The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Wednesday November 10th, 2021
Malaysia: 2022 Budget Racially Configured, Election Targeted by Ramesh Chander, Lim Teck Ghee and Murray Hunter
Perhaps the most depressing takeaway from the budget presented in Parliament is that it is the most racially configured of budgets in the nation’s history. Former de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim has tweeted: “Nice to be Bumiputeras… billions set aside,” noted Zaid in a tweet. “(This) must be the only country in the world where (the) Budget is race-specific”. He also added that it was also “nice” to be a civil servant since they were “always getting cash handouts”
According to official estimates, budget 2022’s allocation for the Bumiputera community comes up to RM11.4 billion, while the amount for the non-Bumiputera communities is about RM300 million.
It is possible that even this lopsided Bumiputera figure may be an under-estimate. Does it, for example, include the allocations of RM1.5b for Islamic Affairs, RM140 million for Islamic amd ‘pondok’ school maintenance, and various other Bumiputera allocations ‘accidentally’ missed out, hidden or disguised?
We know how official data is manipulated to provide the impression of even-handedness and fairness on racial issues. The current budget statistics may be no exception to the racial sleight of hand practiced by our policy makers to give the impression of an inclusive and non-discriminatory society.
Continue reading HERE!
“Where Are the Colors of Time?” #poem by Bohdan Yuri
“Where are the colors of time,
Do they hide in the opaque islands,
Floating in our white crowded sky?
Can we dare imagine,
To believe that they are real?”
Continue reading HERE!
Ephemera 21#26 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas
For more Ephemera, HERE!
For more Ovi Cartoons, HERE!
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