The propose subsidy cut soutlined by Idris Jala the minister for performance management and delivery and using the financial woes of Greece as an example does not address the real issues and causes surrounding the budget deficit situation in Malaysia.

He is rather presenting a case to Malaysians on how to cut benefits for average Malaysians while enriching the government coffers without providing any rules of accountability, ignoring wastages and corruption that has drained the national coffers over the years.

While I believe that subsidies should not remain a stumbling block for the efficient utilisation of resources, I believe that efficient utilisation of resources has its true credibility if it is geared towards human development and not profit as a sole criteria.

This is the core issue that is facing the Malaysian economy that is structural and modeled under neo-liberalism that is derived from the Washington consensus, an ideological tool of the neo-conservative establishment of the US.

It is also obvious that Malaysian government has neglected the Malaysian workforce over the years by supporting the low wages and low-cost policies of employers resulting in influx of millions of low skilled foreign workers in Malaysian soil.

This has contributed to the reluctantance of employers to upgrade to new technology and building human capital of the work force through training and research and Development. Being in the private sector for twenty years, I can bear testimony to this fact.

Upgrading the knowledge and the skills of the workforce could increase the wages of the workers which could have prepared the workforce to embrace subsidy cuts. A productive workforce increases government revenue.

The government on its part should have - proactively through the media - educated the workforce on the importance of embracing human capital development while convincing employers to upgrade their technology and improving productivity and perhaps even giving them a deadline.

The essentials were not done but today Malaysians are told to support the government effort to cut subsidies while maintaining low wages.

Therefore the solution lies on a paradigm shift and a re-look at the entire structure of the economy to see whether human capital development takes priority or whether unbridled profiteering is the purpose of the economy.

Malaysia should take a look at the positive aspects of the Latin American models instead of blindly following the imperial powers where maximisation of profits is the sole criteria while ignoring the transcendental and spiritual dignity of humans who deserve every opportunity to upgrade themselves in line with spiritual and religious tradition that is derived from God where the holistic and comprehensive aspects of human progress are found.