STAY out of jail card for some. If this happens, Bursa Malaysia is likely to see a sell down the following week.
Those who are planning for new schemes to steal tax payers’ monies or are in the process of doing so but ceased due to the 15th General Election (GE15) and those who have benefitted previously will be having their celebratory gathering close to midnight on that day for the expected windfall that will follow.
Lifelong ambition of one man realised. Will Bursa Malaysia benefit from this or the stock market reaction will be muted?
Losers on Nov 19 will go back to the drawing board to hatch sinister schemes on how to stage another “Sheraton Move”.
Lies will be created to spread hatred and fears again on contention that winners on Nov 19 will start carrying out measures to minimise or marginalise their communities.
Wannabes on the losing side of the respective coalition will start making moves to discard and replace leaders who failed in the quest on Nov 19. Warlords in the political parties that lost will be put out to pasture.
New faces who have been shut out from the political hierarchy in their respective parties for the past decade will emerge.
To rise up in their parties, these wannabes will inevitably resort to the tried and trusted recipe of using race and religion issues within their parties to expedite their ascension up the leadership.
Not necessarily dawn of a new era
The rakyat will probably witness another merry go round with politicians and parties scheming to realign themselves through the available loopholes in the Anti-Hopping Act.
Stability of the country – an oft repeated and jaded excuse that is of no relevance and makes little difference to the livelihood of the rakyat – will be used to justify the merry go round.
Possibly few of the politicians will hopefully call it a day if they lose.
Will the country witness a new beginning or just another false start or doomsday just arrived at the doorsteps? This will weigh in on the economy for the country.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) – the inflation gauge – will continue to inch forward. Living costs will continue to rise for the average households.
Borrowing costs for individual borrowers will increase further leaving the average households to struggle and juggle with their monthly income and expenses.
Calls will be revived to encourage the rakyat to consume kangkung (spinach) or have fried rice at home as ways to manage the rising costs of living for the average households.
Majority of the promises and pledges made in the run up to Nov 19 by each of the political coalitions will go into storage to be recycled in the next national poll as promises or pledges again.
Claims by the politicians that they have that light bulb idea on how to steer and help the country to weather the headwinds expected to hit us in the middle of next year will remain unlit.
Hung Parliament
But to satisfy the rakyat and to indicate that they are serious about such claims, committees or taskforce will be announced and formed firstly to study the feasibility of their ideas.
As expected, there will be silence thereafter and the issues conveniently forgotten.
The rakyat is of relevance and value to the politicians every five years only for two weeks. Once it is over, they will be discarded like used paper napkins.
Maybe a gridlock where no one has a majority will be good for the country as no coalition will dare or is capable of pushing through wasteful and crony inspired projects that only benefit the politicians and their cronies but not the rakyat.
Promises of creation of new jobs – 1 million – will remain an unfulfilled promise.
Presently, there are vacancies for 1 million jobs but it comprised mainly of those in the 3D (dirty, dangerous and difficult) categories. Maybe these are the jobs they promised.
Just like how they proudly proclaimed they have help the rakyat to alleviate their sufferings by allowing them to draw on their own savings with Employees Provident Fund (EPF). Leaving the rakyat wondering how they would fund their golden years with the little left in their savings with EPF.
The education system will continue in its current trajectory ie continuous mismatch of the graduates’ qualifications with the employment opportunities available.
Every year, soon to be and future graduates from this education system will continue to struggle to find employment within the country.
Seeking employment in foreign countries is a non-starter owing to the limited marketability of the qualifications that the local institute of higher education continued to dish out to them.
Pray that they do not need to seek employment of 3D jobs in the neighbouring countries – a reversal of what their citizens have been coming to this country in the last two decades.
The country will continue to be flooded with foreign labour on the excuse that they are needed for the 3D jobs.
The country will drop further and further behind our neighbours in economic opportunities and growth. No one will care and help the rakyat.
New versions of the white flag movement will spring up – where again – it will be the rakyat who will reach out and help their fellow rakyat in distress.
And the country will continue with its slide towards obscurity – financially and economically.
Frightening? Then please come out and vote and do so wisely. – Nov 14, 2022
FLK
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main pic credit: CNA
