In the malaysiakini report ' Right attitude, right network can lift up poor Malaysians ' (Feb 2) concerning income inequality in the country, Housing and Local Government Ministry public relations unit head Abdul Halim Mohd Sarif said that even though there were plenty of job opportunities in the country, Malaysians are still selective of what they want to do. An example of a job opportunity given was working in a stall.

Now what does working in a stall flipping roti canai have to do with improving income inequality? It never fails to amaze me to hear the things that come out of the mouths of officials and some economic experts.

We are not a part of a feudal system where we can be told what lowly jobs we have to do. Such fluffy official speak is just a piece of amateur wayang kulit meant to distract us from the real issue behind income inequality.

In a perfect world, we all deserve to be equal. Specifically we should all have the equal opportunity and ability to compete for jobs, contracts, places in schools, etc. But in the real world, the trend is for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. This is happening in Malaysia and everywhere else especially the US.

When the rich get richer they have more resources to stay ahead and the reverse happens to the poor. This is a state of plutocracy. That is why we need the UN Human Development Report to remind us once a year where we are. We don't need to be confused and distracted by our unwillingness and inability to flip roti canai.