SCRIBBLING A LITTLE SOMETHING: Must change lifestyle

Change! Change! Change! Wow, this is going to be my third topic on changes in less then 2 weeks! Even my sis did article on this called "The "New" Hannover Re". Isn't it bizarre(said with the effect of x-files)!

Ok, enough with that! Lets get serious. The topic of my discussion today is of course "change" and has some links with my previous topic "Cutback! ". Couple of days ago, i came across this article written by Mohsin Abdullah on (Must Change Lifestyle). The article is simply superb! He actually penned down what been bugging on every Malaysian 's mind. Ok not all, most Malaysians. The best part of the whole article is the naive remarks from the daughter as quoted below:

“But dad, that’s what’s we been doing all this while. Mum goes to the market and buy the cheapest goods possible. We eat low-grade rice. We don’t watch TV or play computer much. Our house don’t have air con. We don’t use electricity much. We seldom eat out and it’s been years since we go for holidays. We have never been overseas. And we drive a Kancil. Isn’t that small enough already? So what’s there to change?" she asked.

Government has urge the rakyat to save and spend less. But isn’t that what we have been practising for the past 11 years ever since the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis breakdown. Even though the fact and figure show improvement in our financial state but the facts is, we are merely surviving. Ask the middle class rakyat, they tell the story behind their sufferings and survival.

Let say, hypothetically, an educated middle class man earns about RM3,500 per month. His income will be roughly spend as stated below:

RM750 for rental or housing loan
RM500 of car
RM500 for toll/petrol,
RM400 for insurance and other payment
RM300 for phone, electricity, water and astro bill
RM300 for study loan
RM300 to eat

RM 200 credit card
RM250 groceries

The question now is, how will he survive when he get married to homemaker and has 3 kids? Something to ponder right? This is how some fellow Malaysian been surviving.

Firstly, despite having less money, the government has urged the rakyat to spend to improve our economy. Hence, started with the mega sales 3 times a year urging people to spend more. Nevertheless, the motion seems silly when there isn’t any money left to spend? Even if we choose to shop, the only items on sale are merely t-shirt, jeans (and its not even branded) and funny looking flat sandals from Thailand/China. Unless, the government changes the current policy of allowing the civil servant to wear jeans, T and sandals on Friday, I don’t see a point of buying one when either you get free or buy while you go for holiday!

Secondly, many claims that people today are spending lavishly on food. But are we? Those days, we can easily buy roti chanai and tea in less then RM1.00 or small packet of peanuts for RM0.50 or water for RM0.10/free. Nevertheless, today one full set Indian meal with drinks can easily goes up to RM15 per head. And above that, all items that are given as courtesy such as peanuts and papadum and water being charged. Hence, the rakyat today have opt for something yummier and cheaper like western food such as McD’s and Pizza hut which will cost lesser. For example, 6 set of large pizza, 4 set of cola and side dishes cost about RM150 at domino's or rice dhall and 2 lousy vege and chicken curry for RM150 for 10 people! So which one will you prefer?

Of course some of you might suggest to stay in the house and eat. But my friend, cooking at home is not cheap as all Malaysian made products are expensive. The prices of chicken, mutton fruits and even vegetables has raised up though they are produced locally. It seems the vege's and fruits that come from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and china are a lot cheaper then what produced locally. Not only that, all locally manufactured food are expensive and low in quality. Many of the products today taste awful because they are not genuine. The skimmed milk taste like oil, butter taste like nothing, the flour (when made to kuih) taste and feel like bubble gum, the rice are fat, sticky and tasteless, the oil are reused oil, the bread smells more of yeast and above all even the Maggie sucks despite the whole lots of MSG in it. May be, even the MSG is not genuine today and need be flavored up. Sigh! Above that, the essential imported food such as onion, various dhals, nuts and spices are also highly priced. So with the increase in electricity and gas, the only other option we have is to go back to basic, "rice, ketchup and ulam/ hot chilies".

As for leisure, many Malaysian despite having less money in their pockets, opt to go for holiday and spend quality time with family. With our friend Dato’ Tony (CEO of Air Asia) and his cheap flight, now everyone can fly abroad. But it doesn’t mean that flying abroad indicates that cost of living has improved. It simply means we Malaysian has finally learn to survive and make smart decision. Most of the time the flight booked are cheaper then the fuel and toll when travel by road. Many times lodging, food and tour abroad are cheaper compare to Malaysia. Many believes that to spend RM1,000-RM2,000 going to Sabah, Sarawak, Langkawi etc, they opt to go to Thailand or Indonesia to shop, where things are way cheaper then Malaysia!

So to say that we are not affected by the economically down turn is not true. We are merely surviving. The most effected of all are the middle incomers especially the lower middle income which have just enough money, but are exposed to the materialistic world and have little to spend. The poor wouldn’t realize and the rich wouldn’t mind with price hike, but the middle incomers will suffer.

So what happens when what we earn is not enough specially with the price hike? The educated family man of RM3,500 pay will soon have 3 to 4 set of credit card to spend on groceries and eating out, don’t pay 2-3 months rent, cut on the insurances, frequently go for open house or party for free food and at times open nasi lemak stall at housing area. And when even that fails, need be afraid as we have our mighty big brother “ALONG” to loan us money.

So how to stop this nonsense? Its all depend on the decision makers. The first intelligent step would be by cutting away road taxes, tolls and all subsidies crap. Why impose on subsidy when others are getting benefit out of it. Almost half of residents in Malaysia are foreigner. So the only way to stop this is to have ration card as impose in India. It’s a redeemable paper coupons where every family will be issued a set number of each kind of stamp based on the size of the family, ages of children and income to get essential items such as “ rice, wheat, sugar, edible oils and other non food products such as kerosene, coal, standard cloth at below market prices to consumers. Or even practice fuel ration cards imposed in Germany.

So mean while waiting for that to happen, this is what can be done: