[Flatlytaize]

Jun 21, 2010

RM3,000 to live in M'sia city
Minister says monthly sum is enough for a middle-class lifestyle, but Malaysians disagree

By Hazlin Hassan, Malaysian Correspondent



Mr Raja Nong Chik says city dwellers can live on this sum if they adjust lifestyles.

KUALA LUMPUR - JUST how much do Malaysian city dwellers need to live a comfortable middle-class life? One minister says RM3,000 (S$1,280) a month should be enough, if they adjusted their lifestyles and cut out luxuries such as satellite TV and cars. 'This city is liveable for those earning RM3,000 a month, provided they do not live in luxurious places,' Federal Territories Minister Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said last week.

It is a comment that has angered ordinary Malaysians, many of whom are bracing themselves for expected cuts in subsidies on basic goods like sugar and petrol. Their government is seeking to slash subsidies to stem a swelling subsidies bill. Keeping the prices of essential items such as flour, sugar, bread and highway tolls below their market prices cost the country about RM73 billion a year. But plans to slash subsidies have drawn dismay.

hazlinh@sph.com.sg