Every time a Malaysian politician or minister opens his/her mouth, I cringe, and that’s the mildest reaction I usually give. Most of the time, I get annoyed or worse, angry. So when Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Minister, Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin was quoted in a national daily telling people that RM3K a month is manageable for folks living in the city, my reaction was, well, less than pleased.
While he had a point in that people should cut back on overhead costs, he ignored one clear fact – that the cost of living is high for the average working class folk. He has no idea what these people go through because, well, he earns a comfortable salary, has a driver drive him to work (and other places), dines out regularly, lives in a big bungalow in a fancy neighbour, has a maid do his cleaning-laundry-etc and probably travels regularly as well as spends on branded items.
It’s easy for people like him to sweep away complaints by others who are less fortunate. It’s easy for him to tell people to take the public transport and drive when he has probably never taken the bus or MRT in the last few years. It is easy for him to tell people that the cost of living is not so high compared to foreign cities but has he lived in some of the most “expensive” cities in the world? I don’t think so.
So really dear Datuk…before you go around telling people that RM3K is manageable – one can only hope that you don’t mean the family unit, especially those with children – I dare you (yes, you read it right) to live the life of a working class man who has to support his family on one salary for just a month. Then come back and tell the good folks of Malaysia that we shouldn’t complain about how hard it is to stretch our ringgits and cents.
Needless to say, my complaint made it to the national daily’s opinion desk. They published a cut version of it here but here’s the full, unedited piece:
Dear Editor,
After reading your recent report on the rising cost of living in Malaysia and subsequent remark made by Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, I must clarify several matters for the Datuk.
I have lived in Australia, Switzerland, spent a lot of my time in France and am now staying in Singapore. Of these four countries, Switzerland has one of the highest cost of living. A kilo of meat can go up to CHF80 (RM200 – I’m using RM3 = CHF1 as an exchange rate), unleaded fuel is about CHF2.60 (RM7.80) per liter, and cars, well, I didn’t even bother to take note of them since they are pricey. Rental for a two bedroom apartment about 800 sqm is CHF1200 (RM3600) and our bills (electricity, gas, water, sewage, trash, municipal taxes, telephone, Internet) can easily hit CHF500 (RM1500) per month. A lot of people back at home are shocked, yet my husband and I can survive and even save on a single person’s salary despite the taxes and insurance premiums (which are compulsory even for foreigners). This is because his salary matches the cost of living and is reviewed for any adjustments each year.
Dollar for dollar, living standards in Malaysia have increased. In the two years since I left Malaysia, a work blouse from the same store has gone from RM50 to RM110, shoes have gone from RM30-40 to RM80 and my breakfast serving of noodles have went up from RM3.50 to RM4.50. Almost everything has gone up by double except salaries. People are still earning the same amount and honestly, the spending power has gone down. You need more to buy something these days.
Have Ministers and politicians stop to think about the regular working class and their expenses and wages? Can RM3000 sustain a family with a housing loan, bills and maybe a car loan to pay off? The regular Malaysian has to drive because public transportation in Malaysia is just not reliable and doesn’t service many areas. A cheap car loan can easily reduce one’s income by RM200-500. Lets not talk about housing matters like rental or a mortgage. People need to eat and I do agree with many – the price of groceries have gone up.
Before anyone can tell people to live on RM3000 especially families on a single income, please take a step back. If possible, trade your Mercedes, your big bungalow, your cushy five figure salary, your maid(s), your posh meals for a month of living in a rented home – sometimes room – with an old secondhand Kancil or maybe even an old Honda Suzuki and no maid(s) with plenty of home cooked meals and leftovers for the next day.
Don’t just be quick to say that people should cut back on “overhead” costs because I dare say that for a good many of us, we are already living on the bare necessities. Only people with deep pockets and wide waistlines can afford luxuries these days in Malaysia. The rest of us are just scrapping by.
