PSM sends memo on 12MP deficiencies to Tok Pa

 

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) has sent a memorandum to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Economy) Mustapa Mohamed on feedback and criticisms regarding the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) passed in the Dewan Rakyat earlier this month.

The memorandum sought to provide feedback for further improvement on six important issues tabled in the plan.

"We, from PSM, have been involved in urban and rural B40 community issues for more than three decades, feel that there is a lack in the 12MP for addressing the problems of the working class and marhaen (common people)," the party said in a statement today.

The memorandum was delivered by PSM chairperson Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj and was received by Mustapa's private secretary Mohamed Irwan Mansor this morning at the Prime Minister's Office complex.

The document highlighted several issues in the 12MP including compensation of employees; affordable housing; health budget; and climate change.

Previously, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that as part of the 12MP, the compensation of employees was targeted to contribute 40 percent of the national gross domestic product instead of 37.2 percent listed in the previous plan.

Limitations faced by B40

According to PSM, 12MP failed to address income insufficiency among employees in the B40 community.

"The salary increase of chief executive officers (CEOs), senior managers, accountants and lawyers in large companies can increase (overall) employee compensation without bringing any benefit to employees in the B40 and M40 (groups).

"We need to determine and monitor employee compensation for every decile of employees in Malaysia if we want to improve the quality of life of the ordinary workers," the memorandum said.

PSM added that the plan also failed to take into account the limitations faced by the B40 community.

A decile is the distribution of a population divided into 10 equal groups, based on household income levels.

Regarding the term "affordable housing" used in the plan, PSM said that the government failed to consider each decile's willingness and capability to spend on housing.

"It is listed (in the 12MP) that houses under RM300,000 are 'affordable'.

"The question is, is it affordable for a family in the first decile (less than RM3,000 monthly household income)?

"A loan of RM300,000 with a payment period of 30 years requires a monthly payment of RM2,100 per month," it said.

PSM pointed out that 50 percent of families in Malaysia earn less than RM 4,850 per month.

"Are they willing to pay RM 2,100 as a bank loan payment every month? Of course not," PSM said.

The party said that only households with a monthly income of over RM7,100 could afford a house costing RM300,000.

Fact-based environmental strategies

It said that the government's stance on the healthcare industry being a financial burden that needs to be reduced was unacceptable due to the wage suppression faced in Malaysia, especially for workers and farmers.

PSM also sought clarification on the methods used to calculate the statistics listed in 12MP on 29.4 percent reduction in the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions, 30.9 percent rate of household waste recycling, Malaysia's land surface area covered by forests and the number of trees planted between 2015 and 2020.

"If we want to address the threat of global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions, we need to devise effective and fact-based strategies.

"Countries should refrain from reporting elements of 'greenwashing' that contain untrue figures," it said.

PSM recommended that a technical committee be established with the involvement of academicians and environmental NGOs to monitor greenhouse gas emissions in each sector to the actual figures.

"We need valid data to address climate change effectively," it said. - Mkini