NST Online: Topnews

Posted: 06 Oct 2011 12:44 PM PDT

Making ends meet people's main concern

2011/10/06
By Rahmah Ghazali
rahmah@nst.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: An online survey has found that Malaysians are increasingly concerned about making ends meet and hoping to see measures that could alleviate the rising cost of living in the 2012 Budget.

The poll conducted by The New Straits Times Press publications on their Facebook pages showed that a whopping 82 per cent of the 5,361 surveyed indicated the cost of living is their biggest concern.

This is followed by education (355), housing (263), unemployment (189) and business incentive (116).

One of the respondents, Rickie Sano, said the cost of living was increasing even in the rural areas as the prices of goods were equally high.

Another reader, Maslynna Eve, said those who were studying and working at the same time felt the pinch the most.

"The high cost of living has caused financial problems, especially when we still have to pay tuition fees."

Md Fauzi Jaafar said the education system was top priority because it would provide jobs and business opportunities.

"This automatically will help us to bear the cost of living and reduce unemployment."

For Zelifah Ibrahim, housing is her biggest concern.

"This is because most people who cannot afford their own houses are also hard-pressed to pay their monthly rent."

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will unveil the 2012 Budget in the Dewan Rakyat today and it is expected to help ease the cost of living of low-income earners.

The statistics were collected within three hours from polls posted on the Facebook pages of the New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Harian Metro.

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Making ends meet people's main concern

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Easing rakyat’s burden

Posted: 06 Oct 2011 12:44 PM PDT

Easing rakyat's burden

2011/10/07
By Mustapha Kamil
news@nst.com.my

Najib: Transformational budget for all

KUALA LUMPUR: The 2012 Budget, to be tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the Dewan Rakyat this afternoon, will satisfy a common request made by an overwhelming number of Malaysians for measures to lighten their burden in the currently high cost of living environment.

There will be new policies specifically crafted to ease the financial burden of low-to-medium income earners.

Najib yesterday broadly described the budget as a "transformational budget for all Malaysians". He said there would be a wide range of winners in the measured
and moderate budget.

The poor and low-to-medium income earners have been most affected by the rapid increase in the cost of living in recent years.

The grossly weakened global economy and the worldwide increase in energy prices have driven the cost of almost every other consumer item and service,
including those of food, sharply higher.

Malaysians have also been asking for cheaper homes and lower costs for medical care while civil servants have made known their wish for an upward revision in wages.

The 2012 Budget is also expected to sharpen further the Najib administration's

inclusive approach where no part of society will be left behind in the government's push towards making Malaysia a high-income nation by 2020.

The government, however, would remain prudent with Najib saying it would maintain a fiscally-responsible approach to managing the economy.
Najib, who is also finance minister, said the 2012 Budget would be about the government delivering on its promise to ensure social justice while keeping Malaysia on a strong economic course that will deliver long-term prosperity for all.

"In line with the guiding principle of 1Malaysia — People First, Performance Now — I am totally focused on maintaining economic growth and cutting the deficit, but will never do so at the expense of ordinary citizens," Najib said in a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya yesterday.

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Easing rakyat's burden

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Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Khamis, 6 Oktober 2011