Changing The World

Perhaps changing the world is too tall an order; let's start with the country.

Of course, if you read Haris Ibrahim, he recommended starting with the government.

That has been achieved. May 2018 proved historic for us in so many ways.

Malaysia is home to a very large middle class population, and a fairly sizeable upper class one. You and I probably have very little connection with the poorer members of society, and thus have no idea of the obstacles they face.

For one, I had no idea the minimum wage was RM1050.

The minimum wage has not increased because to quote the official line, "it will be problematic for industries, and affect the competitiveness of the nation".

Let's break that down.

The poor are being targeted because everyone knows that they do not have options like the rest of us, and therefore, will always remain in this country and work for whatever we offer them.

Now, you may say that the economy must be protected at all costs. Even Donald Trump ran his campaign on promises to make America great again. Most people believe that he meant economically powerful.

Obviously, that is why he is bringing fossil fuels (not just oil but coal too!!) back, and enforcing tariffs on China because he correctly perceives them to be of great competition.

He will eventually run the country to the ground, but that is another subject altogether.

America is a case study on what not to do. They spent most of a century oppressing their poor, even though ALL Americans started out with humble beginnings. Europeans didn't migrate to America because they were wealthy.

Quite the contrary. They migrated because they were either oppressed in their home country or experienced famine. They just discovered opportunities in America and it made them wealthy.

Anyway, the reason I am bringing this up, is because I firmly believe that we as a nation, will not be successful unless we raise the lowest of our members.

Currently we are taking advantage of their helplessness instead of empowering them to go on and provide more value. There's a nasty word for it: EXPLOIT.

Malaysians are happy to migrate to foreign countries (or greener pastures) because they pay better, or are more stable economically, socially and politically. Ironically, these countries pay a high minimum wage, but you don't see Malaysians objecting to it.

Why not, instead of migrating, adopt the principles of these stable nations, and improve the nation we live in and make it better?

Just a thought.

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