Going for broke

> The idea of billions, what more trillions, of ringgit in debts is mind-boggling to many Average Joes

entities.

The balance of this ‘black hole’ relates to lease payments for public-private projects amounting to RM201.4 billion.

The government is obligated to pay for rental, maintenance and other costs on a number of projects, such as the construction of schools, hospitals and roads. Phew!

Just how gigantic is RM1 billion? Let me put forth an example using US$1,000 bills.

Malaysia used to have RM1,000 currency notes until they ceased to be legal tender in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

If I were to stack one million dollars together by using US$1,000 bills, they will add up to four inches, or 10.16cm high. A billion dollars would stack up to 364ft or 110.9 metres high.

What about a trillion dollars? That stack is gonna go up 63 miles or 101km into the sky!

That’s how much one trillion is. Simply put, our debts and liabilities are sky-high!

We were also told about highranking corrupt officials having stashed away lots of money here and there.

One even used a courier to deposit money via automated teller machines to a cumulative sum of RM1 million in a bank in Australia over several months.

Something drastic needs to be done about people who may have put their fingers in the till.

Fraud aside, some officials and executives were reportedly paid to the tune of hundreds of thousands, or even millions of ringgit annually.

I’m not against talented people who can bring in big bucks. But do spare a thought for the people down the line.

Would they have made it if not for the people who slog for long hours at the lower end of the spectrum?

A wider spread of Malaysians deserve more decent incomes, not just a select few!

Jeff Yong, after making his mark in the twisty maze of mainstream journalism, has finally decided to enjoy what he does best – observing the unusual and recounting the gleeful. He can be contacted at lifestyle.borak@ gmail.com.