I am disappointed with our government's latest budget. Nothing is done about our rampant inflation. The budget says that the government will continue with its current monetary policy. Meaning Bank Negara will continue to print money to finance the deficit, which will result in continuing high inflation in the medium term.

Our money will definitely worth less in the coming years, and the hard working Malaysians toiling in factories and estates will bear the brunt of higher prices.

More money is being ploughed into unfinished public and agricultural projects which will benefit us in the future, and this is okay. But supply side measures will bear result only in two to three years time, when those projects are finished.

While those are medium-term measures, we must also do something about inflation now. Talking about it in the media is good and well but threatening to prosecute poor trader is not okay. If those traders cannot make a living because of marginal or no profit, they might as well close shop altogether.

What do you think would happen if most traders, farmers and producers close their businesses?

I believe the government is fighting inflation at the wrong end. Instead of targeting small traders and businesses, we should be targeting medium and high-income consumers. That group of people who have a lot of discretionary spending money to splash about. Increase taxes for the medium and higher-income earner, so that we can balance the budget.

Another thing we must do is remove the petrol and diesel subsidies and provides direct financial help to the low-income earners. It is well-documented that our blanket subsidy system for petrol and diesel has missed the target group and benefitted the rich.

How much does a motorcycle-riding factory worker spend on petrol every month compared to the company executive who uses a Mercedes-Benz?

Yet the lower-income groups are the ones moaning the loudest. That because higher percentage of their income goes to petrol. If we provide financial help to them directly, straight to their bank account, we would solve the problem.

Much has been said about our wealth as a nation. Yet when taking care of our poor, we are far behind the developed nations, far less than the Utopia of Islam Hadhari would ensvision. There are people in our midst who have difficulty coping with higher costs and are surviving on low wages.

I had the opportunity of meeting a cleaner who is paid RM350 a month for her eight-hour a day, six days a week cleaning job. Why would she work for that amount of money? Because she is in a weak position in a country with no legislated minimum wage.

The weak are in no position to bargain their wages, much less demand for higher salaries. Their skills is easily replaceable with cheap imported foreign labour.

And what about people who are unable to work? Those people who are incapacitated, sick or just simply too old. Would we say we feel sorry for them, donate a few ringgit to atone for our guilt, then forget about them?

Do we have a better way to take care of our poor, unfortunate citizens? We have the tendency to solve our problems by sweeping them under the carpet or 'tikar'. As long as we don't see them, all is well and dandy.