Root canal politics, and lessons to be learnt

I never miss Thomas Friedman, syndicated by your Paper, and today's column ROOT CANAL POLITICS,or the Death of the Tooth Fairy is also very good reference to the ills in our country. While the column specifically addressed the current turmoil engulfing Greece, and the imminent crisis that can hit Britain, in fact largely due to the excessive spending of the baby boomers, who believe that wealth can be infinitely created, and political stability maintained by pandering to the narcissistic needs of the populace, the current and future generations will be left heavily in debt, and with the environment destroyed, and resources heavily depleted. Some of the examples he has mentioned bear repeating here:

• Our parents were “The Greatest Generation,” and they earned that title by making enormous sacrifices and investments to build us a world of abundance. My generation, “The Baby Boomers,” turned out to be what the writer Kurt Andersen called “The Grasshopper Generation.” We’ve eaten through all that abundance like hungry locusts.
  

• Greece, for instance, became the General Motors of countries. Like G.M.’s management, Greek politicians used the easy money and subsidies that came with European Union membership not to make themselves more competitive in a flat world, but more corrupt, less willing to collect taxes and uncompetitive. Under Greek law, anyone in certain “hazardous” jobs could retire with full pension at 50 for women and 55 for men — including hairdressers who use a lot of chemical dyes and shampoos. In Britain, everyone over 60 gets an annual allowance to pay heating bills and can ride any local bus for free. That’s really sweet — if you can afford it. But Britain, where 25 percent of the government’s budget is now borrowed, can’t anymore.

• Here is how The Financial Times described it {British elections} “The next government will have to cut public sector pay, freeze benefits, slash jobs, abolish a range of welfare entitlements and take the ax to programs such as school building and road maintenance.” Too bad no party won a majority mandate in the British elections to do this job.

• After 65 years in which politics in the West was, mostly, about giving things away to voters, it’s now going to be, mostly, about taking things away. Goodbye Tooth Fairy politics, hello Root Canal politics.

Of course Malaysia is not in such dire straits, but if we do not stiffen the political spine and take hard decisions, that may be hugely unpopular, it would not be too far away before events witnessed in Greece might be happening on our doorsteps. For example, we talk about wanting to achieve a high income status, but is increasing the salaries of only civil servants without demonstrable improvements in their productivity be just akin to 'subsidizing' a high standard of living? The NEM seeks to assure all races of their rights and lives being protected, but can a certain quarter continue to clamour for assistance based on merely being a majority in the country, without the need to contribute the same amount of effort and productivity to drive the country forward? Can a minority be taxed and burdened to support the demands of the majority, which in effect, it should be the other way around?

It's not easy to make strong decisions being surrounded by parochial politicians, but we must learn from the mistakes of the others, and not wait for the mistakes to be repeated here. As Friedman said to the Americans, ...." Sitting in America, it’s hard to grasp the importance of the British elections and the Greek riots. Nothing to do with us, right? Well, I’d pay attention to the drama playing out here. It may be coming to a theater near you....."

Look out Malaysia!!