Cash hands memo to PM

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DAILY EXPRESS NEWS

[size=-1]Cash hands memo to PM
[size=-2]21 February, 2007
[size=-1]http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=47619
Kota Kinabalu: The Consumer Association of Sabah and Labuan (Cash) said regional disparities in economic and financial opportunities have contributed to hardship in Sabah that is symbolised by the increasing prices of essential items. Its President, Datuk Patrick Sindu, said this in a memorandum that he presented to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at Terminal Two, Tanjung Aru, before the Premier left for Kuala Lumpur after a two-day visit to Sabah on Feb. 15. A copy was extended to the Daily Express. Cash said very little of the State's revenue from its major exports returned to Sabah. In this respect, he said, the fuel adjustment for Sabah needs to be reviewed. "The fuel hike had been significant in 2005 and 2006 and (because of that) the State's economy cannot contain such drastic adjustments without sacrificing the purchasing power of the public," he said. As a result, many consumer items have become more costly as the raw materials being imported items were more expensive. Cash said it is an irony that while Sabah has contributed significantly in the past three decades in oil production, it still could not derive some relief from the fuel price increases. "Therefore, an overhaul of the system is inevitable because the spiralling prices of goods will have a devastating effect on everything," it said. Cash said it had good reasons to demonstrate its concern with the recent increases in general price levels in Sabah. The situation is very serious and depressing at the same time, it said, citing the case of the 12-year old Sarawakian who hanged himself for failing to go to school due to lack of money in January this year. It said 2006 had been a difficult year for many due to the fuel hike that has been used to offset the fuel subsidy twice as the Government pushed to reduce the subsidy to zero. While it may be reasonable to deter smuggling of comparative cheaper fuel in Malaysia due to the subsidy, Patrick said the impact of the double adjustments had affected many people especially the poor in the employment sectors throughout Sabah. Price of essential food items from the peninsula sold in the supermarkets last year have generally increased. "Even food items like plain fried mee and the like are also more expensive." Cash said unless the government deals with the woes faced by the people with increasing intensity, their livelihood and the standards of living would worsen. It said there are several groups who would be adversely affected by the escalating prices of goods and essential items such as: - Large young families with the father as the main bread winner: - The landless and renters; - Those with substantial mortgages and car loans: - Single mothers or fathers with small families to care for: - Elderly people with or without adult children with or without pensions; - The sick and disabled (either from birth or due to accidents) and/or unable to work fulltime; and - Victims of natural disasters, retrenchment and failed businesses Cash said the Government must be proactive in addressing their needs now lest the people degenerate in terms of health. It said traders escape the effect of price increases by "passing" these on to the raw materials and purchases to the consumers. Consumers with fixed income, it said, have to spend more money on daily necessities that would have a cumulative effect on their disposable incomes. Subsequently, there will come a time when these consumers request for substantial pay rise to make ends meet. But employers, on the other hand, may find it hard to oblige accordingly, it said. "(Hence) sorting out such dilemmas that arose from the implementation of government policies would need some softening measures to avert more consequential economic and social implications," it said. It contends that several factors have led to the present scenario, namely: Timber, oil palm plantations, infrastructure, revenue from levies and penalties, enforcement pressure, education and training, lopsided deals, abuse of power and corruption, climatic consideration, human resources and business disability, systems of dysfunction, brain drain and wealth flight and leakage and wastage. Cash while the timber era ended more than a decade ago, the price levels are still pegged to that tradition. "Actually, the price levels of several major components of cost of living had increased rather than declined," it said. In terms of oil palm plantations in Sabah, Patrick said 85 per cent of them are owned by peninsula-based companies and their income is largely remitted back across the South China Sea. Not to mention also ecological considerations. "Lack of adequate infrastructure in large quantity is incapacitating the marketing of local produce," it said adding that damaged infrastructure have contributed to the costs of doing business in Sabah. The quality of infrastructure in the State also is rendering poor accessibility to the rural areas. On revenue from levies and penalties, it said these are not part of good sustainable business activities. It said the level of education in terms of skills and understanding of languages both in written and spoken for non-graduates is still far from satisfactory. Because of the "prevailing" situation in Sabah, it said even the educated group who studied overseas in the years after independence have chosen to remain outside. "Millionaires created from the exploitation of the rainforests have also gone elsewhere with their wealth." So Sabah should look into producing its own food since there is still much idle land available, it said.

