The ministers and politicians like to use the phrase "Politics
of Envy" or "Politics of Jealousy" to characterize people's
complaints about various self-centred policies implemented by the
government e.g.
(1) Benchmarking of Ministers' salaries to highest paid individuals
in the private sector - whether this benchmarking is apple-to-apple
comparison at all?
(2) Perpetually raising of fees and charges through corporatizing
essential government services i.e. medical, housing,
transportation, utility, telecommunication, education etc to allow
them to charge the highest fees up to full market values and in
many cases double-charging citizens on land/infrastructure costs
already paid for by citizens through previous taxes etc
conveniently passed to government surpluses in corporatisation
schemes.
(3) Use of reserves/surpluses created in the above-stated creative
accounting to reward government in the form of giving them highest
salaries and bonuses like found in the NKF saga.
Against people's constant feedbacks, the government is persisting
in using legalistic power to use public funds for their own agenda
rather than to benefit citizens such as using public fund locally
to nurture our own local talents, start our own international
products or brands or retirement endowment funds which will help to
retire or lower the rising costs of living.
Given the above-stated scenario on how the government has been
managing the economy to benefit themselves and their own agendas,
is it wrong for people to complain about their high salaries and
bonuses out of envy or jealousy?