Written by Stan Lee, PoliticsNow Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR (politicsnowmy.blogspot.com) - Opposition Leader Hamzah Zainuddin has poured cold water on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's drama-filled announcement that he would not accept his salaries as the country’s top executive and finance minister.
Not impressed, Hamzah coldly told the PM to come clean about whether he still receives income from other sources, like allowances from government-linked companies.
“There is a difference. It’s true he is not taking his salaries, but how about allowances? And where do these allowances come from?" Hamzah was reported by Malaysiakini as asking.
Indeed Anwar, who lives in a palatial manor even when he was in the Opposition, has often been queried in the past about his sources of income and how he could afford his lifestyle which included overseas education for his children but has not offered credible responses.
DISCONNECT FROM REALTIY?
Despite projecting the political persona of being a man of the people, Anwar hardly lived the lifestyle of those he is now accused of neglecting. The disconnect is obvious from the grand statements he has made from the reality on the ground.
"Families are dealing with immense financial pressure. Aren't ministers, including the MP for Tambun (Anwar's seat), aware of the situation on the ground?" The Star reported Hamzah as saying as he debated the Supply Bill at the policy stage on Monday (October 21).
Anwar had on Friday (October 18) presented the Budget for 2025. So far, the response has been muted with its impact mostly seen as mediocre and contradictory - with hikes in sugar prices and even a 25% rise in kindergarten fees even though Anwar had also sabre-rattled against any new 'mega projects' in favor of keeping more government revenue to help the man on the street and the poorer classes.
"People look to the budget with the hope of reduced living expenses and improvements in job quality, the economy, education, healthcare, plus access to affordable housing and sound infrastructure," Hamzah continued to grill the government.
Yet the Anwar administration, perhaps hiding behind the tame 1.9% inflation rate, claims that prices have stabilized and the ordinary folk are now better off than before. When in the Opposition, the 77-year-old Anwar and other leaders from the Pakatan Harapan coalition he leads had frequently questioned and discredited the government's Consumer Price Index on the grounds that the statistical data used was flawed and skewed to always portray a benign view.
GST 2.0 UNDER A NEW NAME WHILE THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE DYING OF STARVATION?
Hamzah also asked if Anwar would bring back the dreaded Goods and Services Tax (GST) following the government's shock introduction of an array of taxes, including the extension of the Sales and Service Tax (SST), as well as the newly introduced digital services tax and taxes on both low-value and high-value goods.
"Are these not burdensome for the people? And with the onset of e-invoicing from July 1, 2025, could this be paving the way to GST 2.0," asked Hamzah.
He also called on the government to delineate the full scope of items now falling under SST, pointing out that only salmon and avocado had been specifically mentioned.
"What is the expected tax revenue from this, and how much tax will be imposed on items like salmon and avocado? Is there a comprehensive list?" asked Hamzah.
There is talk that Anwar may reintroduce GST - a tax he and Pakatan leaders had vociferously attacked and ridiculed during the Najib Razak administration on the grounds that the wide-based tax was too burdensome for Malaysians, most of whom still struggle to stay afloat due to low wages and poor employment prospects.
Some including Wee Ka Siong, the president of ally party MCA, had hinted the GST could be brought back but under a different name and branding.
Another Opposition MP, Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff the Pas rep for Rantau Panjang, pointed out the Anwar administration could not distance itself from a starvation case in Muar, Johor that was discovered on August 24.
"A woman was discovered malnourished alongside her deceased father and disabled brother. We can't allow Malaysians to perish from starvation. It's an atrocity," said Siti Zailah.
Written by Stan Lee, PoliticsNow Malaysia
https://politicsnowmy.blogspot.com/
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