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CASH

calls on the Government

in

MEMORANDUM

in support of corrective measures

to tide over price hikes in

Sabah

2007

by

Consumers' Association of Sabah & Labuan FT. (CASH)

matters include the following

Section I. The reason

Section II Who are the people affected?

Section III The Crux of the crisis in Sabah

Section IV Factors leading to the present scenario

Section VI What can the Government and the people do?

Section VII Conclusion

Hot press: A child of 12 years hanged himself for no money to go to school.

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Press Release

in conjunction with the hand over of an appeal letter to the Chief Minister of Sabah

cum memorandum in support of corrective measures to tide over price hikes in Sabah.


Dear partners in the press.

The issue of prices spiral in Sabah is not new. You know how the price of Mee Kosong - the most basic daily essential for majority of the people had gone through the prices spiral from something like 50 cents a few years ago, now it is 80 cents an increase of 60% when income of most workers who depend on this simple meal had been likely stagnant..


You also know how the protests against the very high parking charges had not been effective. Instead DBKK has implemented a search fees of RM5 for the renewal of trading licence.

You can go on to list the level of many price increases especially in the first week of 2007 as some already highlighted in the press. Even the meat pau in some restaurant have a 20% rise in 2007.

Has the BN Government initiate any effort to resolve the price spiral in Sabah?

A sincere assessment of its performance is that BN and its agencies have contributed to prices spiral.

So has the BN's Government any concern for the people's welfare? If not, why not?

As CASH has lodged a report over the conduct of the Election Commission in the General Elections in 2004, it is appropriate to say that the present Governments (Federal and State) are illegal as the GE should be null and void.

If the Fiji's Government could be removed on the allegation of vote rigging although denied by the deposed PM Qarase (DE 7/1/07) why are we silent about the results of the GE in 2004, when Joshua Kong had lodged official complaints but ignored. Opposition has boycotted Batu Talam by-elections for the shortcomings of the EC.

As long as the consumers also the voters remain quiet, why should the questionable Government be concerned with the welfare of the people because the next general elections would not pose any serious challenge.

While there may be some noises over lopsided deals here and elsewhere, nothing much had been done to scrapped those fixed contracts making the livelihood of all consumers difficult.

The consequences of inaction by the Government can be devastating to many on fixed income.

We hope more NGOs and workers groups would come forward to appeal for help.

We hope the Government be proactive failing which the voters should know what to do next.


Thank you

.................................

Datuk Patrick Sindu (President)

........................................

Joshua Y. C. Kong Deputy President

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YAB Datuk Abdullah Badawi,

Prime Minister of Malaysia,

PUTRAJAYA.


YAB Datuk Musa Aman,

Chief Minister of Sabah,

KOTA KINABALU.


Petronas Sabah office,

Sembulan,

Kota Kinabalu. 21st January, 2007


YAB dan Tuan, Greetings,

MEMORANDUM in support of corrective measures to tide over price hikes in Sabah

CASH has pleasure to bring to your attention what you already know.

As this is the core business of this NGO, we need to forward to you a little bit more of the feedback we receive daily from our networks apart from what are reported in the press about the prices spiral due mainly to the fuel adjustment of subsidy.

It is quite obvious that the State Government is unable to bring relief to the many people in their hardship especially in the recent years. Even Government and its various agencies are part of this problem as more charges are introduced A simple example is that the KK City Hall has introduced a search fees for the renewal trading licences of RM5 each when it is simply stored in the computer. Would RM5 be excessive when a printed trading application form also cost RM1? Parking tickets at very high rates in Kota Kinabalu City areas have also brought about general prices increase in doing business in Sabah.

In the few days of 2007, we have heard enough of the price spiral that affect every one and we know how they feel in such desperation in many families with schoolers. One 12 year old boy in Miri even decided to hang himself for no money to go to school.

We may be in the ninth Malaysia Plan but somehow delayed implementation until the end of 2006 and this delayed impact of income in 2007 in term of delayed cash flows possibly available in middle of the year for jobs completed in early 2007.

We would like to alert the Government that our economy is centred in Kota Kinabalu city and other major towns when rural economy is virtually nil. This is based on the farmers who bring their bulky produces to Kota Kinabalu weekly to sell. So this kind of lopsided economy is of great concern and unsustainable. The prices spiral and lopsided economy, would dampen the development of the handicapped rural economy.

In cooperation with the Government, we have appended the memorandum in support of corrective measures to tide over price hikes in Sabah.

