Is it time to hate Treasury secretary-general Irwan Serigar Abdullah for expounding the theory that there are no reasons for Malaysians to be poor, economist Shankaran Nambiar asked.

He said Irwan had given an important message when he suggested that the way out of poverty is through the night markets.

"At its core, in one interpretation, is the following unspoken text. Do not depend on the government; you cannot continue to depend on the government; you have to take responsibility for your wellbeing," said Shankaran, a senior fellow at the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research...