WHAT CHEEK! Najib claims public responded POSITIVELY to his 11 cost-cutting measures

There’s no two way about it. Either Prime Minister Najib Razak isn’t reading the comments on his Facebook or he is totally disconnected with the people judging from his Facebook posting claiming the people have reacted positively towards his 11 cost-cutting measures to cut public sector expenditure.

“Alhamdulillah, the government cost-cutting measures announced by me last Monday have received good feedback from the people.

The measures announced are just the starting point for others that will be implemented based on needs and situations,” Najib wrote in his Facebook despite the numerous media reports carrying negative reactions from netizen.

For example, social activist and daughter to former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Marina Mahathir described the 11 cost-cutting measures announced by Najib as ‘superficial’ and the leaders felt no pain from those cuts.

“It’s unlike ordinary citizens who are really feeling the pain,” she said, adding that a five percent cut in salary would be sufficient for a good gesture of solidarity.

Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli was also irked by the various measures introduced by Najib, saying it was a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction from the government after realising the disgruntlement from the ground had swell.

Rafizi had called on Najib to make deeper savings by cancelling all lopsided agreements and government policies which burden the people.

When announcing the initiatives to trim public sector expenditure, Najib had stopped short of giving a figure how much money could be saved from the 11 cost-cutting measures, that included a 5 to 10 percent cut on entertainment allowances for top government officials, 5 percent reduction on government buildings, cut in claimable toll facility for top government servants and changes to the eligibility of civil servants for domestic and international flight tickets.

Realising the gap, PAS vice president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had urged Najib to reveal the total savings that could be achieved to measure the success of his budget trimming exercise.

“How long does it take to reach the target? If fails, what is the appropriate action to be taken against the Prime Minister?” he added. - Harakahdaily