a small affair

These days, everyone is talking about the Malaysian average income earners and their cost cutting measures in managing their personal & family budgets in these trying times…prudent spending…financial discipline…to look out for cost-saving options…change some of their habits & lifestyles patterns to become a more discriminating and selective consumers…comparing prices…shopping around for the best bargains, analyze usage and cutting down on unnecessary use and wastage…switch off electrical appliances when not in use, use energy efficient lights such as fluorescent lights or energy saving lamps…train ourselves to be more informed consumers who read energy labels and ask for assistance…sigh, what about those from the lower income? I don’t think they have any more room to cut. Instead of asking the rakyat to cut down some more of their expenditures – what about encouraging people to get a part time job? By the hour? By the day? On a freelance basis? Encourage Malaysian employers to re-hire retirees to fill in the gap? Encourage paid internships? Besides the skim cepat kaya – I think the government needs to do more to encourage entrepreneurship for families to earn additional income, support local produce, provide free additional skills re-training for the people to upgrade themselves so that they will be better equip on their jobs. Every day, the government only knows how to ask us to cut down on this and cut down on that…sigh…but for how long…there is no point of cutting where the income remains the same. Thus, the rakyat must be taught and be make aware on how to increased their source of income. Encourage savings is good but also must encourage smart investments which will also lead to a more disposable income.