We would request that Petronas with the financial capability to assist whatever ways to bring reliefs to the many groups of local people in hardship.

We have heard enough of the slogan -caring and sharing society-. Is that to be reality when we know where our wealth had gone to? Thanking you in anticipation,

Yang benar,


.................................. ........

Datuk Patrick Sindu (President)

..................................................

Joshua Y. C. Kong (Deputy President)

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MEMORANDUM in support of corrective measures to tide over price hikes in Sabah


Section I. The reason


CASH considers this as part and parcel of the monitoring of prices in particular and consumerism in general.


A long way to today that there are very good reasons to demonstrate our concern on the recent increases in the general price levels in Sabah. We need to address the factors as listed in section that have silently push us into a price 'anarchy'.


Serious and depressing indeed, a child of 12 years old in Sarawak hanged himself for failing to go to school due to lack of money in January 2007. Not to be ignored, the nation should grief for this loss.


As we are all aware that 2006 had been a difficult year for many due mainly to the fuel increases as a way to offset the fuel subsidy twice as the Government policy to reduce the subsidy to zero. While it may be reasonable to deter smuggling of comparative cheaper fuel in Malaysia due to the subsidy, the impact of the double adjustments had affected many people especially those poor people in the employment sectors throughout Sabah.


We could see the general increases in the imported items including essential food items from Peninsula Malaysia in the supermarkets during 2006. Basic daily essential food items like plain fried mee and the like also were more expensive.


Many people and consumers are complaining about the hardship to make ends meet. Unless the Government deal with the woes faced by various groups with increasing intensity, the livelihood and the standards of living on such people would be worsening.


Meanwhile there is still the unending ding dong of state and federal affairs over the common destiny of the nation, and so we are beseiged by rising prices in recent years.


Section II Who are the people affected?

The following are likely groups to be adversely affected:-


1) The big young families with the father as the main bread earner.

2) The landless and non home owners who have to pay rent as a substantial portions of their fixed income as wage earners.

3) Those with substantial mortgages and car loans to be serviced.

4) Those single mothers or fathers with small families to care for.

5) Those elderly people with or without adult children with or without pensions.

6) Those with ill health or other disabilities (birth or accidents) and/or unable to work fulltime.

7) Those victims of natural disasters, retrenchment and failed businesses.

While the list can go on, such unfortunate and helpless people have been enduring hardship over the recent years and we must be proactive in addressing their needs now lest the people degenerate healthwise and irrecoverable.


Section III The Crux of the crisis in Sabah


We have a lot of contributing factors in Sabah in recent years (next section), but the crisis of price increases across the board with a multiplying adverse impact on the disposal income of substantial number of people in a siege in Sabah.

The inter related scenario would certainly have a dampening impact on consumption including basic essentials to maintain minimum health avoiding mal nutrition. The traders may pass on the price increases on the raw materials and purchases to the consumers. The consumers of fixed incomes may have to incur more to meet daily necessities and this would have a cumulative effect on the disposable incomes. Then it would reach a point that employees on fixed income would be desperate for substantial pay rise to make ends meet. Such appropriate pay rises would not be forthcoming as employers may find it hard to oblige accordingly. Even if the employers were to give adequate raise for the employees, the spiral impact with more price increases are inevitable. Sorting out such dilemmas arising from Government policies as implemented would need some 'softening measures' to avert more consequential economic and social implications of hardship in a declining economy in Sabah when the population trend had been unusual.

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Section IV Factors leading to the present scenario


Inevitable that we have arrived to the present scenarios due to the following factors in Sabah:-


Deceptive Economy and wealth flight


1) Timber Era

While the timber era is gone for more than a decade, the price levels are still pegged to that tradition. Actually price levels of several major components of cost of living had increased rather than declined. There are new items of components of costs in major urban areas like high parking charges. Generally prices of many items once at high level or increased over the years, do not come down even without the timber economy.


2) Plantations

Eighty five percent of the oil palms plantation are owned by Peninsula Malaysians and the same percent of the workers in these estates are foreigners including illegal people exploited by the employers. Much of these financial returns attributable to Sabah are not retained here. There are also several major downsides including ecological considerations with excessive alien oil palm plantations in Sabah.


