entertainment allowance cut 10%….

… so are we supposed to be happy? are we supposed to laud the government in announcing the 10% cut of entertainment allowances for cabinet ministers and deputy ministers?

i don’t even know the ministers are granted with such a huge amount for allowance – according to lim kit siang’s blog:

RM18,865 for the prime minister
RM15,015 for the deputy prime minister
RM12,320 for ministers
RM6,000 for deputy ministers.

why so high? they are our money! do they need that much for entertainment… and what kind of entertainment is always questionable and suspicious.

i agree with lim kit siang that the entertainment allowance should be sut 50% instead of 10%.

also, as appeared in malaysiakini:

Cabinet members will also see their annual all-expenses-paid holidays restricted with immediate effect.

Where there used to be no limits to where they can go for their once-a-year holidays, they and their families will now be confined to Asean and local destinations.

gee, all expenses paid holidays? and with their families too??? good lord!!! the rakyat are paying for the already rich ministers AND their families for their holidays!!

what the hell is this cost saving you were talking about, mr PM?

ok, the entertainment allowance if it is entertainment in the course of their ministerial work, fine, the government er… the rakyat can pay… BUT not so much! cut 50% from the present amount!!

but then the paid holidays for the minister and their families – is this justified at all? the holiday is personal… for the minister himself/herself and his/her family – very personal. thus, why should the rakyat pay for their personal holiday?

this is terrible. here we are… barely surviving with prices of everything going up and up and we see ministers spending money like water. terrible!

before i end, i would like to share something which i find amusing but very hard-hitting truth – a comment i found in anil netto’s blog from someone with the handle ‘yyy’:  she/he was commenting on the post anil wrote about having to spend at least RM500 a month for the 2nd penang bridge.

just spend RM200 million to upgrade the ferry service and internal bus routes and viola, there’s no need for a 2nd link. But, the fat cats will die of starvation if this plan is to be adopted.

No, fat cats have to be fed well and they cant look scrawny coz it doesnt jive with the fancy cars and their girlfriends and of course their opulent lifestyle.