Ten cents here.. twenty cents more there.. very soon, your MYR$1 can't buy sh*t anymore.. just like people don't pick up 50 cent coins on the road nowadays..
Again, the government "sneakily" raised the price of the petroleum a couple of nights ago.. but I think the citizens are kinda "immune" to all these.. unlike the undergrads in UK who protested against the 300% hike in their tuition, we Msians are taking in (way too) calmly.. because the government is slowly increasing the heat of the water we are in.. a few percents here, a couple more there, we won't notice until it is too late... by the time we finally realized that we are in hot water, we are dead meat already!
And did you notice that there are more news about people being charged for corruptions?? Did you notice that the amount are ridiculously small?? Like a couple of thousands or tens of thousands?? And did you see the faces of those who are found guilty?? They are smiling at the camera!!! It is like they are putting up a show to the public - "See! We do punish people who take bribes or are corrupted!".
Frankly, all these remind me of those HK triad movies.. in which triad bosses would always have people to take the fall (aka get caught, found guilty and sent to jail) so that the bosses can be scot-free and continue to do whatever illegal businesses they are in. These fall guys will be taken care of, they or their family will be given a huge token sum as the "compensation" for taking the fall.. How would we know that those fella who were found guilty by our courts aren't fall guys? They could be paid (by their "bosses") many times more than the amount that they actually took to take the fall so that their "bosses" may look good/credible to the public.
So again, like I have said before, the country is going to the dogs.. this government is fattening its own personal coffers by bankrupting the country.. and they couldn't care less if the people are suffering.. all they need to do is to throw some money around when election comes and all will be theirs for the taking again.. They like to launch big projects that never materialize or failed to reach its initial purposes. They like to give speeches that are just "shiok sendiri" (translated as doing something entirely for one's own enjoyment and pleasure) with nothing to back them up. When (bad) things happen, they will feign emotions, give all sorts of excuses, blame everyone (but themselves) and threaten actions that are never taken. This is all a show that is getting old and boring.
A recent report stated that Singapore's 2010 GDP is forecast to reach 15%!! And the Bolehland? Maybe 5 or 6 percent.. of course, all is not rosy in the Lion City with the middle classes and the poor suffering from the mass "importing" of "foreign talents".. Yet I have more confidence in their government than ours when it comes to getting the country ahead in the global market and in taking care of its citizens.
However, I must admit that life in the Lion City isn't a walk in the park, it is way too pressurizing and competitive to actually have any quality of life, unless one is top earners of the society. Companies there prefer to employ foreigners than local because they are cheaper (without the need to pay them CPF which amounted to 15% of the employee's gross salary) and more willing to work extra. The only way to get a job there (and anywhere in the world for that matter) is to ask for the lowest pay, work the longest hours, stay in the smallest house and eat/use the cheapest! For those who are interested in finding out the harsh reality of living in the Lion City, check out this site.
So it is a tug-of-war between two "evils".. to stay in a country where the government treats you like a 2nd or 3rd class citizen, corrupts and misuses public funds, where rules and laws are not upheld but you are able to live cheaply and enjoy work-life balance if you choose to? or to move to a country where its government fulfills its duty to its people (a bit too well), where everything is transparent and clean, and you feel safe but you have to work like a dog to pay all the bills and will never be able to take things easy?
Maybe it is time to seek out a third option...
*"naik lagi" means raise again in Malay.
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