As 2008 draws to a close, there remains one catastrophic event that is sweeping across the globe that our “sleeping” administration has neither seriously acknowledged nor addressed.
Most countries in the world (including our neighbour down south) have publicly admitted that the financial and economic tsunami, which originated from USA, has resulted in their economies going into recession and their governments have taken steps to help manage the accompanying devastating effects. The most worrisome being thousands of jobs are lost and businesses closing shops on a daily basis like there’s no tomorrow.
The ultimate casualties will be the people and their families, with putting food on the table being the greatest challenge in the days to follow.
Our Badawi administration back home, it seems, is still in dreamland and nothing concrete has been done so far to prepare or protect the rakyat from the full force of the annihilating tsunami. Apart from other negative economic news, as it is, our two major exports and money earner for the country – petroleum and palm oil – have been badly battered by on-going plunging prices which have yet to bottom out (approximately US$36.53 per barrel and US$457.6 per ton, respectively, at today’s close).
The apparent cluelessness and inaction of our leaders during such dire times are most disquieting and frustrating! Perhaps our leaders know something we don’t?
As has often been suggested by our leaders, is it true that our economy is decoupled from the world’s largest economy (United States of America) and therefore the rakyat of Malaysia do not really have anything to worry about vis-à-vis the failing economies that are dropping like flies around us and that we should continue to sleep easy like what our leaders seem to be doing?
– Terjemahan oleh Lee Wee Tak – Ucapan ribuan terima kasih dari Wee Choo Keong –
Soalan Mingguan WR Anda ke-40
Pada penghujung tahun 2008, suatu malapetaka melandai sejagat tetapi pihak pentadbiran kita yang “masih tidur lagi” tidak memandang berat atau menghadapinya.
Kebanyakan negara (termasuk jiran kita di selatan) telah mengakui kepada umum bahawa tsunami kewangan dan iktisad ini, yang berasal daripada USA, telah mengakibatkan ekonomi mereka merosot dan pihak kerajaan mereka telah mulai mengambil langkah menghadapi kesan-kesan buruknya. Kesan yang paling membimbangkan adalah kehilangan beribu-ribu jawatan dan penutupan perniagaan saban hari.
Rakyat jelata dan keluarga mereka akan menjadi mangsa dan cabaran terbesar adalah membekalkan makanan kepada seisi keluarga di hari-hari yang akan datang.
Pentadbiran Badawi nampaknya masih dalam dunia mimpinya dan tidak mengambil sebarang tindakan untuk melindungi dan membantu rakyat menghadapi kuasa pemusnah tsunami iktisad ini. Selain daripada perkembangan ekonomi yang negatif, 2 ekspot utama dan punca pendapatan negara – minyak mentah dan minyak kelapa sawit – telah dilandai kejatuhan harga pasaran uang masih berterusan (kira-kira US$36.53 setong dan US$457.6 seton, rpada harga pasaran tutup hari ini).
Kejahilan dan sikap diam diri para pemimpin kita dalam keadaan genting kini amat membimbangkan dan menghampakan kita semua! Ataupun mereka ini tahu sesuatu yang kita tidak?
Para pemimpin kita kerap menyatakan bahawa iktisad kita tidak bergantung kepada ekonomi terbesar dunia (yakin Amerika Syarikat) dan oleh itu rakyat Malaysia tidak perlu bimbang ekonomi-ekonomi lain yang menjunam di sekitar kita dan kita seharusnya terus tidur nyenyak seperti pemimpin kita kini?
