The Chronicles of Nasi Lemak : The Government, The Opposition and Dataran Merdeka

 

I just got this idea when I was having lunch just now. And somehow, I felt stupid, after years of observing Malaysia’s politics, I can’t get my finger on a strategy this simple and finally, all I need is nasi with ayam that cost me RM 7 to wake me up (on which, was quite expensive for a guy of my stature).

Do you guys remember how Malaysia was five years ago? Pre-2008 to be precise. From as far as I remember, the price of food is still acceptable, electrical tariff is reasonable, and no exorbitant price hike had been introduced by the government in the name of mitigating the country’s expenditure to the rakyats.

But, right now, we are experiencing a ridiculous increase in the cost of living. Tolls going up, sugar went up, even the public transportation will be costing more. An alien tax to the rakyats introduced and will be implemented in less than two years from now. So, I start to be wondering, what the hell is wrong with the country?

So, I started to think deeper, and do a little googling here and there, to connect the dots of what’s wrong with the country, with the system, and with the economics.

Then, it hit me, increase in salary is not the answer, because what’s the use of having a 20K paycheck every month, if one nasi lemak sambal kerang will be costing you RM 1,000. And of course, reducing the price of daily necessities won’t be contributing much. Because, as price reduced, the corporations will be suffering,  expenditure needed to be cut, resulting in lower salary for the workers, thus, it won’t be making any different. To illustrate the situation, I will be using salary, nasi lemak (analogy of our daily needs), and corporations as variables.

What will be happening if nasi lemak’s price went down?

Okay, how about, we increase our salary; will it be making our life better?

So, it’s pretty much the same result, high salary, resulted in high prices, and low prices, will be resulting to lower salary. So, don’t you think we’re wasting our time asking for low prices of goods when it will be costing us the same percentage of our reduced salary?

Okay, I guess, up to this paragraphs, someone had already labelled me a macai (a type of servant that will be doing anything for their stupid leaders, Malaysian Political Dictionary, 2012). Some might also said, “Dei! Qusyairi! That’s why we’re asking for lower price of nasi lemak, and higher gaji, stupid macai!, you’ll be burned in hell!”

Yes, that’s the dream, a big fat wallet, and a big fat stomach. But I think, this is a simple mathematical equation. Where do you think your employers will be getting money to give you a big fat paycheck, if they sell their nasi lemak cheap. This system is a cycle, a rotation, and it is co-dependent with each other. It’s a utopia to be getting everything you want isn’t it? Because the cycle doesn’t work that way.

Then, you might be asking me, “So how? Should we stop using the highway, reduce sugar intake or stop eating chicken then?”. Seeing today’s health statistics, yes, you might need to be reducing some of the unhealthy food. But right now, we’re not talking about that, let’s believe that beer belly and man-boobs are everyone’s dream and right now, we’re only discussing on how to get it!

Do you know that our currency is sick now? The ringgit is an old lady, waking up every day, doing little chores here and there, praying, that she strong enough to see the night, sleeps, and waking up again tomorrow, to take a deep breath before starting her day.

I’ve read an article a few days back, saying that, as the USD being strengthened by Obama’s administration, the value of our money is going down. Analyst said, we might be going as far as RM 3.40/1 USD next year compared to RM 3.28/1 USD as per today.

So, the next question is, how we increase or decrease the value of our money (or in other word, it’s the appreciation or depreciation of the currency).

Let’s look at the currency as a product, where, if more people want it, the higher the price will be, and vice-versa. To illustrate it further, I will be using one of the technique to increase the value of a currency. For example, a bank in Malaysia offers a high interest returns to its investor, but, you can only be investing in Malaysia ringgit, not USD, sterling or any other currency. So, in order to get the high returns, investor (especially foreigner), will be buying more and more ringgit so that they can invest in the bank. Ringgit, on which, on that particular time being seen as a tall, blonde, white lady that mesmerized the eyes that look at it, started to increase it’s price, if before this, USD 0.30 is enough to get RM 1, the lady jack up the price, USD 0.40, USD 0.50, or even USD 1.0, but still, people will be buying her, because the returns that they’ll be getting. So, walla!, the USD .30 lady will now cost USD 1 if you ever wanted to be with her.

What happened to the lady after her price had increased? If before this, she only will be getting a free drinking water in a bar, but now, once the glorious lady walks into the bar, the finest scotch, pinot, 50 years old wine, will be bought for her.

That reflects, if our currency’s value increase, then the RM 1 will no longer be getting you one nasi lemak, you might be getting two, three or even four nasi lemaks.

So, if our country is so gorgeous, then, investors will be coming in, increasing the value of our money,  simultaneously, decreasing the cost of living of our rakyats.

What’s happening right now? And why, before 2008, we can live happily, with the cost of living is not as high as today? Take a deep thought, and think, between 2008 and 2013, what had happened in our beloved country.

Demonstrations, where the government was (is) labelled as corrupted, the law that had been protecting the citizen all this while had been said as inhumane, the election’s result had been accused as falsified with various electoral frauds’ accusation been made. Rakyats go to the street to protest, leaders appeared on international media smearing the good name of the country, supports from foreign leaders were sought, requesting for interference.

The lady is no longer desirable. Who want to be affiliated with a lady from a broken home, having so many problems, and perhaps, might even catched STDs. So, the lady is left alone, no other man is buying her drinks in the bar, she should be grateful they don’t kick her out from the door when she walked in.

Why I said that after five years, I just realized, that I am so stupid? Because, all this demonstrations, is not organized because they lose the elections, the demonstrations (call it whatever you want to, picket, gathering, coalition, party) itself is part of the orchestra.

Our economy started to be sick after all of this demonstration started. And from my opinion, there’s someone who’s trying to ruin our own economy, and at the end of the day, gloriously rise as the savior, cleaning his own mess, and winning our heart. It’s just like one of P.Ramlee’s movie, where he made people itch by using a fruit, and later, started to sell the medicine.

And if you ask my suggestion, in the next general election, please let them win, give them the chance to be selling their medicine, because if you don’t, they will just be making you itch more.