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By Mihar Dias March 2025
Malaysia—land of affordable food, or so they tell us. Never mind that a litre of milk now costs nearly an hour’s worth of work. But don’t worry, the government cares about the rakyat. They tell us so all the time.
Not long ago, a minister once declared, “Malaysia is on track to become a high-income nation!” Sure, we are—just not for the people actually doing the work. It seems the only ones hitting that high-income status are certain VVIPs who own Birkin bags worth more than an entire decade’s salary of a regular Malaysian.
Milk, Chicken, and the Art of Suffering
Let’s talk about how Malaysians are world-class workers—at working long hours for peanuts.
Literally. While a Dutch worker takes four minutes to earn enough for a litre of milk, a Malaysian worker needs 58 minutes. That’s nearly an hour, just for some calcium. No wonder our kids aren’t growing taller—milk is practically a luxury item at this point.
And what about chicken? In the Netherlands, it takes 18 minutes to afford a kilogram. In Malaysia? A solid 144 minutes.
That’s enough time to watch an entire Bollywood movie (and still have time for the dramatic climax).
But hey, we do have some of the cheapest instant noodles in the world. So, congratulations, rakyat! You may not be able to afford balanced nutrition, but at least you’ll always have Maggi mee.
Why Are Wages This Low?
Malaysia’s minimum wage is like a museum exhibit—frozen in time, admired but never adjusted properly. Every few years, there’s a grand announcement about raising the minimum wage, only for inflation to eat it up faster than a politician at a free buka puasa buffet. Anyway, recently Madani government raised the minimum wage.
Meanwhile, the cost of living has skyrocketed. Rent? Up. Food? Up. Petrol? Up. Public transport? Still unreliable, but also, up.
Wages? Well… let’s just say they haven’t exactly gotten the memo.
Yet, every time someone suggests fixing this mess, we hear the same tired excuses:
• “We can’t raise wages too much! It will scare away investors!”
(Yes, because nothing attracts investors like a country full of underpaid, struggling workers.)
• “The economy is recovering. Just be patient.”
(Patience is great, but it doesn’t pay the rent.)
• “The rakyat must learn financial discipline.”
(Ah yes, because the reason Malaysians struggle isn’t low wages, but the fact that they bought bubble tea once.)
Consequences? Oh, We Have Plenty
If we keep treating workers like this, don’t be surprised when:
• Our best talents pack their bags for Singapore, Australia, or anywhere that doesn’t make them work an hour for dairy products.
• Productivity drops because workers are too tired, too malnourished, or too busy working multiple jobs to function properly.
• People start protesting, not just online with angry Facebook comments, but in the streets—because eventually, even patience has a price.
So, What Now?
It’s time to stop pretending that Malaysia is a cheap paradise where everyone is happy and well-fed. If the government truly cares about the rakyat, here’s a radical idea:
• Raise wages in line with inflation, so people don’t have to work overtime just to afford groceries.
• Strengthen workers’ rights, because fair wages should not be a privilege.
• Fix our economic policies so people don’t have to dream about migrating just to live decently.
Until then, Malaysia’s dream of being a high-income nation will remain just that—a dream. And while we wait, we’ll be here, working an hour for milk and two for chicken, all while the politicians enjoy their high-income lifestyles. MP gets RM40,000 per month. PMX says so!
Truly, Malaysia Boleh.
Mihar Dias is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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