Rafizi teaches Najib on the ‘real’ cost-cutting measures

By MT Webmaster On Jan 1, 2014

(Harakah) – Prime Minister Najib Razak’s pathetic measures to cut public expenditure have somewhat irked Rafizi Ramli into giving a public lecture to the former on what should have been done.

Rafizi said the 10 percent cut on entertainment allowances for cabinet members and of senior government officers on the Jusa C Grade between 5 and 10 percent would only save RM600,000 annually, a pittance compared to the RM6.8 billion Najib had allocated for his department.

The Pandan MP said the 11 cost-cutting measures announced by Najib yesterday seem to put the blame on ordinary civil servants for the country’s financial woes.

“If Najib truly wants to be with the people to counter the rising cost of living, he must act fast to terminate all lopsided agreements and government policies which burden the people,” said Rafizi in a statement today.

Among others, Rafizi suggested Najib to remove the excise duty for vehicles by 30 percent and moving towards total abolishment of the tax in the future to lessen the people’s monthly commitment on loans repayment for vehicle.

The PKR strategic director also urged the UMNO president to consider cancelling the proposed hikes for toll charges and renegotiate the lopsided agreements with highway concessionaires.

Najib should also withdraw allocation to projects meant to give expenditure space to ministers without clear agendas, such as the allocation for the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) totalling RM278 million under Budget 2014, he added.

Plan to privatise University Technology Mara (UiTM) campuses nationwide should also be aborted, said Rafizi, as the exercise will cost a bomb in the future in terms of rent payment to the concession holders.

“Najib’s moves are similar to the announcements made by (former prime minister) Abdullah Badawi in 2008 where he also announced a 10 percent cut in entertainment allowances. The measure did not help at all in stopping the wastages and BN’s spendthrift that lead to 16 straight years in deficit,” stressed Rafizi.