Posted by
wetbenang
at
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Over the Labour Day weekend, I went to Penang -- you know, the so-called Pearl of the Orient (although personally I think the lustre has long gone) -- for a wedding. The last time I toured the island (short nasi kandar-makan stops don't count) was 13 years ago, so I looked so much forward to the trip. Besides the makan-makan, which my traveling companion really relished in, there were lots of other things and places to do and see. All in all, it was rather enjoyable. Until I did a bit of post-trip accounting, that is. Food and lodging aside, fuel and toll charges took a big bite out of my traveling budget. No wonder a lot of my friends say they can't really afford to cuti-cuti Malaysia. Especially now when petrol prices are what they are. Coupled that with the toll charges, my kocek is now so kosong I have to suppress those nasi kandar urges so that I won't go binge at any of the cut-throat, second-rate outlets we have in KL.
Talk about petrol, I wasted a lot of it when that fuel-guzzler of mine got stuck in traffic due to some demonstration over fuel price hike. OK la, to protest is good, I suppose, after all we should all root for the freedom of expression, and this is a free country, relatively speaking. So, I just parked my vehicle on the road side, and watched the demonstrators. One thing struck me, though. I wasn't clear whether they were protesting against the government or Petronas. To me, if protestors want to protest, they have to make sure that they're protesting against the right party. This way, they would get their issues and messages right. Otherwise, the issues and messages will bercampur-aduk and will confuse people more. I'm all for the freedom of expression, but I'm also for taking accountability for what you say. We can't all be like politicians. Some of us have to be responsible, so tak elok cakap sesuka hati without getting our basic facts right.
A lot of people marah-marah because fuel prices went up, and a lot were also angry at Petronas. Mana pegi keuntungan Petronas? What happens to Petronas' money? Why can't Petronas subsidise prices? Watching the protestors that day, I think a lot of people missed the point. What people should be asking is: What is being done with the billions of ringgit Petronas has paid to the government in royalty, dividend, tax, and export duty? Kalau baca Press reports, last year alone Petronas paid RM31 billion to the government, more than half of its operating profit. Yang Petronas dah bayar sejak 1974, was close to RM250 billion. So apa yang telah dibuat with all the money?
To me, don't ask what happens to Petronas' profits, because the money the company makes is for the company to keep for its business expansion, for technology acquisition, for capacity/capability building etc. After all, Petronas IS a company, governed by all the rules and regulations, just like any other company, kan? The company already paid what is due to the government. What the government does with this money, this is what I want to know.
Hish, kalau betul la apa yang newspapers cakap, I wonder mana pegi RM31 billion tahun lepas? Mana pegi RM250 billion yang dah dibayar since 1974? Kalau la sebegini banyak, kenapa must I still pay income tax????So, my suggestion is: leave Petronas alone, la. Kalau nak sangat tahu how much the company makes, check out its website. Ask for its annual report. It does publish annual reports, audited some more, so don't say the company is not transparent.
The not-so-transparent party, I feel, is the government. I also want to know what it does with all those billions...
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Nice! Where you get this guestbook? I want the same script.. Awesome content. thankyou.
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Anonymous said...
8:20 AM
I say briefly: Best! Useful information. Good job guys.
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Anonymous said...
8:25 AM