It is that time of the year again. Although the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak hasn't yet announce the dissolution of the Parliament to make way for the 13th General Election, signs are there that the time for the people to go to the ballot box is near. Moreover, it has been four years since the groundbreaking March 8, 2008 general election which saw the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional lost its traditional two third majority in the lower house, which would have enabled them to pass all laws and jurisdictions virtually unopposed.
According to English daily The Star (yes, the one who costs the nation major PR disaster) today reported that the signs are already there that the government will call for the dissolution of the Parliament soon. For instance, the government's decision to halve the toll charged at the Cheras-Kajang Highway (better known as the Grand Saga Highway) is deemed as an effort to shore up its popularity in the eyes of the people. This is because toll rates have always been a political hot potato as the scheduled hike in toll charges at the rate of between 5% to 10% every three or so years burned a huge hole in the rakyat's pocket.
Another sign is the fact that the PM has been on a nationwide tour, with the latest was in Kedah, where he made a "public apology" on the short comings of his administration in the rice bowl state in the years prior to the 12th general election in 2008. Kedah, which its current government Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) saw an internal strife between camps favoring the current Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak and those who oppose, and its lackluster performances especially in attracting larger foreign and domestic direct investments into the state, could have seen more state seats going to the BN this time around.
The federal government coalition has been taking on the generous man role, as in the six months to one year period to date, it has given cash hand outs and incentives to the rakyat, especially in the rural states and the urban poor, to mitigate the rising cost of living which is deemed to be very high. In its budget 2012, the government announced various cash hand outs schemes such as, among others, one-off cash hand outs for low income households, and to all primary and secondary school students nationwide, with a promise that it'll reduce the burden of rising cost of living.
Popular and socialist policies are common features in the Malaysian political scenario. Both parties of the political divide has been trying to outdo each other in churning out or proposing popular, socialist policies to shore up support in the politically divided settings. The federal opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat has repeatedly calls for lopsided agreement between the government and independent power producers (IPPs) to be reviewed, citing it has forced the state utility company Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) to buy electricity from the politically connected IPPs at a high price. The coalition has also called for the abolishment of toll rates or at least to freeze any scheduled increase in toll rates.
Recently, former prime minister and the architect of Malaysia's modernisation in the early 1980s to the middle 1990s, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed has commented in his blog post that the government's minimum wage legislation will cause the country to bankrupt. He said the nation has already too many holidays and that the increase in wages should be accompanied with the increase in labor productivity. Citing Europe which is mired with a debt glut, Mahathir said Malaysia should not simply follow the European way of paying high salary to their workers but labor productivity remains low.
The signs are there that the general election will be called very soon. After the groundbreaking outcome of the 12th General Election in 2008, the next general election is touted to be the most crucial one for both the ruling coalition and the federal opposition. BN would want to recapture the states that it has lost to PR, and also increase its share in the lower house of the Parliament to at least a 2/3 majority. On the other hand, PR's ascension politically in the rakyat's mind and heart will give them a fair share at winning the federal government, although it would not be an easy fight.
According to English daily The Star (yes, the one who costs the nation major PR disaster) today reported that the signs are already there that the government will call for the dissolution of the Parliament soon. For instance, the government's decision to halve the toll charged at the Cheras-Kajang Highway (better known as the Grand Saga Highway) is deemed as an effort to shore up its popularity in the eyes of the people. This is because toll rates have always been a political hot potato as the scheduled hike in toll charges at the rate of between 5% to 10% every three or so years burned a huge hole in the rakyat's pocket.
Another sign is the fact that the PM has been on a nationwide tour, with the latest was in Kedah, where he made a "public apology" on the short comings of his administration in the rice bowl state in the years prior to the 12th general election in 2008. Kedah, which its current government Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) saw an internal strife between camps favoring the current Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak and those who oppose, and its lackluster performances especially in attracting larger foreign and domestic direct investments into the state, could have seen more state seats going to the BN this time around.
The federal government coalition has been taking on the generous man role, as in the six months to one year period to date, it has given cash hand outs and incentives to the rakyat, especially in the rural states and the urban poor, to mitigate the rising cost of living which is deemed to be very high. In its budget 2012, the government announced various cash hand outs schemes such as, among others, one-off cash hand outs for low income households, and to all primary and secondary school students nationwide, with a promise that it'll reduce the burden of rising cost of living.
Popular and socialist policies are common features in the Malaysian political scenario. Both parties of the political divide has been trying to outdo each other in churning out or proposing popular, socialist policies to shore up support in the politically divided settings. The federal opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat has repeatedly calls for lopsided agreement between the government and independent power producers (IPPs) to be reviewed, citing it has forced the state utility company Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) to buy electricity from the politically connected IPPs at a high price. The coalition has also called for the abolishment of toll rates or at least to freeze any scheduled increase in toll rates.
Recently, former prime minister and the architect of Malaysia's modernisation in the early 1980s to the middle 1990s, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed has commented in his blog post that the government's minimum wage legislation will cause the country to bankrupt. He said the nation has already too many holidays and that the increase in wages should be accompanied with the increase in labor productivity. Citing Europe which is mired with a debt glut, Mahathir said Malaysia should not simply follow the European way of paying high salary to their workers but labor productivity remains low.
The signs are there that the general election will be called very soon. After the groundbreaking outcome of the 12th General Election in 2008, the next general election is touted to be the most crucial one for both the ruling coalition and the federal opposition. BN would want to recapture the states that it has lost to PR, and also increase its share in the lower house of the Parliament to at least a 2/3 majority. On the other hand, PR's ascension politically in the rakyat's mind and heart will give them a fair share at winning the federal government, although it would not be an easy fight.
