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Asking RM 1,500 is a decent human rights demand - S.Arutchelvan

I refer to the article Pakatan rejects RM1,500 wage proposal in FMT today and would like to reiterate that asking a wage of RM 1,500 a month is not outrageous nor it is without basis. Asking RM 1,500 for every worker is a decent wage proposal and decent wages are part and parcel of Human rights. Outrageous or being impractical would be to ask the pay of Maybank CEO which is RM 90,000 a month or Syabas CEO who earns RM 450,000 a month.

Today we do not question the massive income inequality and discrimination when it comes to the rich and powerful. The highest 20% of Malaysian earn 51% of the total income whereby the bottom 40% earn merely 14%. The poorest 10 percent only control 1.7% of the total income. Today we question why must be the lowest 20% should be paid RM 1,500 and give that as the reason why the economy is going to collapse.
Malaysian Income per capital is RM 28,000 annually which works out to be RM 2,300 per month. This means if we take the average household size in Malaysia, a household in Peninsular should be getting RM 10,100 a month and in Sabah and Sarawak RM 11,500 a month and RM 10,800 respectively. So the argument should not be,  how not to give the minimum wage for the lower income group  but rather how to distribute income evenly and equally. Every human being is entitled to a decent wage, decent home life and good medical care.

If every politician can take home a pay of RM 900 or RM 1100 for themselves and their family members, then I will not question the need for a RM 1500 salary. The problem is we ourselves cannot accept RM 900 or RM 1,100 as a just salary but why do we then propose, it is ok for others. Isn’t this hypocritical? Isn’t this double standard ?

Rafizi’s statement that classified World Bank’s report state that the implementation of minimum wage beyond RM1,100 would have adverse impact on the industries. This Statement goes against another fellow Pakatan economist Charles Santiago who says that the minimum wage should be set at around RM 1500 or RM 2,000. Figures can be confusing and can be manipulated. The point is IF the wage taken home is fair and decent?  When we calculated what a decent living wage should be, it was based on food baskets and basic needs of an average individual and a family. It was based on real needs .That is how we came out with the figure RM 1500. For us it would have been indecent, if one is to to be paid lower than that.

Under the capitalist system, the main life wire of the system is profit. Profit can only be extracted from the surplus value of labour. Capitalist use all sorts of argument to suppress wages. After every cycle, the rich end up richer and the poor end of poorer. The Rich Companies employ consultants and spend millions on researchers on why wages must be kept low.

In the case of Malaysia. We have more demand for workers then supply. That is why we employ foreign labour. If that is true, the larger demand of workers would actually mean that wages would raise. But in the real situation, there is no invisible hand to increase wages, rather the opposite happens. Then the Human Resource Minister makes a revelation that he does not understand why market forces do not work in Malaysia and goes on to say that is the reason why Minimum wage are being implemented now. It would just take logic for us to understand that wages are being suppressed and foreign labour is a form of cheap labour to keep wages low. The invisible hand theory has in fact made wage increase invisible.  So free market economic theory does not work because it is controlled by the 1%. 

PR can actually play a part in uplifting the living standart of workers. Malaysia has the highest income gap disparity in South East Asia and one of the highest in Asia. Every National budget in recent years also shows this being a trend. It is the role of the Government to act, intervene and ensure wealth is equally distributed.

PSM believes that if corporate taxes are increased, the Economy would be able subsidize wages for smaller and medium scale companies. The PR has previously argued that by good governance itself, it can save money. This is the money which should be used to help small and medium scall industry to pay decent wages. Decent wages for the poor will help boost the economy. When workers overall earn more, it will help stimulate the economy and will bring much benefits to the lower income traders and businesses as these workers would be spending on day to day expenses and not on luxury items. This will benefit a huge level of the lower strata economy and boost income to the lower income group. This will help the real economy and assist the real people. Rich people tend to gamble their money in fictitious market rather then the real one.

My argument is that if the Selangor Government can implement minimum wage of RM 1,500 for all its GLC using a newly set-up Selangorku Grant totalling RM300million.  Likewise, I don’t see why PR when takes over Federal power cannot assist small- and medium-scale industries who may face some problems in implementing this minimum wage act. The annual budget of Selangor Government is only RM 1.5 billion and they can give a minimum wage to all their GLC amounting RM 1500 and using RM 300 million. Please compare this to the Federal Government which has a budget of around RM 200 billion.

