Is Malaysia becoming a welfare state?
By Gerald Wu
March 2015 FEATURE
Most Malaysians don’t pay income tax. So, how are hand-outs financed?With cash payments to the poorer classes becoming standard policy in Malaysia, questions have been raised as to the efficacy of such measures. How do they help the needy, and how is the political economy affected?The former mayor of Bogota, Enrique Peñalosa, once said, “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars; it’s where the rich use public transportation.”Does this interesting observation capture the essence of...
Gerald Wu
