theSun | WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 5 2008 17

speak up!
thesun says

Spend it right,
keep it clean
THE government has no choice but
to respond to the grim prospect of
an economic slowdown triggered
by what is happening in the United
States and Europe, described as the
worst meltdown in recent history.
The country certainly cannot take
the position that it won’t be affected
and do nothing about it especially
after some countries far from the
US and Europe are already affected.
Singapore is technically already in
recession.
The government can choose to
abandon the record RM208 billion
expansionary Budget 2009 unveiled
by then Finance Minister Datuk
Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,
just before Ramadan and adopt
a contractionary one to cut cost
and reduce spending as suggested
by a number of critics of the
government’s “populist budget”.
One critic of the government even
called it the most “irresponsible
expansionary budget”.
However, after the euphoria
with which many people received
the Budget 2009 which promised
wide-ranging aid for the lower
middle class and the poor it would
be disastrous for the government
to abandon it and adopt tough belt
tightening measures instead. Also
in view of the tough macro situation
outlook, and to keep recession at
bay the government has little choice
but to spend more now to keep the
economy going. Thus, much more
is going to be spent on development,
housing and other infrastructure
development projects as well as
projects to provide people with
better public transport. Despite the
tough economic outlook worldwide
the government is still hopeful that
its expansionary budget would
still attract some foreign direct
investments and in this regard some
changes are going to be made to the
foreign investment committee.
There would also be a new unit
or committee under the Finance
Ministry to ensure that funds
for projects under “these special
circumstances” are disbursed
faster. All this are going to maintain
growth even if its rate is to be
revised downwards. While the
government is aware that the
stimulus spending will only widen
the deficit, it is not going to be Protect
unduly concerned as it hopes that the
any increase in the deficit would innocent
only be temporary. More urgent, it
argues, is to put in place measures pg 20
to generate growth in the face of a
serious economic slowdown.
While such a huge expenditure
is a good thing for the purpose,
the government must take the
responsibility of ensuring that every
sen spent goes towards generating
growth and keeping recession at
bay. The fear is that – in view of
the government’s poor track record
in this regard, the existence of a
culture of corruption and the weak
institutional structures – not all
of the funds will be channelled
in the right direction without any
unnecessary leakages. For the sake
of every Malaysian, let us hope and
pray that in the face of adversity we
and our government are united in
saying no to corruption.

letters
letters@thesundaily.com

Make banking easier

TWO recent banking incidents have convinced
me that banks are out to inconvenience cus-
tomers.
A few weeks ago, I presented to a bank
teller a cash cheque for RM5,000 issued by my
daughter. The teller told me to wait until she
was able to contact the issuer of the cheque.
Unfortunately, my daughter had left her hand-
phone in her car so the teller was unable to
contact her. The teller told me that I could
either wait until they were able to contact her
or come again tomorrow.
I then left the bank and went to my
daughter’s office to get her office number for
the teller. The teller then asked for my IC and
made a photocopy of it. I found out later from
my daughter that the only question that the
teller asked was whether she had issued the
cheque.
Was it necessary to verify with the issuer
when the cheque was properly written up and
is legal tender?
What type of security measure was the bank
taking when it only asked the person on the
other line (who could be an impostor) if she
had issued the cheque? Furthermore, why
should the teller photocopy my IC when it could
have written my IC number at the back of the
cheque? What happens if my IC is misused?
In the second incident, I went to the same
bank with about RM30,000 in denominations of
RM1, RM5, RM10, RM50 and RM100 to deposit
into two accounts.
The teller told me that there would be a
RM20 charge for counting more than 1,000
notes.
I then asked the teller to bank in half the
amount and then queued up again to bank in
the remaining half. This was the only way to
avoid the excessive RM20 charge.
Why is the bank inconveniencing custom-
ers who handle a lot of cash? I pity customers
(especially the old, disabled or petty traders)
who have to bank in 1,000 RM1 notes.
This can be avoided if tellers are allowed
to be flexible and deal with customers on a
case-by-case basis.
Peter Loh
Penang

Paying more for cheap flights

I HAVE flown many times with a low-cost
carrier. Every time I fly, it fascinates me to find
out that this airline has introduced yet another
“innovative” way to squeeze more revenue out
of its customers.
First, we had to pay for meals and water.
Then for express boarding. Next for checking-in
our bags. The last time I flew the airline (ie from
Krabi to KL), I was told by its check-in ground
staff that if I want the transparent plastic bag
(to put in my liquid toiletries), I had to buy it
from them. To quote her: “We are a budget
airline. Nothing is free.”
I dread to think that the airline may want us
to pay for a smile/greeting (from its staff) next.
Dissatisfied Customer
Kuala Lumpur