Suggestion for a better Malaysia

21st December Malaysiaparty 's [NOW] News of Week
(picked from letter section at Malaysiakini.com) : http://malaysiakini.com/letters/94781

Things not looking all that bright for 2020
Arunasalam P Dec 12, 08 4:27pm

In a short period of twelve years from now, the world would witness the birth of 2020. This popular year is earmarked to project Malaysia as a developed nation. From schools to universities and homes to workplaces, Malaysians have been encouraged to work towards achieving a developed nation status which is spearheaded by the national vision called Vision 2020.

While former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched this campaign in the 1980s, I have always asked this simple question over the past two decades - What would Malaysia be like in the year 2020? In a short period of twelve remaining years, what would our beloved nation be like?

Will it be a shining model and example of a newly-developed and industrialised nation?

Would people live in a better economic, social and political environment?

Would we identify ourselves as Malaysian rather as Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans etc?

Would Malaysia be racially integrated rather remaining polarised as we have witnessed over the past 50 years?

Would the income gap between the rich and poor narrow or widen?

Would there be greater freedom of speech, worship, association and assembly which are fundamentally important for a developed country?

Would the state provide better social and welfare protection for those in need irrespective of race, religion, colour and creed?
The list of questions can grow longer and longer given the current situation and future projection.

In order to answer some of these pressing questions, we need to examine the present and past situation in Malaysia and project the future. I can safely predict that we would remain as racially and religiously divided and polarised as we are today. The income disparity between the rich and poor would grow wider.

There would be more infrastructure development but less emphasis on social development and that would mean that we would have first-class infrastructure and Third World wages. There would also be more restriction on some of the fundamental rights and freedom that are enshrined in our constitution.

In a nutshell, Malaysia may rank lower and poorer then some of our neighbors in terms of socio -economic development.

A simple computation on wages paid to ordinary factory workers now would indicate what these workers would earn in 2020. A factory worker at present earns an average starting wage of RM600 per month and if he or she receives 6% compounding annual increase, would earn RM1138 in 2020.

Only a meagre sum that can’t even provide for basic needs even today. As most Malaysians are wage-earners, their income would not be sufficient to meet the cost of living in a ‘developed country’ if at all we achieve that status in 2020.

A graduate with a degree starts with RM1,500 – RM2,000 per month and by 2020 his or her salary would be about RM2,500 – RM3,500 per month. Our educated community would have to struggle to make ends meet. Even at present, we often hear of some taking on more than one job or ‘moonshining’ to make ends meet, what more in 2020.

As a result of such inadequacies, there would be social and political unrest. Due to this, would the government of the day (2020) suppress and oppress the people?

If those in power are concerned about the future of our beloved nation, they should quickly carry out serious social engineering and start improving the livelihood of the working and farming communities. Malaysian workers should earn decent real wages and not subsistence-based wages.

They should enjoy permanent and regular employment and not irregular or precarious (contract, temporary or casual) employment. Migrant workers should not be brought in to suppress increase in wages in the name of market and cost competition.

While concentrating on infrastructure development, the government should not neglect the social, economic and welfare development of the rakyat. This does not mean creating a system of dependency as is the present case. The government should empower the people fairly irrespective of race or religion so that they become a productive and enterprising force.

When I met Mahathir in 1987, I told him that a developed nation does not only mean one with infrastructure development but one also with social and intellectual development. It also means racial integration and not division.

I hope that I am wrong in my above prediction but what can I say given the prevailing situation in beautiful Malaysia. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and watch what unfolds in 2020.
(above picked from http://malaysiakini.com/letters/94781)