Do BN ministers live in the ivory towers or cloud-cuckoo land?

With ministers like Mustapa Mohamed and Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, Malaysia need not worry about being in financial decline, as in their eyes everything looks rosy.

First, the Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Minister, Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said last June, that a salary of RM3,000 a month was sufficient if cityfolk cut down on overheads such as Astro and cars.

Last week, it was the turn of the Minister of International Trade and Industry, Mustapa Mohamed who said that a salary of RM3,000 a month was ‘reasonable’ for the Klang Valley.

He instructed his ministry to use the RM3,000 monthly salary, as a bench-mark for high-income jobs. According to Mustapa, the figure was a “good income” for the east coast and East Malaysia.

He told residents of the Klang valley, “You won’t be rich (with RM3,000) but you can survive”.

One cannot help thinking about Marie Antionette and her “Let them eat cake” remark.

Moreover, these ministers might not want to be reminded of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and his greedy wife Leila who had to flee Tunisia for Saudi Arabia after they were turned away from France, their former colonial master. No one shed any tears when they left in a hurry.

Just for the record, Tunisia was a shockingly efficient police state, which was reported to have one police officer for every 40 adults. It also jailed more journalists than any other Arab country. The official unemployment rate is 14 per cent but in reality, is far higher. One in three graduates are estimated to be without jobs. Tunisians struggle to find work and cope with increasing food prices. It was also reported that the ‘First Family’ regularly imported food on a private jet from St. Tropez and fed their pet tiger four chickens and prime cuts of beef everyday.

Mustapa said Malaysia hoped to become a high-income nation with per capita gross national income of US$15,000 by 2020 or about RM45,500 using the exchange rates at the time it was announced in August 2010.

Nevertheless, his suggestion that RM3,000 a month was a “reasonable” high income caused outrage among the public.

Perhaps, Mustapa should have insisted that the various agencies and consultants acting on behalf of the government of Malaysia help quantify the term “high-income” in the Malaysian context.

If he had, he wouldn’t have had to retract this derisory figure of RM3,000 after much embarrassment to himself and his Ministry. Three days after his original speech he has qualified a high income as one that is between RM8,000 – 10,000 per month.

This debacle shows that Mustapa did not do sufficient research.

Or that he has inefficient advisers?

More importantly, it served to illustrate that Mustapa and his Cabinet colleagues are out of touch with the public.

Public transport is practically non-existent that many have to own a car just to get to work or take their children to school. Some ministers smooth their travels by having outriders clear the traffic ahead of them.

A very typical breakdown of expenses for the average two-children family is as follows: Car instalment - RM600; Mortage or house rental - RM500; Food - RM800; Petrol - RM400; School expenses/bus fare/etc - RM300; Utilities - phone, water and electricity - RM200. Grand total: RM2,800

There is not much left for savings and it does not take into account any family emergency or medical bills.

Mustapa forgets that many families also take care of their elderly parents. Moreover, single parent families have an even lower take-home pay.

Perhaps we could invite both Mustapa and Raja Nong Chik, to live on RM3,000 in Kuala Lumpur, as part of an experiment into the expenses of a typical 'two adults and two children' family.

This would be the perfect “Kepimpinan Melalui Teladan.” - Malaysia Chronicle