subsidy is not sustainable and can make malaysians life shorter!

why do we love subsidy so much? for the simple reason that others bear our cost of the goods/ services we consume.

today, malaysians are blessed by the govt generosity to subsidise many items such as petroleum, gas and even sugar! well in actual fact the source of subsidy comes from the govt revenue coming from various sources. Petronas, the Fortune 500 oil company is one of the most significant cash cow for the govt. about 1million out of 28 mil malaysians pay income tax to the govt.

can subsidy ensure sustainability of the country?

if impelemented at the right target group, there is a strong chance this mechanism will lead to them improving their well being.

today, the subsidy is very much a blanket approach to satisfy the majority. for example, from the under priviliged to the upper class society, all will pay the same cheap fuel price for their cars. the number of cars on the road increases leading to other problems especially daily traffic jams in cities like kuala lumpur. sdmalaysia would be interested to know the productivity loss and drivers stress level contributed from this problem.

sugar too is a subsidised item leading to many of us consuming this item without caring for our health. world health organisation also reported that we malaysians dont regularly exercise.

sdmalaysia thinks thAt it is important that we remind each other on the downside of subsidy.

we want to be a developed nAtion hence it is time that we move away from the subsidy mentality. special targeted group should be taken care of but not the majority of us. as it is, only some of us who pay tax to ensure other ppls comfort.

say no to fuel and sugar subsidy for a sustainable malaysia, otherwise say yes to living a shorter lifespan thanks to the two cheap commodities!

Don't buy your next green property yet before you read this!

SDMalaysia thinks that sometimes, industry players tend to be very selfish when it comes to promote green agenda in the buiding sector.  There are two scenarios that will tend to take place when developers embark on new developement projects.

Scenario I: Old school developers that don't understand the importance of sustainability principles. Whilst they are considered a dying breed, you can't entirely blame this group since they genuinly don't know what they don't know. 

Scenario II: Introduce minimal green initiatives in project and use marketing ploy to charge consumers a bomb. Remember, Sustainability is more than promoting green concepts. The other 2 Ps (Profit and People) most often than not are compromised. We all know in Malaysia, sustainability measures in the construction industry is at a very dismal state. Just look at the condition of the of foreign workers employed by the most CONSTRUCTION companies. Most of them are living in hazardous environment and earn VERY low income (as a result of locals who perceived to shy away from the 3D; dangerous, dirty and difficult jobs).

So how will you know that when you buy your next property, the investment brings sustainable value for the overall 3Ps (Planet, People and Prosperity) ?

SDMalaysia is proud to announce that one of our key individual, Dr Nurul Muiz Murad will be making a special apprereace at the coming GreenBuild Asia 2012.

• Date : 15 February, 2012
• Time : 2.00 to 2.45 pm
• Venue : Seminar Room 1, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre
• Topic :

A Cost Effective Way for Green Residential Green Development     

Make a date with Dr Muiz and be enlightened by the holistic understanding of Green Building from him :)