YOURSAY | Beware of Greeks bearing gifts

 

YOURSAY | ‘They could very well be playing a trick.’

PN offers higher water subsidy, civil servant bonus for Selangor

Apa pun boleh: Perikatan Nasional must be desperate to be reduced to this level to promise heaven and earth to take over Selangor. PN couldn't care about the consequences that would kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

There may be abuses on such a grand scale merely for political expediency that would also lead to racial and religious zealots taking control over Selangor, which would sink the state politically and financially, destabilising and losing its identity as Pakatan Harapan's ‘Jewel in the Crown’.

True to form, PN seems to have cherry-picked handouts for its targeted voters. Any guesses who they are, not to mention the kind of discrimination that is likely to come with it?

Selangorians must understand there are no free lunches. Nothing comes free. So, from where is the revenue for all these freebies to come from? Of course, it must come from Selangorians, mainly through increased taxes.

Who are those that pay the most taxes? Small and medium enterprises? Wholesalers? Retailers? Households? Local councils’ enforced taxes? Will it be applied fairly among those that are likely to benefit most?

Those who promise heaven are least concerned about its consequences. Has PN worked out the cause and effect of this largess? All this comes at a price. It is a double-edged sword. Invariably, it would lead to a raise in taxes and living costs and the biggest victims will be those in the lower section of society - those in the B40s (bottom 40 percent) and M40s (middle 40 percent).

Let Selangorians not be led up the garden path. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts - do not trust enemies who bring you presents - they could very well be playing a trick.

Kalu: There will be some of those, reading such offers, wandering as to whether some of our political elites have become fiddlers on the roof while the nation is in difficult socioeconomic circumstances. And not to overlook the increasing local incidents of what might be alluded to as political warlords suing and countersuing in a flurry of litigations.

Where is all the courage and money coming from, one is left wandering. Especially, in a cultural setting not more than a few hundred years in the making where gotong royong was a common community practice for community wellbeing.

Something is not in conformity with good values for the commonality of interests and equitable development of wealth.

One is left saddened that there must have been a local grand priest or socioeconomic prophet who has messed up badly the social psychology of a developing nation that once had so much promise. “Cry my beloved country” some are silently uttering.

StevenOng: The people continue to be deceived by dishonest politicians. All because of their biased mentality that forms from selfishness. Most are always thinking about self-gain and benefits. They are not thinking with sound reasoning because of a selfish mentality.

Malaysia is heading for self-inflicted suffering for a long time to come. We should ask, where the subsidies and bonuses in all the promises by the politicians are coming from?

Harapan and DAP are not countering these claims by PN because they too are busy deceiving the people with their promises of cheaper electricity and Wi-Fi or tolls.

Malaysians and voters should wake up and not focus on self-interest like them. Believing them will only make all live in a poor country and difficult lives. All the money is our hard-earned money in the tax coffer.

It is so easy to give and promise this and that because it’s not their hard-earned money but the people's money meant for developing the country, better education, and roads. The best is an excellent education and the second is more good roads and good connections around the country.

MalaysiaTulin: In the next few days, they will promise more - perhaps even an electric vehicle to all Selangor residents. Well, when desperate - the offers go high. The question is whether this will lead to the sustainability of the state government coffers or will it be ‘sapu duit kerajaan sampai habis’ (wipe the government’s coffers clean)?

What Selangor needs is good roads, industrial zones with ample job opportunities, village and kampung upgrades, affordable housing for the lower income group, and maintenance of existing public housing schemes.

Selangor needs educational and training opportunities for youths - in technical colleges and start-up funds for the young technical graduates - to small micro-level technical/electrical/electronic workshops for new products, as a supporting industry to big players.

GanMu: PN has no track record to show what it can do. During Muhyiddin Yassin’s premiership, we never saw such goodies offered. Mere promises were to be broken later.

Our memory is not short, we have still not forgotten what Muhyiddin and Bersatu deputy president Azmin Ali did with the Sheraton Move (a coup that ended Harapan’s 22-month rule in Putrajaya).

The wounds may have healed, but the scars remain - to remind us to be cautious in our moves and never to trust a traitor. Selangor government under caretaker menteri besar Amirudin Shari has done so much for Selangorians.

So, no thanks Muhyiddin, PN, and PAS. We are very happy with Amirudin. - Mkini