If PR can stop the leakages to the money lost in PKFZ scandal RM12billion,  Submarine commission RM500mil, Terengganu Stadium Collapse RM292mil,  MRR2 repair cost RM70mil,  Worth of AP given out in a year RM 1.8B, Perwaja Steel losses of RM2.56 billion, National Astronaut Programme  RM 40 million, compensation amounting to RM 38.5 billion to 20 highway companies in 2006, Putra transport system bailout which cost RM4.5 billion, STAR-LRT bailout costing RM3.3 billion and RM17 billion subsidy to IPP and many more. It is estimated that 10 to 28 billion is lost annually because of corruption. This money need to be redistributed.

On the final analysis, the capitalist economy, its neo liberal policies, its FDI FTA inspired businesses will continue to ensure workers will be paid lower. Profit will always be above People. The working class, the trade Unions and the 99% have to keep fighting this class war to ensure they live on a better life. PR and BN has to decide whose side they want to be. People or Profit?

18 comments:

  1. Apa jenis auta aku pun tak tahu, Lihatlah cakap-cakap janji yang sering kali berubah dan berbelit, apa dah jadi dengan Gaji Minimum Anwar Ibrahim Kencing Dari RM1500 Turun Lagi Ke RM1100. Yang mana satu Anwar ibrahim hendak laksanakan aku pun tidak faham? Agak-agak manusia jenis kuat menipu ini tidak ingat janji-janji penipu yang lalu. Kalau macam inilah bakal Perdana Menteri yang reka cipta janjipun tidak sekata dan seragam, bolehkah dipercayai ke?

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    1. Anwar Ibrahim dalam kenyataan akhbar mengatakan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) menawarkan gaji minimum RM1,100 jika diberi mandat menerajui Kerajaan Pusat pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13). tapi pelik bukan apabila dia penah berjanji pelaksanaan gaji minimum di Selangor iaitu RM1500 yang sepatutnya sudah bermula awal tahun ini? Inilah yang menghairankan apabila Gaji Minimum Anwar Ibrahim Kencing Dari RM1500 Turun Lagi Ke RM1100?

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    2. Kalau diimbaskan kembali, Khalib Ibrahim PKR telah berjanji akan melaksanakan had gaji minimum mulai awal tahun ini melalui semua anak syarikat negeri. Berita Kencing telah diumumkan Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim ketika membentangkan Bajet 2012 yang bertemakan ‘Selangorku: Hasil Negeri Untuk Rakyat’ pada Sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri (Dun) Selangor, pada 9 November 2011.

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    3. Kononnya Abdul Khalid berkata, pelaksanaan gaji minimum RM1,500 itu akan dimulakan oleh anak syarikat Kerajaan Negeri yang prestasi kewangannya stabil seperti Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS), Perbadanan Kemajuan Pertanian Selangor (PKPS), Permodalan Negeri Selangor Berhad (PNSB) dan Worldwide Holding Berhad.

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    4. Bagi syarikat milik Kerajaan Negeri yang prestasi kewangannya belum stabil, dana RM10 juta akan disediakan bagi menampung kos pelaksanaan dasar ini. “Kerajaan Negeri akan berusaha meningkatkan produktiviti negeri dan syarikat yang dimiliki supaya ia layak melaksanakan gaji minimum,” Kencingnya

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    5. Tetapi semua itu hanyalah mainan maha auta Khalib Ibrahim. Sehingga sekarang tahun 2013, masih juga belum terlaksana malah sempat juga Khalib Ibrahim dan Pakatan Rakyat untuk mempersoalkan tetapan gaji minimum oleh Datuk Sri Najib RM900 untuk Semenanjung dan RM800 untuk Sabah Serawak. Yang mereka kencing harap bunyi sahaja RM10 juta, sedap bukan main! tapi pelaksanaan hanya kroni yang untung!

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    6. Kalau inilah yang Anwar Ibrahim lakukan sebagai Penasihat Ekonomi RM1, bagaimana hendak melaksanakan gaji minimum RM1100, sudahlah jumlahnya turun, malah janji-janji yang lepaspun belum tertunai? Jadi dimana sebenarnya tahap kecekapan Pakatan Rakyat menunaikan janji, semuanya sekadar namapak macam cakap-cakap tin kosong sahaja.

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    7. Tidak payahlah hendak cipta karangan sehingga tahap Gaji Minimum Anwar Ibrahim Kencing Dari RM1500 Turun Lagi Ke RM1100, semata-mata untuk menjatuhkan Najib Razak, buktikan dulu apa yang mereka janjikan sebelum hendak mengutuk orang lain.