3) Infrastructure

The lack of adequate infrastructure in the quality in a large State as Sabah with a large hinterland make marketing of local produce handicapped. Even basic infrastructure features are destroyed by natural disasters and excessive usage of heavy logging vehicles while maintenance has been poor. This has artficially contributed to the costs of doing business with the poor accessibility of the rural areas. In the era of ICT, there appears to be much prohibition of such facilities in both the urban and rural areas in Sabah.


4) Revenue from levies and penalties

Without knowing the details of such sources of revenue arising from Sabah, it is still deemed appropriate to acknowledge that such items are not part of good sustainable business activities. Levies are derived from various sources with the main one coming from the foreign work force recruited from the neighbouring countries. The levies from foreign work force estimated to be in billions of Ringgit are believed to be pooled into the national coffer and diverted to funding non relevant projects. So this may defeat the purpose of raising such levies which is not a long term productive activity. Similarly penalties are derived from many known and unknown sources and all incorporated into the general revenue of the nation. Again how such funds so derived and used in national development need to be questioned. Levies and penalties are not part and parcel of any positive features of development of the nation. We should not expect that the country can be competitive with others if a substantial level of revenue is derived from levies and penalties - unhealthy sources. Do we know the trend of such levies and penalties in recent years? Do we resolve our deep rooted problems with such methods? We know that penalties for traffic offences have been steep and yet there is no improvement in the trend of such offences. Similarly other accelerated penalties show be examined vis-a-vis the level of offence thereof. The prisons are more congested in recent years not proportional to the increase of population nationwide. We may have to review this in the context of corruption and power abuses in the nation. Without any concerted effort, we cannot arrest such helplessness or doom. We should address the philosphy of these two items seriously by all sectors to enhance the dignity of the citizens and the quality of life in the Malaysian system.


5) Enforcement pressure

Much energies and time of the business and professional fraternity are diverted to attend to enforcement explosion in Sabah by various regulatory Government departments, agencies and statutory bodies. While the good intention of educational perspective may be lauded, the resultant benefits may be negative in the context of the productivity of the wealth creation by the relevant groups of people. There may be over reaction to certain developments elsewhere, that excessive, lopsided and costly regulatory measures are implemented with exhaustive impact on some groups of wealth contributors.


6) Education and training.

Ask any professional firms, we may know how the business communities have to tolerate the level of education as far as skills and understanding in languages both written and spoken for the non graduates. With good understanding of the languages, then such people can be trained easier. The lesser investment of staff in the cost of training especially after adequate basic education would be translated into lesser cost of doing business. Critical review is essential in this sector.


7) Lopsided deals, abuse of power and corruption.

Is this the hallmark of a large superfluous civil servant work force? We all know the impact of lopsides deals, abuse of power and corruption at all levels from top including the chief executive of the Government (Federal and State) to the lowest levels because of the temptations. A culture hard to be scrapped, a reason to perpetrate in competition seen and unseen amongst them, such ways would add up to costs of production and business ventures. Maybe it is also not right to have price controls on basic items for too long as such price controls have been abused in many ways including monopolistic practices. You can count the cost for all consumers when the monopolistic entity flexes its muscle. In a system loaded with biased approaches, it is quite difficult and costly to dislodge any monopolistic practices.


8) Climatic consideration

The intolerable rise in temperature and resultant climatic change are exposing the toll on the people in Sabah as it is not conducive to effective working condition. With the drastic change of natural landscape of rainforest in Sabah and beyond, we are struggling with nature and natural disasters can be excessively impossible and costly. While it was climatic consideration that brought the downfall of Tang Dynasty in China, Johore with the highest oil palm plantation after Sabah can be considered devastated by the recent floods not flash floods over a few weeks. Godly abuses have serious consequences and the price to pay is extremely high on earth and thereafter, and so why look for short term gains when we should know how to do the best on earth even with our lands of depleted rainforests. When we consider restoration to the earth, it really means going back to its original characteristics, not into alien items like oil palm and illegal workers in such massive proportion. It is divine rights that the local people have more rights in own domain. Only illegal Government would dwell into the interests of illegal people using abusive means. You sow and you reap, and in this respect it is the spiral prices possible beyond control.


