All the voters want is good governance and accountability

ELECTIONS are just around the corner and political rhetoric is the order of the day. Targeted election manifestos are expounded. Achievements related to GDP, national debt to GDP, budget deficit and inflation figures coupled with analyses by global ratings agencies are disseminated on a regular basis. These reflect our achievements on the economic front.

Politicians, depending on which side of the political divide they fall, in pursuit of their agendas tend to look at these achievements in the prism of negativity and short-sightedness.

Nonetheless, certain facts cannot be deliberately ignored or glossed over. Government sources of revenue have to be diversified and having a wider tax base is basic economic sense. After many years of deferment, the Good and Services Tax (GST) was introduced.

It must be borne in mind that preceding Malaysia, over 160 coun- tries had implemented this tax. Surely all these countries are not fools. They also experienced the consequent increase in prices and cost of living indices.

Oil prices fell sharply in 2016, affecting the revenues of the Government. It is an indisputable fact that the GST helped immeasurably to address this shortfall. Without it, the nation would have to borrow, hence increasing its debt burden and interest servicing.

Ultimately, the country’s rating is affected and status as an investment destination is compromised.

It is in this context that it is thoughtless and self-serving when a senior politician parodies the GST, more so among kindergarten children. The supporting cast of imbeciles who penned the lyrics and synchronised the tune to make it a song-and-dance affair ridiculing this issue is reflective of how stupid certain elements of our society have become.

It reflects that not only do the adults involved not understand economic issues but they have also descended to a level where they inculcate animosity among the younger generation towards specific parties. This kind of foolhardy and wanton practice must not be tolerated. It compromises both ethics and integrity.

But that being said, one must not be blinded to the reasons behind the negativity espoused by certain quarters who are not politically inclined and are objective in thinking. GST receipts flowed into the government coffers and tallied up to RM44bil. Putting things in perspective, oil prices have been on an upward trend and have stabilised at higher levels. This is a double whammy for the Government – higher revenue from two sources, oil as well as GST. The issue is whether it will be targeted at those who need it the most.

The issue is not about who is eat- ing quinoa or whether our level of obesity is reflective of us being well fed. These are nonsensical. Of greater concern are corruption and leakages in government expenditure on initiatives to improve the well-being of the citizenry.

Many were disappointed with Malaysia’s drop in ranking in the 2017 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) recently. We descended seven places to 62nd in the overall ranking of 180 countries.

As a perception index, it reflects what persons perceive, notwithstanding the many efforts undertaken by the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC). The perception is that in Malaysia, anything can be “fixed” – and there is no shortage of “fixers” in the country holding honorific titles and mingling with the political elite.

This is shameful, especially in a recent episode where photographs showing a person recently interrogated by the MACC on a “fixing” scandal being shown with political personalities on both sides of the divide. The case has not been proven but it definitely raises eyebrows and affects perception levels whatever the outcome.

The recent quote by the deputy chief commissioner of the MACC that there may be a leakage of up to 40% in a certain allocation doesn’t help. Therein lies the crux of the problem. It is not the GST or its quantum but the foolhardiness of a small segment of the civil service manned by officers who lack accountability, ethics and integrity.

Going forward, politicians should stop insane theatrics and focus on the job at hand. Such immaturity only falls into the hands of the misguided lot behind #UndiRosak! All the voters want is good governance and accountability.