Disconnected and detached: What the J-KOM infographic says about govt

Recently, the Community Communications Department (J-KOM) was slammed by internet users over its infographic showing that a family of four with a household income of RM1,500 can get by with groceries for only RM391 per month.

J-KOM was trying to refute allegations that, due to inflation, many Malaysians, particularly from the B40 group, were having difficulties putting food on the table. But far from trying to lower the temperature, the poster only infuriated the public even more.

The breakdown given by J-KOM in the poster did not make any sense. They include two chickens for RM37.60, two 10kg bags of rice (RM38 per bag), two bottles of cooking oil for RM13.80, a carton of 30 eggs for RM14, two jumbo loaves of bread for RM8.60 and a cylinder of gas for RM19 per month.

Do people cook without onions or salt? Why did the poster not show vegetables or fruits, which are crucial for a balanced diet?

It also claimed a single-person household would only spend RM228 a month on these items, but in a smaller quantity.

To me, the fact that J-KOM decided to put up the post on its social media account shows just how detached the department, and by extension, the government, is from the plight of ordinary folks.

Even Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil described the post as "tone deaf," although he agreed with the content of the infographic.

This incident is a troubling indication of the kind of bubble the government lives in. Did they actually reach out to the public and walk in their shoes before putting up such an infographic that is utterly divorced from reality?

What about other aspects of governance? For example, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli recently mentioned that the government is looking into implementing the progressive wage model, whereby workers' annual salary increments are mandatory by law.

On paper, this proposal looks appealing to the workers. But a closer examination shows that there are too many loopholes, which will lead to employers laying off workers or passing on the increased costs to consumers. In either case, the economy will be worse off than before.

So I implore the Madani government to go down to the ground and walk in the shoes of the ordinary folks before coming up with half-baked policies that are detrimental to the people.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.