese as Speaker, Pandikar Amin Mulia. Very soon, Umno may soon have its first Murut and Bajau as vice-president in Shafie Apdal.
Malaysia boleh!
Jing Yi Li: It is ridiculous to see what our PM said in response to Obama's victory in the US presidential election.
Our nation, after 51 years of independence, still does not hold even a tiny possibility of a non- Malay being the top executive of the nation.
As long as Umno remains in power, it will never allow a non-Malay to hold the PM’s position.
One might think that a non-Malay will stand a chance to lead our nation if Umno and its coalition are taken down by some other party or coalition, but I do not think it is as simple as it sounds.
The rakyat chooses a certain party in favour of BN so that does not mean they are willing to follow the leadership of a non-Malay, especially when the majority of the population are Malays.
In fact, the concept that anyone can be the nation's leader will only be accepted and implemented when egalitarianism takes root in our nation.
Americans have achieved their American dream, how about our Malaysian dream?
Teokeloomangoop: I do want to point out that besides this remarkable change in the US, other Asian counties too have moved beyond race or religion-based politics.
India, which is predominantly Hindu, has a leader of the Sikh faith and Japan now has a Catholic leader.
I wonder if Malaysia will ever reach that stage in my lifetime.
On Abdul Razak Baginda cancels press conference
Yugan: Who cares if Abdul Razak Baginda holds a press conference or not?
He can say anything. I don’t think Malaysians (in general) will believe him. Full stop.
