vox populi small thumbnail 'Chua, first you tell voters not to vote Pakatan because PAS wants to form an Islamic state. Now that Umno is courting PAS, you are willing to let them join BN.'

Umno-PAS co-op: MCA not worried but...

Geronimo: MCA chief Chua Soi Lek, you want to talk about reality? Let me tell you the reality. MCA is currently represented in the government but with little or no results. Umno is in fact the one calling all the shots and all MCA could do, from time to time, is to make some noises so as to tell the community that they are still around, but of no consequence at all.

Frankly, since the 2008 GE, we are not even aware that you are still around until you come up with some ridiculous statements to lighten up our day. In other words, with or without you, it makes no difference to us as we will still get by.

You want us to vote for you, show us your game plan. For a start, ask Umno to return the finance portfolio to MCA. After all, it was once handled by MCA under the late Tan Siew Sin, I am sure such request is not unreasonable.

Your game plan should also include decisions made on education and economic issues. The road map must be clear, precise and concise. No beating around bush.

Anonymous_40dc: Let's not forget that MCA was formed by ‘towkays'. So, it is natural that they look after themselves and the wealthy. Likewise, Umno only look after Umnoputras. Remember how the federal government deprived Terengganu of oil royalties when PAS ruled the state?

As a Malay who is not an Umnoputra, I too have to slog to send my children to good universities. And I encouraged them to work abroad so that they understand fair competition and honest living.

Ttloo: Umno-PAS cooperation had failed miserably before due to Umno materialistic way of life. Until today, PAS whose men are of high calibre and with strong principles are not attracted to Umno even though talks had been on going just to please the Malay community.

MCA, as the unhappy mistress of Umno, should not be duly worried of Umno re-cycling its ex-mistress. MCA should go for plastic surgery to recover their pre-independence image.

Kit P: It is not very smart of the MCA to bring up the Umno proposal to talk with PAS. It just serves as a reminder to all that whatever opinion expressed in the BN coalition is worth nothing so long as ‘taiko' Umno wants it done.

Mangodurian: Interestingly, in the last GE, a friend of mine had say the same about why the Chinese should vote for MCA. The arguments were that, "Yes, I too don't like the racist Umno policies, but we've no choice. At least having MCA around, we are still in the government, and be there to tame Umno. Can you imagine what would happen if there are no Chinese in the government."

So what CSL (Chua Soi Lek) said is not a new tactic.

Dingy: MCA ministers and deputy ministers, be prepared to say goodbye to your cabinet posts come GE13. The Chinese community is going to vote out most of you, especially those who are holding cabinet posts.

In fact, we'll continue to vote for the opposition in the hope that if they win, then we still have Chinese representatives in the cabinet of the new government. Gerakan issued the same threat in Penang, but after voting MCA and Gerakan out, we still have a Chinese chief minister.

Tell the Truth: CSL, first you tell voters not to vote Pakatan Rakyat because PAS wants to form an Islamic government. Now that Umno wants to court PAS, you are willing to let them come into BN.

Your condition? PAS must give up their theological aim. Who are you to dictate?

'No high-income economy without minimum wage'

Azizi Khan: I personally know many people who get less than minimum wage because employers threatened them with use of foreign labour if they don't comply. Look at the restaurant industry, which insists on using cheap foreign labour or they will increase food prices for using Malaysian workers.

Onyourtoes: It is an economic truism that importing unskilled foreign workers in large number distorts the relative price of capital and labour and hence depresses real wages, stifles innovation, machination and productivity growth. Just look around our construction, plantation and service industries - it is the same rudimentary production function for decades. Why wouldn't the employers think of innovation?

Well, if today five workers should die due to work-related accidents, tomorrow another 10 stand ready to replace the five. How can we ever stop the entry of foreign workers when the importation and exploitation of these workers are now the money-making machine of rent-seekers, government servants and unproductive employers? It will never stop.

I have one proposition: unless foreign workers are paid the same wages, given similar perks and working conditions, there is no way to tell whether the importation of foreign workers is due to genuine shortage or due to the desire of employers to pay lower wages.

Of course, minimum wage is not a panacea to cure all ills in the labour market. The unfettered entry of foreign workers no doubt depresses the pricing power of local workers. The stifling of national unions is another factor. This issue must be settled by policy makers, not businessmen or entrepreneurs.

Anonymous _MN1324: What Batu MP Tian Chua does not know is that many immigrants come here and earn more than the minimum wage. These migrants know that their families back home can live with half the minimum wage here.

Last but not least, I personally do not know of any person or company that is paying minimum wage nor of anyone who gets minimum wage. The fact of the matter is that minimum wage is now history in a self-driven market where it is an employees' market.

Onyourtoes: Anonymous _MN1324 is probably an unproductive employer depending on cheap foreign labour to make money. In fact, he may be employing lots of illegal workers so that he can exploit them better.

Let me tell you this: In Malaysia, almost everybody wants to exploit and leverage on foreign workers. Even our self-employed hawkers do that. Just look at all the coffee shops. How come right in the middle of Tokyo, I still can get a bowl of noodle prepared by the Japanese? Are you saying the per capita income of Japan is lower than us.

Anonymous_40dd: High-income economy is meant only for the government cronies. Not for you and me.

 

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