goodies

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has announced some 'goodies' to mark his 100th day in office. It is best for his supporters not to go overboard and overly generous with their praises. The fact is he did not make any major announcements or address any key areas, as claimed by certain newspapers.

Some of his announcements are noteworthy but most of them are not going to bring any significant changes to the social, economic and political landscape in the country.

The 20 percent discount given to frequent toll roads' users, limited to those using SmartTag and Touch 'n Go cards, does not help to address the root cause of lopsided privatisation contracts signed between the government and the operators.

It was not made clear whether the discount is given by the operators or the government may end up having to compensate them for the lost revenue.

Most of the announcements are not extraordinary. Halving the licensing renewal fee for petty traders and hawkers in Kuala Lumpur, providing low-cost housing to low income families, facilitating applications for registration of births in Sabah and Sarawak, construction of roads and public amenities in Sabah and Sarawak and offering additional 3,000 individual taxi permits are things any government should do without the need to make any fuss about them.

Only in Malaysia, such announcements are considered 'goodies' and 'special gifts' generously handed out to the people by its supreme leader. I would like to offer the prime minister a free advice. He should really avoid making such populist announcements because they are not going to win him any brownie points.

There is a growing political maturity amongst many urban Malaysians. Such announcements will not make him look generous, caring or people friendly. Instead, they only help to expose his inability to focus on real fundamental issues facing the nation and its people.

Serious bottleneck in economy.