2015 Budget: Another roll-out of the political pork barrel?

By admin-s Last updated Oct 10, 2014

Like the BN ministers have told us and likely to tell us again, it is time to tighten belts and change our lifestyles, for we can expect politicians to gorge themselves on the pork barrels whilst we are left with only crumbs.

Hazlan Zakaria, The Ant Daily

With the general election a year behind us and the next only up in two to four years, we can probably forget about a people-friendly budget. More likely, we will see a political pork barrel roll-out in the 2015 Budget set to be revealed by PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Oct 10.

And if the sudden petrol price hike is any indication of things to come, the writing as they say is on the wall.

Though as usual, many of us are probably going to be distracted by the short-term fireworks display of once-off cash payments to notice the long term damage to our wallets.

Though first off to head off police reports accusing me of seditiously saying that Malay Muslim politicians and their Muslim supporters eat pork, let me explain that “pork barrel” is a term in political science.

It refers to the act of politicians who both use and abuse public funds to direct benefits to their political supporters.

Back to the issue at hand, while the facetious Najib may have promised to “listen to the people” and no longer believe that “the government knows all”, what he promises and what his administration delivers are two very different things.

Case in point, consider how he is treating his promised repeal of the Sedition Act and vow to respect media freedoms. Sometimes I wonder if it is Najib who is in charge or his underlings who have so decided to postpone his own reforms in his name.

But then again, this is probably the BN old boys club’s version of I-scratch-your-back and you-scratch-my-back conga line.

As he made promises and his subordinates break his word on his behalf and behest so he can still come out smelling like a rose despite the shit that is spewed by his people in his wake.

After all, to paraphrase what the Disney character Lumiere from Beauty and The Beast once told the Beast, much like to the electorate, you give women chocolate, flowers…and promises you don’t intend to keep.

And if Najib is the Beast in that particular movies, his glass rose still have lots of petals to fall off before the last one, and he can afford to play around first before keeping his promises.

This, of course, takes into consideration the short attention span of the Malaysian public as well. After all mention cash handouts and all other sins are almost forgotten, and wait six months most Malaysians won’t remember those sins anyhow.

And lo and behold boys and girls, it’s that time of the year again, when next year’s iteration of the budget is going to be rolled out to be chopped and stamped by parliament.

If not actually debated and decided by what is supposed to be the highest decision making body in the land.

But then again that is the peculiarity of Malaysia’s Mahathirised version of the Westminster system whereby the executive ‘takes care of the day to day’ and frees up parliament to do their important duty of chopping and stamping.

As such, the budget which is supposed to be a request from the government to parliament for funds often ends up being more like a shopping list that the Legislative is asked to sign and pay for then any request for funds from the consolidated accounts.

Indeed, it is parliament that must depend on the Executive for funds, staffing and everything.

And since this is the case, we are lucky perhaps that among the ranting and ravings of the opposition, they still managed to highlight issues that serves to keep the government in check from being too gung ho with their control over the nation’s finances.

Especially with the removal of the more questionable proposals like an investment committee for the Inland Revenue Board after those across the aisles from the government raise hue and cry.