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    8. upah minimum RM900 dan RM800 pun timbul isu, apa lagi jika RM 1500.

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  2. KERAJAAN BUKAN SETAKAT BAGI GAJI MINIMUM, MALAH PELBAGAI BANTUAN DIBERIKAN KEPADA RAKYAT

    Kerajaan BN tentunya mempunyai perancangan rapi untuk mengurangkan beban rakyat, bukan sekadar bergantung kepada pelaksanaan gaji minimum semata-mata.

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    Replies
    1. KERAJAAN BUKAN SETAKAT BAGI GAJI MINIMUM, MALAH PELBAGAI BANTUAN DIBERIKAN KEPADA RAKYAT

      Ketika pembangkang masih berangan-angan untuk menduduki kerusi empuk Puterajaya, kerajaan lebih dulu menyedari bebanan yang terpaksa ditanggung oleh rakyat di Sabah dan Sarawak yang bergantung kepada perkhidmatan pengangkutan air menyebabkan kos membawa barangan dari Semenanjung terlalu tinggi. Sebab itu kerajaan pada pembentangan Bajet 2013 menambah RM50 juta lagi peruntukan menjadikannya RM250 juta bagi tujuan menyerap kos pengangkutan barangan di kedua-dua negeri ini.

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    2. KERAJAAN BUKAN SETAKAT BAGI GAJI MINIMUM, MALAH PELBAGAI BANTUAN DIBERIKAN KEPADA RAKYAT

      Dengan tambahan RM50 juta ini, rakyat Sabah dan Sarawak di kawasan pedalaman kini dapat menikmati harga barangan keperluan harian yang sama seperti rakyat di Semenanjung. Tambahan subsidi tersebut daripada RM200 juta tahun lalu kepada RM250 juta tahun ini akan meliputi 100 kawasan lagi penghantaran di pedalaman.

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    3. KERAJAAN BUKAN SETAKAT BAGI GAJI MINIMUM, MALAH PELBAGAI BANTUAN DIBERIKAN KEPADA RAKYAT

      Selain itu, kerajaan turut memperuntukkan sebanyak RM47 juta tahun ini bagi subsidi pengangkutan feri untuk penduduk yang menggunakan perkhidmatan pengangkutan air di Sabah, Sarawak dan Labuan, dan RM87 juta lagi bagi membuka Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M) di setiap daerah di Sabah, Sarawak dan Labuan.

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    4. KERAJAAN BUKAN SETAKAT BAGI GAJI MINIMUM, MALAH PELBAGAI BANTUAN DIBERIKAN KEPADA RAKYAT

      Bukankah semua peruntukan yang disediakan oleh kerajaan ini membuktikan bahawa kerajaan BN amat mengambil berat terhadap kesulitan rakyat? Pembangkang sepatutnya belajar untuk menghargai sumbangan-sumbangan kerajaan kepada rakyat, dan jika ada cacat-celanya tampillah dengan idea-idea alternatif yang bernas, bukan sekadar mengkritik semata-mata mahu mendapatkan sokongan rakyat.

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    5. KERAJAAN BUKAN SETAKAT BAGI GAJI MINIMUM, MALAH PELBAGAI BANTUAN DIBERIKAN KEPADA RAKYAT

      pelaksanaan gaji minimum ini adalah satu permulaan yang baik. Cuma mungkin jika ada penambah-baikan untuk dasar gaji minimum pada masa-masa akan datang, mungkin kerajaan boleh pertimbangkan gaji minimum sektor swasta di Malaysia diselaraskan mengikut peringkat dan pencapaian masing-masing, dan penawaran gaji seperti ini perlulah merujuk kepada kewangan dan jumlah keuntungan tahunan syarikat tersebut.

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    6. KERAJAAN BUKAN SETAKAT BAGI GAJI MINIMUM, MALAH PELBAGAI BANTUAN DIBERIKAN KEPADA RAKYAT

      Disamping itu, kerajaan wajib memantau dengan lebih ketat lagi fenomena turun naik harga barang di seluruh negara, kerana ada kemungkinan majikan ini tidak keberatan untuk menaikkan harga barang atas nama untuk menampung kos operasi. Dan yang merasa seronoknya tentulah puak-puak pembangkang kerana mereka boleh memanipulasikan situasi ini untuk kepentingan politik mereka.

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  3. Cakap tidak serupa bikin, putar belit sahja Anwar ini.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kerajaan BN mempuyai perancangan untuk membantu rakyat mendapat gaji yang lebih adil.

    ReplyDelete

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