On good economic figures, jobless graduates and the next general election

There have been a lot of speculations about the date of the next general election in the press lately. I am not sure whether this is a sign of an impending general election or just another news item to divert the public opinion from a real issue. The signs are there: good economic figures, victory from recent by-election in Batu Talam, and talks within BN coalition members of seat allocations. But despite the good economic indicators being splashed in the papers almost everyday, living expenses are up, foreign factories are closing down leaving for cheaper countries and more graduates find themselves going after fewer jobs.

I am not sure if the majority of the people are benefiting from the supposedly good economic performance. Toll rates are up and so are prices of essential goods. Unemployment is rampant. Only today the NST reports that too many people are chasing too few jobs in the public sector to the point that graduates are also applying for jobs which do not need university qualifications. For every vacancy advertised by a government department the number of applicants easily exceed the number of available places by 100 to 1. Although looking at the positive side this can be interpreted as more people are now choosing to work for the government possibly because of better perks, it could also mean these people are unmarketable in the private sector. In other words, they have no other choice. They simply are not at par with the demands of the better paid private sectors. As for the date of the next general election, I think the best indicator so far would be to look out for Umno flag poles being erected, their branch office signboards being put up or repainted, and Umno men roaming around with party membership forms. It proved to be accurate in the 2003 election. Most likely it will be accurate again this time around. I believe that when the Umno flag poles are up, the poll will soon follow.

5 March 2007.