Let’s make a simple comparison with the rail system which we have now in Kuala Lumpur….and the planned rail system which we’re supposed to have in the near future.

Here’s the current rail system map.

Current Rail System (ngsenja.com)

and here’s the planned rail system.

Planned Rail System

It seems like there are at least 3 lines which have not been completed. The government has mentioned that they have allocated more money in the new budget for our public transportation system…and the new rail lines are scheduled to be completed in the year 2013 or 2014.

In other words, we’ll get to see a more complete rail system for Kuala Lumpur 6 or 7 years from now…. Well, that’s what we hope. I’m not sure whether our entire rail system will end up like that in 6 years…or are they going to spend that 6 years just to build a single line?

Wawasan 2020, also known as Vision 2020, is a Malaysian dream………..a dream of Malaysia being a developed nation with an economy which is 8 times stronger than that of the 1990s. It was first proposed by our former prime minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad in 1991, during the tabling of the 6th Malaysia Plan.

We’re already in the year 2008, 17 years after the Vision 2020 proposal….which also means we’ve passed the halfway mark to achieve Vision 2020. The halfway mark should be the middle of year 2005.

So, how far have we progressed? We’ve constructed the building which used to be the world’s tallest building – Petronas Twin Towers, in 1998. We’ve also constructed KL Sentral in 2001, started Multimedia Super Corridor in 1996, built Light Rail Transit system (LRT) in 1999, and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in 1998. Those were the significant ones.

But since 2000, things have been a little bit quiet….(except for the Monorail which is a little bit unstable at times).

Is it because our leaders have forgotten about this Vision 2020 thing? Or because they’re too occupied with other issues? Or maybe it’s because they think 2020 is too optimistic for them….2040 might be a better year?

Anyway, from what I can see, our country is very very far away from being a developed country. Singapore is a developed country and look at how much difference between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. We’re much more disorganized than they are. That is why in my opinion, Malaysia is still considered as a “developing” country….and has a lot more to go before we can achieve Vision 2020. We used to be “more developed” than Thailand…but now, they’re better than us. As of now, we’re actually competing with the likes of Vietnam…which, 10 years ago…was still considered as a 3rd world country.

So what happens to our Vision 2020? Why are we progressing so slow? Shouldn’t someone be doing something to keep this momentum going before we start to lose our “vision”?

Take a look at our current condition…..and see if people can start realizing that we’re actually quite far away from achieving our Vision 2020…maybe too far away. And before we knew it…it might already be 2020 and Malaysia still has nothing to show to the world. That would be a very very big disappointment.

For now, let us all hope that our government will remember the Malaysian dream for an ideal nation, for a developed nation….the Malaysian dream called as Wawasan 2020.

As of last month, Malaysia’s inflation rate has shot up to 8.5% which was the highest in 27 years! Yes, you heard that right, 27 years. Gone were the days when we heard our leaders promoting 0% inflation rate (i think I last heard about that when I was in primary school). Gone were the days when our Ringgit Malaysia currency was higher than Singapore Dollar…….and we could go to Singapore and shop happily. Gone were the days when RM 2000 a month for a fresh graduate could be considered as “good”.

And gone were the days when our nation carried the hope of minimizing poverty in the country, thanks to words n promises from our leaders.

The reality all of us Malaysians are facing is this – our not-so-strong buying power has been reduced again and I’m afraid the number of poor families are going up…rather than going down.

Just look at the number of articles related to people suffering from the inflation – “Real people, real pinch“, “Housebuyers cry for help“, “Change in eating habits“, “Going domestic to cut cost“, etc. All these articles are from The Star Online. Imagine if you try to go New Straits Time, Malay Mail, Sin Chew or even try to Google. How many such cases would you encounter?

The latest budget 2009, from what I saw (i just went through it briefly), does look like it can help a little with the house loan stuff, the reduction for import taxes (but i believe…poor families don’t really have the luxury to buy that much imported stuff…no? and the richer families would be facing problems with fuel and food price….), and also subsidies for certain food …but….i don’t seem to notice anything about subsidy for rice? Is it because of the recent worldwide rice shortage problem? I’m not sure.

Well…no matter what….there are just things that we cannot control….the new Budget 2009….the rice crisis….the energy crisis….the economy downturn…. But there are few things which we can control

• Control our $$$ better – put them in safer places such as defensive stocks, FD, etc.
• Avoid eating too expensive food.
• Stop smoking and drinking because those 2 can cost a lot.
• Avoid eating outside. Cook at home is a much cheaper option.
• Plan your journey ahead. Avoid getting stuck in jam because the amount of fuel consumed is not worth it.
• Resist the temptation to buy expensive gadgets (telling myself).
• Plan your vacation to be simple….like going for domestic destinations instead of going abroad.
• Fully utilize the tax exemption stuff. There are a lot of things which you can save $$ on, by utilizing your rights as a taxpayer.
• If you can avoid buying a new house…then don’t buy it now since properties cost a bomb nowadays (material cost going up). Try to rent or buy older properties (if you insist on buying). If you insist on buying the newly launched properties, then be prepared to pay a lot.
• Indulge yourselves in cheaper hobbies.
• Find other food options other than rice.
• WORK HARDER! Look at other opportunities…such as selling insurance, mutual fund, or other part-time jobs.

I know there are a lotttttt of other things which we can control. In the end…i feel that the most important thing to do is not to give up hope…be positive. I know sometimes it’s hard…but I believe that if you’re positive and optimistic, there are a lot of things which you can achieve.

p/s……..do remember though, our Central Bank aka Bank Negara has not increase the interest rates. I fear that there will come a time when the Bank Negara is forced to increase the interest rates…..so be prepared to have a much higher inflation rate.

Another interesting article from UK’s Mirror. Here are Britain’s happiest and saddest places. So the next time you visit the UK, maybe you should refer to this list?

Read the rest of this entry »

This morning, I posted on ACA officers: “Hey, my spies are in your territory!”

but it seems like either someone has removed my post without me knowing it……. or WordPress is having some problems. The post has been replaced with another post which I HAVE NOT published. =_=

This is very very strange.

Anyway, the post which I’ve wrote this morning was about an article from the New Straits Time. You can find it here – http://www.nst.com.my/Friday/Frontpage/2335144

Again, sorry for the mistake. It’s just…weird.

UPDATE: I’ve changed the title of the ACA post. Somehow the primary keys became corrupted. =_= It’s all done now. Sorry for any inconveniences caused.