OPR Naik - Guru Sekolah Menengah, Penjawat Awam Gred 44 Susah Bayar Hutang / Sewa. Rafizi dan Mat Maslan sila baca sekali.

 

• teacher purchased Perodua on nine year loan
• started repaying loan Jan 2020
• monthly car instalment RM485 
• financially "suffocated" due to increase in OPR
• monthly car instalment  changed
• increased  when BNM increased OPR 
• monthly instalments increased to RM545
• most recent instalment RM533

(OSTB : [RM533 - RM485] / RM485 x 100% = 10% inflation  in monthly repayment)

• she and husband affected by increase in loan commitments 
• salary increments meaningless as monthly instalments increased
• also affected by price fluctuation of goods
• car loan burden, previously financially capable

• millions of bank borrowers affected by increase in OPR
• higher monthly payments of household debts
• Grade 44 govt employee only rents house 
• also facing problems due to increase in OPR 
• renting condo in Presint 15 for RM1,350
• June landlord asked extra RM200 rent due to increase in loan payments

My Comments :

Tuan-Tuan, berapai ramai orang dalam negara kita boleh jadi guru sekolah menengah (tentu sekali university graduate) atau boleh menjadi Penjawat Awam Gred 44 (juga university graduate) dengan gaji beribu Ringgit sebulan?

Guru sekolah ke, Penjawat Awam Gred 44 di Putrajaya ke atau kerja biasa-biasa di Sungai Siput di Perak akan terpaksa juga bayar bulanan RM533 untuk kereta Perodua Bezza pinjaman sembilan tahun. 

Tenaga kerja negara hampir 17 Juta manusia (16.7 juta). Hampir 1.7 juta adalah Penjawat Awam dan 1.3 juta lagi bekerja dengan GLC pusat dan negeri. Maksudnya hampir 14 juta lagi bekerja swasta, kerja sendiri, kerja kampong, kerja gig economy (food delivery, messenger boy, peon), kerja tidak menentu dsbnya.

Percayalah majoriti besar bukan Gred 44 atau boleh jadi guru sekolah. 

Tetapi golongan Gred 44, guru sekolah university graduate semua menghadapi kesulitan bayar hutang kepada bank akibat kenaikan OPR (interest rate lah - senang cakap).

Tetapi Mat Maslan kata lagi tinggi OPR maka lagi bagus untuk MENGURANGKAN KOS SARA HIDUP. Demikianlah kepala hotak Mat Maslan IQ 3.85 itu.

Sekarang saya berbahasa Inggeris sikit lah. Lebih laju bagi saya nak taip-menaip dan kongsi pandangan saya.

Why are we following the American Federal Reserve bank's decision to increase their interest rates? We are not America. Our economic situation is not the same as America.

Even the US Fed's decision to increase interest rates is not based on good logic.

The higher than normal inflation in the US is NOT driven by an increase in demand which has exerted pressure on prices (demand driven inflation). There is no such thing in the US. The higher than normal inflation in the USA is not the result of any 'economic cycle'.

Instead the higher than normal inflation in the US is caused by a disruption in the supply chains artificially caused by politics (sanctions against China and Russia) and the war in Ukraine. 

The sanctions have caused food prices and raw materials prices to shoot up all over the world. The war in Ukraine has cut off grain and fertiliser exports from the Ukraine and Russia.  Hence price inflation for food, steel, cement, fertiliser, manufactured products and commodities all over the world. 

Therefore the higher than normal inflation in the US economy now is not caused by a higher demand in the US economy. The American people are not consuming more goods and services. In fact after the pandemic they are actually producing and consuming less goods and services.

Hence the action by the US Federal Reserve Bank to create "demand destruction" by increasing the interest rates is a misplaced strategy. There is no demand to destroy in the first place.  Their demand side is already weak.

What about Malaysia? We are not suffering high inflation rates. At least not according to the DOSM (Department of Statistics Malaysia) which is under Rafizi. The Jabatan Statistik said our inflation is just 3.4% in Feb 2023.

So why do you want to increase the bank interest rates which is making life more difficult for the guru sekolah menengah and the Penjawat Awam Gred 44 (both of whom are most likely university graduates) to pay their car loans and monthly rentals?

What about the pekerja kampong, the food delivery boys, the other 14 million workers in the economy? Can they afford to buy a Perodua Bezza and pay RM533 monthly instalments for NINE years?  

I dont think so.

On what basis did Bank Negara Malaysia raise the OPR? Makcik Bank Negara boleh explain ke?

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT,