Corridors development – Are we serious about this?

Whilst WAWASAN 2020 stressing on balance of economic power with cultural preservation, Corridors development focusing on development alone.

Looking at the project criteria, Iskandar Corridor namely, I simply can’t compute the actual benefit of this massive development plan to the local resident and Malaysian.

Understandably, three main government obligations to the public are job opportunity (unemployment prevention), eradicate poverty and provide infrastructure.

Ever since privatization era, our government seems passing all the development cost to the public. The public partially fund the project, a body raised the total financial obligations and the public is forced to be the customer with little or no option to alternative.

Iskandar (or AAB lead government) has taken this step even further. Based on my understanding, this project is self-finance project whereby the ‘sponsor’ or ‘investor’ is not limited to locals or with local partnership but done in more open opportunity to foreign power. The benefits through tax exemption, red tape cutting, expatriation and foreign residency is massive. Without our political turmoil, if I am a foreigner with money to spend, I will not have to evaluate much deeper but to participate in this development.

Back to the three government obligations to the public, yes, this project will benefit Malaysian and local resident on jobs, rising living standards and maybe profited by the infrastructures.

It is not the benefit that I am worried about, but the consequences.

Improved local living standard will be subdued by escalating local inflation with flooded ex-pats that are in spending spree when they are here. Look at Bangsar, Kota Damansara and other semi-flooded ex-pat areas and how much is the cost of foods and goods there.
>Social destruction. Massive count of wealthy foreign man looking for entertainments.
>Lost of land ownership by the locals
>Cheaper foreigners will conquer Job opportunity for lower income segment.
>Double standard on salary pays for middle-income group. Ex-pat will be paid lavishly as always and the balance from the human resource spending budget to be segregated amongst the local employee.
>Local will dismissed themselves from the area due to high cost of living.
>This development will eventually burdened the locals and the area will be capitalized by foreign residence.

On immediate effect the cost of land ownership had increased tremendously throughout Malaysia. As the corridor covers north, south, middle, east and west, there are no escaping from this perpetuate property inflation. Coupled with food supply crisis and rising of rubber and palm oil commodities, the escalation is inescapable. On this aspect, I am particularly disappointed for the chances of people like me to own a piece of land for project or future investment is made impossible.

Looking from a broader aspect, I can’t find a valid reason why our government is very keen on type of development. First of all, the total cost run up to billions ringgit and we have no resource to fund such scale, thus foreign investor is needed. Secondly, we are quite healthy on country revenue growth, why can’t we stick to our finance capability and execute any project with full benefit potential to Malaysian rather than outsiders? Most importantly, where is our so-called wealth disappearing until we are depending so much on foreigners? And why do we want to go to high-risk development plan with uncertainties of world economy performance.

Recap to our economy blooms:
>Light crude oil revenue has quadruple since 5 years ago.
>Fuel subsidy mostly removed creating more revenues to government. More revenue fuel user.
>Oil palm and rubber export revenue has at least tripled. Thousands of poverty bracket group has been removed.
>All agriculture products price has inflated. More poverty bracket group has been eliminated.
>Almost all the new infrastructure is paid by ‘private’ and public is forced to contribute lavishly on usage of the infrastructure and services.
>Vehicle excise duty and sales tax still high.

Come to think of it, I can’t extract of where our nation revenue being utilized?
>Education – we are out-ranked by our neighbouring country.
>Medical – my company have been paying for my medical bills.
>Security – we are far from 1:250 policemen: public ratio. A lot of suburb areas does not even have police/ mini police station. I wonder why crime statistic is high?
>Defence – what do we have? More money been spent on Nuri maintenance and compensation to Nuri’s unfortunate crashed patriots.
>Controlling media?
>‘Dividend’ to MPs, EXCO, etc?
>FRU?
>Tourism campaign?Cleanliness and health? Look at our river quality.