To say that Malaysians and the government are obsessed with numbers would be an understatement. Almost daily, figures are churned out – some bordering on the obvious and the others bordering on absurdity.
But for a moment, let’s put aside the government numbers. And this commentary is certainly not meant to distract the reader from the real issues.
These are figures that may not matter to many but have been put on paper and recorded for posterity. Collated from news reports, they make interesting reading, Not all of them can be classified as dubious or lack of righteousness. On the contrary, they provide the contrasts as we carry out our daily lives during the pandemic.
Some of them speak highly of “achievements” by individuals, bodies corporate and government agencies while a few show the existence of different standards for different classes of people.
By the way, this not exactly a number-crunching exercise or rocket science, but some figures that may put some issues in the proper perspective.
1/10 – Malaysia’s psychiatrist-to-patient is only a tenth of the one per 10,000 recommended by the World Health Organisation. (The total number of psychiatrists in Malaysia is 400 people, with 181 in universities and in private practice)
2 – the number of times Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa was penalised for breaching the movement control order (MCO).
5 – the number of days allotted for the sitting of Parliament.
6 – the age of former cabinet minister Nazri Abdul Aziz’s son who is attending a Montessori in France.
9 – the number of days taken to fell 15,000 durian trees by the Pahang Forestry Department in a forest reserve in Raub.
9 – the percentage drop in mean monthly salaries and wages of Malaysians in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the Department of Statistics.
12 – number of deaths in police custody this year.
12 – the number of years Najib Abdul Razak has been ordered to serve after being found guilty of misappropriation and abuse of power.
30 – the percentage of shops in malls which have been closed over the past 16 months, which resulted in some 300,000 job losses.
35 – the cost in millions of ringgit to build three community halls in the Pagoh parliamentary constituency – RM13 million for the one in Tangkak and two in Muar that cost a total of RM22.4 million.
39 – the number of government officials arrested by the MACC last month.
47 – the number of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering charges faced by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
70 – the number of ministers and deputy ministers in the XXL cabinet formed after the backdoor government took office in March last year.
70 – the value in millions of ringgit the amount spent to develop an App for the smooth implementation of the vaccination programme.
93 – the number of police reports made by the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) against HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad CEO Stuart Milne for his decision to retrench the bank workers.
120 – the cost of a Ralph Lauren face mask used by one of our ministers.
204 – the number of staff members of the Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) in Shah Alam who were tested positive for Covid19 recently.
361 – the number of police roadblocks nationwide to enforce the MCO.
468 – the number of suicide cases between January and May this year while 631 suicide cases were recorded last year.
500 – the number of countries whose leaders purportedly listened to an address by the Malaysian Health Minister after he was asked about the steps taken to end the pandemic.
644 – the number of pages in the “Trafficking in Persons Report” on Malaysia by the US State Department.
789 – the number of contract doctors who have been given permanent positions in the country's public healthcare system.
853 – the number of people who collected provisions in four hours from the Food Bank set up by Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh before she was forced to close the operations.
1,000 – the number of police reports lodged since 2011 by Abdul Rani Kulup, the head of the right-wing Malay group, Martabat Jalinan Muhibbah Malaysia (MJMM).
2,000 – the amount in ringgit in compound fine imposed on Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa for flouting the MCO for a second time.
3,621 – the starting salary in ringgit for doctors in government service.
23,077 – the number of contract doctors in government service.
50,000 – the amount in ringgit imposed as compound fine on a burger seller because he was operating beyond the set time limit in front of his own house
152,840,93 – the combined monthly salaries of the health minister and his two deputies in ringgit.
82 billion – the amount in ringgit of investments purportedly brought in by Commodities Minister Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali. (Baling MP Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim made such an assertion in Parliament) - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is fascinated by the numbers provided by the government and the favourable comparisons they make to allay fears of the public. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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