1Malaysia, People First?

1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now. How nice, but wait. What do 1Malaysia government mean by people first?

If 1Malaysia is truly People First, why is it that the 2009/2010 Budget is looking to introduce new taxes some with fancy names to tax more people and to tax people more? GST, RPGT, and Credit Card Tax are the prime example of a 1Malaysia government way of taking care of the people: By taxing more people with more taxes. To widen the government tax base, said the 1Malaysia government. What does that mean?

Let see, before GST, short for Goods and Service Tax, only 1.4 million of the 26 millions of Malaysians have to pay tax. With GST, a baby just out of the womb of its mother will have to pay tax. The moment the mother buy diapers for the baby, the baby is taxed. So, is this people first?

Before Credit Card tax, small business owners and many income earners rely on the Credit Card to pay bills, outstanding payments, and even salary. It's one of the most convenient micro-credit services available from Malaysia Financial Institutions for the people. Now this service has become taxable. Out of nowhere, suddenly there is extra taxes ordinary people on the street have to pay. So, this is how people is becoming first according to 1Malaysia budget.

RPGT short for Real Property Gain Tax, it is not enough that the people have to service a life long loan just to own a roof over their heads, now this has become taxable, adding more burdens to the people. On average, we pay installment of 20 years for a house, after 20 years finish paying the mortgage, when we want to sell the house, we have to pay tax. The cost of the house might be RM200K when we buy it, but after counting in the interests of the house it might have gone up to RM400K, and when we sell it for RM400K, the government is going to tax us for RM200K profit, conveniently forgotten that the RM200K is not profit at all, they are cost incurred by the interests we service in the long 20 years loan. So, this is what 1Malaysia people first mean: tax them of their houses.

NAP, short for National Automotive Policy, a policy that allow the continuation of AP until 2015. What guarantee that the 1Malaysia government would not extend the life of AP in 2015? From the track records of 1Malaysia government, APs of NAP will most likely be continued way beyond 2015, while people have to pay more for cars. With NAP, the people have to pay double of what our Neighbor up north (Thailand) to own the same type of cars. The people have to take up to 9 years loan to own a car now. So, this is how a 1Malaysia government taking care of the people. By making the people to pay double to buy a car and to have to pay life long loans to own a car. Great!

So, we are too poor or too old to own a new car, never mind we still have our old trusty car to use. Wait! 1Malaysia government Budget say we have to have our old cars inspected annually or else, the road tax will not be renewed. So, we will have to cramp through the ever crowded and slow PUSPAKOM inspection before we could renew the road tax of our old cars. That is still not enough, 1Malaysia wants to stop importing second hand car parts to prevent us from repairing our old cars with used parts. It's safer that way, 1Malaysia government said. But wait, how about old cars that can't find new parts? Sorry, we didn't think of that, 1Malaysia government said. So, that's what People first means to 1Malaysia government.

When the Selangor Chief Minister wanted to declassify documents to tell the people what really happens that causes a landslide, costing people to lost homes, money and properties, the 1Malaysia government is threatening to sue the Chief Minister stopping him to tell the people what the people should know. So, this is people first mean, don't let them know the truth according to 1Malaysia. We stop the Chief Minister for National Security, that's what 1Malaysia tells the people. Why is documents detailing a landslide is matter of national security, no one in the 1Malaysia government bothers to tell the people. So, that's how people become first.

1Malaysia government is going to privatize more public services in the future. To cut cost, they said. But wait, 40 over years of privatizations records have shown only 1 trend. Services become worse and become more expensive to the people. So, this is how people first means, by making us pay more for our rubbishes to be collected, making us pay more for water, making us pay more for electricity, making us pay more for using tolled roads, making us pay more for Indah Water to service our Septic Tank, which should have been covered in our water bill in the first place, like in most other country. Well, what could we do? But 1Malaysia is people first.

So, I wonder, if 1Malaysia people first really means people pay first.