Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol DATUK Ahmad Maslan, the man best known for decorating his wok with cucumbers, hogs the limelight again. The deputy international trade and industry minister, in his latest suggestion addressing the rising costs of living, encourages the masses to take on two jobs. Such a practice is common around the world, he was reported as saying on Boxing Day. Malaysians are generally finding it tough changing their lifestyles. They rant on social media about the hikes in goods while sipping RM15 coffee. Some complain of low wages yet have no qualms maxing out their credit cards. But let’s keep that for another day. Encouraging Malaysians to take up two jobs is not wrong but will derail work-life balance. Young couples may hold back plans to raise a family. Less time spent at home could see the family institution crumble. In other parts of the world, people are reducing the number of hours spent at work while some organisati...

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol SWEAT trickled from his forehead and he used a Good Morning towel to quickly wipe it off. He was monitoring the row of bamboo filled with glutinous rice as I waited eagerly by the roadside. Despite having visited several friends earlier in the day, the quest was to find more fresh lemang on the first day of Aidilfitri — and it was not easy.    Instead, I was greeted by rows of makeshift durian stalls. If not for the ridiculously hot weather, I would have surrendered to eating durian for lunch, dinner and even supper.   After a 30-minute drive, I found a lemang stall at Bukit Indah, Ampang. It was worth the effort. The price ranged between RM14 and RM18 each — more expensive than last year.   How was business, I asked as he monitored the lemang burning on the hot charcoal fire. “It can be better,” he replied.   “With the GST (Goods and Services Tax) and econ...

Being Frank by Frankie D'Cruz, as published in Malay Mail today. AIMING for goal, the Land Public Transport Commission has hit the crossbar. The sudden and sharp increase in public transport fares is so out of touch, it’s untrue about the impact of government austerity measures on consumers. In probably the most depressing story of the week, the commission (SPAD) unleashed a triple whammy on the same day by sanctioning steep increases in budget taxi, express bus and commuter train fares. One thing’s for sure: The people get overrun and this sort of price hike frenzy will help no one. In what other society would such wide scale failure be tolerated? Failure - because Malaysian policy makers seem to have lost touch with the man on the street. Consider the whole issue that is becoming increasingly radioactive: The fare increases come before and after the implementation of the poorly explained goods and services tax (GST) on April 1. It wasn’t sensible of SPAD to anno...

As published in Mailsport today   By Vijhay Vick vijhayvick@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA - Exercising could cost slightly more come April 1 as futsal and badminton courts operators said they will be raising prices following the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST). And efforts by the government to promote a healthy lifestyle among Malaysians and reduce obesity and cardio-related diseases could hit a snag as many would be put off by the price hike, stressed sports officials. At present, one can rent a badminton court at an average of RM28 per hour during peak hours while the rental of a futsal court is about RM100 per hour. Operators have started announcing they will charge and additional six per cent tax on top of their current rates. "This is the beginning of many other price hikes. We can't just look at the cost of court rentals individually. It may seem as a minimal increase but GST is also sl...

As published in Malay Mail By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my KUALA LUMPUR — As the debate for separation of the roles of doctors and pharmacists lingers, general practitioners (GPs) are racing to safeguard their interests in the wake of impending losses and additional costs imposed on them. More than 50 doctors will gather in a closed-door meeting in Kuantan tomorrow to discuss the implications of: • Separating roles of doctors and pharmacies; • Implementation of the goods and services (GST) tax; • Upgrading equipment involved in treating foreign workers; • Growing number of clinics folding up; • Over 4,000 private doctors who have quit in 2013 alone, mostly due to losses. The disgruntled doctors insist these factors will impact their practice come April 1, leaving them little choice but to charge their patients more. They cited rising cost of living and “bullying tactics” adopted by third party administrators as among the reasons for closure of more than 500 cli...

The government is allocating RM239 million to pursue excellence in sports, including upgrading of sport complexes and courts, said Prime Minister Najib Razak. He said the allocation would include establishing pilot talent identification programmes in primary schools and the implementation of the Future Professional Coach programme to hone the skills of potential coaches for selected sports. Najib also said the government would allocate RM150 million to the Sports Trust Fund for the development of elite sports, medical treatment and research. Read more here . Meanwhile, Najib also announced the goods and services tax (GST) of 6 per cent will be implemented starting April 1,  2015. Malaysia will not join more than 150 nations across the globe including Canada , New Zealand and Australia through the implementation of GST. Do read more about the GST here . Pic by The Mole . HD says: Your thoughts on the budget?

Consumer groups want the government to make a stand over the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which has now been shelved pending further studies. The groups claim thorough studies should have been conducted before the government’s announcement to introduce GST. “Why propose something if no proper studies were done in the first place? It is akin to testing waters,” said Muslim Consumer Association Malaysia (PPIM) executive secretary Nadzim Johan. “We are not against the GST but we need to know the details and till today we don’t know what are the mechanics of the GST that will be adopted in Malaysia. Are we going to use the Singapore model? What is the percentage of GST? So how can we agree to something which remains unclear till today?” he asked. Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) secretary-general Paul Selvaraj admitted the GST was important for the nation to generate income. “But the importance and relevance of the GST must ...