A damp squib but hope still floats
Middle-income Malaysians await better results while remaining faithful.
THEY got their wish when the Pakatan Harapan government quickly zero-rated the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and they have enjoyed the benefits.
But 100 days on, Rina Muzni and her family are bracing for the return of the Sales and Service Tax (SST) and waiting to see how it would impact their living expenses.
Rina, 40, is a Kuala Lumpur-based trader and a mother of four children aged between eight and 17 who considers herself a middle income bracket earner.
She says the impact from the zero-rated GST was immediate.
“We can save up to RM500 a month when buying groceries and other essential goods,” she says.
The same relief was felt by middle income families in other parts of the country.
Sales executive Joanne Pun Yin, 30, living in Kota Kinabalu, says her main expectation of the new government was to see GST abolished.
“When it was zero-rated, I immediately could see the difference and was glad that things were more affordable,” she says.
Security officer S. Surej, 45, who lives in Johor Baru, however, has a different view.
“When they abolished GST, people assumed that prices of goods would be cheaper but they still remained the same. Instead, the prices of certain goods, especially food items, saw a hike,” says the father of three children aged between three to seven.
Where SST is concerned, Joanne and Rina have different expectations.
“After it was announced SST would soon be implemented, I noticed that prices of some items started going up,” says Joanne, and with it, her hope of a cheaper cost of living was dashed.
“Honestly, for us middle income earners, we can’t really see the effect of the new policies and changes yet, especially in terms of economy,” adds the mother of a one-yearold child.
Rina remains hopeful that even with the implementation of the SST in September, the new government would do better than its predecessor in keeping costs down.
Similarly, sales executive Mellisa Lee, 30, a mother of two also living in Kota Kinabalu, was happy to some prices of goods and services being reduced.
If prices have not gone down for some goods, she blames it on selfish business operators.
What matters more to her is the sense of unity GE14 brought because it showed democracy was “real” and the rakyat could make the ultimate decision on the government they wanted.
To Lee, it means a government that listens to the people and protects their interests. High on her list of expectations are positive changes in the education system and the stemming of the inflow of illegal immigrants in her state.
She has no issues with the appointment of Dr Maszlee Malik as the new Education Minister but has yet to see anything concrete in terms of changes.
She hopes Dr Maszlee would emulate educational policies in developed countries like Finland and Switzerland to replace the present system which forces schoolchildren to memorise and study many things that do not help them in real life or building a career.
This view is echoed by father of a five-year-old Sheikh Abdul Rahman Zainal Abidin, 30, who lives in George Town.
“The current change of preference from white to black school shoes is applauded by parents no doubt, but it does not change the fact that our education system is not on par with international standards,” says the front desk manager at a hotel.
Also in Johor Baru, programme producer A. Madhavan, 50, who has five children, feels the Education Ministry should give adequate space and time for parents to adjust, even if it’s a ruling on switching white shoes to black shoes.
“The ministry might have consulted various stakeholders before mak- ing a decision but anything involving children’s education must be given a proper timeline to implement,” says Madhavan, who gives the new administration a “seven out of 10” rating.
Mother of three Melissa Chu, 36, who lives in Kuala Terengganu, says it is too soon to notice any changes under the Pakatan government but points out it may be slower in her state which is under PAS rule.
“But I do expect goods to be more affordable even when the SST is re-introduced. At least, that’s how I understand the situation will be,” she says.
Her husband works on offshore oil rigs and she supplements the family income as a manicurist.
What has won her approval is the Pakatan government’s move to fulfil its manifesto pledge of providing a pension scheme for housewives.
“I really like this proposal as there are many uncertainties in life and you never know when your luck suddenly changes. At least there is something to fall back on,” she says.
Rina says her husband, a businessman, finds dealing with the government has changed.
“It is no longer about bribing or using connections to get ahead. Under this new government, businesses have to operate openly and they must compete based on performance and not cronyism.”
The view is echoed by Joanne who believes “our new government is so much better by being more transparent and fighting corruption.”
So while middle income Malaysians believe Pakatan has kept its promise on GST, they also see progress in the 100 days where government transparency and accountability are concerned.
Rina gives her thumbs up for the new Cabinet which has young leaders which is very inspiring to her children.
Sheikh Abdul Rahman is more critical and believes that the rule of law still favours the ruling party and that threats to traditional power structures are unwelcomed by both Barisan and Pakatan.
He says both coalitions have taken punitive actions against those who were not on their side.
Sheikh Abdul Rahman observed this during the Barisan rule when sudden dismissals of prominent political and corporate figures were done seemingly on a whim and now with Pakatan rule which has seen a slew of actions being taken against former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and people in his government.
He says that while he supports certain draconian laws, the new administration must ensure such laws are implemented fairly.
“At the same time, the rakyat is responsible holding the administration accountable for unpopular policies. He gives the Pakatan Government 5.5 out of 10 for its performance so far. However, he acknowledges “Just because one could openly speak of their affiliations does not necessitate one to do so,” said Sheikh, giving the Pakatan government a 5.5 rating out of 10.
He said the ruling party has yet to surpass the expectations of the rakyat in the first 100 days, however time is the determining factor.
Madhavan also has high expectations and feels that the Government should be able to do more and focus on other pressing matters.
Meanwhile, Surej is more forgiving, saying that Pakatan is still new in their role as the Government therefore they need more time to yield results that could satisfy the rakyat.