Change your Lifestyle?

Posted by Mrs. TBSBIDAYUH

I’ve been reading Malaysia Today and other blogs regarding on the recent oil price hikes. So, basically various kinds of writings and responses from the bloggers and the people at large had been exposed to my simple mind. What I found interesting was that government keep on telling us to change our lifestyle, they even ‘help’ us by giving the civil servants their salary twice a month, which they said to ‘help them manage their expenses wisely’. Not only that, it had come to my understanding that these days RM 3,000.00 per month salary will not be enough to cover our increasing expenditures and costs. I’m very afraid someday; we really had to eat tapioca or potato as substitutes for rice – as if we are ruled by the Japanese.

Now, let me tell you my lifestyle and my spending for one month. For introduction, my husband and I live with my parents in kampong. As you all know, my husband just came back from Labuan last month, and just ended his job hunting last week after he was offered a job in a small IT company. Yet he had given up the job, due to another attractive offer. So basically, he had not yet received his salary and will only receive half month salary by the end of this month. My salary this month, after all the minuses will not reach RM 1,000.00. And to add up to the worries is that another new member of the family will be added next month after I give birth to our first baby.

Since we are living with my parents, we have not yet needed to pay for mortgages. However, we need to pay for petrol everyday. My husband is currently riding his father’s old Honda EX, which can make one laugh and cry at the same time when one see him sweating while starting the engine every morning. As for me, since I ‘carry’ another person with me, I will follow my niece with her second hand Kelisa. Basically, I will help her pay RM 15.00 every two days for the petrol. Before the oil price hikes, it’s RM 10.00 every two days. (These are just the average amount I had to pay, sometimes more, sometimes less)

As for food, once again I am thankful that we live in kampong. My parents had kebun lada and they plant cangkok manis and tapioca leaves. Since we live near the river, though heavily polluted, we can still find some fish to be our food. Once a while, my father will go to Serian to buy food we cannot rear or find by ourselves. Everyday, when my husband and I go to work, we will bring food from home as our lunch so we can save money on lunch. Sometimes, I do buy lunch from outside especially when I felt the great urge inside me. (Maybe coming from the baby, maybe from my own self)

I just purchased my first insurance policy this year, which cost me RM 120.00++ every month. My husband had two insurance policies which cost him around RM 100.00++. As for study loan with PTPTN, I just started to pay RM 100.00 per month for the month of March and April. Last month, I failed to pay the loan due to insufficient amount of money. The loan however is not decreasing yet increasing due to the administrative fees I had to pay back every month. Hopefully, the PTPTN promise to look into the administrative fees can find a way to decrease it. Imagine RM 45++ per month! It’s too much. My husband also had his own study loans and other debts which he need to cater.

Oh my God! Can we still live adequately or at least survive with this kind of situation. Yesterday, my father sold his black pepper for RM 200++. The money finished the same day, after he bought 100 pieces of brick stone to extend our house. The brick stone cost him RM1 per piece. After buying some dried food and groceries, nothing was left for some saving. Maybe he saved some, but I didn’t bother to ask. Besides, it’s his money.

Before this, I told my mother to stop planting paddy this year. However, after the announcement of the rising price of rice, we changed our minds. They will plant paddy again this year, so hopefully they will gain a lot of harvest so that we don’t need to buy rice. (Sigh)

Tell me, please. How can I change my lifestyle? I just hope for better job after this. Hopefully, both of us can pass our KPLI exam and can pursue to become a teacher. Well, despite our criticism against the Father and Son Government, we still need to get job as a civil servant because it’s more promising and secure.

PM’s last visit had promised another extra RM 1 billion for rural development purposes. I hope James Dawos will not forget to upgrade all the roads to Padawan, up until the last kampong should enjoy tarred road. Until today, I haven’t reached my husband’s kampong in Padawan due to the stony road and also because of my own conditions. I really hope the rural people can enjoy water and electricity as soon as possible. To James Dawos, Richard Riot, and all those BN leaders who were voted by the people in the rural area, please don’t forget them. They may be naive, or don’t have enough strength and sources to go against you, but you shouldn’t take them for granted. If you want us to change our lifestyles, please change yours too. Good leaders lead by example, mind you. I heard one MP go to clubbing one night and ended up drinking too much until he vomit and ‘berak’ at the same time. Please, YBs. Change if you love the people, change if you love the country. And for us fellow citizens, don’t be afraid to 'change'. Just change!