Will BN heed Ku Li’s warning?

UMNO’s own Ku Li warns of imminent economic collapse unless we do something drastic today.

COMMENT

By J. D. Lovrenciear

For quite a while Malaysians have been crying out over the uncontrolled, escalating cost of living. When opposition political parties joined the chorus or stood up to champion the rakyat’s misery, the government of the day slammed the politicians for misleading the rakyat and “politicising” the issue.

Now UMNO’s own veteran blue-chip Ku Li has voiced his concerns, warning of an imminent economic collapse if the government of the day continues recklessly with its economic and financial agendas.

The man in the street knows only too well that one cannot have a single decent meal for RM5.00 even at a stall operated by migrant workers. What more take a bus ride or train to and from work daily; put the kids through school and tuition classes; pay for their car and housing loans; re-pay PTPTN loans; and many more.

Amidst talk of a global stock market collapse and given Malaysia’s over-reliance on imported goods – including its staple rice, what will Malaysians do when the tides hit our dinner table?

We seem to be inundated with politically charged dog, cow-head, swine and ‘Allah’ issues. And to cap it all, we do not seem to see an end to sodomy cases either.

Can Malaysians continue to hoodwink ourselves any longer – especially those among us who still fight tooth and nail to keep BN at the helm?

If we side with the opposition’s clarion call for economic reform, we will be branded “ungrateful”. Now that BN’s own team player has sent out a chilling warning, what would we be branded if we joined Ku Li’s call for reform?

Let us talk basics then. What use is there to preach about creating a high income nation when the rakyat eats low income rice?

Just take the ‘imported’ and ‘AAA’ grade Thai fragrant rice sold in our supermarkets. The price is way beyond some local and ‘pre-mixed’ grades. Yet, even that imported rice is far below the premium quality rice that ordinary working-class people in Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar eat.

Do Malaysians know this? They are eating inferior rice compared to their ‘poorer’ neighbouring countries!

Now there’s the RM25.1 billion in 2013 that was remitted by our imported foreign labor. It was only RM10.5 billion in 2009.

We are talking about only the registered foreign workers’ remittance. What about the 1 million or more illegal workers sending money out of Malaysia?

Not only are we reliant on imported food, we are happily letting our money leave the country in exchange for ‘minimum wage’ workers.

No, this must end and it should end sooner rather than later.

If opposition politicians cry out with concern, BN followers say it is politically motivated and that DAP, PAS and PKR are trying to topple the government.

When the rakyat keep crying out silently as they struggle under the yoke of increasing fuel and food costs, we are told not to be lazy and that we are spoilt from being spoon-fed.

Now that Ku Li himself is warning of a total economic collapse what have BN leaders to say? What have the pro-BN followers to say?

When and how can we, Malaysians save ourselves and this blessed nation from this madness?

Or must we now write off even Ku Li?