THE FLIGHT time between the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) and Dubai International Airport (DXB) in the United Arab Emirates is around seven hours, covering a distance of 5,548 km.
Dubai is also home to one of the world's leading airliners, Emirates. The return ticket if purchased through its online site is now hovering at about RM3,000.
The currency in UAE is the Dirham which is almost on par value with the Ringgit, but Uncle Sam's dollar is widely accepted in this affluent Arab kingdom.
It is a relatively affordable destination for upper income earners and has convenient pilgrimage connection for Muslims, being near to religious sites in Saudi Arabia.
The city is also worth exploring if one has the travel itch, especially to shop for shoes and bags.
In recent days, Dubai to Malaysians is not just about an outbound tourism itch, but also a political itch.
For one, the majority of B40 Malaysians cannot afford the ticket to go there.
As it is, they already need to work not one but two jobs to supplement their incomes against rising living costs.
The “Dubai Move" has generated enough stir on social media, triggering several of our upper income earning politicians to offer their insights, with one prominent blogger trying to rationalise such a surgical political move from the comforts of the UK.
Based on a Google search, the so-called Dubai Move is understood to be an alleged plot hatched by the opposition and some government backbenchers in the UAE to bring down Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his government.
Be prudent about spending
The question which begs for much clarification among our vaulted political or elite circles is on why such a move should be orchestrated in Dubai.
Why fly seven hours away just to get the "numbers" when it can be done in less than one working day in Kuala Lumpur or perhaps within Asean brethren cities where it would be more economical?
Come to think of it, why travel all the way there to try to meet the Yang diPertuan Agong?
Was there an attempt at protocol? As "patiks" (ordinary citizens), isn't there is a process to undertake to seek an audience?
Do remember, the national debt of Malaysia is reportedly RM1.39 trillion, which Google can easily provide, and the trending ChatGPT can generate countless articles about it.
Our investors also have access to the same search engine. If there is more negative rather than optimistic portrayal of Malaysia, wouldn't they be thinking twice about parking their hard-earned capital here?
Shouldn't our politicians with "numbers" who want to take over the country be cautious about spending, for the sake of Malaysians, if not themselves?
For argument’s sake, one can also form a secured encrypted WhatsApp group to begin plotting and meet via video-conferencing to perhaps escape the prying eyes of the intelligence apparatus, instead of having to fly overseas for it.
Or perhaps the government of the day would have been alerted to the cause, since the country has the highly trained Special Branch who would be in a position to intercept such plots to unseat a democratically elected government.
Help bring down living costs
As a debt-laden nation, there should be more focus on reducing the threshold, so that the present younger generation should not have to bear this burden significantly in the future.
It is already happening. Salaries for a host of jobs do not commensurate with living costs. Imported onions now costs RM8 per kg in Penang.
The preoccupations among the revered leaders should be about the mitigating costs and not about gaining "numbers."
Leaders should be concerned about reducing the national debt.
What is there left to govern if more than half of the country is bearing the brunt of debt, which technically means they are living in a never-ending cycle of impoverishment?
Lets' start 2024 with a sincere effort to address the real afflictions, instead of confronting the blurriest of plots to unseat a government.
No government is perfect in this world. Let us educate the young about it.
As long as the government strives to improve, there is hope for a better Malaysia.
Anwar should make it clear that his administration is working on excelling in its delivery system, although of late his actions are not in tune with his "reformasi" preaching.
To those obsessed with having "numbers" to govern the country without the need to seek a mandate from the electorate: why don't you first make public a range of solutions to the socio-economic woes inhibiting the country now?
If they can, they would surely get the vote of the long-suffering B40 people, no matter when an election is held.
From a weak currency to runaway inflation, congestion, climate change, global uncertainties, and Covid-19; the content on social media should be about ideas or solutions to tackle such issues rather than on having "numbers". – The Vibes, January 11, 2024
Ian Mcintyre is The Vibes’ northern region bureau head
