What can you do with RM750? (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)

ARCHIVES 2010

By MT Webmaster On Apr 13, 2010

Since 1999, the opposition has been urging the government to increase the minimum wage to at least RM1,800 or RM2,000 per month. That was in 1999. Today it should be maybe RM2,500 per month. RM750 is just ridiculous. At a minimum wage of RM750 it is better to live in the UK.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Govt sets RM750 as minimum wage for Rela members working as security guards

(Bernama) — The government has set RM750 as the minimum wage for Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia (Rela) members who worked as part-time security guards.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusof said the minimum wage limit was set for Rela members based on their training, discipline and ability to handle weapons.

It is also an effort to attract locals to the sector (security) and reduce the over dependence on foreign labour, especially workers from Nepal, he said.

“The ministry feels it will be better for security firms to employ Rela members since they are trained, disciplined and able to handle weapons. They can be able replacement for foreign workers from Nepal.

“In a memorandum signed between the government and the Security Association of Malaysia, we have included the minimum wages for Rela members (RM750),” he said when answering a question by M. Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) who claimed that locals were not interested in the sector due to low wages.

To a question from Datuk Abdul Manan Ismail (BN-Paya Besar), Abu Seman said the ministry had freezed the intake of foreign workers from Nepal since Nov 13, while the work permits of those already working would be terminated or not renewed once their term ends.

As of April 12, this year, there are 4,814 Nepalese, working as security guards, in 200 security firms throughout the country, he said.

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Great, the government has set the minimum wage for RELA guards at RM750. Big deal!

The prison guards in Kamunting also have a starting salary of RM750. Then they have to pay RM85,000 for a two-bedroom house that is about 700-800 square feet in size. And most have more than three children so the children have to sleep in the living room — plus they will still be paying for the RM85,000 house long after they have retired. And that is why the Kamunting guards have to take on a second job of tapping rubber and/or collecting oil palm fruits.

What can RM750 buy you nowadays, especially if you have large families like most Malays do? In the UK the guards earn about RM36.50 an hour or RM290 a day on an eight-hour shift. In a month they can take home about RM7,000 if they work five days a week. With overtime and double pay on public holidays some take home close to RM10,000 per month.

I know, I know, that is in the UK, you are going to say. You can’t compare Malaysia to the UK. And why not?

Okay, in Malaysia you earn RM750 as a guard and in the UK you earn RM7,000 or more. But in the UK you can buy a three-bedroom house for RM600,000-700,000, about 100 months of your salary. In Malaysia that same type of house would cost you 400-500 months of your salary if based on RM750 per month.

A good new car in the UK is about RM60,000 while it is double that in Malaysia, unless you buy a Proton. If you are prepared to drive a used car of around 5-7 years old you need to fork out about RM20,000-25,000, again half the price of the same thing in Malaysia. And RM20,000-25,000 in the UK will be an Audi or BMW. You can get a used VW for RM10,000-12,000.

So you see, in the UK you need to pay half what you pay to live in Malaysia but you earn about ten times more. I have in fact written about this matter many times before. And a trip to the supermarket to fill up your shopping cart costs about RM300 compared to RM600 in Malaysia.

The RELA guards have been known to act worse than the criminals they are supposed to guard against. But when they earn only RM750 per month what do you expect? They need at least RM2,000 to lead a decent life without any luxuries thrown in. So they have to resort to extortion to supplement their income, which they do, as we all know.

Hmm…now why did I not think of that? Maybe I will do just that…go live in the UK. It is cheaper there.

Anyway, instead of fighting for Malay, Chinese, Indian, Orang Asli, Iban, Dayak, Kadazan, Bajau, etc., rights, we should be fighting for a higher minimum wage. If the minimum wage is RM1,800 or RM2,000 instead of RM750 then everyone regardless of race would benefit. Then all poor Malays, Chinese, Indians and whatnot would automatically be taken care of.

That is what our struggle should be about. Then we do not have to worry about any particular race being left behind, like in the UK.

Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2010/04/rm750.html