9) Human resources and business disability

Without statistics, how many capable and active people are prematurely disabled by lack of retraining and financial bankruptcy? Nowadays, there are many exposures where some people can be bankrupted and even jailed for offence once deemed to be of lesser evils. While many deserve such harsh punishment and unrepentant people should not be given another chance, we maybe putting away many capable still active business people to contribute. Don't you know many successful people have risen from the ashes of failures or hard knocks to be in command of new opportunities after a period of wilderness? There are also cases where people change their identity in devious means to get back to the action of the world. How do we want to address these as all those educational efforts are really going to waste if such people remain 'disabled" technically. However, there are some 'untouchable' people around. The other side is that many unqualified people are smarting in dubious acquired degrees including doctorate to pass on falsehood to others especially in tertiary educational establishment. All these undesirable activities (locking away genuine failures and keeping in dubious achievers to bleed the society) are adding up all costs to the society when human resources are concerned.

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10) Systems dysfunction

In a nation of 25 millions, what is the justification of 1 million and more civil servants when much of the once Government responsibilities are now privatised. The system is in dysfunction where the Government and its agencies have departed from the dual roles namely to protect the people and system against abuses or harms from outside and be facilitators of development efforts by the Government for the people together with the contribution by the people. We have observed that many units within the same system have acted as hindrance to positive efforts to develop the nation (little, medium, and big napolean) hence fail to be facilitators or catalysts to efforts to create wealth for onward distribution. We have only one Government in one system hence the Government irespective where the units of the same system must function cohesively in dealing with the public as performers and the consumers. Rather we see conflicts prevail within the undesirable 'fragmented' system of policy divide to the detriment of all. Such dysfunction as in a beseiged Government needs to be addressed by massive efforts by all concerned with a total change to the system entrenched for fifty years.

11) Brain drain and wealth flight

Fear of the future and of what to expect in a misinformed society can generate insecurity resulting in many people making the choice of exit by migrating to countries considered more rational. This has happened in Sabah as millionaires from the exploitation of the rainforests have gone elsewhere with their wealth. Even those educated overseas in the years after independence choose to remain outside. That unfounded fear is the unresolved dubious claim on Sabah which had indirectly instigated the Indonesians once in confrontation against Malaysia to do rampage in Sabah. Sabah is facing costly social and political developments from its own inaction over the dead Claim on Sabah. Instead of the unfounded 'claim' approach, the devious neighbour had seen a grandiose scheme to come back at us through another window dubbed "Project M" to stir fear into the local. Where are we heading to unless we address the claim and the exodus of Indonesian into Sabah to cause so much rampage making the costs of restoring peace quite impossible now. The brain drain and wealth flight continues unabated and the vacuum filled by questionable quality and quantity running the State further.


12) Leakages and wastages

These inevitable losses in leakages and wastages are there for decades. How to build up the State stability socially, politically and economically when such losses are so significant. We are endangered in a sense that imported problems are piling up daily while we ignore the local people's woes. Our water crisis of RM5 billions malaise is not getting better. How much of losses in basic items like electricity had been incurred in decades of self imposed woes? When such losses are not managed within reasons, we only ourselves to be slapped with price increases beyond control. Why allow some people to ruin the lives of many in Sabah in this unending legacy of irresponsible or 'recalcitrant' people?


13) Politicking and oppression

Sabah has gone through tremendous waves of politicking and oppression since 1963. Such waves had gone over our heads and under the bridges. Having gone through an era of dark ages in the early decade of independence, we have yet to get out of this tunnel despite successive changes of State Government. Sabah has been unfortunate under both oppression from the State and Federal Government as resources are rip off. All these have adversely impacted on the quality of life of the people of Sabah. Every consumers have contributed to that kind of scenario to be perpetrated.



14) Health Concern

Healthy people in the body, spirit and soul do not normally produce disabled people of any dimension or description. So when there are much health discourse at birth, then the root causes must be addressed urgently as no society can sustain such ills without endearing themself to massive costs which adds up to the costs of the nation. Draining away genuine wealth already at diminishing level nationwide, would cost the nation at incredible level and what returns do that bring? Only healthy people can bring real wealth to the nation in a cohesive scenario.

Hardship and bad habits of struggling people would give rise to more health discourse that would reap more pains and demoralisation to the people at large. Prevention and cure of diseases are both very expensive without considering the unfortunate loss arising from ill health. All these downsides would render the costs of living in any nation higher and the standard of living disheartening.

Healthy people must be nurtured with healthy minds and spirits, and so it is important that we have the right spiritual foods with the least disruptions in society.


15) Urban and rural developments

While the Government go about developing the nation under various Malaysia Plans, the 9th MP would fail to address the rural sectors. Although there are much urban development through private initiatives , there are still a lot of urban related poverty to be addressed. Nationally, it is very insecure when the lopsided economy is very much centred on a few key regions mainly in few major cities of the nation.

