YOURSAY ‘Why don't you just cut off all expenses incurred by Rosmah? I presume this would save millions if not billions of ringgit.’

PM trims ministerial entertainment allowances

                

Onyourtoes: The austerity measures announced by PM Najib Razak are nothing more peripheries that will not make an iota of difference to the national coffers.  

One open tender exercise instead of one opaque negotiated tender would have achieved all the saving you rant about. A proper supervision and monitoring of one mega project like KLIA2 to prevent cost overrun and delay would have overwhelmed all the puny savings you pretend to rant about.

One less overseas travel, one less executive jet flying around for fun, one less extravagant and white elephant project, one less corruption, one less moronic privatisation and concession, one less devious and mispricing of bonds issued by the government and 1MDB, and one less ceremonial and grandeur state investiture ceremonies, will be sufficient to pay for all the fake savings you talk about.  

The key is the national budget. The preparation and monitoring of our national budget is a sham. If the budget over-provides, there will be over-spending. You appoint me the director of national budget, provide me with 24-hour police security, I will balance the fiscal account for you in two years without addition tax measures.  

I am waiting for you to accept my offer. You just pay me Jusa C, without business class travel. Read carefully, 10 percent of entertainment allowance, not 10 percent of gross salary. Big deal.

SpongeBob: The reduced entertainment allowance of ministers, deputy ministers and senior government officials by 10 percent means there will be an increase in political corruption to reward their nearest and dearest or to maintain a lavish lifestyle.

Kairos: What a sick joke. All these measures are so trivial that it hardly makes a dent in saving costs. The big areas of wastage and squandering as revealed in the annual Auditor-General's Report is conveniently sidestepped.

The biggest hole to plug is the huge pit of corruption. Strange, not a squeak on this endemic poison killing the nation at all from our PM. While the common rakyat are asked to pay the price for the massive siphoning of funds thro one price hike after another, a young man buys a RM110 million property in New York.

And guess what, not a squeak at all from our BN politicians nor our corruption enforcement agencies. Are there two separate laws and two separate standards applied here in Malaysia? One for the common folks like me and another for the untouchables like them?

Oh Ya?: This Najib calls an austerity drive? It is just a small drop in the ocean. Taxpayers would be happier if the ruling elites stop dripping their hands into the state coffers.

Abasir: A true leader with even a modicum of decency and empathy would have instituted drastic cuts to his own lavish perks and privileges but not Najib.

He and his second wife still use the private jet costing hundreds of thousands, spend millions on electricity and feast on five-star cuisine while the rest of the rakyat cut even the bare essentials and worry each night about meeting the next day's expenses.

The one silver lining in all this is that Umno has finally hit the self-destruct button. It’s now only a matter of time before it all implodes. The countdown has indeed started.

SMC77: Why don't you just cut off all expenses incurred by Rosmah? I presume this would save millions if not billions of ringgit for the government.

Vijay47: Even now with our funds running out, this snake-oil seller will never change. His cunning and insincerity can be seen from just one of the fake measures he is putting in place - limiting civil servants below the grade of Jusa C to economy class on domestic flights.

Note, the austerity is only for domestic flights. What would the savings here be?

Secondly, why are international flights not being restricted to economy class also? In fact, flights overseas should be drastically curtailed unless absolutely essential and none of the Mohd Khir Toyo-inspired "belajar sambil melawat" rubbish.

And if your wife stopped flying, Najib, just imagine the billions we could save on excess baggage alone.

Myop101: What about Auditor-General’s Report on financial mismanagement, wastage and abuse of funds? What is the PM proposing to address these issues?

How about making it compulsory for all procurements above RM100,000 to be based on open and transparent tender process? Or reforming the whole government processes as well where we don't end up buying computers for tens of thousands each or screwdrivers for hundreds of ringgit each.

Ferdtan: Well, the announcement of the government austerity drive has come a bit late while most of the price increases by the authorities had been implemented. The bad feeling from the public would not be too bad; if in the first place, the government had taken the lead to start to cut their own costs to lead by example that they are also tightening their belts too.

Now only when the protests are imminent (the one on the New Year’s Eve) that they grudgingly are now taking steps to announce the reduction of government expenses. That even falls short of what we had expected from the government.

A five and 10 percentage cut here and there on electricity and entertainment allowances respectively are not enough. The rest of the measures are only undertakings; they were not quantifiable.

From Jan 1, 2014, the new electricity tariff will start the ball-rolling for traders to increase their price. My bowl of meatball noodle has been put on notice to increase from RM4.50 to RM5 effective after New Year.

So fellow Malaysians, for this coming 2014 don’t bother to wish our friends the usual wishes of a “Happy New Year.” It is like adding salt to their woe by rubbing it in. What’s so happy about this new year with all these price increases?

Call Me Jibby: PM should remove the privilege of certain individuals to travel on private jet and first class.

All should fly economy, and with security checks and screening before boarding, we do not need to worry about our VVIP's safety.

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