MALAYSIAN MIDDLE CLASS

The reality is about Malaysian workers. No matter how smart, how strong, how educated or how hard working they are, they just cannot compete with foreigners who are desperate to put in 10 to 12 hour days at much less than an hour on the other side of the world.

After all, what companies in their right mind is going to pay a Malaysian worker 10 times more (plus benefits) to do the same job? The world is fundamentally changing. Wealth and power are rapidly becoming concentrated at the top and the big global corporations are making massive amounts of money. Meanwhile, the Malaysian middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence as our workers are slowly being merged into the new "global" labour pool.

What do most Malaysians have to offer in the marketplace other than their labour? Not much. The truth is that most of us are absolutely dependent on someone else giving them a job. But today, Malaysian workers are "less attractive" than ever. Compared to the rest of the world, Malaysian workers are extremely expensive, and the government keeps passing more rules and regulations seemingly on a monthly basis that makes it even more difficult to conduct business in the Malaysia.

So corporations are moving operations out of the Malaysia at breathtaking speed or if they are forced to stay wil employ foreigners. Since the government does not penalize them for doing so, there really is no incentive for them to stay.

What has developed is a situation where the people at the top are doing quite well, while most Malaysians are finding it increasingly difficult to make it. There are now about two unemployed Malaysian for every new job opening in Malaysia, and the number of "chronically unemployed" is absolutely soaring. There simply are not nearly enough jobs for everyone.

Many of those who are able to get jobs are finding that they are making less money than they used to. In fact, an increasingly large percentage of Malaysians are working at low wage retail and service jobs.

But you can't raise a family on what you make flipping burgers at McDonald's or on what you bring in from greeting customers down at the local Giant Hypermarket.

The truth is that the middle class in Malaysia is dying -- and once it is gone it will be incredibly difficult to rebuild.