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Section VI What can the Government and the people do?

Perhaps it is divine working against the illegal Government of the day as things like the climate are inevitable. We are all mirrors of our outlook. The scourge of the curses of the people in hardship is having a toll on the nation. When the Government allows the nation to be run down like the scenario of extra people identity cards of 1-2 millions in Sabah, what do you think the reactions of the patriotic local people towards the nation? Even the local people blest with oil under our homeland do not really derive much advantage from it, then how do you call that? Sabah for its past timber glory and still with oil resources, but little investment and neglected to deal with the dubious Claim on Sabah, we have arrived at a time like this faced with tough challenges in a system flawed by misdirections.


Imports and Exports

Malaysia generally imports a lot of food when there are still much idle lands. Even our exports are derived from FDI in some key areas. When the US $ is pegged around RM3.80 (previously RM2.50) for more than a decade since 1997, our exports to the US$ dominated market is so cheap that the importers do not really appreciate the natural worth of our natural resources. To some this maybe like a 'slavery' denoted economy. Even after lifting the peg, only little improvement despite the leaders claim that Ringgit is strong. Why is that so?

In the Sabah context we have to import goods - foreign and local but from Peninsula- and so we are at the receiving ends of the rising trends of prices elsewhere. When there are lopsided deals in Peninsula Malaysia like the highways and tolls, we have to pay for that too indirectly in imported items. Even the shipping costs from Pen Malaysia is exorbitant for decades. Sugar being a controlled item has been transported in naval ships to Sabah and Sarawak. Our import susbtitutes in Sabah are not adequate to meet domestic demands. Very little of our major exports come back to Sabah.


Fuel Adjustment to be reviewed in Sabah

While we need fuel especially imported fuel we have to pay for the market price less the reduced subsidy prior 2005. The fuel adjustments had been significant in 2005 and 2006 and the Sabah's economy cannot contain such drastic adjustments without sacrificing purchasing power of the public. Many basic consumer items had been more costly due to the raw materials as imported as more expensive. It is an irony that Sabah has contributed much in the three decades of oil production, and yet we cannot derive some relief from such fuel price increases. Sabah's major economy in palm oil and fossil fuel does not stay in Sabah, and that is an important factor for the Government to consider in its policy of adjustment. If the developers of oil palms consider that they can only be profitable using 'slave' labour from the illegal and foreigners, then they should not go into that. The importers of the palm oil should review their policy as to slavery labour force. Ultimately, it is the local people picking up the pieces when oil palm plantations are abandoned for various reasons, but the illegal will remain in Sabah. Right now, we already under the scourge of foreign labour and foreign investors draining our homeland dry - ecologically and financially.


Regional disparities

It is public knowledge that the regional disparities in term of economic and financial opportunities have contributed to the hardship in Sabah and this hardship is symbolised by the increasing prices of essential items.


Conclusion


In this simple presentation, much more need to be done to fine tune the system we have. How many of our leaders actually read those books produced by the Institute of Development Studies and digest them? We need to first identify the areas and only then can we deal with them positively. If we just brush aside symptoms now identified, the cancers that are already in near advanced stages are incurable. Miracles we may have, but what we have created ourselves over the decades must be dealt with in the appropriate manner such woes deserve. We may pretend that certain things are not there but when we wake up to the occurences, it is really too late. When we are part of the problems, how do we deal with ourselves first?

We then to blame others and such blames are futile because the backlash would be like 'tsunami' later.

In a nutshell, sincerity is important here and the begging question is - can we handle the spiralling prices with devastating effects on all? Self deceit does not bring us any where. An overhaul of the system is inevitable. Don't let the blind lead the blind. We are already diverting much resources for the void such as increasing disabilities including birth faults, birth defects and birth frights and call that charity. The irony is that the healthy and strong physically at least are allowed to rot in hardship and what do you call that? Look like self induced euthanasia but slow version is equally bad. We must appreciate the contribution of the elderly and aged lest they may be inclined to curse for whatever reasons. The direction of any nation in the 21st century is to give credit to the efforts of the past centuries in this shrinking earth with the accumulated technologies. Moving from the stone age to mechanical, electronic, knowledge and now to spiritual fulfillment for the well being of mankind on earth and thereafter, we need to evaluation our worth now.

(prepared by Joshua Y. C. Kong for CASH)